S13.E23: Let the Good Times Roll

[catrox14]

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS – Our heroes, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester, continue to be tested in the battle between good and evil, but one impulsive decision could alter the lives of one the brothers forever. Robert Singer directed the episode written by Andrew Dabb (#1323). Original airdate 5/17/2018.

Edited May 17, 2018 by catrox14

[catrox14]

I won't be able to watch live tonight as I'm working. I will be here in spirit and then watch a bit later. 

So here we go for the last time this season and since who knows what we'll get....enjoy! 

[sarthaz]

[ZennyKenny]

Welp, it's that time of year again. Time to sing to my dog:

 

CARRY ON MY WAYWARD PUP

THERE'LL BE TREATS WHEN YOU ARE DONE

LAY YOUR FLOPPY EARS TO REST

DON'T YOU WHINE NO MORE

[BoxManLocke]

25 minutes in, the best part was the internet commercial with Gil McKinney

[notcreative enough]

Remember when the bunker was super secure and super secret what happened to that. Everyone and there mom can find it and get in.

[Lady Calypso]

The first half was boring and weak as hell. The second half was a lot better once they got rid of the pointless characters and focused straight on the mains and Michael. So I'm just focusing on the second half of the finale.

I will say that I enjoyed everything Jack here. I totally get him wishing that his father wasn't a psychopath and having to find out the hard way that it wasn't true. I can't blame him for hoping, especially since he's technically only been alive for a year and he's only just met Lucifer. I like that he was willing to sacrifice himself. He still has a lot of good in him and fought the darkness given to him by his father. 

I liked Jack's takedown of Michael, but I'm annoyed at what Lucifer did to his son.

So, Dean becomes Michael. The fight scene was extremely cheesy, but I was satisfied in Lucifer's death. Thank god the Devil is dead! I mean, at least for now, but he truly seems to be dead. No surprise Michael went back on his deal. 

Michael!Dean could be fun to watch for a bit next season. 

[bettername2come]

"This is boring. Is there, I don't know, music?" - Best leadup to the song ever. The montage itself wasn't amazing, but it had Jody and Donna!

Dean wants the trio in matching Hawaiian shirts. That's adorable. As is his bonding moment with Jack over nightmares and calling him family. I kind of love that he just shot Jack in the convenience store. Cas sounded like such a dad when Jack ran out. Alexander Calvert played the "Why do you keep hurting people?" breakdown well. 

Agents Rowland, Knowles and Williams! Ha! Cas learned! But seriously, I'm going to need a scene of Cas listening to Destiny's Child if he's going to keep making these references.

"I don't like to speak ill of people, but Sam is a liar. He's a really bad person and like freakishly tall, so..." Also amused at him calling Sam a hater. Cool effect when Jack did the truth-telling thing on Lucifer. 

Aw, Jack called himself a human. I find that more heartwarming than I probably should. "I love you. I love all of you." Jack truly does take after Castiel. Nurture wins.

Poor Dean always looks so lost when Sam disappears. It shouldn't work on me anymore, but, Jensen Ackles, man. Well, there goes the 13-season-long streak of Dean never being possessed. Everyone called it. Love watching him steering the archangel powers. The midair fight was super-cheesy though. I hope they at least got to have some fun playing on wires. Dean finally got to kill Satan! Only took him 8 years. Oh, God, Sam looked so happy and relieved when they defeated Lucifer and Dean said "We did it." And then the heartache came.

I kind of hate how much they've made me buy into the whole "Jack is more like a little brother to Sam and Dean than their actual little brother was" thing.

Jensen Ackles looks too fucking good in the 40s-ish clothing. 

[bethy]

Best part of the episode was Dean calmly shooting Jack in the back after he'd sat on the kid's bed and calmed his nightmare. "You shot me!" "You were acting like a psycho."

Worst part of the episode was Sam standing around and doing nothing except say "Don't" to Jack about killing himself or "Dean" to Dean when his brother was in distress. 

Edited May 18, 2018 by bethy

[MysteryGuest]

Lucifer is dead!  I'm just going to savor that for a moment.

I don't have an issue with the deal Dean made, but there is absolutely no reason for him to ever have trusted Michael to hold up his end of the bargain.  It was a short-term fix, which now puts them right back where they started from with a dick archangel who wants to destroy the world.  And the first thing Michael did was go shopping?  

So all of our AU folks are still in this world, at least until the beginning of next season.  I see a Bobby/Mary romance in our future.  Maybe they'll run off to the AU together.  

I think I'm still processing this one.  But did I mention that Lucifer is dead??!!

Edited May 18, 2018 by MysteryGuest

[ILoveReading]

2 minutes ago, bethy said:

Worst part of the episode was Sam standing around and doing nothing except say "Don't" to Jack about killing himself or "Dean" to Dean when Dean when his brother was in distress. 

Except Sam got the big save in the end.  Lucifer was winning until Sam tossed Dean the blade.

[Jediknight]

First half of the episode was boring, and not good.  However, the second half, that was good.

I liked this episode, Jack didn't go evil, he remained good, and still considered himself a Winchester.  Good job for not falling into the trap of turning him evil.  Setting it up that he'll get his power back and in the series finale use it to make Earth a paradise.

MichaelDean should be fun.  Please, for all that is good, don't let it be like Deanmon and wrap it up right away.  Let him stick around till at least I'd say, episode 8 or 9.

Dean killed Hitler and Satan.  That pretty much entitles him to never pay for anything ever again.

[gonzosgirrl]

I don't have much to say about the episode as a whole, except Mary, maybe next time you should listen to your son. Dean that is. (Call Sam. Really? Fuck you.)

Ding, dong, the dick is dead! -Burned up wings and all. Too bad that's meaningless on the show.

I liked how relieved and happy Sam looked for those five seconds, and how proud Dean was.

And since I know Dean will eventually overcome Michael,  I am just going to enjoy the hell out of Jensen's performance until the little green army men save the day again.

[Morrigan2575]

How is it possible that Jensen just gets hotter and hotter?

 I liked this episode, it was a little slow to start and but, I liked the ending (mostly). The flying fight was cheesy but, then it reminded me of The Lost Boys so I ended up loving it. They could have done a much better fight without the wire act but, I guess they wanted to go seem like something epic.

The final scene of Michael!Dean walking down the street looking sexy as hell ?. Although that was kind of ruined by the freeze frame on Michael!Dean's glowing eyes. 

I'd honestly feel better if I knew they were going for an 80s horror homage because that's what it felt like. Intentional makes it cool, unintentional makes it cheesy.

Edited May 18, 2018 by Morrigan2575

[Aeryn13]

So Dean actually handed a known evil entity like Michael himself as a vessel and thus power in this world. Great. I mean he tried to migitate it with a deal but come on, as if Michael was going to honor that. 

And of course the motivation was mainly Sam. Because god forbid he could get a heroic motivation.  

At least they gave him the Lucifer kill (well, we`ll see if it sticks) but even that he couldn`t manage under his own volition. So the power-up was kinda weak-sauce. The fight was...eh, some good moves but could have been much better.  

[weightyghost]

The direction on the last few episodes has been so embarrassing. Between whatever was happening last episode and then that tragic fight scene and then the cherry on top, the freeze frame ending. This show tests me. 

I'm glad Jack is still around. Best part if the possibility that I will not have to see Mark P on my TV again any time soon. 

[gonzosgirrl]

1 minute ago, ILoveReading said:

Except Sam got the big save in the end.  Lucifer was winning until Sam tossed Dean the blade.

That's the most cynical way to see it though. There is always going to be that moment when the bad guy is winning. Sam helped, sure, but Dean did the deed, and without him both Jack and Sam would've been dead.  

[BoxManLocke]

Honestly I don't feel like giving this episode any undeserved attention by making a proper review.

It was among the worst finales of SPN, extra boring for the first half just like last year, anticlimatic and terribly written, but what else could be expected with how poorly the season was constructed ?

I'm just happy I get to keep watching the show because they finally dealt with Lucifer. He was such a dark spot on SPN and it's a very big deal that we're finally free from the character.

I'm also thrilled Jack will still be around for next season.

I'm also glad the mytharc is finally refocusing on one of the brothers after two years spent feeling like they were mere pawns in someone else's story.

What I'm not happy about though ? The bunch of crappy nostalgia refugees that get to stick around. This is their answer to the lack of compelling new characters ? Keeping the alternate versions ? Fuck off with that, seriously. Plus I'm sorry, but Bobby had his yearly reappearance since season 8 and I think it's just time to get rid of him.

Also that freeze frame at the end ? Seriously ? Do all SPN directors suck ass now too ? ffs.

Edited May 18, 2018 by BoxManLocke

[gonzosgirrl]

4 minutes ago, Aeryn13 said:

And of course the motivation was mainly Sam. Because god forbid he could get a heroic motivation. 

Sam and Jack, and the fact Lucifer just told them he was going to burn the world.

I wonder if Jack is able to regenerate his grace like the other angels?

ETA: Lucifer has been the longest running 'big bad' in the series and nothing they've ever done has stopped him. Now they knew he was willing to kill/drain his son for the ultimate power to destroy humanity. So yeah, Dean had to gamble on the other evil asshole to at least try to stop him. And yes, to save Sam and Jack if he could. I have no issues with that.

Edited May 18, 2018 by gonzosgirrl

[Diane]

I enjoyed it. So glad we have Bobby and Charlie back. Jack lives for another season. Ding dong the damn devil is finally dead. Hate Dean is possessed, but I will get over it. Dean killed Hitler and the Devil, yay! 

[bethy]

8 minutes ago, ILoveReading said:

Except Sam got the big save in the end.  Lucifer was winning until Sam tossed Dean the blade.

 I didn't say Sam didn't contribute to the win. I said the worst part of the episode was what he didn't do in other scenes..

[trudysmom]

Well.  So that happened.  Huh.  If Jack could raise his eyes and make Lucifer tell the truth, why didn't he do that to Nate instead of just going after him, or at least after the trio got there and called him off?  I'm too tired and feel too rotten to think too hard about it right now.  

Edited May 18, 2018 by trudysmom

[Aeryn13]

Quote

Sam and Jack, and the fact Lucifer just told them he was going to burn the world.

Well, at least they made Lucifer into a valid threat so there is a migitating factor to Dean becoming Michael to stop him. But I wanted something so much better. And the fight could have been more epic. I especially wanted to see Michael!Dean at least win on his power upgrade.

If Jack hadn`t stupidly stood around as Lucifer just drained his grace, he obviously was strong enough before to take out both Michael and Lucifer easy.

What the hell was this "one of you kills the other, teehee" spiel of Lucifer supposed to accomplish? And why did Jack think Sam had a remote chance against a super-charged-up Lucifer? Not that he had one either, they were both toast. 

[BoxManLocke]

13 minutes ago, ILoveReading said:

Except Sam got the big save in the end.  Lucifer was winning until Sam tossed Dean the blade.

Are you saying Sam should have stood aside during the killing of Lucifer, out of all characters ?

I mean come on, it's kind of a symbolic gesture here which I think he deserved, don't you agree ?

 

Edit : Actually I don't think you meant it that way, I only saw people responding to your post. I apologize for the overreaction

Edited May 18, 2018 by BoxManLocke

[gonzosgirrl]

1 minute ago, BoxManLocke said:

Are you saying Sam should have stood aside during the killing of Lucifer, out of all characters ?

I mean come on, it's kind of a symbolic gesture here which I think he deserved, don't you agree ?

I have no problem with the way things played out at all.

That said, they left Dean unconscious on the ground while Sam killed Alistair all by himself. So yeah, they could've given Dean Lucifer.

I do like that they let Dean tell Michael he was his sword, and not just his vessel.

[supernatural666]

I am the only one who when the DeanMichael vs Lucifer fight was happening was reminded of vampire movies where they can fly?,Also I would have never chosen the Pinky Blinder hat but the rest of the suit looked good.

[BoxManLocke]

7 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

I have no problem with the way things played out at all.

That said, they left Dean unconscious on the ground while Sam killed Alistair all by himself. So yeah, they could've given Dean Lucifer.

I don't feel like that was as big of a deal, the Lucifer thing is, unfortunately, years overdue.

 

But I don't want to argue about that. We get to see a new side of Jensen, hopefully of Dean as well, Sam will head the research with Jack and Castiel (and probably Mary). All of that sounds good to me.

I hope the refugees fuck off somewhere else honestly. So tired of these old-ass characters.

 

I'm pretty hopeful for season 14.

Edited May 18, 2018 by BoxManLocke

[MysteryGuest]

I think Jack's grace will regenerate.  Sam said as much when they were debating who should die.  

I thought Sam getting the blade to Dean/Michael at the end was very fitting.  They killed him together and that's how it should be.  The flying through the air scene was just silly.  It was so obvious they were on wires.  They should have just had a normal fight.

Poor Cas looked so sad at the end.  He'll be pleased to learn that Sam and Jack survived and Lucifer is DEAD, but now they need to find a way to deal with Michael.  These archangels are a pain in my ass.

I know some people don't like Bobby, but I'd be very happy to have him stick around to help save Dean next season.  And I'll go one better and say that I hope Mary sticks around, as well.  Helping to save her son would go a long way toward redeeming the character.  Then once Dean is safe, she and Bobby can run away together.

[ILoveReading]

The only good thing about this episode was the cool shot of Dean with wings. 

The rest, the writing and directing was terrible.

The one thing I didn't want was Dean saying yes to save Sam.  I wanted him to have a heroic motivation and mop the floor with Lucifer.  Sam could have still tossed Dean the blade in that situation, but nope it had to be Lucifer winning and beating Michael. 

I just want to point out none of this would have happened if people listened to Dean in the first place when he told Jack to kill Lucifer and said they shouldn't let Jack near Lucifer.

"Lets call Sam"  Really Mary?  Not Sam and Dean?

[Lady Calypso]

15 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

That said, they left Dean unconscious on the ground while Sam killed Alistair all by himself. So yeah, they could've given Dean Lucifer.

Yeah, but Lucifer's been a pain in everyone's ass for nine seasons. Dean still got the kill, but Sam got the assist, and for almost a decade's long villain, I'm fine with it. 

[coppersin]

This was fine but it didn't feel like a season finale. Maybe a winter hiatus level of twist at most? Like, not much actually happened in the ep and I can't believe they spent an entire season building up to this. It's weird; other shows have filler episodes, we get filler seasons.

There were good bits, at least. We get to keep Jack and none of the core group are supposedly on the brink of death. And Lucifer is gone and will stay gone this time, dammit.

[BoxManLocke]

Between the pseudo high-budget wired fight and the ridiculously overdramatic music, the ending was more funny than anything else.

 

SPN desperately needs directors who know what "less is more" means.

[Morrigan2575]

1 minute ago, coppersin said:

This was fine but it didn't feel like a season finale. Maybe a winter hiatus level of twist at most? Like, not much actually happened in the ep and I can't believe they spent an entire season building up to this. It's weird; other shows have filler episodes, we get filler seasons.

I think that's very accurate. It was a good episode but, not a season finale episode. It felt a bit underwhelming.  It the first SPN Season finale to fall short.

[Binns]

Loved it RIIIIGHT up to those awful “flying” stunts, then temporarily hated it, then LOVED IT AGAIN GOODBYE LUCIFER HELLO MICHAELSWORDBADASSDEAN

(Except for the freeze frame EYEROLL). 

[OrigamiNightmare]

I would've loved to see a fight scene similar to the winged battle on the season finale of Lucifer. That's a good angel fight, or at least had it been a great hand to hand fight. They're both warriors and should know all sorts of hand to hand combat techniques.

[MysteryGuest]

7 minutes ago, ILoveReading said:

The one thing I didn't want was Dean saying yes to save Sam.  I wanted him to have a heroic motivation and mop the floor with Lucifer.  Sam could have still tossed Dean the blade in that situation, but nope it had to be Lucifer winning and beating Michael. 

Lucifer had just powered up with Jack's grace, and then disappeared with Sam and Jack.  While I'm sure Dean's immediate concern was finding Sam and Jack, stopping Lucifer was the main objective.  My only issue with it is that I wish he hadn't assumed that Michael would stick to the bargain.  Michael wanted to destroy the earth, so why would he all of a sudden turn good guy and agree to take out Lucifer and then just walk away?  I wish that scene had worked a bit better.  

[gonzosgirrl]

The Michael Sword.

So what do we call him? MiDean?

[Binns]

I think I’m a lot easier to please than a lot of you. I had quibbles with the season as a whole but overall enjoyed it.

 

I did also appreciate that Sam lightened up in the last two episodes and smiled a few times. I’m counting Lucifer as a victory for Dean - Sam wanted him to have all of the credit too. 

[Aeryn13]

Quote

Michael wanted to destroy the earth, so why would he all of a sudden turn good guy and agree to take out Lucifer and then just walk away?  I wish that scene had worked a bit better.  

While it was a foregone conclusion that Michael would betray him, there really wasn`t anything to make that work better. Dean has no leverage, nothing to threaten Michael with in case of a betrayal. They both needed each other there so it had to be a flimsy deal like that.   

[auntvi]

Wow!  I have to admit that I was dreading this finale, but it all worked. And best of all, Lucifer is finally fucking DEAD, scorched wings and all!

Lots of good Jack & Lucifer stuff- Jack saw the true Lucifer through his own eyes and still survived. Yay! Jack making Lucifer tell the truth was very cool. Jack forcing Lucifer to bring Maggie back to life was great. Jack mostly destroyed Michael and probably would have finished him off if not for Lucifer. Cool! Jack finally hit his stride and was the hero of the first ¾ of the episode.  Alex does a great job!

Dean fans got their super-Dean-Michael and it actually made sense. Dean got the super kill. Yay, Lucifer is gone!!

Sam got a couple assists with Jack & Dean-Michael.  Good enough for me. 

Cas, Mary & Bobby survived, surprisingly enough. Cool!

I loved it!

[MysteryGuest]

1 minute ago, Aeryn13 said:

While it was a foregone conclusion that Michael would betray him, there really wasn`t anything to make that work better. Dean has no leverage, nothing to threaten Michael with in case of a betrayal. They both needed each other there so it had to be a flimsy deal like that.   

I totally get that, but Dean's cry of surprise at the end when Michael was fighting him for power just bugged me for some reason.  He absolutely should have expected it.  

[ILoveReading]

46 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

That's the most cynical way to see it though. There is always going to be that moment when the bad guy is winning. Sam helped, sure, but Dean did the deed, and without him both Jack and Sam would've been dead.  

It was more than just a moment.  Lucifer wiped the floor with Michael.  Michael wasn't any stronger with his "sword." 

[Aeryn13]

Well, Lucifer had the Nephilim powers then and they showed earlier that Jack could easily wipe the floor with both Michael and Lucifer. Until he turned into Dumby McStupid who got his grace drained. 

[gonzosgirrl]

6 minutes ago, MysteryGuest said:

I totally get that, but Dean's cry of surprise at the end when Michael was fighting him for power just bugged me for some reason.  He absolutely should have expected it.  

I don't think he was surprised so much as pissed.

5 minutes ago, ILoveReading said:

It was more than just a moment.  Lucifer wiped the floor with Michael.  Michael wasn't any stronger with his "sword." 

Yeah, but Lucifer was juiced up on nephilim grace. Michael himself said he wasn't sure they'd have enough power together (paraphrased - I forget the exact words). So he needed the blade and Sam got it to him. It's still Dean's kill. LOL, I expect to defend this to Sam fans, not Dean's.

Edited May 18, 2018 by gonzosgirrl

[BoxManLocke]

7 minutes ago, MysteryGuest said:

I totally get that, but Dean's cry of surprise at the end when Michael was fighting him for power just bugged me for some reason.  He absolutely should have expected it.  

"No ! You were such a cool guy ! I trusted you !"

 

Dabb knew nobody would buy that Michael would hold up his end, and it was fine that way honestly. But no, he still tries to make it surprising by having all characters be shocked (emphasized by having overly dramatic music, AGAIN). That he expect any kind of reaction from the audience at this point is insulting.

Edited May 18, 2018 by BoxManLocke

[ZennyKenny]

Guys? Is it true?? Do I DARE to hope, to dream, to believe... that Lucifer is FINALLY DEAD?!?!?!?!?! 

I am like legit SO HAPPY right now!!! I don't even care that Dean said yes to au Michael! LUCIFER IS DEAD!!! WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!

[BoxManLocke]

2 minutes ago, ZennyKenny said:

Guys? Is it true?? Do I DARE to hope, to dream, to believe... that Lucifer is FINALLY DEAD?!?!?!?!?! 

I am like legit SO HAPPY right now!!! I don't even care that Dean said yes to au Michael! LUCIFER IS DEAD!!! WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, this is much more important than the death of an annoying character.

 

He killed my enjoyment of the last two seasons, made BuckLeming a bigger deal than they should ever be, and was a big part of why the show kept stagnating, as the character himself was going nowhere.

 

Having him out of SPN is a huge victory. But the writers shouldn't be praised for finally taking out the trash they willingly let out to rot for everybody else's displeasure.

[MysteryGuest]

7 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

I don't think he was surprised so much as pissed.

We'll see if it plays better on re-watch.  

[ZennyKenny]

1 hour ago, Morrigan2575 said:

The final scene of Michael!Dean walking down the street looking sexy as hell ?. Although that was kind of ruined by the freeze frame on Michael!Dean's glowing eyes. 

I'd honestly feel better if I knew they were going for an 80s horror homage because that's what it felt like. Intentional makes it cool, unintentional makes it cheesy.

The freeze frame was ridiculous, had me laughing. :D 

[Bergamot]

I can't believe it! They actually killed Lucifer!! I was QUITE wrong about that; I thought for sure that Lucifer would still be standing at the end of this episode.

(He really is dead, isn't he? Please let him be really dead and never coming back!)

First among the things I liked about the episode: not just that Lucifer is dead, but that one of his biggest mistakes, the thing that really opened Jack's eyes, was not some grand gesture that went wrong, but the pathetic nastiness of him not being able to resist killing an innocent young girl, just for the pleasure of crushing her skull and getting her blood on his hands. I mean, he could have handled Maggie catching sight of him in so many ways, but he could not resist acting as the ugly, petty monster he really was.

Second, Maggie! I know no one else cares about her, but I was so happy to see Maggie from "Bring "Em Back Alive", with her braided hair and baseball bat, getting on the bus in the last episode to go through the rift. And then I was like -- oh no, she's dead! But then -- hooray, she's alive again! Ha! I would not mind having her come back next season.

Third, so glad that Bobby and Mary were basically not an important part of this episode. The show works much better without them, in my opinion. If they have to be around next season, I hope they are always off somewhere else investigating something and never on screen.

Lastly, I loved seeing Dean with angelic powers! That's another thing I did not believe would ever happen.  And what do you mean he was not heroic? He saved ME --  from having to watch Lucifer on my show any more!!  :-) Seriously, though, I do think Dean is a hero. I very much enjoyed seeing him take charge and be a leader in this episode. And I am looking forward to seeing what Jensen does with this role. I think Michael may not have things all his own way. I know Michael has subjugated an entire world, but he has never had to handle Dean Winchester before!