Ask the Oracle.
So. Finale last night. A lot of people are not pleased. (Duh, always.) I think I'm in Nirvana, but don't let that cloud your objectivity. If you didn't understand what went down last night, click the cut text. Imma asplain it to you. It may sound like I know what I'm talking about. If that is going to bother you, skip it.
I'd like to address some people's complaints specifically, so this isn't an episode review. That is going to be for blacklid to do, and it is going to be amazing, watching her show you how all the building blocks fit together and how this was, in fact, the way it was supposed to go down ALL. ALONG.
These are in no particular order.
1) Chuck is God.
God is EVERYWHERE. He's been there, with them, ALL ALONG. Watching over them, making sure they had the tools (And the people) they needed to get the job done. Yes, in the end, God is the one who writes the story. And He used Chuck as his mouthpiece. And then Chuck was no more, for God took him. (Enoch, anyone? Elijah? Is this thing on?) All year any time anyone has asked us who God is - is He Bobby? Is He Cas? Is He John? We always just say 'Yes'. Why? Because God is EVERYWHERE.
It was brought up to me that God was in the future as well, if God was Chuck. That person's response to that idea was, 'What a bastard! He was there and He didn't DO anything!' My response to that would be of COURSE He knows the future - He's GOD. Why should He need to do anything in a future that He knew would never happen?
On the meta of Kripke/Chuck/Fandom being God: YES. That's the POINT. How long ago did blacklid change her journal tag to 'Never trust the storyteller, only trust the story.' ? He flat out said that most of all, it was about Sam and Dean, and their choices, which we've been screaming to people for 2 years now. They chose family. That's what it's always been about.
2) Plotholes.
Things that are plotholes: A whole bunch of stuff that nobody remembers from back in s1. I won't even bring them up b/c nobody remembers them anyway and THEY DON'T MATTER.
Things that are NOT plotholes: The amulet. How Sam got out of the pit. If that is really Sam or not. (It is, btw.) Bobby's demon deal. Sam's powers not having anything to do with the demon blood.
3) The car had a more important role than Dean, and it wasn't Dean, but the memories tied to the CAR that broke through to Sam in the end.
Dean IS the car. He's always been. When it's dirty, he's lost inside. When it's clean, he's clear-minded and focused. When it's broken, he's broken. IT'S ALWAYS BEEN A METAPHOR/MIRROR FOR DEAN. Look at it this way - there were 3 brothers and 3 vessels on that battlefield. The impala is DEAN'S vessel.
It was Dean that got through to Sam. 100%
4) Making Adam the vessel cuts Dean out of the mytharc, and Michael and Lucifer didn't even fight!!
If that's what you think, you've been paying attention to the wrong mytharc. SAM and DEAN had the final confrontation on the battlefield, because that's how it was always meant to be. This story was NEVER about Michael and Lucifer, it was ALWAYS about Sam and Dean. Show did a great job throwing people off, but they never forgot their heart. So, Dean was the Michael figure even though he wasn't actually Michael. He did what Michael couldn't do - he chose his brother over his 'destiny'.
As for Dean's role in the mytharc of Sam and Dean, he did what only HE could do.
All season this season has been about growth and growing up and letting go. SAM had to let go of his anger and pride and learn humility - because humility is the OPPOSITE of everything that LUCIFER is. And he did learn. THE PROBLEM is, when Sam says he's the least of any of them, he believes it. And while it shows his humility, it lacks his confidence in himself, which is the other critical component needed to beat Lucifer. THIS IS WHAT DEAN DOES.
Dean gives Sam the confidence he can't have on his own. Dean's faith and trust and loyalty COMBINED with Sam's determination and good heart is what broke through the wall and overthrew the devil. If Dean hadn't been there, Sam never would have been able to take his body back. Dean is CRUCIAL to what happened. And for Dean's part, he was unable to give that to Sam until he reached the point where he could let go of Sam and give him the freedom to choose for himself.
It's BEAUTIFUL and if you don't see it - well. You were watching the wrong half of the show.
IT WAS NEVER ABOUT MICHAEL AND LUCIFER, IT WAS ALWAYS ABOUT SAM AND DEAN. THE END.
5) John needed to come back, dammit!
I'll be the first to say that if John had come back I would have flailed off the couch. But John coming back would have had no bearing on the outcome. NONE. Every single supporting character was stripped away. Bobby - the father figure in John's absence - ultimately had NO BEARING on the outcome. It was about Sam and Dean and what they chose, and that is IT, and that is all it was EVER going to be.
6) OMG, THAT IS HOW IT WAS SUPPOSED TO END!?
Uh - NO. If there was no s6, Sam and Dean would have gone into that pit together, saved the world, and never come back. DUH. Don't make me smack y'all with a spoon.
7) BUT THEN WHY DID THEY END IT THERE!?
Because. EVERY FINALE THE BROTHERS END UP APART. Come on, guys. Don't you watch this show? Even when they are standing physically right next to each other, they are still worlds apart. IT'S THE RULES.
8) How could Dean just drive off and not even TRY and not CRY OR ANYTHING and LEAVE SAM THERE!!
This just makes me stare flatly at my screen like I could set it on fire with my brain.
If you can't take one look at Dean and see that he's totally shattered, if you weren't listening when Chuck said that all Dean wanted with every fiber of his being was to die or to save Sam, then I can't help you. Know why he didn't? They say it out loud - BECAUSE HE PROMISED. He OWES Sam that much. And it's not like everytime they refuse to let go things get WORSE, or anything. *headdesk*
All season we've seen Dean slowly admit to himself that he wants a normal life. The last few years we've seen them slowly unveil that Dean pushes the idea of a normal life on Sam because that's what he wishes HE had, so he wants it for Sam, too, but Sam wasn't that person anymore. When Dean told Sam at the end of 3.16 to keep fighting, THAT is who Sam BECAME. Because he PROMISED. Now it's Dean's turn, but Sam sees what Dean only just recently admitted to himself - that Dean COULD be happy with a family and a picket fence. And now it's Dean's turn.
The whole end of the season the question kept coming up, 'Can't or won't?'. When Sam died the first time, don't think for a second that Dean brought him back because he 'can't' live without him. It was always, ALWAYS 'won't' for Dean. Sam made his decision and sacrificed himself to finish what started with him when he was born, and he was asking Dean to turn his 'won't' into a 'will'. And Dean is.
Don't get mad at him for that. Don't you dare.
9) But Lisa?! Why didn't he stay with Bobby? And why is the rum Cas gone?
Because Bobby was there and he knows everything, and he knows how badly Dean wants to save his brother, and he'll know how suicidal Dean is, and if Dean stays with him, HE WOULD CAVE. In that environment there would be NO WAY Dean could even TRY to keep his promise to Sam. Plus, the wounds would be far, far too raw to stay. Sometimes you need distance. A fresh start.
Please do not let me hear that suddenly you all hate Lisa, either. Back at the end of 17 it was all zhomgyay Lisa. Can we just focus on the fact that FINALLY, there is someone who at least marginally knows what happened, and who Dean really is, and who's willing to pull him in and hug the crap out of him and let him cry and tell him that it will be okay!? *wrings out keyboard* CAN'T WE JUST LET HIM HAVE THAT FOR TWO SECONDS!?
Now, as for Castiel - LOOK. I know everyone wanted him to be a human and ride shotgun while Sam was gone and whatever else, but HE WANTS TO BE AN ANGEL. And now he is again, and what's missing here is people realizing that God has rewarded him THREE TIMES for doing the right thing - for having Faith in Dean, a human - faith strong enough to feel it was worth defying Heaven for, and that is something that Michael could not do.
Michael is in that Pit right now because he couldn't put Free Will over Destiny. Cas became human in the first place SO THAT HE COULD BE FREE TO EMBRACE FREE WILL AND HELP DEAN EXECUTE HIS PLAN TO REACH SAM. Cas got to go WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD. And now, his faith and power have been renewed. Knowing Castiel as we do, how could we be so selfish as to not want those things for him?
I personally would have liked Cas to stay dead for more than one commercial break - but eh. Whatever. I do love the guy and I'm glad he's an angel again. I'm looking forward to having a Friend Up There next season, and I doubt we've seen the last of him. <3Cas.<3
10) Who even WAS that at the end?
SAM. Fer Gawd. *smacks*
That's it for now. Sorry if this got ranty. I'm still highly emotional and probably a tad hungover. This finale was everything - EVERYTHING that we were ever promised. I couldn't be prouder of everyone involved in rl, but irrationally I'm the most proud of Sam and Dean, and I'm spending today with them. Have a good summer, everybody.
*toasts*
Blacklid's review post.
ETA: Wow, I was not expecting anything near to this level of responses. Thank you all so much for reading and commenting. I'm getting ready to fly home tomorrow, so it may be a bit before I get to answer all of you, but one of us WILL answer everyone, I promise! :D