Mini review of 5.20
This was originally my response to Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune, and someone suggested I post it in LJ as well.
This wasn't an 'OMG loved this to death' episode, but it wasn't a major fail either to me...It felt a lot like part one of a two-or-three parter and therefore can't really be judged until the whole thing's been played out. The resolution of the Apocalypse was moved along but not far enough to let us guess where it's heading, leaving the viewer (well at least me) feeling very anxious till the next episode.
I thought Crowley, besides being a fabulous character-you-want-to-hate-but-can't, really provided a great way to show how Sam and Dean are still working out their new relationship. It's all about the trust between them, and Crowley manages to make dings in it even as Dean is trying to do two simultaneously opposing things: end the d*** Apocalypse and repay Sam's trust in him.
It's another no-win scenario, Dean.
But he tries, oh how he tries, and we can see how he's so consciously trying to work out what to do on Jensen Ackles face. (And seriously why isn't Jensen winning every acting award out there? The man can show every thought tearing through Dean's mind with just seconds of a camera shot of his face...or body language, even. When he goes in the building lobby and finds that Crowley has slit the throats of the 'innocent' humans just to move things along I saw Dean's horror, desire to just shoot Crowley as an evil monster, realization he still needs the demon's help, and acceptance of more deaths on his conscience without a word of dialog.)
I guess a lot of people aren't seeing what I saw in Sam tonight. He had his pivotal moment in 'Point of No Return' when he gave Dean his trust in Dean's lowest moment. He came through for Dean in a way he never has before when he saw just how much he validated Dean's existance in Dean's (messed-up) mind.
But Dean has pulled himself back together into some semblance of 'old Dean' and Sam isn't feeling that same 'need to be needed'--in fact Dean goes off without him. And Sam's trying, he really is, but he's still battling his own demons, his own insecurity.
And left alone with a bottle of whiskey he starts figuring out the next step of this insane plan to trap Lucifer. Which leads to the call with Bobby. Because Dean's choice to go with Crowley has thrown Sam back into the 'I have to prove I'm as good/noble/redeemable as my brother' mindset again.
Sam went to the brink of his anger and pulled back a couple times in the episode--he's trying to get a handle on himself, he really is. Which is why his final scene was so scary. That wasn't red-hot angry Sam killing Brady--that was ice-cold steel Sam, and when rage is transmuted into something that deeply intense--well, let's just say those anger issues? Sam just decided to stop fighting them and instead embrace them to give him the unwavering strength to do whatever it takes to end Lucifer. Because it's personal now.
And I thought Jared Padalecki pulled off this transmutation of his anger from red-hot to ice-cold perfectly with the expression on his face in the final scene with Brady. This wan'st Sam's ususal furrowed, mad face--his expression was too calm, too emotionless, all the rage centered in just the narrowing of his eyes.
It looked a lot like the smooth, unemotional face of Lucifer in Sam's meatsuit in 2014.
And that? That scares the hell out of me.