If Supernatural Had Ended Tonight...
May. 14th, 2010 03:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rabid1st...if this Season Five finale had been the series finale it was supposed to be...the show would have gone down in history as one of the most satisfying, true to itself, fully realized endings in the history of television. Right up there with the end of Newhart! Delightful, surprising and perfectly balanced with the whole series.
Serious spoilers...I mean BIG ONES...under this cut...
Everything about this episode was true to the themes of the show. The plan was classic last ditch Sam & Dean. The intimate stand-off was perfect. The opening sequence. The shots of Sam & Dean sharing beers and quiet moments. Dean finally coming to terms with his baby brother growing up at last. "Carry On My Wayward Son" and off we go.
I know there are fans that are probably complaining at the lack of armeggedon theatrics. But the Devil says it best, he burns cold not hot. The best showdowns are the quiet ones. And there was a lot to love in that long establishing shot of the western style graveyard, wasn't there. Or the Impala paused for the truly priceless musical cue, and then advancing through the overgrowth of prairie grass.
There was even more to love in the Impala. Dean's a cowboy. On a steel horse he rides. The Winchester home away from home. As soon as the Impala went front and center, which was right at the start, I felt we could have a winner of a finale on our hands. But there were also places where I doubted. I mean, Sam losing straight away was a bit of a let down. Not unexpected I suppose, given what we knew. But all that demon blood was completely wasted. And for a time I was wondering if Bobby and Cas would be standing around with their hands in their pockets the whole time. But they came through in the end and what an end they both had. Very evocative and shocking. Especially Bobby.
Then, there was the establishing of relationships and the underlying themes of family. Brother against brother is another western theme, due to the undertones of the civil war that often float around a western. Sam as an outcast has been part of this show since its first season. We have always know that the ultimate decisions would come down to brotherly love.
And the show doesn't disappoint. But it is more than that. There is what must be the most perfect entrance of our hero ever written as Dean rides up in the distance, guns the engine, and then plugs in Def Leppard! Not Amaggedon It! But Rock of Ages says it better, really, when it comes to the Winchester motto.
All right, I got something to say
Yeah, it's better to burn out
Yeah, than fade away, all right
Oww, gonna start a fire, come on
And then he delivers the most perfect line, "Sorry! Am I interrupting something?" The western motif continues as he steps from his shiny black horse into the road between the two fastest gunslingers in the history of creation. And I am reminded how he buddied up to Death, quietly over a diner table. It is the quiet way the writers have when they deal with the big elements that impresses.
The notion of brotherly love being intimate really rang true with me. If Sam is going to die, he won't die alone. It's as simple as that. Dean isn't there to save the day. He's there to be with his brother at the end of all things. Another show might have gone with pyrotechnics and emo speeches. But the Winchesters do what they do. They take their beatings and try to keep going. Lucifer told Cas, nobody messes with my brother but me. How front and center a theme is THAT in this show?
The Devil should have seen this coming. He admitted he and Sammy are much the same. But it wasn't just revenge that motivated Sam. It is love that pulled him to the surface. Dean has always been the punching bag, but Sam loves him too much to let someone else beat him to a jelly. And in a way, this is the difference between men and angels. Men can truly empathize with one another. Angels? Not so much.
Needless to say, I loved that Lucifer/Michael/Dean confrontation of brothers. And how wonderful is it that Adam, who we met so long ago, is part of it all at the end? That is also perfect. Because family is family. Blood before all else. That is part of the show. I loved the air of self-sacrifice and dysfunction that defines the Winchesters as all the brothers face their bleak futures. Martyrdom suits them in a way that it suits few other characters.
I know I pooh-poohed the very essence of this same premise of heroic martyrdom when told by Russell T. Davies in Doctor Who. The same elements are here...the martyr (Sam or The Doctor) asks his beloved (Dean or Rose) to "go have that apple pie normal life" while he suffers alone. We know that it is torture for them all. And we are expected to believe that somehow that will happen and Dean (or Rose) will just give up when they never have given up before this. Somehow a person so full of love will ignore the suffering of a loved one, and have a happy life with another. But the difference here is that THIS is the proper end to the Sam & Dean story and the writers put every brick down in the yellow brick road that led us here.
They, also, allowed us to appreciate the meaning of the sacrifices. That this was hell for Dean. They fully understand we can't buy this as happy. Yet, it is satisfying, because it is woven into the fabric of the tale and into the very being of the characters to behave in this way. This type of behavior wasn't in character for Rose or Ten, who by all rights should have saved the day, not died as martyrs.
Anyway, I won't rant tonight, I just mean to say that sometimes bleak is exactly how a story is meant to go. Bleak is perfectly okay if the show is Supernatural. But, not so much, if the show is Doctor Who. But it wasn't all gloom and doom, even for the Winchesters and their crew. Cas is reinstated and he's got a big job ahead of him, because God is busy.
And God! We got to see God! And he was very, very good. It surprised and delighted me. I can't stop smiling. I am sure a least some of the fans had guessed his identity prior to tonight. But that's only because, wonder of wonders, it made perfect sense. That it made perfect sense is truly the amazing thing about this whole episode. Of course, he was God, who else could it be?
The whole show as of this finale, makes perfect sense. The strings were all pulled together. Chuck is right. Endings are hard. And maybe the fans are always going to bitch and there will always be plot holes. But if you make the effor, if you make it relevant, then endings can be satifying.
And that is such a rare thing in television...a satisfying ending. Every element that makes Supernatural the show that it is...rock & roll, the freedom of the open road, good vs. evil, brotherly devotion, meta referencing, family dysfunction...was honored in this finale. This is an ending that suits the story told upto this point. Way to go, Kripke and Company. I once said that it would be the definition of irony if an unsung, unassuming hack show like Supernatural could pull off a perfect ending when the big shows like X-Files and Doctor Who and Buffy could not.
And the final, final shot? Would we have that final shot under the streetlamp if we didn't have a S6 on the horizon? I don't know. Probably not. But I can hope we would have had it anyway. Because I think that shot is part of Supernatural, too.
Even if this was the very last episode, I believe we should have that particular shot. Because, of course, the road goes on forever, there is no real end to the hero's journey! God is correct. :grin: And that shot would loop back to our theme, to our soulmates, to the Winchester Brothers..."Carry On My Wayward Son!"
There might be peace when you are done. But you aren't done, yet!
My God, I love this show and their meta God! :very wide and happy grin:
Rae
Serious spoilers...I mean BIG ONES...under this cut...
Everything about this episode was true to the themes of the show. The plan was classic last ditch Sam & Dean. The intimate stand-off was perfect. The opening sequence. The shots of Sam & Dean sharing beers and quiet moments. Dean finally coming to terms with his baby brother growing up at last. "Carry On My Wayward Son" and off we go.
I know there are fans that are probably complaining at the lack of armeggedon theatrics. But the Devil says it best, he burns cold not hot. The best showdowns are the quiet ones. And there was a lot to love in that long establishing shot of the western style graveyard, wasn't there. Or the Impala paused for the truly priceless musical cue, and then advancing through the overgrowth of prairie grass.
There was even more to love in the Impala. Dean's a cowboy. On a steel horse he rides. The Winchester home away from home. As soon as the Impala went front and center, which was right at the start, I felt we could have a winner of a finale on our hands. But there were also places where I doubted. I mean, Sam losing straight away was a bit of a let down. Not unexpected I suppose, given what we knew. But all that demon blood was completely wasted. And for a time I was wondering if Bobby and Cas would be standing around with their hands in their pockets the whole time. But they came through in the end and what an end they both had. Very evocative and shocking. Especially Bobby.
Then, there was the establishing of relationships and the underlying themes of family. Brother against brother is another western theme, due to the undertones of the civil war that often float around a western. Sam as an outcast has been part of this show since its first season. We have always know that the ultimate decisions would come down to brotherly love.
And the show doesn't disappoint. But it is more than that. There is what must be the most perfect entrance of our hero ever written as Dean rides up in the distance, guns the engine, and then plugs in Def Leppard! Not Amaggedon It! But Rock of Ages says it better, really, when it comes to the Winchester motto.
All right, I got something to say
Yeah, it's better to burn out
Yeah, than fade away, all right
Oww, gonna start a fire, come on
And then he delivers the most perfect line, "Sorry! Am I interrupting something?" The western motif continues as he steps from his shiny black horse into the road between the two fastest gunslingers in the history of creation. And I am reminded how he buddied up to Death, quietly over a diner table. It is the quiet way the writers have when they deal with the big elements that impresses.
The notion of brotherly love being intimate really rang true with me. If Sam is going to die, he won't die alone. It's as simple as that. Dean isn't there to save the day. He's there to be with his brother at the end of all things. Another show might have gone with pyrotechnics and emo speeches. But the Winchesters do what they do. They take their beatings and try to keep going. Lucifer told Cas, nobody messes with my brother but me. How front and center a theme is THAT in this show?
The Devil should have seen this coming. He admitted he and Sammy are much the same. But it wasn't just revenge that motivated Sam. It is love that pulled him to the surface. Dean has always been the punching bag, but Sam loves him too much to let someone else beat him to a jelly. And in a way, this is the difference between men and angels. Men can truly empathize with one another. Angels? Not so much.
Needless to say, I loved that Lucifer/Michael/Dean confrontation of brothers. And how wonderful is it that Adam, who we met so long ago, is part of it all at the end? That is also perfect. Because family is family. Blood before all else. That is part of the show. I loved the air of self-sacrifice and dysfunction that defines the Winchesters as all the brothers face their bleak futures. Martyrdom suits them in a way that it suits few other characters.
I know I pooh-poohed the very essence of this same premise of heroic martyrdom when told by Russell T. Davies in Doctor Who. The same elements are here...the martyr (Sam or The Doctor) asks his beloved (Dean or Rose) to "go have that apple pie normal life" while he suffers alone. We know that it is torture for them all. And we are expected to believe that somehow that will happen and Dean (or Rose) will just give up when they never have given up before this. Somehow a person so full of love will ignore the suffering of a loved one, and have a happy life with another. But the difference here is that THIS is the proper end to the Sam & Dean story and the writers put every brick down in the yellow brick road that led us here.
They, also, allowed us to appreciate the meaning of the sacrifices. That this was hell for Dean. They fully understand we can't buy this as happy. Yet, it is satisfying, because it is woven into the fabric of the tale and into the very being of the characters to behave in this way. This type of behavior wasn't in character for Rose or Ten, who by all rights should have saved the day, not died as martyrs.
Anyway, I won't rant tonight, I just mean to say that sometimes bleak is exactly how a story is meant to go. Bleak is perfectly okay if the show is Supernatural. But, not so much, if the show is Doctor Who. But it wasn't all gloom and doom, even for the Winchesters and their crew. Cas is reinstated and he's got a big job ahead of him, because God is busy.
And God! We got to see God! And he was very, very good. It surprised and delighted me. I can't stop smiling. I am sure a least some of the fans had guessed his identity prior to tonight. But that's only because, wonder of wonders, it made perfect sense. That it made perfect sense is truly the amazing thing about this whole episode. Of course, he was God, who else could it be?
The whole show as of this finale, makes perfect sense. The strings were all pulled together. Chuck is right. Endings are hard. And maybe the fans are always going to bitch and there will always be plot holes. But if you make the effor, if you make it relevant, then endings can be satifying.
And that is such a rare thing in television...a satisfying ending. Every element that makes Supernatural the show that it is...rock & roll, the freedom of the open road, good vs. evil, brotherly devotion, meta referencing, family dysfunction...was honored in this finale. This is an ending that suits the story told upto this point. Way to go, Kripke and Company. I once said that it would be the definition of irony if an unsung, unassuming hack show like Supernatural could pull off a perfect ending when the big shows like X-Files and Doctor Who and Buffy could not.
And the final, final shot? Would we have that final shot under the streetlamp if we didn't have a S6 on the horizon? I don't know. Probably not. But I can hope we would have had it anyway. Because I think that shot is part of Supernatural, too.
Even if this was the very last episode, I believe we should have that particular shot. Because, of course, the road goes on forever, there is no real end to the hero's journey! God is correct. :grin: And that shot would loop back to our theme, to our soulmates, to the Winchester Brothers..."Carry On My Wayward Son!"
There might be peace when you are done. But you aren't done, yet!
My God, I love this show and their meta God! :very wide and happy grin:
Rae
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(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-14 07:47 am (UTC)If this had been the series finale and we'd gotten that last shot with Sam under the streetlight, I would have assumed that he was maybe dead and brought back as an angel, taking a last look at his brother before going off to do angel-y good things (or maybe just dead and being allowed one last look to make sure Dean was OK before moving on to Heaven). Or maybe that he, as his (and Dean's) reward from God, had been freed from hell, minus the devil, and was going to go in there, hug Dean, and they'd have a wonderful normal life, the lot of them, from here on out, the end.
But since we're coming back next year, WHO KNOWS?! I still think it's Sam, though, and not Lucifer, who came back, and that it was a reward from God for the choices they made, the way they loved each other, right up until the end, which is what we're taught that God wants us to do. Because they did as He wanted and loved each other so completely, through every trial, I think He pulled Sam out and now we get more adventures. I can't wait!
(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-14 07:54 am (UTC)But I'm glad to see you agree. And, as for Sam, yeah, I like to think that God did reward him for doing what God wanted him to do despite every temptation to stray and every reason to feel he had been forsaken. Both brothers did really come through for the good in mankind. And what more could God ask of them. So, yes, I think we see eye to eye on Sam. It's Sam saying goodbye for now...if the show ended. And just back as a reward since it hasn't. God is pleased with both boys...I sure of it. Especially given who he is. How could he not be please, hey?
Rae
(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-14 10:10 am (UTC)My icon is a bit frivolous for such an episode, but it's the only one I've got. ;)
I know it was renewed
Date: 2010-05-14 10:18 am (UTC)I doubt they can do anything close to this again. But I'm happy to hear that other people found it as brilliant as I did.
And I will even admit that I am slightly excited about S6, too. Given the chaos in Heaven and Sam under a streetlamp and Bobby back to hunting again...does he have his soul back, was he in Hell for those few moments he was dead? Does everyone have their existential "Prisoner of Hell" tattoo now?
But let's take a moment to admire the workings of Chuck. So much brilliance...even the juxtaposition of heavenly and earthly families. Dean and Cas on the outside...fathers and surrogate fathers on the fringes. I don't want to kill you but I will. I obey. I don't. Going deeper to character growth beyond character identity. Any chap-assed monkey can write a good beginning, but endings are a pain in the ass. LMAO!
Re: I know it was renewed
Date: 2010-05-14 11:12 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-14 12:37 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-05-14 01:59 pm (UTC)I dunno if we would have had Sam under the streetlight burning out--that hints to me that he's Lucifer--but maybe we would have just had him there and not burning out the light.
That they used Stull--rumored for decades to be a gate to hell--was just perfection. And Chuck as God, oh yes! Writing the story the whole time.
Now I'm excited about next season--I wasn't, wasn't really happy about the whole 'monster of the week' thing but I don't think they'll go that way fully. Especially not if Sam isn't quite Sam.