11.23 "Alpha and Omega"

[SoCal]

Well friends, the end (of the season, that is) is nigh. And after last week's weak episode, what is in store for us in this finale? I predict an humongous cliffhanger with many of this season's characters returning for season 12. I could be wrong....maybe this time we'll really get rid of Rowena. Does the promo give you any hints?

[AntiArbitrator]

  Please do not make Dean explode.

[AntiArbitrator]

From “Carry On My Wayward Son” all the way to that gunshot and most unexpected ending, I enjoyed the episode. There was a lot of humor during the first half which kept me off balance and wondering when the pain would come.

[Aeryn]

Twenty minutes in. It's...somewhat enjoyable. Crowley cracks me up. I'll be OVERJOYED if Rowena and Amara both die horribly. Be back in a bit.

So. Dean is gonna be a soul bomb. Gee, what could go wrong?!


That was...lackluster. Though it was sweet seeing Chuck and Amara together.

But Mary Winchester?! Why?

[AntiArbitrator]

When Amara said she was giving Dean what he wanted, I thought we were going to see Lisa.   It never crossed my mind that it would be Mary, so if the goal was to shock us, they succeeded.

Also, I never expected Billie to show up to help the guys, but when the end is nigh, they all become allies. Ah...Billie is sweet on Crowley.

I liked seeing the God and Amara grace intertwining as they soared toward the sky. 

Why couldn't that Woman of Letters be on the Winchesters' side? I wondered why they showed her early but she never came to help them. No one will even know what happened to Sam.

I think this would have been a nice way to end the series rather than this season, with the exception of what happened to Sam, of course. But I truly enjoyed it.

[novemberschild]

When I watched this the first time I was a little underwhelmed, I didn't care a lot for the very end, I found it strange.

But after watching a few times, I have found more to like with it.
It did fell a little hokey the way they resolved the issues between Chuck and Amara, but I am happy they didn't kill off God, hard to imagine the SPN world without the idea of God in it. I was happy to see she healed Chuck.
I am glad to see Amara go away, at least I hope she is gone away for a while.

I didn't mind Rowena in this episode, last year I thought she was way over the top too much of the time, but she seems a little more toned down, and even though she has tried to kill the guys, I really enjoyed seeing all comers work together to find a solution to the problem. I do agree with Crowley that she was sucking up to Chuck, but I felt she cared enough for the survival of the world to pitch in. I think I detected a bit of concern for Dean in how she acted with him.

I loved Crowley making fun of Rowena and I am wondering what is going on between him and Billie, maybe when he was indisposed he and Billie were "busy"? What does the future hold for him, can he go back to being the KOL, or does Hell want him back, I wish they could come up with a plot for him, or give him something to do, I feel like Mark S. is being wasted, he is so good as Crowley.

Billie is a good character and I hope she stays with the show for a while.

Dean's comments about not being able to fix the sun and his reaction of just get drunk was a little funny, but also a little odd, they have been so invested in stopping Amara all season that the sudden not caring attitude is weird, but then again how do you fix the sun?
I liked that Dean told Cas he was a friend and a brother, I hope that it helps Cas feel better about himself. I loved that Dean told Cas to look out for Sam. I also noticed the grown up behavior between Dean and Sam, for once, they were going to let the other sacrifice themselves without trying to stop it. I hope Dabb can let that continue next season, these guys have needed to grow emotionally and mentally for a along time now.

Sam wouldn't let the team do nothing, I loved that he stepped up and pushed them into action, and that he also went to piss off the ghosts. Sam was taking action and he was trying to find a way to stop what was going on, I love that about Sam, he never stops trying, he always fights. All the scenes between Dean and Sam towards the end of the episode, almost made me tear up, seeing how they couldn't look at each other before the hug was heartbreaking. Back at the bunker when he started toward the female MOL I noticed he was more bold, and more reckless, like he always is when Dean is not around, and I also don't think she shot him, I went back and listened to that part, I never heard the sound of him falling, like we always hear when they shoot someone. Or is she did she only winged him.

I found the whole female MOL Boring and a waste of time, I might would have liked it more if this would have been saved for next year, seemed a odd time to throw in a new character.

I was so happy to see our Cas back, and I loved the talk with him and Dean in the car, I really wanted to hear more about why Cas did it, and what made him do it. it felt a little rushed, but then there were other scenes that were rushed. Cas offered to go with Dean to meet with Amara even though he knew it was a death sentence was typical Cas, the one who always fights for his human family.
Back at the bunker when he was talking to Sam, I felt that he was going to do everything he could to honor Dean's request to watch over Sam.

Not sure what to think about Mary coming back, that seemed random.

[SoCal]

Like you, NC, the first viewing of the episode was a little "that's it?" But watching it again, I was able to see that it was a pretty good end of the season episode.

The only weak part for me was Amara. She was built up over the entire season as the "Big Bad," and never seemed to miss a chance to kill, maim or otherwise cause destruction, yet all it took to change her was an old woman feeding birds and Dean talking to her about family. Really? I guess it had to end with God and his sister making up and making nice since the universe couldn't exist without god.

I could never figure out where Amara was. Why would she have gone some place where she would possibly interact with humans. She loathes the humans that god created. Like I said, I found that part of the story weak.

Loved every single interaction between Dean and Sam. "Remember the drill, no chick flick moments." "You love chick flicks." "Yeah, I do."

Gathering all the souls was good, too. I wonder why no one thought of a reaper in the season where Cas was gathering souls when he was a Leviathan?

Crowley and Billie?!? What is going on there?!?

Too bad Rowena isn't dead. Too bad Donatello is soulless.

Introducing the London MOL was interesting but I wonder why they waited until now to act. And why would they have labelled Dean and Sam as enemies instead of fellow members who seem to be the only ones fighting against the darkness. I think the female shot Sam with a knock-out dart and will take him back to London and that is where season 12 will start.

Why did Amara bring back Dean's mother and not the father he considered a hero? Is Mary alive again or will it just be a visit. I just can't see Mary living in the MOL bunker baking pies and cleaning the boys rooms. Yes, she was a hunter in her younger days, but that was a long time ago and I'm sure Dean wouldn't want to hunt with his mother. He wants her as she was when he was a little boy....no hunting, jut a housewife who loved her husband and her boys.

I'm sort of glad there was no shocking death to end the season. For once I won't be thinking about SPN all summer long. I can enjoy some of the summer shows without constantly thinking about the boys.

[AntiArbitrator]

May 27, 2016 16:39:05 GMT -5 SoCal said:

I'm sort of glad there was no shocking death to end the season.

This is why I give the episode a very high rating. I did not want to see a shocking death; in fact, I did not want any of the characters to die, including Amara, Rowena, and God.

In previous years, 90% of the series I watch ended on a devastating scene or a cliffhanger. This year, most of them (not TWD obviously) have given us endings where I can relax over the summer and just look forward to the next season. It is a welcome change.

I laughed a lot during the episode and enjoyed the Dean/Sam/Cas moments. The only real downer for me was God looking so weak most of the episode.

[AntiArbitrator]

May 27, 2016 12:47:46 GMT -5 novemberschild said:

When I watched this the first time I was a little underwhelmed, I didn't care a lot for the very end, I found it strange.

But after watching a few times, I have found more to like with it.
It did fell a little hokey the way they resolved the issues between Chuck and Amara, but I am happy they didn't kill off God, hard to imagine the SPN world without the idea of God in it. I was happy to see she healed Chuck.
I am glad to see Amara go away, at least I hope she is gone away for a while.

I didn't mind Rowena in this episode, last year I thought she was way over the top too much of the time, but she seems a little more toned down, and even though she has tried to kill the guys, I really enjoyed seeing all comers work together to find a solution to the problem. I do agree with Crowley that she was sucking up to Chuck, but I felt she cared enough for the survival of the world to pitch in. I think I detected a bit of concern for Dean in how she acted with him.

I loved Crowley making fun of Rowena and I am wondering what is going on between him and Billie, maybe when he was indisposed he and Billie were "busy"? What does the future hold for him, can he go back to being the KOL, or does Hell want him back, I wish they could come up with a plot for him, or give him something to do, I feel like Mark S. is being wasted, he is so good as Crowley.

Billie is a good character and I hope she stays with the show for a while.

Dean's comments about not being able to fix the sun and his reaction of just get drunk was a little funny, but also a little odd, they have been so invested in stopping Amara all season that the sudden not caring attitude is weird, but then again how do you fix the sun?
I liked that Dean told Cas he was a friend and a brother, I hope that it helps Cas feel better about himself. I loved that Dean told Cas to look out for Sam. I also noticed the grown up behavior between Dean and Sam, for once, they were going to let the other sacrifice themselves without trying to stop it. I hope Dabb can let that continue next season, these guys have needed to grow emotionally and mentally for a along time now.

Sam wouldn't let the team do nothing, I loved that he stepped up and pushed them into action, and that he also went to piss off the ghosts. Sam was taking action and he was trying to find a way to stop what was going on, I love that about Sam, he never stops trying, he always fights. All the scenes between Dean and Sam towards the end of the episode, almost made me tear up, seeing how they couldn't look at each other before the hug was heartbreaking. Back at the bunker when he started toward the female MOL I noticed he was more bold, and more reckless, like he always is when Dean is not around, and I also don't think she shot him, I went back and listened to that part, I never heard the sound of him falling, like we always hear when they shoot someone. Or is she did she only winged him.

I found the whole female MOL Boring and a waste of time, I might would have liked it more if this would have been saved for next year, seemed a odd time to throw in a new character.

I was so happy to see our Cas back, and I loved the talk with him and Dean in the car, I really wanted to hear more about why Cas did it, and what made him do it. it felt a little rushed, but then there were other scenes that were rushed. Cas offered to go with Dean to meet with Amara even though he knew it was a death sentence was typical Cas, the one who always fights for his human family.
Back at the bunker when he was talking to Sam, I felt that he was going to do everything he could to honor Dean's request to watch over Sam.

Not sure what to think about Mary coming back, that seemed random.

Excellent review. I am glad you talked about Dean's reaction and not being able to fix the sun. When he grabbed a beer, I thought "Yep, I would be joining him." It did seem hopeless.

I had not focused on how bold Sam is when Dean is not around but I see you hit on something important there. Dean has always been the overbearing big brother who would cut Sam off when they were holding a discussion. Sam is brave and brilliant and an alpha in his own right. I want to see more of that next season.

I am happy to see Cas back although I enjoyed his portrayal of Lucifer.

[Aeryn]

I already know how they'll end the series. Chuck will bring back EVERYONE the boys ever cared for. Jo, Ellen, Ash, etc. I'm pretty sure about that.

I also believe that the next season will be the last.

[AntiArbitrator]

That would be quite a reunion. I saw "Ash" on Rosewood last night. He had similar mannerisms to what we saw on SPN.

[novemberschild]

Anti, In S3 Mystery Spot after Dean had died, there was a little montage of Sam going about hunting, and he was very single minded and focused on trying to find the Trickster again. He seemed driven.

At the very end of S9 and the beginning of S10 before he knew what had happened to Dean, he was the same way, very take charge and somewhat reckless in dealing with Crowley.

I think most of the time Sam is content to sit back and let Dean take charge, but when Dean is "gone" Sam is able to step up and do what needs to be done. I sometimes wish Dean would let Sam be more in charge because we know that Dean doesn't always think everything thru.

[SoCal]

My gosh, Nov, you couldn't possibly be referring to that same Sam who hooked up with Ruby while Dean was in Hell.....the demon Dean told him to stay away from......the demon Sam helped to release Lucifer??? That reasonable Same?

[AntiArbitrator]

 Someone is being bad. 

[novemberschild]

SoCal, Ok, you got me there.

Sam has made some bad choices, Dean has made bad choices, I think taking on the MOC without asking ANY questions was one of the stupidest things ever.
I think both guys walking out to take Crowley's phone call and leaving Abbadon alone, was a big stupid move too.

[SoCal]

[AntiArbitrator]

During the last two episodes, did you hear any rumors about Sam having latent powers that might have been triggered by his brief encounter with the MoC? That would be interesting if it happens.

[SoCal]

I haven't heard anything about that, Anti.

[AntiArbitrator]

Okay. At the end of the season, I had a bad feeling that TPTB had no idea what the next season would be about. Just a gut feeling.