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Damn, Zachariah is Dick Chaney for the angels!
I knew there was something fishy about what Dean was supposed to stop. For the longest time, I, along with everyone in the show and watching the show assumed it was the Apocalypse. But the events of last week's episode threw huge doubt in my head. I started to wonder if these angels were even trying to avoid the looming Armageddon at all.
After all, Uriel was a prime example of the existence of angels who worshipped Lucifer.
Turned out Zachariah is even worse. Oh, he's no chum of the Fallen Angel. Not satisfied with the mere incarceration of the devil, he wants Lucifer killed once for all. He wants it so bad, he doesn't have any compunction at sacrificing millions and millions of innocent lives as the price. What a Dick!
As it is, Zachariah, the quasi "dirty politician" is confident his army has the winning advantage to annihilate Hell's troops. Thus he's all but eager to bring about the epic war.
This revelation explained so well of what happened so far, of the angels' cryptic announcements and confusing behaviors. I was wondering why did the angels raise Dean from Hell if they didn't want to stop Lucifer from rising. Zachariah's little confession here at last made it clear why Dean is so crucial to them. They weren't kidding about Dean having work cut out for him: turned out he is the nemesis of Lucifer! Now, that's pretty cool!
But that's not why Dean was my BIG hero last night. First of all, he was awesome because he proved he is a better man than his daddy ever was, with a little nudge from uncle Bobby of course. I don't think I need to repeat the awesomeness of Bobby here. The man is wise to be sure, and he luvs the boys, especially Deeeean! With the rumor of the impending death flying around preceding the episode, I'm really glad Bobby didn't meet his maker last night. My aversion to Bobby's death had nothing to do with my love for the character though. I never had any problem with watching a beloved supporting character die (i.e. John's death in In My Time of Dying). But as finale goes, I want it to be all about the BOYS! No other character should be allowed to steal their dramatic thunder.
Getting back to Dean, in the beginning he was understandably upset with Sam walking out on him. "It's like a déjà vu all over again!" Dean says. I almost choked with surprise. Ha! I expressed the same sentiment in my last week's review (shamelessly pats self on the back)! I disagree with Bobby it was John's cowardice that drove Sam away. It was pride. Fortunately Dean is the one person who has the humility to let go of it in order to hold on to the one he loves.
When he made that heart felt call to Sam, with voice catching at certain places, my heart ached and sang. "I'm sorry," he says. Right there, he was made of Win for being able to recognize his mistake, and readily apologize for it!
Now that Dean made his move, the proverbial ball was in Sam's court. Unfortunate for him though, he had a little demon bitch by his side to mess things up. When Sam finally played Dean's voicemail (his reluctance here a clear sign he was no longer sure of what he was doing), and the sincere message morphed into hateful spiels, I couldn't suppress my groan and guessed it was all Ruby's doing. Die bitch die! I was not kidding when I said the only thing that would ruin this episode for me was if she lives pass it!
I couldn't summon proper sympathy for Sam at this point though. I felt he was in this predicament because he made a series of bad decisions. Sam could not have been manipulated if he hadn't bought into what Ruby said in the first place. What did Ruby say to him that was so attractive? From the time she appeared, she's been telling him he was the wonder boy, the big hero who's gonna save the world. Sam latched onto it like bees to honey. Right here I see pride reared its ugly head. Like father like son, Dean was not wrong when he said Sam was more like John than he could ever be!
Once again, Dean's rejection, even if it was only perceived, became Sam's undoing. He succumbed to drink more demon blood again; this time consciously took the life of an innocent girl while doing it. Sam knew it was wrong and still chose to do it, thus completing the final transformation. It was heartbreaking to see Sam came to this.
I could not talk about this episode without mentioning Castiel. Because it was with him came my favorite Dean moment. Apparently, all of Dean's pains and sufferings didn't escape Cas's notice one bit. And it obviously "pained" him too! Did he confess a part of the reason he "toed his boss's line" was due to his wish at seeing Dean being released from all that?! I love it when Dean in return, looked Cas in the eye, and resolutely declared the angel could take the promise of peace and paradise and shove it up his "lily white ass." Dean vowed in no uncertain terms he would rather take his pains and guilt thank you very much just so he could have his Sammy, even as-is! How could my heart not swell up at hearing that?!
Unlike his brother, Dean never paid attention to petty revenge, or grandiose goals. Instead, he always knew when everything all said and done, it's the family, the loved ones, the people that's what counts. I can't express enough how much I love him for that!
It took Dean literally and figuratively turning his back on Castiel for the angel to spun into action. I was amused at seeing Cas forcefully shove Dean against wall, all the while covering Dean's mouth with his hand. No, Kripke wasn't making a kinky slash here; at least I don't think so. At last Cas came through for Dean, and sent his Dick of a boss away so he and his charge could escape. Gotta love a rebellious Cas!
This is where the big reveal of the episode occurred. Cas informed Dean Lilith isn't the one to break the seal, she Is the seal! I had pretty much guessed it weeks ago, but it was still cool to have my theory and suspicion confirmed.
Cas took Dean to the one person who knew where Sam was. And he turned out to be Chuck! What does a prophet do when he realizes the Apocalypse is coming? The answer is he uses his entire savings to order himself 20 prostitutes to last him till the end! Ha-ha, nobody can accuse Kripke not having a sense of humor. The look on Dean's face when he overheard Chuck on the phone was PRICELESS! Jensen Ackles is so awesome it hurts (my sides).
Chuck blurted Cas and Dean were not in this story. Does this mean the prophecy has to be rewritten now that they have involved themselves; or does it merely foreshadow Dean cannot change the outcome of Lucifer's Rising no matter what he does? The appearance of an archangel on the heel of Cas and Dean's arrival was interesting. Clearly Cas and Dean did nothing to threaten Chuck, so it came to reason the archangel was coming for the two of them instead. Did the archangel come to stop them, or aid them? Cas was convinced the formal was true, so he sent Dean to where Sam was, and stayed to face off his superior. Castiel is a much lower ranked angel; he has no hope to win this kind of standoff. Since we know Misha Collin is coming back next season, therefore it is certain Castiel survived this encounter. This most likely means the archangel didn't come to stop Cas and Dean in my opinion.
At Saint Mary, the convent in Ilchester, Maryland, Lilith is waiting for Sam in her bridal gown. She smiled at her sad faced servant and told him she's going to save the world. Then Sam showed up. I love the camera shot of Dean in the Hallway, face caught between light and shadow, looking towards the unfolding scene before him. Ruby's diabolical half grin when glancing back at Dean telegraphed her cunning natural. She slam shut the double door leading to the altar, cutting Dean off from his brother. I also love the sound effect here. For several seconds, all Sam and audience could hear were his brother's voice calling him. That almost was enough to stop Sam. But Sam was already a changed man, thus fate cannot be stopped at this point. I gasped when inky blackness filled Sam's eyes. He swiftly killed Lilith with a blast of his power.
The image of Lilith's streaming blood forming a circular "doorway" on the marble ground was really really cool. "You did it, Sam," Ruby proclaimed, finally revealing her true evilness to Sam. Sam was shocked at how easily he played into her hands. But really, he was the only one who didn't see it coming. "You poisoned me with your blood," Sam accused. But "You didn't need the feather to fly Dumbo." Ruby informed him. "It's the choice you made...you had it in you all along!"
Ohmigod,
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dreams_of_honey, I can't believe how right on the mark you were during our little discussion prior to the finale! Pat yourself on the back 'hon. You said, and I paraphrase, it wasn't the Demon blood Azazel put inside him that led Sam toward the dark side. It was the choice he made!My second favorite part of the episode came when Dean stuck Ruby's knife in her evil self with a little help from Sam by holding her in place. I can't begin to describe how cool Dean looked at doing that, all the while declaring he doesn't give a flying crap about the last seal being broken, he just wants her DED! For all Dean cares, the world may come to an end, but nothing should stand between him and his Sammy!
My favorite part of the hour is when Sam looked Dean with his sad puppy face and told him "I'm sorry." Just like that, in a flash, Sam is redeemed in my eyes. Show, I love you!
The boys made up, but Lucifer is still coming. The night ended in a blinding white light while the brothers' hands twisted in each other's clothes, each clinging onto the other for dear life. No I don't think Kripke is making wincest story here. However I wouldn't put it pass the "bastard" toying with certain viewers here either. ;)
The most gratifying aspect of this season finale for me is it ties up all the loose ends of the season neatly, but still manages to throw in new questions and mystery for the next season. All hail to Kripke, the evil!Genis who wrote and directed the episode. I have to say he really knows how to make Dean look pretty!
I'd be upset if next season doesn't start at the very second this one ended. I want to know what happens next, damnit!
Lastly, I want an icon of the Azazel possessed Priest with text that says "Blah Blah Blah". *g*
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From:
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*pats self on back* And you deserve to do the same! ;-)
I really like what you said about Sam and his pride. I think you're on to something there. In metamorphosis Sam said he wanted to make something good out of the evil inside of him, but considering he was adding more and more to that evil, it makes you wonder why he would do it? Saving the world and wanting revenge just isn't enough. There was a need there, which Sam wanted to scratch.
Dean was amazing, he is such a hero in my eyes! Dean, please don't ever change!
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Yeah, I see there's just this pride thing lurking inside Sam. And it's because I think Sam has a strong sense of self, of what things meant to him. When he learned Dean's sacrifice back at the end of season 2, Sam's first reaction was "You are selfish, you know that?" Whaaaat? It's a very self-centered (not selfish) gut reaction if you ask me because he immediately thought of how that act was going to affect him.
In contrast, Dean is completely lack of pride imo. He never believed his father would praise him. Even now (OtHoaP) he thinks he's not good enough. If he gets competitive when others (in particular Sam) out-does him, it's only because he's afraid to prove he's a failure (v.s. he knows he can do better.)
I think you raised a very good point about Sam putting more demon blood inside him knowing the thing is evil. I see there's certain conceit in doing that because he is convinced he can control the evil and harness the power.
Yeah, Dean is a Big Damn Hero in my eyes. I don't ever want him to change. But from a practical stand point, he is also very reliant on Sam because Sam gives him purpose. Sam is still his responsibility (uncle Bobby so helpfully reminded him). If one day Sam proves he doesn't need Dean any more, I wonder if Dean can have a life of his own.
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It must have also made him frustrated that he could never save his brother the way Dean did for him. Again a pride thing, whereas Dean sacrificed his life for Sam's out of a lack of self-worth and because Sam is his life! Sam on the other hand was doing it, not just out of love, but also because he needed to be able to prove to himself and to Dean that he was capable of saving his brother, just like he's done for him thousands of times! Like you said it's about finding some control for Sam, which is something he's never had.
And I completely agree Dean's lack of confidence and self-worth, it's heartbreaking and I too wish he could find an identity outside of Sam. S4 finally made Dean a central part of things to come and I really hope we start seeing more of Dean realising his potential.
From: (Anonymous)
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mick
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I'm not saying Sam is Lucifer or will be his host, but I think he'll have to struggle with the dichotomy within. I have no doubt Dean will be there to help him to drive the evil away. It will be interesting to see how Lucifer would relate to the brothers next season.
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If Dean is a real person, it would be essential for him to gain a life of his own independent of his brother. But as a fictional character, I selfishly don't want to see that in this universe. The show is about two brothers, so as long as the brothers are together together, the show continues.
Dean's confidence and self-worth all boils down to his ability to watch out for Sammy. It breaks my heart in all the right places and makes me ache for the character. ;)
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ITA! Hopefully he'll be able to discover who he is one day without losing the connection he has with his brother.
My heart is a complete wreck ever since I met Dean Winchester!
From:
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Part of the reason Dean is so heart-breaking to me is because he's so selfless, and thinks so little of himself even though he is really made of awesome. God forbid if anyone I know turns out like that in RL, but as a fictional character, Dean "cuts" a beautifully tragic picture.
Most of the time, I just want to put my arms around him and cuddle him! I'm sure Dean would be horrified if he knew. *g*
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OMG! The idea of a person actually turning out like that is horrifying, but you're right as a character it's beautiful and compelling to watch! And it helps that Jensen acts out those tortuously heartbreaking scenes to perfection, whilst looking so pretty at the same time. ;-)
Oh I'm exactly the same! Dean must have thousands of girls wanting to give him a hug!
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Hehe, somewhere there gotta be a crack!Fic where Dean is chased by a legion of fangirls wanting to "cuddle" him; meanwhile a horrified Sam tried to get his brother away! ;)
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And Oh God, heaven and hell just left me in a complete mess! It still does! I'm completely blown away by his talent, especially when he comes out with scenes like that! He did the same in OTHOAP, from the torture scenes to the scene at the end. He was nothing but famazing!
Oh I'm sure if we lok hard enough we'll find one. ;-)
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So true about OTHOAP. That episode gave me chills. It's the first episode that inspired me to do a picspam with comment (here (http://xwacky.livejournal.com/28507.html)). The thing about Jensen is not only he knocks these big scenes out of the park, he's awesome even in the blink-you'll-miss-it or in-the-background ones too (i.e. the one in Jump the Shark where he's doing rock-paper-scissor with Sam, or the ones in Lucifer Rising where he breaks the angel figurine and overheard Chuck on the phone, etc.)
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And yes, Jensen just never stops, whether he's the main focus or in the background, he's still very much in character and he just brings so much depth and life to Dean!
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