The last three episodes of Supernatural have been utterly, well, super.
“The Monster at the End of This Book,” “Jump the Shark” and “The Rapture” took the show to truly new levels and also took some potentially shark-jumping moments and made them new.
First, with “Monster,” the thought that someone out there was writing the canon of the Winchester brothers was an inspired bit.
I have to admit, I didn’t see it coming that he was a prophet. I wasn’t quite sure what Carver was, but prophet wasn’t what immediately jumped to mind. The whole addition of angels and the war between heaven and hell to this season has been fascinating.
And Castiel continues to evolve as well. The idea that he couldn’t interfere but could give Dean some “inside information” that had the same effect as saving Sam & Dean was, admittedly, cliche but still clever.
Is that why Castiel was sent back to Heaven?
As for “Shark,” it avoided actually jumping the shark with the episode for more than one reason, including among them the fact that it acknowledged it was sort of jumping the shark by even having a plot that involved a secret Winchester brother.
But what was so different about it was that he actually turned out to be a real brother; just one that had been killed and then inhabited by a ghoul. I love how they continue to bring in new kinds of bad creatures from the beyond without getting just plain silly.
The third brother, Adam, was kept a secret because John didn’t want his third son to be trapped into the life his first two sons had been forced to lead, understandably. But by doing this, Sam & Dean sadly never had a chance to know their brother, who was their only living relative (is that true? A bigger SPN expert – Beth, Jane, Erika, please answer?).
Then Thursday, on “Rapture,” we finally saw the downside to being possessed by an angel.
Jimmy is finally free of Castiel, but what does he do? He heads home, putting his wife and daughter and friends in danger from the demons who want to punish him for his having been a vessel of heaven.
He refuses to listen to Sam & Dean who tell him this will be the case. Perhaps that’s understandable, as he desperately wanted to be with his family again, but you’d think after a year of being an angel, he’d have put a little more stock in what Sam & Dean had to say. I mean, I know he didn’t have full recollection of what happened over the previous year, but he should have had enough of a memory to know they spoke the truth.
That said, I can understand why he went back home; I have two sons. The chance that demons might want to follow me versus being able to see them after not having any contact for a year? Hard choice to make.
Just two more episodes – “When the Levee Breaks,” on Thursday, and “Lucifer Rising,” on May 21 (yes, that’s a three two-week break, dammit!). NOTE: I’ve been told Lucifer Rising is going to air May 14, so that’s no break at all. Yay!
I’ve been thinking about it, and I truly think having just one more season to tie it all up is kind of a stroke of genius.
Like Lost, the Supernatural has a very specific mythology behind it all. Once you have that wrapped up, to go on and try to add to it or branch off it can only water down the excellence of the original.
Go on, Kripke, blow our minds in the next two episodes and then wrap everything up in a Season 5 to remember. I’m ready.
5 Comments
I’d love to see it continue on after Season 5 simply because I love the show and don’t want it to end, but at the same time, I find it difficult to imagine just how it could.
Great post. Saw your tweet about it and came to read.
Kal
Sam and Dean are indeed alone… unless John has yet another child out there somewhere! One of the reasons why I think Bobby is so essential to them.
Glad you are enjoying these episodes. I really do think they have been outstanding. I love how they are integrating Castiel into the show (and it’s not just because he is hot). The brothers are heading to a stand-off, and as much as I hate to see those two against each other, I bet it’s gonna be fun (in a totally heart-breaking way, of course. Kripke likes to cause us pain).
I have mentioned several times how on-board I am with a planned ending of a show like this. A perfect example is what has happened to Prison Break. The creators had two years mapped out originally, but Fox rolled up the truck full of money, and it is now a hot mess. I am still watching, but only because I’d like to see how it finally ends. But a once interesting and thrilling show is really a shell of itself, IMO.
@Kalita – So glad you saw the Tweet and stopped on by.
I can’t say I disagree with you about wanting it to continue. A part of me absolutely does. But as you said, what would the story be?
@Erika – Castiel’s hot? I hadn’t noticed?
I agree about the two brothers heading to a stand-off, but I do think that in the end they will be together and support each other; Kripke does like to torture the fans (in a good way), but he’s always made it clear that the brothers deeply care for one another. As for the other issue, two (three?) words: The X-Files. I rest my case.
Just a correction. There is no three week break. The finale is on the 14th of May.
@Hermit – Really? Thanks. I can’t remember what site had that May 21 finale date. (But I realize now I did some really bad math, and that would have been just two weeks’ break.)