Supernatural 5x19 OMG!
After having luc_darling flail to me via text about once every five minutes as the episode aired, I couldn't wait to watch it. And I'm so glad I did! This episode was worth giving up an hour of sleep.
Thoughts, as usual, in list form. What? You know you love it.
1. OMG this show hit my mythology kink hard and just didn't let up. I am a sucker for mythology, and I tend to think about it in relation to Supernatural far more than is healthy. One of the things I've wondered about the direction the show is taking is how heavilly it leans on Christian mythology. Over the past few weeks, I've had several discussions about this issue with a friend of mine who is Jewish. Her point: By leaning so heavilly on Christian mythology Supernatural, in essence, excludes the majority of the world's religions and therefore its people. Are the rest of the religions simply invalid in the Supernatural universe, or are the other religions just as valid as Christianity, but Christian end times are going to happen and screw everyone over, whether they are Christian or not? My point: I'm sure the show will explore this at some point, and in the meanwhile the boys are so pretty. (Incidentally, my friend, being lesbian, was not influenced by the pretty boy factor enough to actually agree to watch the show, but I digress.) It turns out that she and I were both right! The other gods are freaking pissed that the Western religions are going to end the world and pull everyone else down with them.
2. Look! It's Tori from Battlestar! Hi Tori! (I was not such a fan of her character on BSG but I really liked her as Kali.)
3. I loved the rest of the Gods as well. Now I really want to go read American Gods by Neil Gaiman again.
4. Gabriel! I love Gabriel! I liked him as the Trickster, but I looove him as Gabriel. I guess we are to assume that, as part of his witness protection plan, he came to earth and created the persona of Loki, yes? Because if so: awesome!
5. Introducing all of these other Gods sort of opens the Supernatural world and gives it a much, much wider scope. There are backstories and character histories for the other gods that are only hinted at here. I want to know so much more about them, but am doubting the show will be going into depth with these guys. (Especially because they are all dead.) I also want to know why these Gods are not as powerful as angels. Are they not as powerful as angels overall (i.e. would Castiel be able to threaten them?) or is their power only less than archangels? And if so, why? What makes them so much less powerful than (arch)angels, and therefore even less powerful than the Christian version of God? Especially if, as mentioned more than once, these other Gods are older than the Christian god? These are things I wonder but don't really expect the show to delve into. I'm probably in the minority, but if the next season left Christian mythology to focus on other Gods, I would not mind in the least. But then I am a huge mythology nerd, and Kali was frakking awesome, so ymmv.
6. Lucifer was actually scary this episode. So far I haven't exactly felt him as a threat. He has sort of spent the entirity of this season in a holding pattern, in essence for Sam to say the big "yes" and wear him to the prom. He did bad things, but often they were associated with calling other powerful demon-things forward, including War, Death, and now Pestilence (more on him in a second). I sensed that he had the potential for evil, but I wasn't really feeling it until now. But dude! He was totally rocking the evil in this episode. He killed who-knows-how-many other Gods, and he did it bare handed. He really only needed a weapon for Gabriel (more on that in a second, too).
7. Back to Gabriel again. I loved his history with Kali, which was hinted at but again not dealt with in detail. I'm hoping fic will fill in these gaps, yes? Please?
8. Gabriel's showdown with Lucifer was epic. He said everything I wanted him to say, about how he was no longer on Heaven's side or Hell's side, but instead chose a third option: humanity. That's the same option Dean, Sam, and Cas have been choosing all season long. It took Gabriel a while, but he got there in the end. And he, having lived among humans far more than Lucifer, would know humanity's highs and lows much more than his brother who has been locked up for millenia. To my mind, Gabriel is now a member of Team Free Will, even though he didn't get a chance to be a member for long. He got taken down by the baddest bad around, which is fitting for such a great character.
9. Gabriel's death was, of course, heartbreaking. I loved the character and was sad to see him go, but I also think the acting in that scene was fantastic. Lucifer's reaction after killing Gabriel really brought home for me that while this is an apocalyptic battle, it is also a family drama. Lucifer killed his little brother, and seemed genuinely upset about it. So yay for both actors in that scene for taking two archangels arguing about the merits of humanity and distilling it into a family drama I could believe in.
10. Gabriel left his final message to the Winchesters in porn! I would expect nothing less.
11. Ghostfacers! My favorite show-within-a-show! If they wanted to make a spinoff Ghostfacers show, I would not mnd at all. (Although isn't one of the actors busy making CSI:NY or something?) Anyhow, as far as I'm concerned, the show can feel free to have as much Ghostfacers randomness as it wants.
12. Pestilence. Ewww! That's all I'm saying. I can tell I'm going to spend the majority of any episodes involving him cringing and wanting to take a Purell shower.
13. I like how the show keeps giving the Winchester brothers missions involving numbers: they have to stop Lilith from breaking the 66 seals; they have to find the rings that belong to the four horsemen of the apocalypse; Dean only has one year before being taken to Hell, etc, etc, etc. I think the show feels more cohesive overall when it has a plan. The plan this season seems to have been, "Just Say No." I think the episodes overall will feel more structured if the brothers Winchester (and therefore the writers) have something concrete to focus on, such as: "We need to find Pestilence and then Death to steal their rings to trick Lucifer into his prison again." Now that they have more of a roadmap, I feel more secure about where the show is going.
14. Finally, Sam/Gabriel is my second OTP after Dean/Cas, and now Gabriel is dead. I expect some fic involving mourning and angels going to heaven, or coming back mortal or something. Come on, fandom! Don't let me down! Fix this as I know only you can! (i.e. pornilly.)
...And wow, that turned out longer than I expected. Now to go read fic!
In conclusion, epic show is epic! Cannot wait for next week!