Reply To: Let’s all talk about The End – S5 E4)

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journalbookbinder
    November 25, 2022 at 9:04 pm #30502

    Even better than I remember it being the last time I watched it.  Seriously; this one DESERVED AN EMMY. It is SO SO SO SO GOOD. The most impressive thing being Jensen acting opposite himself. It’s just…perfection. SO believable as “him” and “future him” but also funny at time and also so so so heartbreaking; it’s the best of Supernatural. Truly a perfect Supernatural episode.  I noticed this time how incredibly heavy on dialog it is (Jensen had to memorize a ton!!!) – but in spite of the massive amounts of explanation and talking (like Dean and Lucifer Sam near the end), it never feels preachy or slow to me – I’m glued to it the entire time.  It’s a perfect episode. PERFECT.

    I remember when I originally saw it how jarring it was to see Cas as not typical robotic Cas but really human Cas. It really threw me that first time!!!

    There are SO MANY lines in this one that my friends and I repeat to each other to this day. “We kinda liked it.” “I’ll just wait here then.” “Hoard it like gold.” So memorable!

    The parts where Dean is realizing how far he himself has veered off course thanks to the Croatoan apocalypse is perhaps one of the most heartbreaking things to me. When he realizes that his future self is unapologetically sending his friends to their deaths just so he has the chance to kill Lucifer; it’s truly chilling.

    I loved when Dean is first sent into the future and we are all trying to figure out what happened right along with him. That first interaction with the infected child is truly creepy and very very good. I also love it when we, the audience, realize that we KNOW something – just like Dean does – when we see the “Croatoan” graffiti. And that scene of the infected people chasing him with Dean running at full speed is seriously thrilling! I do wonder a bit about the “Do You Love Me” choice for the music for the slaughter of the infected people. Was that some kind of reference to a movie like Apocalypse Now or Good Morning Vietnam or some other movie I don’t know? It seemed out of place.

    I loved “present” Cas rescuing Dean from Zachariah at the very end. It’s like I forgot about Cas “just waiting here” and suddenly he saves him. Good old Cas that we know and understand.

    I wonder what happened to “future” Bobby?  His house is abandoned. Dean finds his wheelchair with what looks like bullet or stab holes through it?  But he also finds a photo of Bobby (wasn’t Bobby in that photo?) at the resistor’s camp…but we never find out what happened to Bobby.

    Jared and Lucifer.  We only see Jared at the start and end (with his call to Dean at the start when Dean insists they need to stay apart). I hate to say it, because I love them together best, but this episode convinced me that Jensen could have carried the show solo no problem. He was literally riveting the whole way. From the harsh future version of himself to the scene with Sam/Lucifer when he’s so sad/angry he’s in tears but still defiant. He as just complete and total perfection here. Sorry, I said I was going to talk about Jared!  I just can’t stop talking about Jensen in this one!

    The first time I saw it, I remember thinking that Jared was superb. That he so utterly transformed himself and his speech and his mannerisms from Sam to Lucifer that I thought it was masterful. I do like the way the early versions of Lucifer were calm and even very “nice” and seductive. Somehow that nonthreatening and sure of himself Lucifer as very very scary! The way Lucifer is so sure of the outcome; that he’ll always win; that they’ll always end up there. It’s so defeating and you can see it in Dean’s face. It’s so good!  I was still impressed with Jared here. It’s just that Jensen’s work in this was so beyond incredible that it’s hard to tear my eyes away from him long enough to appreciate Jared’s work!

    When they get back together in the end, it’s very very satisfying. I am guessing we are meant to think this separation lasted awhile?  In the last episode he told the hunters following him that if they came looking again, he’d be there; working in the bar. How long was he there? How long were they apart? Dean says Sam is probably “rusty” so it had to be longer than it seemed. In the show, it seemed too fast; that they were hardly apart before they were together again. Still, the reunion is kinda tentative. No hugs. I felt Sam’s sincerity and felt that Dean was being honest – not pretending – he really WAS taking Sam back. But it’s also kind of about survival and not really as emotional as some other reunions.

    Was it the start of this one where Dean looks over at Sam’s empty place in the Impala? Or was that the previous one. I loved that. I also loved Dean trying to explain to Cas that he needs to do human things like sleep. When Sam called Dean to tell him about being Lucifer’s vessel, it’s hard to watch Sam’s disappointment that Dean is not somehow rushing to save him. I also noticed that the old flip phones were definitely nice for drama; Dean can hang up on Sam by snapping the phone closed; much more dramatic that poking at flat screen Smartphone to hang up. The look on Dean’s face when he hangs up on Sam…you can see how painful it is for him in spite of how sure and confident he sounded when talking to Sam. The man deserves and Emmy for this one, I’m telling you!

    They really went all out on this one. The apocalypse set was amazing.

    It’s amazing to me that at the time, 2014 seemed like it was definitely in the future. And amazing that the show was still being made in 2014! And even more stunning that 2014 was almost TEN years ago now. Geez.

    One of the best ones they ever made.

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