Friday, August 3, 2012

5.22. "Swan Song" review


1. “THEN” sequences to these three last episodes are art in themselves: it must have taken a lot of time to assemble them.

2. Damn it, this Kansas song is honestly gonna play in my head for a week or so afterwards.

3. Even in this grave, tragic episode the writers inserted some genuine humour (namely, Chuck’s monologues).

4. The Impala, starting from the flashback to “her” biography, proved to be a legitimate heroine of this episode. High time the trusty car was honoured. I wanted an Impala-centered episode since when “Fallen Idols” aired, so this is as close as it’s going to get to it. And, hey, don’t say all women on this show are unfairly treated and killed off – here’s one lady that’s not. And she’s even of colour!

5. Her first owner was a travelling evangelist Sal Moriarty (a mash-up name of the two protagonists of “On The Road”) who’d “drive around giving Bibles to the poor”. It’s very logical and poetically just that the car had initially belonged to, in his way, a “true servant of the Lord” whose job description also involved “saving people” – after all, that’s what the Bible is for, right? He even had an angel figurine (halloo, Castiel The Action Man) in the car.
6. Whoa, this episode is moving on pretty fast – opening credits are still rolling on, and the boys have already decided on their future. And the climactic scene is in the middle of the episode rather than the end.

7. The scene of Sam ensconced on the hood of the Impala (drape around it, baby), beer in hand, is so model. I bet the only reason Dean doesn’t give him a “Get off my car, man” speech is obvious: the guy’s got a few days on Earth left to live, so he can do whatever pleases him.

8. The scene of Dean letting Sam go on with his free will mirrors the “Point Of No Return”’s heart-to-heart talk where Sam gives Dean his unconditional trust.

9. In the previous episode Sam said he wouldn’t do a “yes” unless they all (four) agreed on it – what a change from season 4’s finale where he was all, “I know it better, let me do it myself”, and Dean was all, “I know it better, kid”. And now it’s Dean all, “You decide” while Sam’s all, “How do you think?”  

10. Dean was the last person who (could stop it!) needed to give his consent to Sam’s plan. Ironically enough, his agreement turned the scheme somewhat upside down – like it was not their communal decision but Sam’s exclusive choice.

11. Sam’s “you’re gonna let me say yes?” little-brotherly obedience is adorable. He’s genuinely amazed at Dean’s sudden change of moods.

12. “If this is what you want, I’ll back your play”. Of course Sam doesn’t want it (hence his silence) but that doesn’t count. It’s funny Dean even asks such a question. Imagine Sam asked him, “Dean, do you want to go to Hell for me?”

13. When Dean agrees to “back” Sam’s plan, it’s not him wanting it, it’s Death wanting it and Dean having to obey – of course it goes against “every fiber [he’s] got”. 

14. Dean’s “watching out for you…It’s kinda been my job. But more that that… It’s kinda who I am” is an amazing confession in itself. Mind you, Dean here is sacrificing, too. Not his physical life but his identity. He’s going to be left with a Sam-sized hole in his soul.

15. “Maybe I got to grow up a little, too”. And why does Dean think his protectiveness is a sign of childishness? This talk of growing up reminded me of Jo telling her mother, in “Abandon All Hope”, that letting her sacrifice her life to help the guys was the last chance Ellen could have of letting the girl grow up. Back in that episode’s review I wondered if Sam and Dean would be brave enough to have died together. Judging by “Swan Song”, Dean would easily do that – unless Sam forbade him.

16. By the way, Sam is 27 when he commits his willing suicide. The legendary lethal age for all those classic rock stars. Remember how once Dean came and reclaimed his brother back, and the brother complied but warned him they wouldn’t stay together forever and they didn’t, in the end – but one weekend Sam had agreed to spend with Dean looking for their father finally turned into five years. What happens in “Swan Song” is a fantastic full circle moment.  It’s brilliant how five years from then, when we’ve already forgotten about it, this idea of letting go resurfaced and in what sinister context. And what an eerie light it shed onto the “Pilot” episode. It’s a circular structure and continuity to end all continuities. Has this also been planned at the outset, that the last episode should fulfill the promise of the first one? That Dean would have to let Sam go? Has the grand scheme of the story always been in this? Was letting go always meant to be the hardest task ever for Dean? Was it a metaphor of growing up? Devil in the details, Mr. Kripke.

17. Re Dean’s “job”. It’s not the first time he mentions it but probably the first time he puts it that explicitly. Dean’s always been more than a brother to Sam. He could be bossy like a father (“I’m oldest which means I’m always right”) or caring like a mother (in all the “Sammy, are you okay?”/pour-your-heart-out-to-me moments), or bolstering-up like a buddy, or hostile like a rival, or even flirtatious like a boyfriend to him. With their nomadic lifestyle, Dean couldn’t afford long-term and steady pals or girlfriends, so his brother was a substitute for all of them, to degrees. Sam was also voicing his subconsciousness (“I know you”). And also was the most precious thing he’s ever had. Dean usually comes across to other people as a tough, dashing, charming guy, the Hunter, but at the same time his brazen brashness slips away when it comes to Sam. That’s a beautiful contrast. One of the major reasons Dean is and has been a hunter and has had to live this life of “saving people, hunting things” was because, along with all the other people he saved, he needed to keep saving Sam, needed to be ready to keep him safe. So, yeah, there’s never gonna be another job to suit him like this.

18. Oh, how is Sam to drink all this blood? It’s a lot.

19. “Ain’t he a little angel?” – “Angels don’t sleep”. Dean is so out of character today, speaking like a 12-year-old fan girl.

20. By the way, there are two “first ever” moments here: the first time the angel is shown sleeping and the first time the three of them are in the same car.

21. While they are driving to the abnormally freezing Detroit, Dean is having bad premonitions about the whole thing – even though it’s not him who’s going to Hell this time round. 

22. By the way, it’s good the demons were pretty much under Lucifer’s strict control this season and couldn’t harm Sam and Dean. So that this finale, unusually, had zero active demonic presence.

23. “You got to promise me something” – “Okay. Yeah. Anything” is heart-wrenching. It’s clear Dean had mentally agreed to Death’s proposal and to Sam’s plan, accepted the fact he would have to let Sam do an Alice-in-Wonderland, but he definitely kept one reassuring thought in mind – that he’d drag him back after it’s over. But Sam robs him off this one last hope. Sam’s wish is the reverse of Dean in season 3’s finale asking him to “keep fighting” – and look what happened when Sam had kept that promise.

24. How exactly does Dean think he can search for Sam and get him back? And, yeah, his “tour” to Hell may seem like “Graceland” to Sam’s excursion. Any tips on survival, Dean?

25. It’s not death we’re talking about, it’s a life of suffering that awaits Sam down there. And remember that neither Sam nor Dean particularly wanted to be saved from the dead personally, but when it would come to bringing each other back, it was a priority.

26. Sam actually asks Dean to promise two things, the second one being “normal” life. And as long as normal life was an unattainable ideal Dean could strive for but not have, it was great. But when suddenly it became reality and the only option imposed on him, then Dean realized it wasn’t such a hot item on his wish list. Oh Dean. You know you can‘t resist Sam. But he doesn’t say “I promise”, either.

27. Whether they win or lose, Sam will be gone in any event. He takes over Lucifer – he dies; Lucifer takes over – either Michael casts him down or he destroys the human race – no way back home for Sam anyway.

28. “You fight him tooth and nail… Keep swingin’”. “Take care of these guys, okay” – “That’s not possible”. Does Castiel here refer to Sam’s task or to what Sam asks him to do? And Castiel’s eyes when he looks up at Sam are full of such sympathy. And, yeah, the more human he becomes, the more sensitive to human habits and traditions he is. I bet it hurts him especially bad that at this moment there’s nothing he, an angel of the Lord, can do to help Sam.

29. “You mind not watching this?” It’s interesting that drinking demon blood has always been (even back in season 4) a source of shame for Sam, a sick habit he felt he should hide from others (Dean, in his turn, would think of his torturing souls in Hell as an eternal disgrace for himself).  

30. How is Sam even able to control himself after such a huge dose of demon blood? It gives him the necessary recklessness, courage and swagger, though.

31. Oh, a sentimental Dean keeps the Legos in his car’s vents. I’d like to think the soldier was Dean’s and the Legos belonged to Sam and they had stuck them into the awkward corners of the Impala just to play jokes on one another.

32. Lucifer is very cold and cool inside, both symbolically and physically. He’s drawing the Devil’s Trident on the frosted window. In May. Evidently, Hell is cold in places, and perhaps his cage is also like a fridge? Guys, it’s good that you came fully flannelled.

33. “Chock-full of Ovaltine, are we?” Have all demons, being Lucifer’s creations, also inherited Lucifer’s trademark snarkspeak? Angels and demons can be easily distinguished by their manner of speaking. Demons tease, taunt and tempt and angels tend to be serenely cryptic. However, some angels like Gabriel or Lucifer cross over into the other party’s speech habits.

34. Lucifer says “we” addressing Sam. (cf. Michael to Dean in “The Song Remains The Same”). OTP?

35. Sam lays down his conditions to Lucifer (Sam. To Lucifer. Aren’t you a little bit like those silly kids in “Swap Meat”, Sammy?) – “I live, he lives…” Does he do that to mislead Lucifer and not let the Devil guess he’s lying? Or is he really serious? Like, serious serious? But he should know if he gives himself over to Lucifer, the Satan will destroy all people on Earth anyway apart from the planet itself (if he himself won’t get beaten by Michael) – then what Dean, him, John and Mary will do alone in the empty world? By the way, Mary coming back to life in 25 plus years of oblivion – that’s a stuff of a time travel fanfic.

36. “Can we please drop the telenovela?” Even the Devil knows Supernatural is a friggin’ melodrama.  Except that later in the episode, when he’s talking to Michael, Lucifer himself shows a telenovela level of emotion. Hypocrite. 

37. Look at that, Lucifer is now even picky, like Brady with his rings. Sam says he wants the Devil to take him and Lucifer is, like, oh yeah?, and then Sam, basically, illustrates this Supernatural icon that says “I can kill you with my brain”, snapping two Lucifer’s underlings off with a mere concentration behind his closed eyes. Sam can pretty much destroy demons but, alas, not angels. Hell yes, if your boy can do such things on his own, imagine what he’ll be capable of with you inside, Lucifer.

38. Lucifer makes a special point of honesty. He reproaches Sam of lying to him, stating he himself has never lied to him. But he’s not angry at him, says Lucifer. And he knows everything about the rings and Cage plan and is even so self-assured as to go for it – “You win, you jump in the hole. I win… Well, then I win” (cf. “The End”). He “like[s] the idea”. Pride is really the death of him.

39. Sam’s anger was his biggest problem but in the end it was a crucial factor in his victory over Lucifer. And Sam has never been proud of himself.
40. Dean’s face when Lucifer tells them he’s known their plan all along is a study in apprehension. He tries to figure out an alternative move in the few seconds that remain. Every step and word in the scrape they’ve got themselves into could be crucial. Sam’s made up his mind already, but I bet Dean would still be ready to grasp at this opportunity and not do what they had agreed on.

41. Sam says three “yes” in a row (a folkloric trope of three?) before Lucifer jumps his bones, but when Lucifer has taunted them enough, he wastes not a moment and goes in. It’s been over three years since Sam has been possessed. And now he’s officially schizo, with this split personality.

42. In “Lucifer Rising”, when the Cage opens, Dean says “Sammy, let’s go [out]” – now in “Swan Song” he opens up the Cage and says “You got to go now [in there]!” Eerie continuity.

43. Dean throws his rings against the wall and pronounces an incantation and it opens up into a horrible, windy tunnel leading into the dark nowhere. Sam’s lying unconscious on the floor, and then Dean picks him up to his feet (Sam’s “Dean! I can feel him!” – the pain he feels in his head may well be like this of his Season 1’s premonitions, only much more acute this time) and urges him towards the Hellhole. Sam makes a few steps towards it (and there’s no way Dean’s helping him in) and then suddenly something in his face changes and Lucifer’s arch smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. He turns away and, in a deceptively calm voice, tells a visibly horrified Dean he’s changed his mind and then leaves Dean to his lonesome exasperation. Dean’s priceless face is, again, a study in “what have I done?” despair.

44. Lucifer says he’s been deceiving Dean. A-ha, Mr. I’ll Never Lie To You. Well, he promised to never lie to Sam, after all. But he broke even this pledge. From the first moment Lucifer promised Sam a fair battle he was lying – he knew Sam wouldn’t be strong enough to withstand him, but invited him into the fight anyway, making Sam think he’s got a chance to win. It’s just like 4.22 where we got to know that Ruby has been deceiving Sam.

45. I love this noiry conversation between Sam and Lucifer through the broken looking glass. It’s yet another quasi-shapeshifter moment for Sam. It’s an excellent device Supernatural used in only a few episodes where there’d be two Deans (“Skin”, “In My Time Of Dying”, “Dream A Little Dream Of Me”), usually rivals. In the excellent “The End” two Deans – the good and the bad – first met Sam-as-Lucifer and fought each other. This same technique is used in this episode where we’ve got two Sams – one good, the other Lucifer, fighting. Also, this episode features probably the second ever scene since “Bloody Mary” where we get to see Sam talk to himself through the mirror. The difference is, back in season 1, the boy in the mirror was the dark projection of the good boy in front of the mirror, his guilt and offence speaking to him. Now, five years on, this dark, shadowy part of him grew strong enough to break free from the mirror into the real world, and now it’s the good boy who’s just the vision, and the bad one is controlling him. Very Oscar Wilde.

46. The “scratching” metaphor (“Sam. Come on. I can feel you… Scratching away in there”) – cf. how in season 6 Death warns Sam not to scratch the wall in his head.

47. Lucifer’s serene tranquility is in sharp contrast to Sam’s nervousness, fear and anger.

48. There was something deeply sensual in their connection from the first time Lucifer showed up before Sam. Lucifer even talks to him in lovespeak (“MFEO”). 

49. Lucifer successfully attempts to bring Sam’s vengefulness forth. Obviously, if the Devil and the Vessel are in sync, it’s much easier to work. And what, Lucifer can’t unleash his full power unless Sam joins in with his ire?

50. Rachel, Sam’s “prom date” turned out to be one of Lucifer’s “little devils”. And, Dean, looks like you were banging monsters way before Sam started doing this. So what it was in the Wish Verse of “What Is And What Should Never Be” only!

51. Oh no, now even the angel is depressed and boozy. There’s nothing we can do (bar going on a bender), and we’re done – Castiel is just like Dean in “Lucifer Rising”. “Junkless sissy” is a polite understatement.

52. Sam’s face in the mirror after “they” had wasted the demons from his past is scared and ashamed (he realized he enjoyed the process) and the triumphant Lucifer’s all, “Are we having fun yet?”

53. It would’ve been good if they showed us more of Sam battling Lucifer within himself. Not just one episode of it.

54. I bet the guys could find themselves a good case even at Ozzfest (and seriously? Imagine Sam and Dean banging their heads to rock rhythms in a crowd of enthusiastic AC/DC fans. I’m sure Sam went to these gigs just because Dean dragged him there). Seriously, why didn’t they have an episode involving rock stars and the supernatural, like “Hollywood Babylon”, only in a rock fest context?

55. The “they’d park her in the middle of nowhere [so that nobody sees what unmanly things they are indulging in in their spare time, no doubt], sit on the hood, and watch the stars... For hours... Without saying a word” is, to me, the best sentimental and funny moment in this episode. And when the guys act out this scene of looking at the stars, it’s hilarious: Sam’s diligently staring at the night sky while Dean is looking up, too, but with a sarcastic, Chuck-made-me-do-it smirk on his pursed lips. Come on, these “book” scenes – almost like the Supernatural Sitcom from “Changing Channels” – were supposed to be a bit self-ironic. Yet the connotations of this scene are ambiguous. Dear writers, did you mean to put this slashy vibe into Chuck’s writing? How many fanfics have started where Chuck’s description of Sam and Dean’s holidays left off?

56. If Chuck’s “Supernatural” books feature such cheesy details then I imagine how all Becky Rosen-type girls came about. More than that, Chuck’s affair with Becky obviously influenced his writing.

57. “Maybe they never really had a roof and four walls but they were never, in fact, homeless”. Well, of course – their show has successfully broken down all the four walls!

58. The car was the only thing that reminded them of their regular home, hence Dean’s almost religious attitude to it (and Sam has never shared the same reverence to the Impala as his brother – just like he hasn’t shared his reverence for the idea of home/family). When the Chevy was broken to pieces in late season 1, and the accident eventually led to the loss of their father, it was very much a rendition of their Kansas home burning to embers and taking their mother’s life away. Only that second time Dean would restore what he could.

59. Why are all these loveable details only revealed now? There must be something the show’s not telling us that goes into books by Mr. Edlund. Really, the more we learn about the guys the more we’re yet to discover.

60. Prophet Chuck writes the Winchester Gospel while engaged in phone sex – how dirty is this? Could it have put some inappropriate scenes into his book?

61. And poor, pure, rejected Becky must be writing some angry Wincest at the moment.

62. And, yeah, Dean is that subtle as to have started their conversation with this gentle question about Chuck and Becky’s failed love affair, gossip girl.

63. Stull Cemetery near Lawrence – it’s full circle, right? Sam’s birth was the beginning of his troubles, death will, ironically, be his redemption.

64. “I just want you to understand – the only thing that you're gonna see out there is Michael killing your brother” – “Well, then I ain't gonna let him die alone”. Does it mean Dean will hold him in his arms (like 2.21) or is he literally planning to die alongside him? No matter what Dean has said about Sam having become a grown-up man, all this episode he’s still not letting him out of his sight and watches over him – till the end. It’s the kind of devotion even the angel would envy.

65. Adam/Michael (Adamichael?), you’ve wanted to fight Lucifer, so you get it. And it’s kinda weird that Michael is the older brother while in reality Adam is Sam’s junior. This family is so screwed up.  

66. Lucifer tries to charm Michael into not fighting him. But Michael ain’t no Dean. The human siblings are actually more mature than you two in Heaven.

67. “Let’s just walk off the chessboard”. Does the Devil think God manipulates them both? And how does Lucifer expect them to proceed if they drop the battle? What’s more important for Lucifer – to achieve his mean goal of human race destruction or to win Michael’s love and trust back? And if Michael gave him this love, would Lucifer relinquish his vengeful plan? Who’s Lucifer’s biggest issue – his Dad or his brother? And isn’t he doing all his harm to attract Michael’s attention? And, Michael, Lucifer may be evil but he can’t really help it, having been deeply offended by you and your Dad in the past, but you are being deliberately selfish and unwilling to get over your own sibling issues – while a little sharing and caring could probably stop your brother from wreaking havoc upon the world.

68. “I'm a good son, and I have my orders”. Michael, have you got no soul at all? See, Soulless Michael.

69. Michael, where’s your politeness? “You are no longer a part of this story”. How much more John fit you.

70. When Dean addresses Adam, “Adam, if you’re in there somewhere, I am so sorry” is he being sarcastic or earnest? ‘Cause the grammar structure he employs (the “so”), in his case, usually equals sarcasm and irony – yet there’s no such thing in his intonation.

71. “He’ll be back – and upset – but you got your five minutes”. Remember back in “Lucifer Rising” Dean needed some time to talk to Sam, but angels wouldn’t let him go and see his brother – and now Castiel makes up for it. All in all, Castiel has changed a lot in this one year: from a righteous angels of the Lord into a warrior (cussing alone – like brothers, like Cas). Note how the proverbial “save him or kill him” rule applies to Castiel-to-Dean relationship as well – Castiel has always been to Dean what Dean was to Sam – a protective senior, even though he lacked Dean’s dashing humour. So it’s natural he’d die for him, and not once.

72. What Castiel does to Michael is akin to his drawing the Angel Banishment sign on his own chest – he, like, throws the angel’s trap of holy oil into Michael like a lasso.

73. First the guys fought against the outward evil mostly, but then had to fight against the inner evil. It’s when their external monsters join them from inside that it gets really, end-of-the-world crazy and scary. Also, by “Swan Song” they had climbed up to the top of the supernatural creatures’ ladder – only to then jump down.

74. “I tried to be nice… For Sammy’s sake”. Oh, look, Lucifer actually cared for Sammy ‘Cause if there’s any feeling Lucifer is able to relate to, it’s this brotherly thing. The only thing that can stir Lucifer’s genuine emotion is family. Such a pity, Lucifer, your Michael is not like Sam’s Dean.

75. Does Lucifer take his anger out on Dean specifically because he represents Michael to him? 

76. When Lucifer is methodically punching Dean, Dean, uncharacteristically, doesn’t do his damnedest to oppose this violence – he knows any such attempts would only infuriate Lucifer more and knows he could finish him with a snap of his fingers. Sure, just like Sam in “Point Of No Return”, he can’t really do anything to counter his rival physically, ‘cause even a third-rank angel has a body of stone. But, more importantly, he’s passive because his goal is not to beat Lucifer to the ground but to stay alive long enough to keep telling his words to Sam to wake him up, to open the closed door (that’s a recurrent Supernatural symbol) within his mind and let his brother out of the mental cage Lucifer has forced him into. Remember how in “Lucifer Rising” Dean also had to bang against the literal closed doors of the convent and how that barrier proved fatal. But not this time. If Sam is Lucifer’s “destined vessel”, that means he and Lucifer share a certain similarity, so you can use the same weapons and methods on both. Now Lucifer has a stupid idea on his mind, and what has always been the way to battle Sam’s stupid ideas? Not knock them out of his stubborn brains, but – and Dean knows it like no other and has successfully done it more than a few times – to actually talk him out of these ideas. So that’s what Dean is doing, and it works. What Dean keeps saying to Sam works as some kind of exorcism.

77. Dean ignores Lucifer and calls out for Sam (just like in “Born Under A Bad Sign”, though he used much stronger terms back then). The words he uses – “Sam, its’ okay. It’s okay. I’m here. I’m here. I’m not gonna leave you. I’m not gonna leave you” – are the words that Dean could probably be comforting Sam with when they were kids. He’s instinctively speaking to him as if Sam were a child, and these words, I suppose, go straight down to the deepest, root-est parts of Sam’s soul and trigger the earliest memories just as strongly as the “army man” toy Sam catches sight of.

78. I wonder if Sam used his mojo as well to overcome Lucifer from within.

79. I get why TWoP’s reviewer of Supernatural ranted so much about how unconvincing the life-flash-before-his-eyes montage triggered by the sight of an army man toy Lucifer/Sam’s eyes caught was. We’ve never heard about this toy stuck in the car until this very episode, and its sudden appearance may have felt somewhat far-fetched, indeed. If the writers used some object that has had a long, season 1-onwards story within the show to trigger Sam’s memories, it could have probably provided more of a continuity. It’s funny that exactly this season Supernatural got rid of three such objects – and while Sam’s bracelet and Dean’s beer opener ring went out unnoticed, Dean’s amulet did so with a showy bang, and has been much missed by fans since. If anything, in season 5 the amulet has been given a role as crucial as that of the Colt in seasons 1-2: the “God EMF”. It proved useless in this task and Castiel blamed Team Free Will’s inability to find God on the innocent object (and has it ever occurred to him the amulet had nothing to do with their failure – if God doesn’t want to be found, nothing can locate him?), prompting Dean to throw it away into a trash can, thus basically throwing away his childhood memories or even part of his concern over the boy who’d given the amulet to him back in the ‘90s. Now imagine if Dean had kept the amulet or if Sam had salvaged it and, I don’t know, had hidden it in the Impala’s trunk or glove compartment. If Dean were to find the amulet on his way to Stull Cemetery and had a hunch to put it back on, then when Sam was beating the crap out of him, he could probably tear Dean’s shirt apart in the process (exposing Dean’s perfect manly chest on the way, no less), catch a glimpse of the object and if the sight of it would trigger this wave of flashbacks, it would be such a continuity. But, no, I enjoy the actual version of the scene no less.

80. And HUG (and another HUG in slow motion). YEAH, THEY DID IT, even though they criminally neglected it all season long! I was even betting they would make up for the lack of hugs in the finale. Hugging may well be the highest form of sensual, physical expression of mutual affection these guys have for each other. Like, when they hug they are actually making out in their mind... okay, in my slashy fan girl mind. 

81. By the way, there was more than an average number of “real”, not flashback, hugs in this episodes: Dean and Bobby, Dean and Lisa – but they never did, silly boys. I get it – after all, Sam is about to die but he is not going be brought back this time.  

82. This sequence of Sam’s life-flash-before-my-eyes is a great device reminding fans, just as much as Sam himself, of the road the guys (and the show’s audience) have covered.

83. There’s no music bar the ill wind blowing from the Pit soon to be opened during this montage. Very creepy.

84. So, yeah, it was a Sapocalypse in the end.

85. When Sam wakes up from his Luciferocity, does he see what damage he’s done? He definitely sees what he’s done to Dean. But they don’t really talk to each other in these last seconds (Dean probably can’t talk, what with all the crushed bones in his face), Sam only mutters a few phrases to him and then pulls the key out of his pocket, throws it against the ground and the Pit opens up (and it’s a pretty wide gash and you even freak out lest it should spread as wide as to consume not only Sam but Dean and the car as well) – but Sam faces his brother all the time – he doesn’t look down the hellhole, he looks at Dean, and they, like, speak in glances. Sam is visibly scared but then his face turns all martyrously beautiful and enlightened, he opens up his arms in a characteristical crucifixion gesture and starts falling into the Pit, and the music goes all epically tragic-beautiful, and it’s at this instance that Michael reappears to mar the epic moment.

86. Michael is like some piggy in the middle in this climactic scene: first he’s all, “Dean, you got no right to be here”, then he’s all, “Sam, step back! It’s my destiny!”, and Dean and Sam are all, “Screw you, junkless”. To think Michael is the mightiest archangel around. Though, he’s not in the best vessel and, to top it all, has been severely distressed by Castiel.

87. Guess Michael’s angelic mojo is pretty whacked – how else could Sam drag him down? Or is Sam becoming stronger than anyone at this crucial point, demon blood working together with his own power of will? Or – the option I like most – Michael is so devoted to his duty and destiny he’s not going to leave Lucifer even if it means he’ll have to sacrifice his own life. Michael actually wants to keep Lucifer on Earth so that they could have the battle yet, but Sam grabs him by the sleeve and… Obviously, Michael is genuinely taken aback by Sam’s action, so he doesn’t react quickly enough, and they both fall down. And for some reason it feels quite just. I don’t really sympathise with Michael – after all that he’s seen and been told, he’s still none the wiser, prefers to stick to his mantra about “destiny” and doesn’t seem to get the brotherhood idea. Who’s more self-righteous, in the end – Lucifer or him? Michael should have learnt the basic rule by now: if you’ve got a little brother who’s going slightly mad, you should save him, not kill him, so he gets his just desserts for being so heartless. Shouldn’t have turned yourself into an Anna, man. Come to think of it, Michael wanted to kill his brother while the boys were much more humanistic – they only wished to put Lucifer back into his prison.

88. Uncompromising goodwill can be worse than honest evilness; and you can’t (and maybe even shouldn’t) kill evilness – is this what the show wants to say, when they just cage Lucifer back in, not kill him?

89. Sam actually does a favour to Lucifer: leaves him alive and even provides him with a companion – he is surely not going to let Michael stay where Dean (and the rest of the world) is. Michael may want to take his fierceness out on Dean, or, worse than that, do whatever it takes to lift Lucifer back. Also, maybe it’s Sam’s idea that if the two want to have this battle so much, then let them fight – only not on our planet, let it be in a safe and enclosed place (I imagine the Cage resembles the Beautiful Room). And maybe when the two find themselves in one big scrape, they’ll finally drop their battle altogether and just sit down and talk things out yet. Have their own Impala-style sharing. When Lucifer is not alone in his cage but with Michael to look out for him, it’s safer for everyone. The two might figure out a way to get out of the Cage, though, but the benefit is definitely worth a risk.

90. Lucifer and Michael are like Alternate Sam and Dean – who our guys could end up being by 2010 if they were obedient to destiny.

91. This ending is reminiscent of the “Star Wars VII” finale. The Evil goes down, literally, and bare faith and trust prove to be the strongest weapon.

92. All in all, in “The End” Zachariah stage-designed a pretty accurate future: Dean came close to the  ruthless heartlessness of his 2014 projection (in “Point Of No Return”), Castiel lost his angelic mojo and boozed heavily, Sam said “yes” to Lucifer in Detroit – the only difference being that the “I win – so I win” part failed.

93. And when it’s all over, a battered Dean is down on his knees, head bent low, mourning over the now useless keys – the only thing left that reminds of the gaping hole that’s healed by now. The way he twists them in his hand – I’d bet the thought of using them to open up the Pit anew is crossing his mind this instant.

94. Castiel appears like a literal angel on (actually, behind) his shoulder, and heals his wounds, and revives Mr. Singer, and slightly nods in answer to Bobby’s silent question – like, yeah, the kid’s done it.

95. “Cas, are you God?” is such a great precursor of season 6 finale, by the way. And what, God cares for Cas but not Michael and Lucifer? He approves of the idea of his two sons stuck in the Cage?

96. Looks like Castiel is the employee of the month. Or even year.  He’s “the new sheriff in town”. Castiel’s been on a downer (and wouldn’t mind going on a bender again) all through the episode but when he’s coming back over Dean’s shoulder after Lucifer has been defeated, he’s considerably more cheerful and does not seem to notice Dean’s grief – his enthusiasm for his new-found home and role overcomes his concern for his friend. He has got all reasons to be happy. First, God brought him back to life again – and that proves that God, however disconnected he is, still follows his angel’s adventures and is always quick to interfere when, you know, push shoves. Second, for whatever reasons – probably for his invaluable assistance to archangels’ Vessels last year – God granted Castiel back his healing powers and access to Heaven (or maybe since most of the archangels have left home there’s simply no one to restrict Castiel’s entry anymore?). Third, as if these gifts were not enough, God also gave his rebellious son some new skills – now Castiel can even resurrect people in a flick of his magic fingers. Could it be that God sent him on Earth to go through his own test or trial, in the first place, and that Castiel was learning just as much as Sam and Dean were?  

97. I get it Castiel’s utterly happy that he can finally go back to his sweet home, now that his mission on Earth is more or less complete, and the world is saved from harm – but still, Cas, how could you be so indifferent to Dean’s pain? The man has just lost his brother and you act like it’s of no import to you? And, Cas, are you, are you leaving? So that Dean and Lisa could go and live some apple pie life? No hugging, no parting shots? How dare you quit him in such a moment? I know he was rough to you at times and never showed open affection that much, but… He actually thinks you’re leaving him forever – just when he badly needs some support. You’re the only close friend he’s got left, dammit. I bet that moment had quite a few of slash girls sigh at what perfect opportunity to start the relationship with the man of his life, now that Sam’s not standing between them, Castiel has passed. Or was the fandom exaggerating this love all the way? The angel chose career over our silly, sentimental human practices.

98. “[God] helped. Maybe even more than we realize” – does Castiel hint at Sam’s resurrection? And does he know about this already, just won’t tell Dean directly?

99. Cas, like, advises Dean to count his blessings (“You got what you asked for”) – but, really, nothing can console the man.

100. “What would you rather have? Peace or freedom?” Such a deep question Dean can’t find an answer to too fast. Well, he’d choose freedom even now, but his promise binds him, so turns out he has to choose peace.

101. “Dean didn't want Cas to save him. Every part of him, every fiber he's got, wants to die, or find a way to bring Sam back. But he isn't gonna do either. Because he made a promise”. And if Dean were to go and knock on Heaven’s door, I believe nobody would grant him death at this moment. Michael may be in the Cage but Castiel would definitely send him back. And as for the second option – if he weren’t bound by this promise (the rare one he’s determined to keep) he would find these ways. If it required going back to Hell to retrieve Sam, he wouldn’t hesitate.

102. Come to think of it, many people asked Dean to promise them something. Father. Brother now. And, also, the “save him or kill him” – Dean did not keep this promise, he neither saved nor killed Sam. Sam did both to himself. When he is killing himself he’s also saving himself – and the world.

103. When in the early season 1 Sam warned Dean he’d have to let him go when it was over, he never knew where he’d finally have to go. When Sam asked Dean to let him go, he had something to come back to – his studies, his girlfriend – and possibly his own family in prospect, a steady job ahead, his home in California. But the more hunts they’ve left behind, the fewer ties, reasons and chances of returning were left, so that pretty soon – by early season 2, Sam had nothing to return to and no more question of a way back. And he had less and less to lose, and in the end he only had his brother and himself to care for – but Sam never treasured his own life and, therefore, was not afraid to lose it. What he told Dean – go and get a normal life – was asking Dean to fulfill his own lifelong dream of happy home and family, to live it instead of him. They grew so inseparable that what Dean did would automatically qualify as Sam’s own doing. Complying with Sam’s plea was the least Dean could do to keep this last wish, the only favour he could return his brother. And, unlike Sam, who only lost, Dean, at least, had found his long-lost girlfriend in the course of their hunts. Maybe Dean didn’t even want the “apple pie life” in the first place, maybe all he ever wanted was retribution – but there was, literally, nobody to seek revenge on, was there? Yeah, one Winchester is enough, only in his letter Dean didn’t specify which.

104. This promise Sam has dragged out of him is very clever. Sam obviously guessed Dean should have another job that involved looking out for somebody he loves. Otherwise he may just plunge headfirst into the bottle, so Sam headed him towards the woman and the kid as a substitute.

105. When Dean appears on Lisa’s porch and doesn’t even have to beg her, elegantly making his way into her house and life again, he’s still wearing the I’m OK face but it’s when Lisa, with her motherly clairvoyance, hugs him and, like, lulls him, he literally cries on her shoulder and that’s a pretty touching moment indeed – how has he even been saving those tears to himself for so long? The man’s just got back from a superhuman task he’s accomplished, with his heart scarred and in shreds. Them standing in an embrace is a very epic, painting-like moment.

106. It’s also a MIRROR device: When Dean had been in Hell for 4 months, Sam could only find consolation in the demon girl’s company. Now when Sam is away in Hell, Dean drains his grief in the company of, predictably, a woman. That makes her something of a reluctant femme fatale. It’s a hilarious parallel.

107. Chuck is wearing white – and what, he’s finishing the last page of his new book, why can’t he dress up? When he’s typed “THE END”, he vanishes into the air – and I don’t think it necessarily signifies he’s a God per se. Chuck IS a god in his writing, in his “Supernatural” books – and he’s just completed one of his creations, and can now leave it to the readers to deal with (just like Castiel’s God left the world to his children to manage). Then again, Chuck is no ordinary writer – he’s a prophet, and what, if angels can teleport, why can’t prophets do the same? Or maybe it’s just a metaphor of how a writer only lives while he’s writing, and has to phoenix himself back with every new work.

108. “This was a test… They chose family”. Hell yes, but whose family? They had no choice, really. And if they were to choose, they’d choose each other, I guess.

109. In the last frames we get a glimpse of Dean, still shell-shocked, ensconced in his newly found domestic environment, and then behold, the light suddenly flickers and the spotlight outside their house goes out and you freak out lest some demons come to break their idyll, but the camera quickly slides down and focuses on Sam (is he real? a vision? a metaphor like Chuck? came here to watch and guard the peace?) and we go into the final credits wondering what had happened to him if he can now manipulate spotlights, like a demon? And there was no sadness or happiness in his face, for that matter, just some gleeful smirk. What a Cliffhanger.

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