Brother I’m Done – Supernatural Season 10 Finale Wrap Up.

This is the fourth time I’ve sat down to do this. The first time – well I just didn’t get very far. The second time – I wrote a fanfic instead, all about what happens when The Darkness clears – you can read it here if you like. The third time – err…I wrote another fanfic, that picked up at the end of the last one… it’s here if you’re interested in what, errrr kept me distracted from writing my finale review! 

Maybe one of the reasons I’ve stumbled over this one, is that if I write the finale up, the season is done for another year, and we have the ridiculously long hiatus to deal with. I don’t want to deal with the ridiculously long hiatus. I just don’t. I miss my show already, a lot…

But basically, I don’t know why it takes me so long to write up a finale episode. I don’t know why I procrastinate over it like I do… I checked on how long it took me last season, and I didn’t even do one! I guess I owe you guys.

Last year, of course, I was practically comatose after that finale, so maybe that was my excuse. My brain ceased to function for a good couple of months as I went into mourning. I kid you not. But I sure don’t have that excuse this year, because this year, I was almost joyous! In my books that was a happy ending! Probably the happiest we’ve had since season 2! Okay, Crowley and Cas are in a spot of bother (I’m pretty confident they’ll be just fine), and sure, we don’t know what this Darkness business really is or means, but the brothers were together, the Mark of Cain was gone, and Sammy was yelling out “Deannnn”, even though Dean was sitting right next to him. I call that a fandom win!

And that’s not at all what I was expecting.

I was pretty sure I was going to be devastated come the end of season 10 - season finales tend to do that. And I was sure The Carver and his evil (I love them) posse of Writers, were setting us up for something truly horrific. Even more horrific than an angel blade sliding as easily into Dean’s chest as if it was made of butter *shudders* or even more horrific than Dean dying in Sam’s arms. I’d prepared myself for the absolute worst – the thing we’re constantly praying the show will never do…one brother killing the other.

Deep inside I didn’t think it would ever happen. I think that’s a line in the sand the show won’t cross. I hope. Man, I hope… But I was still filled with the kind of dread only a Supernatural fan would truly understand, dread and overwhelming fear for a bunch of fictional characters that mean the absolute world to me. The whole Cain and Abel thing, the whole Cain’s prophecy for Dean thing, the whole Death being around thing, the whole “Brother’s Keeper” thing…I was panic stricken.

But for the first time, in probably ever, I was hooting and hollering at the end of a Supernatural finale! Fist pumping the air, dancing around the loungeroom. My tears were those of happiness for a change! And there were a lot. I really bawled. I think it was the stress finally releasing…a whole season of stress! I was expecting THE WORST and I got the brothers actually ending out a season together, both alive, neither apparently on death’s door, and though I’m sure they have a lot to discuss, neither were obviously or outwardly pissed off at each other (for the moment). See, THAT IS A HAPPY ENDING!

It was a fantastic season finale, rounding out what was a fantastic season, one of my favourites. Every episode hit the right note for me, and the Mark of Cain being the big bad, a big bad that came from within someone I love with all my heart, a big bad that simply could not be fought…that seemed to raise the odds incredibly high.

Add to it Sam’s overwhelming, urgent need to help his brother, to save his brother, to do whatever was necessary to get his brother back…Oh man, I loved it. I loved Sam trying so hard to hang on to Dean. I loved Dean trying so hard to hang on to himself and in doing so, hanging on to Sam. I've always believed in their love and had faith that they did too. Season 10 was by far my favourite “brothers” season for a long time and the brothers are my favourite thing ever. And I make no excuses for that. 

The overarching theme of family, something that has always been central to our show, filtered through every aspect of the story. Through Cas and his strange and poignant reconnection with Jimmy Novak’s daughter, Claire. Through Crowley and his unsuccessful, and somehow heartbreaking reconnection with his mother, Rowena. We had a wonderful discussion about John Winchester, and a moment around the dinner table where the Winchester’s new family took a rare break to laugh together. And of course, Sam and Dean, learning to understand each other by seeing through each other's eyes, and walking in each other's shoes... and who even talked about love...and used the actual word... *epic sigh*

We ended the season introducing a new mythology involving the Frankenstein family. And though Dean decimated the local chapter, who’s to say there’s not more of this ancient clan out there. We still have Metatron, on the run with the demon tablet and Rowena, on the run with The Book of the Damned. We have Kevin still with Mrs Tran, we have Bobby locked up in Heaven. We have Cole out there somewhere knowing about what really goes on in the dark. We have Jody and Donna and Claire and Alex. Season 10 left us with a whole Universe of possibilities and characters that may somehow cross the Winchester’s path again. 

And though the loss of Charlie was hard and hurt and was difficult for many to reconcile, her metamorphosis from a hacker girl, to a full blown hunter – a Winchester essentially – strong enough to choose her own destiny, to put the safety of someone she loved, and possibly humanity, above her own life, to become a hero, to me seemed strangely fulfilling. If she had to die, I'm glad she died as the strong woman we'd grown to know. She started as a cool, fun character, and ended as a character pretty much Universally loved. She became family; a testament to Charlie’s growth, through Robbie Thompson’s writing and Felicia Day’s wonderful performance. I believe we’ll see Charlie again. This is Supernatural after all.

The finale only wrapped up one story – The Mark of Cain, though what the aftermath of the First Curse will be for Dean, we don’t know - everything else was left, in someway, open. And for the first time in a few of seasons, we have a Big Bad that’s not all about the war in Heaven, or the battle for Hell…it’s not about angels or demons, it’s something new…or rather, very old, an evil beyond what the boys know or understand and somehow, they’re going to have to stop it. Old school. And I suspect, together. I’m looking forward to seeing that, a hell of a lot.

And so, as we sit and suffer through the relentless hellatus, I can’t help but go back and watch the season 10 finale over and over, if for no other reason than to marvel at the scene between Sam and Dean, as Death lingers over them and Sam, eyes filled with tears, willing to sacrifice himself so that his brother doesn’t murder the world, lays out the photos of Dean and his family, so that one day Dean can remember who he once was, and that he once loved and was loved. A Point of No Return/Swan Song moment – as one brother’s love, and their everlasting bond of family awakens the human heart still beating in the other. Sam’s faith in Dean pulled him back from Michael, Dean’s never-ending dedication to Sam pulled him back from Lucifer, and now Sam’s pure love for Dean pulled him back from becoming an unstoppable evil. If I could curl up and live in that scene, I would. Beautiful, perfect words; beautiful, perfect emotions; all played out in a beautiful, perfect performance by our beautiful, perfect boys. 

I loved this finale.

Now we wait. We wait to see how Crowley and Cas get out of their deadly situation. We wait to see if Death is truly dead, and if he is, what does that mean to the natural order of things. We wait to see what this Darkness is, how it will manifest and what it will want. And we wait to see what’s happened to Sam and Dean and Baby…

It’s bound to be bad…but somehow, I feel okay about it. Because I’m pretty sure that any doubts either brother ever had about the other’s love, got erased in season 10.  So no matter what happens, at least we all have that. 

-(eternally optimistic)sweetondean

P.S. I did do a finale podcast - so if you want to hear my thoughts fresh after the episode, you can listen to The Women of Letters finale podcast here.