5.22 - Swan Song
Okay, I rewatched the finale, and I think I'm finally good to talk about it.
From what I've heard, Swan Song has not been a favorite. I.. I liked it. Yes, my initial reaction was sorrow, shock, pissed-off, and pleased. Really weird combination. But... it worked for me.
To start off...I loved the Impala parts. I think they summed up a lot for SPN and the Impala in general, and I think those snippets are some of the most touching parts of the episode.
To get this part out of the way... The thing that has me pissed off (still, I'm still kind of pissed off about it, but I'm learning to cope) is Lisa. I don't think she was necessary, and she is not the love of Dean's life. I still think she's a symbol for what he wants, and I think it was odd that the writers decided to bring her up out of no where in 5.17 and then bring her back now. I think it was odd that Dean left Bobby (and won't see him for a long time) in favor of staying with Lisa.
HOWEVER... after thinking about it, and talking it out with awesomepants87 , I realize this: Dean is messed up. Hell, he's probably still not over Hell, he is still coming down off of saying Yes to Michael, he still has major guilt issues and self-hatred issues etc, and he just lost Sam (who was his job... who was the person Dean defined his life by). So, he's really really messed up at the moment. Dean has issues, and in fandom that's often forgotten (hell, I forget it sometimes, and most times in my fic I think). awesomepants87 said last night "It's easy to go with Lisa, it's hard to go with Castiel. And Dean doesn't want hard right now." In fact, he might not be able to do hard at the moment. And leaving Bobby, well... I can understand if he'd need some distance between the Apocalpyse and the hunting life to heal. Is Lisa perfect for him? Hell no. He's never had a real relationship, and this first one when he's so messed up after the Apocalypse (if it develops into a romantic relationship, instead of just Dean trying to heal, because can he deal with a romantic relationship right now? i'd argue not) probably won't/can't work out.
In terms of Dean/Castiel canon... I think there are still moments where we get our ship. Castiel, when he tells Dean that the only thing he will find on the battlefield will be Michael killing his brother, look so heartbroken and sad. He knows Dean, and he knows this is killing him. When they are in front of the store with the tv and news, Dean is expecting Castiel to follow him and try to end this, and he's shocked when Castiel says that nothing will work. And even after Bobby says he can't think of anything else that will work, Dean still looks to Castiel for his next move, on what to do next. When Castiel is blown up by Lucifer (oh God, I lost it there when that happened), there is a reaction there. Not a huge blatant one, but what's the next thing he says? He turns to Lucifer and says, "Sammy, are you in there." He can't lose it now, because he's trying to get to Sam. So it makes sense that he'd have to push his reaction to Castiel's demise down (but there still is a reaction there). And then we have Dean's "You suck at goodbyes" when Castiel leaves, and he's sad. There are moments here, and I like them (yes, I would have liked something more blatant, but Dean was facing Sam's death, and it tore him apart).
Now... Castiel. I flipped when I thought he died. But thank bejesus he came back. I think it's fitting for him to be an angel again. He had so much Faith in God, and even though it faltered at one point he was still the most faithful of angels. Tbh, I probably would have liked to see him remain human, but would he have been happy as a human? I don't know... I think he could have dealt with it, gotten used to it, but he is still an angel. That fact can't be forgotten. I think he loves humanity (he calls them God's work of art at the beginning of season 4, but i think he comes to view them as more than that afterwards, and loves them with all their faults) but would he really have been happy as one? He loved them, but he is an angel through and through and the toll of becoming human would have been felt, I think. And when he said they should get the booze and wait for the Apocalypse to end? That might have been a glimpse of 5.04 Cas... just waiting for the end to happen. But we see Dean's faith pull Castiel through and he stands up to Michael and gives Dean the time he needs to pull Sam out of Lucifer's control (here, again, he's showing faith in Dean, I think). And he was awesome in that scene (he was tough, doing what he needed, but you could still see his fear). And I actually really liked that last scene between him and Dean. "What would you rather have, Dean... Peace, or Freedom?" and "You got what you wanted, no Paradise, no Hell." I think this scene here was a great reminder of what Dean told Cas in the Season 4 finale... he was reminding Dean of his argument of "Peace or Freedom" and I loved how that kind of came around full circle, and this time it was Castiel who was pursuading Dean (or, rather, reminding him). Can peace and freedom coexist? Yes, I believe so. But for Dean at this moment? No. I think Dean has to deal with them seperately at the moment, for the state he's in. He can't handle shades of gray, maybe at the moment. That's just where he's at.
Michael and Lucifer... i loved how in their conversation I liked Lucifer more. Michael was loyal to a fault, and Lucifer made some great points about God making the devil, he wanted the devil, and how he's making them do this, etc. I loved their conversation. And I loved how it was brother against brother, and you could tell they were brothers, and they loved each other, but Lucifer couldn't let go of his anger, and Michael couldn't let go of his duty to his father. And at the end, with Michael saying "Sam, you have to let me do this. This is my destiny" and then trying to pull Sam back from the edge of Hell... the only thing that gets him is getting dragged into hell. His loyalty to his father, following his role (his inability to try to escape and see past what he thought was his destiny) ultimately was his downfall. I LOVED that. loved it so freakin' much.
And, on another level, this play between Lucifer and Michael was a mirror of Sam and Dean. But Sam and Dean were able to look passed all that, their roles, etc, and look at family and each other, and they survived, they overcame it. And that, my friends, is what epic is.
And Dean and Sam... Sam and Dean.... On my rewatched they made me bawl so much. I can't really put into words at the moment all that I feel about them, but I love them. I loved how Dean even as he's being beat up is saying "I'm here, Sammy. I won't leave you," and how Sam looks up sees the army man and takes control, I adored the brother montage, and how at the end Sam told Dean it would be okay and he took care of Dean for once (what he always wanted to do), and how Dean let him. And I'm starting to cry typing this. These brothers... there relationship isn't perfect, it's not a relationship I'd put on a pedestal and try to make all my relationships into, but it is epic and strong as hell and so powerful. And I love it.
I loved Chuck being God. Some ppl think it's douchey of Kripke, if he's mirroring Chuck after him (lol... what was Chuck's line in Monster at the End of the Book? "M. Night level douchiness? :oP LOL! OMG IT SO FITS!!) (also, chuck's line, "I'm a god"? new meaning now, right? right? ;o)... anyway, yeah, I don't view it like that. for me, at least, it's a tip of the hat towards all writers/artists/creators. And I liked it. And Chuck was a bad writer and an alcoholic, a man who fell in love with crazy fangirls and who made his money off books that didn't sell all that well. And he was God. <3
In terms of SPN's version of the Apocalypse... and how it was a quiet version... I liked that. I think the focus had to be on the brothers, and also I think there have been a lot of movies, etc where the Apocalypse is a huge, battle of Heaven and Hell on earth. This was a different interpretation, and I liked that it was a different interpretation. There are only so many stories in existence, all you can do is rework the same storylines over and over again. This was a new interpretation, and I liked how they did it. Did the last few episodes feel different than the rest of the season? Yes. But... I'm okay with that. I'm becoming okay with that.
And... okay, I'm still being asked this question: Why didn't Dean just say yes and end it?? I started writing up meta for this, and I'll finish and post it later, but the short answer: Because if Dean said yes, Michael and Lucifer would have to battle. However, Michael and Lucifer could not be allowed to battle because if they started to fight, one or the other was going to come out the winner. If Michael won, the angels would have their Paradise on Earth. If Lucifer won, his version of Paradise (Hell?) would reign on Earth. The only possible way for humanity to continue on as it had and for some version of the Apocalypse not happen (whether it be Michael's angel Apocalypse or Lucifer's Apocalypse), Michael and Lucifer could not fight. Thus, Dean could not say no.
Personally, I love this. (they could have done a better job at making it clear, butt all the clues are there, i think.) I love how the only way for earth/humanity to continue on as it had before was for Dean to end it as Dean. Not Michael. And, tbh, we saw that. Dean did end it. You had Michael/Adam facing Lucifer/Sam, and Dean was the one to step in (with Def Leppard which I adored) and break up the fight. And it was Dean, and his devotion to family, who put the army men back in the ashtray so Sam could see it. Dean had to end it, and he did, but he ended it when he was completely, totally human.
Okay... I think that's it... yes, there were a few things left unanswered. For example, 1) What about Bobby's soul? And Where the heck was Crowley if he said he was devoted to the plan? My answers: Crowley showed his trustworthiness when he gave Bobby legs without the correct wording in Bobby's deal. He didn't have to do that, but it was a show of faith, and that might be enough to reassure us that he gave back Bobby's soul. In terms of why Crowley wasn't in the ep when he was so big in the past two episodes, Sam was going to be draining demons, killing demons and becoming Lucifer. If he was around, he would have been kills (or, rather, tortured for all eternity) in the blink of an eye. In a way, he couldn't have been there. The other issue... 2) Raphael... wouldn't he be top dog, not Castiel? Since he's the only archangel left? Well, tbh we saw Raphael get teary-eyed when he was talking about God in 5.03 (Free to be You and Me). So maybe he'd be willing to help out, set things straight, because out of any of the archangels I think Raphael wanted to perhaps believe in God the most (not Lucifer who was rebelling, not Michael who was loyal to a fault, not Gabriel who abandoned heaven, but Raphael who was saddened and had lost faith, but perhaps wanted to believe?). So... that's my explanation for Castiel and Raphael running things.
In terms of season 6? I don't think Lisa will be in it, and I can see Dean on his own at the opening of the season. See Sam as having some weird power, and the brothers dealing with that throughout the season (that would be hard for Dean, esp I think, because of his whole black and white view on the supernatural). Maybe Adam will be back, if Sam's back? I think Castiel could still be in it (oh God I'm hoping he's in it!!!) and we could still get awesome OTP moments. Bobby will be back, I have no doubt. I'm not sure what the overarching theme will be for the season, but... maybe dealing with Sam being back, cleaning up after the Apocalypse, and possibly a look at blurred lines between the supernatural and human things in life (we got a few glimpses of that, where despite Dean, etc. insisting that all supernatural beings are evil there have been an increasing amount of supernatural beings who have had good sides, and with Sam being back... what does that say about that?). It'll be interesting to see what's in store.
I think that's it now. I kind of want to write meta this summer, as well as fanfic... but we'll see if I actually get enough steam to do it. I might try though. In all... I do really like this episode. Parts I could have done without, but in all I liked it a lot. And I bawled all the way through during my second watch.
I think the only thing I'm nervous about at the moment is losing part of fandom lol. I just hope ppl who are pissed off don't stop writing fic and don't stop loving SPN and Dean/Castiel. Tbh, this is the first fandom I've been involved with during it's run (everythng else has usually already seen it's hayday by the time I got involved in it :o/), so yeah... I'm unfamiliar with this part. So I'm just hoping the Dean/Castiel love continues, and the SPN love continues.
And that's where I'll end it. Peace ;o)
From what I've heard, Swan Song has not been a favorite. I.. I liked it. Yes, my initial reaction was sorrow, shock, pissed-off, and pleased. Really weird combination. But... it worked for me.
To start off...I loved the Impala parts. I think they summed up a lot for SPN and the Impala in general, and I think those snippets are some of the most touching parts of the episode.
To get this part out of the way... The thing that has me pissed off (still, I'm still kind of pissed off about it, but I'm learning to cope) is Lisa. I don't think she was necessary, and she is not the love of Dean's life. I still think she's a symbol for what he wants, and I think it was odd that the writers decided to bring her up out of no where in 5.17 and then bring her back now. I think it was odd that Dean left Bobby (and won't see him for a long time) in favor of staying with Lisa.
HOWEVER... after thinking about it, and talking it out with awesomepants87 , I realize this: Dean is messed up. Hell, he's probably still not over Hell, he is still coming down off of saying Yes to Michael, he still has major guilt issues and self-hatred issues etc, and he just lost Sam (who was his job... who was the person Dean defined his life by). So, he's really really messed up at the moment. Dean has issues, and in fandom that's often forgotten (hell, I forget it sometimes, and most times in my fic I think). awesomepants87 said last night "It's easy to go with Lisa, it's hard to go with Castiel. And Dean doesn't want hard right now." In fact, he might not be able to do hard at the moment. And leaving Bobby, well... I can understand if he'd need some distance between the Apocalpyse and the hunting life to heal. Is Lisa perfect for him? Hell no. He's never had a real relationship, and this first one when he's so messed up after the Apocalypse (if it develops into a romantic relationship, instead of just Dean trying to heal, because can he deal with a romantic relationship right now? i'd argue not) probably won't/can't work out.
In terms of Dean/Castiel canon... I think there are still moments where we get our ship. Castiel, when he tells Dean that the only thing he will find on the battlefield will be Michael killing his brother, look so heartbroken and sad. He knows Dean, and he knows this is killing him. When they are in front of the store with the tv and news, Dean is expecting Castiel to follow him and try to end this, and he's shocked when Castiel says that nothing will work. And even after Bobby says he can't think of anything else that will work, Dean still looks to Castiel for his next move, on what to do next. When Castiel is blown up by Lucifer (oh God, I lost it there when that happened), there is a reaction there. Not a huge blatant one, but what's the next thing he says? He turns to Lucifer and says, "Sammy, are you in there." He can't lose it now, because he's trying to get to Sam. So it makes sense that he'd have to push his reaction to Castiel's demise down (but there still is a reaction there). And then we have Dean's "You suck at goodbyes" when Castiel leaves, and he's sad. There are moments here, and I like them (yes, I would have liked something more blatant, but Dean was facing Sam's death, and it tore him apart).
Now... Castiel. I flipped when I thought he died. But thank bejesus he came back. I think it's fitting for him to be an angel again. He had so much Faith in God, and even though it faltered at one point he was still the most faithful of angels. Tbh, I probably would have liked to see him remain human, but would he have been happy as a human? I don't know... I think he could have dealt with it, gotten used to it, but he is still an angel. That fact can't be forgotten. I think he loves humanity (he calls them God's work of art at the beginning of season 4, but i think he comes to view them as more than that afterwards, and loves them with all their faults) but would he really have been happy as one? He loved them, but he is an angel through and through and the toll of becoming human would have been felt, I think. And when he said they should get the booze and wait for the Apocalypse to end? That might have been a glimpse of 5.04 Cas... just waiting for the end to happen. But we see Dean's faith pull Castiel through and he stands up to Michael and gives Dean the time he needs to pull Sam out of Lucifer's control (here, again, he's showing faith in Dean, I think). And he was awesome in that scene (he was tough, doing what he needed, but you could still see his fear). And I actually really liked that last scene between him and Dean. "What would you rather have, Dean... Peace, or Freedom?" and "You got what you wanted, no Paradise, no Hell." I think this scene here was a great reminder of what Dean told Cas in the Season 4 finale... he was reminding Dean of his argument of "Peace or Freedom" and I loved how that kind of came around full circle, and this time it was Castiel who was pursuading Dean (or, rather, reminding him). Can peace and freedom coexist? Yes, I believe so. But for Dean at this moment? No. I think Dean has to deal with them seperately at the moment, for the state he's in. He can't handle shades of gray, maybe at the moment. That's just where he's at.
Michael and Lucifer... i loved how in their conversation I liked Lucifer more. Michael was loyal to a fault, and Lucifer made some great points about God making the devil, he wanted the devil, and how he's making them do this, etc. I loved their conversation. And I loved how it was brother against brother, and you could tell they were brothers, and they loved each other, but Lucifer couldn't let go of his anger, and Michael couldn't let go of his duty to his father. And at the end, with Michael saying "Sam, you have to let me do this. This is my destiny" and then trying to pull Sam back from the edge of Hell... the only thing that gets him is getting dragged into hell. His loyalty to his father, following his role (his inability to try to escape and see past what he thought was his destiny) ultimately was his downfall. I LOVED that. loved it so freakin' much.
And, on another level, this play between Lucifer and Michael was a mirror of Sam and Dean. But Sam and Dean were able to look passed all that, their roles, etc, and look at family and each other, and they survived, they overcame it. And that, my friends, is what epic is.
And Dean and Sam... Sam and Dean.... On my rewatched they made me bawl so much. I can't really put into words at the moment all that I feel about them, but I love them. I loved how Dean even as he's being beat up is saying "I'm here, Sammy. I won't leave you," and how Sam looks up sees the army man and takes control, I adored the brother montage, and how at the end Sam told Dean it would be okay and he took care of Dean for once (what he always wanted to do), and how Dean let him. And I'm starting to cry typing this. These brothers... there relationship isn't perfect, it's not a relationship I'd put on a pedestal and try to make all my relationships into, but it is epic and strong as hell and so powerful. And I love it.
I loved Chuck being God. Some ppl think it's douchey of Kripke, if he's mirroring Chuck after him (lol... what was Chuck's line in Monster at the End of the Book? "M. Night level douchiness? :oP LOL! OMG IT SO FITS!!) (also, chuck's line, "I'm a god"? new meaning now, right? right? ;o)... anyway, yeah, I don't view it like that. for me, at least, it's a tip of the hat towards all writers/artists/creators. And I liked it. And Chuck was a bad writer and an alcoholic, a man who fell in love with crazy fangirls and who made his money off books that didn't sell all that well. And he was God. <3
In terms of SPN's version of the Apocalypse... and how it was a quiet version... I liked that. I think the focus had to be on the brothers, and also I think there have been a lot of movies, etc where the Apocalypse is a huge, battle of Heaven and Hell on earth. This was a different interpretation, and I liked that it was a different interpretation. There are only so many stories in existence, all you can do is rework the same storylines over and over again. This was a new interpretation, and I liked how they did it. Did the last few episodes feel different than the rest of the season? Yes. But... I'm okay with that. I'm becoming okay with that.
And... okay, I'm still being asked this question: Why didn't Dean just say yes and end it?? I started writing up meta for this, and I'll finish and post it later, but the short answer: Because if Dean said yes, Michael and Lucifer would have to battle. However, Michael and Lucifer could not be allowed to battle because if they started to fight, one or the other was going to come out the winner. If Michael won, the angels would have their Paradise on Earth. If Lucifer won, his version of Paradise (Hell?) would reign on Earth. The only possible way for humanity to continue on as it had and for some version of the Apocalypse not happen (whether it be Michael's angel Apocalypse or Lucifer's Apocalypse), Michael and Lucifer could not fight. Thus, Dean could not say no.
Personally, I love this. (they could have done a better job at making it clear, butt all the clues are there, i think.) I love how the only way for earth/humanity to continue on as it had before was for Dean to end it as Dean. Not Michael. And, tbh, we saw that. Dean did end it. You had Michael/Adam facing Lucifer/Sam, and Dean was the one to step in (with Def Leppard which I adored) and break up the fight. And it was Dean, and his devotion to family, who put the army men back in the ashtray so Sam could see it. Dean had to end it, and he did, but he ended it when he was completely, totally human.
Okay... I think that's it... yes, there were a few things left unanswered. For example, 1) What about Bobby's soul? And Where the heck was Crowley if he said he was devoted to the plan? My answers: Crowley showed his trustworthiness when he gave Bobby legs without the correct wording in Bobby's deal. He didn't have to do that, but it was a show of faith, and that might be enough to reassure us that he gave back Bobby's soul. In terms of why Crowley wasn't in the ep when he was so big in the past two episodes, Sam was going to be draining demons, killing demons and becoming Lucifer. If he was around, he would have been kills (or, rather, tortured for all eternity) in the blink of an eye. In a way, he couldn't have been there. The other issue... 2) Raphael... wouldn't he be top dog, not Castiel? Since he's the only archangel left? Well, tbh we saw Raphael get teary-eyed when he was talking about God in 5.03 (Free to be You and Me). So maybe he'd be willing to help out, set things straight, because out of any of the archangels I think Raphael wanted to perhaps believe in God the most (not Lucifer who was rebelling, not Michael who was loyal to a fault, not Gabriel who abandoned heaven, but Raphael who was saddened and had lost faith, but perhaps wanted to believe?). So... that's my explanation for Castiel and Raphael running things.
In terms of season 6? I don't think Lisa will be in it, and I can see Dean on his own at the opening of the season. See Sam as having some weird power, and the brothers dealing with that throughout the season (that would be hard for Dean, esp I think, because of his whole black and white view on the supernatural). Maybe Adam will be back, if Sam's back? I think Castiel could still be in it (oh God I'm hoping he's in it!!!) and we could still get awesome OTP moments. Bobby will be back, I have no doubt. I'm not sure what the overarching theme will be for the season, but... maybe dealing with Sam being back, cleaning up after the Apocalypse, and possibly a look at blurred lines between the supernatural and human things in life (we got a few glimpses of that, where despite Dean, etc. insisting that all supernatural beings are evil there have been an increasing amount of supernatural beings who have had good sides, and with Sam being back... what does that say about that?). It'll be interesting to see what's in store.
I think that's it now. I kind of want to write meta this summer, as well as fanfic... but we'll see if I actually get enough steam to do it. I might try though. In all... I do really like this episode. Parts I could have done without, but in all I liked it a lot. And I bawled all the way through during my second watch.
I think the only thing I'm nervous about at the moment is losing part of fandom lol. I just hope ppl who are pissed off don't stop writing fic and don't stop loving SPN and Dean/Castiel. Tbh, this is the first fandom I've been involved with during it's run (everythng else has usually already seen it's hayday by the time I got involved in it :o/), so yeah... I'm unfamiliar with this part. So I'm just hoping the Dean/Castiel love continues, and the SPN love continues.
And that's where I'll end it. Peace ;o)