4x22: Reaction
The end is upon us?
Save that we'll get Season Five, come Fall autumn. :)
The Road So Far
\o/
Set to the tune of Wayward Son! \o/\o/\o/
And sweet gods, but they're still managing to make that song fit. So very, very awesomely. For there's the conflict between the brothers, YED (\o/\o/\o/), Castiel, Alistair, Anna, Lilith... EVERYONE! EVEN CHUCK!!!
"I hear the voices when I'm dreaming"
And showing Chuck! \o/
Holy fudge, guys. *flails*
How the hell can they manage to fit everything that's gone down this season, all the important stuff the viewers should know/remember into a minute and a half, and set it so well to the music chosen? *draws sparkly hearts around the crew*
St. Mary's Convent, Ilchester, Maryland, 1972
Holy fudge. *flails* Multiples of Mary, but what does it mean? That's the year before Dean found out what happened to his maternal grandparents in In The Beginning (4x03), and Mary made her deal with Azazel (holy hell), but was Mary a convent girl?
*hee*
This is at least the second possessed priest that we've seen so far in the Show. First one being Father Gill in Sin City (3x04), if I can remember right.
"-Thy kingdom come, blaa-blaa-blaa-"
*hee*
I wonder... YED, as witnessed in Devil's Trap (1x22), has the same form 'free' as any other demon: black smoke. Hmm...
ETA: *GLEEEEEEE*
"Well, not our father. My father. See, he's in jail. Your dad put him there. I almost gave up hope. But, ye of little faith, because I finally found him, or at least, y'know, the spot where his cage door opens. It's right here. In a damn convent. For god's sake. Life is funny."
Gods, but this? I freaking love Supernatural's demons. They're delicious.
And again with the daddy-thing... Seriously, someone should write a meta on Show's obsession with pitting one father's kid(s) against another's... or, y'know, "my daddy shot your daddy in the head"... ;)
YED!!! \o/ *GLEEEEEE*
*hee*
That angel statue? Reused from Houses of the Holy (2x13), I'd say. Or at least there was something pretty damn similar...
But this, the camera focusing on that angel statue, the light spilling through the stained glass behind it, the nuns' cries... and then comes the title screen with the screams and the sound of her wings... *GLEEEEEEEEEE* OH, SHOW, HOW DO I LOVE THEE!
But I wonder why they decided to open the ep with a blurry shot of Sam. Looking every bit the very epitome of 'tragic hero'...
"Lucifer Rising"
HOLY FUCK.
*stops to hyperventilate breathe and curse*
Holy fuck. *flails*
Full fudging circle, guys: S4 began with Lazarus Rising. And it (sort of) fit Dean. Does this mean that Sam's gonna go supernova? Or is he 'just' the last seal?
Holy fuck. Don't expect much out of me, anymore. Methinks my brain's broken.
ETA: As a lovely little detail (imo), Lucifer Rising is the name of a short film dealing with occult and featuring, amongst others, Lilith. Any guesses as to when it was made?
Come on, guess.
1972. :D
Further ETA: Google Video has it here.
Detail: Ruby's got an orange car. What did that colour stand for, again? Doubt?
Seriously, what's up with the blurry shots? It's not before Ruby asks if Sam's okay that the camera focuses on her... which, to me, seems like breaking of the rules of filming, or somesuch.
"You're talking like I got an 'after'."
Fatalistic much, Sam? For once, though I can agree with Ruby: "Don't say that."
"-I have changed. For good. There's no going back now."
Fuuudge.
But then... the very nature of life is change.
More blurry shots! Seriously, wtf?
Though this, Dean with Bobby, is just mirroring the scene with Sam and Ruby. Both boys resigned, at least on the surface. But whereas Sam's with a girl outside a house, Dean's with a guy inside a house. Hmmmm...
"Written & Directed by Eric Kripke"
That's it. We're so very screwed. Oh, fudge.
"You sound like a whiny brat. No. You sound like your dad."
No wonder Bobby went and pulled a shotgun on John some years back... But John sounded like a whiny brat to Bobby? *hee*
But..."Family's supposed to make you miserable"? I'm... not sure how to take that.
"-You are a better man than your daddy ever was."
Dean in this whole scene... Owww.
Someone needed to tell him that, though. That he doesn't need to fill John's shoes. That he can be Dean, not John Junior.
The fudge?
The opulescent place is... God's waiting room?
Oh, my... "It's almost time." *shivers*
DEMONS NEAR BABIES DO NOT WANT!
She's creepy and not in a good way! *wishes for-oh, yes*
Sam looks downright smug here. "So, we need to talk."
Part of me is gleeing, while another part's rather fond of the thought of just going to rock in the corner, trying to avoid seeing the train wreck this ep's bound to turn into...
*hee* The set people must've had so much fun with God's waiting room.
ETA: They've had even more fun then I thought. That whole damn place has META ME stamped all over it.
This has to be one of the rare times when Dean's hesitant to grab the food. Considering that it just appeared there, methinks that's a good reaction. Persephone, anyone? Or fairy food?
Oh, hi, Zachariah. Now I know who you remind me of: Boss Smiley. Seriously, the similarity's downright eery.
All who recognize the 'name', have a cookie.
Detail: Dean loved the burgers from a seaside shack in Delaware. When he was 11 (= year 1990 = not long after the striga incident).
"How about Ginger from Season Two of Gilligan's Island? You do have a thing for her, don't you?"
*hee at Dean's reaction*
"Let us worry about that. We want you... focused. Relaxed."
"Dean is right where we want him", the RED in I Know What You Did Last Summer (4x09). Now, what was the difference between demons and angels, again?
"All the Seals have fallen. Except one."
Holy fuck. But I do not like Mr Chuckles. He's screwing with Dean, twisting the knife like he doesn't have a clue how bad it hurt Dean to learn that because of him the Seals became vulnerable... *hssst*
"The final Seal. It'll be different. --- Lilith has to break it. She's the only one who can."
Hmmm.... I wonder if it'll be like a number of fans have thought, and Lilith's death opens the last Seal, or...hmmm. She can't kill Sam, not with her powers. But there are blades and bullets, raw physical things that deal damage... *thinky*
Detail: The last Seal breaks on midnight. Heh. Just like Dean's deal came due. Didn't John deal with Azazel in the middle of the night, too?
I don't know about you guys, but I rather enjoy this exchange between Dean and Zachariah. I don't like Boss Smiley, but he works with Dean.
"Because you swore your obedience. So obey."
And Dean looking at Castiel, and Castiel averting his gaze... *loves the Show*
I think I also like the demon!nurse. Now that she's far, far away from babies.
And Sam, being a badass. "Don't need one." *draws sparkly hearts around the boy*
*heee* The place where Sam and Ruby took the demon!nurse? Is the same one he spent his summer in I Know What You Did Last Summer (4x09). *hee*
Oh, Dean... But, hey, at least he's trying. Though I think Sam's too bloody busy to even wonder where the heck his cellphone might be...
Random: Does this phone call remind you of the one Dean made in Home (1x09) to John?
I wonder what Sam, exactly, is doing to the demon. It's not leaving a mark on the host, at least, so that's good.
Detail: The last Seal breaks in St. Mary's convent at midnight.
Have to admit, I didn't think I'd ever like Ruby, but here, in this scene? "Sorry, sister, you're a walking, talking can of Whoop-Ass." *draws hearts around her*
"Don't forget: it's not just me you're bleeding. In fact, I think I'm gonna take a little (siesta?) in the subconscious, hand over the wheel for a little bit."
It's taken the Show long enough time to use this card, all things considered. I'm still waiting for a demon to tell that letting it possess the body is the only way to keep the person inside alive... though they sort of did that with Meg, already.
Detail: The nurse is Cindy McAllen/McLellan/McShomething.
ETA: She has a husband named Matthew. They were married 6 years ago.
And we're back in 1972. I wonder if that year's significant...
ETA: *hee* It is. If only because it's the longest known year, and one of the largest sun flares ever was recorded then...
*hee* In the close-ups of the priest!YED, there are blobs of yellow and red in the background. *heee*
Oh, I love Lucifer's voice.
Detail: In the 70s, Lilith was "trapped neckdeep in the Pit."
"You must find a child. A very special child."
*hee*
Detail: The St. Mary massacre happened (probably) on October 15, 1972, since it made the print of The Ilchester Chronicle for Friday October 16, 1972.
Detail: The priest disembowelled 8 nuns. The convent was abandoned afterwards.
Detail: The name of the priest the YED possessed? Father (Dominic) Lehne. *heeee*
As in Frederic Lehne, the wonderful actor who played janitor!YED. ;)
"Father Lehne claimed that the murders were not his fault. He said that a demon made him commit the crimes and He even remembered the demon's name. Admittedly this action was completely out of character according to the people closest to him, the evidence weighted too much against Father Lehne for the police to believe him. After earning a degree at Trinity College, Oxford, Dominic Lehne, of Silver Springs Maryland, he converted to the Catholic faith and journeyed to France to study for the priesthood. Three years after his ordination, he returned to his native country. For several (rest cut off)
Father Lehne of St. Mary's Church was arrested for the murder of 8 nuns. The grizzly scene at the church was a horrific massacre that is beyond the toughened stomachs of even veteran police investigators.
Police believe the killer had not premeditated this crime as Father Lehne was a very calm and reserved man, who followed the Christian doctrine to the letter for all of his life.
It is a mystery that the court psychologists are trying to unravel. The priest remains incoherent to all police and medical personnel and obviously suffers dementia and trauma. (rest cut off)"
ETA: Article fleshed out thanks to logo-free screencaps by shea-fleur.
The thing is? Nowhere in the article that we can see does it state the name of the demon. *heh*
It's good to see Sam's still got enough brain cells to think that taking a human life would be a Bad Idea. But I don't like how resigned he is... how easily he follows Ruby's lead.
And this? Sam dragging that woman to the car? Locking her up in the trunk? Do not want. This scene's having the same effect on me as that Jo/Sam scene in Born Under A Bad Sign (2x14)... because it rings a tad too true to be fiction, a fantasy.
Oh, Dean...
And Castiel. Gods, these guys...
It's also nice how subtle Heaven is. And how Castiel's still Dean's guardian, despite what he did before. Or maybe it's a constant test for him, to see if he has learned his lesson?
Detail: Sam's cellphone claims it's Thursday, Mary 14.
I wonder if this is another prop failure like in Time Is On My Side (3x15), or if this is valid. In any case... \o/ for a date!
"Now is not the time to grow persqueeter."
Heh. That word brings back memories... namely from Hell House (1x17) and to-be-GhostFacers and Dean's opinion about them... *loveses the Show*
"I don't know, I just... I'm starting to think... maybe Dean was right. --- About everything."
Oh, Sam... but, love? You had your chance. You came to the crossroads, you were given the chance to choose, and you chose, and now you just have to follow the path, wherever it leads.
Jump, Sam. Jump into the ditch beside the road, run into the woods where there are no paths but the ones you make.
"We're gonna see this through, right, Sam? Sam?"
And the blurry blobs sharing the screen with Sam in his close-ups? Are white. \o/
Heh. Another angel comparing human(s) to monkey(s). Either Uriel was imitating Zachariah, or that sentiment's shared...
"-Why can't I see Sam? And how am I gonna ice Lilith?"
"You're not. Going to ice Lilith."
I think I wouldn't trust Zachariah even as far as I could throw him. He seems too much like an oily politician, twisting words, choosing them carefully.
Oh, that shot of Zachariah on the couch and the mirrors, never-ending... Now that's a shot worthy of meta.
Not to say anything about the paintings in the room. Because they keep changing, I think.
ETA: And how appropriate that Zach's sitting in front of that Bosch-painting, trailing apocalypse behind him...
Holy fuck. And yet... *heeeee*
"Look, it happens. This isn't the first planetary enema we've delivered."
The Flood being one of those, methinks, even if that wasn't the first, either.
And now I'm thinking of Silmarillion, the Lamps, the Trees... the Valar and their Song...
"Sam... has a part to play."
The suggestion behind all this is that, one way or the other, Heaven's behind Dean's time in Hell. And Uriel? You're forgiven. You were just a lackey: Zachariah, on the other hand... *sharpens the blade*
"-And when it's over, the rewards will be... unimaginable. Peace. Happiness. Two virgins and seventy sluts."
I wonder how Zachariah knows about the conversation between Tessa and Dean back in In My Time of Dying (2x01), how Dean'd "pass on the 72 virgins"... Or was that just a guess on Zachariah's part?
"God? God has left the building."
Heh. Now that's an idea I've heard before. And I'm glad Eric chose to put it like that. However... considering that Zachariah goes *poof* within a heartbeat of those words... I think I'll call him Boss Smiley. Seems to fit alright.
Oh, look. A full moon.
So the convent was abandoned, but not torn down or anything? Curious.
It's even guarded, I see.
And hello, Lilith!
Wearing that dental hygienist with the blondish hair (man, she's unlucky) and white gown... Yep, you're certainly not going to survive the night. Or this ep, at least. Maybe you've chosen your clothes because you know your fate? That you won't be there to witness the Apocalypse?
Random: Yet another demon using 'howdy' as a greeting. Seriously, has anyone but possessed people used that word during the Show's run?
Detail: After the massacre in 1972, St. Mary's convent became 'private property'.
"But I'm here for the Mass... and so are you."
*is happy with the demons' consistency*
*is not happy about Dean still being stuck, Samless*
Oh, Dean... Damn you, Cas and co. Don't you know that Bad Things happen when the Boys are apart? Wait, never mind. You probably bloody counted on that.
No wonder Castiel was having doubts.
"'Sorry'?"
Oh, Dean...
And, despite earlier accounts that angels are affected by physical fighting, here Castiel barely even registers Dean's strike. Oh, Show. When you're inconsistent, it makes me sad. But if angels are like Castiel here, wearing a body only to be able to communicate... *draws hearts*
This, though? Castiel and Dean right here?
Gods, Show.
"-'cause I'll take the pain and the guilt, I'll even take Sam as is. It's all better than being some Stepford-bitch in Paradise."
This. This is what Dean's made of. This is Dean.
Oh... Show. You're laying out S5, aren't you, with Castiel's words about being hunted if he does side with Dean?
*heart aches*
Hi, Sam! Two miles to St. Mary's. Why have you stopped?
Oh, yes, call Dean. Or at least bloody listen to his message - OH, FUCK, SHOW! No messing with the boys' heads like this! Fuck you, Zachariah and company. Fuck you.
*is firmly on the side of demons* Because angels are bloody back-stabbing bastards. *HSSSSST*
However, I'm not liking Ruby. I'm not sure about her agenda, and good gods if she's still gonna be around during S5...
I'm just wondering if she has some kind of a deal figured out with Zachariah or another representative of Heaven. Because that'd explain that smirk of hers when Sam was listening to the message...
And the car's headlights like yellow eyes on Sam... *hee*
Detail: Ruby's car has license plates that say HVU - 2W8.
What the fudge, Cas?!
Oh, you're playing with blood, too? This season... there's blood everywhere!
But- Zach! Shoo! Let Dean and Castiel have their little spat in peace!
Question: why do angels know the Angel Away™?
"Lilith is the final Seal!"
Okay, fine, it wasn't a red herring. But I like it better when the Show is sneaky. And subtle. Far, far better than when it's blatant.
CHUUUCK! \o/
"Lady, sometimes you've just gotta live like there's no tomorrow."
*heee* \o/
Wait, that chalice the guy's carrying? Is that the Demonic Mobile BED!Meg used in S1, and BED!Duane in Croatoan (2x09)?
Sam's here, Lilith's here, Ruby's here and all the other demons are laid out on the floor. Fuck, fuck, fuck...
"But you guys aren't supposed to be there. You're not in the story."
"Yeah, well... We're making it up as we go."
\o/ Go, Cas, go!
It's fun how the 'agents of fate' are the ones who can screw 'fate' up... *enjoys*
"It's the archangel! I'll hold him off! I'll hold them all off, just stop Sam!"
Oh, fudge, Cas! I just hope like hell he's gonna survive to S5. Though I highly doubt that. :(
Dean's here! \o/
And for a moment there, I thought Chuck's touch would save Castiel... but then there's the white light I DO NOT WANT!
Curious how the White Light of Doom belongs to both: baddie (Lilith) and archangel... *thinky*
But Sam's with Lilith, tossing her like she's nothing and boy, what a difference...
Go, Dean, stop Sam! Oh, Ruby, what the hell's your agenda? Though it's so very nice you've been keeping your TK abilities a secret 'till now...
Gods, but this? The pulse, the camerawork, Dean, Ruby... and Lilith, laughing.
This is how you keep your audience glued to their seats, witnessing the train wreck.
BLACK EYES! SAM WITH BLACK EYES! O.O
ETA: With Supernatural, we've come to associate completely black eyes with demons, a sign of being possessed. But let's consider another option for a moment... A while back, there was a show by the name of Babylon 5. Then and again, it featured a psychic by the name of Lyta Alexander. A psychic who, when she used her 'powers' harder than usual, expressed completely black eyes... *thinky*
Lilith's putting on a lightshow, like the demons slain by the Colt and the angels. Hmm...
And it's done. And as always, it's about the blood...
Just... *FLAILS*