#also the fact that in the second scene its NIGHTTIME. like dean was just thinking about it the whole time. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thegirlwholied · 3 years

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I think it’s an interesting observation you made regarding them becoming more god/superhero like. In the beginning they are clearly just normal guys who are tasked with doing things for greater good, and they definitely fail sometimes, but as the show progresses they became these invincible guys who was always on the right side and always won. And I’m not sure if it’s solely down to the fact of covid but these last episodes have felt really off (especially bc of cas’s confession to dean)

So I haven’t followed very regularly since season 5. And I do love the season 5 ending. But also? One of my favorite scenes of the show, just a little before I fell off watching, was that season 6 opening montage to Beautiful Loser.

& that was the start of the season of course, & a very qualified ‘happy’ ending... but in my heart I think that’s kind of the end of the show for me. It reminds me, the nighttime scene of him padding around the house, of the opening scene in a way, with Mary checking on Sam & John then checking on them. In my heart, I think that’s where I left Dean (does this mean my heart left Sam in the pit? Oh no...). The ‘Men in Black 2′ pulling Dean out of this ending, in the slow-dragging way it did in early season 6, is where I (for busy life reasons really, but then I never caught up) fell off watching the show. slow-yanking of him out of this life in season 6 is where

It’s also the pinnacle of regular-guy Dean. Even the flashbacks to fighting monsters, it’s framed as work. Hard, exhausting, no-glory-in-it work.

& now they’re taking punches from God?? I know Dean’s taken punches from Lucifer before in Swan Song but man, that just played differently. There was definitely some snapping sounds they should not have been able to get onto their feet from in last night’s episode. Last night felt very much a “The Flash takes a beatdown, still gets up not too terribly hurt” kind of scene. As opposed to this.

I feel like last night’s was trying to echo Swan Song but the editing just couldn’t cut it. I don’t know how much the pandemic was to blame but it felt very choppy, *weird* reliance on flashback reveals. Editing, lighting, writing ~ none of it jibed to me, not as one smooth whole on its own, and not with the early seasons.

I’ve been following *most* of the final season, because it’s the final season: & the ‘removal of the plot armor’ episode bugged me. I liked the one where the regained their luck, in the pool hall bet; that felt like an old-school episode to me, around season 5 when down-and-out gods were coming into play. But the ‘ha of course these guys wouldn’t really be capable of the things they do & the way they live’ felt undermining of the show’s own pinnings & a little smarmy to me. i.e., having the Impala break down -- they were constantly repairing it/working on that car! That’s always been a plot point/offscreen implication, Dean spending tons of time taking careful care of his car.

The early seasons, they made these two characters *feel* mythic, even in goofy disguises & with mud on their faces & clothes, & always a little beat up. Lately what I’ve seen of the writing, it’s been more of *telling* you how mythic they are. (Even Cas’ confession: a lot of telling Dean he’s the most amazing guy in the world.)

Curious at to what your take is, Anonymous! I’ve been seeing a lot of takes but mine’s pretty simple: personally I think it was a great confession in *concept* & a middling one in *execution*; but certainly earned (by Misha Collins’ performance most of all).

(Now admittedly I am coming at this from the perspective of, ‘this may not be a ship I have taken passage on but there’s hardly another ship so old & sturdy & fine-lined in these particular waters... OH MY GOD is it actually in full sail??? let me stare out as it goes by like it’s the pirate ship in Goonies, surprisingly emotional though it may only last a second’).

The basic concept, Death literally knocking on the door as Dean & Cas faced down no hope, with sacrifice & the ‘it’s not about having’ & a bloody handprint callback to his first scene ~ damn that’s a concept. & the acting delivered on the emotion.

Execution-wise though... is it that the Empty’s just not scary? Is it that it’s meant to feel final but so many people pop back (including Lucifer! From the same place?? So goofily???)... that it feels instead *ridiculous* if they try to keep it a final sacrifice? Is it the editing? Maybe it’s the lighting again! Where’s those sepia filters when you need them. ...and speaking of lighting I’d have rather had a sacrifice scene with lightning, in more a callback to Castiel’s entrance than it all going down in a closeted room. The bloody handprint returning was an excellent gesture in that direction but it just didn’t have a candle on Castiel’s entrance scene, to me. I want that mythic quality. But at least it had the emotion, which last night’s episode kept swinging & missing on for me.

I’m still hoping the final episode hits it out of the park. Give me those shattered lights & shadows, one last time!

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