Home Featured TV Shows All TV Shows Movie Reviews Book Reviews Articles Frequently Asked Questions About Us

Supernatural: Survival of the Fittest

Castiel: "Please accept this sandwich as a gesture of solidarity."

"Carry On, Wayward Son" gives me chills at the end of every season. Have they ever done a bad season finale?

Dick Roman was a great villain, revolting and difficult to defeat. And of course, he gave us an entire season's worth of dick jokes. Is it really over, though? Millions of Leviathans, all those plans – will there be Leviathans roaming the world for years to come, killing randomly? Maybe Crowley's demon squad will round them up.

Right up until the actual bone deployment, I wasn't sure which way Crowley had jumped. And I loved the scroll scene. Did Crowley break a written agreement with Dick? I don't think demons can break those sorts of agreements, even if they are running the show. I bet Crowley managed to insert a loophole in there, somehow. Could they please give us more Crowley next season? Pretty please? At the very least, they need to resolve what happened to the most recent prophet of the Lord. I hate the idea of the unfortunate Kevin as Crowley's prisoner. I sort of feel bad for Meg, too, although after Ruby, I'm never again falling for the "a demon could truly be our friend" Jedi mind trick.

Bobby. *sigh* It's not like we didn't know where they were headed, but it still got to me. I'm very glad they didn't show us Bobby burning to ash, because the glowing reflection on Dean's and Sam's faces was hard enough. Did Bobby go somewhere, or did he dissolve into nothing? He deserves Heaven, of course. Dan was wondering if Bobby would show up in Purgatory, and that got us wondering if Dean and Castiel transported bodily to Purgatory, or if they're dead. They're not dead, are they?

Castiel was wonderful. He was in rare form, and I loved his latest obsessions with living things and board games. He's clearly lost his marbles and has started to think of resurrection as punishment. (Which reminds me of how Sam suffered in the cage because he was the one that started the Apocalypse. Castiel did bring the Leviathans into the world, after all.) And now he and Dean are trapped in Purgatory, leaving Sam behind to blow up all that non-dairy creamer by himself.

(What about skinny people who drink their coffee black?)

Marble-less or not, I don't think Castiel abandoned Dean in those dark and exceedingly creepy woods. (To quote Anya, I hate the woods. All those woodsy trees.) You know, Purgatory could be fascinating. Who knows who else is hanging around in Purgatory? Dick Roman, certainly, and he won't be in a good mood.

Finally, I'm really not into cars, but I cheered out loud when the Impala showed up to the tune of "Born to Be Wild." Did they have to total the damned car a minute later? It was a great diversion, though. I guess with Dean and Castiel trapped in Purgatory, a car is not a major concern. But couldn't we have it back, please?


Bits and pieces:

— Castiel said the garrison is no more. Are all the angels gone?

— The song Castiel was totally absorbed in is "Vincent," Don McLean. It says some interesting things about mental illness.
http://www.lyrics007.com/Don%20McLean%20Lyrics/Vincent%20Lyrics.html

— After ragging on obesity for most of the season, in this episode the Leviathans victimized skinny people.

— Misha Collins did a Bing commercial highlighting his altruistic endeavors that aired during this episode. Ian Somerhalder did something similar during the Vampire Diaries finale.

— Castiel is correct that the cabin needs a cat. Although there'd be no one to feed it while the boys were out hunting monsters.

— This week: Chicago, I assume? as well as the cabin. And wherever they were hiding the Impala.

— Was that "our" Impala? It looked a bit off. Maybe they just sacrificed one of the Impala stunt doubles.

Quotes:

Crowley: "Here we are, negotiating like proper psychopaths."

Dick: "Here's my offer."
Crowley: "I'm all ears."
Dick: "Full immunity for you and your constituency. I'm talking free range grazing for all demonkind. I'm willing to cordon off, say, Canada."

Dean: "Dude, on my car, he showed up naked, covered in bees."
Sam: "Yeah. I'm not really sorry I missed that."

Dean: "Here we go. Well, let's bone this nun. (pause) Sorry."

Sam: "Dick made more Dicks."

Dean: "Nobody cares that you're broken, Cas. Clean up your mess."
Castiel: "You know, we should play Twister." (disappears)
Meg: "Nice. You scared off the Empire's only hope."

Bobby: "Here's to running into you guys on the other side. Only, not too soon. All right?"
This felt like the end for Bobby. Of course, I've been wrong before.

That was intense. Good thing the show was renewed, huh? Four out of four diversionary Dicks,

Billie
---
Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

8 comments:

  1. Hi Billie, this is only the second time I have ever posted anything anywhere and I really wish it was to agree with you on this episode. However, I have to say that my wife and I were left very disappointed with it. It seems nothing was truly resolved except Bobby's final demise, and even that felt a bit empty to us (disregarding the emotional impact on Sam and Dean of course) because it felt like he had been brought back just to show how anyone - no matter how good or experienced in supernatural affairs they may be - can eventually become a bad ghost. I truly thought that Bobby would play a crucial role in dick's end, mostly because he was the only one to really hurt him a few episodes back; I foresaw some sort of final world saving sacrifice by which he'd save his boys one last time, but alas it was not to be.
    This episode did have some nice touches, and we loved seeing the Impala back - not too worried about the crashing since it’s been rebuilt from much worse hits. The contract bit was great too; it's one of those little scenes where two lesser actors could not have pulled it past plain parody.
    The thing is that even a few minutes from the end it still felt like we were halfway towards a final showdown of epic proportions, and then there it was, with Dick tasting his creamer before going boom, Kevin tied to a chair and gagged (so he wouldn't shout out for help from...?), and Crowley coming through with no explanation whatsoever on the contract's loophole or whatever he did to render it useless. Legerdemain is only useful in a story if the public can then see how crafty the one pulling it off was, but in this case it was not even addressed and thus made the whole contract scene redundant.
    I am sorry to have gone on for so long but I feel like we've been very patient with this season, sifting through some strange writing decisions, loosing characters we cared about, then seeing them sort of return, being introduced to others that I guess didn't work out, and dealing with a threat that weaved itself in and out of episodes almost like an afterthought. So, when the final few episodes were upon us I was ready to believe we were back on track only to then meet with what I must assume is part 1 of a two part episode - ala great Star Trek TNG season finales but without telling us ahead of time. Supernatural has always left cliffhangers that made one want to return next season, but on this occasion it just feels like the season is not over. That being the case I am glad that the show was renewed so we may get some closure, but I truly hope the writers find some direction. If I can wish for anything it’d be that Crowley becomes Supernatural’s final big bad. He has almost no opposition up above - from what we hear, unless the big man himself is somehow introduced and that’d have to be handled really really well lest it backfires bigtime. There is just no point trying to invent a newer badder supervillain when you have such a charming mainstay character amassing more and more power as the seasons progress.
    That’s it. Sorry about the rant guys. Thanks for the space Billie. And the years and years of insightful fun you’ve given me and lots more people while asking for nothing in return. Also, if anyone is interested in comics, I have just read the 2008 6 part Supernatural series Raising Son. While it has some minor loopholes it is great to see John Winchester dealing with the hunt and trying to protect his children.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm afraid I didn't really care for this one either. In fact after two viewings it looks like it will be one of my least favorites of the season. I'm well pleased with the cliffhanger ending and I'm looking forward to what season 8 will bring. But the lead up to the last couple of minutes was far from riveting. It all seemed like killing time to get to the big finish and I was impatient instead of actually interested in what they were doing. Cas is crazy, Meg is snarky, Crowley and Dick are negotiating - whatever... get to the good stuff! Like I wrote I did like the end when they finally got there but the episode overall gets a 7 from me.

    RoseCompose

    ReplyDelete
  3. I liked it but I agree that it seemed a bit rushed and not very thrilling. Castiel was great as well as the never-ending dick jokes. And exploring Purgatory might be interesting.
    All in all, this season is very, very uneven and I hope they find a direction on season 8.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I enjoyed this quite a bit. I didn't really care for the last several minutes, but I thought the lead up to Dean finally killing Dick was very entertaining. I particularly loved this year's 'Carry On My Wayward Son' road so far, and the opening contract scenes with Dick and Crowley were delightful.

    I'm very glad that Bobby has finally been laid to rest (maybe, I hope, please?), and the looks on Dean's and Sam's faces as the flask melted were quite poignant. I just wish they hadn't given the scene such wonky scoring. The music really undercut the emotion.

    My favorite part about Bobby's end was the cut away to Cas sitting on the stairs, watching. It seems to me that Cas watching Sam and Dean say that painful goodbye helped him to find the strength to play his part in taking out Dick. It made me feel like Bobby's non-death wasn't for nothing. I still wish he'd gone through the door the first time, but at least they made him lingering count for a little something.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Having just finished watching the season, I don't feel the need to comment beyond complementing everyone on their usual high standards of reviews and comments here (though I would like to know why Dick was smiling at the end. Never a good thing).
    Purgatory looks interesting. It reminded me of one of the first episodes of the Lucifer comic (highly recommended by the way). I dug it out and it reads "Whatever lived there then lives there still, though your kind abandoned this place half a million years ago. There are forests of black oaks, a hundred feet tall, standing invisible in the dark. There are creatures...predators...that have not eaten in geological ages"
    Having seen both hell and purgatory, it seems obvious that heaven is the last stop. My prediction for season 8 is that Sam and Dean will die in the final episode, only for God to turn them and other dead hunters into the new generation of angels to replace those lost in the civil war. They will then go down to earth to protect people from the monsters. At some point in the season Sam and Dean will rescue two young people (possibly brothers or more likely sisters) who will be the next generation of hunters that they will protect.
    Probably wildly inaccurate but you never know - I think it would be an ending I could live with

    ReplyDelete
  6. Otherwyrld, I like your theory. I saw Dean and Sam as archangels way back in "Houses of the Holy".

    ReplyDelete
  7. I now see the Kansas open as one of the highlights of any season of this wonderful show. I just get a huge grin on my face and settle back for the ride. I am so hooked on this song that it now turns up in a multitude of my playlists.

    And, I agree with Billie that the return of the Impala to "Born to Be Wild" was inspired. I hope we see a lot more of it next season.

    But, this may have been my least favorite season finale of the seven so far. I wasn't all that invested in the Big Bad and I certainly wasn't all the invested in either Meg or Kevin. Compared to the season enders of yore (especially the fifth), this one fell flat for me.

    I was also annoyed that we had to lose Bobby again. Yes, it made me cry and I agree that it was much more powerful just watching the boys' reactions, but I felt as though I had already mourned him and that the writers were manipulating my emotions. That feeling tends to irk me.

    But, I am looking forward to next season and seeing how they bring the boys together again. Another great year of reviews, Billie. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  8. After season 6 I decided to take some time away from Supernatural. It was not that I thought the show had suddenly gone bad, it just wasn't clicking with me any more. I always planned to catch up but all the negative talk about season 7 kinda put me off until now. I had my issues with season 6, but in retrospect I do think it had a much stronger story arc than season 7.

    Season 6 at least dealt with the aftermath of the averted apocalypse and the subsequent power struggles in heaven and hell. Season 7 put all that to one side so the brothers could fight a completely new monster. That wouldn't have been an issue if the leviathans had lived up to the hype. They were set up as the ultimate monster but they were dull and lost all credibility when it was revealed their kryptonite was basically floor cleaner. Even the killing of Dick was a major anit-climax.

    Although there were some great individual episode and a few truly gut-wrenching moments (Bobby, nooooo...), season 7 on a whole was a major disappointment. But I won't let that deter me from continuing on with season 8 because a) every review I have read, including yours Billie, have indicated it is a return to form b) more Crowley (always a good thing) and c) there appears to be a Looney Toons episode. How can I miss that?

    ReplyDelete

We love comments! We moderate because of spam and trolls, but don't let that stop you! It’s never too late to comment on an old show, but please don’t spoil future episodes for newbies.