Thoughts and emotions after watching 5.22
I have different feelings about 5.22 - it was breathtaking, affecting, dramatic, and in so many aspects interesting, but my attitude towards it varies whether I consider it as only a season finale or the possible ending of Sam and Dean’s story - the entire show as Kripke has mentioned.
First of all I want to warn that this pretty much long post is NOT a squee-post, full of entire admiration of Kripke’s talent as a scenarist - just not this time.
If I consider it as only a season finale, in this respect it was decent (some plot twists were really intriguing and original, Jared and Jensen performed greatly - they just made their best of the whole season, I didn’t expect less from Jensen, but Jared - he really managed to surprise me by his acting - he did good in 5.04 - but this time he made it even better - he managed to show all the difference of Sammy, Sam and Lucifer - it was just Bravo!
I liked the dialogues very much - all from the beginning - that boys talk by Impala, and that Dean’s confession as a state that “To be Sammy’s guardian is what who he is”, then that total trust between them, Dean’s determination to be with his brother till the end if he can’t change anything. And that “I’m not leaving you, It’s Ok Sammy”- it was just too much and so mesmerizing at the same time.
Then I really appreciated that they gave our beloved Impala so much attention and just worded out it’s significance - It was a REAL home for boys which also helped them to build their unique unbreakable bond, and the last thing I liked was the reminiscences, of course - the scenes from the previous seasons very skillfully amplified with the new ones just showed up vividly what was Sam and Dean’s family.
So, because of all this I really liked the episode.
But if I consider it as the end of the whole story wich Kripke wanted to tell as he stated in some of his interviews…So in this light I certainly can’t squeee about it and say that “Yeah! It might be cool. And to THIS the story has been going since the Pilot”, because this final is not only sad it contradicts the general line that is - the brothers have ONE fate, they are weaker one by one, but at the same time SO much stronger together, and together they can overcome everything.
So if speaking about the possible ending of their story it should be together till the end- that is : they win together and both dying or they win together and BOTH living - and not this fake - they won by the sacrifying of life of one and it’s even not death, but something more horrible and the other was left with that knowledge where his brothers was and coming by the doors of practically strange woman (Dean knew Lisa about a week or so, came to her in 5.17 only because of being so hurt by Sammy’s specially arranged by Zacharia memories and not a ONCE mentioned or remembered her and just probably his son during all the preparation for antilucifer operation (making sure that they would be OK if something would go wrong) or even after it seemed loosing.
So if we speak about him as trying to get rest a little and mostly collect his thoughts (before the new season) it is one thing, and if THIS is what Kripke and God in the show have presented Dean for all he have done - and Dean and we in our turn should think it is what it should be - then NO, it’s quite the other.
Then that very interesting question concerning Destiny, about which Kripke told somewhere, that they would try to answer it in interesting way. So what do we have? All that stuff with the vessels appears as some manipulation of the God himself - because if we speak about Sam - and his so called destiny - he had been braided by demons company since his was a kid, and everything was with the notion of God- because he wanted that plot of Michael and Lucifer to repeat - so Sam was cursed to be Lucifer’s vessel since his being a baby, but for what? It could have any sense and be some kind fair and just, if he was “chosen ” as Lucifer’s vessel when being a teenager after showing some inclinations to evil, then it would be understandable, but in his case what the crap? All the so called “good team” was definitely aware of what was going on and everybody was cool with that, so then araises the question : «Who in fact is guilty of releasing Lucifer from the cage?», and the answer: «It is not Sam, but powers - from both sides (dark and white)- who were manipulating him», then arises next question about the atonement.
What was Sam doing was not an atonement, because it was not HIS fault, not because of his bad nature, and way of life he was brought to Lucifer, but only because somebody wanted to play his game, so Sam has nothing to redeem , he wasn’t have to, but he did what he did - and this was just a pure heroic did - he made it for people, because wanted to protect them, wanted save EVERYBODY just like Dean and not only some or a half of mankind as was «planned» in “favorable” variant of Michael’s having won. In addition (thanks to the mythology of season 4 and 5) believing that it was all his fault, though it was not.
But anyway for such a did for humanity he should get a reward - get resurrected, and not having been put in the cage stuck with Lucifer and Michael who were the messed up ones, but who in their turn had their free will to take decisions in their time and were not doomed like Sam and Dean, because they knew everything from the beginning and didn’t mind to play that game at all.
So it turns out that Kripke finds it fair and final Sam’s appearance was added just because season 6 was announced, otherwise I’m sure we wouldn’t have seen Sam at the end of 5.22 even like that - in some indefinite status.
So, considering all of this I just can’t understand how one can be cool with Sam either being in cage, or dead or a ghost or a half-demon or a half-something looking at definitely not happy Dean, who was living on autopilot as the END of the story!
As for me, I can sure say that NOT for THIS I was watching the show for all those years, so, THANKS, Kripke, you can be sarcastic as long as you want, but the thing is that I really doubt that the audience of the show would become as big in those early days if you said where you were driving your bus, but I also doubt that that time you really meant it this way. I don’t know what happened but I really believed you would do something really logical, mesmerizing, dramatic, and RIGHT. But it didn’t turn out like that, especially speaking about “Right”.
So I really sorry that you thought possible to end this like that - instead of “screw destiny” and finding the original decision with really “family saves the world”- some returning to the privilege of destiny and “One was to die thing" in any case because of “it was meant to be and all blah blah bluh Chuck was murmuring”. So that was the point, really? Sammy for nothing was meant to die, because it was his destiny from the day one? So, THANKS, again.
So, sorry for that little ramble, but I just can’t help after all that listening to Chuck, which surprise! turned to be GOD! Well, what can I say - as much a cliché with the author’s ego involved as one can imagine, just pretentious. If Bobby turned out to be God, like many fans believed - it definitely would be MUCH MORE interesting and have sense, especially with him being nearly boy’s father and giving little Sam the very amulet, and wouldn’t it be a big deal if fans have already guessed.
One of the weakest part of the episode for me was also Adam as Michael’s vessel, I was never much impressed by Jake’s acting skills, but it was a TOTAL fail - he was as unconvincing in that scene as possible, just how Kripke could let this face the camera? Just not to mention what powerful scene we could get if Dean was allowed to say his “Yes” somehow, but THAT would be really epic (if they work out the situation somehow from this point), and this was just rot, even considering the fact that Adam wasn’t the very vessel, just compare him with Mett or Mark (who too portrayed not the very vessels).
As for the whole Apocalyptic arc - it was literally only rolled up, cut down - everything, but not finished graciously. The idea of the whole Apocalypses turned out to be just a game centered on Winchesters (so what about the rest of mankind? Their merits and vices just was proclaimed being not important - it was just a test for Winchester brothers, moreover God seemed to be just indifferent to the result since the working out the plan. So the whole idea of Apocalypses appears to be just a play, some sorting out the relationship of simply strong, powerful creatures at the cost of humans. So thus this arc loses all it’s epicness and significance, any “exalted” sense at all).
So if 5.22 is considered as the end of the story, and here I mean when it is not about Dean and Sam, but about the World, it is also not decent ending, because odds and ends stick out everywhere. Again if we consider 5.22 only as one season finale - just before Sam and Dean will face post apocalyptic world and have a lot to do and to solve - it is bearable, but if it was really end? That’s different.
So for now I wish I just didn’t read that interview of Kripke, because thus it won’t have spoiled my impression from the season finale and I really hope that season 6 will be interesting, logical and decent and will end leaving that very rear feeling, that everything is right and meant to be and that after having watched 6.22 one just want to rewatch the whole show from the beginning once again enjoying really interesting and beloved story.