Supernatural: The Prisoner/ Brother’s Keeper

Tonight is the season 10 finale of Supernatural. There’s always some major fan-wankery going on just before the end of the show, and I have no patience for that kind of thing, so I’m going to try not to engage in any of it here. We will find out if Dean will be cured, what the price of that cure will be and whose life is going to undergo a   significant change. And that’s as much  as I’ll speculate now.

The Prisoner:

In Louisiana , the youngest Stein is accosted by bullies, but totally owns them before  his brother shows up to interrupt. The Steins use the bully for parts, later.

Sam and Dean bury Charlie. Dean blames Sam for Charlie’s death, while sad songs and memories play in the background. Sam’s eulogy is just not enough. He feels bad but I think Charlie was a sacrifice he’s willing to make to keep Dean, as horrible as that sounds. Dean vows to kill the Steins.

The Steins plan to steal the magical artifacts of The Bunker. Lil’ Stein gets drafted to accompany them. He hates his family but he does kill his bully, that was kidnapped earlier, and laid out in their lab. So, not quite so innocent after all.

Sam informs Castiel of Charlie’s death, who naturally blames himself. Sam receives Charlie’s last email and keeps trying to interpret the book against Dean’s orders. Sam makes a deal with Rowena, to use one of her spells, to kill Crowley, in exchange for an interpretation of The Book,  and sends Castiel off to stop Dean. His desperation to save Dean is so palpable.

Dean gets arrested by the police, who are in the pay of The Steins.

Crowley gets a call from Dean asking for his help.

Dean totally Jason Bournes one the cops, and escapes to go visit the Stein family home.

Sam tries to kill Crowley using a Devil’s Trap bullet and a hex bag from Rowena. The hex bag doesn’t kill him. Crowley confesses he’s been trying to do good for the past year, but Sam doesn’t forgive. All the spell does is make Crowley  angry.

Dean gets captured by The Steins. They prepare to use him for parts but he breaks free and kills the entire clan.

We get to see Bamf!Dean. It’s awesome, terrifying, horrifying and awful. This is the relentless creature he’s going to become if Sam doesn’t save him.

The leftover-Steins break into the Bunker and trash it. Dean interrupts and kills them, including Baby Stein, who pleads for his life.

Sam informs Rowena that her spell didn’t work and that Crowley is now hunting her.

Castiel tries to talk to Dean, at the Bunker, but Dean thrashes him, threatens to kill him and walks out. Cas could easily defend himself, but takes the beating. Probably as a punishment for Charlie’s death, which he blames himself for.

Brother’s Keeper:

Castiel expresses doubt about using the Book of the Damned. Sam makes an eloquent argument to save his brother, no matter the price. His desperation is heartbreaking.

Dean works a case. Badly. Rudy, another Hunter, shows up, but Dean tries to send him off, which makes Rudy angry. Dean is mostly being a first class shit. Wow! Even I don’t like this Dean. What a dick!

Sam threatens to shoot Rowena. But she wants to renegotiate their deal. She knows which spell to use. Castiel cautions.

Rowena reads off the ingredients, for the spell, which sound impossible. One of the ingredients is the sacrifice of something Rowena loves. Rowena loves herself but mostly a peasant boy, named Oscar,  whose been dead 300 years, she says.

Dean causes Rudy’s death. He saves the girl he was hunting, but this is a pretty shitty way to Hunt. Its a good sign that he still experiences pangs of guilt about the things he’s done since giving in to the Mark, though.

Castiel summons Crowley. He tells Castiel to beg him for assistance. Castiel does and he keeps his word.

Dean summons The Horseman, Death. He wants Death to kill him. This is interesting. Where is this plot going?

Death informs him that The Mark, The First Curse, cannot be destroyed. So he can’t die. He gives the history of The Mark, which is also a key to the Eternal Primal Darkness, that God banished from Earth. If it should be destroyed or removed, the Primal Darkness would be set free. Dean must make a decision. Pass it on or isolate himself.

Dean calls Sam to say goodbye. I need tissues already.

Crowley finds Oscar working in a Biggersons diner. The diner and young man that he’d visited earlier.

So. Not dead, after all.

Dean tells Sam he needs to kill him Before going into exile because Sam would disrupt the universe again to save him and Death can’t have that.

It’s hard to watch the show with blurry vision, girl. Hang in there!

Dean tries to convince Sam and makes a compelling argument. Sam tries to convince him they’re not bad men.

Crowley meets Rowena. He brings Oscar along for the ride. The only thing she ever loved.

The brothers duke it out. But Sam changes his mind and pulls out his trump card. Photos of Mom. He agrees to die for Dean. Death hands Dean his scythe and Dean, surprisingly, uses it on Death.

I think the brothers have just disrupted the universe again.

Rowena sacrifices Oscar for Dean’s cure.

Dean is cured but Rowena’s spell makes her more powerful, sets her free and she  turns Castiel into a rage monster who attacks Crowley.

Now that The Mark/Key has been destroyed, the Primal Darkness, that God banished from the Earth, has been set free. Wow!

Yeah, the Winchesters broke the world.

Again.

Analysis: 

Well, I didn’t see that coming.

Tonights episode was notable for not killing either of the brothers. Something I continued to believe wouldn’t happen, no matter how hard Dean beat Sam. I actually thought he would change his mind and give Sam the Mark of Cain. I totally didn’t see the death of Death, though.

So now, Dean is cured, the Primal Darkness has been set loose and the entire Earth is in jeapordy.  Death is dead. Castiel is insane. Must be Wednesday.

I’m not even going to guess how they get out of this one. They’re either gonna need God for this (and he’s on vacation), or they need  to get The Mark back.

I did like this episode, a lot, even though it felt like the writers pulled a few of these things out of their ass. Like Oscar and the history of The Mark of Cain. But overall, I liked this season. It was nice and tight and had some clear themes.  Even the MotW episodes managed to stay on point.

The season is done, but  I’m not.

Stay tuned for a full season analysis by next week.