Here’s a link to a two-part picspam-meta about Trees in SPN by LJ user riveryklown. This grew out of a comment I made at spnematography about how often trees have had a pivotal role in the series. She did all the work of finding and capping tree images and I served as a someone to bounce ideas off of and as general cheerleader.

Okay! So I have catching up to do. It’s been nearly a month since the season four final episode Lucifer Rising. Real life (finishing off the school year and a new baby in the family bringing out of town visitors – so all good and nothing to complain about) and online life (encouraging a new fan at icine trying the series from the beginning) got in the way of thinking through the way the season ended.

I’ve only done spotty reading around at other reactions, but for the sake of completeness, here’s where I’m at. First, I’m relatively relaxed at having been given both boys clutching at each other as the very last image in my brain. I had been anticipating another summer like last, but this will feel like a true rest. And, yes, I’m still mostly convinced about my crackpot speculations.

– So. A couple of things no one in his or her right mind is talking about –

Zachariah called Dean the angels’ “own little Russell Crowe complete with surly attitude” when he was talking about it being Dean who will stop Lucifer. Of course we’re meant to think Gladiator, right? But read this Crowe quote:

You think that’s what it’s like with all our dreams and our nightmares, [---]? You’ve got to keep feeding them for them to stay alive?

That is John Nash in A Beautiful Mind (talking to his friend Martin) after learning to function with his schizophrenia by ignoring the delusions of the characters his mind created. Man, my life would be so much easier if the Supernatrual writers didn’t leave the wiggle room for interpretation. If they had just named Maximus instead of Crowe, my brain wouldn’t be attempting to use it as more ‘evidence’ that Dean (we!) will be facing a mental illness question at some point.  When I rewatched the movie this week, I was sadder than ever before at Nash having to turn away from Charles and Marcee. I’m sure that was because I was projecting to Dean being asked to do the same to Castiel down the line.

My reactions to the boys killing Ruby were naturally mixed. There’s definitely satisfaction in how it was accomplished – Sam holding her for Dean to make the killing strike when she ran out of chances and using the knife she brought to them.  However, I really didn’t like the big reveal as if she’d been playing Sam all this time. And I’m not sure I buy it as a sole explanation. It felt like when brother Adam was revealed as a ghoul out of the blue. (I get the same feeling as with the Grace Tree that someone believed it strongly enough to make it real when until that point it could still have panned out a different way.) I made my turn around on Ruby after 4.09 I Know What You Did Last Summer and hate to be proved a sucker to have believed Sam – not Lucifer or Lilith – was her number one priority. They set me up even in this episode, though! They return to and hold on this shot more than once.

422 barn crosses

What distinguishes this old house from any other? I could not stop seeing the multiple crosses high on its side. There’s also the return of the streaming light and green overgrowth into the abandoned place’s interior.

422 house interior

Even at the end, Ruby praises Sam with, “It had to be you, Sammy. It always had to be you,” and “You did it,” and  “You saved us. You set him free,” and “You opened the door and now he’s free at last.”  The ambiguity in the word “HE” is frustrating. I want to believe it could be the door to hell opening to allow the final part of Dean to escape and return to his brother. The problem is with another season (possibly two) of the story to go, there’s no way they’re done fighting monsters.  When I let myself explain things according to my theory, it’s along the lines of Dean being fully back with Sam and Ruby no longer being needed as his back up to care for Sam.

Ruby getting to crow at the end about how AWESOME she was reminded me of Ava – especially since we’ve seen the show connect the two characters before (hearseeno‘s meta). Even more, though, she reminded me strongly of Dean again. Both Ruby and Dean made Disney references in the episode. Both Ruby and Dean used ‘Sammy’ without Sam objecting to it. Ruby even uses the term “persqueeter” (sp?) which is so clearly a Dean thing that it must be deliberate. It’s either indicating the extent that she’s made herself into something Sam will trust against his better judgement, OR it’s a clue that Ruby was created out of some Winchester essence when Dean made the deal to bring Sam back at the end of season two and probably sweetened when he went to hell.

I also have to put on record how much Zachariah’s part felt like that of the Trickster’s to me. He has the same style. If I shut my eyes, it’s so natural to put Zachariah’s words in the Trickster’s mouth. He references pop culture (Brady Bunch) and he understands Dean’s appreciation of the creature comforts (offering Dean food, drink, and sex). More importantly, his number one priority seem to be an insistence that Dean and Sam remain separated. That is what really has me bumping the Trickster episodes up higher on my rewatch list.

There aren’t clear sleep scenes, BUT…. I listened to a post-finale Jim Beaver interview by Winchester_radio. In it he says that while filming the scenes where Bobby is ripping into Dean for giving up on Sam (just before Dean is swept to the angels’ green room), it was his understanding that Bobby was appearing in Dean’s head as a dream or vision. That was masked in the way the episode was put together in the end, but I’m glad to know it.  It would explain the extremity of Bobby’s words and actions.

We also get Castiel transporting Dean to the prophet Chuck. I can’t tell you how much significance I’ve placed on Castiel’s response to Chuck objecting that Castiel and Dean aren’t supposed to be there. “We’re making it up as we go.” Dean gives him a look that I hope means he took notice as well and will think about it when he gets the time.

Further? They give us Dean calling out to Sam through the door Ruby has slammed on him. I would love to know what kind of sound editing went into that, because at one point it sounded exactly like Dean calling to “Sa-am!” from his hellchains. It gave me chills and Sam heard him too.  I just watched 2.21 with a friend and the same “Sa-am!” is ALSO there at the beginning when Sam disappears from the diner. This show works in so many ways for me!

My heart breaks more than a bit for our Sam. To be certain there wasn’t going to be an “after” for him and believe Dean was better off far away from Sam? To understand too late that he never needed the Dumbo’s feather of consuming demon blood and that killing Lilith was breaking the final seal?  Ouch!

Fandom-related note illustrating how extremely crackpot theory-based I’ve become: This is the time of year I allow myself to click links to interviews, etc. since there shouldn’t be any spoilers. The big “news” from the Supernatural convention in the UK was that Jensen Ackles had let his hair grow and it was looking more like Dark Angel Alec’s. My brain is (quite naturally) considering if this is so that he can show up for season five all shaggy – perhaps with the white light shining through the door Sam opened waking Dean up in a bed at Bobby’s? Yeah, that’s how I’d write it. *g*

A final off-topic tidbit: I am hosting the current banner creation round at icine.org. I had a difficult time deciding on a theme I would want to play with for Supernatural (since that was my main requirement) but that could also be broadened enough to inspire the video game crowd and others to participate. I considered revisiting the Brothers theme that I loved so much a couple years ago since they are the wrong size for the space these days. (Water also was an excellent theme – if I do say so myself.) New ideas included Bridges, Communication, Light, and Opposites, but I ended up asking for WINGS.

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