7.23 review & reaction

[ash48]

Well. I gotta say, I didn't think they could pull that off. I am pleased (and rather thrilled) that they did.

To be honest, I am rather shocked that I was so happy with it considering the overall lack of SamnDean angst and the amount of Dean and Cas there was - but.... it all sat quite well with me and I even actually liked the the Dean and Cas stuff!! I KNOW!!! Colour me God damn shocked!!!

In fact, there wasn't much I didn't like. There were a couple of bits that I puzzled over and lagged slightly, but mostly I was on the edge of my seat. There are certainly things that I'm disappointed with (in terms of season 7 overall), but I'm going to leave that stuff for an overall S7 post.

I'm going to start at the end because as much as many maybe annoyed, upset, disappointed etc. with the ending I think the whole season was heading toward this very thing. The end was the whole point...

Counting the ways:

1. The boys - at the end.

Throughout the whole season the boys have had people and things taken away from them. Everything has been striped away - Cas (initially), the Impala, Bobby, Bobby's home, Frank etc.. Through this striping back they found each other again. They came to rely on and trust each other more and more and their relationship grew stronger and stronger. It was a season of rebuilding. By the end I thought they were in the best place they had ever been as brothers. So it makes perfect sense to me that in the very end the final thing, the final person is taken away from each of them. Sam is now left completely alone and Dean, probably, is by himself also. The striping back is complete.

It was both heartbreaking and perfect. THIS is what the show is about. There is as much power in them being together as there is in them being apart.

It's hard to tell how alone Dean is. Cas is there, but with his disappearing act in the end it hard to know if that leaves Dean completely alone. Personally, I would love Dean to be alone so it mirrors his brother. Both will need their wits to survive and I am VERY EXCITED about the story opportunities this opens up next season. I won't speculate about how much it will be Dean and Cas in Purgatory and Sam by himself on Earth because that might just upset me too much. I trust show not to give us a complete Dean and Cas show (and yeah, I totally get that there are fans that would love that but it ain't me). I think the power will come from them being alone in some way (all three of them for that matter).

Mostly it means we will have Sam doing everything in his power to find Dean. He will have to be resourceful and call on those who are around to help (I can only think of Jodie and Charlie as possible allies. Though there is the Alpha!Vamp and maybe Crowley, Meg and Kevin - If Sam can find a way of rescuing the latter 2). Last time Sam was without Dean he fell apart. It will be interesting to see what he does this time. Last time Sam wasn't able to get Dean out of hell. I am SERIOUSLY hoping the next season will provide a fix-it for that. Sam has to go marching into Purgatory... SURELY!!!

No idea what we will see from Dean. It will depend on what the show does with the Purgatory universe. Very curious to find out. Lots of Dean peril I hope!! OH DEAN!

(and I gotta say sockkpuppett totally called it! The notion of them ending in Purgatory never crossed my mind but once I heard that idea I was seriously hoping it ended like that. Hee... and it did! *g*)

2. The boys - during the episode.

Maybe not as many SamnDean moments that I would have liked but I did like they way they, once again, were in tune with each other. Dean trying to make Sam laugh at his lame jokes will always be a winner and Sam telling Dean to shut up was AWESOME! They almost seemed like a single unit and I liked that.

3. Sam:

Sam was a friggin' HERO. Sam stopping Bobby and saving the maid was fabulous. WE GOT CHOKED!SAM!!!!! \o/ I do have a soft spot for Sam being the rescuer and it was good to see him rescue Kevin also. He also had lovely hair. *nods* that had to be mentioned. I also loved how wibbly his face was during the ghost!Bobby scene (OMG THAT SCENE!!!). I know there wasn't a huge amount of Sam (which I anticipated because of new baby) but I did love what we did get.

4. Dean

Dean was in control, focussed and still looking damn hot in him new jacket. Once again I enjoyed Jensen's understated performance. He is like this ball of emotion that barely stays contained. But he does contain it and I love the way he's doing that. I dunno - Dean seemed like a mature, strong and a seasoned hunter. I liked the way he held it together.

5. Bobby

I can't believe I actually cried! I really did. I didn't think I could be moved any more by Bobby dying but that was so beautifully and quietly handled I really felt it. I didn't expect them to tie this loose end up so quickly (and so well) but I'm glad they did. They have already morned for Bobby so this was like a final release. So sad, but so right. And Bobby's final words about making sure you move on after death...*sniff*. Does that really mean no more Bobby?

6. Cas.

Dammit!! My feeling are always SO MIXED UP when I think of Cas. One minute I begrudge him and the time he takes away from the SamnDean-ness of the show and the next I really love him and enjoy watching him. I actually really enjoyed him in this episode. He MADE SENSE! I love his craziness because it makes sense that as an angel he just doesn't fix anything. He doesn't even though he could. I also love this particular brand of crazy because the dialogue is so wonderful.

And he was fixed in the end wasn't he? There was a notable change in his voice, face and eyes yeah? Back to clearer thinking angel!Cas? No idea what this actually means for him. Hopefully badass!Cas is back and he can help re-unite the boys.

And dammit! Even all the Cas/Dean didn't make me squirm. (What's wrong with me!!?!) I loved the forgiveness scene. Misha's face was so loving. He totally adores Dean. (It's scenes like this that make me wish I could actually ship them because it's ALL THERE. I just can't because, essentially, I see Cas as being asexual I can't get passed that. *shrugs* each to their own. I do like the bromance though.). I did LOVE that Dean was still pissed with Cas for what he had done. The "clean your mess up" section was great also.

So yeah. All that stuff was solidly done I thought.

7. IMPALA!!!

About fucking time!! God it was good to see her again. AND WITH MUSIC!!!! \o/ I would like to have seen more fawning over her from Dean but I'm thinking that Dean had been back a few times to check on her during the season. That wasn't the first time he'd seen her since she was put in the corner. The line about naked Cas covered in bees laying on his car made me think he'd seen the car earlier (and DAMN if there weren't a gazzillion underlying Dean/Cas comments in that ep. Seriously? He was your boyfriend first? Hee....normally that would piss me off but I can't begrudge fans that. We has some great Sam/Dean moments this season so fairs fair I suppose).

But poor baby. Trashed as soon as she makes an appearance. It probably makes little sense that the car was brought back only to be driven by Meg then smashed. I do have some thinky about that (and Dean's new jacket!), which I'll save for later. Let's just say I think it was deliberate and it's probably says a lot about where Dean is at at the moment.

Let's hope we see some Sam working on her in S8 while he PINES for Dean. Sam does at least have the car. <33

8. Meg, Crowley, Dick, Kevin

Enjoyed them all (Again! Colour me surprised!). Particularly loved Dick and Crowley together. That dialogue in that opening scene was priceless. So much flirting and tension. The contract was to die for.

I even thought Meg was more solid. I actually felt her fear of Crowley and felt sorry for her. She's been messed about and she lost in the end. I did love how much Cas cared for her though. Strange alliance but nice.

Kevin has grown a lot in a few short eps. Gone is the hyperventilating victim. He is taking it all on board and being proactive in his on welfare.

Not sure what the Polly thing was all about. I suspect she represented the vulnerable and helped make us more aware of the power the Levis have. The changing into the dress was lost on me. As was her removing it. We could tell she was slight with it on. *shrugs*

9. Other stuff

The end of Dick was nice. I particularly liked the explosion being identical to the opening credits. No idea what was going on with the shimmer effect. Was that him calling his other "dicks" to him? Or just building up for an explosion? If the other Dicks are still around then surely no much has been achieved. He still there. Though he WAS the brains behind them all so I'm thinking without him they will be disorganised and be easy (?) to kill.

Hmmm... maybe we'll still see some more of Susan? I liked her.

The angel garrison is all gone. I'm not sure how many angels that includes but I was rather happy about that. It makes sense that Cas is all alone too - in terms of his back up. Being alone definitely ended up being a major theme this season. It was reflected in both Bobby and Meg. Even Frank and Charlie.

10. The potential for S8

I think mostly I am excited about S8 potential stories now. Sam is truly alone and so there will be lots to explore there. The Leviathans are still a threat - he has to make sure they don't re-organise and he has to find Dean. I am hoping for LOTS of angst over that. I would LOVE to see him enter purgatory to rescue Dean. He didn't get the chance to do so when he was in Hell so maybe this is his chance. It will also give Sam purpose again - of which he has been lacking lately.

I am not at all satisfied with how his hell wall was resolved so I'm hoping there is more to come there. I still hold out hope that Lucifer is somehow around. Mark is too good an actor for them to lose so I'd love to see him back. Maybe even foiling (or helping?) Sam save Dean. I hope that door is still open.

As much as I would love to see Sam facing the peril that Dean is, I think this balances out quite nicely. For Sam to be stuck in some sort of hell again would have been too much, too soon. Though I am sure will be in some sort of hell anyway having to deal without his big brother.

I'd love to see Dean in danger and have to survive on his wits alone. I have no thoughts about what I want from Cas. Probably I'd like to see him lost in Purgatory maybe? Don't know. Not sure what kind of powers he'll have in hell. He seemed stronger so maybe he's off finding a solution.

I really hope they don't spend tooooo long apart. The best thing about them being apart is that we have a REUNION to look forward to. \o/ MORE HUGS MAYBE!!! (though maybe it will be Dean's turn to return "altered"?? Hmmmm..... I could go some evil!Dean...ooops. Speculating...)

Even though that wasn't as powerful as some finales I was surprisingly happy with it. It might be because I got to watch it with fellow fans (that's always nice!), or maybe my expectations weren't that high to start with. Which ever way, I think they've paved the way for some interesting stuff next season.

Comments

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Oh oh... jumping here because...I'd love to know what wasn't working for you? What comment did Jensen make that had you excited before?

I know there have been many fans not like this. I thought I was one of the few that did - but I'm seeing that I'm not the only one.

And even though we have kinda been here before we really haven't because the boys are in different places now.

I know you're a Dean!gal so I'm keen to know what was lacking for you there? If you feel like sharing that is...

*hugs*

[geckoholic]

The comment was how Dean would be "found in a situation at the end of the season that he's never been in". And... I dunno, this might be? Kinda? On the other hand. dude's been to hell, so.

It's not like something's actually lacking, it's just that my excitement had been diminished the last few weeks. This might be partly a Dean-girl problem (SO many things they hinted at in the first half of the season, and they delivered on JACK SHIT later on) and partly an issue with the main arc (the Levi arc as a whole didn't work for me, it couldn't generate the urgency it would've needed to keep me interested in how they solve it). All in all, the possibilities this season finale leaves us with are AWESOME and ENDLESS, I just lost faith that they'll use them to do any of the things I'd be hoping for. It's an opportunity to explore both boys issues, on their own and with(out) each other, and Dean's and Cas' relationship and issues with each other, and the things purgatory might stir up in Dean that he's repressed since S4 and... I kinda doubt much of that will happen. If we get a gloss-over and a time-jump to when Sam rescues Dean, I'll scream.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Ah...yes. Dean in Purgatory is quite similar to Dean in Hell - so yeah, not so different. Though for Dean he is at least "free" enough to defend himself - compared to being in Hell. It's hard to know. I love them to really make something of this - but as you say, they could lead to nothing.

It's really curious that you (as a Dean-girl) feel the same way as I so (as a Sam-ish-girl). The first half held so many promises but didn't deliver. Dean's drinking and road to self destruction didn't happen and Sam's hell wall diminished into nothing.

I maintain that most of the second half was watching them become a singular unit, but maybe that isn't so interesting. Seeing them capable and strong doesn't make for riveting watching. (though I was happy for the breather from the angst for a while...)

I hope we don't get a "gloss over" either. I'm happy to see them exploring a time a part - it could open up some interesting stuff. The idea of Purgatory is delicious! Though not toooo long mind you. I think I'll be screaming right along with you if Sam rescues Dean in the first episode. (I just hope that Sam IS actually the one to rescue Dean...eventually...)

[geckoholic]

Psychologically I'm ALL OVER how an experience like Purgatory would unearth SO MANY of his repressed feelings and fears and trauma re: hell, but I'm not having high hopes that they'll go there. SIGH. That'll be something we have to explore via fic, I guess.

Right? Such a big (and good!) build-up, and, uh. POOF. :((

I'm happy about that, believe me, but, just. This isn't a buddy movie. They've put them through SO MUCH, and the way they keep sweeping that under the rug because they - seemingly - don't really know what to do with it other than piling on MORE really pisses me off at the moment. I just... *hands* They're still, in fact, human, and there's a point at which I refuse to follow without having that acknowledged.

Yeah. Two or three eps are doable, and everything else would be a cop-out, IMO.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Yes. I totally agree.

I've been pondering this - them putting the guys through hell (quite literally) and never really exploring the issues that have arisen from that. Even with Sam. We got the whole wall thing but it was then magically gone and there was not one single mention about any hell or Lucifer experience after than. Same with Dean in S4.

My only thinking is that they want (or need?) to stick to the MotW formula and exploring those issues don't don't fit into that. Sometimes they touch on it, but they never really give us an actual episode on those things.

I mean, in reality it would be hard. Any normal person would be a complete basket case if they'd experienced even a 10th of what they have, so maybe it's better (for them!) to sweep it under the carpet.

I will be sorely disappointed if they don't make something out of Purgatory. The options are endless. From Dean facing past hell fears, his drinking, to him meeting monsters he's put there. AT LEAST 2-3 eps! I do worry because they had a great opportunity to explore Dean issues in the Defending Your Life and they completely missed the chance.

We shall see I suppose. The sandbox is fun though...

[geckoholic]

Good point, BUT: if you don't plan on following through with the consequences of something, don't do it in the first place. Everything else is bad writing, IMO. I can give them some leeway, this isn't Shakespeare, never has been, but still. Don't wanna have them deal with hell and the issues that stem from it? Don't send them there!

And yeah, totally agreed. Just think about the drinking ep - I feel like they missed an even bigger chance there. I just... This show was so good in regards of character arcs and issues. Just look at S2, or S3! And it didn't clash with the MOTW spiel either, back then. Where exactly did that get lost? :( They're still doing a far better job at keeping the characters consistent than many other shows (probably due to the Js, in part?), but they lost their touch with dealing with the drama they heap on them.