Supernatural – The ghost of Christmas screw you

The best laid plans of mice and men — and angels, apparently — often go awry. That’s what we saw this week, as Zachariah’s latest attempt to get Dean to see the light didn’t quite work out how he planned. He taught Dean a lesson alright, but not the one which he intended. Instead, his job has just been made all the more difficult, and the Winchester Bros. are back in business.

Time travel shenanigans are nothing new for Supernatural, and I was again impressed with how effectively they used it. Not only was Dean’s trip five years into the future to a Croatoan-riddled world able to set a path in the present, it also offered up that magical Supernatural mix of comedy and drama.

There was no better example of that than future Castiel. To be sure, he had some of the funniest bits. From the reaction he got in preparation for the orgy, to his amusement at the struggle between the two Deans. “What? I like past you.” Through it all though, there was a bleakness. Being left behind by all of the angels, and apparently never finding God, has broken him. He is merely along for the ride at that point.

You have to give points for the appearance of Chuck as well. He had a great line as he offered Dean a tip for his return to 2009, “Hoard toilet paper. Hoard it like it’s made of gold.” And, of course, I always award an extra star for any show that has the good sense to cast Lexa Doig. I couldn’t help but wonder if the boys might not be running across her character some time in 2009/2010, eventually leading to her presence at the compound. If anyone at Supernatural HQ is taking votes, count me as a yes.

As always, though, it’s all about Sam and Dean. Ultimately, Dean’s refusal of Zachariah was to be expected. That’s just not how he rolls. And it did serve as the impetus for Sam and Dean’s reunion. But you have to like that nagging little question left hanging from Dean’s pow-wow with Lucifer/Sam. “You will never say, ‘Yes.’ to Michael. You will never kill Sam. And we will always end up here.” Is it that cut and dried? Probably not. You have to believe, as Dean clearly does, that there is something they can do to build their own future. But that idea, that despite all the details, all roads lead back to that moment is a very intriguing one.

It’s also worth noting the performance from Jared Padalecki as Lucifer/Sam. There was a rather creepy calmness about him that I thought worked perfectly. I’m guessing we won’t be getting to Detroit, or Sam saying yes, any time soon, but it was nice to get a look at what that would be like.

At the end of the day, “The End” was more a resetting of the players than anything else. The rift between Sam and Dean hasn’t been washed away, but they’re working on it. And we now have a much clearer picture of the battle that lies ahead.

Finally, it speaks for itself: “Rhonda Hurley, she made us try on her panties. They were pink, and satiny, and we kind of liked it.”

Clacked by Brett Love
on Oct 02, 2009 @ 07:24 EST5EDT