Supernatural Preview: “Brother’s Keeper” 

Here we are at the tenth season finale. Over the years I’ve been more meh on the finales than impressed. My feelings with tonight’s episode are all over the place. I’m anxious/nervous/excited/cautious/guarded. Like I said in my tweet, these emotions are kind of natural when it comes to this show.

I’m usually pretty down on the penultimate episodes, too. But last week’s “The Prisoner” is probably my favorite second to last episode since Season 2’s “AHBL I.” It’s true. Now I did have my issues:

-The Stynes ended up being too cartoon-y and they were focused on too much — their scenes dragged

-That sappy Charlie montage song

-Dean telling Sam that should be him up on that pyre instead of Charlie

-Sam so gung ho on killing Crowley — seems like he should have been at least a little conflicted

-And, oh yeah, my big picture issue: the fact that Charlie even had to die at all — I’m still not on board with that. I feel like they could have come up with another way to send Dean off the reservation. He was teetering already.

I know that seems like a long list, but I still insist that I really enjoyed “The Prisoner,” mainly because of a few outstanding moments and solid acting from Jensen, Jared, Misha and Mark. Man, we have a good core group of series regulars, don’t we?

Sam decides to go ahead with the cure despite Dean telling him to shut it down. He really shows he will go all out for his brother. Loved this Sam/Cas conversation:

Cas: What are you doing?

Sam: I’m saving my brother.

Cas: You told Dean…

Sam: I know what I told Dean. Cas, look. I’ve been the one out there messed up and scared and alone and Dean…

Cas: Did whatever he could to save you.

Sam: Yes. I mean it’s become his thing. I owe him this. I owe him everything. Look I know he pretends that he can ride the Mark out. But you and I know the truth — we know what happens if we don’t cure him. We both know where that road ends.

Cas: Black eyes and blood.

Sam: Yes. Go. Find him, Cas. Keep him safe.

The Sam/Crowley scene was even better. Even though I question how hardcore Sam is about offing Crowley, I love that Sam lays all the blame on him. It’s not all true. But most of it is. However, ultimately, Sam underestimated the King of Hell, didn’t he? It was going to take more than a hex bag and a devil’s trap bullet to bring him down. The Real Crowley came roaring back — red eyes and all. And I couldn’t be happier.

Crowley: That’s what I get for trying to be the good guy.

Sam: Wait a second. So you’re the good guy?

Crowley: Do you have any idea what I’ve been at for the past year? The changes I made to hell?

Sam: Am I supposed to be impressed by that?

Crowley: Yes! I thought if I did better I might actually feel something again. That it might matter.

Sam: It doesn’t matter. Maybe everybody else forgot about all the bad you’ve done but I haven’t. I have watched you kill people, Crowley. Innocent people. People I cared about. People I loved. So, yeah, you have the accent and the suit and the snark. But at the end of it you are a monster. Just like all the rest of them. And I’m gonna watch you die screaming just like all the rest of them.

Crowley: You’re right. I am a monster. And I have done bad. I’ve done things you can’t even imagine. Horrible, evil, messy things. And I’ve loved every damn minute. So thank you, Sam. For reminding me who I really am. (sends Sam flying) Powerful magic. Might have worked on any other demon, but me, please. I could kill you. Snap my fingers. Easiest thing in the world. From here on I want you to know that the only reason you’re alive is because I allowed it. And I want you to deliver a message. You tell that ginger whore that I gave her a chance to walk away.

I feel like there’s another reason Crowley didn’t kill Sam. And maybe this is implied. He didn’t want to piss of his good buddy, Dean.

Dean lays waste to the Stynes

The Stynes got the best of Dean for about two seconds. But he got out of this predicament. Pretty handily. And then he proceeds to do away with the entire Styne clan that’s present and accounted for. We’ve seen Dean’s out of control moments here and there. But this is as out of control as you can get. And we didn’t even see all of it. We saw the fallout when Cas showed up at the Styne manse. Wow. Dean. Went. Off. And he spared no one. Which brings us back to the bunker…

Dean shoots Eldon

This was as close to an Indiana Jones moment that Dean’s going to get. Eldon is making a big deal about burning down the bunker and “Chuckie” deserving to die. Now that Eldon was all stitched up with limbs back on all Frankenstein-style, he thought he was unstoppable. Dean got creatively simple. Reminds me of the way Indiana Jones simply took care of that guy throwing around that big sword.

Dean: Your old man’s dead. They’re all dead. So you can save me the speech on the three hearts, two spleens, the seven nipples for the ladies or the fellas, I don’t judge. But even with all that you still have one brain.

Gunshot. Satisfaction. This guy deserved it just for saying Dean has crappy taste in music.

The opposite of satisfaction was the kid Dean offed next. All episode long they showed Cyrus in a mostly sympathetic light. That’s what makes this moment harsher. Dean doesn’t believe it. He’s like Cain in “The Executioner’s Song,” who tried to kill his entire family tree because they might have the murder gene. Dean doesn’t take the chance.

Cyrus: You don’t need to do this.

Dean: Yeah. I do.

He’s losing the battle to the Mark. I may not have liked this choice of his but damn if Jensen didn’t play this moment brilliantly.

Dean/Cas

This is my Moment of Goodness for the episode (maybe tied with the Sam/Crowley moment). It’s a reverse of the scene from the Season 8 episode, “Goodbye Stranger.” And I know this is a bit of a controversial scene since Cas has his grace back and despite Dean having the Mark, she shouldn’t have been able to defeat Cas as easy as he did. But I liked the reversal of it all. It was powerful to me. And Jensen and Misha did such a good job with it. So I was on board. We haven’t had this good of a Dean/Cas scene in quite a while. So I rather step back and not let myself think about what’s wrong. Because it all felt so right to me. And in the end, Dean didn’t kill Cas. He walked away. So he’s over the edge but still has some control. Some being the operative word, here. Here’s my favorite part of their interaction:

Cas: Maybe you could fight the Mark for years. Maybe centuries like Cain did. But you cannot fight it forever. And when you finally turn and you will turn. Sam and everyone you know everyone you love they could all be long dead. Everyone except me. I’m the one who will have to watch you murder the world. So if there’s even a small chance that we can save you, I won’t let you walk out of this room.

Dean: Oh you think you have a choice?

Cas: I think the Mark is changing you

Dean: You’re wrong.

Cas: Am I? Because the Dean Winchester I know would never have murdered that kid.

Dean: Yeah, well…that Dean’s always been kind of a dick.

And that brings us to tonight’s season 10 finale: “Brother’s Keeper.” I love the inclusion of “brother” in the title. It’s what this show is all about.

Trailer

Synopsis for “Brother’s Keeper”: Dean (Jensen Ackles) makes a shocking decision regarding the Mark of Cain that would change not only his life, but Sam’s (Jared Padalecki) too. Meanwhile, Crowley (Mark Sheppard) and Rowena (guest star Ruth Connell) face off and Castiel (Misha Collins) gets caught in the middle.

Rowena/Sam/Crowley Clip

Inside Brother’s Keeper

Some Questions for the finale

Will Sam get to save his brother?

How will the presence of Death truly affect the situation?

Will the Mark of Cain be gone by the end of the episode?

Will it get transferred?

Can the Mark of Cain be something that’s gone forever? Or will someone have to bear the Mark?

How is Sam’s life going to change?

Will Crowley live to see another season? Will Rowena? And how will their dysfunctional family battle affect Cas?

Will we get another painful cliffhanger?

Will fans be satisfied with this episode or in an uproar?

Most importantly, will we get a “bitch” and “jerk” moment from Sam and Dean? Because I need this to happen.

Thoughts on season 10

This has been an interesting season. I’ve complained about a lot of it. But I’ve also found myself rewatching a lot of the episodes and, more specifically, the scenes that have really rocked my world. A lot of it has been very satisfying. I think my favorite episodes of the season are:

“Reichenbach”

“Fan Fiction”

“There’s No Place Like Home”

“About a Boy”

“The Executioner’s Song”

“Inside Man”

“The Werther Project”

“Book of the Damned”

“The Prisoner”

I wish I could put “Dark Dynasty” on the list but it’s difficult when I’m so vehemently opposed to Charlie’s death. That’s a big red stain (pun intended) on the season as far as I’m concerned. As is the fact that the Demon Dean portion of the season only lasted three measly episodes. And I’m going to say this again and I feel like I’m saying this every season. But I look forward to the day when Sam and Dean (and Cas) are fighting together and not having to do everything they can to save them from themselves. Now that Dean’s been the big bad of sorts, following in both Sam and Cas’ footsteps, I would love for them to band together against an external force that’s unspeakably evil and seemingly unstoppable. I thought the Stynes would have been that answer but I don’t think that anymore. So I’m looking forward to seeing what happens in season 11 (barring whatever happens at the end of season 10, that is).

The Supernatural Season 10 finale, “Brother’s Keeper,” airs tonight at 9/8c on the CW. What are your thoughts on season 10 as a whole?