FINALE FEVER! WINCHESTER STYLE!
HAPPY WINCHESTER DAY EVERYONE!
I'm all stoked for finale day, 'cause I have been done with finals all week, room is basically packed, I'm graduating in a couple days, and shit, I'm up for doing finale fever in style tonight!
But first, a look back, eh? I really wanted to pull the season together and try to have at least some semblance of that the heck is going on. So while packing this week, I ran the season through. Man, does this season run through WELL! I was kinda impressed. Everything fits together way more cohesively than you might think.
I've realized perspective this season means a HECK of alot, and changes what people think about each ep. I've tried to wash away my bias as much as possible, but I'm only human, so take all that I say with a grain of salt.
But while rewatching this season after 4.21, a couple of really startling things stuck out to me, and I think they're kinda radical in notion, but I'm gonna say them anyway, because I think they're all leading to a point that I missed for far too long because I was too blinded by my Dean sympathies. Ready? Here they go:
BROAD SWEEPING GENERALIZATIONS ABOUT S4...in TEN POINTS or less. (REALLY!)
DEAN HAS BEEN AN ABSOLUTE DICK....
Don't hit me! *shields head from blows* Listen, despite what Kripke says, and while I adore Dean. Really, I do, anyone here who knows my sentiments about the show knows I have a slight bias for him. But something really weird happened during my rewatch. It REALLY QUICKLY turned into a 'screaming at Dean for being such a sanctimonious ASS while feeling sorry for Sammy' hour. Dean didn't just blow it in 4.21. He's consistently been a goddamn dick to Sam since he got back.
And that's just in the first four episodes!
...AND IT IS A PRODUCT OF FEAR.
He's so fueled by his fear of what HE BECAME and what HE DID in Hell. He's fueled by his fear that Sam could become what he became. The point of 'Yellow Fever' [4.06] can NOT be overstated. And trust me, I hated the thing the first time I watched it. But within the stupidest episode of the season sometimes lies the best nuggets. And here, the secrets of Dean's head are all laid out for all to see. His fear consumes him. His fear is closed to becoming the DEATH of him. And his hallucinations in that episode are a direct line to Sam's hallucinations in 4.21. So much so that I would argue that FEAR to Dean is just as poisoning as DEMON BLOOD to Sam right now.
Think about it, the MOMENT Castiel utters the words: "Your brother is headed down a dangerous road, Dean. Stop it, or we will." Dean believes it as the GOSPEL TRUTH. But do we understand this? HE'S SIDING WITH ANGELS OVER HIS BROTHER! Dean, who four episodes ago doesn't even believe in GOD is suddenly taken by HIS WORD at the drop of a hat against his brother. No wonder 17 episodes later, Sam sides with Ruby over Dean.
RELIGION USED AS A CRUTCH TO ASSUAGE FEAR
This one image from 4.06 says it all:
Dean clutching the bible out of fear. It took my breath away when I first saw it but I didn't fully grasp it until now. I think they are making a big statement about people and religion here when fear is involved. Specifically, that we have a tendency to use religion as a crutch to deal with our fears.
Rewatching Dean CONSTANTLY using Castiel and God as the main reason why Sam should stop what he's doing, trusting an angel over his own friggin brother, is like repeating this image over and over ad nauseum.
This leads me to my last point, which is....
DEAN UNDERESTIMATING SAM
I generally found that Sam has been far more sensible this season than people give him credit for. And especially than Dean gives him. Dean is CONSTANTLY underestimating Sam. Thinking he's not thinking clearly, doesn't understand right and wrong, like he's some naive guy being led on a string unknowingly. [Think 'Sex & Violence' [4.14]. Where Dean thinks Sam's fallen under the doctors spell and instead HE'S the one that's fallen all along?] And what struck me about 4.21 is, even at what should be his most insane, he still was WAY more rational than I thought he'd be. His hallucinations showed that he has thought this all out completely, that he knows the bad and good to this, has weighed on all of it heavily, and that practically, this it what it has come down to. THIS IS HIS CHOICE. And you know what, I gotta say, if someone was telling you that the angels weren't succeeding in stopping the END OF THE FRIGGIN WORLD and you might have the power to stop it, and you DID NOTHING? Wouldn't that be just as bad, maybe worse?
Especially think about how Uriel, the guy who turned out to being pulling for Lucifer, was the main one who threatened Sam to stop.
I keep coming back to THIS:
“I‘m considering disobedience“
”Good”
“No, for the first time....”
“It gets worse. Choosing your own course of action, it‘s confusing, terrifying.”
“I don’t know what to do. Please tell me what to do.”
“No, I’m sorry. It’s time to think for yourself.”
This is what Sam is doing. HE IS THINKING FOR HIMSELF. This whole SHOW has been about CHOICE. RIGHT? And I just CAN. NOT. for the life of me see Kripke PUNISHING that.
ADD IN that this WHOLE ENTIRE SEASON has quite literally been BEATING US OVER THE HEAD with this whole 'MONSTER' motif. Meg screams at Sam for being a monster in 4.02. 4.04 the human can't stop turning into a monster. 4.05, all we here is WOE IS ME, about being a monster, people looking at you differently. By 4.06, when the guy says people found Luther was a monster, I AM ROLLING MY EYES OVER HOW HARD THEY ARE HAMMERING IN THIS MONSTER SHIT. It's not typically SPN hammering either, it's SUSPICIOUS. It's TOO much. So much so that I think they're trying to set us up to subvert our expectations some how.
Add ALLL THAT UP, and I think I've decided something. So I'm gonna state something that's gonna sound really friggin crazy after 4.21, and there is about a 99% chance I am going to be proven OH SO TOTALLY WRONG in two hours. But, what the hell, put me on the record for saying this spec...
SAM IS NOT GOING TO GO ALL DARKSIDE EVIL TONIGHT
When Sam says he wants to turn this curse into something good, I WANT THAT FOR HIM. I can't help it, I DO! I want to root him on. I want him to conquer this without having to formally ever cross the evil line. Fighting the base instinct and winning.
Now, I think it's STILL under the realm of possibility that Sam is being duped by Ruby. In which case, it may be that killing Lilith turns out to be the last seal. (thanks to bellanut for that one!) Which would kinda rob Sam of that agency abit.
And/or it may turn out to be that Lucifer wakes up in Sam.
In which case, that's not of his doing, so it's not Sam going evil, that's him being possessed. But while I've been fearing that since 4.02 (Probably right along with Dean's subconscious), I don't think that it's sustainable for the show anyway. I don't see how this show can keep up another season with Lucifer in Sam's body all year. And what's next season gonna be about if it's not ending Lucifer?
MOSTLY, what I'm trying to say is this: THE WORST IS OVER. THAT? What we had to watch in 4.21? That was ROCK BOTTOM. And I think it's all kinda up-hill from here.
MOREOVER, what I think is gonna happen by the end here, is that Sam and Dean are gonna find out Heaven and Hell? ARE DUPING THEM BOTH. I know many have said it before, but it could not be any more blatant in rewatching after 4.21. They are both pawns in this game, and they need to stop that and realize the real answer to ending this lies in humanity. THEM. I think God knows this (Humans were his favorite?). That's why the Winchesters have their own CHUCK! And I think this is where we are going, but perhaps not tonight's end game. This might be the series endgame instead.
But there is one thing that has been true for three years and counting. Kripke's got this nasty habit of revealing the finale's broad strokes in the midseason episodes. Scarecrow in S1. Hunted in S2. Maleficarum in S3. And this year, it was 'Heaven & Hell'. And in this episode, we had both sides fighting over the same thing, Anna. And what did the boys do? They pit them against each other. Stood back, and watched. I don't know much. But I do think, the answer, lies somewhere in that episode.
What does it come down to for me? HERE'S THE THING: Dean doesn’t think Sam can do this without going evil. AND SAM thinks Dean can’t do this because he’s not strong enough. I KINDA NEED BOTH TO WIN. I NEED BOTH TO PROVE EACH OTHER WRONG. I don't know exactly how to do this. (Make it happen, Kripke!)
In the end, if I could point to one thing this season, it would be this:
“There is no wrath. No will. No God.” “Maybe not. But there’s still ME.”
It's gonna come down to the individual. The choice. The action. Previously, it has stood with Dean. But as it stands right now, going into 4.22, Choice stands with Sam. Dean just abandoned Choice to Heaven out of fear for Sam. So he's standing pretty bleak.
As for what becomes of brothers relationship? They've got one problem. They've forgotten that it's possible to UNDERSTAND one another. They've gotta get that back. What's funny is they're in the EXACT SAME PLACE right now, even though they're both too damn insular to actually SEE that. Sure, they've got two different paths. But if they stopped long enough to get their heads out of their own woes, they'd notice, THEY BOTH LEAD TO THE SAME PLACE.
So with that, I'll leave you with this quote from 4.12:
“Let‘s not end up like this…”
“Beats dying.”
“Does it?”
“I would do anything for you, you know that. But I WILL NOT WATCH YOU DIE. I‘ll miss that show”
“No. You’ll be there. You‘re always there for me.”
Lastly, I've got a whole set of vidposs songs I've been holding down on all season, and since I don't see me actually getting to VID all of these, I offer them up as part of this year's...
WINCHESTER DOOM S4 MUSIC
ETA: Spoilers in the comments!
I'm all stoked for finale day, 'cause I have been done with finals all week, room is basically packed, I'm graduating in a couple days, and shit, I'm up for doing finale fever in style tonight!
But first, a look back, eh? I really wanted to pull the season together and try to have at least some semblance of that the heck is going on. So while packing this week, I ran the season through. Man, does this season run through WELL! I was kinda impressed. Everything fits together way more cohesively than you might think.
I've realized perspective this season means a HECK of alot, and changes what people think about each ep. I've tried to wash away my bias as much as possible, but I'm only human, so take all that I say with a grain of salt.
But while rewatching this season after 4.21, a couple of really startling things stuck out to me, and I think they're kinda radical in notion, but I'm gonna say them anyway, because I think they're all leading to a point that I missed for far too long because I was too blinded by my Dean sympathies. Ready? Here they go:
BROAD SWEEPING GENERALIZATIONS ABOUT S4...in TEN POINTS or less. (REALLY!)
DEAN HAS BEEN AN ABSOLUTE DICK....
Don't hit me! *shields head from blows* Listen, despite what Kripke says, and while I adore Dean. Really, I do, anyone here who knows my sentiments about the show knows I have a slight bias for him. But something really weird happened during my rewatch. It REALLY QUICKLY turned into a 'screaming at Dean for being such a sanctimonious ASS while feeling sorry for Sammy' hour. Dean didn't just blow it in 4.21. He's consistently been a goddamn dick to Sam since he got back.
- "I've been killing alot more demons than that lately." "Well not anymore, the smarter brother's back" - 4.01
- "“That’s more problems, we need answers so if you’re not thinking answers, don’t think at all” - 4.02
- The whole first five minutes of 4.04. I still BUZZZAWHHHAAA??? at his "If I didn't know you, I'd wanna hunt you". Because Sam just SAVED a person there. Dean's only scared of it because he knows the source.
- “You heard Travis, he‘s gonna turn, they always turn.” [Sub in Cas there, and it‘s EXACT] “Maybe he won’t. Maybe *HE* can fight it off.” “And maybe he can’t, that’s all I’m saying”
- “You know, nice guy, but he’s got something evil in him. Something in his blood. Maybe you can relate”
And that's just in the first four episodes!
...AND IT IS A PRODUCT OF FEAR.
He's so fueled by his fear of what HE BECAME and what HE DID in Hell. He's fueled by his fear that Sam could become what he became. The point of 'Yellow Fever' [4.06] can NOT be overstated. And trust me, I hated the thing the first time I watched it. But within the stupidest episode of the season sometimes lies the best nuggets. And here, the secrets of Dean's head are all laid out for all to see. His fear consumes him. His fear is closed to becoming the DEATH of him. And his hallucinations in that episode are a direct line to Sam's hallucinations in 4.21. So much so that I would argue that FEAR to Dean is just as poisoning as DEMON BLOOD to Sam right now.
Think about it, the MOMENT Castiel utters the words: "Your brother is headed down a dangerous road, Dean. Stop it, or we will." Dean believes it as the GOSPEL TRUTH. But do we understand this? HE'S SIDING WITH ANGELS OVER HIS BROTHER! Dean, who four episodes ago doesn't even believe in GOD is suddenly taken by HIS WORD at the drop of a hat against his brother. No wonder 17 episodes later, Sam sides with Ruby over Dean.
RELIGION USED AS A CRUTCH TO ASSUAGE FEAR
This one image from 4.06 says it all:
Dean clutching the bible out of fear. It took my breath away when I first saw it but I didn't fully grasp it until now. I think they are making a big statement about people and religion here when fear is involved. Specifically, that we have a tendency to use religion as a crutch to deal with our fears.
Rewatching Dean CONSTANTLY using Castiel and God as the main reason why Sam should stop what he's doing, trusting an angel over his own friggin brother, is like repeating this image over and over ad nauseum.
- “If you were religious, scared, and had demons on your ass, where would you go to keep safe?”
- “The angel said so for one.“ “I thought you said they were a bunch of fanatics” “well, they happen to be right about this one” “I don’t know, Dean. Doesn’t seem like they’re right about much.“
This leads me to my last point, which is....
DEAN UNDERESTIMATING SAM
I generally found that Sam has been far more sensible this season than people give him credit for. And especially than Dean gives him. Dean is CONSTANTLY underestimating Sam. Thinking he's not thinking clearly, doesn't understand right and wrong, like he's some naive guy being led on a string unknowingly. [Think 'Sex & Violence' [4.14]. Where Dean thinks Sam's fallen under the doctors spell and instead HE'S the one that's fallen all along?] And what struck me about 4.21 is, even at what should be his most insane, he still was WAY more rational than I thought he'd be. His hallucinations showed that he has thought this all out completely, that he knows the bad and good to this, has weighed on all of it heavily, and that practically, this it what it has come down to. THIS IS HIS CHOICE. And you know what, I gotta say, if someone was telling you that the angels weren't succeeding in stopping the END OF THE FRIGGIN WORLD and you might have the power to stop it, and you DID NOTHING? Wouldn't that be just as bad, maybe worse?
Especially think about how Uriel, the guy who turned out to being pulling for Lucifer, was the main one who threatened Sam to stop.
I keep coming back to THIS:
“I‘m considering disobedience“
”Good”
“No, for the first time....”
“It gets worse. Choosing your own course of action, it‘s confusing, terrifying.”
“I don’t know what to do. Please tell me what to do.”
“No, I’m sorry. It’s time to think for yourself.”
This is what Sam is doing. HE IS THINKING FOR HIMSELF. This whole SHOW has been about CHOICE. RIGHT? And I just CAN. NOT. for the life of me see Kripke PUNISHING that.
ADD IN that this WHOLE ENTIRE SEASON has quite literally been BEATING US OVER THE HEAD with this whole 'MONSTER' motif. Meg screams at Sam for being a monster in 4.02. 4.04 the human can't stop turning into a monster. 4.05, all we here is WOE IS ME, about being a monster, people looking at you differently. By 4.06, when the guy says people found Luther was a monster, I AM ROLLING MY EYES OVER HOW HARD THEY ARE HAMMERING IN THIS MONSTER SHIT. It's not typically SPN hammering either, it's SUSPICIOUS. It's TOO much. So much so that I think they're trying to set us up to subvert our expectations some how.
Add ALLL THAT UP, and I think I've decided something. So I'm gonna state something that's gonna sound really friggin crazy after 4.21, and there is about a 99% chance I am going to be proven OH SO TOTALLY WRONG in two hours. But, what the hell, put me on the record for saying this spec...
SAM IS NOT GOING TO GO ALL DARKSIDE EVIL TONIGHT
When Sam says he wants to turn this curse into something good, I WANT THAT FOR HIM. I can't help it, I DO! I want to root him on. I want him to conquer this without having to formally ever cross the evil line. Fighting the base instinct and winning.
Now, I think it's STILL under the realm of possibility that Sam is being duped by Ruby. In which case, it may be that killing Lilith turns out to be the last seal. (thanks to bellanut for that one!) Which would kinda rob Sam of that agency abit.
And/or it may turn out to be that Lucifer wakes up in Sam.
In which case, that's not of his doing, so it's not Sam going evil, that's him being possessed. But while I've been fearing that since 4.02 (Probably right along with Dean's subconscious), I don't think that it's sustainable for the show anyway. I don't see how this show can keep up another season with Lucifer in Sam's body all year. And what's next season gonna be about if it's not ending Lucifer?
MOSTLY, what I'm trying to say is this: THE WORST IS OVER. THAT? What we had to watch in 4.21? That was ROCK BOTTOM. And I think it's all kinda up-hill from here.
MOREOVER, what I think is gonna happen by the end here, is that Sam and Dean are gonna find out Heaven and Hell? ARE DUPING THEM BOTH. I know many have said it before, but it could not be any more blatant in rewatching after 4.21. They are both pawns in this game, and they need to stop that and realize the real answer to ending this lies in humanity. THEM. I think God knows this (Humans were his favorite?). That's why the Winchesters have their own CHUCK! And I think this is where we are going, but perhaps not tonight's end game. This might be the series endgame instead.
But there is one thing that has been true for three years and counting. Kripke's got this nasty habit of revealing the finale's broad strokes in the midseason episodes. Scarecrow in S1. Hunted in S2. Maleficarum in S3. And this year, it was 'Heaven & Hell'. And in this episode, we had both sides fighting over the same thing, Anna. And what did the boys do? They pit them against each other. Stood back, and watched. I don't know much. But I do think, the answer, lies somewhere in that episode.
What does it come down to for me? HERE'S THE THING: Dean doesn’t think Sam can do this without going evil. AND SAM thinks Dean can’t do this because he’s not strong enough. I KINDA NEED BOTH TO WIN. I NEED BOTH TO PROVE EACH OTHER WRONG. I don't know exactly how to do this. (Make it happen, Kripke!)
In the end, if I could point to one thing this season, it would be this:
“There is no wrath. No will. No God.” “Maybe not. But there’s still ME.”
It's gonna come down to the individual. The choice. The action. Previously, it has stood with Dean. But as it stands right now, going into 4.22, Choice stands with Sam. Dean just abandoned Choice to Heaven out of fear for Sam. So he's standing pretty bleak.
As for what becomes of brothers relationship? They've got one problem. They've forgotten that it's possible to UNDERSTAND one another. They've gotta get that back. What's funny is they're in the EXACT SAME PLACE right now, even though they're both too damn insular to actually SEE that. Sure, they've got two different paths. But if they stopped long enough to get their heads out of their own woes, they'd notice, THEY BOTH LEAD TO THE SAME PLACE.
So with that, I'll leave you with this quote from 4.12:
“Let‘s not end up like this…”
“Beats dying.”
“Does it?”
“I would do anything for you, you know that. But I WILL NOT WATCH YOU DIE. I‘ll miss that show”
“No. You’ll be there. You‘re always there for me.”
Lastly, I've got a whole set of vidposs songs I've been holding down on all season, and since I don't see me actually getting to VID all of these, I offer them up as part of this year's...
WINCHESTER DOOM S4 MUSIC
ETA: Spoilers in the comments!