Comments on: My Thoughts On The “Supernatural” Season 5 Finale

By: Lea

Lea — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:20:03 +0000

I’ve read what you said and I have to admit that I don’t really agree with you. I thought the finale was one of the best I’ve seen, if not ever then in a very long time.
I felt that the bits Chuck said were so heart wrenching and I think if they had been brought up earlier they would have lost their effect, and it wouldn’t have been so painfully sad.
For the person who said that the characters have been changed and are doing things that don’t correspond to canon- I think it makes sense. Yes, when Sam was alive Dean couldn’t care less about what Sam wanted him to do but when somebody dies things change. Like, when their dad died Sam started caring more about what their Dad would have wanted than when he was alive. And yes, if Sam knew he was going to get to talk to Dean again he would never ever ask something like that but if you think this is your last chance to speak to someone then you are going to say things they never would before.
I don’t think that it was an anti- climax at all. I thought that this ending was much better than an apocalypse. Whenever it was Chucks part I found myself identifying more and more with the characters. I thought that the impala scenes really brought it home. And there was some brilliant lines from chuck:
“The Army man that Sam crammed in the ash tray, it’s still stuck there. The Legos that Dean shoved into the vents, to this day, heat comes on, they can hear them rattle. These are the things that make the car theirs”
“The Devil doesn’t know or care what kind of car the boys drive.”
“And when it was clear they’d park her in the middle of nowhere, sit on the hood and watch the stars for hours without saying a word.”
“It never occurred to them that sure, maybe they never had a roof and four walls, but they were never, in fact, homeless.”
and then of course the endings are hard speech.
I thought Chuck’s but was beautifully written and it was hard not to get emotional.
I think the finale was the best episode of supernatural yet!

By: Ichigo

Ichigo — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 03:10:54 +0000

I just completed season 5.. and well was i searching for comments on finale when i found this site
Many of u are right that the episode was nice and they have to leave something for sixth season but still i am just too disappointed………..
There were some epic scenes like Bobby making out and ofcourse Dean’s Line “Are u God Castiel?”…But rest was too rushed up
Ok i understand why there was no apocalypse…. but cmon they dint even show a little fight of Michael and Lucifer……….
Even if they dint do anything much supernatural but they should have atleast make us feel that end is inevitable… A preview of hell or the Lucifer’s pit would have been highly praised

The main premise of finale were the childhood memories… i just wish they had shown it in earlier episodes so that they may give a satisfying finale….

In all I wanna bang my head with a bat….

By: Nick

Nick — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 17:04:14 +0000

Enjoyed reading all these comments. For me the ending was’nt as good as i would have hoped. They spend 2 seasons building up to this very final episode, only for it to be stripped away. Somne of you mentioned that the boys stopped the apocalypse, and so there was never going to be this spectacular ening that alot of us wanted, but that doesnt hold true to me. I think you can have the great ending and still manage to save the world. To me, it was obvious the story was stretched out and waterd down as it became apparent a 6th series was to be commissioned. Cant wait for season 6!

By: Dean Winchester

Dean Winchester — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 02:12:27 +0000

Man i sure would of liked to see dean “say yes” to michael and see dean and sam fight off.. but man that season finale i believe was truly way better than i thought it would be, and wow it was very sad. and why was sam still alive at the very end when they showed him outside of lisa’s house?

By: Greg

Greg — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 02:07:31 +0000

I think one of Supernatural’s strengths is the way it uses metaphor to get across its plot. The use of scene and genre to rework myth is what has kept me interested. So, you have two dudes cruising the American outback and somehow the show manages to have such a powerful psychological impact. Why is this? I don’t think it comes down to making promises to the audience which then later disappoints. If you consider the whole ‘end of times’ sequence (about the last 3 seasons’ worth of episodes), the show remained true to its aesthetic of using ordinary elements of landscape and community to suggest what was happening. Occasional, but minimalist, use of special effects is one of the show’s smartest ploys – not seeing angel wings, for instance, but just the shadowy outline against the crypt wall when Castiel was first introduced, for instance. Now, some might be disappointed in this kind of oblique portrayal, but it is the show’s subtlety which has kept it coherent on both a plot and a character level. As for the ending being about two dudes falling down a hole – in no way was that a disappointment for me. The story arc was preparing us for something of this kind. Far more interesting are all the existential allusions that the scene conjures up – and without which I might understand that the scene may be considered a bit disappointing. But I think the writers expect the viewer to come to the party here. As for getting a peek into hell, yes, the earlier scenes with Dean were very cool. But not showing us also casts the scene from a certain perspective. For my part, I’m interested to see how the show picks up the thread from here. Anyway, is it ever a good idea to give the viewer the expected result? The ending, for me, was brilliant. What is wrong with anticlimax! The infuriating sense of having been cheated, as many of the views here express, is for me its most rewarding effect. The neat, expected ending would have been the real disappointment – and would have made the discussion forums banal.

By: Hannah

Hannah — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 17:35:03 +0000

It was a bit surprising to see them just standing there in a plain old field. Not how i picture the end of the world or (with lack of 4 hoursemen) just an angel fight. I liked the end, but i think it would have been much better the original way with it being the end of the show, (and thus perhaps more dramatic) obviously as has been said… it was changed so as to drag it out another year. So long as it’s still good i’m not complaining so long as Jensen is still in it. mmm mmm… sorry i digress. How about this… i wonder who is G-d in the show?! i liked when Dean asked Cass if he was g-d.

By: DWAYNE

DWAYNE — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 06:29:51 +0000

and i heard there will b a sixth season, but sam and dean talked about them not renewing their contracts. so i dont know how this going to go. cause they cant replace them after five season. but there is talk about the apocalypse going on, with Bobby as head character, but that just hear say. I wish i knew when the new season will b hear. but if sam and dean goes, that would b a disappointment cause they more of less made the show. it was all about them battling evil, apocalype. and Dean keeping Casteil drunk. lmfao. Seeing an so called angel drunk was funny. especially how uptight he was.

By: DWAYNE

DWAYNE — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 06:24:27 +0000

I dont know if anyone realized at the end of Season Five. that God was there. He always was. It was Chuck to prophet all along. God could shield himself. thats why they couldnt find him. But at the end of the season finale. Chuck disappeared. and he was calm writing the ending. Which if u notice most of the time Chuck wasnt calm when writing. So i figured out he was God, when he wrote the end or is it. and then disappeared. So far no one i talked to got that. did any of u.

By: Barbara

Barbara — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:12:40 +0000

The boys are just too splendid to kill. I have died laughing more than once, only to rise again savoring the burger eating hunk.

It is all about free will.. of all involved, including the writers. Do I feel cheated that more so called stuff didn’t happen, not really. It is the best tease out there.

By: Tabz

Tabz — Sun, 23 May 2010 16:29:52 +0000

From following the fandom closely – yes S6 robbed us of S5. I’m pretty sure both boys were supposed to die… die bloody and there was supposed to a lot more death, chaos and destruction. Pretty sure Cas and Bobby would have stayed dead too.

Ah well, Kripke stepped down – so S6 will be interesting.

I was kind of hoping they would have done the S5 real finale… then S6 could be stories before the end… ‘cuz really taking on God is about all they got left and that seems lame.

By: J.C. Hutchins

J.C. Hutchins — Sat, 22 May 2010 21:44:00 +0000

@HoldingMyBreath: At no time in my review above did I indict the producers about the unresolved plot threads you mentioned in your comment. You suggest I “give the producers a break” for these threads where you don’t need to; I was clearly griping about the anticlimactic handling of the finale’s Apocalypse storyline. I never mentioned I wanted all storylines to definitively resolve in the finale episode.

Indeed, some of the very unresolved plot threads you mentioned may keep me curious enough to check out Season Six. Crowley’s possession of Bobby’s soul (and Bobby’s clear — if temporary — death) must be explored. Chuck’s prophet/godlike role might be interesting to pursue. I don’t care about the “Croatoan virus future” storyline as it’s a rehash of a thousand-thousand zombie stories.

Perhaps most interesting … at least for the first few episodes of Season Six … will be seeing Sam and Dean reconnect and go adventuring again.

However, none of these unresolved plot threads factored into my review of the Season Five finale. The second half of Season Five — and the finale especially — was sloppy work, and in light of the two-season buildup to the promised endtimes confrontation, was devastatingly disappointing.

By: HoldingMyBreath

HoldingMyBreath — Sat, 22 May 2010 21:27:39 +0000

Has everyone forgotten Crowley? And the photo of Bobby and him kissin to seal a deal? (“Someone give me a knife so I can gouge my eyes out…” ) I think the writers have pulled off the most incredible red herring ever. Why introduce Chuck and create him as a real character? All of a sudden people think he’s the missing God? Season 6 should explain these questions. Remember Dean was transported to the future where the Croatoan virus had truly spread and Cas had lost his angelic powers (and gained a fondness for pot)? The past couldn’t be changed; we saw that in previous shows. I think we saw some elements of that future but not all. Perhaps “The future is what we make” (Terminator) holds true here but who’s to say everything was to happen?
I forsee Season 6 fleshing out the storyline began in the finale. How could everything have been squeezed into one hour? Give the producers a break here. Is Sam Sam or Satan or just a ghost?? How can Dean adjust to a lifestyle he was shown to be unable to follow (remember “It’s a Terrible Life” when Zachariah plopped them into a different life situation?).
Given the show’s history of really odd ball humor I’m hoping this will prove to be the case.

By: anonymousviewer

anonymousviewer — Thu, 20 May 2010 20:07:10 +0000

I have to agree with Hutchins- I know i wont be the popular opionion but i feel the last episode was rushed and really did’nt have much follow through and it ending with Dean’s so called normal life with Lisa still makes me go-huh- there was no backstory no reason with the exception it was conveinient to use her…Kripke is a very talented man but i was disappointed as in, its like being promised the world but only given a pot of dirt and expected to say thank you for it.

By: J.C. Hutchins

J.C. Hutchins — Thu, 20 May 2010 17:03:05 +0000

@Elizabeth: I disagree with your comments re: Supernatural being a low budget show. I’ve seen some jaw-dropping effects on the program during its run. Plus, this being a season finale, one would assume they’d pull out a few stops to dazzle viewers.

As for gore: Again, I politely disagree. The show is alarmingly violent and gory for a network program.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Thu, 20 May 2010 16:16:24 +0000

Well, let’s face it – this show is a definite low budget show. You never really get to see any intriguingly gory and scary creatures. Did you really think that you would get to see anything spectacular after all this time? And yet, perhaps that is what made this show so awesome; one did not need all the special effects/graphics to make the show a good show. The acting speaks for itself.

I enjoyed reading your thoughts and everyone’s musings. I certainly would love a sixth season.

By: Stephen Jacob

Stephen Jacob — Wed, 19 May 2010 00:11:54 +0000

Oh, I’m pretty sure Scott will deliver something awesome for Pandemic. I’ll forgive him for Perry. Now… that doesn’t mean I’d be ok with him offing Quentin Barnes in The Starter.

By: Urox

Urox — Tue, 18 May 2010 22:50:52 +0000

You know what happens when you deliver the big ending and then have a sequel? I have a mind that Sigler’s “Pandemic” does. Missing the heart of the story because that favorite person isn’t driving any more. Maybe Scott will impress me in the next book, but the ending to the last really just took the desire out of me to hear the further adventures for a while (which is good since it isn’t out yet). And that’s what happens after a big climax. Hard to build seconds that come anywhere close.

By: Jessika

Jessika — Tue, 18 May 2010 13:58:09 +0000

Hey J.C.! We love Supernatural at our house, and got our circle of friends into the show also.

Even though we are fans of the show, I agree with what you’re saying. My thoughts are similar, in that I think if we would have only had 5 seasons, these last few shows would have been much more intense and final. It feels like they’ve tried to spread them out to stretch out more plot and story.

No one has said it yet, but I credit a lot of the great humor and dialog to the awesome Ben Edlund. I’m a huge fan of everything he’s done, and some of my favorite Supernatural eps were his.

Also, while Sam and Dean may be the main heroes, there are times that Castiel overtakes them as my favorite character. I hope that actor gets more roles. Or maybe a Cas spin off show.

By: J.C. Hutchins

J.C. Hutchins — Tue, 18 May 2010 11:29:41 +0000

@Les (aka L.M.) — I hear you re: Angel, and agree: I’m not much of a slobbering Joss fanboy (though I do admire him greatly), but believe you’re right. If another season of Angel aired, it would’ve started in a troubled world post-”Not Fade Away,” and not a status-quo clean slate.

And thanks for the ultra-kind words re: me getting a shot at this kind of storytelling. I do have such ambitions, and hope to deliver some day.

By: J.C. Hutchins

J.C. Hutchins — Tue, 18 May 2010 11:25:35 +0000

@Steve: Thanks for chiming in. I love the show too. You’re right: “Swan Song” doesn’t imply big messy endtimes spectacle — and ultimately, I don’t think anyone was actually expecting Earth to be wiped out by Satan. But I think we deserved something more visually resonant than Sam and So-And-So (aka Adam, heh) falling into a hole.

As for the flashbacks: They were cool and charming, but I thought they ultimately represented a cobbled-together 11th hour catalyst for Sam’s recuperation. It would’ve been far more resonant to introduce those flashback-inducing hooks (the toy soldier, the LEGOs) earlier in the series and remind us of them throughout, so in this episode they represent more than they actually were — a hastily-introduced plot device.

By: Steve Saylor

Steve Saylor — Tue, 18 May 2010 05:31:24 +0000

Oh and BTW, the half brother name is Adam. haha I know no one cares, but I’m a super nerd for this show. lol

By: l.m.orchard

l.m.orchard — Tue, 18 May 2010 04:58:47 +0000

I haven’t seen the season finale yet, and am still catching up on the previous seasons. Not afraid of spoilers, though, so I skipped the kittens.

There are few shows that seem to manage to cash the checks they write. It’s possible to do though—I’d contrast Supernatural’s non-climax with the end of Angel (ie. “Not Fade Away”) with all hell breaking loose and a dragon overhead. Not to deify Whedon overmuch, but if Angel had been picked up for another season after that last episode I’m willing to bet there’d've been a path found to continue the story without a Big Reset.

I do have to say this, though: I hope you get the opportunity to write for something like this, man. When you put a gun on the mantle, I’m absolutely certain there’ll be one or more bullets destined to intersect with major characters I’ve come to know and love. And sometimes the gun is a giant dump truck. It’s occasionally predictable, but satisfyingly so. More often it’s surprising and twisty.

The best thing a writer can do for me as an audience member is to build up big and have the guts to follow through, even if it means tearing down what took years to build up and leaving no one to tell the tale. Figuring out what to do after that should be the next fun challenge, especially if you kill off all your points of view

By: Steve Saylor

Steve Saylor — Tue, 18 May 2010 04:58:19 +0000

Hutch, it pains me to say this but after reading your post, I have to agree with you for the most part. I do agree that it probably wasn’t Kripke’s vision to end it this way. If he was able to go with his five year plan, we would’ve definitely seen the apocalypse. My only thing to contend that with was A.P. was right, there were no horsemen and henceforth no apoc.

In a way I was disappointed because I do remember someone, I think one of the writers or even Kripke himself, mentioned at one point we may actually see God, and I was kind of hoping for that. Everything goes all to hell with apoc and God is literally the only one who could stop it. But it have serious consequences instead.

But you have to admit, with an episode title of “Swan Song” that doesn’t really foreshadow the most epic showdown ever. It is what it is a Swan Song for the whole 5 seasons Kripke had planned. Which as of season 6 he is not the show runner anymore and only a executive producer/consultant.

You also had to admit, the flashbacks about the Impala written/read by Chuck was pretty cool.

I’ll leave you with the words Chuck read, which I think in a way Kripke was directly talking to us:

“Endings are impossible. You try to tie up every loose end, you never can. The fans are always going to bitch, there are always going to be holes; and since it’s the ending, it’s all supposed to add up to something I’m telling you, they’re a raging pain in the ass.”

“No doubt endings are hard but then again nothing ever really ends, does it?”

I love Supernatural.

By: A.P. Stephens

A.P. Stephens — Tue, 18 May 2010 04:23:50 +0000

I bet in Season Six, they will show us what happens down there.

By: J.C. Hutchins

J.C. Hutchins — Tue, 18 May 2010 04:15:25 +0000

@A.P. — Yes indeed, we did see Hell a few seasons back. Which is why seeing what “Lucifer’s cage” was all about would have been absolutely badass (and certainly expected, given the narrative buildup). Ah well. As with the Matrix sequels and Star Wars prequels, the creators told their story the way they wanted to — it just wasn’t the story I wanted to see.

By: J.C. Hutchins

J.C. Hutchins — Tue, 18 May 2010 04:13:05 +0000

@Patricia: Thanks for the validation. Like I said, I hated being disappointed by the finale, but glad I’m not alone in my opinion.

There were moments this season where I feared the story was veering off the rails, but had absolute faith that the show would deliver an epic finale worthy of the seasons-long tease. (I had a similar, if far-less-absolute feeling about Battlestar Galactica’s finale, and was even more disappointed.) In the end, the writers delivered what they promised, but the end product fell flat for me.

By: A.P. Stephens

A.P. Stephens — Tue, 18 May 2010 04:09:15 +0000

we did get to see Hell a couple seasons ago when Dean was locked down by those meat hooks….that scene still bothers me.

By: J.C. Hutchins

J.C. Hutchins — Tue, 18 May 2010 04:06:50 +0000

@A.P. — I appreciate the perspective; Supernatural is my favorite show too. While I certainly don’t have an issue with Armageddon being circumvented, I believe what was supposed to be the climax of the season’s tension — casting Satan back into Hell — sorely underdelivered, since we as viewers have been appropriately drooling for an epic confrontation (because the writers did a great job of building seasons-long tension). At least give me a minute or two of Hell footage, for Heaven’s sake.

@Flora — If it’s the end of the world, I’m picking AC/DC as my soundtrack.

By: Patricia

Patricia — Tue, 18 May 2010 04:03:58 +0000

I think the main fail is that the writers themselves seemed to forget a lot of what their own characters were about. I could go on and on, and with one or two of my friends I have– until we’re just tired of thinking about it– but the whole last season seemed like they were shoehorning characters into shapes that don’t and never have fit them.

The end alone, Sam would never ask that of Dean. Dean would never do it if he wanted something else. That alone shows someone stopped caring long ago about their own canon.

I agree with everything you said, Mr. Hutchins. You and the nail, you gave it cranial injuries.

By: Flora Isadora

Flora Isadora — Tue, 18 May 2010 03:56:36 +0000

Well…it wasn’t Sam and Dean tag-teaming Ruby, but I guess it was time for Sam to go to hell since Dean and Daddy have already gone there and I can’t remember the bastard Winchester kid’s name either. Still, call me a masochist ’cause I’ve stuck with Lost all this time but I’m okay that Elsworth from Deadwood got to live in the end since they killed him at the end of that show and that the angel with the can-melt-the-panties-off-a-nun voice got his melon reconstituted. However, I do stick by what I said on Twitter- if it’s REALLY the end of the world I’m picking a better soundtrack than Def Leppard.

By: A.P. Stephens

A.P. Stephens — Tue, 18 May 2010 03:55:11 +0000

Good points, but there isn’t an Apocalypse without Sam being fully taken as the vessel. Also, the Four Horsemen got served, also putting a damper on the Apoc.

The reason it didn’t happen is because the characters intervened to prevent it, since they said they wanted to stop it.

Just so happens the things you wanted to see were stopped by the brothers showing up to ensure they didn’t happen. I think they did well in Season 5. It is my fav show.