Diary of Supernatural Virgin – Season two ends with answers and questions

Season 2, episodes 20-22

You all told me that the ending of season two was spectacular. Don’t worry, I believed you, but it was so amazing to finally experience it myself. Jensen Ackles just keeps upping the game. Dean has become one of the most three-dimensional, complex, well-acted characters on television. Can’t wait to see what he does in the next two seasons! I’m hoping Supernatural will develop the trusting puppy a bit more as well … er, I mean Sam.

One thing I should have seen coming: “All Hell Breaks Loose” literally. Ah, I should have known! OK, let’s get right to it.

“What Is and What Should Never Be”
Dean gets captured by a Djinn and grants him the wish that his mother was still alive.

“Barbara Eden was hot, wasn’t she? Way hotter than that Bewitched chick.” – Dean, when Sam tells him they are probably dealing with a genie.

Man, I love it when Supernatural does an episode like this, playing with time, alternate realities, living in a dream, what have you. This was poignant and really drove home the sacrifices Dean (and Sam too) have made for the hunt. Sure, they’ve saved countless lives, but at what cost to their own happiness?

Dean is always the one putting on the brave face, and to see him so tender and vulnerable was hard. So I wonder, what was it that gave Dean the strength to pull out of it, when he would have been ecstatic to live out a long, happy life in his dream world?

My guess is that his relationship with Sam had more to do with it than the fact that all those lives weren’t saved. I know Dean cares about the difference he’s made, helping all of those people and creating their happy families. But for Dean, in his real life, Sam is everything. The fact that he didn’t have a good relationship with his brother in his dream life was probably the deciding factor that pulled Dean out of his dream and back into reality — and there was Sam, saving his life.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Dean mowing his mother’s lawn to the cover of “It’s a Wonderful World,” so there — I’ve mentioned it. Oh, and that this episode highlighted Ackles’ acting chops like no other to date (well, my date anyway).

“All Hell Breaks Loose, Part I”
Sam and the other “special kids” wake up in Frontierland, put there by the demon for a final showdown. Only one lives … and it’s not Sam….

This episode was a slow build to the awesomeness of the finale. I wasn’t surprised something was up with Ava, I was sad to see Andy leave us in such a final way (bad Ava!), and I was completely ga-ga for Aldis Hodge in his role as Jake. I’m a big — big! — Leverage fan, and I’d never seen Hodge in anything else (well, until the recent Castle episode “Always Buy Retail,” in which Hodge was brillliant but grossly underutilized) so it was great to see a show I love give him a pivotal role.

Though there wasn’t a lot of humor in this episode, I was amused by a couple of things:

• Andy’s mind trick of projecting gay porn to a guy who he thinks is a real dick.
• Dean’s signature = D. Hasselhoff.

And I was unamused by a couple of things too:

• Lily’s obvious similarities to Rogue (yes, I’ve been watching too many X-Men cartoon re-runs lately….); I feel like they could have come up with something more original, even for that throwaway role.
• The roadhouse is burned and Ash — Ash! — is dead; loved that guy.
• Sam, the blond ditz from INSERT HORROR FLICK HERE was back in this episode. Oh, you trusting dumbass, Sam. Jake doesn’t need a weapon, he’s got super-strength, so your show of trust wasn’t just naive, it was stupid. Oh, and you were killed for it. Yeah, I know it’s because he is a good person, and when he couldn’t kill Jake (another stupid move) we saw that again, but I’ve gotta believe Sam’s street smarts are going to kick in at some point.

“All Hell Breaks Loose, Part II”
Dean trades his soul for Sam’s life and the Winchester boys’ two-year quest is resolved.

Just a continuation of something from part one: We now know how Sam got his powers — and that they come from a place of evil (ewwww, demon blood). I still fee like there are unanswered questions, though:

• Sam’s mom knew the demon — what the hell?
• Is there, in fact, an evil Sam, far beyond the Dark Sam we’ve seen, lurking underneath the trusting puppy?
• Do we really know the complete endgame? I can’t help but think Sam’s powers are going to mean more to this series, beyond being given them just to open the Devil’s Gate.

Dean’s monologue to dead Sam was some one of the greatest Supernatural moments so far. I wasn’t surprised Dean would go that far to bring back Sam, and not just because I know there’s at least two more seasons to go in Supernatural, but because of the relationship Sam and Dean have, and even because of the sacrifice Dean made in “What Is and What Should Never Be.”

A word about the supporting characters:

• Ellen — I was glad to see her fighting alongside the boys and Bobby, because I was starting not to trust her this season. She’s been shifty, and then when the roadhouse burned down and she survived, I was getting twitchy.
• Bobby — I love this guy (did you all notice Jim Beaver plays the sheriff on Harper’s Island?); from his wordless expression to Dean when Sam walks into his place to his letting Dean have it in private to making Ellen do a shot of holy water, he’s one savvy dude.

Maybe Sam made up for his unfortunate trusting moment in part one, because Dark Sam came out to play and smoked Jake with a whole lot more bullets that was really necessary. There’s nothing wrong with a little balance, Sammy; you haven’t chosen the life of a peaceable monk, you know. It’s OK to shoot someone who’s trying to kill you. And didn’t the demon’s line to Dean make you wonder, just a little bit: “How certain are you that what you brought back is 100% Sam?”

They did a few more magical things in this finale:

• Dad escaped Hell — I love that we know John Winchester isn’t suffering for eternity, but more importantly (sorry John) we know that it can be done. This fact could become a major one for Dean in a year’s time.
• “We’ve got work to do” — Dean’s last line of the season set up season three for us. Just because Dean finally killed the demon that killed their mother doesn’t mean they’re giving up the fight. I like that TPTB didn’t leave us with a similar cliffhanger to season one’s.

I’m looking forward to delving into season three, and hopefully catching up this summer so I can enjoy season five along with all the other Supernatural fans.

Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Apr 26, 2009 @ 12:21 EST5EDT