Rewatch S12: The Future (12x19)
Second day in a row! This episode is by Robert Berens, so more than likely, there will be a LOT to talk about - especially since this is a mytharc episode, which I'm rewriting... and I have 1 hour and 18 minutes. PROBABLY NOT GOING TO PULL THIS OFF!
So, let's get down to it quickly...
The Future
Kelly is protesting her treatment and fate by barely eating and not bathing. Dagon is certain that Jack will be evil (because that's Dagon's goal). So, Kelly kills herself - SO DARK!
But, I do like this for the origins of Jack, because he's ALIVE in there and able to communicate and understand a bit - and literally, his first communication with the outside world is to respond to the fact that his mother killed herself in order to PROTECT the world, even though she loved him. We can, actually, track Jack's education through Kelly and Castiel in these last few remaining episodes of the season.
Sam's figured out Jack's due date.
And Cas gets back, and Dean's mad that he's been incommunicado.
And Sam is super awkward about witnessing this couple's fight.
Cas returns the mixtape that Dean made him.
Dean: "It's a gift. You keep those."
- Aww, it was just an excuse to see you.
Dean was just worried, Cas - he was JUST WORRIED.
Cas: "Dean, I just keep failing. Again and again. When you were taking I searched for months and I couldn't find you, and Kelly escaped on my watch and I couldn't find her.... I just wanted- I needed, to come back here with a win for you, for myself."
- Awww, poor Cas. He and Dean DO have the low self-esteem in common now. Seems to be catching. I mean, it doesn't help that Dean's answer to every emotion is anger - so, when he's worried, he's angry. And I mean, Castiel DOES make a ton of mistakes.
It was actually one of my huge problems with where the storyline goes at the end of this episode, because for the life of me, I was sick of the "Cas screws up" storylines and that's what I feared Castiel supporting Jack would be. So far *knock on wood* it seems to be the opposite and that Cas, if not completely RIGHT, was GOOD for once. That Jack deserves mercy and deserves a chance at being a force for good, just like Sam did.
Dean: "Of course, [Sam's] hell bent on finding something that doesn't kill her or her kid."
Castiel: "And if he doesn't? Could you or Sam be capable of killing an innocent?"
Dean: "We'll find a better way."
Cas: "We?"
Dean: "...you, me, Sam, we're better together. So, now that you're back, let's go Team Free Will"
- Awww.
- BUT, Castiel does raise a good point, which is that Kelly and the kid, are both innocent at this point. And she's far enough along in the pregnancy (especially with the kid capable of understanding and communication) that killing Jack now would be killing a child who has technically done nothing. And we've seen Dean let children go before, even when they're confirmed monsters. Actually, we've seen Sam and Dean let a pregnant woman go before who was carrying a confirmed monster (Metamorphosis) and BALK at a hunter who was willing to kill them both. So, Sam and Dean, no desperate to find a non-lethal method of resolving the situation makes a LOT of sense in terms of character continuity.
I really liked Dagon as a villain. I wonder if in my rewrite I should have her around longer... though I do like the cool scene in this episode where she dies.
Oh yeah, Castiel stole the Colt! I'd forgotten.
Castiel: "This has nothing to do with my reputations. I did this FOR the Winchesters... I will kill this girl, so that Sam and Dean don't have to."
- Aww, right, I forgot that Castiel DOES screw up at least once in this episode. But at least it's good intentions again - but it's also miscommunication, which is not my favourite thing in the world.
I do like the fact that Sam and Dean are WORRIED about Castiel. Dean's mad, yes, and said that they should kick his ass - but he doesn't really mean it. But when Sam is like "he must have needed it for a reason", Dean is like "then we find out what's going on and then kick his ass." It's cute.
Castiel: "Please don't thank me, I had a mission and I failed."
- The thing is, Castiel is SEVERELY changed by his association with the Winchesters. He wants to protect Sam and Dean from having to kill innocents, but the truth is that he cannot do it either. Now that his eyes have been opened to the fact that love and empathy are higher than the law, he can't go back to coldly carrying out the law of heaven.
Dagon's talking to Lucifer. What's the purpose of this scene? Time? Dagon's motivations? I don't think we actually need this scene at all except for needing to kill some time in the episode. Oh! Kelvin is still alive. Okay, that's important, because it's how Dagon finds the gates of Heaven, I'm guessing?
Rewrite: We have Dagon monologuing about her motivations, while she ties Kelvin up - and then it becomes apparent that she's going to torture him for information.
Poor Kelvin, I liked him.
Castiel: "Your child could bring the universe to its knees"
Kelly: "Or lift it to its feet."
- This is actually an argument for every kid. A woman once gave birth to a baby that would become Hitler. A woman once gave birth to a baby that would become Schindler. It's not the universe - or, it is, if you subscribe to the belief that every human life is a universe unto itself. You can destroy universes or you can aid them.
Really, this storyline, Jack's storyline - is the free will versus fate storyline over again, which is why it's not surprising that
Castiel: "I used to believe in a plan. I used to believe that I had some mission. But I have been through enough to know that everyone is winging it it. Some of us quite badly. [...] and there's no special role for you. When Lucifer took over Rooney's body, I'm sorry, but you were just there."
- I mean, he's not wrong! While Jack can be good or evil, Kelly is swinging to the side of "he's destined to be good" which isn't correct. But, what Castiel is missing is the contradictory nature of his argument, because if Jack isn't destined to be good then he's not destined to be evil either. He's just destined to be POWERFUL - and it's the power that the thing that actually frightens Castiel.
Cas: "Then who will care for him when you're gone? Who? Who is strong enough to protect him and to keep him from evil influences, and to keep him on the righteous path."
Kelly: "He just kicked. Do you wanna?"
*Castiel feels kicking*
*Kelly's eyes glow*
- So, Kelly has a vision, but I honestly think that's not the only reason for the kick and the eye glowing. We know from S13 that Jack SAW things and understood things while in the womb. And we know from the end of this episode that he can affect things through Kelly's touch - so, I honestly think that Jack is listening, wanted to see what Castiel was like, and this is where Jack uses Kelly's senses in order to determine who to make his father. He listens to Castiel, he sees Castiel, and he decides. Possibly with a little bit of psychic seeing the future to light his way - the vision Kelly sees, after all, is Castiel protecting her. So far, Castiel has been too merciful to kill her, devised a PAINLESS way to kill her, and had a firm understanding of what Jack would need to not turn out evil.
Angry wall pushes! MAKE OUT! Nope... not going to make out.
Dean: "Well, when you were scamming me for the Colt, Sam put a tracking app on your phone."
Sam: "Cas, when you came back you didn't even look us in the eye."
- Awww, Dean is mostly just upset that Castiel wasn't actually in his room in order to have a heartfelt conversation and make amends.
- But, seriously, I do love the fact that only in the Winchester family you can be like "HOW DARE YOU STEAL FROM US! ALSO WE'RE SPYING ON YOU, YOU CAN'T BE MAD BECAUSE YOU STOLE FROM US." :P
And Kelly does not go with the deathless plan.
Dean doesn't toss Cas his usual keys. His usual keys have a bullet keychain.
And Kelly steals the Impala in order to make her vision come true.
Kelly: "Sam and Dean want to take away his powers because they're scared, I'm not."
- She's right!
Cas: "I am not someone you should put your faith in, Kelly. I couldn't kill Dagon back there. I lost two of my men. I betrayed my friends - my family!"
- Awww, poor Cas. Also, I love that he uses the words "put your faith in"... he's an ANGEL. I just love when they remind us of that with word choice, especially when he's saying something like the fact that you shouldn't have faith in him.
Kelly: "And I don't know why it's you, but I know we are destined for something here - something great."
Cas: "Well, I wish I had your faith."
- Again, I love explorations of faith or lack there of when it comes to Castiel. Though, I do think that Kelly is lying, or at least, fooling herself, with the destiny schtick.
Sam: "No, I mean, what's wrong with Cas?"
Dean: "Well, he hasn't exactly had a banner year - I mean, think of it, between Lucifer, killy Billy, Ramiel - things are blowing up in his face. He's so desperate for a win right now, he can't even see straight."
- Awww, at least Dean understands him. Dean understands and empathizes with Castiel, but Castiel doesn't SEE that, he only sees Dean being angry with him - because that's how Dean channels his worry.
Joshua is a white guy now? Oh, and now he's dead. So much for Joshua! That's actually really sad. I'd forgotten that Joshua was killed.
Dagon: "You really thought he was going to save you? This sad useless fluttering little moth."
- I like that imagery.
And then Dagon destroys the Colt. Which I'm pretty sad about. Not sure if I should rewrite it though, because, we don't NEED the Colt - and we've lost it many times before.
And I do LIKE this epic moment for Jack-powered-Castiel.
I guess my one problem, besides LIKING Dagon, is the fact that I DO need a villain besides Lucifer on the board for my rewrite - so, if I keep Dagon's death here, then the Villain has to be Asmodeus - but I also need Asmodeus to NOT get stuck in the AU world at the end of the season.
Cas: "I've been so lost. I'm not lost anymore. And I know now that this child must be born with all of his power."
Sam: "You can't actually mean that."
Cas: "Yes, I do, I have faith." [...] "You have to trust me."
[...]
*Cas puts them to sleep*
- I love the putting to sleep thing.
- I'm going to talk about the rest of this below. But I also want to say that I love Dean's "don't" but the fact that he didn't back away or try to fight. It actually speaks A LOT to their relationship - that Dean only defended himself with a word. I mean, Dean's going to be PISSED about being put to sleep, but still.
Castiel: "He didn't tell me. He showed me - the future."
- I do wonder what Castiel saw. When Jack is born, he doesn't seem to know the promises he made - so, it makes me wonder if he promised based on desires? Did Castiel see the version of the future that he would bring about if HE had Jack's power? We'll never actually know.
- BUT, fundamentally, I don't think Jack showed him a SET future. I think he showed him a POTENTIAL future. He showed him what Jack was capable of doing - the good version. It's the potential for good that Castiel is protecting now.
Rewrites? That's the question - I DO need the Colt destroyed, because they need to come up with the solution of trapping the villain in the AU. So, that has to remain. And I LIKE Dagon's epic death, but is it NECESSARY? No, probably not. Instead of killing Dagon, Castiel could, instead, banish her to hell like Sam used to with his powers. It would directly tie in Sam's powers with Jack's powers, which is a parallel that gets touched on a little in S13. Also, Dagon being hard to kill resolidifies the dangers of the Princes of Hell. So, Castiel sends Dagon back to hell, tells them something like "she'll be back, but this should buy us enough time for the baby to be born in safety" or something like that. Then we can have the showdown at the end of this season with Dagon, since Lucifer isn't around. I'd like her to keep the meatsuit, but that would probably be impossible unless Jack's "send demons to hell" powers manifested differently than Sam's. I really liked Dagon's actress. BUT, I also can't have everything, and having Dagon return in another vessel would give an opportunity to another awesome actress (or actor, but I think actress would be cooler, and it does sound like Dagon has always been a woman.) It's also be cool if she returned with a LITTLE less power somehow, since her default "explode the angels" messes with the fact that Castiel's corpse remains in the finale - but, it's also SPN, they don't explain why Dagon wastes time beating Cas up here before killing him, so I probably won't have to explain why she'd pick up an angel blade to kill him in the finale instead of exploding him. BUT, if I did, I could just have her come back "weakened" somehow, but still formidable.
And I made it! EXACTLY an hour and eighteen minutes, except for the last couple of sentences and posting it!
As usual, let me know your thoughts in comments... This entry was originally posted at https://hells-half-acre.dreamwidth.org/552418.html.
So, let's get down to it quickly...
The Future
Kelly is protesting her treatment and fate by barely eating and not bathing. Dagon is certain that Jack will be evil (because that's Dagon's goal). So, Kelly kills herself - SO DARK!
But, I do like this for the origins of Jack, because he's ALIVE in there and able to communicate and understand a bit - and literally, his first communication with the outside world is to respond to the fact that his mother killed herself in order to PROTECT the world, even though she loved him. We can, actually, track Jack's education through Kelly and Castiel in these last few remaining episodes of the season.
Sam's figured out Jack's due date.
And Cas gets back, and Dean's mad that he's been incommunicado.
And Sam is super awkward about witnessing this couple's fight.
Cas returns the mixtape that Dean made him.
Dean: "It's a gift. You keep those."
- Aww, it was just an excuse to see you.
Dean was just worried, Cas - he was JUST WORRIED.
Cas: "Dean, I just keep failing. Again and again. When you were taking I searched for months and I couldn't find you, and Kelly escaped on my watch and I couldn't find her.... I just wanted- I needed, to come back here with a win for you, for myself."
- Awww, poor Cas. He and Dean DO have the low self-esteem in common now. Seems to be catching. I mean, it doesn't help that Dean's answer to every emotion is anger - so, when he's worried, he's angry. And I mean, Castiel DOES make a ton of mistakes.
It was actually one of my huge problems with where the storyline goes at the end of this episode, because for the life of me, I was sick of the "Cas screws up" storylines and that's what I feared Castiel supporting Jack would be. So far *knock on wood* it seems to be the opposite and that Cas, if not completely RIGHT, was GOOD for once. That Jack deserves mercy and deserves a chance at being a force for good, just like Sam did.
Dean: "Of course, [Sam's] hell bent on finding something that doesn't kill her or her kid."
Castiel: "And if he doesn't? Could you or Sam be capable of killing an innocent?"
Dean: "We'll find a better way."
Cas: "We?"
Dean: "...you, me, Sam, we're better together. So, now that you're back, let's go Team Free Will"
- Awww.
- BUT, Castiel does raise a good point, which is that Kelly and the kid, are both innocent at this point. And she's far enough along in the pregnancy (especially with the kid capable of understanding and communication) that killing Jack now would be killing a child who has technically done nothing. And we've seen Dean let children go before, even when they're confirmed monsters. Actually, we've seen Sam and Dean let a pregnant woman go before who was carrying a confirmed monster (Metamorphosis) and BALK at a hunter who was willing to kill them both. So, Sam and Dean, no desperate to find a non-lethal method of resolving the situation makes a LOT of sense in terms of character continuity.
I really liked Dagon as a villain. I wonder if in my rewrite I should have her around longer... though I do like the cool scene in this episode where she dies.
Oh yeah, Castiel stole the Colt! I'd forgotten.
Castiel: "This has nothing to do with my reputations. I did this FOR the Winchesters... I will kill this girl, so that Sam and Dean don't have to."
- Aww, right, I forgot that Castiel DOES screw up at least once in this episode. But at least it's good intentions again - but it's also miscommunication, which is not my favourite thing in the world.
I do like the fact that Sam and Dean are WORRIED about Castiel. Dean's mad, yes, and said that they should kick his ass - but he doesn't really mean it. But when Sam is like "he must have needed it for a reason", Dean is like "then we find out what's going on and then kick his ass." It's cute.
Castiel: "Please don't thank me, I had a mission and I failed."
- The thing is, Castiel is SEVERELY changed by his association with the Winchesters. He wants to protect Sam and Dean from having to kill innocents, but the truth is that he cannot do it either. Now that his eyes have been opened to the fact that love and empathy are higher than the law, he can't go back to coldly carrying out the law of heaven.
Dagon's talking to Lucifer. What's the purpose of this scene? Time? Dagon's motivations? I don't think we actually need this scene at all except for needing to kill some time in the episode. Oh! Kelvin is still alive. Okay, that's important, because it's how Dagon finds the gates of Heaven, I'm guessing?
Rewrite: We have Dagon monologuing about her motivations, while she ties Kelvin up - and then it becomes apparent that she's going to torture him for information.
Poor Kelvin, I liked him.
Castiel: "Your child could bring the universe to its knees"
Kelly: "Or lift it to its feet."
- This is actually an argument for every kid. A woman once gave birth to a baby that would become Hitler. A woman once gave birth to a baby that would become Schindler. It's not the universe - or, it is, if you subscribe to the belief that every human life is a universe unto itself. You can destroy universes or you can aid them.
Really, this storyline, Jack's storyline - is the free will versus fate storyline over again, which is why it's not surprising that
Castiel: "I used to believe in a plan. I used to believe that I had some mission. But I have been through enough to know that everyone is winging it it. Some of us quite badly. [...] and there's no special role for you. When Lucifer took over Rooney's body, I'm sorry, but you were just there."
- I mean, he's not wrong! While Jack can be good or evil, Kelly is swinging to the side of "he's destined to be good" which isn't correct. But, what Castiel is missing is the contradictory nature of his argument, because if Jack isn't destined to be good then he's not destined to be evil either. He's just destined to be POWERFUL - and it's the power that the thing that actually frightens Castiel.
Cas: "Then who will care for him when you're gone? Who? Who is strong enough to protect him and to keep him from evil influences, and to keep him on the righteous path."
Kelly: "He just kicked. Do you wanna?"
*Castiel feels kicking*
*Kelly's eyes glow*
- So, Kelly has a vision, but I honestly think that's not the only reason for the kick and the eye glowing. We know from S13 that Jack SAW things and understood things while in the womb. And we know from the end of this episode that he can affect things through Kelly's touch - so, I honestly think that Jack is listening, wanted to see what Castiel was like, and this is where Jack uses Kelly's senses in order to determine who to make his father. He listens to Castiel, he sees Castiel, and he decides. Possibly with a little bit of psychic seeing the future to light his way - the vision Kelly sees, after all, is Castiel protecting her. So far, Castiel has been too merciful to kill her, devised a PAINLESS way to kill her, and had a firm understanding of what Jack would need to not turn out evil.
Angry wall pushes! MAKE OUT! Nope... not going to make out.
Dean: "Well, when you were scamming me for the Colt, Sam put a tracking app on your phone."
Sam: "Cas, when you came back you didn't even look us in the eye."
- Awww, Dean is mostly just upset that Castiel wasn't actually in his room in order to have a heartfelt conversation and make amends.
- But, seriously, I do love the fact that only in the Winchester family you can be like "HOW DARE YOU STEAL FROM US! ALSO WE'RE SPYING ON YOU, YOU CAN'T BE MAD BECAUSE YOU STOLE FROM US." :P
And Kelly does not go with the deathless plan.
Dean doesn't toss Cas his usual keys. His usual keys have a bullet keychain.
And Kelly steals the Impala in order to make her vision come true.
Kelly: "Sam and Dean want to take away his powers because they're scared, I'm not."
- She's right!
Cas: "I am not someone you should put your faith in, Kelly. I couldn't kill Dagon back there. I lost two of my men. I betrayed my friends - my family!"
- Awww, poor Cas. Also, I love that he uses the words "put your faith in"... he's an ANGEL. I just love when they remind us of that with word choice, especially when he's saying something like the fact that you shouldn't have faith in him.
Kelly: "And I don't know why it's you, but I know we are destined for something here - something great."
Cas: "Well, I wish I had your faith."
- Again, I love explorations of faith or lack there of when it comes to Castiel. Though, I do think that Kelly is lying, or at least, fooling herself, with the destiny schtick.
Sam: "No, I mean, what's wrong with Cas?"
Dean: "Well, he hasn't exactly had a banner year - I mean, think of it, between Lucifer, killy Billy, Ramiel - things are blowing up in his face. He's so desperate for a win right now, he can't even see straight."
- Awww, at least Dean understands him. Dean understands and empathizes with Castiel, but Castiel doesn't SEE that, he only sees Dean being angry with him - because that's how Dean channels his worry.
Joshua is a white guy now? Oh, and now he's dead. So much for Joshua! That's actually really sad. I'd forgotten that Joshua was killed.
Dagon: "You really thought he was going to save you? This sad useless fluttering little moth."
- I like that imagery.
And then Dagon destroys the Colt. Which I'm pretty sad about. Not sure if I should rewrite it though, because, we don't NEED the Colt - and we've lost it many times before.
And I do LIKE this epic moment for Jack-powered-Castiel.
I guess my one problem, besides LIKING Dagon, is the fact that I DO need a villain besides Lucifer on the board for my rewrite - so, if I keep Dagon's death here, then the Villain has to be Asmodeus - but I also need Asmodeus to NOT get stuck in the AU world at the end of the season.
Cas: "I've been so lost. I'm not lost anymore. And I know now that this child must be born with all of his power."
Sam: "You can't actually mean that."
Cas: "Yes, I do, I have faith." [...] "You have to trust me."
[...]
*Cas puts them to sleep*
- I love the putting to sleep thing.
- I'm going to talk about the rest of this below. But I also want to say that I love Dean's "don't" but the fact that he didn't back away or try to fight. It actually speaks A LOT to their relationship - that Dean only defended himself with a word. I mean, Dean's going to be PISSED about being put to sleep, but still.
Castiel: "He didn't tell me. He showed me - the future."
- I do wonder what Castiel saw. When Jack is born, he doesn't seem to know the promises he made - so, it makes me wonder if he promised based on desires? Did Castiel see the version of the future that he would bring about if HE had Jack's power? We'll never actually know.
- BUT, fundamentally, I don't think Jack showed him a SET future. I think he showed him a POTENTIAL future. He showed him what Jack was capable of doing - the good version. It's the potential for good that Castiel is protecting now.
Rewrites? That's the question - I DO need the Colt destroyed, because they need to come up with the solution of trapping the villain in the AU. So, that has to remain. And I LIKE Dagon's epic death, but is it NECESSARY? No, probably not. Instead of killing Dagon, Castiel could, instead, banish her to hell like Sam used to with his powers. It would directly tie in Sam's powers with Jack's powers, which is a parallel that gets touched on a little in S13. Also, Dagon being hard to kill resolidifies the dangers of the Princes of Hell. So, Castiel sends Dagon back to hell, tells them something like "she'll be back, but this should buy us enough time for the baby to be born in safety" or something like that. Then we can have the showdown at the end of this season with Dagon, since Lucifer isn't around. I'd like her to keep the meatsuit, but that would probably be impossible unless Jack's "send demons to hell" powers manifested differently than Sam's. I really liked Dagon's actress. BUT, I also can't have everything, and having Dagon return in another vessel would give an opportunity to another awesome actress (or actor, but I think actress would be cooler, and it does sound like Dagon has always been a woman.) It's also be cool if she returned with a LITTLE less power somehow, since her default "explode the angels" messes with the fact that Castiel's corpse remains in the finale - but, it's also SPN, they don't explain why Dagon wastes time beating Cas up here before killing him, so I probably won't have to explain why she'd pick up an angel blade to kill him in the finale instead of exploding him. BUT, if I did, I could just have her come back "weakened" somehow, but still formidable.
And I made it! EXACTLY an hour and eighteen minutes, except for the last couple of sentences and posting it!
As usual, let me know your thoughts in comments... This entry was originally posted at https://hells-half-acre.dreamwidth.org/552418.html.