A couple metaish thoughts about the finale.
I can't get over that last long shot. Dean just crying out Sam's name for help. It's so eerie and God, it's so fucked up. Sam's gonna hear him. He'll hear echoes of Dean's voice. Because Sam could hear Dean trapped between the living and the dead planes in In My Time Of Dying, maybe it means Sam isn't just psychic, but that he is the connection, the gateway between the two worlds.
So what's Sam's power? What's the time bomb inside of him? They linked his "time bomb" ability to Sam's visions and telekinesis, but what else can he do? Last year, Jake's original power manifested in super strength, but he ultimately learned other powers, so it's logical to assume that Sam can do all of the things shown in last year's finale too, i.e. control demons and people, super strength, etc. But being that he was "special," perhaps Sam has a more rare ability. Now that being possessed by a demon is out, Sam has to be able to do something even better, because it just wouldn't be good writing unless the writers one-upped themselves. Does he control demons? Absorb their power, a la Peter Petrelli? Is Sam a key, can he open the doors to Hell and venture in unscathed? Surely, no human being can do that. But if Sam IS a gateway, then he would have the power to go through Hell's gates and wander through them like a demon, but still as a human. Sadly, I think this means that Sam won't ever be a "demon" outwardly, that his power is solely within himself, and we'll never see Sam sprouting bat wings and horns and spikes.
To pinpoint Sam's power to an object would be, at this point, rather useless. Already, the Colt was a significant supernatural item in the show, and to connect Sam to, say, a supernatural sword or knife would be downplaying his real importance. They would have also had to foreshadow, or at least mention some sort of weapon to be able to use it for the season premiere next year. Avoiding all deus ex machina possibilities to continue the story, Sam is going to have to come to terms with the evil dormant power inside himself, one that hopefully brings Sam closer to true evil with every step. Like a stigmatic, the closer one is to God through the feeling of the wounds of Jesus Christ, the closer he or she is to evil and corruption. Perhaps the closer Sam is to evil, the closer he is to God. Does he become the arch angel mentioned in Houses Of The Holy? Is Sam the demon-powered warrior angel? That would suggest that somehow, Sam was also favoured by the powers of light as well as dark. And this might also come into the realm of questioning the existence of God, as Kripke has claimed he will not do anytime soon.
Needless to say, hopefully we'll get at least some tiny clue in the premiere for next year. No one else can do Sam's job for him.
Whew! Anyway, so, who's up for a SPN finale chat on Sunday? I'd love to get a bunch of fans in one chat room and discuss, and perhaps even all rewatch it together!