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Wow, thanks for this space Sheila, and for hosting the whole season with such generosity.
Still digesting this, n all but I would say, in the immortal words of Lady Bracknell, to set on one apocalypse, Sam, is a misfortune, but to set off two looks like carelessness.
I like that one, Helena. Poor Sam, he does have much to account for.
I second the thanks — thanks so much, Sheila!
No man becomes like his mother, which is his tragedy (Crowley excepted?) — I’ve been thinking that this season had a lot to say about parents and family as a whole. Pretty lovely loop with those family pictures from the first episode this season to now.
I went to bed last night and found myself worrying that nobody had remembered to pick up the photos from the floor.
oh no, those photos are so battered already! now I’m worried too.
Where’s the one of little Dean holding baby Sam – my favorite from “Home”, but you’re right. Maybe Sam was picking them up while the zappy thing was sucking the mark off Dean’s arm.
Sheila, I’m joining to say thank you. It was such a joy to be able to watch the season with such a great bunch of people. Thank you for this space, Sheila.
As a relative newcomer to this fantastic blog, I second this.
Helena is right – Thanks to Sheila for the space and for her comments. Everyone here is so thoughtful and funny. Still digesting it all so only a few comments to start.
All I could think of watching Dean lose it in that motel room was Lady MacBeth. “Out, damned spot!” The bloody ghosts, the obsessive hand washing, the insanity and I immediately thought it’s coming – suicide (by Death). And it was… until it wasn’t.
What a chain of bad decisions that led to this from both Winchesters. Like it always is. In the end Sam surrendered to whatever Dean wanted, and then Dean rewrote the ending on an impulse.
“Sammy, close your eyes”.
That motel was so plain and awful and perfect for a bit of debasement. He looked so awful during most of his time there — those closeups at the start, waking up on the floor!
But then — whatever they were doing with focal lengths in that scene with Dean in the mirror, he looked spectacular, like a goddamn van der Weyden or something.
Dean breaking a mirror, in a black tshirt, in a crummy hotel room? What fan service, friends, is this?
Sorry, that was my favourite bit (apart from the barking) and frankly everything tailed off a bit after that, even the scene with Death.
He lifted a CRT television above his head and tossed it like it was nothing! Dude is off the charts!
That carpet. Makes my skin itch just thinking of it. Beautiful, debased, sweaty, pale. Only made better with old stale beer running out of the side of his mouth when he tried to drink the rest of the bottle.
Not even Don Draper can make looking like sweaty roadkill as dubiously erotic as Dean.
how neat would it be if this actually changed the world — for once, on this show — and the last ten seasons were really just the origin story of a benighted hellscape and the two losers that caused it.
//story of a benighted hellscape and the two losers that caused it//
In the words of Monroe Styne, “Now I’d buy tickets to that!”
Sammy close your êyes, replayed in my head all night. These boy men. Processing indeed.
I would have totally watched Season 11: Dean in Space.
okay, so the obvious solution was for Sam to go, like, Yo Dean let’s both go to Outer Space because then you won’t have to kill me or anyone else because there’s no Life on Mars? Artist’s impression.
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED! Aagh, damn you, Supernatural!
Just twenty three episodes of that. Occasionally Dean tries to convince Sam that the Rover is alive and sentient and can be killed.
“Saving things, killing other things. The new family business.”
“In Space No One Can Hear You Angst.”
To boldly go where no man has gone before. And kill things.
I love everything about this. The concept, the artwork (including the burning Nazi necromancer – did Cas or Crowley Fedex one to them?), the taglines — you guys are the best!
I keep seeing The Little Prince meets Mad Max (Mel Gibson version). You are a concept artist in the making…
COUNTERPOINT:
23 episodes of Fury Road, but in the dark. Sam shaves his head. Crowley tries out bondage gear.
I tried to have deep thoughts about the episode on my way to work this morning but my brain had not had nearly enough coffee for that. I’m still processing too.
Honestly, I was underwhelmed with this episode. I guess I’ve been spoiled. There were several scenes that I liked: the opening with the girls singing “Carry on my wayward son”, Dean in the bathroom, Rowena and Cas, Sam stressed out and still trying to save his brother, seeing Death. However, I didn’t care for the Oscar reveal, Crowley not going medieval when he was in the same room as Rowena, wasting time with Dean on a mediocre case, him killing Rudy. I got a total Swan Song flashback (not in a good way) during the scene where Dean was about to scythe Sam and he spotted the family photos on the floor. So much like in SS when Sam was about to kill Dean and the saw the toy soldier. Also, the Darkness? Hmmm, are they going to be Leviathan 2.0?
I may have to rewatch cause I really don’t understand two things: 1) how killing Sam was gonna fix the problem with the Mark and Sam being so accepting; 2) why Dean killed Death. Huh? How is that going to solve anything?
Update: Another site detailed the reason why Dean was going to kill Sam; it makes sense now.
Did they have to draw a diagram, like people did with Inception?
I think I zoned out during the speeches Sam and Dean gave during the scene. I do that sometimes during the show – I find myself focusing on the JA and JP instead and my mind starts to wander; I look at their faces, their clothes, their expressions. I found myself looking at JP and wondering what his mindset was during this scene (because of his recent issues). I totally watched the episode by wasn’t fully engaged during certain parts.
I also zoned out during the scene where Rowena met up with her Polish boyfriend, just because.
Polish boyfriend?
Immortal Polish boyfriend?
Sometimes I think they make up bits of plot using poetry fridge magnets.
But he was also eight when they met???
JUST HOW WIERD WAS THAT? I mean, in an episode full of weirdness, that was pretty weird. What the hell was in that coffee he was making?
Love that Crowley is back to making big entrances, though – pffff, and suddenly every one’s face is in their pie.
Let me just point out here that the forgettable, fridge magnet, eyes awkwardly close together, immortal, only love of Rowena’s life, Polish goat boy apparently has spent 300 years learning to make the best damn cup of coffee ever. And you killed him…
We are denied Sam & Dean on Mars AND the perfect cup of coffee. Just sayin…
These guys were eating their own words last night. I have been rewatching and reading Sheila’s commentary from season 1 and just finished “Scarecrow” & “Faith”. In Scarecrow the issue of greater good is raised which Dean dismisses as monstrous. Then in Faith Sam says, “how can anyone use dark magic, cross the line like that?” Oh, Sam. You were such an innocent baby then before you started collecting frequent flier miles for crossing that line. Helena is right, Sam, 2 apocalypses!?!
Also in “Faith” the first time Dean hands over Baby to Sam, “Take care of her or I’m gonna come back and haunt you.” Heart crack!
Did anyone else find the scythe scene at Juanitas to be totally reminiscent of the angel greenroom scene (season 5?) where Dean is supposedly agreeing to be Michael’s vessel and he ends up killing Zacchariah instead? Death did not see that coming. As much as I love that character he was being a little manipulative. “I think I just killed death.” Is that redundant?
I am so glad that Sam finally gave in and showed some faith in Dean. This is what Dean has needed from Sam all season. Of course he had to beat the cr*p out of him to get it, “Fight, good.” Yes, Dean, it was good for me, was it good for you? As I have said before I love when the brothers throw down. I have daughters, but I have learned from friends with sons that this brother fight thing is pretty normal and can be a healthy way to clear the air. Another example of why this show had to be brothers rather than a ‘buddy’ story.
As for “The darkness” I think we were given a clue early in the season when Dean is facing down Cole. He says something heartbreaking like, “Once you touch that kind of darkness you can never come back from that.” Dean’s soliloquy in that episode was really devastatingly sad, but beautiful.
The Darkness as next villain seems a little Whovian, but I suspect we will see some A#1 good vs evil action from it.
**Whovian** potentially awesome, just slightly familiar and belonging to a different universe.
//**Whovian** potentially awesome// that’s the first thing I thought like The Silence, the creepiest DW villian. Which of course makes me think of Mark Sheppard as Canton Everett Delaware III (which you must say without shortening it).
Yes, Paula. GMTA.
I’m not sure I understood why Sam had to die? Dean could be blasted away and that’s it, running around chasing the Rover (love it!)? All I got was that Death was miffed because he’d missed out on a chance to claim Sam after the gates of hell closing thing? There didn’t seem a specific reason given and it felt contrived, just a plot point to have Dean have to kill Sam. And I think he would have, if Death had just kept his mouth shut and not said,”If you don’t do it, I will.” Only Dean gets to kill Sammy.
I was pretty sure the MoC would be removed, that Rowena would do it and the consequences would be bad. I’m not sure about the Darkness thing but kudos to the writers for coming up with anything at all that would be a truly bigger bad than anything that’s gone before. I love that Rowena is still around. I suspect she’ll have a large role to play next season. Next season. . .months away. Have a good summer, Sheila, I wish you all the best and Happy Summer to all!
Also, The Darkness. I’m afraid my first thought was this.
In which case the costumes in Season 11 will be very interesting indeed.
Wow. Just wow. And space ships.
Holy crap. Was the space suit prop in Fan Fiction foreshadowing?
Tentacles?
More random thoughts.
They always seem to have terrible weather for the Apocalypse.
Loved the Day of the Dead bar, with the lanterns and murals and set out in a field in Oklahoma miles from civilisation. Maybe that’s why it went out of business. Or maybe it was like this place?
The thought of Dean bustling around in a pinny preparing snacks after a day being Agent Nasty and smashing up hotel rooms is too delightful. Outtakes please.
I do like Nasty Dean. I will miss his barking.
I think I will be forever scratching my head over why anyone thought The Little Polish Boy was a good idea. But suggestions welcome.
What does it say about me if I’m more concerned about Baby’s back wheel being stuck in all that mud than basically Primordial Chaos being unleashed upon the world.
Man tears. I expected tears from Dean this ep, but got them from Sam instead. Dean’s been pretty low on man tear production this time round, perhaps a reason for a slight lack of enthusiasm I’ve felt for this season. Also there’s been a shockingly lack of henleys, only partially compensated for by black tshirts. Actually I thought Dean looked truly terrible for a lot of this episode, always a good thing, and which makes up for a lot of the weird plot-astic cosmological rearrangements and unnecessary Polish Boys.
Some of the finer plot points about The Darkness and killing Sam and The Polish Boy and so on have clearly eluded me, and I guess a rewatch is on the cards. But I’m with Robert Singer on this, if you need to draw a diagram for the audience, then …
I am crying so many manly tears over that review Helena!
It’s all pretty straightforward I think:
-The Mark is a symbolic lock and key for the darkness, which corrupts the bearer and was passed from God to Lucifer to Cain to Dean (love your work, God!).
-The darkness is an essence that either precedes or is the inciting event for judeo-christian mythology, and probably other major world religions will feature in supporting woodcuts and Searches the Web, and we can look forward next season I am sure to learning about the lightness, and midichlorians????
-The MOC needs to be borne at all times, because otherwise it will release the darkness and unleash death and destruction on the world, as opposed to slowly corrupting the bearer into unleashing death and destruction on the world.
-Sam needed to die because he would have eventually removed the MoC from Dean at any cost no matter where Dean was, but Dean decided not to kill him, therefore reneging on Death’s offer to grab a seat on Virgin Galactic, so Death didn’t need to intervene at all, but he still had to die so that no one could ever die ever again, especially Sam and Dean, because they are sick of receiving sympathy cards.
-But at the same time Sam was organising a very tricky spell that looked certain to fail until Rowena and Crowley managed to pull off the Pole Boy and gather his fluids.
-So the darkness showed up anyway like someone who caged an invite to a Supernatural marathon movie night by making things so socially awkward that no-one could say no.
-Even more awkwardly the darkness mistakenly thought that it was a cosplay movie night and has come today as the demon smoke storms from Season 3.
I suggest you spend less time worrying about the plot and more time worrying about Mr Darkness wanting to dress up as white people in suits next season.
“If there’s a key…there must also be a lock…”
“Dean grimly.”
(reads this nodding like a dog hypnotised by a washing machine)
It all makes perfect sense now.
Yes, yes, yes. You had me at midichlorians. And white suits.
//-Even more awkwardly the darkness mistakenly thought that it was a cosplay movie night and has come today as the demon smoke storms from Season 3.//
HA! Though, it makes perfect sense that demons would look like The Darkness. They are corrupted human souls and human souls in SPN are bright lights with tons of power (that the angels sort of look like when they possess people).
This. Just this. Feel free to also do your own recaps of every episode in bullet point formatting.
//weird plot-astic cosmological rearrangements and unnecessary Polish Boys// haha, sassy Rowena sells her smart son for three pigs but loves dying forgettable Polish boy? total Crazy Ivan writing.
Killing Sam makes for a great scene, terrible plot point. Death is really concerned that Sam will never stop trying to bring back Dean and will wreak more havoc? (I don’t even know, was this the point) C’mon, Dean on Mars trumps everything.
//(I don’t even know, was this the point) //
Maybe only people who can think up immortal Polish Boys could answer that.
//C’mon, Dean on Mars trumps everything.//
OHSTOPTHISISJUSTTORTURINGMENOW
Dean on Mars, barking at martians and rustling up snacks.
He could bring his pink iPod and steal batteries from the rover. But would he listen to The Darkness?
Let’s talk about Crowley for a minute. We got red eyes and red smoke along with “I’m back and I’m bad” speech in last episode, and then… he lets Sam live. This week he snarks and makes Cas beg, and then… he helps them with the spell for Dean. Where the hell is the King of Hell? I wanted Evil with a capital E to pay off in the finale and instead I got helpful Mr Rogers.
Ok, there were some awkward plot points, but I do understand. For instance, random vamp case. This was necessary to prove to us and to Dean that he had reached the final outpost of his humanity, because honestly the Styne thing didn’t do that for me. It seemed completely justified and I could not understand why Sam wasn’t right there with him.
Sam has to die. “I thought it was my death, but really it’s yours…” cut to commercial. So uncool to use that moment as a commercial break mini cliff hanger. Other reasons aside Dean was going to be trying to kill Sam in this episode anyway you looked at it, because Cain/Abel. How many times do they have to relive this scenario? Season 1 “Faith”, “You’re not gonna let me die in peace, are you? I’m not gonna let you die at all.” How many times over the past 10 years has Sam said and shown that he will do anything, cross any line to save his brother. This is why Sam had to die. Like the bogus story Cain made up about killing his brother to ultimately save him, Dean is “saving” Sam. I also saw it coming that something would dramatically intervene to stop it. I wondered if it would be a sort of Abraham sacrificing Isaac moment, but once Death handed him the scythe the angel green room scene (5.18) just flooded into my head. Death was over there being pushy, petty, and manipulative just like Zacchariah. Just like season 5 Dean was seeming to go along with the all-knowing, higher power, authority figure telling him that only his and Sam’s sacrifice could save the world. Just like then Dean exchanged long looks with his baby brother and said, “screw you, screw destiny, here’s a finger for your dyke.” He pulled a Dean Winchester – an unplanned, instinctual action that unbelievably, against all odds manages to save the day.
Oscar the Polish boy with the eyes uncomfortably too close together. I get it. The last ingredient in the damned spell book had to be outrageous. I thought it was going pretty well with those glowing red eyes of Crowley’s, then making Cass beg, then smiting everyone in the diner until he started in on the “my mummy didn’t love me” speech not just once but again in the Rowena holding room. I thought I was going to vomit. Crowley is dead to me now, but Rowena is one stone cold witch! You go girl. That was wicked!
As for Sam bringing on the end of the world with his poor choices…again… I am so glad Dean didn’t say to Sam, “What did you do?” Like he was a bad puppy who had peed on the carpet or the shaming way an authoritarian dad might speak to his son… This is exactly what Cass said to Dean last week. Cass, you can’t speak to your friend like that. No wonder he beat you up. You and Sam have been treating him like this all season with no respect, faith, or trust. Dean would be completely righteous in saying, “I told you so.” Do you think he will? Maybe. Probably. We’ll see…
This is what the episode felt like to me:
“Okay everybody, we’re ending the show so the finale’s going to be epic and heartbreaking, the culmination of relationships, character development and storylines going back to…”
“Great news! We got renewed for Season 11!”
“…Oops.”
.
Things I wish were in the episode:
Dean interacting with people other than 1-episode guest stars.
Helena’s scene: //Dean bustling around in a pinny preparing snacks//.
Crowley being badass-ly evil instead of mommy-issues evil.
Cas being something other than an enabler/puppet.
Death calmly, yet implacably, chewing out Dean (and the writers) for killing Tessa last year. (Sorry, I may still have issues.)
That being said, I’m awed that by unleashing The Darkness, SPN has just shown that Sam and Dean’s relationship is now Bad For The World.
Seasons 1 – 7 showed Sam and Dean exercising their free will, choosing the save and trust each other, thereby saving the world from the fallout of the plans of demons and angels and Levis. Season 8 was more ambiguous, since it was their own plan that they chose to stop. But I, personally, don’t believe the world would have been better off if they had closed Hell. I think the hell-bound souls would have been indefinitely trapped in the veil the way the heaven-bound souls were in season 9, which sounds catastrophically havoc-wreaking to me. Season 9 had them defeating both Abaddon and Metatron, with most of season 10 showing them doing their best to save Dean (and the world, sort of) from the consequences of those battles.
But now, The Darkness. This is all on Sam and Dean — there were no outside influences or plans. It’s been unleashed strictly as a result of their own choices to save each other and to trust each other.
Damn, that’s a ballsy story choice — we’ve been given indications that their relationship is unhealthy for them, but we still had room to root for it, for them, for Sam&Dean. But now, I feel as though we’re being told it’s unhealthy for everyone. In the world.
Is there fun to be had in this new world order? If Chuck comes back and rips the boys a new one while rallying the forces of both Heaven and Hell to re-imprison The Darkness, then maybe.
I guess we’re all so caught up in thoughts of Sam & Dean on Mars, never tasting Oscar’s excellent brew, and tell me again why did Sam have to die that no one has yet to mention the eye-bleeding, growling, uhhmmm…zombie dog(?) that was Castiel at the end. Please someone translate Rowena’s Scottish accented Latin (Hadrian put that wall there for a reason – just sayin’) as she swept out of the room.
Tucking the codex under her arm, sweeping out of of the room, not looking back. We needed her to snap her fingers and say “Rowena out, bitches.”
Ok. My closed captions actually spelled out the Latin words: “Impetus bestiarum” – roughly, “wild beast attack.” (Isn’t that a Pokemon command?) Apparently the same spell Rowena used on the girls in her first full episode. It eventually burns up the object of the command, but will it work on Cass?
“Dele malum hoc.” Google translator: “Wipe out this evil!” Oooh, do you think he will? Honestly, one more #Mommydidntloveme and I’ll dele his malum myself.
//(Isn’t that a Pokemon command?)// I’m dying. Rowena tossing down the Pokeball and Cas popping out.
So, I’m still standing by my theory that they had been gearing up all season for this to be then end of the series.
Why? Because there was literal wheel-spinning at the end of the episode, when Baby got stuck in the mud.
My imaginary story meeting about this:
“Season 11? Season 11? They really renewed us?”
“Yep.”
“Oookay. We’ll have to take out all the irreversible death scenes. And all of the good-bye scenes. And the come-full-circle scenes…”
“But that’s the whole script…”
“Well, we have to add in the scenes that set up next season, so let’s just scribble out a first draft and then take a second pass at it. If we have time. Let’s see, we’ll need Rowena to actually succeed in removing the curse, so throw some randomly pseudo-symbolic ingredients into the mix. Also, since she survives, we need to make her more vulnerable…”
“Well nothing says ‘vulnerability’ better than an immortal Polish boy-man.”
“Ooookay. We’ll need to see if that makes still makes sense after we haven’t been panic-writing at 3am, living on stale nachos and no sleep. Oooh! We should add nachos and taquitos in the episode somewhere!”
“Brilliant!”
“What else, what else… Dean won’t have to kill Crowley or Cas anymore, so they can be helping Rowena with the spell.”
“Why would Crowley help…?”
“Because Cas asks nicely?”
“Ookay. Why would Cas be helping in the first place?”
“Because Sam unleashed his laser puppy dog eyes! No one can withstand the power of his P-DEs.”
“Yeah, but now that Dean’s not killing either of them, he won’t have scenes with anybody except Sam and Death.”
“Well then let’s put him on a case! We can show his deterioration!”
“But we’ve already shown…”
“He’ll be worse. Jensen can handle it.”
“True.”
“And next season…” *zones out* Then whispers, “All I see is darkness and despair. Oh God. I’m so tired…”
“Darkness, got it!” *scibbles*
“Huh? Wha– oh, yes. Darkness.”
Lindah15, how long have you been having these disturbingly insightful visions? Headaches? Hotflashes, I mean cold spots? Smell any rotten Danishes lately? Have you been drinking the koolaid from that attractive person with the black, yellow, red…or blue contacts?
Meet me at the abandonned Long John Silver’s outside Omaha. My friend, Dean, will fry you up some hushpuppies and take care of your problem.
It’s for the greater good…
hello. well, lets wait and see if JA is going to get a bashing in the next convention for THAT line about the dead girl…
to be honest, i was more worried about the Impala getting lodged in the mud, but then, the tree of them side-facing the evil cloud… i liked that.
From JIBCON and AHBL not a single word about the words used to describe the dead girl. Maybe because these Cons weren’t held in the US of A where fans are *sincerely* observant about any possible words or implications of Dissing us ladies?
The List of Dissing Words I read in another site included ‘finger in the Dyke’ as a disrespectful mention of gay women. Someone corrected the critics spelling to *dike* and the basic story of holding back the floods that destroy, but critic insisted the reference was intentional, sneaked in by those pesky writers. So. That’s why I stick to Sheila’s blog and all of the clever conversations here!
I have…very little to say about this episode. It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t fantastic. (Though I do love it when Dean cooks.) I’ll have to wait and see how things turn out next season to judge properly.
My only niggling question: what about Lucifer? After Cain gave the mark to Dean, he still carried the mark himself, right? If Lucifer gave it to Cain, shouldn’t Lucifer still have it? He isn’t dead, just locked away in Hell. I guess they can handwave it away because he’s an archangel and not human, so different rules apply. But still. These are things that bother me.
Can we please talk about the gorgeousness that was Death’s death scene? And the puppy eyes? And ‘close your eyes, Sammy’?
On another note, I’d say that it’s unlikely that they hadn’t planned for a season eleven- but whether they knew or not, this was always going to have many features of a series finale, just in order for the episode to have the necessary weight as the finale of the tenth season. It’s a milestone, and I, personally, found it satisfying.
Minor quibble: seems somewhat too coincidental that café dude from last episode just happens to be the only person Rowena ever loved. Plus Crowley’s whole abandonment issues monologue was almost too much. But for the grace of Mark Sheppard, it would have been. Though there were interesting echoes of ‘Sacrifice’. Even more interesting considering that Crowley wasn’t shot up with human blood this time.
I don’t understand killing Death. He was always good to them, helping to restore Sam’s soul even after Dean failed the Reaper-For-A-Day test. Honoring them by showing up to reap Sam in person. Telling them how to put the rings together to battle Lucifer.
I don’t think Death is really dead. Did he make Sauron’s mistake and put most of his power into a token, the scythe? Nah.
I think that instead of one brother having a lot of guilt at the start of the season, both will have a ton of it (deservedly). Assuming The Darkness doesn’t just destroy them and SPN becomes Crowley-vs-Rowena: Scorpions In A Bottle – Freudian Version. Or Rowena versus The Darkness: Whoever Wins, We Lose.
I think Dean killed Death because Death said that if Dean didn’t kill Sam, he would. But yes, Death was a great ally for them. It’s a shame, he was a great character. I suppose everyone really does die on this show.
As for the scythe, that was set up in Season Five, in Two Minutes To Midnight, when Crowley gave Dean Death’s scythe and told him it was the only thing that could kill Death.
Seems to have got a lot bigger in the meantime, tho.
Not to mention rustier.
//that was set up in Season Five//
Thanks, I’d forgotten. I’m still not convinced he’s dead, but I can see why Dean would believe it. And maybe he is – I guess there’d still be reapers without a boss and that people could be shepherded to wherever they deserved for the next life. I wonder if that would make for power struggles among reapers like we saw among angels.
I’m sticking to my guns (like hot cheese on a pizza) that Dean was wrong to kill Death. It made a mockery of all of Sam’s “you’re a good person” pleading with Dean, for him to kill someone who had only ever helped them. Yes, Death was going to reap Sam if Dean didn’t – but that was just a term in the deal that Dean had asked for. Dean could have just said that he didn’t like the terms and then walked away. Like good, decent people do when they can’t negotiate an agreement.
It was in the pizza restaurant scene – where they eat deep pan pizza … I can see why you’d remember the pizza rather than the scythe though.
As Ben Franklin almost said, pizza is a sign that God loves us and wants us to be happy.
Totally agree about Dean being wrong to kill Death, but I can’t quite regret it since it did make an awesome scene.
Will definitely miss Death though. Such a great character.
Not actually a coinkydink. Pretty sure “Oscar, the immortal, Polish boy” is the name Crowly got from necklace wearing hamster when he was trying to find something he could use to hurt Rowena. I suspect he only agreed to help so he could watch Rowena suffer over having to kill her beloved Pole.
We were definitely required to get the mat out for the mental gymnastics on this episode. 9.8 for difficulty of routine from the Polish judge.
Well, I just intended to say the same – no coincidence: “hamster told me”. But in regards to the Polish boy (I do not think he was her BOYFRIEND, she apparently loved the child and didn’t meet him as a grown up man) – as a Polish girl I find it somewhat slightly offensive (well maybe just off) that the only Polish man on the show would be so … unhandsome and unclever, and awkward… I will always stick to Jared being Polish, really, to make up for that offense :)
//unhandsome and unclever, and awkward…//
Yes, Asia, but don’t forget…he makes the best coffee ever, even roasts his own beans. ;)
It took him 300 years to learn to make that coffee! The choice of career speaks volumes….
Anyway, I loved the finale, especially Dean’s self-hate in that motel room and, you know… “Sammy, close your eyes”
Didn’t Death seem manipulative in making Dean kill Sam? I suspect some intrigue here.
Isn’t Death older than God? Doesn’t that make Death the representation of the Darkness that was before? I have to think about it…
I am curious where they will go from here.
Oh, I see. Thanks for clarifying.
Apropos of Death and his love of fine dining…
Friday night is pizza night chez mutecypher: I usually make, occasionally buy. I have a lot of experience making “regular” pizza. I watched Death’s first episode a few months back and vowed I would learn to make a deep dish pizza. I found this recipe, which I think makes an excellent crust and tells you how to assemble the deep dish style (cheese goes directly on the crust, then sauce on top.)
http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/12/31/how-to-make-chicago-style-deep-dish-pizza/
I don’t think she’s as clear as she ought to be about how the half the butter goes into the mix and the other half is used later after you first roll out the crust, but other than that, it’s easy to follow. I had never used the ‘pre-heat the oven then turn it off and put the dough in for rising’ trick before, but it does seem to get consistent results. The sauce recipe uses onions, and I’m not a fan. If anyone is interested I can post my own sauce recipe. Or you can search for others if you don’t have one of your own.
If anyone wants to try making rather than buying…
I don’t have any good recipes for Mexican food.
//vowed I would learn to make a deep dish pizza.//
As God is my witness, I’ll never go without Deep Dish Pizza again!
As tangents go this is pretty amazing.
‘Cooking with Death.’ I like it!
//Friday night is pizza night chez mutecypher//
Saturday does not dare show its face at our house without crusty, hot, cheesy goodness the night before. I will seriously try your recipe because the crust is the key (there must also be a lock…oh, sorry). We recently discovered pizza on the grill – delicious and fun for the family on a summertime Friday night. Do you think they have a grill at the bunker?
I’ve never grilled mine, I’ll have to give that a try.
Any tips for grilling? Do you grill it in the pizza pan, or just put it on a sheet of aluminum foil? Or….
We make individual pizzas outside on the Weber a lot. About 8-9 inches across, put them right on the grill, no foil or pan, and pull them off with a large spatula.
Okay, thanks!
Paula is right, individuals are best. Cook lightly on one side, then flip and put your toppings on. Close lid to melt cheese. We usually use fresh chunks of buffo mozzarella for this. No mistakes. Yum. Enjoy.
well, another honest moment. two lines from different scripts and seasons represents this ten years of spn for me. ” i am proud of us” and ” and one day, when you find your way back let this be your guide”.
Just remembered a scene/shot that I liked — Dean pulling his weapon on the teenage kiss who was following him. The angle of that was great; head-on, with the gun barrel and Dean’s face center screen and both in focus.
I need to find a nice clear screen grab of that. For reasons.
Damned auto-correct. That should say “teenage KID”.
Love this shot too. That change in focus and feeling of motion reminds me of Cas punching Gadreel in the face in Road Trip last year, which was one of my favorites. Serge LaDouceur is incredible.
Dean and guns is always a good thing. He needs a gun holster in Season 11 like in The End. Please writers, if you are reading this and we can’t have Dean in space, give them gun holsters!
I feel like we missed a scene where Death explains why Sam must die to Dean. They jumped from Death saying that he could send Dean away to “I have to kill you Sam”. Where was the bridge for that huge gap? Even under the influence of the mark, I can’t see Dean going for that so easily.
I thought the whole thing was pretty weak. Good to see Death though and glad to see Dean offering him crappy food as an offering. Love that continuity. All in all though, felt it was pretty dashed-together and sloppy. Introducing two new characters only to have them both die, as plot-points? In a finale? Sloppy.
Good mirror scene though. Loved how gross the motel was, no frills, no funny decor, just … nothing-ness. And JP’s acting was superb, as it always is. Pure emotion.
Overall, have enjoyed Season 10 very much! Finale was weak, but whatever, I’m not in this thing for the taut perfectly-managed cliffhangers. I’m in it for the emotion and the psychology.
Haven’t gone through and read all your comments yet – but I will!! I’ve been avoiding you all desperately until I had a chance to watch the episode. :)
I start a new job this coming week at the New York Times, and the hiring process is as complicated as joining the CIA, I imagine, so I’ve been bogged down.
I’ll get back to re-caps eventually – which I prefer (as opposed to talking about current episodes as they happen in real time – there’s a reason I started “re-caps” at the beginning and have no interest in “re-capping” current episodes). I like having more time to think about things, and discuss things without the urgency of an actual season going on. Just a personal preference.
Anyway, off to see Mad Max – CAN’T WAIT – but will catch up with your comments later. Very excited to read them all.
Good luck with the new job! Wow, New York Times – congratulations definitely due. Wishing you all the best.
Wow, congratulations on the new job, that is awesome!!!
Can’t wait untill you get back to doing the recaps (so many awesome/favorite episodes coming up!), but no pressure of course :). Good things can’t be rushed.
Congrats on seeing Mad Max!!!!! Ha ha and also the job!!
I CAN’T WAIT for this movie. I’m having heart palpitations!!!
New York Times! That’s so cool. Congratulations!
Congrats on NYT and new job! That’s great news.
Congratulations on your new job!
Okay, LOL to that gif. Dying ….
Congrats on the job!
Congratulations on the new job!! And I can’t wait to read what you think of Mad Max!
Congrats on the new job! Let us know what you think of Mad Max.
Oh wow….congratulations on the new job Sheila!!
Thank you everyone!!
I’m happy to have a job (outside of my freelance writing, that is). And the team I’ll be working with seems really nice and I’m excited to work in that building – just to see what it’s like.
I had sent someone there my resume back in March – there wasn’t even a job opening – I was just searching around desperately – and it all just came through this past week. So it’s worth it to just ask the question: “Hey, are you all hiring??”
And y’all: Mad Max. Honestly. So good. George Miller, who brought us … Babe: Pig in the City … has come onto the scene and made an action film that shows all these other whippersnappers how it’s done.
The visuals! Extraordinary. It’s pure action. Charlize Theron is an iconic movie star – gives an iconic performance – she’s like a Clint Eastwood type here, or Gary Cooper … a grizzled dirty broad driving a tanker with only one arm – swallowing her emotions to get the job done.
And Elvis’ grand-daughter is in it! Riley Keough. Instantly recognizable – a carbon copy of her mother, that’s for sure … but you can see Elvis everywhere in her strong beautiful face.
I absolutely loved it, and LOVED the female element – the element that is driving the whiny bitch MRAs insane. Wait until you see it. And the presence of women does not diminish Max’s power. At all. But Max ends up teaming up with a group of women – ranging in age from 17 to 70. It’s not just hot young babes – it’s the full spectrum of womanhood. Careening through the desert fighting off attacks from every side.
You guys, it’s so so good!
and if you don’t know about the MRAs rage about what “the wimmen-folk” have done to Mad Max, then consider yourself lucky!
I haven’t read what they have to say (the MRA’s), but I remember in “The Road Warrior” the plot is the same. The quest is not Max’s; he ends up with a group of people he helps in exchange for gas. Here he ends up helping a group of people in exchange for his life. Either way, Max doesn’t drive the plot.
I remember “The Road Warrior” because I must have seen it a million times, but I don’t remember the original “Mad Max”. It wasn’t as good, so I don’t remember if the plot structure was the same.
// The quest is not Max’s; he ends up with a group of people he helps in exchange for gas. Here he ends up helping a group of people in exchange for his life. Either way, Max doesn’t drive the plot. //
That’s exactly right! He is support-staff to others – that’s kind of the “thing” of the character. Mad Max in this film probably has, oh, 10 lines total?? He’s still a huge figure, but it is Theron’s movie, totally. And the two of them make an unbelievable team.
I can’t tally the number of times I laughed in astonishment! And the rest of the time my jaw was on the floor — I couldn’t believe the pace unrelenting impact of the action. I kept waiting for the rest stops in vain. Astounding.
That little thumbs up, it was in the trailer and I had noticed it as weird but in the movie it had me rolling.
YES, the thumbs up!! Awesome!
I was laughing out loud too. The guys on those bendy pole-vaults, coming down like hellfire?? The dude with the electric guitar?
Congratulations about your job. I’m new to this site but have worked my way through most of your recaps and am enjoying them hugely.
Thank you!!
Congrats on the job!
Hi, Sheila–just popping in to say congratulations on the job–it sounds so exciting! And to echo everyone’s thanks for your blog in general and for having this space in particular. It has been a bumpy, but overall good year–for me, and for the show, and it has been wonderful, having this place to come to.
The Times. So iconic. I’m really happy for you.
I feel a little selfish like the kids when Mom goes back to work. But, Mom, you won’t have time for us anymore (puppydog eyes).
I will sustain myself through the hiatus with the recaps (I am still in season 1). Like you, I do also enjoy the long view.
Thanks, Sheila!
// I feel a little selfish like the kids when Mom goes back to work. But, Mom, you won’t have time for us anymore (puppydog eyes). //
Melanie – hahaha!! You crack me up.
Believe me, I am itching to get back to re-caps!! Roadkill up next!
what a lovely surprise to have “our sheila” back on . congratulations for the future job. i hope that there is a chance to read your column on the web.
Well, to be fair, I write on my site every day about all kinds of topics, not just Supernatural. I haven’t gone anywhere, I’ve been here all along. :)
Thanks for the good wishes. I’m excited!
i know you were in your site, but i miss you when i don’t see your posts here.
:) Thanks.
Eee! Congratulations Sheila!
FWIW from here in the peanut gallery, I admire your clarity and POV. So congrats to them for hiring you, too!
Thank you so much!!
Thank you, all! It’s not a writing job, it’s more editorial – and it’s also just for one project. A project that will last months but still … Hopefully it will lead to other things. This spring has been pretty hair-raising in terms of the lack of funds. Like, bad. Exacerbated by my health issues. The job pays super-well. So I’m thrilled. I also can’t wait to work in the NY Times building. Just to see what the culture is like there!! Very happy about it.
MAD MAX is OUT OF CONTROL. SO GOOD.
If you’re going to see it, see it in a multiplex – you need to see this thing big.
Pure exhilaration. With a huge and emotional heart.
Yay, Mad Max. Honestly, it was the MRA piece that fired me up about this film – my reaction, I HAVE GOT TO SEE THIS PIECE OF FEMINIST PROPAGANDA ;-) So have managed to organise a family outing to see it tomorrow.
I loved Glenn Kenny’s piece on it:
http://somecamerunning.typepad.com/some_came_running/2015/05/mad-max-fury-road.html
I think he’s quite right – that this is a submerged and subversive feminism. Tricky, almost. Theron never has to prove herself and never faces anyone doubting her abilities because she’s a woman. That just does not exist in this world. Or, it does – and it did for her – but at the time the film starts she has clawed her way far out of that. She is a leader, a warrior.
However, the sexism on display in other characters’ lives is of the brutal primeval kind (women being the pawns in any huge life-or-death struggle, due to their reproductive capacities). So that is definitely there in the film (and it makes me frightened that MRAs are pissed about it. Do they want to live in Saudi Arabia? This isn’t about uppity broads giving men a hard time about cleaning up their stinky socks. This is about chaining women to the wall and making them sex slaves. Like … being AGAINST that isn’t feminist, necessarily. It’s humanist, guys. Come on.)
But yes, it’s so awesome that there isn’t one moment included of some man being like “Hey, you’re just a woman” – and then having Theron have to PROVE how great she is. The obligatory “I’m a woman and I can kick ass too” bullshit. Like, leave that shit OUT and see what ELSE might be possible. George Miller leaves that dynamic OUT and in its place we get some fascinating great stuff.
There simply isn’t time for anything other than life-or-death survival.
Late but heartfelt congratulations on the new job. Looking forward to à new recap.
I enjoyed the finale but on second viewing there is a lack of urgency in the first half. However I wouldn’t give up Deans scene in that awful motel room for anything. I knew Death punched his ticket when he threatened Sammy. I hope the writers bring us some honest to god scary stuff next season.