Supernatural Think Tank - Thinky Thoughts and Theories on 11x20 Don't Call Me Shurley

-by Anna

When this episode ended I began to cry.  No scratch that, the tears actually began to fall as Rob/Chuck/God began singing.  I'm not talking "single man tear" cry, I'm talking Sam "ugly crying" tears.  I haven't cried like that in Supernatural this entire season.  So thank you Robbie Thompson for breaking me.  I'd almost made it.  LOL.

When I was able to recompose I asked myself what exactly it was that made me cry. Was it the reappearance of our beloved Samulet?  Was it the moment Chuck transformed back into Rob and sang that beautiful song?  Was it the Crotoan moment shared by our boys reminding us once again that neither one will ever leave the other's side?  Or was it the feeling of validation I felt about every post I'd ever written concerning God?  I guess the answer to the above is that all of these made me cry to the point of being utterly ridiculous.

If I may, I don't get to do this very often, not as often as I'd certainly like to, but I'd like to bask in these words if I may and I hope you allow me this indulgence, if for just in this brief, well kind of brief article......"I told you so".  See, there I said it and dare I say, it feels good.  I have noted all the way back in S5 that Chuck was God.  I've since referred to Chuck as God ever since.  I've also written countless posts where I have indicated by belief that God has in fact been around, helping the boys all along.  This episode, thank you RT, has validated every post I've ever written regarding this belief.  It's no longer what I've believed, but RT had now made it canon, I wasn't in fact talking out of my butt all these years. LOL.

I didn't buy for a single moment, Chuck's defeatist attitude or his disillusionment of humanity. It felt so very off.  His words contradicted all that we've seen in the past. No, there was more to picking Metatron out of a dumpster.  Why Metatron?  I'm sorry but I just didn't buy into him wanting his old scribe back.  There was so much more going on here. In the end I realized what God was doing. God was offering Metatron, redemption.  It became obvious as Chuck uttered ever word of disdain regarding his creations, knowing exactly which of Metatron's buttons to press to get his goat up. Despite Metatron's despicable behaviour, I'll give Metatron this much, he always acknowledged his love for his father.  Why do you think Metatron wanted to be God so badly?  He not only admitted to Chuck that he thought his behaviour would bring Chuck back, but don't we want to be like the ones we adore the most?  Do we not see that in the Winchesters all the time?  Sam wanting to be like Dean, Dean wanting to be more like Sam?  Both seeing in the other what they don't see in themselves? It was so clear to me that God was offering Metatron a second chance, a shot at redemption.  Metatron defending the very humans he not so long ago was out to destroy.  Perhaps Metatron will earn his wings back after all.

All that talk from Chuck about giving up on humanity.  His creations, all of his creations being mistakes.  It was all horse puckey.  He spoke the words, but they were hollow and empty, not unlike when Sam and Dean have said things to each other they didn't really mean.  His actions told a very different story.  Chuck was in all the pivotal episodes that helped Sam and Dean stop the Apocalypse. God saved the boys by taking them out of that church and putting them on that plane.  Chuck was there in The Monster at the End of this Book, helping to save Sam from Lilith.  He was in The End, and I don't think it was just so he can warn Dean to hoard TP because it's gold.  He was in Swan Song, where he actually not only revealed himself, but noted all along that the Winchesters, who stopped Lucifer because of their love of family, free will and humanity, passed the test....that humanity is worth saving and is a precious creation.  Chuck noted that the Winchester story didn't in fact end as we see Sam, who was mostly rescued from the cage, because God brought Cas back.  (I think God's intention was that Cas save Sam with the help of other angels, but that didn't exactly go as planned).  Death did save Sam though and I can't help but wonder if God/Chuck had a hand in that.  W e see Chuck again in Fan Fiction.  Why?  Simply to acknowledge Marie's version of the story as being "not bad"?  or perhaps to let us know that he's out there, still, watching over the Winchesters.  Then of course we have the vision in Baby.  Lucifer claims those visions were from him?  Did he lie?  Or were most of them from him sans one?  The vision where Sam is told that only the boys can stop the darkness....is this metaphorical?  Chuck had noted that humans kill in his name, that bad things happen and he gets blamed for them and then he's supposed to clean up humans messes.  Is the message in Baby one of those deep meta ones....are the only ones able to stop the violence and darkness that plagues our planet in fact US...humans?  the things that make you go HMMMMMM.  LOL.  I don't know if show is going that deep, but I do believe the idea here is that it will take humans to beat the darkness, in this case, Sam and Dean Winchester...perhaps even with a little help from their friends...and not friends. 

What really seals the deal that all of Chuck's words were a bunch of hooey is the very fact that Chuck/God himself is the one writing the Supernatural Books which have been deemed the Winchester Gospels.  Is the bible not a book based on God's word?  His work?  Well here we have Chuck/God literally writing the word for himself.  A book based on the life of his chosen.  He commanded Sam and Dean to be born.  He has written every word based on their life, and he has saved them on more than one occasion.  The Winchesters are the epitome of humanity which is why Chuck has chose to write the Gospel of Them. If God didn't care about humanity, the Winchesters would've died long ago. Now I'm sure the time will come where the boys will have done their job and done it well and will be rewarded for it.  There will be peace when they are done, and it's their life that other's will read about and look to and those will be the ones to continue the Winchester's job of looking out for humanity, one person at a time. 

Now to the accolades.  First I'll start off by thanking Robbie Thompson for such an incredible hour of goodness.  The script was awesome.  I also want to thank him for answering almost every question we've had regarding Chuck/God and our beloved Samulet.  I can't tell you how happy it makes me knowing that so many of us were right in believing that Sam would never leave it in the trash and that he in fact has had it this entire time.  Not only does he have it, but he carries it around with him.  I can't help but think that this amulet has given him the strength he's needed so often. Can you picture the amulet in his pocket all the time he was searching for Dean in s10.  I can, and it  makes me smile. Just knowing he's had it with him this whole time....I will be smiling a whole lot more during rewatch.  (although I don't imagine soulless sam having it in his pocket or perhaps it was and he just didn't give it a though...we'll fan fic that one)..I know, you might be thinking if it was in his pocket then how can Chuck show it to Metatron.  Well for starters, he's God and he can pick Sam's pocket.  When Metatron brought up the amulet, Chuck noted two things...one, he turned it off and two...he said specifically...you'll never believe where it's been this entire time.  That right there tells me Sam had it the entire time and the reason Chuck took it from Sam's pocket, instead of simply telling Metatron he turned it off is because he was turning it back on.  Chuck turning the amulet back on is simply more validation that Chuck came out of hiding to help the boys all along.  Judging from the smile on Metatron's face after he read the new pages....I'd say that conclusion is a valid one. 

I also appreciated RT's poking fun at Kripke and his failed creation "Revolution" vs. his greatest creation to date which is Supernatural.  I guess Supernatural is meta for Humanity? ooooh. I also loved that Chuck got to frolic and play among the humans.  I guess being among his creation reminds him of why we are worth saving as Metatron so aptly put.

Curtis Armstrong and Rob Benedict owned this episode.  They were incredible.  When Chuck transformed into Rob at the end, the tears started rolling.  I haven't cried all season...and Jared and Jensen, there's never anything but goodness coming out of those two.  I absolutely snort laughed when Sam demanded that Dean stop ironing his shirts with beer.  I just think it's adorable that Dean irons Sam's clothes.  Beer or no beer, I wish he'd do mine.  I don't iron.  When I iron, the clothes end up more wrinkled then when I started. LOL.   The Croatoan moment at the end, ....tears...just tears...I will never tire from those boys' willingness to die for and with ea. other.  The very fact that Chuck/God saved them once again....just gave me all that much hope....I guess hope does spring eternal, especially in a town called Hope Springs.

I'm looking forward to the boys meeting up with Chuck.  I also gotta wonder if Dean's immunity to the fog is more about Dean. What I'm getting at is what if he wasn't affected because the MoC protected him, even it's after effects.  Sam was protected by his demon blood.  I wonder if Dean being immune from Amara isn't so much her doing.  What if she's all about Dean because the reality of it is that he's the only one who she can't infect.  So perhaps her best defence is to make him believe in a bond that might not really be what she's claiming it to be.  Perhaps this will come in handy in defeating Amara.

We shall see.

Thanks for reading.

Til next week.

-Anna

You can read sweetondean's review of Don't Call Me Shurley here