Based on what we know about Billie showing up next episode, I'm wondering if the consequence of this isn't just the Empty spitefully kicking out all of the angels and demons who have ever had a reason to hold a grudge against Cas and/or the Winchesters...
Oh jeez, that’s possible. That actually makes some sense given the current “state of the game” for everyone. They’re feelings are intricately engraved into the frickin fabric of this universe.
Also, having a shortage of demons and angels means they can get away with less so bringing them all back allows them a little more leeway. It also gives them more options for “a better way” and stories. They talked about lots of returns this season, so it’s possible. Death is more of a guideline in this show. It sort of paints the stakes a little blandly, but this isn’t really a show about death anymore, it’s a show about life and what we do with it. The stakes are in the character drama and symbolism. The people in this show are stand-ins for humanity as a whole more often than not. Having a show about the death of humanity isn’t terribly interesting anymore, but a show about how humanity will live and continue is hella interesting. On that note, I wish the empty were more interesting, but it probably is. We didn’t see Cas get booted. Qstiel seemed more interested in keeping Cas there on screen. Cas did something we didn’t see to get sent back with better clothes.
Jack is basically new humanity, the new generations. He’s the the thing all the previous attempts at shaping humanity will reflect in(all the last seasons, the people, all the lessons, the sadness, the journeys the mistakes, everything). He’s the ongoing answer to the question of “we’re finding a better way, but what does a new, better humanity act like? What do we replace the old with?”
Jack is what we metaphorically replace the old with, but he’s gotta go through the journey first. He’s the culmination of “human and monster,” the symbolic acknowledgement that humanity must accept those parts of itself it deems monstrous as parts of the human experience and to stop demonizing them, address them accordingly and take responsibility for its own future.
Bringing back the angels and demons will probably be a little much, but what Aplot in this show isn’t a little much? I don’t know if that’s what they’ll do, but it’s likely. They’re at least bringing back something. Gotta run your new against the old to see the difference. Angels and demons are pretty easy routes for that idea. Not sure if it’s what I would have gone with, but it makes sense as long as they don’t make it stupid or more complicated than necessary.
The main thing I’m worried about is that they’ll make everyone whiny and/or smarmy. Those two be their two most prominent villain settings and they’re getting old.
Oh well, you wanna see a show with the supernatural portrayed mysteriously, go watch a show where the “other” interpretation of the word “supernatural” is more the focus, like Mushi-Shi.
Ok, so normally I try not to be bitter on here, but I’m human and I need to say something or it will keep me awake. I know I’ve been kind of quiet on here with stuff in my life but I promise this won’t be the norm.
I’m gonna do this a bit differently. This is what happened (that I remember) and what I would do instead. As a note, I don’t entirely blame Bucklemming for this nonsense.(their eps are like this very frequently in comparison to others so I attribute some blame. Are they chosen scape goats by TPTB too? Do they just get all the painful concepts? Doubt it.) Still, several people approved this ep. It went through multiple channels and it lived to fruition. Here’s hoping the finales do something to rectify this nonsense.
I’m mostly going to keep it the same because I don’t know where all of this ends and I want it to be compliant with canon, except uh... some differences. This isn’t great, it’s 3am, but maybe it’ll serve some purpose.
Spoilers below. Like.. immediate spoilers.
Cold Open:
Ok, so Eileen being killed was BS. From what I can gather, it was meant to establish 4 things:
1)Ketch is still an asshole (don’t tell the audience something it already knows)
2)BMoLs are using Hellhounds to kill (which is a BS way for Eileen to go.)
3)Eileen is dead (Why?)
4)And Sam and Dean need to know the above (BMoL, Eileen, Hellhounds) so they can segue to Crowley... who could easily be segued to anyway, because Lucifer is in this ep, and having the Hellhounds under the BMoLs thus far serves no other purpose other than to be an obnoxious way to kill people.
Just segue to him with a line, or nothing. They’ve done it before.
Anyway, Eileen’s death is getting binned. That’s really the main change here.
Instead, I’m replacing it with Mary’s visit to what’s-’is-name and letting that sequence play out. He gets killed, ending with the slashy. (I’m gonna try not to change too much, just minor differences.) Sucks to be him, but this alternative establishes that Mary is killing hunters without killing anyone the audience is attached to. For anyone who has seen the previous ep, they can speculate why, otherwise, it’s a “what’s going on?” situation. Either way, it’s a lead in for the ep and the title.
Motel scene:
Let this play out except replace Jody’s conversation about Eileen with Jody telling them about another hunter killed. Quite frankly, the reaction Sam and Dean had wouldn’t have to change much. I’m still peaved there wasn’t more of one (I mean, Sam tends to hold it in, and maybe he’ll explode later, but in the context of the ep.)
Yo show, nice direct ref to Charlie’s death in your “we killed Eileen scene, btw. Classy. *gags*
Morgue scene:
I can’t remember if Dean and Sam talk about Mary as a hunter with an unknown location in this scene or the above one, but we’re gonna say it’s at the end of this one. Otherwise it’s mostly the same, except Mary’s friend instead of Eileen. Again, their underwhelming (outward) response makes this easier. (I don’t need end of Starwars ep 3, I just need some sort of emotional anchor. This is the problem The Flash has.)
Mary’s room scene:
Mary has her flashbacks and wakes up with Toni. They have their conversation.
Luci’s upset he’s chained up.
Mary’s in chains, so is Luci. She’s being controlled, so is Luci. Eventually the controlled will control.. probably. I’m gonna go with that, because it’s more interesting than any other reason I can think of. Segue to Luci and Dr. Locks Demon talking about his imprisonment. Crowley comes in, yada yada. They have their little shot rev shot, talk about Dagon, talk about the Winchesters, talk about Cas. Crowley leaves, Luci wants out ASAP.
This is why other shows have cross-fades scene(seriously, how long were they in there?):
In the original scene, Dean and Sam get a letter from Eileen, in this, they’re getting a call from Jody instead. She says they found bugs in the house of the guy who died. She found bugs in her house too and is moving locations. They should check for them. They agree to call each other if something happens.
More evidence of Mary’s brainwashing scene:
I don’t remember if this is in the original. But we’re gonna give Mary another instance of brainwashing, so the later instances makes more sense. Also, if it wasn’t there, it would pad out the run time lost by Dean not calling Crowley.
Choice of thematic resonance is questionable scene:
Why does this exist? Oh well, seems there’s no other way he’s getting out of there and parallels to Mary apparently? So contrived power reversal nonsense awa~aaa~ay. Luci’s getting out the chains soon... yay...
Crowley working with the BMoLs scene:
Crowley and Umbridge have their scene. We learn the hellhounds come from him. (as long as they’re used later, it doesn’t matter if they’re introduced being utilized. They’re there, they are being utilized somewhere. That’s how the BMoLs work.) this scene serves a purpose of him working with the BMoLs. That’s really all we needed to know.
Umbridge is concerned with Ketch’s sex life scene:
Ketch and Umbridge talk awkwardly about Ketch’s sleeping habits and feelings. Segue to-
Acting credit where it’s due scene:
Ketch and Mary have their scene in the BMoL base. This plays out the same. I may not like this ep, but I’ll say David and Samantha did a good job with this scene.
Checking for bugs scene:
Dean and Sam check the bunker for bugs and find one. This scene plays out normally except they call Jody about it. See, isn’t it easy to include characters without having to keep the actors directly present (not bitter). Once you introduce a concept, stick to it. Jody tells them there was another mauling like some that had happened to other hunters. She’ll be in touch.
Ketch tells an invisible dog to sit scene:
Ketch and Toni have their scene. With their repertoire of ridiculous devices, it probably wouldn’t surprise most people. I don’t think they’ve said in canon before this ep “only demons can control them” and even if they did, when has that stopped them?
The camera chooses the rat scene:
Luci escapes and plays out his over indulgent injury of Crowley. Then the camera says “rat, you are the chosen one” and Crowley “dies”. Luci quips about it.
Toni gets her lead in scene:
Umbridge, Toni and Ketch have their scene.
The demons “clean up the mess” scene:
Rat rat rat rat
The “don’t remember this scene very well” scene:
Toni and the Winchesters meet. Something something, Toni is their hostage now.
Mary, Toni, The Winchesters and the BMoLs end up at the bunker (why the hell didn’t they leave? Oh well. We’re keeping this. Gotta end in the same place.) Ketch compares Mary with himself, killing Magda and the others. Sam is just as eager to climb the steps as Dean is, but for a different reason. Dean still tries to get through to Mary. Toni is still left with them. Dean tries to call Jody but his phone won’t reach her. He tries to leave her a message.
Same scene with Mary and Ketch, except it’s is J cut with the sounds of dogs barking, and a montage of the Hellhounds being sicced on hunters. Jody is not seen, but the question lingers.
The barking L cuts to Lucifer and fades out over the trees. Luci does his... hill thing.. same ending.
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Am I saying I’m a great writer? No. I just wanted a version without Eileen being killed. I can’t rewrite the whole thing, so this is the closest I can get to. Also, it’s 3 am and I can’t remember a good part of the back half of act 4, I don’t claim anything special.
Unfortunately, I could sum up a lot of this ep as “I was afraid of that” It really wasn’t a good idea to kill off Eileen, but I don’t know what happens behind the scenes. Maybe all the deaths really are part of the Cosmic Consequences and Mary ascending to heaven in the end will bring everyone back? But who knows. It really depends on the stance the TPTB have on what happened to Alicia and what will happen to the Nephilim, Mary and Cas.
There was some subtext in the ep, and there was some good, but nothing that what’s up there really changes. It does give more fuel to my theory of everything... which I swear I will post, but that will certainly be on its own.
Sorry this is the longest thing you’ve seen from me in a while. I promise the next one is more cheery.
