Initial reaction 11.21: Thus spake the Lord

[caranfindel]

It's time to manage our expectations, folks. We all know what's going to happen here. No MotW, no awesome new character, just a lot of mytharc and setting up of dominoes.

THEN: Man, this is a long "then" segment. There's a lot they want to remind us about. The guys might need Metatron to help with the Darkness. Chuck is a prophet of the Lord, and so was Kevin (aw, Kevin), and there is lightning involved when that happens, and no one wants to be a prophet. Chuck is a god. No, Sam says, you're not a god. Oh, wait, he's THE God. Amara was the beginning and will be the end, and she's bonded to Dean. Their priority is to set Lucifer loose on Amara, after they get him out of Cas. Archangel plus God-power doesn't trump God's sister. Damn, Sam looks good in that red plaid shirt. Infection by the Darkness fog gives you black veiny things. The Samulet burns hot in the presence of God. Hmmm. I wonder how many of these will be addressed in this episode. Let's find out!

NOW!

We begin right where we left off, with Dean holding the glowing Samulet on the streets of Hope Springs (eternal). Chuck suggests they go elsewhere to talk, but Dean's not interested in going anywhere with him, except he doesn't have a choice, because Chuck snaps his fingers and they're in the bunker. Hey, wait! What about the car? But the Impala is soon forgotten - by me, anyway - because look who's peeping out from behind Chuck!


Keviiiiiiiiiiinnnnnn!

Chuck brought Kevin back to life? Is he going to undo all the bad things? And why does Kevin's hair look different? Did he change it after he died, just like Lucifer got a haircut in the cage?

Apparently Kevin's purpose here is to convince the guys that Chuck really is God, and that they should trust him, because whatever he wants them to do, he must know they can do it. And after all, Kevin always trusted them. Dean correctly points out that this didn't exactly serve him well. Chuck then tells Kevin he's been in the veil long enough, and sends him to Heaven. So I guess he didn't bring him to life after all. And why has he been in the veil all this time? Didn't they fix that? Souls aren't still stacking up, unable to go to Heaven, are they? The guys are perfectly synchronized as they watch his pretty shiny soul ascend, and then they simultaneously turn back to Chuck, and I don't know if it was intentional, or if the Js are just that in sync naturally, but I like it.



Yep. I like it.

Now that they accept Chuck's status, Sam is adorably flustered, much like he was when he met his first angel. (Aw.) Dean sits quietly as Sam fangirls for a little bit, and then shuts him down.

Sam.
Yeah?
Babbling.
Okay.




Oh god. I don't know if I'll like anything else in this episode, but this little bunker scene is just killing it.

Dean asks the question that everyone is asking, namely, what the hell? Why did you let all of this crap happen? People pray to you and build churches and fight wars and you don't do anything about it? And he's all choked up and releases not one, but two perfect tears, and oh, Chuck. Don't do this to him.




On second thought, we're sadists. Keep doing it to him.

Chuck explains that he was hands-on for a long time, but finally realized that teaching and punishing his creations did no good, and he had to just step away and "let my baby find its way." And also, don't get me mixed up with your dad, and damn, Chuck. That's kind of harsh.

Cut to Casifer, who's being tortured by Amara. She wants him to call God for help, and he says it wouldn't do any good. But he also tells her that she's a loser and God is awesome and it's kind of a rare show of support from this fallen son.

Back to the bunker, where Chuck tells the guys that Amara is a big bully and always made him do things he didn't want to do. I bet she gave him wedgies and always got the toy out of the cereal box. And probably used his stuff without asking. She seems like the type. He asks if they have any clues to her location, and when they don't, he says it's okay, because "I've always had faith in you." And this is who he's looking at when he says "I've always had faith in you."


WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO TEASE ME WITH THIS, SHOW???

He looks pointedly at Dean when he continues "even when you didn't return the favor," heh heh. Then he leaves to take a shower, but as he walks away, they point out that Amara has Lucifer, and you know, they heard through the grapevine, or maybe read it on the internet, that the last time he locked her away, Lucifer helped. Chuck quickly says no, that was not the case, and if he could have trusted Lucifer, would he have locked him in the cage? "And I wasn't gonna mention this, but thank you so much for springing him." Oooh. Burn. Now, since Chuck's other son Castiel is the one who actually released him this time, I've decided that Chuck must be referring to the first time, back in S4. And that he's talking to both of them. Yep. That works. Sam, of course, guiltily says it wasn't their plan, while Dean says nothing and lets Sam accept the blame, and let's just quietly walk away from this, shall we? Chuck says that Lucifer was bad before he went in the cage, and after all this time locked up, don't you think he's probably even worse now? And maybe making an alliance with Amara? So no, Chuck's not going there. He's not walking into that trap. "Thus spake the Lord." Hee. I laughed out loud at that one.

Well, Lucifer's not forming an alliance with Amara, because she's still torturing him, but then she puts her hand on him and feels something. No, not like that. She feels God's presence. How does she get this from Jimmy Novak's tie? I can't say.

Dean sits alone at his laptop in the war room, searching for signs of Amara, when he looks up and there she is in front of him.


Maybe all those empty beer bottles next to me are a bad sign.

She tells him she knows Chuck is back, and if he happens to get in contact, she's like to pass on some information about Lucifer. He's not doing so well, and neither is his vessel, your buddy. And Chuck is allowing this to happen. So, you know. Get mad at him.

Now we're in Lewis, Oklahoma, where people are overcome by a mysterious white fog, and a cute little dorky guy watches it from his porch. He's like a cute version of Metatron. How close is Lewis, Oklahoma to Lebanon, Kansas? Is this a direct threat? (For those of you not in the US, or those in the US who are geographically challenged, Oklahoma borders Kansas.) Oh. Turns out it doesn't exist. Never mind.

Back in the bunker, Sam's on his own laptop (how long has he had a black one?), pecking away, cute as hell.


Cute as hell. Would I lie to you?

Dean brings him coffee, which is sweet (the act, not the coffee, although the coffee is sweetened too, if fanfic has anything to say about it) and Sam says he actually wishes Rowena was here, because she'd know how to track down Amara. Hey, that's a name we haven't heard in a while. And she wasn't mentioned in the "Then" segment. Hmmm. Dean says she'll stay hidden with the book until this thing is over. Which means, of course, that she won't. Because obviously there's a reason they're reminding us about Rowena and the Book of the Damned. They talk about the fact that God takes really long showers, and sings crappy folk songs, and Dean told God to cool it. (Love.)

Sam talks about how amazing their situation is, and there are all sorts of things he'd like to ask, like... why are planets round? Seriously? Sam knows why planets are round. But I'm going to ignore that because he's so damn cute.




Dean, your brother is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

But Dean doesn't want to think about why God made ears the way he did, because they need to concentrate on finding Lucifer before Amara messes him up even more. He reveals to Sam that she sent him a vision, and then Chuck shows up (eating powdered sugar donuts and wearing Dean's dead guy robe) and tells them to stay away from Lucifer. Too much drama. Then Sam sees on the internet that the Darkness fog killed everyone in Lewis except for one guy. Chuck's all, yeah, that's unfortunate, but she's baiting me and I'm not going to respond. That's cold.

Metatron is sitting in a bar, reading Chuck's manuscript, when he sees a story on the news about the weird fog, and it coincidentally shows a clip from the previous weird fog in Hope Springs (eternal), showing Sam and Dean meeting with Chuck. He immediately calls Dean (his caller ID is "Scribe" - was he actually in Dean's contact list) and says he's got some information they need, but he'll only tell them in person.

But first the guys go to Lewis and talk to the sole survivor, Professor Redfield.

Call me Donatello. I'm named after him.
The mutant ninja turtle?

Hee!

Donatello tells them the dead people had terrible black streaks on their bodies, which confirms that theory, and then he was struck by something that looks a lot like what happened to Kevin in the "Then" segment, and suddenly he had clarity and knowledge of things he'd never known before. Including languages he doesn't speak. Then he had horrible visions of Amara and the original Darkness fog. The brothers discuss whether he could be a prophet, and Sam points out that Crowley rounded up all the future prophets and tried to kill them, but he must have missed some. Or maybe Amara set him off? Anyway, Sam shows him some Enochian writing in his notebook, which Donatello correctly translates as "behold the face of God." Because of course Sam can read and write Enochian. Even though, in "Blade Runners," they tried to tell us he wouldn't even recognize Enochian symbols scratched onto the Impala. Ahem. Also, Amara reaches out to Dean again and says she needs to see him in person.

Back in the Impala, the Winchesters explain to soon-to-be-former-athiest Donatello that he might have become a prophet because God or God's sister touched him, and they need him to locate her so they can rescue her nephew, Lucifer, who's posessing an angel, and he can't escape because the doors are locked because sometimes they keep monsters in the back, and it reminds me of the scene in "Sam, Interrupted" where they get admitted to mental hospital just by telling the truth about what they do. It's adorable. Donatello says he's sensing something big, and could it be... Him?

Cut to Him, who is sloppily eating lo mein (damn, I want lo mein now) and watching curling on YouTube. Without pants. They bring Donatello to meet him and he completely loses any last shreds of his atheism. Then the Winchesters go meet Metatron, in the bar decorated with Kingdom Beer signs, who confirms Theory 1 - he's going to sacrifice himself to Amara in order to save his creation. He shows them the manuscript and says "It's not an autobiography; it's a suicide note."

Next we see Chuck eating popcorn and watching some kids play at a park. I kind of like the idea that all of the grand supernatural beings love earthly food, the crappier the better (I mean, come on, Chuck says nacho cheese is so good, he couldn't have created it). Dean asks why he's bailing, and he believes that she'll leave his creation alone after she cages him. Dean's not so sure; he says she'll still destroy everything. Chuck says "If my plan doesn't work, then humans will step up. You. Sam. Others that are the chosen will have to find a way. That's why I saved you years ago. You're the firewall between light and darkness." Dean, of course, thinks this is all way too much for him to handle, and Chuck needs to be the one to take her out. Chuck doesn't respond.

Next we see Dean and Donatello in the bunker. Dean explains that he doesn't know what Chuck will do, but he thinks if they can bring Lucifer in, he might join up. Donatello misses being an atheist, and damn. I was totally wrong about no awesome new characters. I adore this guy. Speaking of guys I adore, Sam shows up with Metatron ("don't touch anything"), who recognizes Donatello. He says they need his help, and Sam agrees.


I'm such a sucker for a good profile cap.

Dean's plan is to rescue Lucifer, and then have him zap them back to the bunker and convince Chuck to join him and fight Amara. Donatello thinks he knows where she is. Dean will distract her while the rescue goes down.

So next we see Dean in a forest. She missed him, "and the sensations you arouse." Oh, wait. It's a sex thing? Dean tries to keep her at arm's length while keeping her talking. She tells him how nice it would be to just be absorbed and become one with her and enjoy the nothingness. He admits he's uncontrollably drawn to her - or is he just saying that to keep her there? I don't think so. Then she touches his face, and poor Dean always leans into it a little bit, so yeah. He's not just saying it.


Or maybe he looks like that when ANYBODY touches him. Poor Dean.

However, she can sense something is different; she can tell he talked to Chuck. And she feels betrayed. Uh oh.

Meanwhile, Sam and the guys drive to a big silo. Amara must be conveniently close.


Look at how much bigger he is, even when they're all seated

They're all visibly anxious, which they should be, because Lucifer.


Anxious and hot.

Lucifer snarks as Metatron tries to figure out the necessary spell to release him. Sam says they need him to help Chuck take Amara down, and if he refuses, they'll just leave him there. But he's all in favor of it.


Luckily, not even Lucifer can say no to this face.

However, when they finally get him released, Lucifer doesn't have the power to zap them back to the bunker. Donatello feels Amara returning, so they've got to go. Metatron volunteers to stay and stop Amara from following them. Sam gives him a little "thanks for being a martyr for the cause" nod and they clamber back into the Impala. Sam supports Lucifer and if I were ficcing this, he'd be telling himself "it's just Cas... it's just Cas" to get through it. Because he really should be freaking the hell out.

Metatron uses his blood to make a banishing sigil, but it doesn't work, and Amara sucks him into the void. Now, I know Metatron was supposed to be the big hero here, but you can tell he didn't think he was going to die. He's really surprised that his trick didn't work.

Sam drives away like a bat out of Hell (and he would know) and it turns out Chuck listens to our prayers after all, because they're using Impala!Cam again, but this time Sam is driving. LOVE.







I may have gotten a tiny bit carried away here.

Amara appears in front of them, and Sam stops because... he doesn't want to run over her? I dunno. She tells them they're not worth sparing. Sam tries to back away but the car won't budge, and wait, is this what happens? Sam and Lucifer get sucked into the darkness and have to fight it from the inside? That might be cool, but it's not gonna happen, because suddenly the Impala touches down inside the bunker. They're going to have a hard time getting that out. But at least Chuck remembered the car this time. He shows up with a 6-pack of Kingdom beer and says "occasionally I do answer a prayer." Who prayed? It must have been Sam. No one's freaked out about Dean's absence, for some reason. Lucifer stomps in, bloody and battered, and Chuck zaps him, and for a second I think he's expelling him from Castiel's vessel. But no, he's just healing him. Oh well. Good for Cas, anyway.

Apparently Dean is okay, because we see him and Sam putting Donatello in a cab. I think they at least owe him a ride home - how much is a cab ride to Oklahoma going to cost? He says he'll probably see them again, and I hope so. Then Dean tells Sam that Amara wants him to be a part of her. "So in other words, adios." And... scene.

So! Like I said, I didn't expect much from this one. And it didn't disappoint. ;-) It wasn't awful, at least not to me, but there were aspects of it that will probably be awful to others. And it actually had a lot of really nice moments. My biggest complaint is that they're still moving away from the possibility that either Winchester is going to be seriously involved in defeating Amara. It looks like it's going to be Chuck and Lucifer leading the charge. And yes, they keep hinting that Sam is important, but I no longer believe them. And they keep hinting that Dean is going away, and I actually do believe that one.

Questions...

Who are the "others that are chosen?"
Has Kevin really been in the veil all this time? Did he get a chance to say goodbye to his mom?
Why does Show keep torturing me with hints that Sam's going to be the hero?
Have they forgotten about Rowena and her little resurrection spell?
Have we seen the last of the Samulet?


What do you think? No spoilers in the comments, please!

Comments

[elwarre.livejournal.com]

My general response is underwhelmed, but not too disappointed, because there have to be some underwhelming episodes each season, right? I LOVED seeing Kevin, but the 2.5 seconds we got with him felt like such a cruel tease. I WANT HIM TO COME BACK.

I'm so torn about the God stuff this season. I love the down-to-earth bits, and I love Rob Benedict, and I really did enjoy Chuck's character the first time around. I just think it's got to be difficult to handle an actual God character well (I mean, the show already struggles with the angels and their deus ex machina potential). And if the mytharc turns to some giant good v evil plot in which Sam and Dean are only peripherally involved, it's just not going to interest me that much.

I'm also feeling a little...grumpy? About all the little treats the show keeps throwing at us. This is completely hypocritical, because I squealed when I saw Chuck and whimpered like a baby about the Samulet and sighed in happiness when I saw Kevin. But I really hope that Kevin and the Samulet play some role in the greater plot, because otherwise it just feels like emotional manipulation (I know Chuck is important, but he's so - God, you know? - that I just can't connect).

I still can't get over Sam physically helping Lucifer out of danger. Oh god, that boy.

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

And if the mytharc turns to some giant good v evil plot in which Sam and Dean are only peripherally involved, it's just not going to interest me that much

I know, right?

I'm also feeling a little...grumpy? About all the little treats the show keeps throwing at us. This is completely hypocritical, because I squealed when I saw Chuck and whimpered like a baby about the Samulet and sighed in happiness when I saw Kevin. But I really hope that Kevin and the Samulet play some role in the greater plot, because otherwise it just feels like emotional manipulation

If they hadn't confirmed s12, it really would feel like a last hurrah, wouldn't it?

[casey679.livejournal.com]

I don't feel like the appearance of the Samulet and Kevin were emotional manipulation so much as the writers trying to wrap up loose ends that fans have consistently asked about. They've been doing a lot of that this season, with some mediocre results and some good ones. Earlier on we got resolution (not great resolution, mind you) for the rift between Sam and Dean in Season 8, which is something I constantly saw fans ask for/about. And Dean has had multiple opportunities to show how much he cares for Sam now that the mark is off his arm, which is the only apology the writers will probably ever give us for "it should have been you up there." The Samulet exists to point out the presence of God; it's pretty much done everything it could do. And Kevin never did get a good final resolution - last we saw he was a ghost - and with all the shit he went through for being a prophet of Chuck, sending him to Heaven was the least Chuck could do for him. I mean, he *could* return him to life, but with Amara on the loose, that might not feel like too much of a reward.

Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised (hell, I'd be pleased) if the writers resolve Michael & Adam, too. Although... that might be hoping for too much.

[anactoria.livejournal.com]

I actually quite enjoyed this one, even if it was mostly ridiculous. It's just that when Sam said 'Planets? Why are they round?' (I mean, I'm possibly willing to believe that BuckLemming don't understand gravity, but NOT SAM DAMMIT) all I could hear was 'Fucking magnets, how do they work?' and I haven't been able to stop thinking that since.

I was very happy about crying Dean. And Sam and Dean and their dinky little coffee cups. So silly! So adorable!

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

We know they have bigger white mugs too. My headcanon is that Dean brought out the nice china because God is visiting.

[casey679.livejournal.com]

Fucking magnets, how do they work?

Me too! I like to think Sam is smarter than an Insane Clown Posse lyric.

[casey679.livejournal.com]

I was pretty underwhelmed by this. Sam's fanboying was adorable, but the stuff he wants to ask God sounds like a second grader came up with it, not, y'know, Sam. Dean's questions were spot on, though.

I didn't think Dean was letting Sam take the blame there. To me it seemed like the way John Winchester's son would react to being criticized - no excuses, just "yes, sir", while Sam was always the one to protest if it didn't seem fair.

God Chuck is just a big bag of dicks, isn't he? I predict a lot of folks are going to be pissed at him for pretty much everything he said, and they probably should be, but just like last time, to me he seems to be casting around for excuses and tossing blame around as a form of deflection. Like, he's talking shit, but deep down he knows it's shit.

Amara wants Dean to be inside her... that's a little different than it seemed before, and not in the fun naughty way. Although man, on a cosmic meta level if she absorbs Dean, then Sam will have the last laugh/cry/revenge for Dean's comment about how Sam having a girl inside him for a week was naughty, won't he? I don't like it, though. She's absorbed everyone else, and I get the feeling they're inside her, too, so what makes Dean special?

Definitely getting the feeling Dean's going to be the pot-sweetener here - sure, lock Chuck away and Dean to save the world. I really hope I'm wrong. I can't believe it, but I'm hoping for Rowena and that Book of the Damned to return and be useful.

So tired of the writers muddying the water on history, even if that's pretty accurate when you think about how many different parts of the Bible were ghostwritten and contradictory. So... was Cain right and the mark twisted Lucifer, or is God right and Lucifer was always a dick, or are they both right and Lucifer is just MORE of a dick now (when he still wants to destroy the world and humanity) than he used to be before the Cage (when he also wanted to destroy the world and humanity).

Poor Castiel. Chuck didn't even mention him once, or react to Lucifer wearing him, or anything. Considering how many times he rebuilt him, you'd think that would be worth a mention.

Glad Kevin got a resolution. I imagine even if Heaven got turned back on, he was still hanging out because he was tied to that ring.

Pretty sure based on Jensen's pockets that the Samulet is staying firmly in Dean's pocket where it won't hit his teeth.

Loved Donatello, though, and hope we see more of him. I wonder... prophets don't seem to be immune to much, yet he was immune to the Darkness, so maybe... does Amara get prophets, too? It would explain why he wasn't in the lists the angels had. But I'm probably reading too much into it.

And farewell, Metatron. I barely had time to not hate you.

[madebyme-x.livejournal.com]

Even though this did feel like an in between episode to me, building us up to the finale and getting all the chess pieces in place, I adored the opening section with Chuck, star struck babbling Sam, and Dean's wonderful heartbreaking speech. I also loved the mood change we saw in Lucifer, he seemed much darker and serious that we've seen him before - I loved that.

I'm not sure if Chuck was intentionally blaming Sam for Lucifer's release. Chuck's whole mood changed in that scene, he seemed snappish and irritable at the mention of Lucifer, so clearly there's a lot of complicated father son issues there, which could be very interesting to see played out on screen. So hopefully we see some of that (and wouldn't it just be awesome if this absent father returned thing is carried on into next season and we actually see John back!)

Thanks for sharing your reaction :)

[fanspired]

> Now, since Chuck's other son Castiel is the one who actually released him this time, I've decided that Chuck must be referring to the first time, back in S4.

Either way, it's bullshit. The writers have clearly forgotten the long speeches in season 5 from both Michael and Lucifer that explained how the history of mankind was minutely planned so that all the infinite choices that were made throughout time were predestined so that John and Mary would meet and marry, Sam and Dean would be born and raised just so that every decision they ever made would lead them inexorably to their respective destinies. Sam's fall, Lucifer's release, the apocalypse, Armageddon, were all part of God's plan from the very beginning. So for God to turn around now and claim that he wanted to keep Lucifer locked up and that he's been operating a policy of non-interference for the past however many millennia is a complete negation of the whole point of season 5.

That point being that, in all of time, from Eden to Armageddon, there was only ever one actual moment of free will, and that was the moment in "The End" when Dean chose to say 'yes' to Sam. And that choice enabled Sam to fulfill his divinely ordained destiny: which was to make the sacrifice that would free mankind from destiny forever. Sam was the Christ whose final, predestined, act was to make free will a reality for everyone else. (Dean).

[The show so should have ended at season 5.]

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

I've decided seasons 1-5 were a completely different show. :-)

[fanspired]

That's the way I see it, too. I watch the recent seasons as if they were professional fanfiction . . . of variable quality. Tbh, if it weren't for my commitment to my serial and the sense that I need to know what's going on on the show for the sake of my readers, I would have stopped watching several years ago.