Alice’s Review: “Supernatural” 15.07, “Last Call”

As these final episodes air, there’s a nagging question that keeps coming up.  How would I like the show to end?  I know that the end is truly not the end.  The story can carry on with limited series runs in the future like “The X-Files” or “Gilmore Girls,” or through a movie like “Firefly,” then there’s the countless fan fiction that will push the story on for years.  But if it was me setting up this ending, what would I want to see?  After watching this week’s episode, I found an answer that surprised myself. 

Before I get to all that though, let’s talk about the episode in general.  Welcome Jeremy Adams to your first solo episode and first as official writer for “Supernatural.”  I’ll give “Last Call” a not bad.  The continuity was solid and the lines very much in character, but the MOTW was a bit lacking.  Definitely more of a character story.  Also, I’m still looking for an episode this far along that moves at a faster pace.  The slow reveal of the mytharc has gotten infuriating as well, but I won’t hold that on Jeremy.  That was not his given mission this week.   

Plot A or B (pick one)

This week’s choice for SPN Returning Characters Pageant was a bit strange.  I suppose having a shaman like Sergei at your disposal is good (especially when they killed their all mighty powerful witch) and it gave Castiel a chance to bring someone in that only he knows, but I don’t like him.  I don’t think I’m supposed to.  Maybe that’s why it was a disappointing return.  This show has always been a bit heavy handed with stereotypes.  Remember the introduction of Kevin Tran, the super smart and ambitious Asian student?   I’m not sure the benefit in showing a morally ambiguous Russian shaman.  But that stereotype was forged last season in his first episode by the duo, so yeah, Jeremy followed his continuity.   

I suppose every season does this, that one “artifact” that will save everyone, and now this season decided to follow suit.  I’m again still not sure of the purpose though.  What would Sergei want with Death’s library key?  This has always been a beef of mine though, all those Men of Letter artifacts in the bunker and Sam and Dean haven’t researched every single one?  Do they not know what they have?  Didn’t they invite Ketch over for a chat and go through the inventory one weekend?  Wouldn’t having the key to Death’s library be important to know?  Also, wouldn’t Billie know if someone just decided to come and use the library?  Crossing Death sounds like a very bad idea.  It all sounds weak to me.  Also weak, why would you show a guy like that the bunker?  Now he knows where it is.  He’ll be raiding the place in the future.  I would have moved Sam to a different location.  It couldn’t have hurt, he was already dying. 

Alright, so let’s dig into this a little:

Sergei: I imagine you were trying to ascertain the exact nature of the wound before this, yes?
Eileen: Yes.
Sergei: Ah, well, there you go. Most wounds want to be healed, to be whole. But this, this wound is different. It goes down to his very soul. But also out into the world. From what I can tell, his soul, it’s connected to something or someone somewhere. Except, as you probed deeper, you forced the soul to stretch from Sam’s body to…
Eileen: Where?
Sergei: I don’t know. But now it’s like a rubber band. If it is stretched too far, too long, pop, it snaps, and Sam dies.

So what does all this mean?  Sam’s soul is connected to Chuck.  Duh.  Thank you Captain Obvious.  Did you all wonder what was happening to Chuck at that moment?  You think he was feeling it too?  I did!  He had to feel something.  That would be important to know.  I’m glad Sam can see that God is weak, it’s about freaking time, but how does that mean he can be defeated?  All they have is hope and not a plan.  I just wondered what Jared thought about getting to spend most of the episode lying in bed.  Sounds like my dream job!   

Welcome back to the bunker Castiel.  I’m still trying to noodle the whole thing about how probing the wound almost killed Sam.  How did that not weaken Castiel either?  There was an intense amount of white light brimming from that.  I did laugh at Sergei’s comment about Castiel being very “Russian” since Misha comes from a Russian heritage.  I do like those inside references. 

Also, I saw this debate in our comments, but as someone who has trained in the martial arts for over a decade, I can tell you Eileen choking Sergei is not that far fetched.  Size doesn’t matter in martial arts if the right pressure points are applied.  Size definitely doesn’t matter in a chokehold.  Once you are in one, it’s tough to get out of it.  I have studied self defense techniques to avoid a chokehold but once you’re in one, things get tougher.  I’m thinking poor Sergei never saw it coming from such a small woman.   You go Eileen!

Here’s my pitch.  Sam’s wound seems to be like the reverse of Harry Potter’s forehead scar.  A piece of his soul is in God, while in Harry Potter a piece of Voldemort was in Harry.  So technically, Sam has created a sort of Horcrux connecting him to an evil being, balancing good and evil.  I think Sam is going have to die in order to kill God, but a la Harry Potter, it won’t stick.  There’s always a technicality with Sam’s deaths.  I personally think he’ll take a page out the Rowena playbook and implant one of those “life satchels” in his body to bring himself back.  And if you think that is too predictable, you don’t know Andrew Dabb! 

Plot B or A (pick one)

On the flip side, Dean’s story was fun.  I just had a great time watching Dean let loose and go it alone.  He needs fun, we all do, even though the mantra of this show is such things do not last.  I’ll admit this is the first time I’ve seen Christian Kane in anything.  I checked his IMDB resume and it’s long and impressive, and I haven’t seen one damn thing he’s been in until now.  I liked him.  Everything about Swayze’s was great except for the monster in the basement part.  Too many plot holes in that story.   

I’m not going to quibble about Dean’s singing ability, except to say that the “Theme from The Dukes of Hazzard” doesn’t exactly require a perfect signing voice.  Waylon Jennings was Outlaw Country, not a singing virtuoso.  If Dean has truly been singing that his whole life, it would not be hard to learn how to sing it in tune with a limited range.  He’s had thousands of hours in Baby to practice!  I just loved the performance and won’t think more into it.  What was the purpose?  To pander to a fandom that loves his Saturday Night Special appearances at cons.  I’m sold. 

Believe it or not, the biggest problem I had with this episode was with Dean killing Lee.  I know times have changed, but I didn’t think the rules did.  They don’t kill humans.   Remember when they wouldn’t kill human Gordon?  Sam tipped off the police and he landed in prison.  Dean couldn’t have done the same here?  There was enough evidence at the junkyard with the body in the trunk and all.  With all the talk about God, killing Lee is essentially Dean playing that role, becoming judge, jury, and executioner, incurring wrath rather than justice.  How does that make him better than Chuck?  I know it’s a fine line, as they have killed humans possessed by demons before, but killing a human just because he’s a bad person is wrong.  It always has been.  Dean should have known better. 

Other than that, we didn’t learn anything new.  I have one quibble though, where in the Hell is Jack???  He’s been missing long enough.  Come one guys, plot movement please!  We only have a few episodes left. 

The Future

I’m afraid I’m going to tread in the waters of unpopular opinion.  I’m not sure if I would call this foreshadowing, but it was an interesting choice to show Sam and Dean each pursuing different paths this week.  As much as the fandom wants to see these guys together, think about it, is that truly how the show should end?  The story of “Supernatural” is the journey of Sam and Dean Winchester.  So what happens when that story is over and they’re left to follow their own dreams?  Live their own lives?  The way I see it, two stories then naturally evolve, the Dean story and the Sam story. 

Dean in this episode got to entertain the dream of giving it all up and owning a bar.  We’ve seen that before.  It’s not as far fetched as he believed.  Heck, it’s not as far fetched as any of us believe.  He’d be a natural.  Sam in this episode got to entertain the idea of being in a domestic situation, so to speak.  We’ve seen that before too.  He’s always craved it.  As much as we hate the idea of seeing them separated in season 15 (as well as earlier seasons), admit it, these are two different individuals with two different sets of goals and dreams.  Often times, individual desires have to be pursued on individual paths.  What sort of life would they have continuing to sacrifice their hopes and dreams for the greater good? Living in the bunker until they are old men, fighting the same old evil?  It’s gotten old.  It also doesn’t sound realistic or fulfilling.   

I love the idea of Sam finally getting to live a normal life with a woman he loves.  In this case, a fellow hunter that he can carry on the Men of Letters legacy with.  They can stick to management and organize the hunters, doing all the research along the way, tagging along where needed.  I can’t accept the idea that they brought Eileen back just to kill her.  Think about it, of all the people they could have brought back in the very vast SPN verse, they brought back Sam’s love interest?  I know Bob Singer said in my Comic Con interview that they would only hint a love interest for one the of the boys and not pursue it, but I took that to mean within the season.  That doesn’t mean that won’t be the outcome when this goes beyond the cameras.  The end is only supposed to setup possibilities for the next phase, not map out their entire lives.   

As for Dean, he had his shot at domestic life after “Swan Song” and found it wasn’t for him.  I don’t think that has changed.  The life that Lee was living, look how much he was attracted to it.  I imagine it will be like his dream while possessed by Michael, every once in a while something bad will come to town and he’ll take care of it.  He won’t give up hunting, he’ll just let the hunts come to him.  He and Sam will certainly stay close and in constant communication.   

As for Castiel, I think they are setting him up for a heroic death.  If not, he goes back to Heaven and runs the place like he’s always supposed to.  Either way, I do not see his time remaining and earth as being that long.  I’m sure all that will hinge around Jack.  Speaking of which, WHERE IS HE? 

Another option of course is the Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid ending.  To me, that is the worst possible ending.  I don’t want to see both those guys go out together in a futile blaze of glory.  I don’t want to see one of them do it either while the other carries on.  That would be the “fans will hate it” ending that Chuck envisions.  Anyway, there’s a lot left to happen to get to that point, so it will be a wait and see.  For once though, what we saw this week is an outcome that I could actually get behind.  We’ll just have to see if they’ll go there. 

Overall grade, B-.  I gave a few extra points since it was the first solo try of a newcomer.  Next week, oh hell, I have no idea what’s happening next week.  I haven’t been impressed with a midseason finale in a long time.  Please show, last shot.  Don’t make it suck. 

Read more of Alice’s insights on Supernatural! Reviews on every episode of the series are on Alice’s Writer’s Page and in WFB’s Episode Guides!