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Supernatural: Lucifer Rising

Dean: "You can take your peace and shove it up your lily-white ass. Because I'll take the pain and the guilt. I'll even take Sam, as is. It's a lot better than being some Stepford bitch in paradise."

They did it. They actually did it. Lucifer rose. I shouldn't have been surprised after Dean actually went to Hell in last season's finale. The writers/producers of Supernatural will apparently dare anything.

They finally paid off the Azazel plot in a great big way. And I loved that Ruby was killed with her own magic knife: petard hoisted, check. I'm so glad that Ruby is finally gone. She irritated the crap out of me, and I wasn't surprised she turned out to be bad, because her "humanity" never really worked. (Well, it sort of did when Katie Cassidy was playing her.) Azazel is done, Lilith is done, Ruby is done. Fine with me. Let's move on.

All that brotherly melodrama last week (which totally sucked me in, I'll admit it), and in the space of two minutes, Bobby reduced it to a spat. Sam acknowledged that Dean was right, and they both apologized. Didn't see that coming. Did the writers decide to reserve the brother against brother until the end of the series? You know, at this point, I don't want it to happen. I want the evil on the outside of the relationship, and the two of them fighting it. Even if Sam just crossed the line and became something else.

Sam went all black-eye when he was killing Lilith. Did he finally become a supernatural creature, as we were told he would? That'll make next season interesting. Especially since Sam still seems to be Sam. Except that he tortured that nurse and let Ruby drain her for blood he didn't even need. Bad Sam, no biscuit. Sort of like Dean being forced to torture Alastair, but worse.

I loved the gilded, ornate "Green Room" with the renaissance paintings of angels and devils; it gets the prize as quite possibly their most unusual set. (The harp made me laugh out loud.) Jensen Ackles is an exceptionally handsome young man and he always looks good to me, but for some reason I thought he looked even more beautiful than usual in that room. Maybe it was the lighting and the close-ups with the white and gold background. It was like Dean really was the living embodiment of an angel. One that was actually good, though.


They've been telling us that angels are dicks for a long time, but I was still impressed by the magnitude of giving angels such an interesting, anti-human motivation. Zachariah said that God had left the building. That must be why the angels got out of hand; the boss is gone and they're making photocopies of their butts and stealing office supplies. They actually want an apocalypse? Even though it will kill boatloads of humans in horrible ways?

What a fabulous set-up for next season: Dean and Sam on the run from angels and demons. May I put in a request? Please add Misha Collins to the cast. Castiel is now an outcast, and Dean and Sam are going to need a powerful ally. I wouldn't mind seeing Anna the angel and Chuck the prophet again, too. And of course, Bobby. Everything is better with Bobby.

Bits and pieces:

— We got our traditional finale "previously on" to "Carry on, Wayward Son." I always enjoy that.

— I loved a bored Dean dropping that angel statue on purpose. (I have a cat named Spike who knocks things over just to see them fall.) It was very Dean. He is rarely impressed by anything.

— Chuck's prophecy changed because Castiel jumped ship. That was interesting. And Chuck was going to blow all of his money on hookers because of the Apocalypse. I like Chuck.

— We almost saw an archangel, but not quite. Will we see them in season five? And which side are the archangels on?

— "Nurse Betty" couldn't leave her body while Sam was torturing her, but then she left afterward. Why didn't she leave during? And hey. Nurses again. We get a lot of nurses on Supernatural. Why is that?

— When Zachariah finally told Dean the truth, he sat between two mirrors, causing endless reflections. The ultimate in two-faced. This week's Most Obvious Symbolism.

— "Lucifer Rising." Parallel to the title of the first episode of the season when Dean rose from the dead, "Lazarus Rising."

— We saw Azazel's start in 1972 with, of all things, a nun massacre. Again, reminding me of Angel (blood and habits everywhere). Much of this week's episode took place at St. Mary's Convent in Ilchester, Maryland. They were keeping Lucifer in Maryland? Oh, no. Is it a pun? Mary Land?


Quotes:

Bobby: "You're a better man than your daddy ever was."
I'll second that. Dean even seemed to accept it. Maybe because it was coming from Bobby.

Zachariah: "Try a burger. They're your favorite. From that seaside shack in Delaware? You were eleven, I think?"
Dean: "I'm not hungry."
Zachariah: "How about Ginger from season two of Gilligan's Island? You do have a thing for her, don't you?"
Dean: "Tempting. (pause) Weird."
Zachariah: "We'll throw in Maryann for free."

Zachariah: "We want you focused. Relaxed."
Dean: "I'm about to be pissed and leaving, so start talking, Chuckles."

Zachariah: "This isn't the first planetary enema we've delivered."
The second time through the episode, I realized that there were a lot of references to shit. Probably because it hit the fan, huh?

Zachariah: "You're going to stop Lucifer. You're our own little Russell Crowe, complete with surly attitude."

I liked the first season of Supernatural. I started loving it in season two. During the past two seasons, I've neared obsession level; it's my favorite currently running show. I hope they can sustain this level of innovation and creativity in season five,

Billie
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Billie Doux adores Supernatural which is a good thing since apparently, it's eternal.

30 comments:

  1. Great review, Billie.

    I’m of the same mind about the show. I liked when it first started, thought it was a fun piece of hokum. And now I’m equally now madly obsessed with it. It’s took a while but I think, this season, it finally become as good as Buffy.

    Ding dong the wicked bitch is dead! Glad to see the back of Ruby, never much liked her regardless of who was playing her. I don’t think the demon left the nurse’s body just relinquished control to guilt out Sam.

    It was made official a while ago that Misha Collins will be a regular next season. So file that under: Yay! Now all they need to do now is promote Jim Beaver too. You’re absolutely right, everything is better with Bobby.

    One thing I’m curious about is why Lucifer specifically needed a special child like Sam. Was it just so Sam could kill Lilith and break the final seal or does the fallen one perhaps need a human vessel like all the other angels, only one with added superpowers to give him an advantage over his brothers and sisters. We’ll just have to wait and see.

    Of course the big question remains, just where is the almighty? Is he off walking the universe like Kane from Kung Fu or clubbing in Ibiza? Would be really interesting if Sam and Dean got to meet their maker next season. I like how the writers handled angels I’d love to see how they’d handle god.

    Damn, I wish it was September already.

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  2. Thank you so much, Mark. That news about Misha Collins is terrific; you made my day. I suspect they'd add Jim Beaver to the cast in a minute; they probably haven't until now because he has other commitments.

    I've been making the Buffy comparison, too, as my obsession is definitely approaching Buffy level. I'm not sure it's gotten there yet, but it's close. And that's pretty big for me.

    Thanks so much for all of your great comments this season, Mark. You add a lot to our little blog.

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  3. What can I say Billie? Good review, although I miss your rating stars. Supernatural is definitely my favourite TV show (although I must accept not so into TV anyway). Nothing more to add to what you just said, except that I did believed in Ruby the past season… somehow I’m sad they turn her into the worst demon ever, but that make sense with the whole plot, so I’m glad we’re done with her. Dean is awesome, what can I said, even an angel thinks so (I’m sure Cas do) and I think Jensen looked more gorgeous here because of the light, it suites him. Sam still a mystery for me, but I guess he is going to be the good guy he is, no matter how far he’s gone with the demon blood, that’s my wish for next season: brothers against the evil word (of demons and angels). I do love how brave the writers are in that room: good and evil is not in angels and demons; it is in the choices we made. At the end of the day nothing is already written.
    The waiting is long until season five, guess I need to find something else to keep my head on until then. Have a nice summer! Cecil.

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  4. Lost and Supernatural, both their season enders were so full of biblical subtext! Both have the guts to talk about religion and the constant battle of blind faith :-) Ben and Jacob, Dean and the angels! I've loved it. Thanks for the reviews Billie!!! These shows give my mind a work out.

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  5. Thanks a lot, Billie.

    I’ve been following your reviews since the long gone days of TV Tome. In fact they are the main reason I first got into Highlander and the Dead Zone, so thank you for that as well.

    Just to continuing the Lost/Supernatural comparison theme isn’t a bit strange how both shows ended almost the exact same way; dead characters, evil triumphant, white flash black text. Coincidence?

    Probably, that’s one crossover that ain’t likely to happen (would be awesome if it did, imagine a Sawyer/Dean face off:)

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  6. -- "Nurse Betty" couldn't leave her body while Sam was torturing her, but then she left afterward. Why didn't she leave *during*? And hey. Nurses again. We get a lot of nurses on Supernatural. Why is that?Nurse Betty never left the body, she just pushed the real person to the forefront. The demon was still there, just hidint

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  7. Billie,

    Totally OT but i've gotta ask. Is your cat named after a certain peroxide loving vampire or is it just a fun coincidence ?

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  8. Great review, Billie! Now all we have to worry about is: Will Lucifer possess Sam? If so, how will Dean cope with that? Castiel WILL be a regular next year, that's definite. Castiel will now be on the run from his fellow angels, who will be trying to capture and kill him for breaking Dean out of the "green room." Dean still has sworn himself to heaven; what about that contract? Love, Robin

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  9. Is your cat named after a certain peroxide loving vampire or is it just a fun coincidence ?Not a coincidence. It was even way back in season three (Spike is ten now). One of my friends said at the time that it was bad luck in her culture to name someone after a villain, and I always thought it was funny that Spike slowly became a hero and proved her wrong. (The character, not the cat.)

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  10. Great review Billie and - holy moses - GREAT season of Supernatural!!!

    I'm sort of hoping that the next season will go all "Preachery" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preacher_(comics)) in the sense that to stop the Apocalypse from getting out of hand - Dean, Sam and their merry band of outcast angels and profets - will have to go in search of God. 'cause if he's "left the building", where'd he go?

    On a slightly related topic - what about all the muslims of the world? Are they also going to be Apocalypsed?

    Have a great summer everyone!

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  11. Good episode, and good review. I hate cliffhangers, and damn was this a big one.

    Well, I called it right on the angels - they were working the same angle as Uriel was, to get Lucifer released. I was also right about the final seal being Liliths death, and that she knew that and tried to get out of it by making a deal with Sam in that previous episode. Now I just have to wait and see if Sam gets possessed by Lucifer, and if he does then I'm three for three!

    And yes, they finally killed of Ruby and Lilith, two of my least favourite characters. Seriously, did anyone think Lilith made a good villain? Maybe when she first showed up in the last few minutes of the Assault on Precinct 13 episode, but after that she just seemed lame. Lets hope Lucifer sticks around for a while and turns out to be a decent bad guy.

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  12. Slowly catching up...

    I really enjoyed Dean in the "green room". There was one shot where we saw him through the strings of the harp - making it feel like he was behind bars. Angelic bars. It perfectly summed up the episode to me.

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  13. One other observation: When Castiel cuts himself on the arm in the "green room" for a split second I thought he was going to make Dean drink the angel blood a la how Ruby was making Sam drink the demon blood. How interesting would *that* have been - a final fight, brother against brother, but one with Angel blood and one with the demon. I ended up liking where they went, but it still feels like a missed opportunity.

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  14. Hi Billie,

    I have been enjoying your reviews. I've left a few comments on Buffy because I thought there should be more :) It is also my favorite show of all time and Supernatural is a close second. This is an off topic comment. This is my second time reading this review - I actually have not yet watched the episode, and each time I've read it I've had a sense of familiarity with your comment "Bad Sam. No biscuit." and I've been watching Buffy on Chiller (they just started the second season)and maybe my proximity to Buffy made me realize why your comment feels familiar. It's from the Buffy season 3 episode The Wish isn't it? At one point Willow refers to Angel as a puppy and says no biscuit. Funny. SL

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  15. Hi, SL: Thanks for your comment and thanks for the Buffy comments! We need more of those. I honestly don't remember when I started saying "bad [blank], no biscuit" but it goes way back and I must have gotten it from somewhere, so maybe it was Buffy. I have so many Buffy quotes and phrases floating around in my head; I wouldn't be a bit surprised.

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  16. I really did believe that Sam thought he was doing the right thing and when he found out that he had actually triggered the Apocalyse, he was truly devastated. Great acting there. A lot of people dislike Ruby, I don´t. Ruby was convincing as hell in manipulating Sam like that and sometimes, I didn´t even know what to think because there were times she seemed to care about Sam. But I´m glad she´s dead. Now, let´s go to season five!
    This season is my second favorite, the first one is the third. But most episodes here were pretty damn good and I love Sam´s arc. Dean´s too but Sam is more interesting this season. I also love Castiel and Anna. I love this season.

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  17. I finally watched this episode! Your review really did it justice Billie. It was an awesome ep! I agree with the poster above that Sam really thought he was doing the right thing and would be a hero. I was so sad for him I almost cried! Poor Sam! And Dean. I could feel his disappointment in the angels. SL

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  18. An amazing end to an amazing season of an amazing show.

    Love the now traditional Kansas open -- one of my favourite songs of all time and perfect for this show.

    Not a lot to add to yet another stellar review and all of the comments above. Agree that the right characters have gone and the right ones have stayed.

    Was very glad to see the boys come together again, but was a bit surprised at how quickly it happened. In my experience, fights with one's siblings can linger on for longer than a day -- especially highly emotive ones like last week's. I was expecting to have to wait to next season. Glad I didn't have to.

    On a personal note, can I just thank Eric Kripke for making Dean's favourite burger from a seaside shack in Delaware. I grew up in a small, seaside town in Delaware that did, indeed, have a shack that made great burgers. I very rarely get homesick, but that comment did it.

    Finally, I know I'm repeating myself, but Billie -- I owe you for this recommendation. Thanks, again. I have another week in bed (grrr), but at least I have the boys to keep me company. (Re-reading that last line, it comes across dirtier than I meant!)

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  19. Nothing to add really...just wanted to say that I just can't believe that this show has remained "under the radar" (as you say Billie) for all this time. So well written, so well acted, the exact right mix of lightness and darkness in each episode. LOVE: Dean, Sam, Castiel, Bobby, Anna...the idea that angels aren't necessarily "good", that demons aren't necessarily "bad" (well, except Ruby did end up that way), a prophet named Chuck, the way the title sequence changes each season, the music. I said a few weeks ago that this one has moved to the top of my list, and now it is firmly there. Onto Season 5!

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  20. So, I'm re-watching the series (all my shows are on hiatus and I'm going crazy!) and I've been reading your reviews as I go. This episode was so great to me, up until one little moment. At the end when Ruby is telling Sam the he released Lucifer and that she gave him the choices blah, blah, blah. Well, she says this line that something like, "You didn't need the feather to fly. You had it inside you the whole time, Dumbo." That line literally makes me cringe. Every time. I don't like such a horrible line in one of my favorite shows! I hate to complain because this show is one of my absolute favorite shows, so I'll stop now. It just bugs me and I wanted to know if anyone else thought it was cringe-worthy.

    Billie, I've been reading your reviews for Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Battlestar and so many others. They're awesome and I just wanted to say thanks for having such great tastes in shows! ;)

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  21. Thanks so much, Suzie_B! I know what you mean about sometimes finding one line to be practically unbearable. Although I can't think of one off the top of my head. (I'll probably think of one as soon as I post this comment.)

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  22. I will also say that I have neared an obsessive level with this show, as I did with Buffy. And as with Buffy, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading these reviews after watching each episode.

    That said, I didn't like this finale.

    I have to say I was not satisfied by this finale. I didn't feel like I got a pay off for some reason. What happened to the revelation from On the Head of a Pin that Dean was the only one to stop the apocalypse since he was the first seal? Did they just drop that plot line? Or did I miss something in the writing? What were the angels holding Dean there to do? Please tell me we haven't learned the end of that yet.

    I think I was fully expecting something like Sam turning into Lucifer and Dean being the one to kill him. Although that would have been predictable, it would have woven together plot lines a bit better.

    Maybe I need to watch it again, or maybe there will be more explanation in season 5. However, I was just not satisfied with this finale.

    I did, however, laugh hysterically when Dean toppled over the angel statue. I didn't see it as "bored" Dean, I actually thought he was being irreverent, like F-you, angels.

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  23. Anonymous, this isn't one of my fav episodes either. Much as I adore this show, it doesn't always quite balance the depressing with the less depressing as well as I would like, and after the season 3 finale, this one is just a bit frustrating - the boys never seem to succeed at anything! And one of my least favourite tropes ever is characters thinking another character said one thing when in fact they said something completely different (and mis-communication in general).

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  24. I totally saw Ruby coming!

    That was a fun season finale, but there's something I don't get. If Lilith knew the seal opening business would end with her death, why did she start opening seals in the first place? Or if she was accepting her fate, why was she trying to kill Sam originally when he had to be the one to open the final seal?

    I know I'm late to the game, but I just wanted to say it's been nice having these reviews to follow along while I binge watch the series. Thanks, Billie!

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  25. Don't know if anyone other than Near mentioned it, cause I wanted to post before I forgot so I didn't read the last few comments. Without spoiling anything for future readers that haven't watched the show, let me just say one thing. Most of the cast of the show agree on one fundamental thing: that the actor playing Lucifer is the best to ever work on SPN. So if you're worried that it won't be a good villain... :)

    Before I get to my top 3 moments, let's discuss one of my most hated plot holes and inconsistencies in the last two seasons: Ruby. If the plan all along was to be undercover to help Lilith with her plan to release Lucifer, why did she offer herself up in S3, with that virgin heart spell? Why did she give Bobby the recipe to the Colt bullets? Anything she did up until this episode doesn't fit at all with her previous character traits and this annoys me.

    (not so much) fun fact: S4 was supposed to end with Sam and Ruby getting married, but when Jared and Gen, the actors, got engaged IRL, they decided to change it to Ruby being evil and getting killed off. No doubt that right there explains the inconsistencies I mentioned up top.

    3. The look on Ruby's face right before she mentally shuts the church doors on Dean. Though I didn't like the turn in her character, it is on this list because I completely didn't expect this. I was delightfully surprised, something SPN does better than any other show, imo.

    2. I love that angels, millenia of years old, don't understand modern day references. So, my number two spot goes to a Dean quote you left out yourself. "The Suite Life of Zach and Cass." ... "Nevermind."

    1. And, in true nature of me loving the (platonic) chemistry of Dean and Cass, my top spot is the scene between them in the 'green room'. Particularly the impassioned speech Dean gives that actually, finally, sees Cass return to being on humanity's side.

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    Replies
    1. I think Ruby offered to kill all demons by sacrificing a virgin knowing it would kill her, as well...because she knew Sam and/or Dean would never allow it. So why not play into her con, by saying the spell would kill her too.

      She gave Bobby the recipe to the bullets to ‘prove’ she was on the Winchester side. She’s a demon, what does she care abt other demons. It was all manipulation.

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    2. “ fun fact: S4 was supposed to end with Sam and Ruby getting married, but when Jared and Gen, the actors, got engaged IRL, they decided to change it to Ruby being evil and getting killed off.”

      That is not true. Jared & Gen didn’t even start dating until the middle of filming season. They did not get engaged until AFTER the season. The plan all along was to have Ruby being a manipulator.

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  26. I just made it to season 5 of Supernatural and started on your reviews. I wasn't going to comment, but I had to let you know that I, too have a cat named Spike that likes to knock things over.

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  27. I loved the Ruby's revelation. It felt right. I never thought about S3 plot holes of her character because I felt she was playing a really, really, long con all along, but I didn't know what con. I liked that it was not obvious, that we spent 2 season wondering what the hell was she doing, is the good, is she bad, is she both? And I liked that, differently than most villains, she went on her monologue AFTER the job was done. She did her job, as sad it is for the boys. She was a clever demon, I give her that. (But yes, blonde Ruby had much more charisma).

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