5.04 The End: We Keep Each Other Human

[bardicvoice]

5.04 The End: We Keep Each Other Human

Despair ends the world.
From future loss, one lesson:
Brotherhood is hope.

Comments

[karenmiller]

Tell me about it! There is never enough time.

Re the Colt -- didn't John say it could kill anything supernatural? So if we class the angels as supernatural beings, doesn't that make them vulnerable to it? I know Uriel said only an angel can kill another angel, but he could've been wrong, proceeding on a false assumption. Certainly Castiel believed that demons could be killing angels, when the whole ruse was set up in Head of a Pin.

Lovely analysis, as ever. Personally, I think it was a real *possible* future, a future that sprang directly from Dean's mistaken belief that only in separation could he and Sam and the world be safe. And I love how Zachariah automatically interprets the end result as a consequence of Dean refusing Michael. Seeing only what he wants to see.

But, as I said in my blurb about it -- don't you think Castiel's setting himself for trouble? He's pissing off a lot of higher ups these days ... *g*

[bardicvoice]

Heh! We're in the same boat without enough oars ... *grin*

On the Colt: anything's possible. "Kill anything ... like supernatural anything?" Yeah, Dean's line in Dead Man's Blood still rings in my mind's ear. I also remember Anna in Heaven And Hell answering Sam, when he asked if she knew of any weapon that would work on an angel, saying, "To kill them? Nothing we could get to. Not right now." That suggests there are things, special things, and the Colt could perhaps be one of them. Successful use of it would take surprise, but given the way Lucifer dismissed Dean - the same way Azazel dismissed him - I could see Dean surprising him in his turn.

I was thinking of Dean's 2014 as a real possible future, until I made the mistake of thinking in physics! But I'm with you in enjoying Zachariah, despite all the contact he's had with Dean, still not understanding him and still seeing what he expects, not what's real. Heh. Dick

[karenmiller]

I did wonder if the Colt was made from Michael's literal sword, melted down ... *g*

But like I say, I do try very hard to avoid theorizing ahead of the facts. I mean, I'm a spoiler slut, no question, but I'm wary of trying to tell their story to myself, if that makes any sense.

The one thing we do know is that these guys salt their clues very, very carefully. And I really love how they make us wait a long time before paying things off. It's nice work. Sure, there is some spontaneity going on, but there's also one heck of a lot of planning.

Yes -- bad guys in general have a bad habit of underestimating their opposition. And very powerful bad guys can get way too complacent. I find Zachariah's hubris quite breathtaking, really ...

[tabby333]

Well said. I agree with all that you say here. My only comment beyond that is that I love that the reconciliation between Dean and Sam didn't happen until they had both gone through an emotional change. They still have much to work through, but at least they are both in the right head space now to do that.

[bardicvoice]

I concur wholeheartedly! Thanks!

[zazreil]

Absolutely beautiful and so accurate - you caught everything I saw and felt and so much more. One of the parts of your analysis that I always enjoy reading is the Production notes and how they open my eyes to things I missed and want to go back and watch for again

[bardicvoice]

Thanks, Zaz!

I think Zachariah and Castiel had very different reasons for sending Dean to see the past. At the time, I believe Castiel thought his mission was to have Dean see the truth behind what happened to his family, to know - as Sam already did - that Azazel had fed Sam demon blood, and to learn about Mary having been a hunter and made a deal, all to help further the idea that Dean had to stop Sam from going down the course Azazel had set. Castiel still believed at the time that he and the angels were working to prevent the apocalypse, and that the forces of Heaven didn't know what Azazel's endgame was.

I think Zachariah, on the other hand, wanting to promote the apocalypse, hoped that Dean learning the truth of Sam from Azazel would further damage his relationship with Sam, helping to develop the idea that Sam wasn't entirely human and that Dean should trust the angels. Anything that split the brothers made the apocalypse more likely.

Just a thought ...

[zazreil]

Those are both really great points and I think this is the reason we love the show so much. It makes us think, but more than that, it makes us want to think.

Zaz

[nodjnopoint]

Lovely, again! Thanks so much for your words and sharing your pictures

[bardicvoice]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed both the words and the pics ...

I wondered about Raphael citing the 20th century as proof of the death of God, given how bloody all of human history has been. One thought I had that Raphael didn't mention was that the 20th century saw the advent of man's ability to destroy all life on Earth ...

I like the thought that the demons might have preserved the Colt as a weapon against angels once they knew it would work. If that's the case, though, they must have found out recently, because Alastair pointed out in On The Head Of A Pin that he didn't know how to kill an angel, and that if Lilith knew, she'd have been killing them wholesale. We know Lilith had the Colt because she got it from Bela, but she wasn't using it against angels.

Something tells me we're going to be learning more about the Colt as the season goes on. From Sam bringing it up as an idea in Sympathy For The Devil to Castiel, during his so far fruitless search for God, reporting rumors of it and saying it would be Dean's best chance in a mad

[seesmooshrun]

Brilliant, insightful, beautiful, and balanced, thank you for this discussion. The minute I heard Dean say "We keep each other human", I thought to myself, "And THERE's the perfect title for the review of this episode." You wrote, "Dean uses the word to mean all the definitions of humanity, which encompass not only biological but also spiritual and philosophical elements, particularly those that speak to the best characteristics within us as human beings." Let's hope that the boys continue to adhere to that definition

[bardicvoice]

Thank you!

Like you, I'm very proud of Sam; he's come a long way in a short time down a hard road. The brothers have a long way yet to go, but now they've both experienced the absolute need for them to do it together. That warms me.

Alas on the awards: I don't think that the Emmys will ever pay attention to a genre show on a marginal network. I've considered the Emmys irrelevant for years because of their willful blindness to non-mainstream shows. But if by some accident they paid attention when Jensen, the CW, or Warner submitted Jensen in this episode for consideration? I'd be over the moon.

[seesmooshrun]

I am under the impression (but cannot confirm since I don't remember the source) that Kripke has submitted Jensen two or three times, for What Is and etc. and for (I think) Dream a Little Dream, probably something from Season 4 as well. So he's being supportive. But of course not enough voters saw the performances and/or voted for them in the preliminaries and so he didn't make the cut for nomination. Again, can't confirm, maybe zazreil can, but I know I want to believe that Kripke at least submitted him.

Submitted for Consideration for Nomination

[zazreil]

As I understand it the shows submit to the Emmy's their actors/actresses for consideration for nomination. Then the community of Actor/Actresses vote on those who have been submitted. Those chose become the Emmy Nominees. Jensen has never gotten past being submitted for consideration. In season 2 he was submitted for AHBL part 2 and in season three for TKAAR. One very dramatic and one comedic. I am surprised that I don't remember seeing Jensen or Jared or Misha submitted this year for consideration.

Zaz