Supernatural: The End Review
October 2, 2009 by Cynthia
Dean Winchester may seem like a gung-ho, guns blasting, kinda guy, but compared to his future self, he’s Mr. Rodgers. There are no beautiful days in this neighbor now that Lucifer has decimated the world with the Croatoan virus — or maybe, (to quote a classic) we did it to ourselves.
Last night’s episode of Supernatural was my favorite so far this season as the regulars got to stretch their acting muscles by playing alternate versions of themselves. Much of the heavy lifting went to poor Jensen Ackles who is becoming a victim of his own talent. After wowing the audience when he faced off with a demonic version of himself in Dream a Little Dream of Me, the writers threw him an even tougher challenge. Instead of one scene, this was half an episode and instead of playing a drastically different Dean, he had to play one that has only marginally changed — and yes, that’s tougher because it’s all about the nuisances.
Want to see Jensen Ackles at his best? Watch him plead with Dean to say ‘yes’ to becoming Micheal’s vessel. The layers of pain and regret and anguish are all there. Add to that the fact that Jensen had to deliver that speech to a stand-in (possibly his stunt double as per Jensen’s comments at the recent Vancouver Con) and that’s one heck of a performance.
Future Dean is broken. He’s shut down cold so he thinks nothing of torturing a demon for information and barely sweats walking his friends into an ambush so he can get his one shot at Lucifer.
Oh Lucifer, hanging out in the very young and innocent looking body of Sam Winchester. We saw that one coming but what we still don’t know is the why. Why did Sam finally say ‘yes’ to being Lucifer’s prom dress?
What we do know is that in this reality, the last time Sam and Dean spoke was when Dean told Sam they were better off apart, permanently. That their bond, be it love or family loyalty, was the chink in their armor and it was going to get them killed.
HEAVEN MUST BE MISSING AN ANGEL
The other stellar job award for Supernatural: The End, goes to Misha Collins. His hippie version of future Castiel was brilliant and it was great to see him playing some different notes after a season of being stiff and stone-faced. The key, however, is in the fact that we still saw some of Castiel in there, or maybe it was more of Jimmy — but it was completely believable that the man we saw standing on that dark street waiting for daylight, was this man waiting for either an orgy or a massacre to begin.
The performance I wasn’t so sold on was Jared Padalecki as Lucifer’s vessel. I know a lot of you thought he was at the top of his game but I’m not going to agree. People said he was great because it was all Lucifer and no Sam and that’s why I think it wasn’t great. We needed to see Sam. Like Dean, I wasn’t moved by his sympathy for the devil speech, but I might have been moved if I had seen some of Sam in the story. I think that Lucifer’s story about being tossed out of heaven by a father he loved too much is Sam all over again.
Why did Sam and John butt heads so often? Because Sam loved his father so much that in his own eyes he couldn’t ever be good enough. Sam couldn’t compete with Dean, whom he thought was the preferred son. John is God, Sam is Lucifer and Dean stands for the human race. I wanted to see that parallel, but all I saw was another Big Bad facing off against Dean Winchester. This isn’t all on Jared, of course, it’s in the writing and directing as well.
Circling back around to the beginning:
The phone conversation between Sam and Dean – heartbreaking. I was surprised that Sam told Dean the truth about Lucifer, not surprised that Dean didn’t react. He’s on empty and a volcano could erupt across the street and he’d simply go move the Impala away from the lava flow.
Zachariah — I’m getting tired of him. I liked him initially, but now it feels like an endless game that Dean can’t win because Zach has magical powers on his side. He should know by now that the more he badgers Dean, the more he’s going to resist. Zach needs a new plan and he needs to be absent for a few episodes so I can learn to miss him.
The special effects – I’m fascinated by how they did the double Deans. In the past, it would have been a split screen but this looked more like a greenscreen digital kind of thing. The small moment that killed me was when future dean put two glasses on the table one further from his hand, one closer. In an old split screen, he’d have to grab the closer one because that would be the only one actually there in his frame. But he reaches across and grabs the further glass with past Dean reaching across the midline to get the glass on furthest from him. As I understand split screens, you can’t cross the midline because you’d be reaching into a spot on the film that will be cut away when you film the reverse. Probably making a bigger deal out of it than it was but I just spent hours reviewing the Patty Duke Show which is all split screen so it caught my eye.
The Future — I bow down to the production designers, wardrobe crew and the music supervisor. When Dean woke up in the future I thought hmm, he’s in Alec’s apartment in Dark Angel. Could be, it’s all Jerry Wanek.
Then, when he looks out the window at the devastation, that was like a scene from a movie. The film feeling continued all through Dean’s exploration, from the creepy kid to the mob attack. The quick cuts and the long, wide shots aren’t things you normally see on TV.
If you’re a Planet of the Apes fan, listen to the music cue as the mob first comes around the corner in the alley. It’s that same, primal, jungle drums sound and I loved it. The rest of that scene is masterfully directed and edited. The second best music cue is “Do You Love Me” pouring out of the rebel army vehicles as they swoop in for the slaughter. It was very Vietnam.
What we didn’t get, that I was expecting, was more interaction with the Croats. I expected this to be more of hide and seek episode, constantly ducking the dangers. We heard about the horrors of living in this new world (hoard toilet paper) but I thought we’d see more.
On the lighter side, I loved the entire exchange with Risa (Lexa Doig), her accusing him of sleeping around, Dean’s ‘did I’ to Chuck and then following up on that idea in the group meeting later on. And can we talk about the whole Rachel and the pink panties bit? I guess that means most of the kinky fan fic just went from fanon to canon! Oh, I love my show.
The final scene was as awkward and emotional as any reunion on Supernatural could be. Did you see Sam flinch when Dean pulled out that knife? Trust issues remain and I imagine it won’t be smooth sailing because this is Supernatural. But hearing Dean say he was wrong was a huge step in the right direction. Now they need to find a way to make that brother bond work for them and not against them.
And they need to hug. Curse you, Kripke.
Next week it’s the case of the killer Paris Hilton. That’s hot. Supernatural airs Thursdays at 9:00 on The CW.
Photo: David Gray/The CW ©2009 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Cynthia – i just wanted to say that i really look forward to reading your reviews. they are always a fair mix of praise and criticism!
i really liked this one too and explains my reason for always taping this show b/c this is one i definitely want to see AGAIN! i like to sit back and enjoy the story instead of focusing on watching the clock to see how much screen time each character gets
Overall, the episode was my favorite this season. The change of pace was nicely done, and it had some resolution to the Dean Sam split. Castiel with his harem was absolutely hilarious. Full review of the episode.
http://th3tvobsessed.blogspot.com/2009/10/review-supernatural-season-5-episode-3.html
I disagree entirely with your feelings on Jared as Lucifer, it wasn’t supposed to be Sam at all, he’s supposed to be a vessel being ridden by Lucifer, of course it wouldn’t be any of Sam in that, if you wanted to see Sam then it suggests you want him to be evil.
I am pretty underwhelmed and sick of Castiel’s pointless inclusion in every episode so I have to disagree with you there too.
And i was for the most part more bored in this ep than of any of the other three this season, it seemed a bit redundant and unneeded resting on props and two Jensens to teach Dean something he should have already known by now.
The only saving grace for me was the ending, because the reunion of Sam and Dean is overdue, but I’m afraid I had a completely different reaction to you. It’s probably my least favorite and Jensen’s batman voice is getting kind of old fast. Times by two it was entirely too much to take.
Elaine – thanks for the read, I get a little geeky over the details sometimes but there’s just so much to see in an episode of Supernatural.
Rhea — happy to have your comments. I knew my opinion of Jared’s Lucifer wouldn’t be a popular stand but I tried to be very fair in my reasoning. Just the way I saw it vs. how you saw it. Always glad to see a variety of opinions so keep ‘em coming!
Cynthia, great review! I agree completely that Jensen and Misha knocked it out of the park. They were wonderful! However, I disagree about Jared. I think he was fabulous too, and he looked great!
I can never get tired of Zach! Kurt Fuller is amazing, and he always gets thwarted by Dean and Cas, so that’s fun. And Rob Benedict is always a welcome presence.
All in all, a terrific episode that’s part of a terrific season.
I can’t agree with you about Sam as Lucifer. Padalecki perfectly echoed Pellegrino’s Lucifer. Why *should* there have been any of Sam left? Sam had given up. Once you give up to the devil, is there any of you left? Would there be? Both brothers were destroyed emotionally. Dean acted out and Sam caved in. I found it perfect. I love that the “new Cas” demonstrated just how much Cas doesn’t want to be human. He never did. Cas gave up, too. The future was desolate. Bravo, show. If you’re a fan of *both* brothers, this episode was a feast, from the brutal beginning to the tentative reunion. It was all earned. And you know what? It’s okay for Dean to have a friend (Cas) outside the family who he really cares about, too. That doesn’t detract from the show. It makes it better. Watch Farscape, Rhea. It excelled at the alternate pairings that ultimately enhanced the main “couple,” Jon/Aeryn. Cas isn’t Sam’s enemy. He’s not going to take Sam’s place.
Yes I did see Sam flinch when Dean pulled out the knife.
I also think there was much much more in Dean’s eyes, when Sam said, “I guess we have no choice.” He is going to be thinking about those choices a lot more carefully now.
He knows one of those choices could be to kill Sam. Which is what his dad had told him in the first place.
I agree… Best ep. so far.
Z
I can’t agree with your opinion of Jared’s Lucifer. It makes no sense that there should have been something of Sam in there, Sam is gone and that is as it should be. How could Sam have come through? I could understand if you had some other issue with it but this one is a pretty unfair criticism to lay on the actor, when it would have been wrong to have seen Sam in Lucifer. The whole time he was talking to Dean it did feel like Dean talking to another big bad, which is entirely what it should have been. Of course you are entitled to your opinion but I think that in this case you are wrong. Yes it does bother me that you would praise the hell out of Jensen and Misha and then knock Jared for something he actually did right.
Sorry Cynthia, I should probably have waited a bit before commenting after reading your review. Its your opinion and of course its not up to me to say its wrong, just that I disagree. Lets pretend thats what I said.
HI CYNTHIA!!! ALWAYS IT IS A PLEASURE TO READ YOU!!! I AGREE WITH YOUR IN ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU SAID. YOU ARE COMPLETE RIGHT! I GLAD THE WAY YOU WRITE. JUST THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS AND THE SAME TO ME CAME TO MY MIND HOW THEY DO THE SCENE WITH THE TWO DEANS? MMM INTERESTING! FOR A SHOW WITH LOW BUDGET! SEE EYOU
This reality is created by Zachariah. Sam’s motivation or why he gave his sympathy to the devil is irrelevant to this particular episode and still big question mark because its not real, its not Sam, its zachariah vision of Lucifer in Sam’s body. Actually the epsiode doesnt have purpose at all since zachariah is also not reliable source. Why he insist of Dean to agree to become Michael’s vessel BEFORE Lucifer found body to posses? In premiere Zachariah even threatened to kill Sam, had he known now that Sam is the ultimate vessel, shouldnt Zachariah squashed Sam now?why Dean as Michael vessel is the only way?
I have to be honest that I was so distracted by how beautiful Jared looks in white suit that it slipped my mind to concentrate on his acting. I , like anybody else was so very afraid that Jared will make Sam look odd in white. But what a pleasant sight he is. And I understand why Lucifer so insitent in wanting Sammy. You are right. Sam is looking so young, so innocent with dewy eyes. He is so mesmerizing. Maybe Dean still not sold to Lucifer plight, but he couldnt bring himself to kill that beautiful supernatural god. sorry fangirl moment.
I usually blame actor if the performance is not as satisfying, but MAYBE you are right about the writing. I think, to make us sympathy to Lucifer SHOULD NOT about how human destroy the world, which is why, like Dean, I also not sold to Lucifer’s plight, but if Lucifer put what Sam went through RIGHT BEFORE he gave in. How human kind destroy eachother BEFORE the VIRUS maybe I would sold the idea that mankind should just be destroyed by the virus.
And, yes this episode is the best out of four that we have for season 5 as a stand alone, but if it tied to the arc, like I said, has no purpose because: PresentDean STILL couldnt bring himself to kill LuciSam, instead he wanted LuciSam killed him even after witnessing his futureself’s head crushed. As if Dean hasnt learn the “lesson”.This experience also led Dean to believe that Sam is weak, without him Sam will be taken away by Lucifer, and he will rein Sam back again.So yeah another thing to ponder.
My favorit part of two Dean is when PresentDean asked about Sam, and that they didnt talk for 5 years. Very Sam I think, that he severe his tie with his family once his family cut him off. He didnt even ask for help when things get tough. I mean in season one he didnt even pick the phone ( according to Dean)
“Want to see Jensen Ackles at his best? Watch him plead with Dean to say ‘yes’ to becoming Micheal’s vessel. The layers of pain and regret and anguish are all there. Add to that the fact that Jensen had to deliver that speech to a stand-in (possibly his stunt double as per Jensen’s comments at the recent Vancouver Con) and that’s one heck of a performance.”
Jensen Ackles OWNED this episode! He was outstanding in portraying a future Dean who is hardened and battle-worn. Jensen played him as an emotionally spent soldier, which was a perfect contrast to present Dean, who still wears his emotions on his sleeve, as he showed in his emotional confrontation with Lucifer. And then playing off “himself” (his stunt double, I believe), really shows how talented he is! And I love the scenes between Jensen and Kurt Fuller (Zach) too. Jensen and Misha have amazing chemistry as well. Future Cas was hilarious, but I agree with Dean, I much prefer present Cas.
Jared doesn’t have the range that Jensen has, but I thought he was okay as Lucifer. Although there were times when it seemed like he was struggling not to laugh, which was strange. Maybe it was the disco suit was distracting him? I know it distracted me!
**Imaluvjerry, said: “I usually blame actor if the performance is not as satisfying, but MAYBE you are right about the writing.” **
I think it’s very interesting that you (yes, I’ve seen you comment before) have no problem blaming Jensen if you feel he hasn’t risen above poor writing in an episode, but when it’s Jared, of course you agree that his performance suffered because of the writing. Double standard, yes? And it’s quite clear that Ben Edlund is the BEST writer this show has. Hand’s down, THE BEST. So I don’t agree that writing is the issue with this episode.
Thanks for the great review, Cynthia!
Hi!
I just joined this group tonight, and I have to say “WOW!” This is, by far, the most exciting group I’ve joined (and I’m a member of over 100!).
I have watched Sueprnatural since Day 1. Have any of you wondered where ArchAngel Michael is? I mean, Zachariah has asked Dean numerous times to loan him his body; but is Michael aware of this; or is Michael siding with Zachariah? (I hope not).
Also, I was so glad that they finally put the Angels in this show!!! I mean, it’s always been about demons and bad things, but never Angels! I loved it.
Yes, I am concerned about that look on Sam’s face when Dean game him the knife. I hope that Lucifer isn’t in his skin already, I would be sooooo angry.
I think Cas is awesom. So far, he has stayed true to his Father. I thought they were going to look for God. Does anyone know anything about this (I love spoilers).
By the way, your reviews and postings here are excellent. And, I certainly hope that this show will go on to a Season 6!
Thank you for letting me ramble!
Pam
Cynthia, I have got to say that you are the best writer of reviews of this show so far. Most are are written in a garbled, unorganized manner and are full of typos. I really appreciate your opinions because they are well thought out. I do agree with you, and Chris, that jensen owned this episode. He is probably the most overlooked actor out there right now. However, I do disagree that Jared should have shown more in Lucifer. I believe that once you are ‘taken’ as a vessel, you are only a ‘meat suit’ to whoever is possessing you. You’re ‘inside screaming’ as Meg once said, although you might be able to fight your way through it as John once did or Bobby did. But if someone as powerful as Lucifer took your body, I doubt you could do much of anything. Look at how Raphael put that mechanic’s body into a vegetative state after possessing him in the previous episode. Cass himself said that it would be much worse for Dean when his turn came up, and it’s actually Dean’s destiny to be a vessel.
Jared is not the best actor in the show, but he’s gotten better for sure. I do believe, though, that he did a stellar job as Lucifer because he only crinkled up his nose the way he does when he’s trying to be emotional only once or twice at one point only. The rest of the time he had Lucifer’s character down cold. I would almost hazard to guess that the actor who plays Lucifer acted the part out for him before hand to imitate in the scene, because I don’t think Jared could have done that otherwise. His version of Meg back in season 2 was not very good at capturing her sassiness at all. But while I believe that Jensen could carry this show on his own, the two brothers and their relationship are what make it TV gold. I would miss Sam, and I don’t think he has to worry about Cass replacing him. He and Dean are bonded the way soldiers bond in the field. Nothing can break that.
Keep your terrific reviews coming, girl!
Hello Chris, thank you for even bother to read my comment.
As you read in my previous comment I said “MAYBE”. The keyword is maybe. Maybe yes, maybe no.So I still give room for blaming Jared’s performance. Thats big difference. If ever Jared’s performance sucks, I would say that his performance sucks. Promise that.LOL.
Like I said in another part of my comment, I was so distracted by how beautiful LuciSam is, and how my mind went to the previous episode instantly that Luci only wanted Sam as his meatsuit. and you have to admit, even FutureDean couldnt bring himself to kill the handsome Devil. So, Lucisam still effective, yeah? Not by his word, but by his look?
I totally agree with Chris and Di ! They have said everything
The episode was great great great ! Wow Jensen was awesome and personally I liked Dean vs Evil Sam scene . Cas have made me smile and laugh , I really love the friendship between Dean and Cas , they are so cute to watch together ! Ben is really a great writer , I am impatient to see the next episode he will write or have written for this season ! I’ve read Sammy would not be there for a lot of time but I think we saw him quite long . I don’t know why Sam’s girls complained (but they are always whining anyway)
Great ep. Great show . Great Jensen . Great Misha . And Jared was pretty good (don’t throw stones at me)
Now Paris and Gandhi !
I loved your take on the production of the two Dean’s. I at first tried to “see” how they where doing it. Then, I just sat back and watched because it was done so well.
JP’s Lucifer wasn’t my favorite either. While, I did like him in the last scene.
Great review Cynthia. This was my favorite episode too. I thought both Jensen and Misha gave outstanding performances. I felt JP was a little uneven at first but then he seemed to get his confidence back and he was fine. I think you’re right that there was a bit of problem with the dialogue in that scene. It went on far too long and I was kinda bored by the end. But overall, I think Edlund did a great job with the script and any problems I have with Lucifer probably have more to do with the direction that Kripke is taking with the character. Pellegrino’s Lucifer is better than Jared’s but still hasn’t really wowed me either.
Anyway, I always enjoy reading your reviews and I appreciate your honesty. It’s become kind of rare in this fandom, I think.
Sam as Lucifer more scary than Nick, but I want good, flawed trying to redeem himself Sam Back! No sympathy for Luci but doing an excellent job of telling the truth just enough to get you to his thinking. Temptation is always there, we have to be strong enough to resist.
I say this in response to your comments. The fact that there was no Sam in Lucifer made complete sense to me. Once Sam let Lucifer in the Sam we knew was dead. There would be no room left with Lucifer wearing Sam to the prom.
ared stepped up to the plate on this epi doing a convincing Luci even tho his screen time was short. Jared has become one very fine actor. Jensen as usual knocked it out of the solar system…again. What I admire most with Jensen is his abiliby to play both Deans…they are so different but you still see “Dean” in both. Kudos to Jared and Jensen. And writers…Luci Sam and Dean as said really really fine writing.
While the moral of the story was supposed to be that Dean needs to let Michael take over his body, Dean got another idea. Instead, he now realizes that he cannot allow Sam to do this, so the brothers need to reunite. The secret isn’t keeping the world safe from Lucifer, it’s keeping Sam safe from Lucifer.
I don’t think Dean and Sam are ok. They still have lots of issues to resolveand it’s going to take time for them to find their relationship again, never the same as it was but a relationship none the less. I like to think in time with each other they will be stronger together.
Read a post asking: What if Sam is already possessed by Lucifer. Future Luci tells Dean09 no matter what choices you make you will always end up here. Tnat is chilling. Sam was left hurt and alone when Dean hung up on him. Zack said Dean09 would be in 2014 for 3 days. What was Sam doing before Dean called him again to meet him? Dean14 said Sam said yes in Detroit.” What is that’s where Sam was before hooking up with Dean???
I don’t want to think about that scenario (oh god no) but sounds like something Kripke would do to shake things up.
Nitewoman
Cynthia – Good review. I agree with the other comments though, about why there wasn’t more of Sam in Lucifer. That said, that turn as Lucifer wasn’t my favorite bit of acting from Jared. It wasn’t bad, just not what I personally was looking for. I thought Jensen did a good job, but I am past ready for the Batman!voice to die. More talking, less growling. Future!Castiel was far more amusing than I expected, except for the orgy line; hated that. And Chuck! Seeing Chuck was awesome.
tavore – “I’ve read Sammy would not be there for a lot of time but I think we saw him quite long . I don’t know why Sam’s girls complained (but they are always whining anyway)”
Nice. Clearly making snide remarks about your fellow fans is apparently still socially acceptable. Was Sam even in this episode for two minutes? He had the phone call in the beginning, and the bit at the end, and that was it. Jared had a little more screen time than that, but there was no Sam in Lucifer. Still, I doubt Jared made 10 minutes on this one. I’d be surprised if he broke 5 minutes, actually, but I have no idea what the time actually was. I guess it never occurred to you that Samgirls might actually have some legitimate complaints? And that’s why they “whine” so much? Clearly an episode that had no Sam would still have plenty of him for you, and you’re entitled to your opinion. But let’s can it with the whining remarks, can’t we? It’s needlessly antagonistic and sarcastic.
I thought Jared did an excellent job of portraying Lucifer (or Samifer, as I dubbed him in my review). He actually DID remind me of Sam when he spoke so gently, the way Sam does when speaking to children he’s trying to convince. I was thinking about Sam’s conversation with the ghost-boy last season, the one he had to lie to–the Sam who was being turned to the dark side by Ruby. I have no doubt whatsoever that Dean saw a glimmer of his little brother in Samifer. Not much, mind you, but then again, a huge presence like Lucifer probably does take over most of the vessel once it’s taken it over.
I loved Misha’s stoner Castiel and Dean’s double duty as both Past and Future Dean, but I didn’t find any misstep in Jared’s performance as Lucifer. He was perfect. I give kudos to all the actors in this episode, including poor Chuck, urging Dean to horde toilet paper. Love, Robin