The End
So, it seems to me that we have two Ben Edlunds. There's the Angel-is-a-Muppet/suicidal teddy bear Edlund, and then there's the Head of a Pin/The End Edlund, and I'm pretty sure which one of those two writers floats my boat. Here's a hint ... Angel as muppet? Not so much my thing.
When Edlund is wearing his Serious Dramatic Writer hat, I think he's stupendous. Yes, there is humour, but the humour is organic and really works -- for the most part, anyway. I'm not enamoured of the pink panties line, but it is what it is and it's there now, so whatever.
So this is a lovely, character-driven episode -- my favourite kind - - that also pushes the story along and sets up a bunch of dilemmas and has some cool references to previous events. I'm going to split this commentary into Dean and Sam and Dean and Castiel, with other random observations as they occur. You know me, I just do a big brain fart. So this won't be in chronological sequence, re episode events.
Well. Dean and Sam bookend the episode. In fact, we have a double bookend thing happening, D/S and D/C ( and no, my use of / is not shorthand for slash. This is a slash free zone, if you've not been here before.) And structurally, I am loving this particular narrative conceit. It adds levels and depth, or highlights them. Nicely done. I'm doing D/S first because it's more straightforward, yet still pivotal and profound.
Dean is so wary, on hearing from Sam. ( And how nice is his reaction when he thinks it's Castiel? So much arrgghhh!) And his wariness makes me sad. He knows in his bones what's coming. But otoh, Sam calls Dean and tells him about Lucifer. Now, the timeline here is hazy. We don't know how hard and fast on the heels of Sam seeing Lucifer in his hotel room it is that he's picked up the phone to tell Dean. We do know that Dean's just driven 16 hours straight from somewhere, to end up on Kansas City. Where did he end up in the last episode? After Castiel bugged out of the Impala, did Dean keep on driving straight from there and end up in KC? It's a bit hard to keep straight. Never mind, though. I'm thinking maybe there was some kind of gap. Maybe Sam took some time to process the news from Lucifer, to think about what to do and then decide he wanted back in with Dean. Again, nothing's made explicit. But moving on ...
When Dean says he's numb, he ain't kidding. I love how he's talking to Sam, just talking. Knocking back a beer and shooting the breeze. He can't even begin to feel the import of what Sam's telling him. He's too tired, he's been hit with too much momentous news too many times now. It's not that he doesn't care, it's not that he's not afraid for Sam, he is just empty. And he can't even begin to think about how he can gear up for that fight. He can't imagine how he's supposed to save Sam from Lucifer. He couldn't save his brother from Ruby and Ruby is nothing compared to her god. And he can't see any solution that doesn't involve them being used as pawns, played off each other, used to wound and compromise each other, because that has been happening from the get go. He's said it before, about how the bad guys use them as weapons against each other, but he never does anything about it because the notion of walking away from Sam is untenable. But now he can't see any other way of dealing with this. If they stay apart, they've got a chance. He thinks they've got a chance. If the showdown is supposed to be between him and Sam, then it can't happen if there is no him and Sam.
What he's not seeing, what it takes Zachariah to show him, is that Lucifer's endgame is to move into his new apartment and then became landlord of the earth. He's not interested in playing Sam against Dean. In his mind Dean is irrelevant, insofar as he's already decided that Dean will never say yes to Michael and therefore is no threat. The only thing that matters to Lucifer is Sam. So Dean is trapped in an old pattern of thinking, an assumption that the game is still what it was, and that he and Sam will be used against each other. But it seems to me that the game has changed -- only he doesn't see it yet, in this moment. I also love how he's not angry with Sam, this isn't about loving or not loving Sam. He says it for the first time -- what's between us is love. But love's not enough. He is so lost now, so completely exhausted, that he's literally not thinking straight. And that's a nice touch with the zealot on the street outside the motel with his God is Love pamphlet. Dean's not seeing that yet either. The only power strong enough to overcome Lucifer is love. Because Lucifer is all about hate. What did Shakespeare say? One can smile, and smile, and still be a damned villain. So yeah, Lucifer can smile and talk sweetly and softly and sympathetically but he's a damned villain.
It kills Dean to tell Sam no. It kills him to turn his back on the tenet that has sustained him throughout his life -- family. After the impassioned speech he gave Castiel in the green room -- people matter, families matter ... to now say, family's not enough? Family's a curse? It's interesting that once before Dean said, we're weaker as a family, and once before he said we're stronger. He was right both times, because the contexts were different. But he's wrong this time, and he's wrong because he's just too tired and punchdrunk to see it. And I find it beautifully ironic that it's Zachariah, hated and hateful Zachariah, who unwittingly shows Dean the error in his thinking by providing him a look at the consequences of this decision.
As for Sam, well, regardless of the timeline, he didn't keep this secret. Way to go Sam!!!! This thing, which is even more appalling than knowing he's got demon DNA mixed with his own? Knowing that he was created to be the devil's meatsuit? How utterly sickening is that? How obliterating? And yet he told Dean. He didn't let his fear of what Dean would think of him for it lead him into making a mistake. So in this case his judgement is superior. It's Dean whose judgement is off. And Sam knows Dean's wrong. He doesn't get a chance to argue, but he knows Dean's wrong. And I like that a lot.
Bookending this scene between the boys, where they are distanced not only physically but emotionally, is the lovely coming together scene at the end. Dean09, appalled by the consequences of his choice to walk away from Sam, does an about face. And here we see one of Dean's most enduring and endearing character traits -- he has no ego. When he's wrong he'll say he's wrong. He doesn't make excuses, he doesn't weasel his way around it. He just says it. I was wrong. That takes such strength. He has indeed learned a truly powerful lesson. We keep each other human. I love that he gets it. I love that he admits that while he might not have any demon blood in him, he does have it within him to become another kind of monster, a cruel and cold and unfeeling automaton who will sacrifice everything and everyone to get a job done. He absolutely knew that what he was seeing in his future self was himself. He never once questioned the possibility that he could end up like that. The closest he comes is when he tells Dean14 that he's making out of character choices -- but as Dean14 points out, I have to because this is the world you stuck me with by not saying yes to Michael. In many ways this experience was Dean09's Mystery Spot, with Zachariah playing the role of the Trickster. A glimpse at a possible future. But where Sam didn't learn that lesson, it seems Dean has learned his ... but only time will tell. So early in the journey we have to know that nothing can be this simple or straightforward. The boys still have issues and they haven't really dealt with them. I don't think the road to redemption can possibly stay this smooth.
Speaking of redemption, it's interesting that Sam chose that word. It says to me he really and truly has accepted his culpability for recent events and he's going to what he has to do put right what he helped to go wrong. And not wallow in self pity, either, I don't think. Or I hope. Just ... pick up his load and carry it. I love his sincerity in thanking Dean. This is an older and wiser and sadder Sam, who is fighting back from the brink and doing a fine job of it.
And now to the Dean/Castiel bookends. The first thing that strikes me about the opening scene, where Dean and Castiel are on the phone, is how completely natural and at ease they are with each other. Especially Dean. Up until this point we've had hints and snatches of Dean being just himself, unguarded, with Castiel. But even as Dean has slowly but surely let his guard down, there have still have been strong flashes of mistrust, hostility, suspicion, irritation. An impatience in his voice and demeanour. Not this time. He is teasing Castiel, he's giving him a hard time, because he can, and because it makes him laugh. It's fun. This Dean is the Dean who was ribbing Bobby about getting the incantation right in LazR. They are having this conversation like two equals, two friends, and it's delightful. Even to the point where Castiel's rolling his eyes at Dean, and Dean's rolling his eyes at Castiel. Like the Dean/Sam bookends, I love how their first interaction is by phone and the second is in person. That's lovely mirroring. I think it's interesting that Castiel is the one who's chased down a lead on the Colt, presumably because Dean has told him about Sam's idea (another example of an offscreen conversation, implying much more story than we're being shown) because the last time we saw Castiel he was going off to find God. But even while he's questing, he's doing stuff for Dean too. And even though he doesn't have much faith in this crazy plan to kill Lucifer he's going to help. I love how it's If you're set on this then here's how we do it. It's not his plan, he thinks the plan is nuts, but he's Dean's wingman (hee!) so he's there. And that is a really lovely foreshadowing to a future sequence, which I'll detail later.
And of course, Castiel with the phone. Just ... it never gets old. I've watched this ep a few times now to get my thoughts sorted out and, This isn't funny, Dean. The voice says ... does not get old. I love how he knows Dean is teasing him, and responds to that. Exasperated, agitated. Not coming on the big angel, just, hey, do you mind? Can we please be serious here? This is serious business, stop goofing off! I love how he's prepared to be told no, wait till I've slept. And of course of course, I'll just ... wait here then. That doesn't get old either. It is solid, solid gold. As is the fact that it's clear he will -- and does -- stand on that spot, unmoving. Because what else is he going to do?
But what's interesting is that it appears he's not just standing there. He's standing watch over Dean while the human sleeps. He is literally being Dean's guardian angel. Because if he wasn't tuned in, keeping an eye on him, he wouldn't know that Dean had been snatched from this time by Zachariah. Which means he must have been remote viewing that confrontation between Dean and Zachariah, where Dean tells him Nah. Now he might not know exactly what went on, but if he's remote viewing he can tell how shattered Dean is by what's happened wherever he went. He can see that Dean's barely holding it together but that he still tells Zachariah to shove it. And that would explain his almost smile when Dean appears with him on the road. It's a real that's my boy look. And the whole -- We had an appointment line? Bloody hell! Castiel made a joke! He cracked a funny! He was being droll! Castiel! Oh, bless.
And the flipside of that, of course, is Dean's utter relief at seeing him. His genuine gratitude at being saved. And his -- relief isn't a strong enough word -- at seeing his Castiel. After the wreck he'd met in 2014? That despairing, broken, almost manic creature? If he's determined to save Sam from becoming Lucifer's condom, then he is surely just as determined to keep Castiel from his own fate. Because that Castiel was heartbreaking. But more of that anon.
In this scene we again see Dean interacting with Castiel without any of his former guarding. Let's avoid Jehovah's Witnesses in the future. Let us. As in the pair of them, a team, working together. And that's even though he's now calling Sam to say, okay, we're reforming the band. I think this ties in to Kripke's comments about the show's theme being family - the one you're born into and the one you make. Dean's blood family is Sam, now, and was Sam and John. But there's Bobby and Ellen and Jo too, and now Castiel. Part of his family. The one he's made for himself.
I really adore these double bookend scenes. Beautifully married, beautifully intertwined. I love the reforging of team Dean and Sam, and the deepening of team Dean and Castiel. What remains to be seen is what, if anything, they're going to do with Sam and Castiel.
Another random occurring thought? Zachariah says he's giving Dean 3 days to marinate in the future. And isn't that a lovely image? A lovely word choice? Marinate. Meat is marinated. And that's all Dean is to Zachariah, meat. A meatsuit. Nice work there.
So now to the meat in the sandwich, Dean's experiences in 2014. For the purposes of this, I'm going to accept that Zachariah -- as he pointed out -- wasn't playing games. That this future was what occurred ... but perhaps not for the reasons the angel thought. What I really like about this is, as Dean said, the lesson he learned wasn't the lesson Zachariah was trying to teach. So that suggests either Zachariah wasn't privy to Dean's conversation with Sam, or he didn't care because really, howler monkeys chattering to each other, how is that relevant? He can't imagine there's any other solution other than giving Michael the key to fighting Lucifer on earth. So he's still banging the same old drum, about how Dean must accept Michael. And Dean of course is seeing that the problem is him walking away from Sam, not him rejecting Michael. And what's really interesting is -- if we accept that this is a real version of the future, not a construct by Zachariah, and given that this is meant to bookend In the Beginning I'll accept that it's a real future -- that Dean14 believes his mistake was not accepting Michael. Not once does he consider that walking away from Sam was his fundamental mistake. And that's really interesting. Because at that point he has so lost faith in himself that he can't see there's any way for him to stop this, as a human agent. And is that loss of faith a result of him walking away from Sam and never trying to contact him again, even after the Croatoan virus got loose? Was he not able to walk it back? Or did Sam disappear so successfully that he couldn't be found? Like Bobby said after Dean died ... he didn't want to be found. And if Bobby couldn't find him? Hmm.
The other thing that's not spelled out is exactly when Dean14 found out that Sam said yes in Detroit. We don't know how long ago Detroit was, and we don't know when Dean14 realised Sam didn't die. But if he's been holding on to that information for a while, and has been hunting the Colt because it's the only way he can think of to stop Lucifer now, what with the angels having decamped, then that would go a long way to explaining how cold and bitter and angry he is -- at the world, and at himself. Because he is so, so, so angry at himself, at Dean09. That's probably the most shocking moment. When Dean15 begs Dean09 to say yes to Michael. Powerful, sad and shocking. And what's amazing about that too is Dean09's response. If I say yes to Michael he'll fight Lucifer and we'll lose half the planet. Nowhere in his thinking does he consider the effect on himself. Even after seeing what Raphael did to his vessel. Yes, there was momentary sickness but ultimately it's about how much hurt that decision will inflict on the world and its innocents. Of course, what we're looking at here is the Dean who thinks there is another way, and the Dean who thinks there isn't because he couldn't find one. But is that the key? Is that pivotal decision we come back to? That Lucifer wins not because Dean didn't say yes to Michael, but because he abandoned Sam? And that just as Dean09 is so beaten down, so exhausted, that he can't see another choice but to walk away, so Dean14 is so destroyed by the consequences of that decision he made 5 years before that he can no longer think straight either. Only time will tell.
And so we come to Castiel14. Wow. How utterly, utterly sad is he? How completely ruined? Now ... what's interesting is that while we know he's broken because the angels left and his last vicarious link with Heaven left with them, rendering him practically human, what we don't know is whether Dean's choice to not abandon Sam will save him from that fate. If the angels left because they finally accepted Dean would never agree to let Michael take him, then that's going to happen to Castiel whether Sam and Dean are together or not. And if that's true, then will that play in to Dean's decision to stick with trying to defeat Lucifer on his own? Will he sacrifice Castiel, even after seeing what will happen to him if he loses what's left of his angel mojo? And after what he said to Dean14 about not letting down the people who trust him?Hmm ...
But. Back to Dean09 and Castiel14. What's really lovely in Castiel14 is the physicality of him. Sitting on the floor cross-legged, with his feet tucked up. The way he stretched on getting up. Such acute physicality and fluidity. Putting his feet up on the table in the briefing, right in Dean14's face. So unlike the Castiel standing on the side of the road waiting for Dean to have his sleep. Quite apart from the clothes and the stubble, such a lovely piece of business to show us this is not the Castiel we've come to know. And Dean's dismay is really interesting. He's genuinely shocked by Castiel14, by his orgies and his drugs and his drinking. Even as he's saying he's pleased that Castiel's unwound, at the same time he really doesn't like it. And I think that does come into play for him. I think he thinks his choice has led to this place for Castiel -- even though, as I've said, I think that's ambiguous at this point. It's also interesting that Castiel14 has enough of his angelic mojo left to know immediately that he's looking at a different Dean. He's not even looking into his face, his eyes. In fact, there is no soul communication going on at all. It's all talk, talk, talk. When he realises this isn't Dean14 he' s staring at Dean's chest. So it's like his perceptions will always be angelic, but he has no petrol in the tank to do things.
The most piercing moment for me is when Dean09 says, Are you stoned? And Castiel14 says Generally, yeah. Smiling, smiling, a smile that doesn't go near his eyes. And then even the smile fades and for this one terrible moment he is revealed to be as dead inside as the Dean we saw in Head of a Pin, torturing Alastair. Ouch, ouch, ouch. Castiel14 is in the gutter, staring up at the stars.
All the smiling and the laughter and the bravado from Castiel14 is fake, of course. He's not amused by any of this. His genuine delight in seeing Dean09 again is heartbreaking. When Dean14 guns down Yaeger, he can't even look. He's turned his head away. He can't bear to witness it. And it's interesting that in that moment, Dean09 looks back to him, as if to say, What? What? How did I turn into this? Why didn't you stop me? And Castiel14 can't answer that. I think that's part of why he's given up and is numbing the pain with drink and drugs and sex. He couldn't save Dean. That was his job. He saved Dean from hell but he couldn't save Dean from himself, from the consequences of his choices. Couldn't save him because he lost his mojo and couldn't save him because he couldn't reach him. In the same way that Dean couldn't reach Sam to stop him from his bad choices. Lots and lots and lots of guilt. So yeah, he might miss being an angel -- and the loss of that defining quality, his powers, hurts a lot -- but he misses the old Dean too. In fact, I wonder which he misses more?
And that kind of segues me into the Dean14/Castiel 14 relationship. Because ... again, ouch. So here they are. By the time we see them they've only got each other. Sam's gone. The angels are gone. Bobby's dead. We don't know how long Bobby's been dead for but it has to be a while, given the state of his house. (And why was Bobby there? What made him leave the camp? Did he walk away because he could no longer bear what was happening to Dean? Or did Dean kick him out because he couldn't bear that Bobby was so disappointed in him? Or did Dean kill him because he was infected? So many different possibilities!) So that's it. Dean and Castiel are the only family they have left. Sure, there's Chuck, but Chuck's on the outer. He doesn't share the same intense bond. Interesting throwaway comment, when Dean09 first meets Castiel14. What, you're a hippy now? I thought you'd stopped trying to label me? That's a really personal exchange, implying a level of personal interaction we've not seen much of between Dean and Castiel up till now. It implies Dean was having genuine conversations with Castiel, as opposed to defensive encounters. Lovely throw away moment. Another thread in the larger tapestry. I love it!!!!
So. I think it's pretty clear that Castiel14 is bitterly disappointed in Dean14. Our fearless leader is not said with affection. It's derogatory, using fearless as an insult, not a compliment. Fearless as in inhuman, unfeeling. Dean14's dead inside too, just like Castiel14. They're together because what else are they going to do? Castiel14 is still there for him, still working with him, because where else would be be? What I really really like, that's revealed in the briefing scene, is how even though so much is different, so much is the same. With those two there, they are the only ones there. They talk to each other, the rest of the room disappears. The communication's verbal now, not non-verbal, but they are still connected, even if the connection's warped and fraying. Are you coming? Of course. And I love the callback to the opening scene between Dean09 and Castiel09. If you're still set on this insane plan to kill Lucifer, then I'm here and I'm helping. Now it's, you want us to walk into a hot zone full of Croats and kill the devil? Okay then. I'm there. You're reckless, but I'm there. The whole insouciant thing? Priceless. Brilliant. But there is so much pain there. His comment about Dean14 being able to torture without blinking?That kills him. He can't even look at Dean14 when he says it. But when Dean09 protests, he smiles. He likes that. He likes Dean09. He says so, explicitly, which is him saying to Dean14, I don't like you now. And what's heartbreaking is that Dean14 doesn't like himself, either. But he can't see any way forward but this one. I suspect Castiel14 knows perfectly well it's a suicide mission, that he's being fed to the meat grinder by his only true friend. And he doesn't care any more. I think he knows Dean will die trying to kill Lucifer. And I'm not sure he cares about that, either. He's just stopped caring. Like Dean09 on the phone with Sam, he is simply too numb. He's been hit too many times and he can't summon the strength or the energy to hit back. Not any more. And this is what prompts Dean's heartfelt, Don't ever change to Castiel09. Because Castiel14 hurts him. And I don't think he truly realised how much he'd come to care about crazy Castiel09 until he saw Castiel14.
The other sequence of note in this episode is Dean's confrontation with Lucifer. Utterly, utterly horrifying. Dean14 was right. He needed to see that. He needed to come face to face with the consequences of failure. Because seeing is believing. Lovely callback to In The Beginning, with Lucifer echoing Castiel -- all roads lead to the same destination. But that wasn't the Castiel who abandoned Heaven for Dean and said, We're making this up as we go. So Lucifer can be wrong. I loved his casual killing of Dean14. Like stepping on a cockroach. I loved how Dean stood there and faced him down. Terrified, sickened, despairing -- and he stood his ground. But what's horrible is that he did that to Alastair too, for 30 years. For 30 years, no matter how much Alastair hurt him, he said no. And then he broke and he said yes. And that's what Lucifer is telling him. I win, so I win. And Alastair must have said the same thing. Dean, you're going to break so you might as well give in. Dean, it's inevitable. You're going to break. Do yourself a favour and just get it over with. Now Lucifer's wearing a prettier face, but he's saying the same thing. Nothing you do will change the inevitable. And Dean is terrified he's right. But he still won't give in. He can't. And that's wonderful and heartbreaking and somehow Dean has to find a way to make that not true.
Random obvservations --
Does Dean not lock the car????? He's leaving the Impala on the street outside the motel unlocked????? Come on! Or is he really that tired? And speaking of the Impala, I love the symbolism of it abandoned like that in 2014. His old life is truly dead. Loved the callback to Lucifer wearing Sam to the prom, said by both Deans. I like that the cold hard Dean14 has always been there in Dean. The way he killed Mrs Tanner in Croatoan? He's always had that blackness, that ruthless streak. But these events mean he's let it take him over. Also? Dean's become tactile with Castiel in a way he's not tactile with anyone else. That's an external marker for their internal shift. Chuck as camp quartermaster! Love it!
Finally ... is something bad coming down the road for Castiel? That's twice he's interfered with Zachariah. I think Zachariah realises who yanked Dean out of the hotel. I think he's pissed. And on top of that there's Raphael, who warned him not to leave him trapped in the fire ring. I have a bad feeling Castiel will be paying for his choices at some point. Again.
When Edlund is wearing his Serious Dramatic Writer hat, I think he's stupendous. Yes, there is humour, but the humour is organic and really works -- for the most part, anyway. I'm not enamoured of the pink panties line, but it is what it is and it's there now, so whatever.
So this is a lovely, character-driven episode -- my favourite kind - - that also pushes the story along and sets up a bunch of dilemmas and has some cool references to previous events. I'm going to split this commentary into Dean and Sam and Dean and Castiel, with other random observations as they occur. You know me, I just do a big brain fart. So this won't be in chronological sequence, re episode events.
Well. Dean and Sam bookend the episode. In fact, we have a double bookend thing happening, D/S and D/C ( and no, my use of / is not shorthand for slash. This is a slash free zone, if you've not been here before.) And structurally, I am loving this particular narrative conceit. It adds levels and depth, or highlights them. Nicely done. I'm doing D/S first because it's more straightforward, yet still pivotal and profound.
Dean is so wary, on hearing from Sam. ( And how nice is his reaction when he thinks it's Castiel? So much arrgghhh!) And his wariness makes me sad. He knows in his bones what's coming. But otoh, Sam calls Dean and tells him about Lucifer. Now, the timeline here is hazy. We don't know how hard and fast on the heels of Sam seeing Lucifer in his hotel room it is that he's picked up the phone to tell Dean. We do know that Dean's just driven 16 hours straight from somewhere, to end up on Kansas City. Where did he end up in the last episode? After Castiel bugged out of the Impala, did Dean keep on driving straight from there and end up in KC? It's a bit hard to keep straight. Never mind, though. I'm thinking maybe there was some kind of gap. Maybe Sam took some time to process the news from Lucifer, to think about what to do and then decide he wanted back in with Dean. Again, nothing's made explicit. But moving on ...
When Dean says he's numb, he ain't kidding. I love how he's talking to Sam, just talking. Knocking back a beer and shooting the breeze. He can't even begin to feel the import of what Sam's telling him. He's too tired, he's been hit with too much momentous news too many times now. It's not that he doesn't care, it's not that he's not afraid for Sam, he is just empty. And he can't even begin to think about how he can gear up for that fight. He can't imagine how he's supposed to save Sam from Lucifer. He couldn't save his brother from Ruby and Ruby is nothing compared to her god. And he can't see any solution that doesn't involve them being used as pawns, played off each other, used to wound and compromise each other, because that has been happening from the get go. He's said it before, about how the bad guys use them as weapons against each other, but he never does anything about it because the notion of walking away from Sam is untenable. But now he can't see any other way of dealing with this. If they stay apart, they've got a chance. He thinks they've got a chance. If the showdown is supposed to be between him and Sam, then it can't happen if there is no him and Sam.
What he's not seeing, what it takes Zachariah to show him, is that Lucifer's endgame is to move into his new apartment and then became landlord of the earth. He's not interested in playing Sam against Dean. In his mind Dean is irrelevant, insofar as he's already decided that Dean will never say yes to Michael and therefore is no threat. The only thing that matters to Lucifer is Sam. So Dean is trapped in an old pattern of thinking, an assumption that the game is still what it was, and that he and Sam will be used against each other. But it seems to me that the game has changed -- only he doesn't see it yet, in this moment. I also love how he's not angry with Sam, this isn't about loving or not loving Sam. He says it for the first time -- what's between us is love. But love's not enough. He is so lost now, so completely exhausted, that he's literally not thinking straight. And that's a nice touch with the zealot on the street outside the motel with his God is Love pamphlet. Dean's not seeing that yet either. The only power strong enough to overcome Lucifer is love. Because Lucifer is all about hate. What did Shakespeare say? One can smile, and smile, and still be a damned villain. So yeah, Lucifer can smile and talk sweetly and softly and sympathetically but he's a damned villain.
It kills Dean to tell Sam no. It kills him to turn his back on the tenet that has sustained him throughout his life -- family. After the impassioned speech he gave Castiel in the green room -- people matter, families matter ... to now say, family's not enough? Family's a curse? It's interesting that once before Dean said, we're weaker as a family, and once before he said we're stronger. He was right both times, because the contexts were different. But he's wrong this time, and he's wrong because he's just too tired and punchdrunk to see it. And I find it beautifully ironic that it's Zachariah, hated and hateful Zachariah, who unwittingly shows Dean the error in his thinking by providing him a look at the consequences of this decision.
As for Sam, well, regardless of the timeline, he didn't keep this secret. Way to go Sam!!!! This thing, which is even more appalling than knowing he's got demon DNA mixed with his own? Knowing that he was created to be the devil's meatsuit? How utterly sickening is that? How obliterating? And yet he told Dean. He didn't let his fear of what Dean would think of him for it lead him into making a mistake. So in this case his judgement is superior. It's Dean whose judgement is off. And Sam knows Dean's wrong. He doesn't get a chance to argue, but he knows Dean's wrong. And I like that a lot.
Bookending this scene between the boys, where they are distanced not only physically but emotionally, is the lovely coming together scene at the end. Dean09, appalled by the consequences of his choice to walk away from Sam, does an about face. And here we see one of Dean's most enduring and endearing character traits -- he has no ego. When he's wrong he'll say he's wrong. He doesn't make excuses, he doesn't weasel his way around it. He just says it. I was wrong. That takes such strength. He has indeed learned a truly powerful lesson. We keep each other human. I love that he gets it. I love that he admits that while he might not have any demon blood in him, he does have it within him to become another kind of monster, a cruel and cold and unfeeling automaton who will sacrifice everything and everyone to get a job done. He absolutely knew that what he was seeing in his future self was himself. He never once questioned the possibility that he could end up like that. The closest he comes is when he tells Dean14 that he's making out of character choices -- but as Dean14 points out, I have to because this is the world you stuck me with by not saying yes to Michael. In many ways this experience was Dean09's Mystery Spot, with Zachariah playing the role of the Trickster. A glimpse at a possible future. But where Sam didn't learn that lesson, it seems Dean has learned his ... but only time will tell. So early in the journey we have to know that nothing can be this simple or straightforward. The boys still have issues and they haven't really dealt with them. I don't think the road to redemption can possibly stay this smooth.
Speaking of redemption, it's interesting that Sam chose that word. It says to me he really and truly has accepted his culpability for recent events and he's going to what he has to do put right what he helped to go wrong. And not wallow in self pity, either, I don't think. Or I hope. Just ... pick up his load and carry it. I love his sincerity in thanking Dean. This is an older and wiser and sadder Sam, who is fighting back from the brink and doing a fine job of it.
And now to the Dean/Castiel bookends. The first thing that strikes me about the opening scene, where Dean and Castiel are on the phone, is how completely natural and at ease they are with each other. Especially Dean. Up until this point we've had hints and snatches of Dean being just himself, unguarded, with Castiel. But even as Dean has slowly but surely let his guard down, there have still have been strong flashes of mistrust, hostility, suspicion, irritation. An impatience in his voice and demeanour. Not this time. He is teasing Castiel, he's giving him a hard time, because he can, and because it makes him laugh. It's fun. This Dean is the Dean who was ribbing Bobby about getting the incantation right in LazR. They are having this conversation like two equals, two friends, and it's delightful. Even to the point where Castiel's rolling his eyes at Dean, and Dean's rolling his eyes at Castiel. Like the Dean/Sam bookends, I love how their first interaction is by phone and the second is in person. That's lovely mirroring. I think it's interesting that Castiel is the one who's chased down a lead on the Colt, presumably because Dean has told him about Sam's idea (another example of an offscreen conversation, implying much more story than we're being shown) because the last time we saw Castiel he was going off to find God. But even while he's questing, he's doing stuff for Dean too. And even though he doesn't have much faith in this crazy plan to kill Lucifer he's going to help. I love how it's If you're set on this then here's how we do it. It's not his plan, he thinks the plan is nuts, but he's Dean's wingman (hee!) so he's there. And that is a really lovely foreshadowing to a future sequence, which I'll detail later.
And of course, Castiel with the phone. Just ... it never gets old. I've watched this ep a few times now to get my thoughts sorted out and, This isn't funny, Dean. The voice says ... does not get old. I love how he knows Dean is teasing him, and responds to that. Exasperated, agitated. Not coming on the big angel, just, hey, do you mind? Can we please be serious here? This is serious business, stop goofing off! I love how he's prepared to be told no, wait till I've slept. And of course of course, I'll just ... wait here then. That doesn't get old either. It is solid, solid gold. As is the fact that it's clear he will -- and does -- stand on that spot, unmoving. Because what else is he going to do?
But what's interesting is that it appears he's not just standing there. He's standing watch over Dean while the human sleeps. He is literally being Dean's guardian angel. Because if he wasn't tuned in, keeping an eye on him, he wouldn't know that Dean had been snatched from this time by Zachariah. Which means he must have been remote viewing that confrontation between Dean and Zachariah, where Dean tells him Nah. Now he might not know exactly what went on, but if he's remote viewing he can tell how shattered Dean is by what's happened wherever he went. He can see that Dean's barely holding it together but that he still tells Zachariah to shove it. And that would explain his almost smile when Dean appears with him on the road. It's a real that's my boy look. And the whole -- We had an appointment line? Bloody hell! Castiel made a joke! He cracked a funny! He was being droll! Castiel! Oh, bless.
And the flipside of that, of course, is Dean's utter relief at seeing him. His genuine gratitude at being saved. And his -- relief isn't a strong enough word -- at seeing his Castiel. After the wreck he'd met in 2014? That despairing, broken, almost manic creature? If he's determined to save Sam from becoming Lucifer's condom, then he is surely just as determined to keep Castiel from his own fate. Because that Castiel was heartbreaking. But more of that anon.
In this scene we again see Dean interacting with Castiel without any of his former guarding. Let's avoid Jehovah's Witnesses in the future. Let us. As in the pair of them, a team, working together. And that's even though he's now calling Sam to say, okay, we're reforming the band. I think this ties in to Kripke's comments about the show's theme being family - the one you're born into and the one you make. Dean's blood family is Sam, now, and was Sam and John. But there's Bobby and Ellen and Jo too, and now Castiel. Part of his family. The one he's made for himself.
I really adore these double bookend scenes. Beautifully married, beautifully intertwined. I love the reforging of team Dean and Sam, and the deepening of team Dean and Castiel. What remains to be seen is what, if anything, they're going to do with Sam and Castiel.
Another random occurring thought? Zachariah says he's giving Dean 3 days to marinate in the future. And isn't that a lovely image? A lovely word choice? Marinate. Meat is marinated. And that's all Dean is to Zachariah, meat. A meatsuit. Nice work there.
So now to the meat in the sandwich, Dean's experiences in 2014. For the purposes of this, I'm going to accept that Zachariah -- as he pointed out -- wasn't playing games. That this future was what occurred ... but perhaps not for the reasons the angel thought. What I really like about this is, as Dean said, the lesson he learned wasn't the lesson Zachariah was trying to teach. So that suggests either Zachariah wasn't privy to Dean's conversation with Sam, or he didn't care because really, howler monkeys chattering to each other, how is that relevant? He can't imagine there's any other solution other than giving Michael the key to fighting Lucifer on earth. So he's still banging the same old drum, about how Dean must accept Michael. And Dean of course is seeing that the problem is him walking away from Sam, not him rejecting Michael. And what's really interesting is -- if we accept that this is a real version of the future, not a construct by Zachariah, and given that this is meant to bookend In the Beginning I'll accept that it's a real future -- that Dean14 believes his mistake was not accepting Michael. Not once does he consider that walking away from Sam was his fundamental mistake. And that's really interesting. Because at that point he has so lost faith in himself that he can't see there's any way for him to stop this, as a human agent. And is that loss of faith a result of him walking away from Sam and never trying to contact him again, even after the Croatoan virus got loose? Was he not able to walk it back? Or did Sam disappear so successfully that he couldn't be found? Like Bobby said after Dean died ... he didn't want to be found. And if Bobby couldn't find him? Hmm.
The other thing that's not spelled out is exactly when Dean14 found out that Sam said yes in Detroit. We don't know how long ago Detroit was, and we don't know when Dean14 realised Sam didn't die. But if he's been holding on to that information for a while, and has been hunting the Colt because it's the only way he can think of to stop Lucifer now, what with the angels having decamped, then that would go a long way to explaining how cold and bitter and angry he is -- at the world, and at himself. Because he is so, so, so angry at himself, at Dean09. That's probably the most shocking moment. When Dean15 begs Dean09 to say yes to Michael. Powerful, sad and shocking. And what's amazing about that too is Dean09's response. If I say yes to Michael he'll fight Lucifer and we'll lose half the planet. Nowhere in his thinking does he consider the effect on himself. Even after seeing what Raphael did to his vessel. Yes, there was momentary sickness but ultimately it's about how much hurt that decision will inflict on the world and its innocents. Of course, what we're looking at here is the Dean who thinks there is another way, and the Dean who thinks there isn't because he couldn't find one. But is that the key? Is that pivotal decision we come back to? That Lucifer wins not because Dean didn't say yes to Michael, but because he abandoned Sam? And that just as Dean09 is so beaten down, so exhausted, that he can't see another choice but to walk away, so Dean14 is so destroyed by the consequences of that decision he made 5 years before that he can no longer think straight either. Only time will tell.
And so we come to Castiel14. Wow. How utterly, utterly sad is he? How completely ruined? Now ... what's interesting is that while we know he's broken because the angels left and his last vicarious link with Heaven left with them, rendering him practically human, what we don't know is whether Dean's choice to not abandon Sam will save him from that fate. If the angels left because they finally accepted Dean would never agree to let Michael take him, then that's going to happen to Castiel whether Sam and Dean are together or not. And if that's true, then will that play in to Dean's decision to stick with trying to defeat Lucifer on his own? Will he sacrifice Castiel, even after seeing what will happen to him if he loses what's left of his angel mojo? And after what he said to Dean14 about not letting down the people who trust him?Hmm ...
But. Back to Dean09 and Castiel14. What's really lovely in Castiel14 is the physicality of him. Sitting on the floor cross-legged, with his feet tucked up. The way he stretched on getting up. Such acute physicality and fluidity. Putting his feet up on the table in the briefing, right in Dean14's face. So unlike the Castiel standing on the side of the road waiting for Dean to have his sleep. Quite apart from the clothes and the stubble, such a lovely piece of business to show us this is not the Castiel we've come to know. And Dean's dismay is really interesting. He's genuinely shocked by Castiel14, by his orgies and his drugs and his drinking. Even as he's saying he's pleased that Castiel's unwound, at the same time he really doesn't like it. And I think that does come into play for him. I think he thinks his choice has led to this place for Castiel -- even though, as I've said, I think that's ambiguous at this point. It's also interesting that Castiel14 has enough of his angelic mojo left to know immediately that he's looking at a different Dean. He's not even looking into his face, his eyes. In fact, there is no soul communication going on at all. It's all talk, talk, talk. When he realises this isn't Dean14 he' s staring at Dean's chest. So it's like his perceptions will always be angelic, but he has no petrol in the tank to do things.
The most piercing moment for me is when Dean09 says, Are you stoned? And Castiel14 says Generally, yeah. Smiling, smiling, a smile that doesn't go near his eyes. And then even the smile fades and for this one terrible moment he is revealed to be as dead inside as the Dean we saw in Head of a Pin, torturing Alastair. Ouch, ouch, ouch. Castiel14 is in the gutter, staring up at the stars.
All the smiling and the laughter and the bravado from Castiel14 is fake, of course. He's not amused by any of this. His genuine delight in seeing Dean09 again is heartbreaking. When Dean14 guns down Yaeger, he can't even look. He's turned his head away. He can't bear to witness it. And it's interesting that in that moment, Dean09 looks back to him, as if to say, What? What? How did I turn into this? Why didn't you stop me? And Castiel14 can't answer that. I think that's part of why he's given up and is numbing the pain with drink and drugs and sex. He couldn't save Dean. That was his job. He saved Dean from hell but he couldn't save Dean from himself, from the consequences of his choices. Couldn't save him because he lost his mojo and couldn't save him because he couldn't reach him. In the same way that Dean couldn't reach Sam to stop him from his bad choices. Lots and lots and lots of guilt. So yeah, he might miss being an angel -- and the loss of that defining quality, his powers, hurts a lot -- but he misses the old Dean too. In fact, I wonder which he misses more?
And that kind of segues me into the Dean14/Castiel 14 relationship. Because ... again, ouch. So here they are. By the time we see them they've only got each other. Sam's gone. The angels are gone. Bobby's dead. We don't know how long Bobby's been dead for but it has to be a while, given the state of his house. (And why was Bobby there? What made him leave the camp? Did he walk away because he could no longer bear what was happening to Dean? Or did Dean kick him out because he couldn't bear that Bobby was so disappointed in him? Or did Dean kill him because he was infected? So many different possibilities!) So that's it. Dean and Castiel are the only family they have left. Sure, there's Chuck, but Chuck's on the outer. He doesn't share the same intense bond. Interesting throwaway comment, when Dean09 first meets Castiel14. What, you're a hippy now? I thought you'd stopped trying to label me? That's a really personal exchange, implying a level of personal interaction we've not seen much of between Dean and Castiel up till now. It implies Dean was having genuine conversations with Castiel, as opposed to defensive encounters. Lovely throw away moment. Another thread in the larger tapestry. I love it!!!!
So. I think it's pretty clear that Castiel14 is bitterly disappointed in Dean14. Our fearless leader is not said with affection. It's derogatory, using fearless as an insult, not a compliment. Fearless as in inhuman, unfeeling. Dean14's dead inside too, just like Castiel14. They're together because what else are they going to do? Castiel14 is still there for him, still working with him, because where else would be be? What I really really like, that's revealed in the briefing scene, is how even though so much is different, so much is the same. With those two there, they are the only ones there. They talk to each other, the rest of the room disappears. The communication's verbal now, not non-verbal, but they are still connected, even if the connection's warped and fraying. Are you coming? Of course. And I love the callback to the opening scene between Dean09 and Castiel09. If you're still set on this insane plan to kill Lucifer, then I'm here and I'm helping. Now it's, you want us to walk into a hot zone full of Croats and kill the devil? Okay then. I'm there. You're reckless, but I'm there. The whole insouciant thing? Priceless. Brilliant. But there is so much pain there. His comment about Dean14 being able to torture without blinking?That kills him. He can't even look at Dean14 when he says it. But when Dean09 protests, he smiles. He likes that. He likes Dean09. He says so, explicitly, which is him saying to Dean14, I don't like you now. And what's heartbreaking is that Dean14 doesn't like himself, either. But he can't see any way forward but this one. I suspect Castiel14 knows perfectly well it's a suicide mission, that he's being fed to the meat grinder by his only true friend. And he doesn't care any more. I think he knows Dean will die trying to kill Lucifer. And I'm not sure he cares about that, either. He's just stopped caring. Like Dean09 on the phone with Sam, he is simply too numb. He's been hit too many times and he can't summon the strength or the energy to hit back. Not any more. And this is what prompts Dean's heartfelt, Don't ever change to Castiel09. Because Castiel14 hurts him. And I don't think he truly realised how much he'd come to care about crazy Castiel09 until he saw Castiel14.
The other sequence of note in this episode is Dean's confrontation with Lucifer. Utterly, utterly horrifying. Dean14 was right. He needed to see that. He needed to come face to face with the consequences of failure. Because seeing is believing. Lovely callback to In The Beginning, with Lucifer echoing Castiel -- all roads lead to the same destination. But that wasn't the Castiel who abandoned Heaven for Dean and said, We're making this up as we go. So Lucifer can be wrong. I loved his casual killing of Dean14. Like stepping on a cockroach. I loved how Dean stood there and faced him down. Terrified, sickened, despairing -- and he stood his ground. But what's horrible is that he did that to Alastair too, for 30 years. For 30 years, no matter how much Alastair hurt him, he said no. And then he broke and he said yes. And that's what Lucifer is telling him. I win, so I win. And Alastair must have said the same thing. Dean, you're going to break so you might as well give in. Dean, it's inevitable. You're going to break. Do yourself a favour and just get it over with. Now Lucifer's wearing a prettier face, but he's saying the same thing. Nothing you do will change the inevitable. And Dean is terrified he's right. But he still won't give in. He can't. And that's wonderful and heartbreaking and somehow Dean has to find a way to make that not true.
Random obvservations --
Does Dean not lock the car????? He's leaving the Impala on the street outside the motel unlocked????? Come on! Or is he really that tired? And speaking of the Impala, I love the symbolism of it abandoned like that in 2014. His old life is truly dead. Loved the callback to Lucifer wearing Sam to the prom, said by both Deans. I like that the cold hard Dean14 has always been there in Dean. The way he killed Mrs Tanner in Croatoan? He's always had that blackness, that ruthless streak. But these events mean he's let it take him over. Also? Dean's become tactile with Castiel in a way he's not tactile with anyone else. That's an external marker for their internal shift. Chuck as camp quartermaster! Love it!
Finally ... is something bad coming down the road for Castiel? That's twice he's interfered with Zachariah. I think Zachariah realises who yanked Dean out of the hotel. I think he's pissed. And on top of that there's Raphael, who warned him not to leave him trapped in the fire ring. I have a bad feeling Castiel will be paying for his choices at some point. Again.