Supernatural: Pre-Finale Preoccupation

A few days ago, I put up three clips from the season finale of Supernatural and the comments came in by the bucket load. It wasn’t the number that surprised us, it was the length and intensity of the comments. So, in an effort to find a middle ground between the sides (and there are more than two at this point), we went to our favorite Supernatural guest poster Liana for a few final words.

Supernatural — Pre-Finale Preoccupation Part I

by Liana B.  (mousitsa@sbcglobal.net)

(Spoiler warning? nah, not really… other than the description provided by the network, we members of the SFA — SpoilerFreaks Anonymous — have been in serious withdrawal going into the finale.  Speculation will run rampant, though!  And keep in mind that points are generalities; your views will most likely differ. Part I covers the players, Part II covers the issues.)

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.

Come back tomorrow for Part Two of Liana’s insightful pre-show look at Supernatural.

The CW©2009 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.