In the end "Sacrifice" wasn't about closing the gates of Hell. Or Heaven. It came to down to what it always comes down to and that is love. For Sam and Dean the brotherly love between them drove Sam to want to not fail his brother, but allowed Dean to get through to him and stop him from finishing the trials. It meant Dean wasn't willing to sacrifice his brother, instead making the point that they had gained so much knowledge and could save so many lives with that - but he wouldn't lose Sam for anything. For Castiel it allowed him to be a tool, led by the promise of fixing his home and family. For Metatron, his love and devotion to God twisted him darkly (like Lucifer), leaving him with an obsession for revenge and a taste for blood. Even Naomi, in the end, was reaffirmed by the love of God and the understanding of the Angel's duty to protect humans. Not that it did her any good ultimately, but A for effort I guess.
For all the speculating, guessing, bad feelings and wild assumptions this episode took a dark direction that this reviewer definitely did not see coming and ended with a final, chilling scene. Angel and their wings burning in the ether against a black night sky is an unsettling image, to say the least. "Sacrifice" was well written, clever, deliciously dark and macabre and left us poised for something completely new venturing into season nine.
Curing Crowley - "We just shared a foxhole, you and I."
Speaking to Abaddon, she had a much smaller role than expected in this episode. If Crowley is cured (though the spell was not finished so I wonder how that works) perhaps she is in line to be the new big bad for season nine. You know, after Metatron, because he has that maniacal dictator thing going for him pretty good at the moment too. On that note, I still wonder whether Crowley's progression to good post-Abaddon encounter was an act or not. Wasn't it brilliant though, to show his out of character leanings via television references and brothers in arms quips? ("You're my Marnie, Moose"¦I deserve to be loved!"). As the final trial never finished nor was the final part of the curing ritual complete, one does wonder how long the curing effects will last on Crowley - who, last we saw, was quietly chained to a chair during Sam and Dean's sweet brother moment.
What was interesting was how Sam "purified" his blood for the trial - simply using the confessional box but not speaking to anyone directly such as a priest. This was the only part of the entire procedure that lacked ritual, as far as we saw, and as a result it left me questioning whether the cure would work with Crowley.
Metatron Madness: "Do you have any idea what it would be like to be plucked from obscurity to sit at God's feet to be asked to write down His word? The ache I felt when He was gone?"
Merely Mortal: "I'm not wrong. I'm going to fix my home."
Like much of the episode, this was another area that ended unexpectedly. Though it was difficult to determine, it did not appear as though Castiel was without memory in the final moments of the episode so perhaps season nine will see poor Castiel trying to make his way through the world as a human - maybe a hunter again - with Sam and Dean. The last few weeks have hinted on several occasions at Castiel failed though earnest attempts to interact with the human world - all leading up to Castiel the Man? Humour possibilities aside, this presents an opportunity to grow Castiel's instincts and hone his fighting skills.
Brotherly Love: "Don't you dare think that there is anything, past or present, that I would put in front of you!"
"Dean was so strong and sad and brave. And Sam..ugghh!....the best parts are when they cry!" If anything could describe the emotion of the final exchange between Sam and Dean, it's probably this quote from Chuck's book editor.
"Angels. They're Falling."
Final Thoughts
Closing the door on Heaven in this manner, however temporary, puts the playing field somewhere new and interesting for season nine. Though it almost seems like a pre-season four world, at the same time all the knowledge about celestial spells and beings exists so it isn't quite the same. Furthermore clearly Metatron didn't expel himself or lose his own angel abilities and one wonders: did his spell work on all angels, or only those in Heaven at the time the spell was cast? There must be a reversal right? What do all of these former angels now mortals mean for earth? All of these questions will no doubt be tackled throughout season nine; in the meantime we're back to a world without angel teleporting, super-healing, time travel and all the other toys that the Feather Brigade offered. Not that I haven't enjoyed the angels - but I'm kind of looking forward to some of that "good old days" feel again.
Now - is it October yet? Please?
Comments
And what happens to the angels already on earth?
Well one thing we can be certain of next season is that a some point there will be some Angel/Demon buttkicking going on. (And if there isn't, then JC needs a head exam.)
As for Sam and dean's relationship: In all ourmetas about Sam's personalty, what I never saw mentioned wasWhat does sam think Dean thinks about him. We always talked about how they view each other but usually from our lofty perch as viewers. It didn't seem to occur to any of us that Sam would think Dean doesn't love/trust him. or rather we sort of knew it but paid not much attention to it. (Yes, WE know Dean loves Sam above everything but does Sam know that?)
What's really strange? For all Sam's talk of being impure he never saw that Dean is quite honestly the one person on earth who sees his purity of spirit and that has nothing to do with his blood content. There's a part of Dean that really does think of Sam as innocent/ pure in a way that Dean is not and will move Heaven and Hell to protect that. (Of course dean would see himself as having utterly failed that goal many times.)
lkeke35 said:
Quote: To me, that was just a beautiful way to put that. I have always felt the same, but as usual, could never verbalize it. Heartbreaking.
lkeke35 Just loved your viewpoint on Dean seeing Sam's purity. That entire statement was so beautiful.
Jensen's facial expressions alone tell the story of Dean's feelings, his love and his pain. Jensen owned every bit of every scene he was in.
Jensen has been an unsung hero in this second half of the season. He didn't have the flashy, in your face storyline, but he had the hard (I would argue harder) role of having Dean be everything to everyone, having Dean react to everything going on around him, being strong, yet being sympathetic and empathetic, motivating others, leading others, and making the tough decisions.
Simply put, Jensen was just amazing!