The closer we get to the end of Supernatural, I can’t shake the one question that keeps nagging me.
Can they really save the world by ending its creator?
After watching Supernatural Season 15 Episode 15, it seems like that might come into play at some point, but I cannot imagine how.
The stakes feel extraordinarily high. I mean, duh, right? But very often, Sam, Dean, Cas, and Jack don’t allow themselves to realize the severity of their situation.
But Dean doubled down with Amara in his quest to get her onto their team, and Cas and Jack let their guards down when they were moved by the good works of a man of faith.
That stuff happens so rarely, and it’s beautiful.
Not everything was so serious, though. Dean allowed his love for food and excitement drive his desire to go hunting for Amara. He couldn’t resist the largest keno jackpot in history any more than he believed Amara could, and tack on an all-you-can-eat prime rib buffet, and Atlantic City never sounded so alluring.
Many people wanted whatever it is between Dean and Amara to play into the final episodes of the series, and that’s happening, just maybe not in the way they hoped.
Sam and Dean did their best to sway Amara into helping them dispatch of Chuck, but she revealed that she and Chuck are two halves of a whole. He’s not just her brother, he’s her twin, and when they split, the universes as we know them were created.
She has the typical love/hate relationship with Chuck. She isn’t pleased with his actions, but she can’t imagine herself hurting him, either.
But she also holds a special regard for Dean Winchester.
When they were about to hit the road again, Dean needed to know why Amara brought back Mary only for her to die again. What was the point of that? The pain on Dean’s face as he asked that question was palpable, and I’m not sure he was prepared for the answer.
Amara: I wanted two things for you, Dean. I wanted you to see that your mother was just a person, that the myth that you’d held onto for so long, a life where she’d lived, was just that — a myth. I wanted you to see that the real, complicated Mary was better than your childhood dream because she was real, that now is always better than then. That you could finally start to accept your life.
Dean [tears in his eyes]: Hm. And the second thing?
Amara: I thought having her back would release you, let that fire out. Your anger. But I guess we both know that I failed at that.
Dean: You’re damned right. Look at you. Just another cosmic dick rigging the game. You’re just like your brother.
Amara: It was a gift, Dean, not a trial!
Surprisingly, everything Amara said was true. But even if her intentions were good, to lead Dean out of his reverie with memories of his mother that did nothing for his life by showing him how wonderful Mary was, faults and all, Amara still manipulated the situation. And Dean has had enough of it.
Dean: I’m not angry, Amara. I’m furious to know that all my life I’ve been nothing but a hamster in a wheel stuck in a story! And you know whose fault that is? Chuck’s! And it ain’t just me. We’re all trapped. Sam, and Cas, and Jack, and even you! And you want to talk about the people that he’s killing right now?
Amara: Stop!
Dean: Why? He’s not stopping! And you’re doing nothing to stop it! You think he gives a rat’s ass about you? Well, now who’s living in a dream world?
Amara: Can I trust you?
Dean: I would never hurt you.
Amara: Then, I’ll think about it.
Amara wanted Dean to begin living in the present instead of allowing the past to motivate him. It’s a valuable lesson, and it’s similar to what they learned after spending time with Mrs. Butters on Supernatural Season 15 Episode 14. Life is short; make the best of it.
Their raw conversation revealed a lot about both of them, and by the time they parted, Dean was fairly certain that Amara would help them defeat Chuck.
But Cas had a word of warning to drag on the sentiment just a bit. He learned a little something new, too, and now he can’t just sit back and allow Jack to take the burden of saving the world on himself.
Speaking of second chances, Jack’s soul returning has given his three dads another opportunity to do right by him, too. They can’t use him as a tool any more than they want to be used as tools or else they’re no better than Chuck.
In that regard, the road trip that Cas and Jack went on to solve a people crime, as Zack the crossroads demon put it, was very fruitful.
I loved the juxtaposition that Jack, the son of Lucifer, is a good person while Sylvia, the daughter of a pastor, is not. Blind faith isn’t rewarding. You have to think about what you’re doing and understand your actions.
Jack didn’t have that luxury when he lost his soul, and his actions had grave consequences. Hearing him talk about losing his mother was heartbreaking. Knowing that he so callously killed Mary has only made Jack more loving and understanding.
But losing her mother didn’t work the same for Sylvia, even though her dad acted much in the same way that Jack’s three dads do — he cares for the many who don’t share the same fortune in life.
Jack: Well, I have more dads than most, and I just always feel like I’m letting all of them down.
Girl: You’re sweet, Jack. Put your faith in God, not in people.
Honestly, I was leery of the guy, especially since he was based in faith. We know how awful God is, but it appears that those who don’t follow blindly can still deliver a message of caring and sharing even if God has failed to live up to the standards.
The strength of Pastor Joe’s convictions moved both Cas and Jack. That kind of dedication would move a lot of people, but to move deities is pretty damn special.
Cas never reveals who he is, but given the opportunity to help Valerie heal and remind Pastor Joe that he’s on the right track, he took it. They both did. It was pretty impressive.
It seems hard to believe that everyone we love will make it to the end of the series and live happily ever after. We know Jack is willing to give up his life. And of course Cas is, too, but everything they experienced makes me wonder if Cas won’t find a way to allow Jack to live.
He takes fatherhood seriously, so much so that he seemed surprised that he hadn’t seen how much fatherhood meant to him.
Or, maybe I was misreading it. It’s happened before!
And before we part ways, it’s worthwhile to note how disappointing it was that my Polish brethren, Jared Padalecki, didn’t get to dig into a plate of pierogies, from Pennsylvania (my home state), no less!
Granted, they didn’t look like the pierogies that I get here in Pennsylvania, but the sentiment remains. It’s nice to get a nod or two to Polish heritage, something that for a long time got a bad rap and is very rarely featured in the entertainment world.
Now, I agree that none of this really addresses whether or not killing the creators of all things can be done, but it does seem to indicate some changing thoughts on what’s about to transpire. Am I the only one holding out hope that God won’t be the jackass we’ve come to know on Supernatural?
What did you think of this one? It’s beginning to get pretty emotional.
Don’t forget that you can watch Supernatural online to be fully onboard as we head into the series finale.
Hit the comments with your thoughts on “Gimme Shelter”!
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.