Initial reaction 14.20: “Moriah”
Apr. 26th, 2019 03:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
caranfindelHere we go... carry on, my wayward sons.
THEN: You know, I didn't realize it until I watched the Then, but this season has just been bananacrackers. So let's concentrate on the good things. Sam's Beard of Despair. Sad Sam, angry Sam. Michael!Dean doing that thing where he puts his tongue behind his teeth. I am a Winchester! Sadly missing from the Then: angry Sam yelling enough! and basically making himself King of Hell.
NOW: We begin right where we left off, with glowy-eyed Jack emerging from the ruins of Dean's magic box. "You lied to me," he says. Even to Cas, who wasn't part of the lie. He tosses them into the wall and disappears.
Title card!
Cas doesn't understand why the box that could hold an archangel couldn't hold a nephilim. Even though Cas himself, I believe, is the one who told us a nephilim is stronger than its angel parent. Okay. They decide that Jack has "leveled up" into something stronger than an archangel, like Mario jumping on a toadstool or hitting a box or something (sorry, I've never actually played Mario Brothers). Sam doesn't think praying to him is going to work again, to which Dean agrees no duh.
Cas chastises the Winchesters for putting Jack in the box in the first place, even though it's a delightful play on words, and Dean says you're right, we should have killed him instead, which is what I wanted to do but y'all wouldn't let me, ignoring the fact that he wouldn't have had the ability to kill him. But that's fine because he and Sam have killed all kinds of unkillable things and they will find a a way because Jack is "just another monster." And Dean is ANGRY and Sam is SO SO UNHAPPY and even Cas is being a little BAMFy and you all know how much I LIKE THESE THINGS.
So. I'm okay with this episode so far.
Cas stomps off and Dean and Sam stand in the wreckage of their storeroom and try to figure out what to do next. Dean suggests Rowena might be able to build another soul bomb, like she did to fight Amara, and he remembers how that bomb would have to be triggered, doesn't he? Maybe not, but Sam does, and he looks even sadder and softly says okay and he's wearing that red shirt and y'all, maybe I should just stop watching now. Because I'm sure it couldn't possibly get any better. It's got to be downhill from this point. Dean tells him he knows it can't be easy, he knows how much Jack meant to him, and he was family to Dean too. But Jack isn't Jack, and they've got to do the hard thing, the ugly thing. And it's not the first time.
How is it that I want to hug him and stroke his hair and tell him it's going to be okay but I also want to lick that throat?
We find Jack wandering through a larger city, listening to people's conversations. All of these people happen to be lying through their teeth, which makes him angry. And you wouldn't like him when he's angry. "Stop lying," he yells. The world pauses for a second and then carries on.
The Impala pulls up at a business called Mirror Universe. Is it a giant mirror store? That would be weird. Sam's on the phone with Rowena, asking her to just try even though they know it's a long shot, and if I may just belabor a point I've made multiple times, I love their relationship, and I especially love that even though Sam and Dean and Rowena all know Sam is fated to kill her, they still accept that she's Sam's friend more than Dean's, because Dean's always asking Sam if he's going to call her, and if she has to be talked into anything, it's understood that Sam does the talking. Love. Sam reports that she thinks their plan is "dangerous and insane" but she's in. Dean thinks it's because Rowena knows what Jack is capable of, and not because of her intense love and loyalty for Sam, and, well, let's just agree to disagree.
They go inside and are almost run over by a guy on a Segway, which tells us this is a techie place, not a giant mirror store. Dean calls the inhabitants nerds, and Sam says "takes one to know one," and I'd call Dean more of a geek than a nerd, but okay. But then Sam elaborates that Dean is a nerd because he knows every word to every Led Zeppelin song and knows a lot about classic rock drummers, and I wouldn't call either of those things nerdy. And he watches Jeopardy every night. I'm not sure that's nerdy either, but Dean doesn't argue. Sam explains that Mirror Universe builds facial recognition software, which he hopes they can use to find Jack.
Dean's on it. He walks up to the receptionist, flashes his fake FBI ID, and says "Hi, I'm Dean Winchester, I'm looking for the devil's son," and I think, wait, what? He's using his real name! Why is he using his real name? The receptionist is confused, and so is Dean. "What? Ah. I meant. I'm Dean Winchester, I'm looking for the devil's son. This badge is fake." OH MY GOD HE CAN'T LIE. JACK STOPPED EVERYONE FROM LYING. THINK OF THE FANFIC. Dean tries to laugh it off and immediately excuses himself.
Meanwhile, Sam witnesses a conversation where one guy says "I'm sleeping with your wife" and the other says "I know; I'm kinda into it" and is adorably befuddled. Then Dean joins him.
Hey, let me ask you a question. Tell me who your favorite singer is.
What?
Look, I know you say it's Elvis, but we both know that's crap. So tell me who your favorite singer is.
It's like you said, it's Celine Dion. I mean, Celine Dion... Celine... Dean, every time I try to say Elvis, it comes out-
The sad horrible truth, yeah.
Friends, there's no way Celine Dion is actually Sam's favorite singer. No possible way. So I hate that they made a mockery of Sam's musical taste for the sake of a joke. On the other hand, it is a very funny bit. But it would have been just as funny, and less nauseating to me personally, if he'd said ABBA. But let's move on.
Suddenly everyone at Mirror Universe is not only unable to lie, but they also can't help blurting out the truth. And these are two completely different things. If Yogurt Guy asked Red Hoodie Guy if he'd stolen his yogurt, he'd have to say yes. But when Yogurt Guy just yells "who ate my yogurt," there's no reason Red Hoodie Guy couldn't sit quietly and say nothing. So none of this truth-spewing chaos actually makes sense. But it's funny. Especially the Stapler Queen. It's also funny when the Winchesters duck into a conference room and watch a little bit of a news broadcast, where it's reported the President admitted he's a tax cheat who made a demon deal "with someone named Crowley," because sometimes the low-hanging fruit is the sweetest fruit of all. The guys realize that if the truth curse isn't a local phenomenom, it must be Jack's doing.
I am still quite satisfied with everything this episode has given me so far.
Cut to Cas, looking into a peephole, trying to convince the demon inside to give him access to Hell. He wants to study the cage. She refuses to take him there literally, but invites him to go metaphorically. Does Cas want to send Jack to Lucifer's cage? Or study it so he can build his own? Is she a special demon who provides guided tours of Hell? Are all the demons in hiding, now that Sam has denied them a leader? We don't have time to ponder these questions, because behind Cas, someone says "Wow, yeah. You guys are screwed." And he would know. Because it's Chuck. Oooh, looks we're getting the deus ex machina solution to the Jack problem!
Cut to Jack, knocking on the door of his grandmother's house. Yes, she remembers him, and isn't happy to see him.
Let's go back to Jack's stepfather and his grandfather.
God.
Eh.
{eyeroll} Chuck.
There you go.
He says he's there because Cas called him, and we get a flashback of Cas calling on him with Samulet 2.0. Took you long enough, Chuck. He admits he's there because of Jack, too. "He's a problem."
Kline house. The problem child is surprised to find that Kelly's mom realizes he lied to her and isn't at all interested in talking to him and also is pretty sure she's dead. And she thinks Jack might have done it. Jack gets the glowy eyes and yells at her to stop. Uh oh. This usually doesn't end well.
Mirror Universe. The chaos continues in the background as Sam fires up a computer and uploads a picture of Jack. "When you can't lie, the internet gets real quiet," Dean says, browsing on his phone. "Yeah, guess your life isn't so perfect after all, @8packmommy." Are you suggesting mommy bloggers are LYING? I'm shocked. (And also chuckling a little bit because hello, Genevieve Padalecki's instagram.) Cas and Chuck show up in the middle of mayhem and Chuck explains that this is why people need to lie. Cas is surprised at that sentiment, and Chuck says "I'm a writer. Lying's kinda what we do." Remember that; it might be important later. Cas calls out for the Winchesters and they bring him into their conference room. They're stunned to see Chuck with him.
I know what you're thinking. It's been a while, and I still look pretty good.
No, that's... that's not what we were thinking.
Hee! Dean angrily asks where he's been, and Chuck says "well, you know, it's a funny story; reminds me of a song" and picks up a guitar that I guess he just conjured up and Dean GRABS IT AND SMASHES IT ON THE FLOOR AND YELLS "ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION" AT GOD HIMSELF AND I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. Chuck yells "don't!" right back at him and Dean maybe realizes he's gone a little too far.
Whoopsie.
Sam swallows nervously (yum) and Cas looks anxious and then Chuck decides it's a little cramped in this conference room and boom, they're in the bunker. Okay, but what about the Impala? How are they going to get the Impala back to Lebanon? Chuck casually asks how are things, and they are not good, Chuck. He admits he puts the deus in deus ex machina, and I respect the Show for hanging a lampshade on that awkward little plot point. Because if we admit it, then it's not ridiculous, it's just meta, right?
He's been traveling and watching Springsteen on Broadway, and Amara is in Reno playing keno (Reno? Not even Vegas?). He explains that he likes to stay hands-off, to build the sandbox and then let them play in it, which honestly aligns very much with my deist beliefs. Although it's not quite true, is it, because he's meddled with his sandbox toys occasionally. "You want to fight leviathans? Cool, you got that. You wanna go up against, what was it, the British Men of Letters? Okay. Little weak, but okay." The camera is on Dean at this point and I fully expect an Office-style gaze into the camera from him because, come on. This couldn't be more meta.
Chuck says that when there's an apocalypse, or another apocalypse, he has to step in. And yes, apparently Jack is apocalyptic. He demonstrates, via God-controlled radio, that the whole world has gone bananas thanks to Jack's "stop lying" edict. (The queen is a lizard? That's almost as ridiculous as Sam being a Celine Dion fan.) Chuck undoes the damage with a snap of his fingers, but reluctantly, and only after Cas asks. Sam isn’t sure he believes him.
Really?
I'm God, Sam. Yeah, really.
Dean tests his ability to lie by saying "Celine Dion rocks." Oh, poor Sam. He will never be allowed to forget this. And I wish he had asked Dean some embarrassing questions. Back at Mirror Universe, things have gone back to normal, with Red Hoodie Guy not confessing to yogurt theft, and Stapler Queen limiting herself to one stapler.
(Sidebar: On a personal note, my stapler at work is actually older than some of you. Just thought you'd like to know.)
Chuck says Jack is dangerous, "me-level bad," and he can't stop him. "But you can. With that." He points to a mysteriously engraved gun that appeared on the map table. Everyone stares anxiously at the gun, and Cas asks what it is. "I'm thinking of calling it The Equalizer," says Chuck. "Or The Hammurabi." The internet tells me Hammurabi was a Babylonian king who is best known for issuing laws that focused on physically punishing the perpetrator of a crime rather than compensating the victim. Hmmm. He's surprised that no one seems impressed. Dean asks if it will kill Jack, and Chuck says it will kill anything. "So you've had this the whole time, and we're just now getting it? Why?" says Sam. No, he just made it. It's never even been fired.
Dean removes the clip and points out that it doesn't have any bullets. "It doesn't exactly use bullets," Chuck explains. "See, existence is all about balance. Dark and light, good and evil, chocolate and peanut butter." I love that Sam tells him to get on with it. (Also, chocolate and peanut butter are not opposites. The opposite of chocolate would be something like lemon. Or onions.) Chuck tells them the gun works on multidimensional energy, blah blah blah, basically, whatever happens to the person you're aiming at also happens to you. You kill him, you die. And Chucks says he'd do it, but "If I bite it, existence also kind of bites it, so. One of you. Sorry."
Dean, of course, has taken possession of this magic gun and isn't going to let it go, because if anyone's going to throw himself on that hand grenade, it's Dean. But Cas doesn't know why they're talking about killing Jack in the first place. He called Chuck because he can fix Jack's soul. "Not so much," says Chuck. "Souls are complicated, even for me." He also doesn't think they'd want Jack back even if he could fix him, after what he did. Oh, Chuck. You may have created these guys (and hoo boy, good job, you) but you don't know them at all. Or at least, not Sam, because he would do anything to save Jack from whatever is going to happen to him.
Cas then suggests caging Jack rather than killing him, but Dean says no, Chuck says this is the only way. Oh, like Billie said locking you up was the only way to defeat Michael, Cas points out, and rightfully so. Chuck scoffs at Billie. He preferred the old Death. Billie's always sticking her scythe where it doesn't belong. Will this matter later? Maybe.
Dean tells Cas that "God himself" just said this magic gun was the only way, so Cas needs to either get on board, or leave. Funny that "God himself" is suddenly such an authority figure to Dean. Now that he actually says what Dean has already said. You know.
Cas leaves. Sam looks disturbed, which is what Sam does in this episode, and Dean looks angry, which is what Dean does in this episode. Chuck watches it all with interest. And elsewhere, Jack remembers his grandmother asking what he did to her daughter.
I mean, not that disturbed/angry Winchesters is a BAD thing.
Cut to Dean in his room, refilling his flask. Sam knocks on his door and Dean's all, hey, I needed to talk to you anyway.
This is where you tell me you're gonna pull the trigger.
Yeah, it is. We don't have a choice, Sam.
Of course we do. Don't we always? I mean, isn't that the point of everything we've ever done, that we always have a choice?
He killed our mom.
I get it. I was mad too. You know what? I'm still mad. And a part of me wants Jack dead; it really does. But Dean, we haven't even tried to save him.
Okay. You heard him, right? He actually blamed Mom for what happened.
He doesn't have a soul!
And whose fault is that?
Mine! I'm the one who brought him back, and I brought him back because he's family.
Okay.
And then he came back and he burned his soul off to save us. You and me. And now what, now you want my permission? You want me to say I'm cool with losing him, and losing you, all at once? Cause I can't do that. I won't say that. No. I've already lost too much.
Sam gets up and leaves, dragging the shredded remains of my heart with him. And I have to dispute one thing Dean said - Jack didn't blame Mary. Not really. When Dean specifically asked if Mary "made him" do it, he said no. He accepted the blame, he just considered it an accident. (Except for the rest of those two episodes, where he was horrified by what he'd done, of course.)
While I'm repeating myself, let me repeat that I could watch an entire episode that was just Dean drinking. And Sam being sad.
Cas shows up at a cemetery in his big Dodge truck and angrily slams his fist on the hood. I don't know why he drove to this cemetery just to emote, but Jack flutters onto the scene and says he's been looking for him. Cas hugs him, but Jack just looks puzzled and doesn't hug back. Let's stick with these two for a minute.
We see them walking, and Jack explaining that he thought he could make the world a better place if people couldn't lie. And then he thought his grandparents might still like him,, but he got accused of killing his mom. Which, he admits, he did. And he used to hate himself, but he doesn't any more. He doesn't feel anything. Aw. So it's true, he really is soulless. My poor sweet baby. In a flashback, we see he didn't kill Grandma Kline, at least. He just scared the heck out of her with the glowy eyes and then stomped off.
Bunker. Chuck is admiring the One True Archangel Sword (Accept No Substitutes That You May Have Seen In Earlier Seasons), saying that he hasn't seen one in forever. Not in this universe, anyway. Ahem. Sam tells him it came from "another world." And that provides a segue for him to ask Chuck how many other universes there are. Chuck doesn't keep track, because a lot of them are boring. "One's a reverse, in one there's no yellow, one of them's just all squirrels." (And a moose, right? There has to be at least one moose in the Squirreliverse!) And then they have this conversation.
So, Michael said that you create these worlds and you just toss them away, like failed versions of some book.
And you believe him?
Was he lying? ... Is that what you're doing to us?
No! Sam. You and your brother, of all the Sams and Deans in all the multiverse, you're my favorite. You're just so interesting? I mean, like that thing that happened at the office earlier today, that was crazy, right?
Do you watch us? When you're not here, are you watching us?
Yeah. I mean, you're my favorite show.
Then why don't you do something? If I had your power-
Sam, we talked about this. Not the way it works.
Wait a second. Why, when the chips are down, when the world is failing, why does it always have to be on us?
Because you're my guys. But right now we need to focus on Jack. Ah, that kid.
Wait a second. You're scared of him.
Aren't you?
Do you know where he is?
I do.
Then what are you waiting for?
Oh, nothing. Dean's already gone.
OH SNAP. Chuck was just stalling, this entire time, giving Dean a chance to go after Jack. What an SOB. But this conversation, guys. Sam's voice. His soft voice and his angry voice. Hnnngngngngngngh. And Chuck pointing out that Sam and Dean are his favorite show? And that he just likes to watch them? Because they're so interesting? "My guys?" Am I being personally called out here? Because it sure feels like it.
Hnnngngngngngngh.
Let's go back to Cas and Jack in the very pretty cemetery. And let me say that, as much as I want Sam to be the one who goes after Jack and tries to save him, who pushes hardest against Dean and Chuck and their plan to kill him, it makes sense for Cas to do it. Cas was his first father, and the one who protected him before he was even born. Sam at least admits he's ambivalent about Jack. Cas is the one who can say "screw Mary Winchester; this is my kid." So, Jack tells Cas that killing Mary was an accident, and he keeps trying to do the right thing and it keeps not working. "All I ever wanted was to be good, but now I'm just empty. Even this. I know you're here because you love me, and I want to love you back. But it's just... I can't." {sob} Cas thinks Jack can regain his capacity for love, and they just need to go somewhere safe, where no one can find them.
Oooh, but it's too late. Someone found them. And that someone is Dean, with the magic gun. Cas puts himself between Dean and Jack and tells Jack to run, but Jack refuses. "I won't run any more," he says, and he flings Cas away. "You're not gonna lock me up again, are you," he asks Dean. "No," Dean says, and he points the gun at Jack, and Desn’s about to die (and he didn't say goodbye to Sam, because look how that worked last time!) and he's dead inside. But he doesn't shoot. And Jack GETS ON HIS KNEES AND LOOKS UP AT HIM LIKE THE SWEET LITTLE CINNAMON ROLL BUNNY HE USED TO BE. Dean lowers the gun. Is he remembering another sweet little cinnamon roll bunny on his knees, waiting to be executed for the greater good? Maybe. I know I am. He doesn't put it down, though, and he walks closer to Jack and aims again, and now I'm thinking that if Jack is willing to die, couldn't Dean suggest he kill himself? And then Dean wouldn't have to die? I wonder if that would work?
This is a lovely and tragic scene, and Dean aiming a gun at someone is always crazy hot.
Then an old sedan races into the cemetery - it's Sam! \o/ Instead of driving over to Dean, he parks and then runs over to him, yelling, and I guess maybe he thought he'd get in trouble for driving off the designated area or something, but I would have disregarded that. However, we do get this truly marvelous shot of him running across the cemetery, so I'm okay with it.
So very okay. (Stolen from @lipglosskaz on Tumblr.)
Jack tells Dean "I understand" and I am NOT OKAY WITH THIS and Sam's still running and yelling "no" and I think he's going to actually jump in front of Jack. But Dean says "stay back, Sam" and he stops. Huh. Chuck shows up next to him. Huh again.
"You were right," says Jack. "I am a monster." But Dean still can't seem to pull the trigger. I'm still surprised that Sam hasn't tried to pull Dean away, considering that if he shoots Jack, they'll both be dead. Instead, Sam turns to Chuck and says "do something," and then notices that Chuck is REALLY INTO THIS. "You're enjoying this," he says, shocked. Chuck shushes him.
Those if you who aren’t enjoying it can cast the first stone. I won’t be among you.
Dean pulls back the safety, which I'd think he would have done long ago, and... still doesn't shoot. Finally he puts his arm down, and then tosses the gun away. Sam is visibly relieved, but Chuck says "No! Pick it up!" He runs over to Dean, and they're joined by Cas.
Pick it up! This isn't how the story's supposed to end!
The story?
Look, the gathering storm, the gun, the father killing his own son, this is Abraham and Isaac! This is epic!
Wait, what are you saying?
He's saying he's been playing us. This whole time.
Come on.
Our entire lives! Mom, Dad, everything, this is all you, because you wrote it all, right? Because - because what? Because we're your favorite show? Because we're part of your story?
Dean, no offense, but your brother's stupid and crazy. And that kid is still dangerous. So pick up the gun, pick it up, pull the trigger. And I'll bring her back. Your mom.
No. No. My mom was my hero, and I miss her, and I will miss her every second of my life, but she would not want this. And it's not like you even really care. Because Sam's right. The apocalypse, the first go around, with Lucifer and Michael, you knew everything that was going on. So why the games, Chuck? Why didn't you just snap your fingers and end it?
Look-
And every other bad thing we've been killing, been dying over, where were you? Just sitting back and watching us suffer? So we could do this over, and over, and over again? Fighting, losing people we love? When does it end? Tell me!
Dean, don't do this.
No, we're done talking. Cause this, this isn't just a story. This is our lives. So God or no God, you go to Hell.
...
Have it your way.
THIS IS MY WAY.
Stupid and crazy? Oh, no he didn’t. These furious brothers, the way Dean steps back away from Chuck (and toward Sam), I love it. And it's odd that Chuck wants this to be like Abraham and Isaac. Or rather, it's odd that it's going exactly that way, in that the father doesn't kill his son after all, and yet Chuck doesn't recognize his own story. Or he wanted to literally stay Dean’s trigger finger, but he already had that opportunity and passed. And maybe those of you who recognized Moriah, the location of that story, knew how this was going to turn out. But I didn't. "Moriah" only made me think of the Mines of Moria.
Chuck snaps his fingers and Jack cries out, with light erupting from his mouth and eyes. And stupidly, for a second I think Chuck is giving him his soul back. I think "have it your way" means "okay, kid gets his soul back and you get to live with the guy who killed your mom and see how dangerous he still is anyway, hope you're satisfied." But I couldn't be more wrong, and Dean yells at Chuck to stop. Chuck flings him away and he lands HEAD FIRST on a tombstone and SNAPS IT IN TWO which I think would have killed him so very dead, but it doesn't even knock him loopy. Cas has his hand over Jack's face like he's trying to heal him, even as the light keeps pouring out of him. And then Sam picks up the gun and aims it and yells "hey Chuck" and SHOOTS.
YES.
And I had to rewind and watch it again, of course, and then Show played it again after the commercial break because it was JUST THAT BADASS.
Gif borrowed from @teamfreewillbettertogether on Tumblr. Heart stolen from me.
Now let's think about this. Sam's not only attempting to kill God. He's willing to die, himself, in the process. And that doesn't even matter, because if Chuck was telling the truth, the universe will be destroyed if he dies. So Sam Winchester started out as this sweet fluffy bright-eyed puppy, who had so much faith in God and the inherent goodness of humanity and angels, and over the last 14 years (maybe the last year in particular) he's been transformed into a depressed nihilist who is ready to destroy himself, and God, and the entire world, just because he is so. Completely. Done. He just came so close to losing EVERYTHING and he is DONE. Oh, god, I love him.
Chuck isn't at all afraid. Maybe he knows the magic gun can't really kill him. But Sam goes spinning down to the ground, with a wound in his own shoulder, because that's where he hit Chuck. So maybe Chuck knew Sam couldn't hit him with a kill shot, or maybe he just influenced the bullet. All I know is, Sam's on the ground and Chuck's pissed. "Fine," he says. "That's the way you want it? Story's over. Welcome to the end."
IS THAT META ENOUGH FOR YOU?
Darkness! Dean struggles to his feet. Sam does too, without any help from Dean, gripping his side as though he'd been wounded there instead of his shoulder. Cas is still kneeling on the ground and oh, crap, I cannot believe I literally forgot about Jack. (But, I mean. SAM SHOT GOD. Come on.) "Wait,” Dean says, “I thought Chuck said that the gun was the only thing that could-"
"He's a writer," Cas says. "Writers lie."
Once again, 1) meta enough for you? and b) I feel like I'm being personally called out.
Anyway. Jack's dead. Burned-out eyes, charcoal wings. As we zoom in on his face, we fade to Jack in a different location; a very black, empty location. Yes, it's The Empty. Jack gasps awake and someone liquid and black appears in front of him and... blesses him? Makes the sign of the cross? "What's happening?" Jack asks. I have the same question. Who is this? Is it Jesus?
"Yeah," says a familiar voice, which was a lovely surprise if you covered the guest star credits at the beginning like I did. "About that. We should talk." Yes, it's Billie, and that scythe she likes to stick where it doesn't belong! I am here for this.
Back in the cemetery, Sam has acquired something to hold over his shoulder wound, but the guys are still staring at Jack's corpse. Then there's an earth-shaking bang, and something that looks like flaming ghosts starts shooting out of a fiery hole in the ground. "Souls," Cas says. "They're souls from Hell."
And then weird things happen. A man pulls over to ask a woman (in a white dress) standing on the side of the road if she needs a ride. A woman opens her door to reveal the SCARIEST CLOWN EVER. Two girls who are way too old to play dress-up are playing dress-up, and there's a woman inside a mirror.
In the cemetery, bursts of fire are running through the ground, releasing the dead from their graves. Zombies! As the dead stalk toward them, Cas draws his angel blade and Dean yanks a couple of pieces of iron off a fence. The three remaining members of Team Free Will stand back to back as the zombies close in on them, and as the music tells us, "God was never on your side."
And now He’s even less on your side.
Well. I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't get the significance of the three monsters until I got on Tumblr, but it's three monsters that the guys killed - the woman in white, the Bloody Mary, the creepy clown. So I'm confused about what's going on here. Did Chuck raise all the monsters and all the dead people? Or, like Cas said, were the people souls from Hell? And if so, why did everyone in that cemetery go to Hell? And the monsters would have been in Purgatory, not Hell, so... yeah, I'm still confused.
But let's talk about the implications of this. First, I was annoyed that Chuck is undoing all the good the Winchesters have done over the last 14 years. But really, he hasn't. That woman in white has been gone, not killing people, for 14 years. Fourteen years worth of people are still alive, thanks to Sam and Dean. Second, if all the monsters are back, that means there are some awesome monsters who could come back in s15. Madison? Benny? Gordon Walker? And third, all the monsters coming back sets us up for a ton of MotW episodes. I mean, I know that's not what's going to happen, but a girl can dream.
Last night, when the episode was over, I was kind of unsure as to how I felt about it. But on rewatch, I feel good. I mean, it turns out Chuck has been toying with them all along, and GOD is the Big Bad for s15. Jack is dead but he’s not off the board. Dean couldn’t pull the trigger in the end. Billie is up to something. Yeah, I'm okay with this. Now let's hear what you think! And I guess it's not necessary to warn about spoilers at this point, but if you do happen to know something about s15, please keep it out of the comments.
And now, let's jump into our last summer hiatus. {sigh}
THEN: You know, I didn't realize it until I watched the Then, but this season has just been bananacrackers. So let's concentrate on the good things. Sam's Beard of Despair. Sad Sam, angry Sam. Michael!Dean doing that thing where he puts his tongue behind his teeth. I am a Winchester! Sadly missing from the Then: angry Sam yelling enough! and basically making himself King of Hell.
NOW: We begin right where we left off, with glowy-eyed Jack emerging from the ruins of Dean's magic box. "You lied to me," he says. Even to Cas, who wasn't part of the lie. He tosses them into the wall and disappears.
Title card!
Cas doesn't understand why the box that could hold an archangel couldn't hold a nephilim. Even though Cas himself, I believe, is the one who told us a nephilim is stronger than its angel parent. Okay. They decide that Jack has "leveled up" into something stronger than an archangel, like Mario jumping on a toadstool or hitting a box or something (sorry, I've never actually played Mario Brothers). Sam doesn't think praying to him is going to work again, to which Dean agrees no duh.
Cas chastises the Winchesters for putting Jack in the box in the first place, even though it's a delightful play on words, and Dean says you're right, we should have killed him instead, which is what I wanted to do but y'all wouldn't let me, ignoring the fact that he wouldn't have had the ability to kill him. But that's fine because he and Sam have killed all kinds of unkillable things and they will find a a way because Jack is "just another monster." And Dean is ANGRY and Sam is SO SO UNHAPPY and even Cas is being a little BAMFy and you all know how much I LIKE THESE THINGS.
So. I'm okay with this episode so far.
Cas stomps off and Dean and Sam stand in the wreckage of their storeroom and try to figure out what to do next. Dean suggests Rowena might be able to build another soul bomb, like she did to fight Amara, and he remembers how that bomb would have to be triggered, doesn't he? Maybe not, but Sam does, and he looks even sadder and softly says okay and he's wearing that red shirt and y'all, maybe I should just stop watching now. Because I'm sure it couldn't possibly get any better. It's got to be downhill from this point. Dean tells him he knows it can't be easy, he knows how much Jack meant to him, and he was family to Dean too. But Jack isn't Jack, and they've got to do the hard thing, the ugly thing. And it's not the first time.
How is it that I want to hug him and stroke his hair and tell him it's going to be okay but I also want to lick that throat?
We find Jack wandering through a larger city, listening to people's conversations. All of these people happen to be lying through their teeth, which makes him angry. And you wouldn't like him when he's angry. "Stop lying," he yells. The world pauses for a second and then carries on.
The Impala pulls up at a business called Mirror Universe. Is it a giant mirror store? That would be weird. Sam's on the phone with Rowena, asking her to just try even though they know it's a long shot, and if I may just belabor a point I've made multiple times, I love their relationship, and I especially love that even though Sam and Dean and Rowena all know Sam is fated to kill her, they still accept that she's Sam's friend more than Dean's, because Dean's always asking Sam if he's going to call her, and if she has to be talked into anything, it's understood that Sam does the talking. Love. Sam reports that she thinks their plan is "dangerous and insane" but she's in. Dean thinks it's because Rowena knows what Jack is capable of, and not because of her intense love and loyalty for Sam, and, well, let's just agree to disagree.
They go inside and are almost run over by a guy on a Segway, which tells us this is a techie place, not a giant mirror store. Dean calls the inhabitants nerds, and Sam says "takes one to know one," and I'd call Dean more of a geek than a nerd, but okay. But then Sam elaborates that Dean is a nerd because he knows every word to every Led Zeppelin song and knows a lot about classic rock drummers, and I wouldn't call either of those things nerdy. And he watches Jeopardy every night. I'm not sure that's nerdy either, but Dean doesn't argue. Sam explains that Mirror Universe builds facial recognition software, which he hopes they can use to find Jack.
Dean's on it. He walks up to the receptionist, flashes his fake FBI ID, and says "Hi, I'm Dean Winchester, I'm looking for the devil's son," and I think, wait, what? He's using his real name! Why is he using his real name? The receptionist is confused, and so is Dean. "What? Ah. I meant. I'm Dean Winchester, I'm looking for the devil's son. This badge is fake." OH MY GOD HE CAN'T LIE. JACK STOPPED EVERYONE FROM LYING. THINK OF THE FANFIC. Dean tries to laugh it off and immediately excuses himself.
Meanwhile, Sam witnesses a conversation where one guy says "I'm sleeping with your wife" and the other says "I know; I'm kinda into it" and is adorably befuddled. Then Dean joins him.
Hey, let me ask you a question. Tell me who your favorite singer is.
What?
Look, I know you say it's Elvis, but we both know that's crap. So tell me who your favorite singer is.
It's like you said, it's Celine Dion. I mean, Celine Dion... Celine... Dean, every time I try to say Elvis, it comes out-
The sad horrible truth, yeah.
Friends, there's no way Celine Dion is actually Sam's favorite singer. No possible way. So I hate that they made a mockery of Sam's musical taste for the sake of a joke. On the other hand, it is a very funny bit. But it would have been just as funny, and less nauseating to me personally, if he'd said ABBA. But let's move on.
Suddenly everyone at Mirror Universe is not only unable to lie, but they also can't help blurting out the truth. And these are two completely different things. If Yogurt Guy asked Red Hoodie Guy if he'd stolen his yogurt, he'd have to say yes. But when Yogurt Guy just yells "who ate my yogurt," there's no reason Red Hoodie Guy couldn't sit quietly and say nothing. So none of this truth-spewing chaos actually makes sense. But it's funny. Especially the Stapler Queen. It's also funny when the Winchesters duck into a conference room and watch a little bit of a news broadcast, where it's reported the President admitted he's a tax cheat who made a demon deal "with someone named Crowley," because sometimes the low-hanging fruit is the sweetest fruit of all. The guys realize that if the truth curse isn't a local phenomenom, it must be Jack's doing.
I am still quite satisfied with everything this episode has given me so far.
Cut to Cas, looking into a peephole, trying to convince the demon inside to give him access to Hell. He wants to study the cage. She refuses to take him there literally, but invites him to go metaphorically. Does Cas want to send Jack to Lucifer's cage? Or study it so he can build his own? Is she a special demon who provides guided tours of Hell? Are all the demons in hiding, now that Sam has denied them a leader? We don't have time to ponder these questions, because behind Cas, someone says "Wow, yeah. You guys are screwed." And he would know. Because it's Chuck. Oooh, looks we're getting the deus ex machina solution to the Jack problem!
Cut to Jack, knocking on the door of his grandmother's house. Yes, she remembers him, and isn't happy to see him.
Let's go back to Jack's stepfather and his grandfather.
God.
Eh.
{eyeroll} Chuck.
There you go.
He says he's there because Cas called him, and we get a flashback of Cas calling on him with Samulet 2.0. Took you long enough, Chuck. He admits he's there because of Jack, too. "He's a problem."
Kline house. The problem child is surprised to find that Kelly's mom realizes he lied to her and isn't at all interested in talking to him and also is pretty sure she's dead. And she thinks Jack might have done it. Jack gets the glowy eyes and yells at her to stop. Uh oh. This usually doesn't end well.
Mirror Universe. The chaos continues in the background as Sam fires up a computer and uploads a picture of Jack. "When you can't lie, the internet gets real quiet," Dean says, browsing on his phone. "Yeah, guess your life isn't so perfect after all, @8packmommy." Are you suggesting mommy bloggers are LYING? I'm shocked. (And also chuckling a little bit because hello, Genevieve Padalecki's instagram.) Cas and Chuck show up in the middle of mayhem and Chuck explains that this is why people need to lie. Cas is surprised at that sentiment, and Chuck says "I'm a writer. Lying's kinda what we do." Remember that; it might be important later. Cas calls out for the Winchesters and they bring him into their conference room. They're stunned to see Chuck with him.
I know what you're thinking. It's been a while, and I still look pretty good.
No, that's... that's not what we were thinking.
Hee! Dean angrily asks where he's been, and Chuck says "well, you know, it's a funny story; reminds me of a song" and picks up a guitar that I guess he just conjured up and Dean GRABS IT AND SMASHES IT ON THE FLOOR AND YELLS "ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION" AT GOD HIMSELF AND I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. Chuck yells "don't!" right back at him and Dean maybe realizes he's gone a little too far.
Whoopsie.
Sam swallows nervously (yum) and Cas looks anxious and then Chuck decides it's a little cramped in this conference room and boom, they're in the bunker. Okay, but what about the Impala? How are they going to get the Impala back to Lebanon? Chuck casually asks how are things, and they are not good, Chuck. He admits he puts the deus in deus ex machina, and I respect the Show for hanging a lampshade on that awkward little plot point. Because if we admit it, then it's not ridiculous, it's just meta, right?
He's been traveling and watching Springsteen on Broadway, and Amara is in Reno playing keno (Reno? Not even Vegas?). He explains that he likes to stay hands-off, to build the sandbox and then let them play in it, which honestly aligns very much with my deist beliefs. Although it's not quite true, is it, because he's meddled with his sandbox toys occasionally. "You want to fight leviathans? Cool, you got that. You wanna go up against, what was it, the British Men of Letters? Okay. Little weak, but okay." The camera is on Dean at this point and I fully expect an Office-style gaze into the camera from him because, come on. This couldn't be more meta.
Chuck says that when there's an apocalypse, or another apocalypse, he has to step in. And yes, apparently Jack is apocalyptic. He demonstrates, via God-controlled radio, that the whole world has gone bananas thanks to Jack's "stop lying" edict. (The queen is a lizard? That's almost as ridiculous as Sam being a Celine Dion fan.) Chuck undoes the damage with a snap of his fingers, but reluctantly, and only after Cas asks. Sam isn’t sure he believes him.
Really?
I'm God, Sam. Yeah, really.
Dean tests his ability to lie by saying "Celine Dion rocks." Oh, poor Sam. He will never be allowed to forget this. And I wish he had asked Dean some embarrassing questions. Back at Mirror Universe, things have gone back to normal, with Red Hoodie Guy not confessing to yogurt theft, and Stapler Queen limiting herself to one stapler.
(Sidebar: On a personal note, my stapler at work is actually older than some of you. Just thought you'd like to know.)
Chuck says Jack is dangerous, "me-level bad," and he can't stop him. "But you can. With that." He points to a mysteriously engraved gun that appeared on the map table. Everyone stares anxiously at the gun, and Cas asks what it is. "I'm thinking of calling it The Equalizer," says Chuck. "Or The Hammurabi." The internet tells me Hammurabi was a Babylonian king who is best known for issuing laws that focused on physically punishing the perpetrator of a crime rather than compensating the victim. Hmmm. He's surprised that no one seems impressed. Dean asks if it will kill Jack, and Chuck says it will kill anything. "So you've had this the whole time, and we're just now getting it? Why?" says Sam. No, he just made it. It's never even been fired.
Dean removes the clip and points out that it doesn't have any bullets. "It doesn't exactly use bullets," Chuck explains. "See, existence is all about balance. Dark and light, good and evil, chocolate and peanut butter." I love that Sam tells him to get on with it. (Also, chocolate and peanut butter are not opposites. The opposite of chocolate would be something like lemon. Or onions.) Chuck tells them the gun works on multidimensional energy, blah blah blah, basically, whatever happens to the person you're aiming at also happens to you. You kill him, you die. And Chucks says he'd do it, but "If I bite it, existence also kind of bites it, so. One of you. Sorry."
Dean, of course, has taken possession of this magic gun and isn't going to let it go, because if anyone's going to throw himself on that hand grenade, it's Dean. But Cas doesn't know why they're talking about killing Jack in the first place. He called Chuck because he can fix Jack's soul. "Not so much," says Chuck. "Souls are complicated, even for me." He also doesn't think they'd want Jack back even if he could fix him, after what he did. Oh, Chuck. You may have created these guys (and hoo boy, good job, you) but you don't know them at all. Or at least, not Sam, because he would do anything to save Jack from whatever is going to happen to him.
Cas then suggests caging Jack rather than killing him, but Dean says no, Chuck says this is the only way. Oh, like Billie said locking you up was the only way to defeat Michael, Cas points out, and rightfully so. Chuck scoffs at Billie. He preferred the old Death. Billie's always sticking her scythe where it doesn't belong. Will this matter later? Maybe.
Dean tells Cas that "God himself" just said this magic gun was the only way, so Cas needs to either get on board, or leave. Funny that "God himself" is suddenly such an authority figure to Dean. Now that he actually says what Dean has already said. You know.
Cas leaves. Sam looks disturbed, which is what Sam does in this episode, and Dean looks angry, which is what Dean does in this episode. Chuck watches it all with interest. And elsewhere, Jack remembers his grandmother asking what he did to her daughter.
I mean, not that disturbed/angry Winchesters is a BAD thing.
Cut to Dean in his room, refilling his flask. Sam knocks on his door and Dean's all, hey, I needed to talk to you anyway.
This is where you tell me you're gonna pull the trigger.
Yeah, it is. We don't have a choice, Sam.
Of course we do. Don't we always? I mean, isn't that the point of everything we've ever done, that we always have a choice?
He killed our mom.
I get it. I was mad too. You know what? I'm still mad. And a part of me wants Jack dead; it really does. But Dean, we haven't even tried to save him.
Okay. You heard him, right? He actually blamed Mom for what happened.
He doesn't have a soul!
And whose fault is that?
Mine! I'm the one who brought him back, and I brought him back because he's family.
Okay.
And then he came back and he burned his soul off to save us. You and me. And now what, now you want my permission? You want me to say I'm cool with losing him, and losing you, all at once? Cause I can't do that. I won't say that. No. I've already lost too much.
Sam gets up and leaves, dragging the shredded remains of my heart with him. And I have to dispute one thing Dean said - Jack didn't blame Mary. Not really. When Dean specifically asked if Mary "made him" do it, he said no. He accepted the blame, he just considered it an accident. (Except for the rest of those two episodes, where he was horrified by what he'd done, of course.)
While I'm repeating myself, let me repeat that I could watch an entire episode that was just Dean drinking. And Sam being sad.
Cas shows up at a cemetery in his big Dodge truck and angrily slams his fist on the hood. I don't know why he drove to this cemetery just to emote, but Jack flutters onto the scene and says he's been looking for him. Cas hugs him, but Jack just looks puzzled and doesn't hug back. Let's stick with these two for a minute.
We see them walking, and Jack explaining that he thought he could make the world a better place if people couldn't lie. And then he thought his grandparents might still like him,, but he got accused of killing his mom. Which, he admits, he did. And he used to hate himself, but he doesn't any more. He doesn't feel anything. Aw. So it's true, he really is soulless. My poor sweet baby. In a flashback, we see he didn't kill Grandma Kline, at least. He just scared the heck out of her with the glowy eyes and then stomped off.
Bunker. Chuck is admiring the One True Archangel Sword (Accept No Substitutes That You May Have Seen In Earlier Seasons), saying that he hasn't seen one in forever. Not in this universe, anyway. Ahem. Sam tells him it came from "another world." And that provides a segue for him to ask Chuck how many other universes there are. Chuck doesn't keep track, because a lot of them are boring. "One's a reverse, in one there's no yellow, one of them's just all squirrels." (And a moose, right? There has to be at least one moose in the Squirreliverse!) And then they have this conversation.
So, Michael said that you create these worlds and you just toss them away, like failed versions of some book.
And you believe him?
Was he lying? ... Is that what you're doing to us?
No! Sam. You and your brother, of all the Sams and Deans in all the multiverse, you're my favorite. You're just so interesting? I mean, like that thing that happened at the office earlier today, that was crazy, right?
Do you watch us? When you're not here, are you watching us?
Yeah. I mean, you're my favorite show.
Then why don't you do something? If I had your power-
Sam, we talked about this. Not the way it works.
Wait a second. Why, when the chips are down, when the world is failing, why does it always have to be on us?
Because you're my guys. But right now we need to focus on Jack. Ah, that kid.
Wait a second. You're scared of him.
Aren't you?
Do you know where he is?
I do.
Then what are you waiting for?
Oh, nothing. Dean's already gone.
OH SNAP. Chuck was just stalling, this entire time, giving Dean a chance to go after Jack. What an SOB. But this conversation, guys. Sam's voice. His soft voice and his angry voice. Hnnngngngngngngh. And Chuck pointing out that Sam and Dean are his favorite show? And that he just likes to watch them? Because they're so interesting? "My guys?" Am I being personally called out here? Because it sure feels like it.
Hnnngngngngngngh.
Let's go back to Cas and Jack in the very pretty cemetery. And let me say that, as much as I want Sam to be the one who goes after Jack and tries to save him, who pushes hardest against Dean and Chuck and their plan to kill him, it makes sense for Cas to do it. Cas was his first father, and the one who protected him before he was even born. Sam at least admits he's ambivalent about Jack. Cas is the one who can say "screw Mary Winchester; this is my kid." So, Jack tells Cas that killing Mary was an accident, and he keeps trying to do the right thing and it keeps not working. "All I ever wanted was to be good, but now I'm just empty. Even this. I know you're here because you love me, and I want to love you back. But it's just... I can't." {sob} Cas thinks Jack can regain his capacity for love, and they just need to go somewhere safe, where no one can find them.
Oooh, but it's too late. Someone found them. And that someone is Dean, with the magic gun. Cas puts himself between Dean and Jack and tells Jack to run, but Jack refuses. "I won't run any more," he says, and he flings Cas away. "You're not gonna lock me up again, are you," he asks Dean. "No," Dean says, and he points the gun at Jack, and Desn’s about to die (and he didn't say goodbye to Sam, because look how that worked last time!) and he's dead inside. But he doesn't shoot. And Jack GETS ON HIS KNEES AND LOOKS UP AT HIM LIKE THE SWEET LITTLE CINNAMON ROLL BUNNY HE USED TO BE. Dean lowers the gun. Is he remembering another sweet little cinnamon roll bunny on his knees, waiting to be executed for the greater good? Maybe. I know I am. He doesn't put it down, though, and he walks closer to Jack and aims again, and now I'm thinking that if Jack is willing to die, couldn't Dean suggest he kill himself? And then Dean wouldn't have to die? I wonder if that would work?
This is a lovely and tragic scene, and Dean aiming a gun at someone is always crazy hot.
Then an old sedan races into the cemetery - it's Sam! \o/ Instead of driving over to Dean, he parks and then runs over to him, yelling, and I guess maybe he thought he'd get in trouble for driving off the designated area or something, but I would have disregarded that. However, we do get this truly marvelous shot of him running across the cemetery, so I'm okay with it.
So very okay. (Stolen from @lipglosskaz on Tumblr.)
Jack tells Dean "I understand" and I am NOT OKAY WITH THIS and Sam's still running and yelling "no" and I think he's going to actually jump in front of Jack. But Dean says "stay back, Sam" and he stops. Huh. Chuck shows up next to him. Huh again.
"You were right," says Jack. "I am a monster." But Dean still can't seem to pull the trigger. I'm still surprised that Sam hasn't tried to pull Dean away, considering that if he shoots Jack, they'll both be dead. Instead, Sam turns to Chuck and says "do something," and then notices that Chuck is REALLY INTO THIS. "You're enjoying this," he says, shocked. Chuck shushes him.
Those if you who aren’t enjoying it can cast the first stone. I won’t be among you.
Dean pulls back the safety, which I'd think he would have done long ago, and... still doesn't shoot. Finally he puts his arm down, and then tosses the gun away. Sam is visibly relieved, but Chuck says "No! Pick it up!" He runs over to Dean, and they're joined by Cas.
Pick it up! This isn't how the story's supposed to end!
The story?
Look, the gathering storm, the gun, the father killing his own son, this is Abraham and Isaac! This is epic!
Wait, what are you saying?
He's saying he's been playing us. This whole time.
Come on.
Our entire lives! Mom, Dad, everything, this is all you, because you wrote it all, right? Because - because what? Because we're your favorite show? Because we're part of your story?
Dean, no offense, but your brother's stupid and crazy. And that kid is still dangerous. So pick up the gun, pick it up, pull the trigger. And I'll bring her back. Your mom.
No. No. My mom was my hero, and I miss her, and I will miss her every second of my life, but she would not want this. And it's not like you even really care. Because Sam's right. The apocalypse, the first go around, with Lucifer and Michael, you knew everything that was going on. So why the games, Chuck? Why didn't you just snap your fingers and end it?
Look-
And every other bad thing we've been killing, been dying over, where were you? Just sitting back and watching us suffer? So we could do this over, and over, and over again? Fighting, losing people we love? When does it end? Tell me!
Dean, don't do this.
No, we're done talking. Cause this, this isn't just a story. This is our lives. So God or no God, you go to Hell.
...
Have it your way.
THIS IS MY WAY.
Stupid and crazy? Oh, no he didn’t. These furious brothers, the way Dean steps back away from Chuck (and toward Sam), I love it. And it's odd that Chuck wants this to be like Abraham and Isaac. Or rather, it's odd that it's going exactly that way, in that the father doesn't kill his son after all, and yet Chuck doesn't recognize his own story. Or he wanted to literally stay Dean’s trigger finger, but he already had that opportunity and passed. And maybe those of you who recognized Moriah, the location of that story, knew how this was going to turn out. But I didn't. "Moriah" only made me think of the Mines of Moria.
Chuck snaps his fingers and Jack cries out, with light erupting from his mouth and eyes. And stupidly, for a second I think Chuck is giving him his soul back. I think "have it your way" means "okay, kid gets his soul back and you get to live with the guy who killed your mom and see how dangerous he still is anyway, hope you're satisfied." But I couldn't be more wrong, and Dean yells at Chuck to stop. Chuck flings him away and he lands HEAD FIRST on a tombstone and SNAPS IT IN TWO which I think would have killed him so very dead, but it doesn't even knock him loopy. Cas has his hand over Jack's face like he's trying to heal him, even as the light keeps pouring out of him. And then Sam picks up the gun and aims it and yells "hey Chuck" and SHOOTS.
YES.
And I had to rewind and watch it again, of course, and then Show played it again after the commercial break because it was JUST THAT BADASS.
Gif borrowed from @teamfreewillbettertogether on Tumblr. Heart stolen from me.
Now let's think about this. Sam's not only attempting to kill God. He's willing to die, himself, in the process. And that doesn't even matter, because if Chuck was telling the truth, the universe will be destroyed if he dies. So Sam Winchester started out as this sweet fluffy bright-eyed puppy, who had so much faith in God and the inherent goodness of humanity and angels, and over the last 14 years (maybe the last year in particular) he's been transformed into a depressed nihilist who is ready to destroy himself, and God, and the entire world, just because he is so. Completely. Done. He just came so close to losing EVERYTHING and he is DONE. Oh, god, I love him.
Chuck isn't at all afraid. Maybe he knows the magic gun can't really kill him. But Sam goes spinning down to the ground, with a wound in his own shoulder, because that's where he hit Chuck. So maybe Chuck knew Sam couldn't hit him with a kill shot, or maybe he just influenced the bullet. All I know is, Sam's on the ground and Chuck's pissed. "Fine," he says. "That's the way you want it? Story's over. Welcome to the end."
IS THAT META ENOUGH FOR YOU?
Darkness! Dean struggles to his feet. Sam does too, without any help from Dean, gripping his side as though he'd been wounded there instead of his shoulder. Cas is still kneeling on the ground and oh, crap, I cannot believe I literally forgot about Jack. (But, I mean. SAM SHOT GOD. Come on.) "Wait,” Dean says, “I thought Chuck said that the gun was the only thing that could-"
"He's a writer," Cas says. "Writers lie."
Once again, 1) meta enough for you? and b) I feel like I'm being personally called out.
Anyway. Jack's dead. Burned-out eyes, charcoal wings. As we zoom in on his face, we fade to Jack in a different location; a very black, empty location. Yes, it's The Empty. Jack gasps awake and someone liquid and black appears in front of him and... blesses him? Makes the sign of the cross? "What's happening?" Jack asks. I have the same question. Who is this? Is it Jesus?
"Yeah," says a familiar voice, which was a lovely surprise if you covered the guest star credits at the beginning like I did. "About that. We should talk." Yes, it's Billie, and that scythe she likes to stick where it doesn't belong! I am here for this.
Back in the cemetery, Sam has acquired something to hold over his shoulder wound, but the guys are still staring at Jack's corpse. Then there's an earth-shaking bang, and something that looks like flaming ghosts starts shooting out of a fiery hole in the ground. "Souls," Cas says. "They're souls from Hell."
And then weird things happen. A man pulls over to ask a woman (in a white dress) standing on the side of the road if she needs a ride. A woman opens her door to reveal the SCARIEST CLOWN EVER. Two girls who are way too old to play dress-up are playing dress-up, and there's a woman inside a mirror.
In the cemetery, bursts of fire are running through the ground, releasing the dead from their graves. Zombies! As the dead stalk toward them, Cas draws his angel blade and Dean yanks a couple of pieces of iron off a fence. The three remaining members of Team Free Will stand back to back as the zombies close in on them, and as the music tells us, "God was never on your side."
And now He’s even less on your side.
Well. I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't get the significance of the three monsters until I got on Tumblr, but it's three monsters that the guys killed - the woman in white, the Bloody Mary, the creepy clown. So I'm confused about what's going on here. Did Chuck raise all the monsters and all the dead people? Or, like Cas said, were the people souls from Hell? And if so, why did everyone in that cemetery go to Hell? And the monsters would have been in Purgatory, not Hell, so... yeah, I'm still confused.
But let's talk about the implications of this. First, I was annoyed that Chuck is undoing all the good the Winchesters have done over the last 14 years. But really, he hasn't. That woman in white has been gone, not killing people, for 14 years. Fourteen years worth of people are still alive, thanks to Sam and Dean. Second, if all the monsters are back, that means there are some awesome monsters who could come back in s15. Madison? Benny? Gordon Walker? And third, all the monsters coming back sets us up for a ton of MotW episodes. I mean, I know that's not what's going to happen, but a girl can dream.
Last night, when the episode was over, I was kind of unsure as to how I felt about it. But on rewatch, I feel good. I mean, it turns out Chuck has been toying with them all along, and GOD is the Big Bad for s15. Jack is dead but he’s not off the board. Dean couldn’t pull the trigger in the end. Billie is up to something. Yeah, I'm okay with this. Now let's hear what you think! And I guess it's not necessary to warn about spoilers at this point, but if you do happen to know something about s15, please keep it out of the comments.
And now, let's jump into our last summer hiatus. {sigh}
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no subject
Date: 2019-04-26 10:59 pm (UTC)If this had been the last episode of the show ever I could live with it...I don't know how the 3 of them fight off an entire zombie hoard, but I would have believed they'd manage. Of course with one more season premiere to come, we'll find out what they do...
I am a little upset they turned Chuck from mostly benevolent, hands-off god to actively villainous one...OTOH if that means we get more Rob Benedict next season I'm okay...
Dean pointing the gun at Jack and not pulling the trigger, anger-at-god Sam at his side, and Sam shooting god--wow, that was just...out-of-this-universe amazing acting, I was holding my breath for the entire scene!
Jack in the Empty with Billie--that made me happy, there's still hope for our little nougat. Though I have a bad feeling the black creature greeting him was someone no one wants to see any more of...
I was confused about the monsters/souls bit too, but apparently Chuck threw 2 whammies at the boys: firstly all the ghosts that they dispatched--at least the ones whose souls went to hell--are back in the world (we saw the woman in white from the pilot, the ghost of John Wayne Gacy from a few episodes ago, and Bloody Mary) and also he unleashed zombies from the graveyard they are in.
So God is the new big bad, Billie is a new ally, there's still hope for Jack, and Team Free Will are in a heap of trouble...
(One goof--the archangel blade Chuck was playing with--Sam said it came from the AU, but it didn't--Asmodeus had it in hell, he showed it to Ketch the same time he revealed he had Gabriel.)
no subject
Date: 2019-04-28 11:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-04-27 02:01 am (UTC)I'm totally okay if this is how the show ends, all three boys fighting for their lives against a world that was always stacked against them. It surprised me how right that felt and I just hope the final episode brings me that sense of completeness this episode has given me.
The ghosts like The Woman in White had me screaming. She would have been in hell, ghosts are corrupted souls that couldn't move on in the afterlife. I think the clown was the one that was seen in the last episode with the curse boxes so also would have been a soul in Hell. Bloody Mary I'm not sure about.
All UI can think about since Chuck said "Welcome to the end" is episode 5x4, The End. Lucifer said "Whatever you do, you will always end up... here. No matter what choices you make, whatever details you alter, we will always end up... here." I know that the show has gone beyond that story but Lucifer might have been right, the croats are gone but we have new zombies, the world is ending, Sam and Dean are leading a bunch of survivors/hunters and Lucifer does win because he was right all along about his Dad.
I have wanted for this show to make the End!verse the long goal ever since we were told the show would go beyond season 5. I doubt this will happen but I really want the world to end next season.
And this is why I love this show, this whole episode is a throw back to our first meeting of Chuck when no one knew that he was telling the truth all along.
Chuck: "How else do you explain it? I write things and then they come to life. Yeah, no, I'm definitely a god. A cruel, cruel, capricious god. The things I put you through – The physical beatings alone."
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Date: 2019-04-28 11:06 am (UTC)Oh clever, clever show.
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Date: 2019-04-27 10:28 am (UTC)Boys were pretty, and so angsty, they didn’t kill Jack yaaaay, neither of the Winchesters died and monsters!! Woohoo!
SAm got some good lines, Dean got to hold a cool gun Yass!
It did what SPN does so well, scary, humour, monsters and hero Winchesters, I call it a win!
(Also thanks for crediting me for the gif 😘😘)
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Date: 2019-04-28 11:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-04-27 08:03 pm (UTC)I thought this episode was supremely crafted, it surprised me at every turn, wrenched my heart out of my chest (Jared you bastard, Jensen you... I can't, I really can't, and Alexander fucking Calvert, your fucking face, oh my God), I loved that Chuck became the Big Bad for the final season in the undeniably meta way that all his involvment in the show has been - I know there's little chance that this long game was on the table then, but boy, does "The Monster at the End of this Book" take on a whole new meaning.
The question I ask myself is whether Chuck just erased all the boundaries between the planes so the monsters would spill out of Hell and Purgatory (since Heaven is empty and all the devils are here) or if he specifically undid all the Winchester's deeds in a kind of clean-slate-throwing-out-the-whole-draft revision, so the monsters we see back are the actual one's the boys killed. (And boy, the possiblities of a walk down memory lane victory lap, mind explodes!)
I'm still wondering what Dean read in that book and if that ending has changed and I'm so glad to see Billie back (and also concur wholeheartedly with your assessment of Sam&Rowena the buddy comedy) and find myself reminded very strongly of Julian-Richings-Death stating that one day, he'd reap God, didn't he. So many callbacks to so many things.
And boy, is my confidence restored in a way I haven't felt about the show in a long time.
Hiatus here we come, so many upcoming lasts in our future, but I am so along for the ride, which, considering the set up we're left with, could end absolutely any way we've imagined, which is a feat. Peace out.
PS: Or well, not because I just realized I forgot something, about Sam shooting at Chuck, and I had to go back to rewatch it too. Obviously I didn't realize it was a commercial break because I can't watch it in real time, so when I first watched it, I actually thought it was two different shots Sam took, since the muzzle flash for the first round is quite a bit bigger (though it might conceivably be like you interpreted it since the repeat was shown from a slightly different angle) so I thought Sam actually ended the universe and it kind of like, bounced back like a rubber band because the universe doesn't condone being ended, so it will instantly reconstitute itself for a doover, like Chuck put a Rowena-death-defier on himself and by extension all of creation, but obviously being shot like that by Sam would have pissed him off even more, so I don't know, I find that a more facinating premise? Even though I don't know if it would enrich the narrative in a meaningful way, so maybe that's just me.
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Date: 2019-04-28 11:08 am (UTC)Interesting theory about two gunshots. I'm pretty sure it was just one, but the rubber band theory is awfully fun.
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Date: 2019-04-28 06:36 pm (UTC)It's not nerdy, but why not? Why is it nerdy to know everything about Harry Potter or The X-Files or Supernatural but not a rock band or baseball team? Hmm...
I have to agree on Sam's favorite singer. Celine Dion? No. No no nonono. Celine Dion isn't a nerdy favorite; she's just uncool. There's a difference.
Oh yeah, the queen is a lizard is a Dr. Who reference.
I'm oh so in agreement with you on this ep.
And that final song! Damn! Motorhead is nerdy cool. Lemmy couldn't have said it better, God was never on your side
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Date: 2019-05-01 02:51 am (UTC)Here's my thing about Chuck. He is, in my opinion, one of the least redeemable characters Show has ever introduced. There was that thing where he cleared up the Darkness-sickness in that town a few seasons ago, but other than that, SPN's version of God has never done a kind thing for anyone ever. He sucks and I can't stand him. If God is S15's Big Bad, I am 100% down for the ride.
Haha, Sam's favorite singer is Celine Dion, for pete's sake. They could have used someone equally lame like Dave Matthews and it would have fit much better.
The end was a bit confusing for me at first because I thought there were spirits going from graves into the sky so I assumed it was THE RAPTURE and I'm kind of obsessed with the rapture so I was like is this the fucking rapture that's the coolest thing ever. But I guess it wasn't. I did recognize the ghost and the Woman in White and Bloody Mary and I was confused there too. Like, what is Chuck doing here? Bringing back the monsters Dean and Sam killed AND raising souls from Hell AND making zombies?
I did spend a decent amount of time yelling at the screen as I tend to do. SAM JUST WALK AWAY. SAM GO WITH CAS. SAM JUST TELL DEAN YOU'RE NOT ON BOARD WITH THIS BECAUSE CLEARLY YOU ARE NOT. SAM QUIT BEING A BABY YOU ARE AN ASSKICKER.
Time to get rollin' on my Wincest Reverse Bang and looking forward to summergen to keep me entertained during the hiatus. Also, my orange and blue plaid shirt is lovely, but it's definitely not Jared-sized bc I can't button it and though I am quite busty, my shoulder width is nowhere close to his.
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Date: 2019-05-02 03:43 pm (UTC)But for me, ultimately, it's all about that final gunshot. It's Sam, picking up the gun, realizing that everything they have suffered in their lives, everything he has suffered in his, all the people who have died because of decisions they were forced to make -- all of it was just entertainment for God. That the seemingly endless cycle of being asked to sacrifice the people they loves and being asked to sacrifice themselves is just bad writing. That none of their suffering was due to self-determinism, it was just because Chuck liked watching them suffer and bleed and lose everyone they cared about because it made the show more interesting. You can see it in his eyes, every step of the way.
It's Sam, seeing God hand his brother a gun and ask him to kill their more-or-less adopted son - and in so doing, once again sacrifice himself - and deciding, no more. Sam, seeing his real nemesis in front of him, knowing that if he kills Chuck with the gun, he'll also kill himself, and taking the shot anyway.
Holy hell. I love this episode.
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Date: 2019-05-02 04:13 pm (UTC)The Winchesters don't get downtime for music. Sam doesn't get time to go to record stores and explore new singers, and when he sits around at the bunker he's researching -- he's got his laptop, but we don't see him with headphones. We've seen his bedroom - it's spartan. And we know who picks the music in the car. The most "with it" we've seen of Sam and music is the year Dean was in Purgatory, when he had the iPod. So the last time Sam probably had to listen to music was... back when he was in school. Maybe not even in college, because he was working hard with a scholarship to uphold. So probably before that, when he was around other kids who talked about and shared music all the time.. middle and high school.
IMHO it's really no surprise that Sam's favorite vocalist is the singer who was super-popular when he was a teenager, the one who would have let him "fit in" and feel normal, and who he might have clung to even harder because of the disdain Dean would have had for even then.
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Date: 2019-06-09 10:11 pm (UTC)