5.18 - "Point of No Return" (SPN) - Revisited
First of all, thanks to i-o-r-h-a-e-l for my newest icon. I refer to it as my "Sfumato Dean" because the effect of what she did to the screencap reminded me of the famous technique perfected by Leonardo Da Vinci. The icon is ideal for what I'm trying to say in this post because I feel the word (sfumato) can be used to described the tonality of this episode, and by that I don't mean the actual color and lighting of the scenes per se.
Like I stated in my previous post, what exactly happened here wasn't that clear cut to me. I appreciate everyone who answered my "burning questions" -- you all provided me with valid arguments supporting various thoughtful opinions. But in the end, the "contour" of what's happening with Dean (or even more extreme, what is Dean) remains hazy to me.
Perhaps at this point, it's better if I back up a little, and examine should we wish to see Dean and Michael become one and the same instead. To answer that, I think we need to determine if the unseen (in the present timeline) Michael is a protagonist or an antagonist first.
But my answer has been switched back and forth here. Instinctively I want to say Michael is an antagonist. Mostly because if he isn't, all this while Dean has been denying him would've been a waste of time then, not to mention the waste of innocent lives that could have been spared had Dean acquiesced early on. I really don't want to see Team Free Will's effort in "screwing destiny" end up being nothing more than an obstinate stubbornness, that in the end, they should have said yes all along.
Besides, when we did get to meet Michael briefly when Dean and Sam traveled back in time, we saw he was almost as arrogant as Lucifer. That alone is a marked difference between the archangel and his destined true vessel in my opinion. Then again, the archangel maybe a dick, but he's not here to win personality contest. From an objective point of view, Michael's end game is to stop Lucifer and the Apocalypse. That surely tips him over to the good side.
I maybe missing something vital here, I think the show hasn't clearly established the consequence(s) of Michael's manifestation. The Apocalypse is happening with or without Michael getting his vessel. With three of the Four Horsemen unleashed, people are dying anyway, Sam and Dean's friends and allies are dropping like leaves in the Fall, so the argument Bobby gave Dean that they must find an alternative besides Michael because not everyone can be saved if the archangel gets involved is not entirely sound IMHO. What did they all expect? That after Michael materializes, he's gonna massacre innocent lives? As far as I can tell, Michael's beef is with Lucifer alone. I doubt he would go after humans.
Perhaps the answer lies in the method in which Michael is using to defeat Lucifer then. I was under the impression Michael is vying for a one-on-one fight with the devil here (hence the need for a corporeal vessel). Perhaps it's like Team Free Will assumed, that the clash of the two supernatural powerhouses would inevitably result in the torching of half of the planet. I'm not quite sure how they derived this conclusion, but whether this is correct or not, like future!Dean said, it's still better than no planet at all. Because that's what they would get should they fail to come up with a timely solution other than involving Michael. At this juncture, I couldn't help remembering what future!Dean admitted to himself: I was cocky. Never thought I'd actually lose. But I was wrong. Dean, I was wrong! I'm begging you -- say yes.
The bleak world Dean saw in the future may or may not be Zachariah's machination, but the possibility of what future!Dean said cannot be ignored, especially now they are starting to exhaust their means of icing the Devil. Thus I found myself nodding my head when Dean told Bobby: You are not my father, and you ain't in my shoes. Ugly as these words are, they are still the truth -- Bobby is not the one bearing the weight of the decision that affects the fate of the world here. Further more, the distinction between the right choice and the bad choice for Dean is rather blurry at this point.
Another murky outlook here is what would happen to Dean personally should he accept Michael. It's apparent that Dean himself didn't think he would survive it, hence the "farewell tour" and the packing of his meager belongings (God, that scene ripped my heart out). But Michael did guarantee Dean's well being during their encounter, did he not? The fact John Winchester had all his faculties and wits remain intact after being "worn" by Michael surely suggests the archangel is capable of leaving his vessel unharmed. Then again, Michael didn't "wear" John to a fight with the Devil. So maybe there is that. Dean might've believed Michael can defeat Lucifer, but he didn't expect himself to come out alive from the showdown.
While Castiel and Bobby more or less saw Dean's willingness of accepting Michael as a form of surrender, of giving up, Sam saw it as a sacrifice, thus reinforcing the notion that it wouldn't bode well for Dean should he become Michael's "prom dress".
So what now? Could Lucifer be defeated by mere mortals with the aid of one rogue angel? Or maybe Team Free Will need help from higher power? Would there be a showdown between Michael and Lucifer? In the forms of their respective vessels? This episode answered none of these questions, yet it made me more curious than ever about what's going to happen. I have no doubt the myth arc progressed further here, and I'm almost positive there are repercussions to what Dean has done in this episode, I'm just not sure what those are yet.