Review for 5x04 'The End'

[galathea]

You know what? I think Ben Edlund should write more drama and action and less humour in this show. Nightshifter, On The Head Of A Pin and now The End prove that the man can do some amazing things with his scripts, if he drops the quirky attitude and tries to tell a serious story about the characters instead. The End temporarily concludes the four episode mini-arc that deals with the immediate fallout to Sam and Dean’s estrangement in S4. It's an intense character drama set on an apocalyptic background and a visually stunning viewing experience. I haven’t been this thrilled with a mytharc focused episode in a long while, and I am looking forward to the rest of the season more than ever now.



I admit, I went into this episode extremely wary, spoiled as I was, mainly because I was afraid that Sam and Dean would be forced back together in a way that felt wrong. I feared that Sam would look weak for crawling back to Dean (present) and for giving into Lucifer without his brother at his side (future). And I thought that Dean might appear heartless for denying Sam his wish to join forces with him again, only taking his brother back for the wrong reasons, i.e. perceiving Sam as weak after he saw him in the future. I am sure a lot of fans will still read the episode exactly that way, but personally I think the strength of the script was that it managed to avoid all those traps by focusing on Dean’s process of self-realisation. In the end future!Sam’s decisions are only tangential to Dean’s journey in the episode; it is mainly the confrontation with himself that’s the trigger for his change of heart. Dean realises that he has to save himself from his own darkness and that the connection to his brother plays a key role in keeping him grounded. And all that was achieved by the script without diminishing either of the characters, so all things considered, I find the resolution to the episode deeply satisfying.

I also want to mention upfront that we always have to keep in mind that Zachariah is an extremely unreliable narrator, whose intent is to manipulate Dean into accepting his fate as Michael’s vessel, and as such it’s impossible for us to decide how much of Dean’s time-travel adventure is a true reflection of the consequences of his choices and how much of it is fabricated by Zachariah in an attempt to elicit a certain reaction from Dean. For example, future!Dean’s desperate appeal to Dean to say 'yes' to Michael, when he returns into his own time, is all but repeating Zachariah’s own agenda, and he also might have thrown in Lucifer!Sam for good measure to pressure Dean further. That’s not to say that the future depicted in The End was an entirely false scenario, but I think we should take it all with a grain of salt. After all, Zachariah stating that he is past playing tricks on Dean doesn’t necessarily make it true. The one thing we can be sure of though is that Dean’s reaction to what he sees was genuine, and that’s all that matters in the end.

Dean: "We’re not stronger when we’re together, Sam. I think we’re weaker. Because whatever we have between us, love, family, whatever it is, they are always gonna use it against us. And you know that."

I think the opening dialogue between Sam and Dean was fabulous and built an excellent contrast to their reconciliation scene at the end. Right from the start Dean’s mindset is revealed as tired and weary, he works himself hard, crashing in his clothes on the top of the bed, like we have last seen him in the beginning of S4, when his sleep was haunted by post-hell nightmares. I love though that while he refuses to talk to Castiel, too tired to talk shop with the angel, his exhaustion is shoved aside as soon as Sam calls. He visibly welcomes the opportunity to talk to his brother and makes himself comfortable with a beer. It's a faint echo of the familiar image of the brothers sitting together, sharing a beer and a brotherly moment, that we have seen countless times in the show. There isn’t a trace of Dean’s earlier denial from Free To Be You And Me, i.e. that he is happy to be alone, in his conversation with Sam, on the contrary, the openness between them and his visible struggle with his decision to reject Sam’s wish to join forces with him again, show clearly that he misses his brother as a confidant and partner and that this is a struggle between head and heart for him.

Dean’s statement that they are weaker when they are together is a wonderful call-back to S1. Back in Shadow Dean temporarily adapted John’s stance that they are better off apart than together, disheartened by Meg’s successful attempt to use Sam and Dean in order to lure John out in the open, nearly killing them all in the process. But in Dead Man’s Blood Dean then realised that their bond as a family is not only a weakness, but also a strength that allows them to carry each other through a crisis: "We’re stronger as a family, dad. We just are, you know it." Similarly, these last couple of years Sam and Dean’s bond has repeatedly been used against them, pulling them deeper and deeper into a self-destructive spiral that nearly destroyed them - and the world as well. Dean’s utter despondency is the result of exhaustion and the bitter lesson he learned through blood, sweat and tears, namely that the one thing he ever wanted, his family together, is the one thing he can never have, if he wants to put a stop to all the death and sacrifice. But in the end Dean is forced to realise yet again that without that bond things will actually get far worse and accepts that he was wrong. I really love how this theme from S1 is mirrored on a much larger scale in S5. ♥

Sam comes into their conversation from a different position. Lucifer’s revelation about Sam being his vessel not only scared him, but also evoked righteous anger about being reduced to a puppet in someone else’s game yet again, and he realises that returning to the hunt is the only option if he wants to stand a chance to find and defeat Lucifer, no matter if he feels ready or not. Defeating Lucifer is also the only chance for him to right at least some of the wrongs he committed last season, to redeem himself for being instrumental to Lucifer’s release into the world in the first place. While Dean rejects working together again, because their mission this time goes far beyond their personal agenda and he fears to endanger it, Sam thinks precisely the other way round: "Dean, it does not have to be like this. We can fight it." He puts his trust into their combined strength, refuting Dean’s pessimism instantly.

I also loved that Sam called Dean right away, in the middle of the night, to tell him about Lucifer’s approach. He is done keeping secrets from his brother, not only because it hurts the trust between them, but also because it weakens their chances to win this fight. Dean needs the information about Sam as Lucifer’s vessel, not only as a brother, but also as a warrior in the apocalypse, and I am happy that Sam realises that. Combined with his need to prove himself to Dean as trustworthy and reliable again, Sam makes a good case for himself, and unsurprisingly he feels utterly dejected when Dean refuses him. It's the first time that Dean deliberately turns his back on his family, not because he doesn't love Sam - he even explicitly states otherwise for the first time - or doesn't want him at his side, but because he is scared of that very love. Temporarily all Dean can see is the pain their love for each other caused. That it also always was their greatest strength got buried under the ballast of the past years.

Dean: "Oh man, something is broken in you. You made a decision I would never make. I wouldn’t sacrifice my friends."
future!Dean: "You’re right. You wouldn’t. It’s one of the main reasons why we’re in this mess actually."

The main focus of Dean’s travel into the year 2014 was on his confrontation with his future self and it certainly was an eye-opener for him. I think the wreck of the Impala at the beginning of the episode was a powerful reflection of the desolate state of future!Dean’s mind and soul here. Future!Dean was a much harder, darker and less humane individual; a leader, sure, but a detached one, with utter disregard for anything other than the main directive - kill Lucifer. His willingness to use his friends as canon fodder, his cold execution of a comrade in front of his men, his return to using torture for information and his lack of concern for the fact that he was about to kill his brother, even if it was Lucifer wearing Sam’s body, made clear that Dean had stopped to care, about others, about himself. He sacrificed everything that made him human - his compassion, his warmth, his idealism - in his quest to save the world single-handedly, thus calling into question if humankind is really worth saving in the first place. It’s devastating to see Dean reduced to this hardened shell, but not entirely surprising, as he always had the capacity to misdirect anger and despair into violence and ruthlessness. It wasn’t difficult to recognize present Dean in his future self and that made his decline all the more tragic and tangible.

What I found especially remarkable about this depiction of future!Dean though was that in his own way he was a perfect mirror to Sam in S4, cold, ruthless and determined to sacrifice his own humanity as well as the lives of innocent people for the sake of the 'bigger picture', and I think that in the end the realization of these parallels between them is the first step on Dean’s way to forgive his brother. The knowledge that he can become a monster himself, even without being thrown into hell or being infected with demon blood or surrendering to demonic manipulation, just on his own account, will surely help Dean to relate to Sam’s past actions better. Furthermore, while Dean always acknowledged the darkness within himself, afraid that it might consume him some day, the closest he ever came to openly acknowledge that Sam is a sympathetic influence on him and that he keeps him from losing his perspective on things, was probably in Bloodlust. But the realization that his bond with Sam keeps him human, is taking that acknowledgement a huge step further. ♥

As a side note: Major kudos to Jensen for his acting tour de force in this episode and to the editing/sfx department for making his two-Deans-scenes look seamless and natural. Jensen's acting always clearly conveys to the audience which Dean they are dealing with, even without looking at his clothes, and he effortlessly pulls off the immense emotional range of both characters. Fantastic! ♥

Lucifer: "Whatever choices you make, whatever details you alter, we will always end up here. I win - so I win."
Dean: "You’re wrong."

First off, I have to say that Jared’s portrayal of Lucifer was very impressive. He was not only able to make Lucifer’s brand of sympathy for himself distinctively different from sympathetic Sam, but also managed to preserve character continuity to the two actors that played Lucifer before him. His aloof and nearly impassionate depiction of the devil contrasted fantastically with Jensen’s heartbreaking performance of Dean’s mix of fiery determination and devastation. I will never grow tired of admiring how well these two actors play off of each other, even if they are not Sam and Dean, the dynamic duo. ♥ I thought the decision to dress Lucifer in a completely white attire, which on the one hand emphasises his perception of himself as the innocent victim, but on the other side corresponds with the show’s habit to represent evil supernatural things in white, was a great idea and evoked associations of the depiction of Lucifer in Constantine/Hellblazer, which Kripke often cites as one of his inspirational sources.

We don’t get to know how Sam came to say 'yes' to Lucifer and allow him to use him as a vessel, but I don’t think the show insinuated that it was a weakness on Sam’s side, an inability to deal with his problems on his own or worse, an expression of his lust for power. I think Sam’s need for redemption, his willingness to take full responsibility for his actions and his determination to not being played as a puppet again, were completely genuine and directed by great inner strength. However, it's easily imaginable that Sam would eventually break and give in to Lucifer out of despair, if he would be isolated from every human contact and subjected to constant pressure from Lucifer, especially if he had no hope to ever escape the mental torture, even if only by taking his own life. Just like Dean broke under Alistair’s torment in hell, bereft of any hope and with no way to escape his pain. I wouldn’t hold either brother responsible or condemn them as weak for breaking in these situations.

In any case, the confrontation between Lucifer and Dean was fantastic. Lucifer casually killing future!Dean, was chilling to watch and his rather unimpressed reaction to present Dean’s sudden appearance, combined with his refusal to kill him, claiming that it would be rather redundant, clearly shows that Dean is completely inconsequential in his eyes. It reminded me of Dean’s confrontation with Azazel in In The Beginning, as the demon had been similarly dismissive of Dean and simply laughed in Dean’s face at his promise that he will kill him in the future. Anyway, just like Lucifer tried to undermine Sam’s sense of self-determination and choice by insisting that it is his unchangeable fate to submit to him, he tries to spin the same story to Dean, insisting that no matter his choices, they will always end up in this exact same place, and I love that despite Dean’s visible distress he holds his ground against Lucifer. He refuses to acknowledge Lucifer as anything other than the usual things he hunts, thus reasserting his own worth opposite Lucifer and denying him any power over him at the same time. Fabulous! Despite Dean's determination it's tangible, however, that he also struggles with his grief at seeing Sam as Lucifer. Sam is gone, consumed by the monster in front of him and I think Dean's tears are for the little brother he has lost in that moment. It's truly heart-breaking.

Dean: "What happened to you?"
Castiel: "Life."

I really enjoyed the dynamics between Castiel and Dean in this episode, although I have to wonder why the angel, who stated just two episodes ago that the only chance for them to defeat Lucifer is to find God, now suddenly argues that their only chance against Lucifer is to find the Colt. Even if we take into account that he may feel disheartened by his meeting with Raphael, it doesn’t seem to make much sense to me that he would put his faith into this man-made weapon, especially since it was stated in On The Head Of A Pin that only angels can kill other angels and he, as well as Uriel, used a special sword in order to kill their brothers. While I guess that we can interpret Castiel’s change of heart as an expression of his hopelessness, resulting from his conversation with Raphael, he explicitly stated in Free To Be You And Me that his instincts tell him that God is still out there, and I took his disappearance after Dean’s pep-talk as a sign that he was reassured enough to resume his search despite Raphael’s dire words. But for someone on a holy mission to find their heavenly father, Castiel is awfully busy with other things, so at least he could give Dean his amulet back.

In any case, I think the opening scene between Dean and Castiel was very effective in highlighting the angel’s extreme isolation. Dean is literally the only person he can turn to, he is completely dependent on him for guidance and companionship. His frustration at being bound to human devices of communication was very amusing to watch, and still, while I laughed out loud at Castiel’s "I’ll just - wait here then.", when Dean draws his boundaries and refuses to meet him right way, it was very poignant to see the angel standing there alone in the middle of nowhere, lost and forlorn. It wasn’t difficult to make the jump from Castiel’s frustration and isolation in the present to his future version with the same underlying issues, simply magnified by years of suffering and desperation.

I have seen fan speculation that Castiel being mortal means that he made the decision to fall and become human, but it was pretty explicitly stated in the episode that that wasn’t the case. Castiel is simply completely cut off from the source of his powers, i.e. heaven, ever since the rest of the angels abandoned it, and that includes his immortality. He already explained in Good God, Y’all that the current decline in his powers is a result of his isolation from his angelic brothers, so it makes sense that this decline only increased the further he was cut off. Anyway, future!Castiel is stuck in his human body, powerless, lost and miserable, forced to watch his father’s creation slowly self-destruct, unable to stop it, and on top of it all he has to watch Dean, whom he placed his faith in, completely lose himself. Unable to deal with the pain and the loss of hope and faith he drowns himself in sex and drugs, in a desperate attempt of self-destruction. He risked everything and he lost everything and he resents his own choices. Unsurprisingly the result is self-loathing. Castiel’s own words from Lucifer Rising "What’s so worth saving? I see nothing but pain here." certainly came back to haunt him on a very personal level.

I really appreciated that Castiel wasn’t only played for a cheap laugh here, like in the brothel scene in Free To Be You And Me, but was used to show how fundamentally wrong things went for the survivors of the apocalypse, because if even an angel can be dragged down to this level of self-deprecating despair, there doesn’t seem to be much hope for the humans. In the end most of the survivors were reduced to hardened and self-destructive shells of their former selves, and it’s chilling how fitting Lucifer’s contemptuous words, about how flawed and murderous humankind is, seem in that particular context.

Dean: "Maybe we are each other’s Achilles’ heel. Maybe they’ll find a way to use us against each other. I don’t know. I just know, we’re all we’ve got. More than that. We keep each other human."
Sam: "Thank you! Really, thank you. I won’t let you down."

The reconciliation scene between Sam and Dean was befittingly quiet and understated, yet set-up as a highly symbolic encounter. Their reunion not only takes place by a bridge, which is a very fitting image in itself, but it is also the location where Sam and Dean separated from their father back in Salvation. It’s the place where the brothers shared the last moment as a family with their father, before everything went to hell, and which now serves as a background for Sam and Dean becoming a family again. It’s also the place where John gave Dean the Colt, and Dean now gives Sam the knife, in a symbolic gesture of acknowledgment that they are equals. The show comes back full circle to S1. Awesome! Moreover, Dean hands Sam the demon-killing knife like the proverbial olive branch, thus inviting him to join the family business again and Sam accepts, hesitantly, but genuinely relieved. He found back home. In short, the end is a beginning. ♥

I love that both brothers make a personal gesture in their reconciliation: Dean by apologising to Sam for his earlier rejection, openly admitting that he was wrong and Sam by sincerely thanking Dean for giving him a second chance to prove himself. "You were the one I counted on the most, and you let me down," Dean told Sam in Sympathy For The Devil, and Sam is visibly determined to give his brother no more reasons to doubt him. Both brothers give and both receive and their honesty and openness with each other is the basis for their new and improved relationship. I am also happy that despite their reconciliation not all is forgiven or forgotten, there is an air of awkwardness and tentativeness in their meeting that clearly conveys that they still have a long way to go until they can feel completely secure in their relationship again. The next couple of weeks surely will be a process of constant negotiation, and I look forward to that.

What I loved the most about their reunion though was that it wasn’t about Dean inviting Sam back into his life, because he yet again needs to save his brother, it was about Dean needing Sam back to ground himself. The vision of the future showed clearly that their separation didn’t save either of them, they both ended up in the worst imaginable place anyway. Sam might have been broken down by Lucifer’s constant pressure at some point and said 'yes' to being his vessel, but Dean also turned into someone less human, someone he didn’t recognise anymore. Dean’s horror at the prospect of losing himself so completely was palpable, and I think it was extremely important to make this distinction that Dean’s decision to reunite with Sam was determined by this realisation about himself, rather than about Sam, otherwise Dean’s growth over the last couple of episodes would have been rendered meaningless. Personally, I have no doubt that Dean would have contacted Sam after he came back to the present, even if his brother had not ended up as Lucifer's vesssel. Dean’s genuine devastation at future!Dean’s first story about Sam, who died alone and without having ever spoken to his brother again, would have been more than enough to show Dean that separation is not the solution, for either of them. However practical it may have seemed at the time, his heart clearly wasn’t on board for this kind of final estrangement from Sam.

I wrote in one of my reviews last season that the brothers’ main problem is that they both believe that they are 'The One' - the one to take on the whole responsibility for saving the world and their respective brother - and that their only real chance lies in realising that they can only do it together. So I am immensely satisfied that this finally came to pass. "I guess we have no choice," Sam states at the end, but he is wrong. They do have a choice and they just made it. Dean made the choice to put his faith into Sam and himself, rather than into the angels, trusting that they will find their own way out of this mess and Sam made the choice to rejoin the fight, to redeem himself and make things right with his brother. Finally, both brothers made the choice to accept that they need their mutual bond to ground themselves and keep them human. ♥ And those are all choices that will influence their future and quite possibly change their fate.

Overall, using the bleak outlook into the brothers’ future as a catalyst to bring them back together worked surprisingly well for me. While I expected Sam and Dean to stay apart a little longer after their development in Good God, Y’all, not least for Dean to find a true sense of who he is without his family and for Sam to develop a new sense of confidence that is rooted in his internal strength, rather than his powers, I can live with the compromise they struck in The End. External factors might not allow them to finish their journey to complete self-realisation on their own, but they reached a point where it seems possible that their growth as individuals can be achieved as a team effort.

What else was noteworthy:

(1) I hope that the return of the Colt is more or less one of the many red herrings Kripke and his team like to weave throughout the season. I really have a hard time believing that the brothers would be able to kill Lucifer with the Colt, despite its mythical status as the weapon that can kill anything supernatural. I mean, if a low level demon like Tammy (Malleus Maleficarum) can stop the bullets from the Colt and the YED is able to dodge them (Salvation), I see no way how this device could even be a threat to someone like Lucifer. The Colt had its time and use in the first two seasons, and I already found its reuse in S3 strained and too convenient and hope that the writers will be a bit more creative when it comes to killing/banishing the devil himself.

(2) They finally clarified the significance of the Croatoan virus and it only took them, uhm, 55 episodes to get back to that little plothole. *g* While the virus was only a minor point in the episode, it does at least make sense that Azazel made sure beforehand that Lucifer's vessel is immune to it, if it was always planned to use the virus as a weapon of mass destruction on humankind. I stand by my theory though, that Sam was the lab rat by proxy for all other psychic children as well and that it was Azazel's blood that protects him/them from the infection.

(3) I can’t believe the CW paid for this episode. The cinematography in the show is always amazing, but The End had a very movie like feel to it, and I never thought they could convincingly pull off the apocalypse on their budget. From the Vancouver Convention this summer we know that part of the episode was filmed on the set of Watchmen, so presumably they could only afford to actually realise this script at all, because they didn’t need to build the sets themselves, but still, combined with the unexpected increase in music and the additional actor contracts it conveys the impression that the CW increased their budget. Colour me shocked!

In conclusion: If I had one real complaint about this episode, then it is the severe lack of Sam, but I can see that a) the internal logic dictates that Zachariah wouldn’t bother at all with Sam and b) this was all about Dean’s personal journey rather than Sam’s. Other than that The End was Supernatural at its best in my opinion, character driven, a consistent plot that referred back to past seasons, stunning cinematography and excellent acting. Certainly my favourite episode of the season so far.

Comments

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Hooray, you finished in the end. Lovely work, hon. :)

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Geesh, that was fast. LOL Thanks. Not quite as smooth as I like it and I repeat myself a couple of times, but well, it happens.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Well, what can I do? I click on my f-list and there she is - timing is everything *G*

Heh, yes, I know only too well how that happens. Reads well anyway :)

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Heh, good to know that it reads well. I guess I can safely say that it was heavily influenced by the discussion I had all day yesterday over at BF. It certainly coloured my focus while writing the review.

[joans23.livejournal.com]

Agreed, totally my favourite episode so far. Maybe even one of my alltime favourites, actually! Your review said everything I was feeling but didn't have the words for! Awesome job!

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :) Glad you loved the episode too! And I agree, it certainly ranks as an outstanding episode of the whole show so far. *g*

[chiiyo86.livejournal.com]

Hey, thanks for the great episode review!

It was a wonderful, wonderful episode. I was as spoiled as you were (I try not to spoil myself too much, but it's so hard!), and I had similar worries. I'm glad it happened the way it did. Given the circumstances, it's not a surprise that they didn't have the time they would have needed to grow on their own, but as you said, it was a good compromise. "We keep each other human" is really the key line to the whole episode.

It's the first time that Dean deliberately turns his back on his family, not because he doesn't love Sam - he even explicitly states otherwise for the first time - or doesn't want him at his side, but because he is scared of that very love.

It's true that Dean has never been so close to saying "I love you" to his brother! Lately, the brothers have mostly seen the bad in their love for each other. It's understandable given everything that happened, but I love that his episode brought that there is also a lot of good about it! Now they just have to keep that in mind^^

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! Thanks for reading. :)

Man, I really should stop reading spoilers, they are always out of context and I always worry myself sick beforehand. I know that and still, I rarely resist. /sigh That one line of Dean's makes me so, so happy! I think I can live off of that for the next 18 episodes. *g*

I love that his episode brought that there is also a lot of good about it
Exactly! They lost their way so far in S4 that even this love between them, that was always a defining part of their lives, became a burden, and I am delirious that they are finally rediscovering that it is one of their greatest strengths as well. ♥

[sherrilina.livejournal.com]

I really loved this episode too--I mean WOW, what an episode! My only complaint/disappointment was that (since they seem to be making room in the budget to put old songs in other episodes again this season) they didn't play The Door's "The End" (famously played at the beginning of "Apocalypse Now": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b26BD5KjH0 ), it would have been so fitting! ;)

I have always loved episodes/storylines like this in a TV/book series, and this was so well done and filmed (I was also amazed by the sets, though now I guess it makes sense if they were made for a movie!)....I thought it was very convincing as an apocalypse, and the Lucifer!Sam scene was just breathtaking. I remember seeing someone mention Sam being sexy as Lucifer's vessel, and thought that they were referring possibly to something happening in the end of season 4 (luckily it turned out I was not spoiled on that count!), I was glad to see this is all they were referring to. Jared did do an awesome job imitating Lucifer, and it was just so chilling to watch him.

This scene reminded me of "Animorphs" (a sci-fi book series involving a group of teens fighting guerrilla warfare against a secret invasion by parasitic aliens trying to take over Earth--it's better than it sounds, lol), in that the elder brother of Jake, the group's leader, is controlled by one of these alien parasites from book 1, and during the final arc of the series Jake ends up confronting his "brother" (who's really not his brother, of course, since it's the parasite talking) several times, one of which in a similar conversation scene....like 2014!Dean, in the final battle Jake makes the hard decision to take out his brother--and the dangerous alien inside--for the good/safety of the universe (in the end like 2014!Dean Jake also began making decisions that kill his friends for the greater good, he sends his cousin on the suicide mission to assasinate his brother and she dies, and he also sends out a group of allies to fight and die as a diversion, similar to what Dean proposed here), but he actually succeeds, and in doing so destroys himself and is haunted by what he did forever. *ahem* Okay, I'll stop my nerdiness now! :p

But yeah, this whole episode was epic, and you make a very good point about the episode finally explaining why the Croatoan test was needed for Sam back in season 2, I didn't even think of that! And Castiel being stoned and having orgies and being so cynical was rather disorienting/disturbing to watch, and really did highlight the wrongness of it all.

I also loved the D/C scenes at the beginning, Castiel talking to Dean on a cell phone (esp. "It's not funny Dean, the Voice is telling me that I am almost out of minutes"!), and waiting there--and then rescuing him from Zachariah just in time....

Finally, it was good to see Sam and Dean start on the road to reconciliation....

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Yup, fantastic episode. It ranks as one of the best the show has ever done IMO. ♥

LMAO ever since I knew that this episode was named 'The End' and deals with an apocalyptic storyline, I expected/hoped it would use the Doors' song as well, especially since they used the Doors before in 2.14. Not to mention that it's one of my fav Doors' songs. But I vaguely remember that Kripke once stated that he is not a fan of the band, so maybe it has something to do with his preferences rather than the budget. :)

The Dean/Lucifer scene was chilling, so intense and well played, I totally loved it. It's also clever that they used it here, because even if Sam will not say 'yes' to Lucifer in the present timeline, they at least played it here to its full potential and showed us what Sam would be like as Lucifer. You know, I do have that theory that if the writers will go there - i.e. Sam saying 'yes' to Lucifer - it will be a willing sacrifice to give Dean an opportunity to take the devil out. Maybe Lucifer is vulnerable during the short moment he enters his vessel and can be killed without Dean being Michael. Of course it would be a most devastating development if Dean would actually need to kill Sam - a development I don't really want to contemplate - I hope the show won't go to that dark place. I need the boys to have a happy ending. I don't think I have ever wanted a happy ending for two characters more desperately than I want it for Sam and Dean. :)

[sherrilina.livejournal.com]

Lol, okay, I'm glad I'm not the only one who was expecting that song to play during the episode then! :p It's one of my favorites as well, that's a shame that Kripke doesn't like the Doors...

And yeah, I liked that we got to see him as Sam!Lucifer without necessarily having it actually happen (that's the beauty of these types of epps!), I too really hope that Kripke won't have such a sad ending as that, it would be too depressing (the end of Animorphs when the similar situation happened was one of the most depressing ending to a series I've ever encountered!)....but I don't think that Kripke would be that cruel....or I hope not! :(

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Me neither. You know, while I am not convinced that S6 would be a good thing overall, at least Kripke can't let Sam and/or Dean die at the end of S5 if the CW ordered a 6th season. LOL And I don't think he would do it afterwards, there's no real point. :)