My Summer Lair Chapter #316: Why Is Scotland So Supernatural?
You know Scottish actor Ruth Connell as Rowena MacLeod an extremely powerful natural witch and the mother of the demon Crowley on The CW hit Supernatural.
(After going to Hell, Rowena became the new Queen of Hell. I’m telling ya…I don’t just get weird yet creative folks on this fine program…I score top shelf guests like the Queen of Hell. That’s…hot! (Eh, s’a bit weak: that pun sounded better in my head which is where I probably shoulda left it.)
You’ve recently seen Scottish actor Ruth Connell on Dead Boy Detectives; the first season streamed on Netflix. (And only season, sigh. In August 2024, the series was canceled after one season.)
For eight episodes of the Neil Gaiman adaptation she played Night Nurse. A character who was introduced in a Doom Patrol episode. (Doom Patrol is quirky, clean fun. I’d never read the comics; the show offers delightful moments. It’s done now…Doom concluded in 2023.)
Though, honestly: you probably know Ruth Connell best as Rowena on Supernatural.
For over 30 episodes she played the cheeky witch and the mother of the demon Crowley. (Played by Mark Sheppard who is also gonna be present at Toronto Comicon 2025 along with Ruth. Mark Sheppard played Canton Everett Delaware III in the first two episodes of Doctor Who series 6: The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon. Two stunning Who episodes. I’d so ask him about that.)
That’s a clip from the Regarding Dean; Supernatural: Season 12, Episode 11 so you can see Ruth Connell as Rowena in action.
In my conversation with Ruth I highlighted this specific Supernatural episode because it best encapsulates Rowena: the witty one-liners, the smug hustle…there’s a lot going on after a powerful family of witches cast a spell on Dean that’s quickly erasing his memory.
As funny as the episode is; Dean is gonna die unless Sam and now Rowena step in.
While I cover Dead Boy Detectives, Supernatural (Regarding Dean) I also talk to Ruth about two vital Scottish elements: tea…of course. A part of me almost skipped the whole Supernatural thing and wanted to focus entirely on tea. (I have many tea emotions; so does Ruth.)
And….secondly this crucial detail: Ruth was born in Falkirk and raised outside Bonnybridge. And famously The Falkirk Triangle averages around 300 UFO sightings per year. It’s a well-known UFO hotspot.
I had to ask her about UFOs. Have you ever seen anything…that’s more X-Files than Supernatural? It was the first time I’d ever met somebody from that area. She said her grandmother saw…something. Oh. Now that’s something worth hashing out over tea.
I wish I had more time.
Tea and UFOs shouldn’t be rushed; in a way they’re both so strange and so magical they are Supernatural.
At Toronto Comicon (March 14-16) you can see Ruth along with other Supernatural noteworthy actors like Jared Padalecki, Mark Sheppard, Alexander Calvert and Jim Beaver. Now that’s #PantsWorthy.
Ruth Connell @ W • T • F
Host Sammy Younan
Recorded: Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at 1:15 pm (EST)
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