S11.E23: Alpha And Omega

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

Season 11 ends with God coming to a decision about Amara that has direct repercussions for Sam and Dean.

[SueB]

So I'm totally planning a mini-marathon (starting with EP11.20) prior to the finale tomorrow.  Anyone with me??

 

By the way... it's Tuesday.

[AwesomO4000]

Catrox coming your way...

[catrox14]

And....it's Wednesday somewhere. 

[Binns]

1 hour ago, SueB said:

So I'm totally planning a mini-marathon (starting with EP11.20) prior to the finale tomorrow.  Anyone with me??

 

By the way... it's Tuesday.

I'm going to watch the last episode at 8ish. But it really was a 4 episode finale- I just don't think I'll have time to see all of them before 9. 

[catrox14]

Bless TippiTV.

Supernatural Bingo Card for the season finale

[Binns]

I'm legitimately having anxiety over this finale. 

[catrox14]

30 minutes ago, Binns said:

I'm legitimately having anxiety over this finale. 

I'm weirdly not which must mean something terrible is going to happen. But I have whisky on hand in case of

[ZennyKenny]

Been listening to classic rock all day. Led Zeppelin, Ozzy, Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, etc. I even got a pie from Marie Callendar's in honor of Dean! Am 100% ready for tonight!!

[ZennyKenny]

LOVE the SPN bingo card!

It's got Dean's "single man tear", but it's missing "Sam uses his puppy dog eyes", lol.

[Binns]

18 hours ago, SueB said:

So I'm totally planning a mini-marathon (starting with EP11.20) prior to the finale tomorrow.  Anyone with me??

 

By the way... it's Tuesday.

Got home early, think I can get in the last three before 9...

[catrox14]

1 hour ago, ZennyKenny said:

Been listening to classic rock all day. Led Zeppelin, Ozzy, Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, etc. I even got a pie from Marie Callendar's in honor of Dean! Am 100% ready for tonight!!

I was going to get some Cuban food but I'm to lazy to walk two blocks BUT they do have Key Lime tartletts LOL

[MysteryGuest]

2 hours ago, Binns said:

I'm legitimately having anxiety over this finale. 

I think I'm almost more apprehensive than excited.  I just want it to be a good finale.

[Binns]

You know, I really enjoyed it. I liked the way they brought it back to family (if anyone knows about how deep the love for your family can go, it's Dean). I truly felt Dean was the hero for reaching Amara. I don't think she would have been able to do this without his guidance. I won't lie, I shed a few tears at the cemetery, mostly because the acting was so damn good. 

A big meh to Toni though. And....what? Mary? Why?

[SueB]

A lot to absorb. No pun intended.  Didn't like the setup for next year but liked the resolution to God/Amara. 

[Jediknight]

I liked the pretty blonde British lady, she called out Sam for the Winchesters constantly breaking the world.  So of course that means she's a villain, and also because she shot Sam after telling him not to move.

Dean making fun of Rowena wasn't awesome.  I know she wasn't there to hear it, but she just lost the Mega Coven, have some compassion.

Nice to know that everything was resolved by Amara and Chuck talking.  Great build for that.

[Frost]

The Mary Winchester appearance was telegraphed but it was still an interesting twist.  No idea how they're going to go from there.  Wasn't her soul up in Heaven?

I was ticked off they didn't explain what was going to happen to the non-volunteer souls that Dean was going to explode in order to kill Amara.  If they were going to be blasted into nothingness, then I'm glad the angels wouldn't give them any.

I'm assuming the appearance of Billie means Sam is killed by the Brit and he'll start the next season in the Empty.

[MysteryGuest]

Bringing Mary back was Amara's gift to Dean, since he gave her back her brother.  And Mary was a hunter, so that should be interesting.  At least I'm assuming she's not just another ghost.  

I'm not the least bit sold on Toni, so we'll have to see how that plays out.  And are we to assume that she actually shot Sam?  Obviously, he's not dead, but did she even shoot him?  I think this was the strangest season finale of them all.

[bethy]

Well. That was... unexpected?

It didn't make me ragey, which is a thumbs up for me at this point in the show.

The fact that I'm actually kind of intrigued by where things left things is also a plus. We'll see.

[NotChu]

So, are the demons coming back to earth to terrorize everybody again for next season?  

[Binns]

I'm sort of intrigued too. I don't think Toni shot Sam- I'm guessing it was a warning shot. It'll be interesting to see if she "takes him in" and he doesn't know Dean is alive for a while much less Mom. And oh my heck...I just realized Sam gets his Mom too! He's never really had that! 

Pleasant surprise after last week. Mostly because of the way they wrapped up God/Amara while simultaneously letting us know that we won't be dealing with God next season. I think that would be a bit much. 

[MysteryGuest]

I think the ending for God and Amara was about all they could do.  They never really showed her to be evil, so just killing her didn't seem right.  And I'm not sure they really wanted to go with the "God is really dead" theme.  So all in all, I'm just happy that they're gone.  

I'm not sure what to make of the rest of it, honestly.  I hope the new writers are up to the task of making something interesting out of what's left.

[Binns]

Hey! And! I think we got Bingo! The letter I! 

[Frost]

Amara kept sucking in people's souls as well, didn't she?  What happened to those when she zoomed off with her brother?

I think the letter "I" was fulfilled too.  Surprise!  Mary's not dead!

[MysteryGuest]

I think we're just supposed to forget about those souls that Amara consumed...after all, a girls gotta eat!  

So are we to assume that Toni will smuggle Sam off to her British lair, and Dean, Cas and Mary will have to try to find him?  I'm calling it now...Sam and Toni become a thing.

[NoWillToResist]

Until S12 happens, I am picturing Cas and Mary meeting and bonding over their love for Dean. It's an element I deeply enjoy whenever I encounter it in fics and for the next 5 or 6 months, I can pretend that this will become a reality... :D

[Binns]

Just now, MysteryGuest said:

I think we're just supposed to forget about those souls that Amara consumed...after all, a girls gotta eat!  

So are we to assume that Toni will smuggle Sam off to her British lair, and Dean, Cas and Mary will have to try to find him?  I'm calling it now...Sam and Toni become a thing.

I think they've kinda learned their lesson about love interests for the boys, though. At least Jensen implied that at JIBcon. 

[MysteryGuest]

Well, after Dean's epic love story with Amara, it must be Sam's turn.  I don't know, I'm just not feeling this new character.  I guess we'll see what next season brings.

[catrox14]

I cried during the goodbyes because as always Jensen nails his performance.

Amara. You tried, but you got it wrong. Dean's childhood is not going to be fixed because Mary is alive now. Unless Mary being alive resets their lives in some way, what's the point of it. Dean seeing her and being able to say goodbye or whatever? YES that would be cool. But a corporeal entity? Meh.

So if Heaven was being closed off, where exactly did Cas go when Ms HitWoman of Letters zapped him out? 

So the bright light after Ms MoL!Hitwoman shot Sam was that Billie reaping him or was that him being saved by Crowley or maybe even Lucifer? 

I was really looking forward to them just setting up Dean and Sam to be on the run next season with MsMoL after them. But NOPE guess not. She had no reason to shoot Sam. Why would she go alone if Sam is SO DANGEROUS. Sorry but that was stupid.

I wonder if Mary is even going to remember what happened to her?

Not annoyed just a really BLAH finale.  It was too rushed and the pacing was a mess IMO. Sigh. Maybe I'll enjoy it more on re-watch.

[Binns]

1 minute ago, MysteryGuest said:

Well, after Dean's epic love story with Amara, it must be Sam's turn.  I don't know, I'm just not feeling this new character.  I guess we'll see what next season brings.

I'm not either but I think for me it's that they wedged her into the finale for no other reason than to set up S12. It didn't add to the story at all and I found all of the scenes distracting and annoying. 

[MysteryGuest]

6 minutes ago, catrox14 said:

Not annoyed just a really BLAH finale.  It was too rushed and the pacing was a mess IMO. Sigh. Maybe I'll enjoy it more on re-watch.

This is exactly it!  It just didn't feel like a finale to me.  Even the cemetery scene was rather subdued.  Not that I needed people to be sobbing, but it just seemed sort of flat to me.  

I wanted to be excited about this new character, but so far I'm underwhelmed.  I always enjoyed the episodes where either the police or the FBI were after the boys, so maybe this will just be like that, only now it's the MOL who are after them.  At least I'm hoping they make something decent out of it.  They missed their mark bringing Emily Swallow on, I think, so hopefully, this woman will be more interesting.  

[catrox14]

1 minute ago, Binns said:

I'm not either but I think for me it's that they wedged her into the finale for no other reason than to set up S12. It didn't add to the story at all and I found all of the scenes distracting and annoying. 

We didn't need to see her fancy house, or leaving her child or the JET. I DID NOT CARE. Just have her show up at the end inside the Lair, and hold the gun on Sam, exposition the shit out of why she was there with some flashbacks to her little stalker board and blam, the gun is fired or whatever happens. Then Dean sees Mary. The End. 

[patty1h]

Debbie Downer alert:  That was dreadful.  I've be watching since 2005 and have never been more bored and less connected with a season finale. Everyone seemed on auto pilot, and like they were counting down till the directors final scene was shot.  I got no tension from any scene - even the broment, which I adore, felt tacked on.  

 

So happy to see Amara go... I just never "got" her. 

[Binns]

12 minutes ago, catrox14 said:

We didn't need to see her fancy house, or leaving her child or the JET. I DID NOT CARE. Just have her show up at the end inside the Lair, and hold the gun on Sam, exposition the shit out of why she was there with some flashbacks to her little stalker board and blam, the gun is fired or whatever happens. Then Dean sees Mary. The End. 

Seriously. What a waste budget wise. Big house, plane ...

[Pete Martell]

2 minutes ago, Binns said:

Seriously. What a waste budget wise. Big house, plane ...

Usually the big houses on these shows belong to some producer or relative...

[SueB]

"Mom?"

*dissolves into a puddle of feels*

[ketose]

I have to go with the idea that Chuck and Amara are both God. Otherwise, it makes even less sense.

Elizabeth Blackmore really gets around. She was on Vampire Diaries this season. She was on TURN a couple of weeks ago. I assume since the British branch of the Men of Letters went after the Winchesters, their centuries old organization will be in ruins by the end of next year.

Edited May 26, 2016 by ketose
Spelling errors

[Wynne88]

Not breath-taking, but compared to last year, I'll take it.  I agree that the new lady (excuse me: Lady (really?)) didn't add much at all to this episode.  It would have been really nice if they had introduced the MoL groups in other countries a few episodes earlier in the season so they didn't have to shoe horn it in at the last minute.  But at a guess, they didn't have things figured out so far in advance.  Although I'm maybe in a minority, I liked the fact that for once we didn't have angsty Sam trying to stop crazy Dean from sacrificing himself.  We've seen that play out too many times in both directions.  I thought they both seemed adult, regretful and accepting of the need.

I have no clue how their mother will fit into Season 12, but I'm glad that the new adversary, assuming that's what the Lady is, is human and therefore realistically defeatable.  Season 12 seems like it may be shaping up to be much more personal, which I will also be glad of.

[AwesomO4000]

This at least wasn't too bad, and likely ended mostly the way it had to, but I do have a few nitpicks...

So Lady Toni is a Lady Penelope* wannabe? She wishes. She could never be as cool as Lady Penelope. And way to blame Sam for everything, lady. Now he's responsible for the Leviathans, too? Obviously her "sources" whatever they are, are incorrect, since the Winchesters stopped the leviathans and their plans, not caused them. There's stuff to blame Sam for, but that isn't one of them.

Also I was pretty much correct. Sam didn't really have anything to do with the resolution of this, so that's kind of disappointing. And worse, he thinks Dean is dead and that it's his fault that Dean is dead... Basically Sam thinks he got to have Dean for about a year at the expense of a thousand or so innocent people and then Dean had to die anyway. That is if Sam isn't dead or in a coma. Or going to be driven crazy in some isolation cell and/or being experimented on.

* Thunderbirds reference - and while I saw it in reruns, that still makes me old. And if her chauffeur is an ex-con, then for sure that's the inspiration.

31 minutes ago, catrox14 said:

So if Heaven was being closed off, where exactly did Cas go when Ms HitWoman of Letters zapped him out?

If I'm remembering correctly, the angels don't actually get blasted back to heaven, they just end up somewhere else random in the world, like on a fishing boat. (I think that's where Castiel ended up once.) The one case where it was mentioned that an angel would get sent back to heaven was when Alastair was going to "exorcise" Castiel, but that's different from the banishing spell if I remember correctly.

[catrox14]

29 minutes ago, SueB said:

"Mom?"

*dissolves into a puddle of feels*

See, that didn't leave me with any puddle of feels and IT SHOULD HAVE because they made it a gotcha moment instead of a beautiful feels. Like to me it would have been 100% more effective to have Dean see her...and then walk over to her in disbelief. But they couldn't let that moment breathe because they wasted 10 fucking minutes on Lady McWhoFuckingCaresSheShotSamAndNowSheMustDie.

They shouldn't have had Amara tell Dean she was giving him something he needed because we knew that Amara saw Mary and Dean's photo we would have put 2 and 2 together.  

Edited May 26, 2016 by catrox14

[7kstar]

I think I'll have to do a re-watch after school is out.  No time right now.  Although I did think they did a few moment fine, the introduction of the British branch felt weird and not in a good way.

I didn't have the hate I had from last season so that is one good thing.

I'm hoping that Mary lasts longer than a split second...Dean deserves that much. 

IA the introduction of the British chapter interfered with the tension and set up for the ending.  I did like Dean reaching Amara and I actually liked her this time. 

Is it leaving me with a big OH NO, nope but I like that the introduction out of left field is at least tied into the history of the show.  Last year's out of left field made me mad. So I liked this one a bit better but I'm also relieved that we didn't have a fake out with Dean and he really did go to the show down and no last minute switch.

[Ferniesfreckles]

Wow!! They haven't ghost-busted in ages!!  I loved it!

it didn't really feel like a season ending episode. There was no sense of urgency or impending doom. 

I mean, we knew Dean was going off to his death, but like so, so many times before, we knew , ultimately, that he would be fine somehow. 

Is Mary going to be around next year?  

I gues this was the proverbial straw that broke the camels back in regard to the Brit MoL. 

 

Also, fuck you, Dabb. That useless angel is their bestest friend ever??  What about Bobby, you ass-wipe??

[Binns]

4 minutes ago, Wynne88 said:

  Although I'm maybe in a minority, I liked the fact that for once we didn't have angsty Sam trying to stop crazy Dean from sacrificing himself.  We've seen that play out too many times in both directions.  I thought they both seemed adult, regretful and accepting of the need.

 

I agree- it showed great growth for both of them. 

[catrox14]

2 minutes ago, Ferniesfreckles said:

Also, fuck you, Dabb. That useless angel is their bestest friend ever??  What about Bobby, you ass-wipe??

To be fair, Bobby was their surrogate father so IMO Cas getting best friend billing seems entirely appropriate.

[ZennyKenny]

These last 3 episodes have all been kinda 'meh' for me.

Thoughts:

I'm SO glad that my theory didn't pan out. Dean was gushing over Cas being family in the car and I was just like "Oh crap, they're gonna kill Cas off."

The cemetery scene was good. Very heartfelt, well-acted. My wife cried. And if this hadn't been the hundredth "heartfelt goodbye", I might have felt something. But I didn't believe for a second that Dean was going to killed off, so I was just like "cool, next".

I freaking LOVE Billie the reaper. More of her, please.

I'm glad that Amara lived. I never really considered her a villain. What God did to her was messed up, and even though it was kinda cheesy, I'm glad that they made up in the end and it looks like that whole God-Darkness-MoC storyline is finally over now.

God seriously didn't zap Dean back to the Lair before taking off? Dick move, man.

Oh come freaking ON! We JUST got Cas back! Did you really have to send him away like that?

Bella 2.0- I mean Toni- seemed promising. Well, not her specifically but rather the potential arc of the Winchesters clashing with the British Men of Letters.

The editing was kind of off for me in this episode. There was a scene in the middle where Dean and Amara began talking, and it looked like it was leading up to a serious talk and then bam!- cut to the crew sitting in the bar with a light-hearted song playing. It was jarring and took me out of the moment.

Plus, that weird guitar riff that was playing when the some came back just seemed out-of-place.

Overall, I found it to be an average episode.

[Goldmoon]

That was anti-climactic.  The way to defeat the big bad is for her to give up?  Okay then. Yellow crayon.  Check.  I agree that there was just no urgency in the cemetery scene.  I'm a Dean girl and this was so contrived I just didn't get invested in it.  When Toni kissed the little boy I had a terrible thought.  What if she met Dean several years ago and they had a kid he doesn't know about.  I know, I know.  They just ruined Michael Weatherly's exit from NCIS with that cliché, so maybe it's on my brain. But that is one way to bring family into it next year too.  I don't want Mary as a real character for longer than one episode.  It would seriously change the brothers' dynamic in that Dean would have someone else to focus on and would loosen his grip on Sam a little.  Healthy or Un-, I like the brothers the way they are.

[AwesomO4000]

15 minutes ago, catrox14 said:

They shouldn't have had Amara tell Dean she was giving him something he needed because we knew that Amara saw Mary and Dean's photo we would have put 2 and 2 together. They should have just let our memory remember that Amara saw his photo and that was the gift to Dean without her telling him.  

Weirdly, even though I sort of knew about Mary beforehand, I had forgotten and was surprised. When Amara first said that she was going to give Dean what he needed, I thought that she was going to send him back to Sam and Castiel... his current family.

Hopefully Dean will figure out that Sam didn't just take off again - a la season 8 - because Castiel is going to take a while to get back from wherever he got sent.

And poor Sam got gypped out of a (likely awkward) Castiel consoling moment... Boooo!

[catrox14]

1 minute ago, Goldmoon said:

When Toni kissed the little boy I had a terrible thought.  What if she met Dean several years ago and they had a kid he doesn't know about.  I know, I know.

I literally had the same thought LOL

[catrox14]

38 minutes ago, Wynne88 said:

Not breath-taking, but compared to last year, I'll take it.  

I actually preferred last season right up to the minute they killed Death. It was emotional and meaningful. Even Dean killing Death  whilst stupid was a real HOLY CRAP moment. But the whole lock and key thing was just dumb. But I actually really cared about everything in that finale. We met Rudy but he was meaningful despite being a red shirt in the end. Dean letting him die propelled Dean's story forward. So yeah, as much as I disliked Death's death and the whole Lock and Key thing, I was emotionally invested be it anger, frustration, worry I felt dread and worry for everyone in the episode even Rudy and Oskar because they were screwed jsut for having crossed paths with Rowena and Dean. 

 I'm not really sure that Dean had any impact on Amara, She saw Dean and Mary's picture and she had the chat with the elderly woman. Dean just basically confirmed what Amara was already thinking.

At least they got to ghost hunt again.

[auntvi]

My first reaction is okay, I'm done with this show. I just finished re-watching season 5, and in comparison this finale was crap. As said above, the pacing was just weird, the dramatic violins were ridiculously loud, there was too much time spent on the woman of letters.

I'm with Crowley.