Supernatural closed off the fall part of the season with two strong episodes – one directed by a fan favorite and one featuring the return of a fan favorite. With winter hiatuses getting longer and longer, I thought it would be helpful in holding off on reviewing and recapping at least the final episode – but here are my thoughts on the final two episodes of the fall.
“Just My Imagination” was written by Jenny Klein and directed by Richard Speight Jr, who fans know better at the Trickster/Gabriel. This is a nice way for the show to support Speight as this is his first major directing gig. The show’s crew has already shepherded a number of people through the director’s chair, and Speight delivers a solid episode. Helping him out are Jensen Ackles (Dean) and Jared Padalecki (Sam), who both deliver really excellent performances in this episode. Ackles brings his comic chops while Padalecki hits the more dramatic notes of the episode. The episode also features the return of Dylan Everett as young Dean.
The episode opens with some of the brothers’ most outrageous cases: fairies, clowns, suicidal teddy bears – all proving even childhood isn’t a safe haven. The first scene is Maddie (Jena Skodje) having a tea party with her ‘imaginary’ friend Sparkle (Everrett Shea). Only he’s not imaginary and someone murders him. Maddie returns and provides the blood-curdling scream to close out the teaser.
We cut to Sam’s alarm going off at 6:30am. He’s so bleary eyed that he doesn’t see the shadowy figure in his bedroom that follows him out into the hallway or the colorful feast sitting on the kitchen table. Was I the only one who thought that stuff looked like it was made out of playdough? I love the look on Padalecki’s face as he comes back and stares at the food. I also loved him wheeling around and punching Sully (Nate Torrence) right in the face after he yells “Surprise!”
Dean wanders in about then to see his brother basically holding nothing and about to punch it! Ackles deadpans, “Are you having a stroke?” Sully tells Sam that Dean can’t see him unless Sully wants him to. He winks into existence and Dean looks gob-smacked. I was a bit surprised that Dean apparently knew all about Sam’s imaginary friend. It was also a bit hilarious when Sully told Dean off for the “offensive” way that he said ‘imaginary.’ In fact, I enjoyed watching Dean have to back track to avoid being offensive throughout the episode. Really, he was pretty sensitive, I thought!
It turns out that Sully – and Sparkle – are Zanna. It’s their mission to help kids, but he’s there to ask for Sam’s help. Dean insists that they help people – not creatures. Dean drags Sam off to the library to talk privately. Sam convinces Dean to help Sully by telling Dean that Sully helped him – no way Dean is going to ignore that kind of debt to someone who helped Sammy!
Sully tells Sam he’s in management now and came to check on Sparkle to find that Maddie had called the police and Mom, Linda, (Carrie Genzel) was freaking out. Interestingly, if Genzel looked familiar, it’s because she played another Lynda in season one’s “Bugs.” Lucky for her, this was a much better episode!
I loved the entire sequence over Sparkle. The brothers’ cover is the “Bert and Ernie pretext” as they don sweaters and pose as trauma counsellors! Dean can’t get over the fact that Sparkle was a “manicorn” which is particularly hilarious if you know that there is a photoshopped picture of Ackles out there that his wife – Danneel – brought to his attention… much to his amusement!
They interview Maddie and find out she doesn’t want to return to her room because of all the blood. As it turns out, no one can see even a Zanna’s blood unless they are allowed to. Sully taps the brothers’ foreheads to reveal the horror of Maddie’s room. What really puts the scene over the top is Linda walking through the blood – which Sparkles! – and then smearing it all over her face. As so often happens,
Supernatural is able to turn a scene of carnage into one of humor. This episode actually was a pretty light one and made for a bit of relief before the very intense fall finale.
Dean wants to know why Sam needed a Zanna anyway. Sam tells him he was a pretty lonely kid, and we flash back to young Sam – this time played by Dylan Kingwell, who does a terrific job. The phone is ringing and young Sam is worried about answering, but Sully is there providing moral support. It’s young Dean. In fact, Everett’s schedule was so tight he had to shoot the scene at another time. Dean is calling to tell Sammy that “Dad said no.” It seems pretty clear that Dean is just as happy to let Sam stay safe, but Sam simply feels abandoned.
The next Zanna we meet is Nikki (Ida Segerhagen) – the mermaid. There’s another great little easter egg here as the blood spatter shot is across the giant rubber duck in the pool. There was a fan campaign to send rubber ducks to set several years ago. The only suspect Sully can come up with is Weems (Eduard Witzke) – her clingy boyfriend.
Sully insists that they can’t leave Nikki dead in the pool because it would be too disturbing for Zoe (Isabelle Beech). Dean wants to know if they should find a giant toilet to flush it, but then is sympathetic to Sully’s grief, telling him to let it out. Sully maintains that he has to stay strong for Sam, prompting Dean to remark to Sam that Sully really cares about him.
In another flashback, we see Sam and Sully playing a game – “Ever think…” and ending in what they’d really like/wish to happen. I really liked how echoes of the game came up later in the episode. Sam admits that he thinks about running away from the hunting life. Sully encourages him to be whatever he wants to be. He tells him that he isn’t John or Dean. It’s his life and it’s all up to him what he does with it. Sam is ready to run away with Sully.
However in the next flashback, we see that John has called and told Sam to hop a bus and meet up with them – and that’s that. He’s a Winchester and a hunter and that’s all he’s ever wanted – or so he now tells Sully. Then Sam sends Sully away, telling him he doesn’t need him anymore. Torrence is a terrific guest star. He’s funny when he needs to be, but you can’t help but feel sorry for him in this scene as Sam callously pushes Sully out of his life.
Weems turns out to be a mullet wearing – shades of Ash played by the wonderful Chad Lindberg! – air-guitar playing dude. His ward is Fletcher (Benjamin Wosk), who is dealing with bed-wetting and an alcoholic mother. As he’s hanging the newly cleaned sheets to dry, he’s stabbed by a girl who gets in a blue volkswagon bug and drives off. Dean, Sam, and Sully arrive and find Weems holed up in the shed. Dean is overjoyed to finally have “A chick in a car? I’m on terra firma!” Before Dean goes after the girl, Weems gives a demonstration of his amazing air guitar talents. Dean of course tries to pretend not to be impressed… but he clearly is!
While Sully goes to get bandages, Weems asks Sam if he’s ‘that’ Sam, and then asks if Sam and Sully are back together. Sam says yes he is but they aren’t together because Sam needs help but because Sam is helping Sully. Weems tells Sam, “Just so you know? Sully? You broke his heart, man.”
Sam tells Sully that it’s pretty awesome that he helps everyone around him and then he apologizes for how he treated Sully. Sully tries to make Sam feel better – again – by telling Sam the parting is on him because it’s part of his job as a Zanna. He does confide to Sam that he considers Sam to be one of his biggest failures, however. But Sully says, it worked out because Sam is a hero who saved the world. He’s proud that he keeps track of his kids.
Sam, however, once again confides in Sully where he’s having difficulty getting through to Dean. He tells him about the Darkness and that he thinks God wants to help, but he doesn’t think he can do what God is asking. He thinks God wants him to go back in Lucifer’s cage. Sully once again plays the “Ever think” game and asks if Sam has considered running away. Sam admits that he has run away in the past but he doesn’t consider it anymore.
Sam and Sully are interrupted by what they think is a text from Dean saying he has the girl. In reality, Reese (Anja Savcic) has Dean and she’s going to turn out to be a bigger failure for Sully than Sam ever was. Really, Sully is not a very good Zanna! Turns out Reese is out for revenge because she blames Sully for getting her sister Audrey killed while playing tag. In addition, Sully ran away and abandoned Reese when she needed him most.
Sully says he would have come if she called – but it seems like she did. Sully does offer to let her kill him if it will make her feel better. Dean steps up to tell Reese that revenge won’t make her feel better. He also defends Sully, saying when he wasn’t there for Sam, Sully was. Dean tells her that Sully isn’t a monster even if he did make mistakes. Sully apologizes and Reese drops the knife. I always find that somewhat stretches credibility. I mean if you are willing to kill people that you don’t even know just to hurt someone you do know, what could possibly stop you from killing the object of your hatred? Maybe that’s just me…
Sully and Sam say their goodbyes. Sully thinks Sam will never want to see him again now that he knows about Audrey, but Sam plays the “ever think” game one last time – Every think maybe you’re a hero to me? Sam tells him the one thing he’s learned is that heroes aren’t perfect. Sully replies, clearly thinking about Sam and the cage – sometimes heroes are scared because the thing they’re facing is super scary but nobody else is going to go for it because nobody else has the balls.
Sully thanks Dean for looking out for Sam – well d’uh! That has always been first on Dean’s to do list. Dean tells Sully he’s a good kind of weird. Did anybody doubt that Dean would warm to the guy?
In the final car scene between the brothers, Sam once again pushes the idea of his going to the cage. Dean is still vehemently against the idea. Sam says no more excuses, but Dean insists they will find another way. The episode ends with Sam asking what that is.
“O Brother Where Art Thou” was written by the team of Eugenie Ross-Leming and Brad Buckner and was directed by Robert Singer. This has never been my favorite team of writers and there are a number of really glaring holes in this episode. And once again, after promising and promising to keep the brothers together, they are apart just when they need to be together most. It was great to see Mark Pellegrino back as Lucifer, however. He clearly relishes the role and brings real flair to it, giving the Prince of Darkness just the right edge of madness and mad-cappery.
The episode begins with a man (Ron Selmour) preaching in a park. Amara (Emily Swallow) is in the crowd, and she’s looking for her Brother – hence the title of the episode – though of course, it resonates with the brothers we are most familiar with too. Before I go any further, I can’t help but comment on the terrible dress they put poor Emily Swallow in! Honestly, would it have killed them to choose something sexy that would have offered a bit more… ‘moral’ support? So distracting!
Amara demonstrates that she can do parlor tricks too – turning the fountain water into blood and then calling down lightening to smite the followers. Simply excellent effects on those charred remains! Well done show! Afterwards, Amara says, “Well?” She’s clearly expecting God to show up – but we are all disappointed.
Sam meanwhile, is dreaming that he’s back in the box with Lucifer. He asks if this is really the answer and suddenly there’s a burning bush behind him. I thought at the time that that was just a little on the nose…
Dean is still adamantly opposed to letting Sam anywhere near Lucifer. Dean wants proof that any of the visions are real. Good instincts Dean – why not follow up on that? Instead, they meet with Crowley, who actually does tell them that the last thing they want to do is open the cage. Dean tells Crowley that the Darkness is going to pound on everything, including Crowley. And then it’s time for surprises. Crowley asks Dean why Amara spared him – and Sam looks surprised. Dean didn’t share that? Meanwhile, they surprise Crowley by telling him that Amara is God’s sister. Crowley finally agrees that there might be a way without letting Lucifer out of the cage – and then we get a shot of Lucifer in the cage, looking pleased. Oh yeah. There were clues.
Crowley tells them that if Sam entered the cage, he’d be gone, but with a neutral site… And Dean again insists that if Sam isn’t safe, it’s not happening. Crowley says he can get them in, but God ultimately has the key to the cage. The wards and mechanism for protecting Sam just happen to be in the Book of the Damned – which means brining in Rowena (Ruth Connell). Rowena hasn’t been my favorite character, but Connell has a couple of really good moments in this episode.
Rowena is brought before Crowley in chains. Crowley defines their agreement as a “Devil’s Bargain” as none of them trusts the other – fitting as they are agreeing to deal with the Devil – Lucifer. Crowley tells Rowena if she agrees to help, he’ll call off his assassins.
Meanwhile, the angels are uniting for the common cause of fighting Amara. The lead angel (Lane Edwards) urges the others that they have to stand united and move now to make this right before Amara comes after everything He created. He tells the others that the leaders are doing nothing but pit the factions against each other.
Amara is still looking for answers and goes to a church. The Priest (Tim Dixon) tells her to pray if she wants to talk to God. They have an interesting conversation about faith. He tell her that only dead people get to see God. It’s the nature of faith – and God is the light and it’s the light that vanquishes the darkness. Not exactly what Amara wanted to hear. She points out that the Bible is nothing but a manipulation – it’s what he wants them to know. She ends up killing all those in the church and eating the Priest’s soul. She then asks God, “Do you see what’s happening? All your chosen are dying, suffering. Show yourself!”
For some inexplicable reason – because the plot requires it – the brothers split up. Sam is left to guard Rowena – because that went so well the last time – and Dean goes to investigate the church. Why? They know they can’t defeat Amara without serious help, so why go after her now? Dean calls Sam and tells him in no uncertain terms NOT to do anything until he gets back. So naturally, as soon as Sam can’t get Dean, he carries on without him. There is no reason for it to be “now or never” as Rowena says. I did like her telling Sam to get Fergus on the phone and tell him to bring a handcart because they are going to Hell.
Dean is lured from the church to a park by Amara who then spirits him away to a nice pastoral setting. Meanwhile, Sam, Crowley, and Rowena descend into the darkness of hell which is a nice contrast. Crowley explains that they are in Limbo – where he sends souls for a timeout. He tells them what it lacks in ambience it makes up for in security. He also tells them that he doesn’t like the place either even if he’s the King of Hell. Sam says it suits him – dark and empty.
Rowena busies herself putting warding around and on the cage and then casts a spell which causes the warding to light up and fire to spring up all around the cage. Lucifer appears in the cage. He speaks first with Crowley who introduces himself as the new acolyte. Then Sam appears. He’s clearly scared. I loved Pellegrino here – “Sam Winchester! My old roomie. Hug it out?”
Rowena and Crowley retreat to a Dias as Lucifer and Sam converse. This is Connell’s best scene as she muses, “He’s so alpha! Probably not relationship material though…” Oh, Rowena – 300? Years old and still making bad choices?
Sam fills Lucifer in about the Darkness. He tells him that God has told him to reach out to Lucifer. I loved Pellegrino mockingly crossing himself as he asks, “Where’s God in all this?” Is it possible that he too is trying to flush God out of hiding? Lucifer acts flattered when Sam tells him that God told him to go to Lucifer, and he admits that he was the one to help God lock Amara up the first time.
Crowley worries that Sam is talking too long and striking a bargain, but Rowena insists – from personal experience – that sometimes a bargain is the only option. Lucifer tells Sam that Amara is equal to God in power, but God is a master strategist. However, the only way that Lucifer can help “topside” is with a vessel. With Sam. Sam refuses. Lucifer tells him that desperate times call for desperate measures, after all they’ve been working with Crowley! He then plays his Ace: Sam’s visions are the word of God – surely he trusts God?!
Sam refuses again, and suddenly, the warding starts to fail. Rowena makes her escape and tells Fergus to follow her. Suddenly, Sam is in the cage – just like in his vision. Because it’s just like his vision he’s calm. But Lucifer tells him that when the Darkness was released, Hell was shaken. It was never God who answered Sam’s prayers. It’s been Lucifer all along! Padalecki is simply terrific in this scene as we see him go from scared, but calm, to one single tear of despair and terror.
Back in the country, Dean and Amara talk. I like how this was shot with them circling each other - much like Sam and Lucifer, so another nice parallel. Amara tells him that she’s just trying to get her brother’s attention. He tells her that this mess is just between them, innocent people don’t deserve to die. She tells him that they aren’t dead. Their souls will live forever within her. Of course, that begs the question of what happens when/if she’s killed. Even if they released the souls from her, their bodies are dead – or worse.
Amara tells Dean that she doesn’t blame him. She tells him that God was so afraid that she’d make a more perfect world that he locked her away. She describes religions as monuments to his ego. Dean tells her that some people find comfort in His rules – brother’s keeper and all that. Dean? Are you really religious if we scratch the surface? Amara ask what if there were no rules? Just bliss. Forever.
Dean asks her what she wants and she tells him everything. She says she was the beginning and is the end. He suggests that she’s just God then, and she corrects him: “No. God was the Light. I am the Dark.” Dean then tries to kill her, but his knife simply shatters against her. I loved her response: “You had to know that was pointless.” GAH! Such a terrible pun! And used against Dean! Rather an unexpected bit of levity at that point in the episode.
She tells him that she knows he’s a warrior and his instinct is to resist, but she can’t be resisted. It looks like she’s about to suck out his soul but she kisses him instead. Dean asks what that was, and she tells him the future. He set her free and they are bonded by the mark. She tells him that they will become one.
At that moment angels arrive. Dean tries to stop them. They want Amara to come with them or the entire force of angels will pool their power and smite her. She easily kills all three. She’s convinced that this will now bring God to her. She sends Dean away with a wave of her hand and stands to meet the full force of heaven. It’s another nice special effect as Heaven attempts to smite her.
It was a good fall finale, if not the show’s best ever. A few too many holes for my liking – and it’s been obvious to me that Lucifer has been with messing with Sam from the beginning. What did you think? Will we see God? Is Sam really trapped in the cage with Lucifer? Is Rowena just running off to save herself? How pissed is Dean going to be? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! Also favorite scene, moment, line from either episode?
About the Author - Lisa Macklem
I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, Agent Carter, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, The X-Files, Defiance, Bitten, Killjoys, and a few others! I'm active on the Con scene when I have the time. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.
