Today is Supernatural Thursday!

Are you as excited as I am about the finale?

I’ve found this really interesting (but very long! *urgh*) article on Supernatural saying some final words about the show.

Spoilery? Not really…

SEASON FINALE TIME

Hard to believe we have reached the 22nd episode already. And thanks to the early generosity of The CW, it is a season  finale and not a series finale.  Unlike other seasons, this one seems to have sped right by. But then again, that’s what happens when you are presented with something so truly entertaining, creatively impressive, and completely enjoyable to watch.  Something that one looks forward to every week in great anticipation.  Something that provides so much food for thought that the week in between seems shortened by participating in countless discussions analyzing what was presented.  This is the point where folks tell us devoted fans that we need to ‘get a life’.  Well, I often work 8-10 hours a day, take care of family, spend time with friends, and worry about finances — I have a life! This is simply my way of escaping it for a bit since the problems of the Winchesters truly make my own pale in comparison.  I used to make fun of the Trekkies for their obsession, but now I understand it.  Speaking of which, I wish ‘Supernatural’ lent itself to a cool nickname, like Trekkies, X-Philes, Losties… the ‘Supernaturalies’ just doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.  Of all the possible nicknames I’ve heard for the fandom, SuperFreaks seems to be a catchy one, although it makes us sound like something Sam and Dean would hunt.

The finale is titled “Lucifer Rising.”  I don’t think series creator, Eric Kripke, could’ve been any more blatant than that in order to hint at what is coming. It makes a nice companion to the series opener “Lazarus Rising” and brings us full circle in a way.  But to heck with Lucifer Rising, my Ulcer is Rising trying to wrap my head around everything that has happened this season!  In season four, the story expanded to include angels along with demons, factions of Heaven and Hell, and as if that wasn’t enough, it had to throw in the Apocalypse for good measure. That’s right boys and girls, The Freaking Apocalypse!  Despite the complexity of its mythology and rich layers of characterization, it is still relatively easy for new viewers to jump in and enjoy Supernatural.  Part of that reason is that each season follows a simple theme:  find dad, hunt The Demon that killed mom (1), uncover Sam’s destiny (2), prevent Dean from going to hell (3), avert the rise of Lucifer (4).  Mysteries and questions tend to last all season long, but by season’s end enough questions are answered to provide the viewer fulfillment and reward for being there, while setting up the groundwork for the season to follow.  Unlike, for example, Lost which is mystery upon mystery with hardly any answers.  This also prevents the ultimate fate of X-Files from happening, which practically imploded from the weight of its own compounded mythology.

There really is no satisfactory way of covering ALL the issues we have been presented with throughout this season without writing a thesis; therefore the attempt that follows is only a wide sweep.  But first we must get to know the major players a little better.

THE BROTHERS:

Let’s get this point out in the open quickly.  Although it is upsetting to see the brothers at such an emotional distance, we knew it was coming as it was building up all season.  We knew at some point it would be Dean vs. Sam.  I’m not so concerned that the story went this way — after all, it makes for good drama.  I’m more concerned in how long they plan on keeping up this schism into S5.  Supernatural has always been about Sam & Dean and certainly NOT Sam vs. Dean.  I’m confident that Kripke & Co. recognizes this enough to quickly return to it after the shock factor of the finale wears off.  Otherwise he shouldn’t be too surprised if voodoo dolls and burning effigies suddenly start appearing on his front lawn.

DEAN: He’s literally been to Hell and back.  He is the older brother who has felt it is his lifelong job to look after and protect his younger sibling, even to the point of giving up his own life and being sent to Hell as a result of a demonic deal, controlled by Lilith, gone bad.  So where has the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder been hiding?  By simple medical definition PTSD includes nightmares, flashbacks, insomnia, and anger, as well as significant impairment in social & work functions, and relationships. PTSD lasts for many months.  It’s not that we haven’t seen those symptoms in Dean’s case, it’s that we only saw glimpses.  And part of the season’s inconsistencies have been that Dean exhibited this shell shock in one episode, but in the next he was the “old Dean” in his happy, unaffected self.

Dean is a man whose outward bravado serves to cover up a damaged psyche, loads of daddy issues, low self-esteem, and general inclination to blame himself for everything gone wrong. To say he has a lot on his plate is an understatement.  He was raised from perdition by the angel Castiel, only to discover he is nothing more than a pawn who has yet to be told what Heaven wants with him.  Both fathers, earthly and heavenly, have told him he must basically either save Sam or kill him.  He not only fears he must do harm to the younger brother that means everything to him, but discovers that his own actions in Hell led to the events putting the impending Apocalypse into motion.  And it is now his duty to step up and stop it.  Problem is that he has no idea what will be required of him in order to do that.  But with Supernatural, it wouldn’t be agonizing drama if it somehow didn’t involve Sam and those bonds of brotherhood.

SAM: The unsuspecting bundle of joy that was fed demon blood when he was just six months old has been told he will be the Boy King and Leader of Big Demon Army.  It’s a strange position to be in for someone who has been sheltered and protected by his older brother all his life.  But our Sammy has grown up, evidenced by his physical presence, sharp hunting skills, and newfound ability to kick his brother’s tush in a smack down.  That latent demon blood gifted him with psychic ability that has now turned into super mojo allowing him to kill demons with his mind.  A little superpower can’t be all that bad when trying to rid the world of demons, can it?  Except that in order to power-up, he needs to suck down loads of demon blood courtesy of the veins of his new BFF Ruby, in effect acting like a drug-addicted vampire.  It appears that the amount of demon blood needed to make him strong enough to take down an uber-demon might change him into a monster forever.

Driven in part by obsession and revenge that appears to be genetically preconditioned, and the immeasurable guilt felt of not being able to prevent his brother’s trip to Hell, Sam is on a one man mission to kill the big bad demon Lilith, no matter what the cost to himself and his soul.  He is convinced that killing Lilith will prevent the Apocalypse.  He feels he is the only one that can do this job, despite protests from Dean, and the ends seem to be justifying all means.  Including turning his back on the one person that has always had his back, his brother.

THE SUPPORT TEAM

CASTIEL: If anyone was expecting harp-playing cherubs with fluffy wings, then they weren’t watching Supernatural.  The angels in this world are soldiers who follow orders from higher up and have no problem smiting entire towns.  They are not supposed to question or feel emotions.  The dire situation has forced the angels to come off the observatory posts they’ve manned for thousands of years and walk the earth among the humans. It has been Castiel’s job to prime Dean, but in the process he has started questioning and feeling, putting that old thing of Free Will into the mix once again. Does Cas have his own hidden agenda? Is he truly friend or foe?  And how did we viewers get so freaking lucky to have Misha Collins cast as this fascinating character?  It has been confirmed that the talented Mr. Collins has been signed on as a series regular for season five, which means there will be more than meets the eye to our darling angel.

BOBBY: Jim Beaver is such a talent and they are so fortunate to have this true gentleman as part of their team.  I’m surprised they haven’t done the smart thing and made him a series regular by now. He has earned it, he deserves it, and we easily accept more of Bobby so that Jared and Jensen can get some relief on those long filming hours.  ‘Uncle Bobby’ is the closest thing to family the Boys have left. He has also been the recipient of some recent fan backlash based on a brief glimpse of a somewhat unexpected turn in his characterization.  My, how quickly we turn evil calling for his head on a platter!  Sadly, nasty rumors are floating around that Bobby is about to bite it.  If Kripke & Co. feel it’s necessary to subject us to what has now become the most overused, tired cliché in finale TV — tune in for a shocking death, gasp! — then hopefully they have the good sense to find a way to spare his life come season 5.  After all, what good is having an angel around if you can’t call in a favor or two?

RUBY: (Strictly discussing the character and not the actor portraying said character.)  Since Kripke seems to be enamored with this one and has kept her around for two seasons, I really wish he would do something with her other than be the somewhat politically correct roll in the hay, part-time demon blood pusher, and all-around girl Friday looking longingly at Sam in ways best belonging on 90210. I mean, I know that Supernatural is on The CW, but if I wanted  One-Tree-Hill-With-Ghosts, I would just skip the ghosts and watch One Tree Hill.  Or if they wanted to show Sam (or Dean) rolling in the hay, there are plenty of human  one-night-stands to fulfill the naked-for-Sweeps quotas.  But the unnecessary parallels between Sam sleeping with a demon and Dean sleeping with an angel were simply, well, unnecessary.

Inconsistent writing and characterization have made Ruby into a protracted mystery that has turned into a general annoyance at this point.  And that’s not in a good love-to-hate manner that a true antagonist offers (such as Gordon, Meg, YED) but in a simple hate-her-get-her-off-my-screen manner.  It is not a simple matter of ‘I hate Ruby for what she is doing to Sam’, which it legitimate, but I hate the manner in which they are presenting her. Period. Granted there was a change of actresses from Katie Cassidy to Genevieve Cortese, but there has been no shade of personality of the Character Formerly Known As Ruby between the seasons.  I hope that her true motivations and agenda are finally revealed in this finale and that we are spared from any further demon-with-a-heart-of-gold sap.  I would love for her to be revealed as having an evil agenda, and right when she thought she was manipulating Sam we find out that Sam has been manipulating her all along!  Wouldn’t that be a great twist?!  On second thought, MasterK, don’t bother doing anything further with her — Ruby appears to have run her course, so just kill her, and move on to a better character truly worthy of the title ‘demon antagonist.’  Have I mentioned Lilith yet?

HERE COMES TROUBLE

LILITH: She is the attractive, new uber-demon.  After the absence of Meg, who left a huge hole in the tapestry of great female demons, I couldn’t wait for Lilith to join in considering how underwhelming Ruby has been.  “She’s going to give the Yellow-Eyed Demon a run for his money” Master Kripke promised.  Lilith finally grew up and we saw shades of her potential.  Great casting in Katherine Boecher… perfect eye candy and completely believable in her evil snark!  We really DO need a decent female around, particularly one that can be a terrific antagonist, and especially now that we lost the other decent female, Pamela the psychic.  Can we keep her, MasterK? can we, huh? with sugar on top… pretty please!

ANGELS/DEMONS (Heaven/Hell): Neither side always tells the truth and both sides have factions and hidden agendas.  This is ultimately a battle between good and evil.  Shades of gray are necessary for good drama, but the lines between good and evil can’t be so blurred that you no longer know who the good guys and bad guys are. A battle of good vs. evil needs to have those players for good on one side, against those players for bad on the other, even with their minor morality flaws clouding the scenario.  We know the Winchesters are the heroes, flaws and all, but having characterizations that lead to shades of angelic-Ruby and demonic-Castiel is actually a bit groan inducing rather than drama inducing.
The major chess pieces are now on the apocalyptic playing field, although I have now lost track on whose move is next… God’s or Lucifer’s.  Best thing to do at this point is to just watch on Thursday!  It’s going to be an anxiety-filled, heart-breaking, adrenaline-inducing, and thrilling battle between Heaven and Hell that is not to be missed and guaranteed to offer more twists than even ‘24? can muster.

We can count the hours now before we get some answers to questions that we’ve been struggling with all season long.  Just a few endless hours to close out season four and set the groundwork for season five.  The riffs of “Carry on My Wayward Son” have become a tradition for each finale and while budget cuts have severely affected the signature classic rock this season, this song’s presence has become tradition.

The players are all in place on the chessboard of the impending Apocalypse.  In one corner we have Heaven and The Angels, with our beloved Castiel, his boss Zachariah, and the dearly-departed Anna who was much more interesting as a human who could hear angels talking in her head than she ever was as a fallen angel.  In the other corner we have the minions of Hell led by Lucifer, and with demons Ruby and Lilith making a power play for Queen Bee.  And smack in the middle of it all are the Winchester Brothers, brave, stubborn, determined, broken, and each drawn by diverging destinies to stop the rise of Lucifer.  For the first time in four seasons, it appears that they will be fighting towards these end means separately.  And it better be the last time… because there is something completely and intrinsically wrong in using the words ‘Winchester’ and ‘separate’ in the same sentence. 

One thing that will be utterly fascinating is that Executive Producer and Creator Eric Kripke wrote and directed this finale episode.  For the first time we will be able to see ‘Supernatural’ entirely through the creator’s eyes: his characterizations, his motivations, his vision.  This should be interesting!

THE MYTHOLOGY: We’ve known for a long time that Kripke and his writers will base their stories on existing myths and urban legends.  The fact that one can google all their monsters has been a show signature. They will take ALL the multicultural representations of a particular legend and then pick and choose those aspects which best fit their story, thus creating their own unique Supernatural version.  For this reason, it is nearly impossible to use the myths themselves to try to guess story direction since we do not know which parts of a legend they will choose.  The only danger here for the creative team is to work hard to avoid pulling a ‘Heroes’ in making the mythology as a whole so convoluted, ridiculous, and unbelievable that will have us wondering what the heck happened.  One of the great things about ‘Supernatural’ was its simplicity and  believability despite the subject matter it was presenting, although suspension of disbelief is getting harder and harder to come by.

Finale Speculation has run rampant as to what may be presented and what questions have been left unanswered.  Here is a brief rundown.  If anyone has a different theory not listed, we’re anxious to add it!

*  What is the end game plan of the Yellow-Eyed Demon?

*  How much of what is happening is due to angel agenda vs. demon agenda?

*  What happened to the “Leader of the Demon Army” and “Boy King” slant started in S2?

*  Why did Dean’s ability to see demons go poof?

*  The death of Lilith will be the final seal to free Lucifer

*  Lilith doesn’t break the final seal, she IS the final seal

*  Sam is a vessel for Lucifer since Lucifer is a fallen angel and angels can only inhabit special folks

*  The first human that Lucifer tempts becomes a demon.  We believe Lilith to be the first human, but what if it turns out to be Sam, as tempted by Ruby?

*  Corrupted angel Uriel told Sam that he isn’t being smited as long as he proves useful. Who and what manner defines ‘useful’?

*  The transformation of Sam from human to demon will be the final seal

*  Lilith’s meatsuit becomes the vessel for Lucifer

*  Lilith’s meatsuit becomes the new meatsuit for Ruby

*  Castiel will temporarily jump meatsuits into Dean

*  Ruby is not really Ruby but some other demon

*  Castiel will turn evil

*  Ruby will die

*  Bobby will die sacrificing himself for the Boys

*  We know demons can’t be trusted, but shouldn’t angels be the good guys?

*  Ruby is a double-agent for the angels in exchange for redemption

*  Sam will go evil and turn into a demon

*  Dean will go evil instead, shocking everyone

*  Dean will get angelic powers

*  Dean will have to kill Sam to prove his faith/loyalty; spilling family blood is the final seal

*  Is there any significance to Sam’s name being Samuel which connects to “Samael”, the angel of Tuesday, who is said to have taken Lilith as his bride and is the supposed name of Lucifer before he fell?

*  How much will the ongoing theme of FREE WILL mess up everybody’s plans?

*  … ???

OK, who needs some aspirin right about now?  Place your bets boys and girls; the winner will get bragging rights to say “I out-guessed Kripke!”  After all, if a thousand monkeys typing will eventually type an actual word… then a thousand fans speculating will eventually guess Kripke’s plan, even though they won’t know it. (oh relax, I’m not calling us monkeys!)  My only fear is that our overactive imaginations have raised our expectations too high with too many possibilities. All throughout season 3 we were told there was no way to save Dean and at the end he was sent to Hell.  All throughout season 4 we have been told that Sam is turning darkside.  Jared has been begging to play evil, the clues are all set up, therefore why expect a rabbit out of the hat and something different?

THE SEASON FAUX PAS: One thing that our Show has been guilty of this season, in addition to some rather patent inconsistencies, is keeping too much hidden away. We needed to see more of Ruby’s true nature so that we could truly love to hate her; Dean’s PTSD; more of Sam’s angst, despair, bereavement, and desperation and what he went through while Dean was in Hell. Sadly, the episode that was supposed to be devoted to this became instead a vehicle to showcase how politically correct the new Ruby meatsuit was prior to the demon sex stunt. Thus we are now a little short-changed in being shown how or why the different roads the boys have taken are causing the conflict in their relationship. All we are getting is the end result without the background to understand why it’s happening. Maybe we are supposed to figure that out for ourselves, but too many viewers are getting all the wrong messages.  And this is resulting in the inevitable choosing of sides splitting along the Sam-lines or the Dean-lines.

THE FUTURE: One has to wonder once you have presented Lucifer and the Apocalypse, where exactly do you go from there?  Perhaps the answer is as simple and satisfying as: back to your roots of saving people, hunting things… the family business.  I know one thing I don’t have ANY interest seeing on a long term basis:  demon!Sam vs. angel!Dean. The thing that has always set Supernatural apart and raised it on a pedestal above this television wasteland has always been the portrayal of the brothers’ relationship – family above all else.  Shows and movies that have themes of brother vs. brother are a dime-a-dozen.  Supernatural was unique in that it didn’t rely on that overused theme to move its story along. Even in shows where brothers are on the same side, that special bond is simply missing from the screen (i.e. Peter & Nathan Petrelli).  I believe Kripke & Co. fully recognize that the brothers’ relationship is intrinsic to the DNA of the Show.  After all, Robert Singer is still there, and he was the one that looked beyond the blood, gore & horror that everyone else was salivating over like giggling teenagers and pointed to the brother-bond saying ‘THAT is the core of your show’.

I have no doubt that the brothers finding their way back to one another will be a big theme in season 5, just as it was in season 1, thus bringing us full circle.  Even though the relationship will appear to be irreparably fractured, the brothers WILL get past the pain. They won’t forget what has taken place, but they can forgive one another, and allow their familial love to guide their hearts.  Kripke & Co. know their bread & butter is the brothers’ relationship. Before heroes can rise, they need to fall to rock bottom, and this has always been a hero’s journey. Supernatural has always been about Sam-n-Dean…. not Sam & Ruby or Dean & Castiel, and certainly not Sam VS. Dean.  After all, this was the concern that permeated discussions at the end of the third season.  With Master Kripke teasing that Dean would be spending a bit of time in Hell, viewers were having nightmares about multiple episodes lacking the presence of one of the brothers.

Most viewers have NO interest seeing demon!Sam vs. angel!Dean on a long term basis.  And long term in this case is a quarter of a season.  I don’t expect things to be fixed nicely in one or two episodes, but I certainly don’t want to see it drag out to 5-6 episodes.  One season of separation has been more than enough.  The writers had their fun, destroyed the relationship, and now it is time to fix it.  Beyond the demons, angels and apocalyptic battles, the reason we keep coming back is because of that bond, exemplified so excellently by series stars Ackles and Padalecki.

THE FANS:  It is no secret there exists a definite and unique love-hate relationship between the fans and Master Kripke. The episode “The Monster at the End of the Book” allowed the perfect opportunity to poke fun at us, while they poked fun at themselves.  I only wish he would expand his online surfing to a few more forums where there are responsible adults who can discuss the pros and cons of episodes without starting flame wars. The Master appreciates the support we provide and the grassroots efforts that have helped Supernatural get to Season Five. Yet the vociferous nature of the constant biting critiques have made it difficult to strike a balance between what he as the creator may want to present and what we as the fans may want to see.  With every viewer necessary in the count to maintain the numbers on this small network, no doubt concessions to the creative vision were made along the way.  (The pros and cons of that whole scenario are best left to their own study.)  Technically, our job is done now.  Our beloved Show has been given the gift of a fifth (and by all counts, final) season, and now our nagging nitpicking won’t really matter all that much anymore.  They could have Sam run off to marry Ruby and start making little demon babies and the outcome won’t matter.  Not that we will simply sit back and enjoy the ride – it’s not in our nature – but the ride no longer needs to conform so much to our wants and desires.

The stage is now set for the finale.  I’m actually dreading this finale.  Not because it will continue to pit Sam against Dean and leave us with a shocking cliffhanger, but because the outcome will then pit the Sam-fans vs. the Dean-fans all summer long. And THAT will be a hell to listen to worse than any torture Dean suffered.

Recently, datenshiblue on Live Journal offered fandom with an excellent perspective. Simply stated:  “Supernatural” is a story about humanity trying to survive in a world of supernatural forces.  While there are two sides (good/evil, heaven/hell), a more correct representation of those two sides is <the Winchesters vs. everybody else>. I really like this train of thought.  Let’s keep this in mind as we go at each other during the summer discussions, provided our brains don’t turn into mush after this finale.

THANK YOU SUPERNATURAL CAST and CREW: For all the ups and downs, hits and misses, and our general praises and gripes, Season Four has been truly incredible.  From the minute that Dean clawed his way back from Hell, to this finale that will no doubt leave us speechless, it has been a fantastic ride.  Words of appreciation are not enough for the stellar performances that we have been gifted with by Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins, and Jim Beaver as well as the entire supporting cast.  To Eric Kripke and his team of writers, thank you for continuing to entertain us and awe with your creativity. To the inimitable Mr. Kim Manners, you will be in our hearts and prayers, and your presence missed.  To the entire crew in Vancouver who make it all possible under difficult conditions and inhuman deadlines, we thank you.  And to The CW and WB, look for avenues of appreciation that matter to you the most: our support of your products and sponsors.

Source: sfuniverse.com