I...I have to be honest here. Stupid as it might sound, I'm not entirely sure what I just watched.
Here are my thoughts, most likely out of order:
- I really like the music they played during Chuck's narration bits. Very soothing, pretty stuff. In fact, Rob Benedict's narrating voice in general was just very nice to listen to. The history of the Impala is pretty sweet also.
- ::tears up at Dean telling Sam that he'll back up Sammy's choices, whatever they may be::
- Hey, we're actually referencing "The End"? Sweet. While you're at it, tell Cas to ease up on the painkillers.
- LOL'd at Cas telling Dean that he didn't have to be mean.
- ::tears up at Bobby's goodbye to Sam::
- And back to LOLing because of Cas's terrible attempts at being comforting. Oh honey, no.
- Whelp. So much for springing surprises on the devil.
- Bye Mark Pellegrino. You were awesome. I hope I can see you again on my tv screen before long. Or movie screen. Whichever you're inclined to. D'you have a good singing voice? How do you feel about Glee (can you just imagine the guy we've been watching play the devil for the last year singing and dancing? XD)?
- Seriously, though. Mark Pellegrino with dyed black hair might have replaced, or given heavy competition to, Cillian Murphy for who I'd cast as Crowley for my dream version of Good Omens (dream cast choice for Aziraphale was Simon Baker, not that it really matters).
- Geez, Dean, no need to pull out the junkless insults to Cas. I think he deserves a little better than that at this juncture.
- I'm trying to think how I feel about Jared Padelecki's portrayal of Lucifer. Not as good as Mark Pellegrino's, I don't think, but still rather good.
- ::tears up at Dean saying that he won't let Sammy die alone::
- Wow. I'm actually feeling a little bad for Lucifer and Michael as they do their final-talk-between-brothers thing. Let me repeat: I'm feeling a little sorry for the devil/killer of my third-favorite angel and the Adam-kidnapping jackass/killer of my second-favorite angel.
- ::tears up at Chuck's narration about the Impala and about how the flaws are what make something worth it::
- ...oh Dean. Only you would drive your car right up to the final showdown between Michael and Lucifer, blaring classic rock, and ask if you've shown up at a bad time. XD I love you, man. There's a reason why you're my favorite Winchester, fantastic though Sam, Mary, Adam and sometimes John can be.
- I actually prefer the guy who played young!John as Michael, but Jake Abel does a pretty good job, too.
- "Assbutt"? Oh Cas, honey. XD The things you learn from Dean. And a holy oil Molotov cocktail? Very creative there, Mr. Castiel. :D
- Oh crap. Figures Lucifer is one of those "nobody hurts my [insert relationship here] except me" types.
- NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! CAAAAAAAAAAAAAS! ::wails and bursts into tears:: TURNED INTO CHUNKY ANGEL SOUP AGAIN, NO LESS!
- NOOOOOO! BOBBYYYYY! ::crying just increases::
- ::tears up at Dean telling Sammy that he's there::
- ::tears up even more at the Montage of Redemptive Brotherly Love, by way of the Impala::
- NOOOOOO! ADAAAAAAM! ::crying starts all over again:: Poor guy.
- NOOOOOO! SAAAAAAAM! ::inconsolable now:: You brave little toaster, you.
- ...man, poor Adam. I think it bears saying again. The poor guy did literally nothing to deserve the epic screwing he's gotten. Mother killed/eaten by ghouls. Eaten alive by ghouls himself. Yanked out of heaven. Held hostage by half-brothers, fallen angel, and grumpy old codger (for a good reason, of course, but nonetheless...). Manipulated by the angels and considered nothing better than a bargaining chip. Taken over by Michael. Possibly spending eternity in torment, locked in a hell-cage with Michael, Lucifer, and Sam (unless Michael let him go already, what with that remark that Adam wasn't there. Or maybe his soul was just burned up. Which is only marginally better than being trapped in a hell cage for all eternity). Damn. That poor, poor boy.
- CAS! YOU'RE ALIVE AGAIN! AND ALL ANGEL-LIKE AGAIN! :D AND YOU'RE HEALING BOBBY! WHO'S ALSO ALIVE NOW! OH, HAPPY DAY! :D :D :D Quick, go see what you can do for Ellen, Jo, Anna, and Tricksy Gabriel! Before it wears off!
- Aw. Dean. I know you're grieving the loss of your brother, but you still could've had a nicer goodbye conversation with your angel buddy. You know, the one who willingly sacrificed everything for you and wound up Chunky Angel Soup twice on your behalf?
And why so snitty that Cas is going back to heaven? It likely is in disarray, considering that a lot of the top brass (Michael, Zachariah, Gabriel, Raphael if they never let him out of that flaming holy oil trap, probably Anna before she fell) and no small number of the foot soldiers are gone. And really, wouldn't you rather a guy like Cas, who's had experience with what it's like to be a human, be in charge upstairs? Might make some worthwhile changes, like that whole heaven-is-nothing-but-your-greatest-hits thing or whipping the other angels into shape, so that they're a better bunch and less likely to set off another Armageddon. The place could be really nice by the time you get there, with Cas directing things.
Okay, yeah, you're grieving. You're upset. Still. Send a nice thank-you and glad-we're-friends and see-you-around and love-you-bunches-in-a-totally-macho-Winchester-way prayer up a few months from now, 'kay?
- As for you, Castiel, you come back right this minute, young angel, and you give your friend, your grieving friend no less, a proper goodbye. None of this fluttering off to parts unknown without so much as a by-your-leave. I mean it, mister. Not even a warm smile and "good-bye Dean"? ::clucks disapprovingly::
- Okay, is it just my imagination, or have they seriously cooled off the Cas and Dean friendship as of late? I am sadcakes.
- Okay, I admit it. I LOL'd at Chuck's whining about how hard endings are and how much the fandom bitches about them when not done properly. Are we stressing you, Kripke? :D
- Aw. Bobby and Dean don't see each other again for a long time? ;_; Again, sadcakes.
...so, uh. Did Bobby ever resolve the whole thing with his soul? I mean, Crowley's good for it, right? Right?
- Actually, where is Crowley? He was all over the place last episode. They don't even make a passing reference to him now.
- I...wait. What? Chuck is God? Really? Really? Wow. Um. That certainly makes the Chuck/Becky ship, um...interesting. Um...does that mean that...God was...feeling inferior to Sam Winchester in the romance department? And ordering call girls?
...wait a second here. You mean to tell me that Castiel, Zachariah, and Raphael were all within close proximity of God in S4 ("The Monster at the End of This Book" and "Lucifer Rising") and none of them picked up that he might be...y'know, God? I know that the angels on a whole are the miss-the-forest types, but damn. That's pretty bad.
...hang on, this gets even weirder. Wasn't Dean wearing the God-finding amulet when he first met Chuck? And again when he saw Chuck after Lucifer got out of his cage? Did Dean not notice anything...odd...with his necklace in the presence of one scruffy writer?
Seriously, I can't leave this alone. Cas once mentioned he has the names of all the prophets memorized. This means that Chuck Shurley's name is on the list. So...how? Did God just add a new name in? Is Chuck God's vessel? Bzuh?
I don't even know what to make of all this. It's weirdness wrapped in crazy wrapped in "Huh???". Though it does put Chuck's apology in "Monster..." to the boys for their horrible lives in a new light...
On a purely superficial level, Rob Benedict was totally working that white button-up shirt there. Looking good, Rob.
- ...holy crap, I'm sacrilegious. I really want Chuck and Becky to make up and get back together again. I really liked that ship. It was my SPN het OTP (er, along with Jo/Adam, but that's really just a ship with a crew of one). Despite Chuck...being God. Apparently. That doesn't get any less weird, no matter how many times I write it. I wonder...does that make Becky maybe Shekhinah or something?
...okay, this bullet point has gone to a very odd place. I'm going to move on.
- Well, hey, there's Lisa again. Hi Lisa. Still a little baffled by that relationship popping up again, but she seems pretty cool, so it evens out, I suppose.
- You know, this feels like more of a series finale, rather than a season finale. My personal thoughts are that they should have ended it here with the apocalypse. Go out with a bang, you know?
- ...hey. ::looks around:: Where's Meg?
- ...what the what. Sammy? Where did you come from, buddy? And why are lights flickering above you? That is Sammy, right? I mean, the apocalypse is over, right? Lucifer isn't back after all that, right? Right? Hey, Show! SHOW! GET BACK HERE! HEY! HEEEEY!!!
...dammit, I think I've just been snookered into coming back next season. Does this mean that I assume that Adam might be okay and back for S6 also? Maybe? Bueller?
- Oh crap. Does anyone else have a deep, dark worry about the wellbeing of Lisa and Ben next year? D: RUN LISA RUN TAKE BEN WITH YOU YOU'RE NOT SAFE.
So...at the end of the day, long and wordy commentary aside...I'm not sure what I think of it. It was...interesting, in good and bad ways. In a way, that kind of sums up how I feel about the season on a whole. There were parts of it that I really, really liked (the first four episodes, "Changing Channels", "Abandon All Hope" - despite how badly it depressed me, "Point of No Return - again, despite how badly it depressed me, "Meat Swap" - despite its overall pointlessness to the larger story, Becky and the meta stuff), and then there were stuff that I really hated ("Fallen Idols", "I Believe the Children are the Future", "Hammer of the Gods", the slaughter of the supporting cast - okay, this might be a little over-dramatic, but it wasn't pretty to be a supporting cast member this year, the truly bizarre pacing of this season - arguably the thing that I hated the worst, though I imagine suddenly getting renewed for a sixth season when they thought they were ending with five is the cause of that). It wasn't a bad season, not really...it's just...coming off of the heels of what I thought was the very good season four...I guess I was hoping and expecting for more from the apocalypse. Your mileage may vary. Whatever the case, I thought that all the performances tonight (Jensen Ackles most especially, but also Misha Collins, Jim Beaver, Jared Padelecki, Jake Abel, and Mark Pellegrino) were wonderful. In general, I've enjoyed the actors' performances, even when I feel like the writers weren't using them to their full potential (::cough::Misha::cough::Castiel::cough). In addition to that, I've loved a lot of the guest stars they've had on: the horsemen (I know I didn't say anything about last week's episode, but I absolutely loved the guys who played Pestilence and Death, and of course Crowley).
Whew! I totally didn't mean to write a miniature thesis here (if only I could harness this power for my classwork...). See everyone next season, since I know I'm going to be here, trying to figure out what the what is going on with Sammy. I wonder if there might also be some Cas to be had? Or Adam? ::hopeful::