Supernatural Hiatus Hunting: 5.04 “The End”
Dean steps outside, wearing his blue jacket (this is important) and it’s exactly what you’d picture Armageddon to be. Burned out cars, debris everywhere, no people around. No people that is except for a young girl in a sooty dress who just broke glass on the street. So, does Dean run? No, he tries to talk with her. Have you ever watched an apocalyptic thriller Dean? It’s like on Galaxy Quest when they land on the planet and decide to just go talk to the aliens. They’re stopped by the super fan. “Haven’t you ever watched the show?” Back to Dean, girl swipes his side with a piece of glass and he takes her out with a punch. He still doesn’t get what’s happening.
Dean turns and sees “Croatoan” spray painted on the wall and now he gets it. Just in time too, for a whole pack of human zombies now come after him. Not good! Dean runs, gets cornered by a giant fence, and as the “croats” aka zombies, come closer, military trucks pull up and fire off machine guns without hesitation. Dean is smart enough to duck and cover to get out of the crossfire.
Speaking of this brutal scene, w hen I was in college, I took this cinema appreciation course. As a side note, when interviewing for a business job and someone asks you what your favorite class is in college, if you really want the job, don’t say “cinema appreciation” even if it is the truth. It all worked out though, for that company went bankrupt. Anyway, one of the pictures we studied was Bonnie and Clyde. For those not familiar, it had a big ending where Bonnie and Clyde are essentially machine gunned to a pulp. This was considered at the time, 1967, to be one of the most goriest and most violent scenes in film. After watching the military men machine gun the “croats” to the bouncy “Do You Love Me (Now That I Can Dance)”, that’s far more vicious than Bonnie and Clyde and this is network TV. I guess that’s progress.
Dean escapes through an open fence door, and waits until the coast is clear while his heart pounds through his chest. Next thing its night and he’s digging under another fence. Once he gets through to the other side, he sees the quarantine sign by the city of Kansas City for the Croatoan virus dated August 1st, 2014. Now he really gets it. He hot wires the only car around that isn’t a burned out shell, and drives. No cell phone reception, no radio. Darn, I was hoping they’d play the all zombie channel. “Grrrr, arrrgh.”
So, do you know what happens when Dean is driving these days without a passenger? An angel shows up. Cue Zachariah. He’s reading from the “Washington Herald,” which mentions the Croatoan pandemic reaches Australia. “I thought I smelled your stink on this Back to the Future crap , “ Dean says in greeting. Zack goes on. “President Palin defends bombing of Houston. Certainly a buyer’s market on real estate.” Hah, it’s a buyer’s market now. Who needs the apocalypse? Oh, wait”¦anyway, he wants to check the sports page. There isn’t any, since Congress revoked the right to group assembly. What’s left of them anyway. “It’s hardly a quorum if you ask me.” Now, remember this smug behavior, and then compare it to Lucifer later. They’re the same arrogant bastards if you ask me. Angels truly are dicks with wings.
Dean wants to know how Zack found him. Remember that Jehovah’s Witness? Yep, they’re using the religious nuts as spies. Dean tells Zack to send him back. He’ll go back, in three days. He needs to marinate a while. Hmm, a parallel to the amount of time Christ spent in Hell after being crucified? Yes, I’m not a biblical scholar, but youth bible camp burned that one into my skull. Zachariah wants to prove to Dean that this the consequences of his choices. This is what happens to the world as long as he says no to Michael. Zack leaves and Dean wants to punch something.
Dean goes to Bobby’s house. The place looks abandoned, and Bobby’s bloodied and full of bullet holes wheelchair proves it. Sniff! At least he’s at peace. Dean knows where to look for possible information. He moves a stone in the middle of Bobby’s fireplace and pulls out a journal. There’s a picture there. It’s some strange men, Castiel holding a machine gun and another bad photoshop of Bobby in his wheelchair holding a rifle. They are in front of Camp Chitaqua. I’ve been to Camp Chautauqua in New York. It’s way nicer than the dump in this episode. I’m sure it wasn’t intended to be a vacation resort.
Dean is outside the fence. It’s dark. He waits for passerbys to go and then looks through the gate. Gulp! There he sees sitting in the tall grass the rusted out mess with the front doors torn off. Nooooooo!!!!!!! Not the Impala! How dare they? Fine, humans can die by the billions but the car??? That’s crossing the line. Dean rushes over, sticks his head in and now he’s not so numb. “Oh baby. What did they do to you?” I want the same answer.
Dean doesn’t get an answer. He gets a fist in the face and it knocks him out. We see the culprit. It’s…Dean? Uh oh, I hope this isn’t on of those time flux paradoxes where the universe explodes when you see your future self. Actually, an universe explosion might be an improvement over where they are now. As Back To The Future proved though , Doc Brown was wrong on that theory, so the story goes on.
Dean in blue coat, aka past Dean, comes to, looks at himself and says “What the Hell?” He’s handcuffed to a ladder. “I should be asking that question don’t you think?” Dean in green coat, aka future Dean, is staring him down with an automatic rifle, asking why he shouldn’t “gank” him now. There’s that word again! Past Dean tells him he’d only be hurting himself. He’s not a shapeshifter or demon, which future Dean has already figured out when he did the standard tests. He also found where he hid lockpicks and knives on his person to be the same. Past Dean tells him Zachariah put him there and he’s from 2009. Future Dean wants to know where he is. The way he wants to talk to him, we presume he hasn’t seen him in a while.
Future Dean wants to know something only they would know. Past Dean has a doozy! “Rhonda Hurley. We were uh, 19. She made us try on her panties. They were pink and satiny and you know what, we kind of liked it.” “Touche,” future Dean says. He’s convinced.
Future Dean lightens up a little. “So what, Zack zapped you up here to see how back it gets.” Past Dean is more concerned about other things. “Croatoan virus, so that’s their end game?” Yep. It’s efficient, incurable, and scary as Hell. It turns people into monsters. Started hitting the major cities a few years ago. Past Dean, whose priorities are still in line, asks about Sam. Future Dean gives the sad frown – o – bad – news . From what he heard, there was a showdown of heavyweights in Detroit. Sam didn’t make it. Past Dean i s shocked Future Dean wasn’t with him. Nope we “haven’t” (notice the tense) talked in five years. Past Dean wonders why he didn’t try to find him. He’s been too busy with other things, you know, like leading a resistance. Past Dean is disappointed in himself.
Future Dean has to run an errand and won’t un-cuff past Dean. “I got a camp of twitchy trauma survivors out there with the apocalypse hanging over their head. The last thing they need to see is a version of The Parent Trap.” Hey, I wouldn’t want to see that film under normal circumstances, let alone an apocalypse. Past Dean agrees, but doesn’t think he needs to be cuffed. “What, you don’t trust yourself?” “No. Absolutely not.” Too funny! What else is funny? Past Dean calling future Dean a dick.
Past Dean eventually escapes later when its light outside by digging out a nail in the floor boards. He steps outside and naturally is taken to be the fearless leader. Chuck comes up to him harping about a shortage in hygiene supplies and a woman comes by and takes a swing at him. She’s upset that “Dean” was in Jackie’s cabin the night before even though they had a ” connection. ” Well I guess future Dean hasn’t strayed from his ways entirely . You know, at this point I’m getting kind of bored with these camp antics. Move on already!
Dean asks where Cas is. Where he always is. He enters a cabin with beads on the doorway and Castiel is sitting there in lotus position on the ground, very relaxed, sporting a thin beard and wearing some rather casual clothes. Okay , this isn’t the future. It’s bizzaro world! Castiel spouts a bunch of guru crap in a relaxing voice, sees Dean is there and tells the women to go wash up for the orgy. Dean does a double take, as do we all.
Dean asks Castiel, “What are you a hippie?”while Cas stretches out. “I thought you gotten over trying to label me.” Ooh, he and future Dean are having some issues. Future Dean seems to be all about the issues. Past Dean comes over and Cas instantly goes funny, noticing a difference. “You are not you, not now you anyway.” Dean tells him he’s right. Cas wants to know what year. 2009. Cas knows its Zachariah that did it and finds the development curious. Dean has other pressing matters, like telling Cas to strap on his angel wings and get him back. Castiel smiles and points out he just can’t do that. Dean asks if he’s stoned. “Pretty much,” Cas says with a loopy smile. Misha had to have a field day with this. It’s such a fun switch from straight laced angel in a suit and trench coat.
Dean hears the trucks pull up outside, and defies himself by going out to investigate. Future Dean gets out with his crew, they toast each other with beers and then future Dean proceeds to blow one of them away with his pistol when he’s not looking. Past Dean is appalled, and his horror over the shooting brings attention to the fact there are two of them now. Future Dean is not happy. “I’m not going to lie to you, me and him, it’s a pretty messed up situation we got going. But believe me, when you need to know something you will know it.” Liar!!
Future Dean drags past Dean indoors and gives him the what for. Yes, yelling and trying to beat down yourself five years earlier, that is indeed a messed up situation. One where I can picture Ben Edlund cackling at his keyboard. Past Dean wants to know why he killed that man in cold blood. They ran into some “croats” and he started showing symptoms. Past Dean still doesn’t like the idea of him doing it in front of his own people. “It’s 2014. Plugging some Croat, it’s called common place. Trading words with my clone, that might have freaked them out a little.”Touché future Dean, touché.
Future Dean makes it clear this is his time and he makes the decisions. Past Dean apologizes, for he doesn’t want to mess “you, or me, or us up.” I think it’s way too late for that! I’m already confused. Future Dean pours them both some whiskey to diffuse the situation. They drink and calmer heads prevail. Past Dean asks what the mission was. Future Dean pulls out the colt. The demons have been pushing it around. It’s taken him five years to find it, but he’s got it now and tonight they’re gonna kill Lucifer. With the colt? I know it took out Azazel but Lucifer? He’s an angel, not a demon. I don’t see the colt working. I don’t see anything working. I smell a trap. Me and the millions of others watching.
Angry chick, Castiel and the two Dean discuss the raid. At least the others in the room diffuse a bit of the strangeness caused by the two Deans. Angry chick is not impressed with “the colt.” I’m a bit tired of it myself lady. Angry chick is snippy, wondering that now they have something to kill Lucifer, how are they going to find Lucifer? Future Dean wants to know what her problem is, so past Dean steps in. “Oh we were in Jane’s cabin last night and apparently we and Reisa have a connection.” Castiel laughs, as do I. Future Dean tells himself to shut up and says he found out a few weeks ago from someone in his entourage. Angry chick can’t believe he’s taking the word of a demon. Future Dean knows he wasn’t lying. Castiel fills in the blanks. “Our fearless leader I’m afraid is all too well schooled in the art of getting to the truth.” Castiel is a bit saddened by this, past Dean is really bothered. “Oh, so we’re torturing again? Oh, that’s good. Classy.” Hey, I hate using my computer programming skills half the time, but if it gets the job done”
Castiel laughs, so he gets a stare down from Future Dean. “What? I like past you.” Future Dean shows on the map where Lucifer is. Castiel is facetious about the fact it’s in the middle of a hot zone. “Are you saying my plan is reckless?” “Are you saying we walk in straight up the driveway, past all the demons and the croats and we shoot the Devil.” Future Dean says yes. “Okay, if you don’t like reckless, I could use insentient.” Future Dean asks if he’s coming. Oh yes. He questions why past Dean is coming though. If something happens to him, future Dean is gone. Future Dean says he’s coming. They load up in the morning.
Ah yes the lesson that these two never seem to learn. If you run off to do your own thing one of you becomes the devil the other one wakes up a deanmon. Come on guys learn the lesson already and stick together.
I loved this episode. Jensen knocked it out of the park. He was fantastic in playing the subtle differences between the two Deans. Jared’s part was short but so powerful, heartbreaking and scene stealing. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him, there was no trace of Sam anywhere. Jared is so good at these kind of roles. I agree one of the best scenes in the whole series. Loved the re-cap the first time I read it as well as the 3rd time. 🙂
I think this is one of the best or even the best episode of Supernatural in my opinion. Both Jensen and Jared nailed it and I liked the “Back to the future crap.” In a commentary I think they said that Jensen had called after it was fully shot and said “Don’t do this to me ever again” but he nailed both Deans even if it seemed to be pretty hard. With the commentary the whole episode opened up to me more and all the details. It was like a short one hour movie packing it all in it. Every one of the cast did great.
And also this was the first episode where I did something together with other fans and watched the episode with hubby (with commentary) It was the Croatoan day. Once in a lifetime in the real world so we painted Croatoan to our arms. It got even trending in twitter. It was fun and cool.
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjJ6bnT9IMg#t=43[/video]
[img]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bt-E9pcIYAAJoTE.jpg:large[/img]
Don’t worry. It is just paint.
[img]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bt-E8vlIAAEB8kf.jpg:large[/img]
Anyway the date was 1st of August 2014 from the camp sign. Luckily this was a good article to tell about it and I guess it is now a part of history as the date passed. 😀
– Lilah
I ADORED “The End”! I wasn’t writing for the WFB yet when that episode aired, but if you’d like to see my very long, very contemplative, very enthusiastic analysis, you can find the whole thing on my LJ here: http://bardicvoice.livejournal.com/58469.html ([url]”http://bardicvoice.livejournal.com/58469.html”[/url]). It’s way too long to repeat!
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