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iliketoydinosaurs · 5 months

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Essay on 05x18 of Supernatural

Word count: 2245

Estimated reading time: 17 minutes

Season five episode eighteen is one of the best episodes of Supernatural because it explores the themes, aesthetics, and characters of the show in a skilled way, as well as furthering the character arcs of season five. I will be going through the episode sequentially and explaining the relevance of certain scenes.

Even the very first scene of Point of No Return (05x18) is significant to the overall feel of the show. It starts with Zachariah drinking in a bar because he’s mad at heaven. He thinks that because he’s failed to get Dean to say yes, the angels will send him to hell. He complains to another man about his “job” which really puts into perspective what the environment of heaven is like. Then when another angel begins speaking to Zachariah, the man he was complaining to and the bartender are both killed in a screaming burst of light. This scene is reminiscent of the true horror of seasons one and two, something the show loses more and more throughout, much to its detriment.

Then, of course, there’s the obligatory Sam and Dean drama. Started in 99 Problems(05x17) when Dean took off in the Impala without Sam. Sam, naturally, finds where Dean is hiding out. He compares saying yes to Michael to suicide. This scene is a great example of how well Sam knows Dean as well as Dean’s suicidal ideation and self-sacrificial nature. While Dean might not be planning to kill himself in a traditional sense, saying yes to Michael is most certainly a death sentence. Dean was told this directly by Cas in Free To Be You and Me(05x03). He knows the damage that will be done to him, and he plans to do it anyway.

The conversation really picks up after these lines,

SAM. How could you?

DEAN. How could I? All you’ve ever done is run away.

SAM. And I was wrong every time I did!

This is the angst I watch Supernatural for. This line points out Sam’s character progression, not only when it comes to running off with Ruby, but also running off to Stanford. At this point in the show it’s clear that Sam regrets this. He now views his leaving for Stanford as a betrayal against Dean; and he blames himself simply being there for Jess’s death; and he thinks it was futile because he was always going to hunt somehow. All of these things expertly tie into Sam’s character arc throughout season five. Blaming himself for Jess’s death as well as what he sees as the inevitability of his “freakhood” are both shown in the opening scene of Free To Be You and Me. And his leaving for Stanford (as well as running away for two weeks as a teen) are sources of conflict in Dark Side of the Moon(05x16). These lines also show Dean’s abandonment issues. Issues that were greatly exacerbated after Sam ran off with Ruby. These abandonment issues worsened significantly after the events of Dark Side of the Moon. Dean’s newfound mistrust of Sam is a consistent argument between the two throughout season five. These simple lines show the brothers’ character development throughout the season as well as being perfect, compact characterization.

After Cas helps Sam drag Dean back to Bobby’s, Dean starts to truly reveal his reasoning. He sees saying yes to Michael as the best possible option. Which, given Sam and Bobby don’t have a plan, isn’t an entirely unfounded thought process. However, Bobby argues, saying yes to Michael will not save everyone, so they need to find a new way. Much like the episode before it, this episode touches on Dean’s faith, not in God, but in everything. Himself, Sam, the universe. Bobby attempts to restore Dean’s hope.

BOBBY. You can’t give up, son.

DEAN. You’re not my father. And you ain’t in my shoes.

Dean is very obviously trying to push everyone away in this episode so they’ll let him say yes to Michael. He obviously does view Bobby as his father/father figure as he’s stated that multiple times, but his angry mind knows that’s a sensitive subject for Bobby so he uses the opportunity to try to make him angry enough to kick Dean out. Dean feels like if he doesn’t say yes to Michael and people die, then their deaths will be his fault. In this sense, he’s right that Bobby has never been in that position. However, Bobby uses his personal experience with suicidal thoughts to show that he has been in similar situations. He pulls out a bullet and gun from the drawer and tells Dean how he looks at it every morning and wonders if he’ll kill himself that day. This sort of physical, in-your-face, almost aggressive explanation is a wonderful characterization of the type of person Bobby is. Then Bobby says, “But I don’t do it. I never do it. You know why? Cause I promised you I wouldn’t give up!” This is in reference to The Curious Case of Dean Winchester (05x07) when Bobby revealed to Sam and Dean that he wanted to kill himself because he felt useless. Dean had assured him that he was still useful and that Sam and Dean needed him. Once again this episode touches on every plot point and character arc, even for more minor characters.

Also Cas has so many fight scenes in this episode and he’s so pretty and cool and yes that does improve my opinion of this episode even more.

And, finally, for the very first time we see the real Adam Milligan alive. The angels had revived him for Michael (much like the writers did. I actually think Adam as a concept was a cheap plot device but I won’t go into that here). Sam tries the “we’re family” argument on Adam while trying to convince him to not say yes to the angels just yet. Adam proceeds to say, “We may be blood, but we are not family.” Adam is the antithesis of the show’s theme of family and that is perfect. Complex narratives should take into account other perspectives in order to be properly explored. While, in my opinion, Supernatural’s theme of family would ultimately fail due to poor writing, this was a step in the right direction. The show also attempted the found family trope (again, a colossal failure as they cared too much about blood) and this is pivotal to the idea of found family. Found family says, “We may not be blood, but we are family,” which cannot exist without, “We may be blood, but we are not family.”

Adam brings a more nuanced look at the theme and characters. In particular when he and Sam disagree over whether it was worse to never see John or to see John everyday. Neither is necessarily wrong that their situation was terrible, but they can’t see that because the situations were so different. Neither of them can truly understand the other’s perspective, to no fault of their own. Nobody was right in this “I had it worse” debate. The main takeaway is that John Winchester is the worst.

Sam, unfortunately, can never catch a break. So the next scene is him somewhat-arguing with his other brother. Dean speaks about how he thinks he’s simply destined to be Michael.

DEAN. I don’t believe.

SAM. In what?

DEAN. In you. . . . I do know they’re gonna find a way to turn you.

SAM. So you’re saying I’m not strong enough.

DEAN. You’re angry. You’re self-righteous. Lucifer is gonna wear you to the prom, man. It’s just a matter of time.

SAM. Don’t say that to me. Not you of all people.

This scene starts off strong with Dean’s lack of faith, a theme of his character as far back as season one. But now it’s a lack of faith in Sam, rather than lack of faith in God or good. This is something that has been building since the season four finale. Throughout season five Dean has tried and failed to trust Sam again, and once again he’s saying he simply can’t. Sam’s language of being “strong enough” is also of note as becoming stronger was his justification for drinking demon blood. He feels weak and powerless without it, something he is still working through at this point. Dean is also finally revealing more of his thought process on saying yes to Michael. He sees it as an inevitability that Sam will say yes, so figures he should do it first. This is in strict contrast to seasons two and three when Dean adamantly defended Sam from the likes of Gordon. It shows the effect Sam leaving with Ruby had on Dean, as Dean saw Sam as the one person he could trust. Then there’s that last line from Sam. This line is extremely similar to one in When The Levee Breaks(04x21), “Don’t say that to me. Don’t you say that to me.” In that episode “Dean” (actually a hallucination) was telling Sam that he meant nothing to Dean. Sam gets extra hurt when Dean in particular lacks faith in Sam. This is partially because of what was at one point Dean’s intense loyalty to Sam, as well as Dean’s parental role in Sam’s life.

But of course, no good Supernatural episode is complete without Cas. Dean uses angel warding to send Cas away and escape Bobby’s house. This is futile as Cas finds him almost immediately. Then there is the iconic scene of Cas beating the shit out of Dean. “I rebelled for this?” he asks. “I gave everything for you. And this is what you give to me?” I’m not going to go too into the gay subtext of Cas rebelling for Dean (and the other gay subtext in this episode), as that’s been stated many times, but this is my acknowledgement of it. Season five is when Cas starts to truly develop his own moral compass, and even though he rebelled for Dean, he doesn’t always agree with Dean. He feels particularly betrayed that he worked with Dean to stop the apocalypse, risking his life and family, just for Dean to try to say yes to Michael. He truly did give everything, his livelihood and family and life, for Dean. I’ll elaborate on this more later.

Moving sequentially throughout the episode, Zachariah then reveals to Adam that the angels simply used him to get Dean to come to them. Adam is such a tragic character who had the misfortune of being related to Sam and Dean. He was dead before he was even on screen. Now he’s simply being used, once again, just to get to Winchesters.

Sam decides to fall right into the angels’ trap, and take Dean to where they have Adam. Despite Dean telling Sam that he will say yes to Michael if given the chance, Sam, ever the optimist, simply says he won’t. Sam is the only one who thinks this is a good idea. They get to the trap and Cas explains his plan to go take down the numerous angels inside. Dean asks,

DEAN. Isn’t that suicide?

CAS. Maybe it is. But then I won’t have to watch you fail. Sorry, Dean. I don’t have the same faith in you that Sam does.

This episode shows how the entire main cast has some level of suicidal ideation and self-sacrificing tendencies. In fact, this episode is about as close as we get to real acknowledgement of Dean’s suicidal thoughts. Back to Cas, his faith in everything is wavering currently. Of course, he lost faith in the angels long ago, but at the end of Dark Side of the Moon, he loses faith in God as well. Now Dean has gone back on his morals that Cas left heaven for, and he’s lost. This no doubt is a factor in his recklessness. Cas, while harsh, is telling this to Dean because he truly can’t take another loss. Yet even as he says this, he apologizes to Dean. Sam is the only one with any hope in team free will at this point.

Dean angers Zachariah by fake saying yes to Michael under the condition that Michael kills Zachariah. He uses this to lure Zachariah near him and kill him. There is still the issue of Michael coming down into the barn. Dean grabs Sam to help him evacuate, but when he tries to go back for Adam he can’t get in. Obviously this was meant to show how Dean will always save Sam before anyone else in the room. Once again, Adam is let down by the Winchesters. Adam then gets taken.

And what would Supernatural be without the obligatory ‘driving at night in the Impala and talking about our feelings’ final scene. The final scene is pretty simple. Dean explains that he said no to Michael because of Sam’s faith in him. Dean says, “Screw destiny,” which obviously contrasts his earlier conflict with Sam. It puts a decent ribbon on Sam and Dean’s conflict of the episode while leaving the rest of the plot to later episodes.

And that concludes my essay on Point of No Return. Supernatural is a bad show that turned its back on most of the themes and characters I praise here, but sometimes while rewatching I like to be reminded why I love the show. I think this episode is one of the best.

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