Yesterday I was blessed with the opportunity to watch 5.16, "Dark Side of the Moon," on TNT. The scene near the end, where the angel Joshua tells the Winchesters that God knows what's going on and isn't going to do anything and wants them to stop bugging him… well, it hits harder in light of what we learn about Chuck at the end of s14, doesn't it? At the time I thought Joshua was describing a God-the-clockmaker role, a God who just wanted to let his creation run on its own. But now we know that Chuck wasn't just declining to fix things for the Winchesters. He was actively setting them up and enjoying the drama. And yes, I'm sure the writers weren't thinking about how things would play out nine seasons later when they wrote that scene. It's just nice that the Continuity Fairy gave us this unintentional gift.





Other amazing things about this episode include: Dean having to watch Sam get shot, "I Wuv Hugz," Sam's kicked-puppy face, and "I'm dead"/"Condolences."

Another thing that struck me was how hard Pamela tried to get Dean to accept that if he let Michael use him as a vessel, the inevitable deaths of thousands (millions?) of people wasn't anything to be concerned about.

I know that Michael wants to take you out for a test drive… {snip} What happens if you play ball with them? Worst case.

A lot of people die.

And then they come here. Is that really so bad? Look. Maybe… you don't have to fight it so hard. That's all I'm trying to say.

And immediately after that conversation, Ash finds a "short cut to the Garden" that, oddly enough, opens right into the old Lawrence house where they'll be caught by Zachariah.

So I wondered why we ever thought any of this was real. Why we didn't all decide Pamela and Ash were both fabrications created by Zachariah. And then I realized that I had already come to this conclusion, and had ficced it. But where? It's not on my LJ anywhere. I think I posted it in the comments to someone else's post. Probably kalliel; I think she's the only one whose comments I abused in that particular manner. But I found it in my files, and I present it to you now. I don't know when I wrote it, but I see it was probably right after we met Joshua 2.0 in s14. Apparently it was in response to some discussion about Sam and Dean being soulmates with a shared Heaven:

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Wednesday I took the day off work to Get Shit Done, which invariably means a little time spent Getting Shit Done and a little time spent Watching Supernatural Reruns on TNT. As one does. (I'm home. It's on. What am I supposed to do, ignore it?)

They were on season 8. As far as I'm concerned, s8 is a good example of both the best and the worst of SPN. The first half of the season is a train wreck, starting with the brothers' tepid reunion. I don't know if I've discussed this here, but the first time I watched 8.01, I assumed Sam left in the middle of the night because he got a phone call from Dean. I'm still not convinced their meeting in the cabin is supposed to be the first time he realizes his brother is alive. And then there's Amelia, who I just don't like (sorry kalliel). Partly because she's a shrew, and partly because she's a symbol of the brothers' fractured relationship. (No, I don't feel the same way about Benny, because Benny sacrificed himself to save Sam. All is forgiven, you adorable blood-sucking Cajun.) And brother vs. brother is just not what I'm here for. (Unless, of course, you're talking about brothers under the influence, like Demon!Dean chasing Sam through the bunker with a hammer, because I am ABSOLUTELY HERE FOR THAT, FUCK YEAH.)


Although, to give her full credit, if it weren't for Amelia we wouldn't have this. So I guess she is forgiven too.

But as soon as we ditch Amelia and Benny, things get significantly better, because we go right into "LARP and the Real Girl," and hello!

Some of my favorite things about this episode...

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I'm watching In My Time of Dying right now (for someone who has an actual full time job, I seem to end up at home watching Supernatural reruns on TNT for some reason, not that I'm complaining) and comparing the boys then and now is just heartbreaking. Poor baby Sam, such a badass confronting the demon who smashed into their car, desperately asking the EMTs if John and Dean are alive, watching his entire world slowly fall apart. Confused, scared Dean being forced to make an impossible choice. And both of them having so much faith in each other. (And to make things worse, an adorable Zillow commercial with a couple rejecting house after house because their little boy doesn't like the yard, and then finding the perfect house with the perfect yard for him and his unborn baby brother... GAWD. KILL ME NOW.)

Usually when I rewatch this episode (because it's one of my favorites), it's all about Sam and Dean. But the thing that really hits me today is John. The way he apologizes to Dean, tells him he's proud of him - basically, gives him some nice last words. Gives him a goodbye. And Sam? Does Sam get this nice goodbye? Does he apologize for disowning him? Does he tell him he's proud of him? No. He tells him "half the time we're fighting, I don't know what we're fighting about, we're just butting heads" (neatly avoiding any blame) and then says "I've made some mistakes, but I always did the best I could" (again, shrugging off the blame for any of the horrible things he's done and said to Sam, because they were just "mistakes" and he did the best he could) and then dismisses him, knowing it's the last time they'll ever see each other. So no, Sam doesn't get any last words from his father that could possibly make him feel better. He doesn't get to hear his father apologize for what he did wrong, or tell him he's proud of him. He gets the blame shifted to him. You know what? Fuck you, John Winchester.