April 2006

I love mutli-part finales. In fact, shows like “Farscape”, “Battlestar: Galactica”, and “Lost” delivered massive season finales for the same reason that this is a huge event: it’s almost impossible to wrap up a season arc of any weight in the space of an hour. It’s all about delivering a more complex resolution. A good show will use a big finale as a serious moment of transition for everyone involved, and there’s every reason to believe that “Supernatural” is following suit.

Better yet, everything that happens in this episode is the direct consequence of what has come before. Dean’s character has taken quite the turn, to the point where he will openly question his father when the circumstances warrant. And Sam’s abilities, long sitting on the sidelines, flare up in a logical manner that hints at possible answers to the demonic riddle. This seeming predictability takes nothing away from the plot itself, because sometimes it’s even better when you see the train wreck coming.

Someone on the writing staff must have loved “Serenity”, because Meg’s tactics are practically textbook Operative moves. Want to force the enemy to come out of hiding, derailing his intentions in the same moment?

I’ve been waiting for this episode all season: the moment when John and the boys have enough time to air the past grievances and let it all hang out. And this episode didn’t disappoint. I love it when characters confront each other and none of them are particularly without fault. It’s even better when everyone has a valid point underneath it all.

The fact is, John and Sam are probably too similar to ever get along for very long. And Sam brings up the one thing that prevents either of them from giving up control over what’s coming: they’ve both lost the woman they loved to the demon they’re chasing. John may have been doing it for longer, but for Sam, the pain is more raw for being so recent. Sam resents the idea of being left out of the chance for vengeance.

John, of course, doesn’t want to lose anyone else in his family, which is a completely understandable point of view. But the fact is, his sons are grown and have the right to decide on their own. (This attitude makes the previous episode more relevant, since it helped establish Sam’s similarity to his father.)