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.… Read More