By John Keegan
Since the beginning of the series, and in nearly every single review in between, I’ve pointed out that two key factors give “Supernatural” a solid and powerful foundation: deep character development and strong continuity. Both come into play in this season finale, and the results are stunning and entirely satisfying. As noted in the review for the previous episode, the entire season arc and the nature of the first half of the story necessitates that this finale focus on Dean and his psychological reaction to Sam’s death. The question has always been: how far will Dean go to save his brother, and at what cost? That question is now answered. Dean offered his immortal soul to hell to bring Sammy back to life, and the consequences are going to be brutal.
As pointed out in the episode on several occasions, this is the end result of Dean’s belief that he was supposed to die. He sees himself as completely expendable, especially in comparison to Sam, and his decision to step back into the crossroads (a wonderful example of continuity) is in keeping with that psychology. It’s the difference between having something to die for and having something to live for; Dean, in essence, has been harboring a death wish since John’s deal with the demon.
Unfortunately, in his desire to cut a deal, Dean may not have thought of all the potential problems. What is the assurance that Sam is still completely Sam? Already in the course of the series, the lesson has been reinforced: bringing people back from the dead is a very bad idea. There’s no telling what will really come back, and with the demonic legacy already in play, Sam’s behavior could be troublesome.
Both Dean’s damnation sentence and Sam’s post-resurrection status should play into the character arcs of the third season, beyond the simple plot arc implications. Looking at the big picture, the demon may be dead (more on that in a second), but the demon’s army has been unleashed. The hunters are in disarray, the Winchesters are still fugitives, and Sam is still the potential leader for the demonic horde. Those issues and connections keep a more vague and open-ended situation from becoming impersonal.
As noted, beyond the character development, continuity is a high point of the episode. Elements that were critical to the first season finale get further clarification and play directly into the culmination of this season (namely, the Colt). John Winchester’s involvement may have been a bit of a “deus ex machina” situation, with a slight excess of sentiment for good measure, but it made sense for John to be there to help take down the demon once and for all.
Unlike the first season finale, which ended on a major cliffhanger despite some worries of a second season pickup, this was a masterful demonstration of how a season finale can be crafted as a potential series finale. Major arcs were resolved, a new status quo results, and seeds are planted for potential third season story and character advancements. If the series had ended here, it would have been satisfying, but the fact that the series will continue makes this the perfect climax to a superior season.
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