#7x23 survival of the fittest | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

according-to-the-laura · 2 years

Text

StackedNatural Day 181: 7x23, 11x22, 12x22, 12x23

StackedNatural Masterpost: [x]

May 18, 2022

7x23: Survival of the Fittest

Written by: Sera Gamble

Directed by: Robert Singer

Original air date: May 18, 2012

Plot Synopsis:

Sam and Dean make a plan to storm Dick's company building and kill him once and for all, with help from Castiel and Meg. Providing Bobby doesn't get to Dick first.

Features:

Homoerotic business negotiations, Castiel naked and covered in bees, righteous bones, Cas’ honey and farm-to-table sandwiches, copies of Dick, releasing Bobby’s spirit, the Impala’s big entrance, arrival in Purgatory, Sam left alone.

My Thoughts:

This is a fun finale. It’s great to see “original Cas” breaking through the veneer of traumatized Cas now and then, not to mention how many classic Destiel frames and lines are packed into this episode. The scene where they make up when they go to pick up the Impala is so sweet and soft, it really sets up early season 8 well. Not to mention, “I’ll go with you” is Supernatural’s code for “I love you”.

Bobby’s goodbye scene is great, proof that they do know how to write out a fan-favourite character well. I love not actually getting to see him vanish, just watching the effect that it has on Sam and Dean.

Crowley playing both sides is great - he keeps being a really interesting enemy/ally for a while yet, and it’s fun to watch the balancing act.

Notable Lines:

“Go ask him, he was your boyfriend first.”

“Nobody cares that you're broken, Cas. Clean up your mess!”

“Sorry, but I’d rather have you. Cursed or not.”

“I’ll go with you.”

Laura’s (completely subjective) Episode Rating: 9.0

IMdB Rating: 8.8

11x22: We Happy Few

Written by: Robert Berens

Directed by: John Badham

Original air date: May 18, 2016

Plot Synopsis:

Sam and Dean face their biggest challenge yet. Rowena makes her move.

Features:

The devil throwing a temper tantrum in Sam’s room, Our Heavenly Father making pancakes for breakfast, God’s apology to Lucifer, getting the team together, Sam almost accepting the Mark, Lucifer being banished from Cas, the beginning of the end.

My Thoughts:

Watching everyone getting the chance to confront God absolutely kicks ass. I truly love digging into the mundane in the divine and exploring not just the power of higher beings but the emotion and damage and trauma that they’ve all experienced. Absolutely wild to have the Winchesters, who have never had a healthy interaction in their life, mediate the two oldest grievances in existence, but it sure does make for good television.

I have to say I don’t remember them ever establishing that Lucifer was the first to have the Mark of Cain so that was quite a surprise. I kept expecting the brothers to react to that revelation and they never did, so I guess we already knew at some point.

Chuck’s eventual apology to Lucifer is, as @meg3point0 said while we were watching, the one that Sam and Dean deserved from John and never got (fuck Lebanon).

Gathering the team is fun in a heist-movie sort of way; I kind of wish that more time had been devoted to that part and that the plan had been a bit more complicated just for the fun of it, but they needed the run time for the emotional confrontations with dad so that’s understandable. It also gave me big DTA vibes - you have to fight at the end of the world.

One of my notes just says, “Get absolutely feral, Amara. Go girl.”

Notable Lines:

“You have any idea what it’s like to argue with your father when your father is God? Everything is a tautology with you. Everything is, ‘Because I told you so.’ Everything’s, ‘It had to be done.’” “Pretty sure that’s all fathers.”

“Do you think we see any daylight between you and the Adversary?”

“You can't make an effective soldier by force. They have to choose this fight.”

“We weren't great or powerful because we stood only in relation to each other. You think you made the archangels to bring light? No. You made them to create lesser beings, to make you large. To make you Lord. It was ego! You wanted to be big!”

“Welcome to the end.”

Laura’s (completely subjective) Episode Rating: 9.2

IMdB Rating: 8.8

12x22: Who We Are

Written by: Robert Berens

Directed by: John F. Showalter

Original air date: May 18, 2017

Plot Synopsis:

Sam and Dean only have each other to rely on when they're caught in a dangerous situation; the fight between the American hunters and the British hunters comes to a head.

Features:

Mary hunting the hunters, Dean finally getting a chance to use his grenade launcher, the strength of Mary’s programming, Sam as a leader, parental relationship dynamics, saying all the things you ever dreamed of saying to someone that hurt you, the end of the British Men of Letters in America, family group hugs.

My Thoughts:

Robert Berens, you have my sword.

There’s really nothing about this episode that I don’t love. Starting out with a mini-bottle episode to give the brothers time to talk about their feelings before the finale starts. Dean getting to use his grenade launcher. The dudes from Dark Side of the Moon coming back (Berens does the reading!). Sam getting to have meaningful plot points instead of being sidelined by Dean’s experience.

I LOVE that Jody and Alex are competent enough to have already taken Mary down without the brothers swooping in to rescue them. I love that she checks in on Dean because she can’t turn her mother instinct off, and Dean can’t hide how much he needs it. I love that she ssys goodbye to Alex, her daughter figure, as Dean says goodbye to Sam, his son figure. Also, she’s a great shot and ice-cold under pressure.

The Mary-Dean dream sequence… what is there to say other than that it’s perfect? Both of their fantasies about themselves and about each other come crashing down at the same time. She can’t ever be the perfect pie-making sundress-wearing mother he remembers from when he was four, and he can’t ever return to the innocent, untraumatized child that she left behind. They have to choose to love each other for who they are, not who they imagine each other to be.

This episode rounds out Mary’s season 12 arc in such a beautiful way, pulling it all together into truly one of the more cohesive character progressions of the series.

Plus, killing Ketch is one of my favourite things they’ve ever done. Good riddance.

Notable Lines:

“You know, it wasn't long ago, I thought we had it made. We saved the world. We got Cas back. We had Mom back. I mean, it wasn't perfect, but still, we had 'em.”

“You left us. Alone. 'Cause Dad was just a shell. His perfect wife? Gone. Our perfect Mom, the perfect family... was gone. And I... I had to be... more than just a brother. I had to be a father and I had to be a mother, to keep him safe. And that wasn't fair.”

“I hate you. And I love you. 'Cause I can't – I can't help it. You're my Mom. And I understand...'cause I have made deals to save the ones I love more than once. I forgive you.”

“I knew you were a killer. You both are.” “You’re right.” [GUNSHOT]

Laura’s (completely subjective) Episode Rating: 10

IMdB Rating: 9.0

12x23: All Along the Watchtower

Written by: Andrew Dabb

Directed by: Robert Singer

Original air date: May 18, 2017

Plot Synopsis:

Lucifer battles Sam, Dean and Castiel for control of his unborn son.

Features:

The lakehouse, Crowley crawling from his grave, Rowena’s second death, Cas’ 74 books on parenting and 1 online doula class, the first inter-dimensional rift, Kelly’s labour, Apocalypse World, Crowley’s sacrifice, Cas’ death, Jack’s birthday.

My Thoughts:

I haven’t re-watched this episode since the first time I saw it probably about a year ago now, and the thing that surprises me the most about it is that what we learn about Apocalypse World is cooler than what they eventually settle on. An eternal war between angels and demons is more active than angels having already won - it also makes the absolute devastation of it make more sense, since it’s not the angelic aesthtic at all for it to be a plain dusty wasteland. Azazel is still alive in this world, especially without the Winchesters to kill him! We could have gone back to the initial trauma of their lives again, matching it with the Mary arc of season 12. Fuck, Mary could have killed Azazel. How’s that for full circle?

Last episode Dean told Sam that they had it made when they had both Mary and Cas, and in this episode they lose them both. That hits hard. Sam dragging Dean back from trying to chase after Cas in the same way Dean pulled Sam from the fire that killed Jess hits even harder.

Notable Lines:

“I will do everything. I will give my life for your son. And I will raise him. And I will make him someone you will be proud of.”

“I kind of always wanted to punch the devil in the face.”

“Hi, Jack. It's, uh... I'm your mom. I know you're gonna be okay. You are gonna be... amazing. You have an angel watching over you. God, I love you, Jack. I love you so much. Sorry. I love you.”

“I saw the future. I saw a world without pain or hunger or want. I saw the world that this child... that your child...will create.”

Laura’s (completely subjective) Episode Rating: 8.9

IMdB Rating: 8.9

In Conclusion: 11x22 and 12x22 are about confronting the parent that abandoned you.

<< Previous Day | Next Day >>

#Stackednatural #supernatural #spn #7x23 #Survival of the Fittest #11x22 #We Happy Few #12x22 #Who We Are #12x23 #All Along the Watchtower

3 notes · View notes