<\/p>\n
Samantha Smith<\/a>\u2018s Mary Winchester, the boys\u2019 badass hunter mom, has been a fixture on Supernatural<\/a><\/em> since the very beginning. In the pilot, the young mom is killed by the demon Azazel in a horrifying scene where the nightgown-clad Mary pinned to the ceiling of baby Sam\u2019s nursery and set on fire. Still, she was never forgotten by her boys. Much later, in the Season 11 finale, Mary is resurrected by God\u2019s sister Amara (Emily Swallow<\/a>), shocking her now-adult sons, Sam (Jared Padalecki<\/a>) and Dean (Jensen Ackles<\/a>).<\/p>\n Mary struggles with her restored humanity, and she doesn\u2019t always make the right choices during her second chance at life, but this imperfect mama bear became a pivotal part of the series and brought a strong female energy the show always needed more of. Eventually, though, she dies a second time in Season 14\u2019s \u201cGame Night,\u201d at the hand of nephilim Jack (Alexander Calvert<\/a>) \u2014 accidentally<\/em> \u2014 just a few episodes after she experienced a sweet family reunion with her late husband John (Jeffrey Dean Morgan<\/a>). Still, Mary\u2019s legacy on Supernatural<\/em> carries on, and the character was even celebrated with the prequel spinoff The Winchesters<\/a><\/em>, which explored Mary\u2019s life before her sons.<\/p>\n TV Insider caught up with Smith to discuss her complex character in May at a Creation Entertainment\u00a0convention in New Jersey for TV Guide Magazine\u2019s\u00a0Supernatural Afterlife: 20th Anniversary Special<\/em>. Below, she discusses her favorite episode, con memories, and why she thinks some fans never quite connected with her Mary.<\/p>\n I just saw you down on the floor signing autographs not even five minutes ago \u2014 what is it like doing these conventions for Supernatural<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n Samantha Smith:<\/strong> Lots of running. [Laughs<\/em>] And it\u2019s busy, which is a blessing because you don\u2019t want to be sitting there with time to kill. It\u2019s a flood of people, a flood of faces. Constant input about how the show has changed people\u2019s lives, what it\u2019s meant to them, how they watch it with their families. And to me, what I always want to say is that it\u2019s an honor that I have gotten to be a part of something that means so much to them. So, I spend a lot of time just reflecting gratitude. And also, the cast is my friends and family, you know? So, I get to see them and spend time with them, which is such an added bonus.<\/p>\n What do you hear the most from fans when you meet them?<\/strong><\/p>\n The fandom is a little split on Mary. Some people love her, some people do not. I hear a lot, \u201cI love you, I hate Mary. Sorry.\u201d And then I say, \u201cGive me two minutes, I\u2019ll change your mind.\u201d And I usually do. We just have a little conversation about what their perception was, and why.<\/p>\n I think that some people were purists. They wanted the show to be about just the boys. And so, Mary came back \u2014 and she had been a canonized perfect mom \u2014 but when she came back, she was a fully-rounded human. I think that was hard for some people, especially when a couple of episodes in, she takes the journal and bounces because she needed to figure some stuff out. She\u2019d been dead for over 30 years. Her kids were grown, her husband was dead. Like, maybe she needed a minute. [Laughs<\/em>]<\/p>\n