hells_half_acre | Quick Reaction: 5x18 Point of No Return

I watched the East Coast feed again this week - it just worked out TV juggling-wise, and ironically it allows me to "watch" along with other Westcoasters over at spn_westcoast at 9pm.

IT'S THE 100th EPISODE!!! (it's long folks!)

Ok, so, the teaser - Zach getting the ol' pinkslip and commiserating with a guy named Stuart. I love the line "wait, filthy what?" Hahaha...Zach, your racism is showing! Then Zach gets called back to work and everyone in the bar dies. I like how it's not really about angels being douches, it's about angels being so...old and powerful, that human lives actually mean nothing to them. We're like ants. If you accidentally step on a bunch of ants, you just say "oops, sorry guys" and continue on your way (if you are me...if you are anyone else you probably don't even apologize or notice.)

Then the Winchester opener - I always consider this show as having the "teaser" and then the Winchester opener...sometimes they are one and the same, but not this week. So, the Winchester opener is Dean in a motel room...packing up his things in a box...drinking, writing his suicide note.

I love how peaceful it is. I mean, that's what it's actually like (I've heard) when you decide to commit suicide - you feel peaceful. You don't have any more worries or stress. I like how they captured that. I also like how you literally see Dean giving up EVERYTHING - the leather coat, the car, the letter that's presumably to Sam...and the box gets addressed to Bobby.

And I love Dean's expression when Sam is just suddenly there. I love how he looks completely "caught in the act" and bewildered for a split second before putting on his angry voice. I love that Sam's backup is Cas. Seriously, there is just something about Sam (the abomination) and Cas working together that floats all kinds of my boats....it's the whole unlikely friends thing, I guess.

I like how Sam KNOWS Dean would go to Lisa's, and you know how he knows? Because this isn't the first time Dean's decided to die - and as I recall, Lisa was Dean's first stop on his goodbye tour that time too. It's when we met her after all.

So, we jump angel-style to Bobby's.

Cas is glaring daggers, man. DAGGERS.

Dean is aiming to piss everyone off - I guess maybe so they get frustrated with him and say "fine do what you want!" (I totally would do that, which is why it's a good thing I'm not a Winchester.) Dean actually tells Bobby that he's not his father...ouch, I love Sam's pointed look and headshake...but Bobby gets the message across just fine by pointing out that Dean's a goddamn hypocrite.

Then Cas is in pain! I love how Cas is still hooked up to ~~Oprah's~~ Angel Network, but it seems like it pains him to be so.

And because of the Space Promo (bad space!) I was totally spoiled for this...but man, it must be written in the rules somewhere that angels have to make people dig their way out of the grave. Cas totally kicks ass, and then gives out Littlest Winchester a helping hand. (Littlest Winchester is totally a Canadian joke by the way...if you grew up here, you'd be groaning at the reference).

I like how Cas calls for help. It's like it's social protocol more than actual need.

Then he gets Bobby's bed all muddy - thanks a lot Cas!

We actually get to meet Adam! The ACTUAL ADAM!

I know some people don't like the idea of Adam existing - truth be told, I'm not sure how I feel about it either - but I do like the fact that we actually get to meet him, not ghoul!Adam. And there's a big difference, my goodness.

For instance, John Winchester isn't his cool mysterious father who takes him out to baseball games and teaches him how to drive (and fucks up the timeline - literally), nope, John Winchester is a stranger who shares his DNA.

After the show, Susan said that Adam was a lot like Dean, and I think that makes sense - both Adam and Dean grew up with absentee fathers. Sam didn't...well, not quite...because Sam had ersatz-father Dean.

Anyway, here is where I want to hug Sam and say "YES! SOMEONE IS THINKING!" because he immediately points out how absurd it is for the angels to have a Plan B after all this talk of Destiny. And Adam and Dean aren't listening to him, but man, he's spot on.

So, because they have to keep Adam AND Dean on lockdown - Dean gets his turn in the "we don't trust you" panic room. I think it's good for him...to be in that position for once.

Fanservice alert: "The last person who looked at me like that..." and the wink! Way to interpret rage for lust, Dean :-P There's your fodder Dean/Castiel fans. As much as I loved that line, I still don't find that pairing believable at all...at least not at this point in the character arcs.

Still, hilarious.

But man, way to destroy your brother! My heart really went out to Sam when Dean was telling him how he didn't believe in him...thought he was weak. Geez, what's going to be better for him Dean? You telling him you don't believe in him is only going to make him weaker, not stronger.

And you know what I love here - when Sam comes up and it's quite obvious he's been destroyed...Cas takes one look at him and immediately goes down to the panic room (and I swear to god that I'm not shipping Sam/Cas, because I don't find that believable either), but Cas was totally further enraged that Dean hurt Sam like that. Guh, friendship! I love friendship!

But tricky Dean banishes Cas! The way he screamed too...I mean, every time Cas was banished in S4, it looked like more of an inconvenience than a painful attack - but this time it really seemed like it caused him physical pain.

And Dean runs away.

Sam has to tell Bobby to watch Adam, and I think it sucks that Bobby doubts his ability to do that - just hold a gun on him or something!

But I like how Sam STILL isn't giving up - his reaction to Dean escaping isn't "woe is me, I failed", it's "ok, hold down the fort, I'll go find him." You can tell that he's at his wit's end, but he's holding on and that's what matters.

"You pray too loud" - Awesome!

Castiel beating the hell out of Dean is AWESOME. I love actually seeing Castiel EXPRESS his rage like that. Dean totally had it coming too, as my sister said after Cas kicked Dean into the fence: I totally don't feel bad right now.

We're so used to rooting for Dean, that I'm sure a lot of fans will have problems with this, but I certainly don't.

"What happened to him?"
"I did"
-Unapologetic Cas is unapologetic

And Cas dumps yet another Winchester on Bobby's bed - as if the mudstains weren't bad enough, not bloodstains too.

Adam is in the Green Room, munching on his favorite burger and drinking his favorite beer (different brand than Dean). Zach comes along and fills him in on the REAL plan - in that Adam is just bait for the Winchesters, who are "irreversibly, somethingibly, erotically, co-dependant on each other" (fanservice line #2)

The thing I like is that Adam up until now has mostly been a bit of a snot - understandably, but still a snot - but here you can see the good in him - or, as I like to think of it, you can see the Winchester in him.

Dean wakes up cuffed to the bed (I wish he would wake up cuffed to MY bed). Sam tells him whats what, and then tells him that he's bringing Dean with him to find Adam - even when Bobby and Cas have both told him not to, because it's a trap, and even if it's not a trap Dean will say yes at the first opportunity anyway - but Sam doesn't care! Why? Because Sam BELIEVES in his brother! BURN! Take that! Man, Sam knows how to lay a good guilt trip.

I still thought he was an idiot for bringing Dean to the Green Room, but I admire his emotional sucker punch in doing so.

Then it's off to the Green Room - which is oddly in an abandoned muffler factory in California. I like this exchange:
Cas: "Where did you think it was?"
Dean: "I don't know...Jupiter, a blade of grass!"

Then Castiel goes in to take on 5 angels and he has a fucking banishing sigil ON HIS CHEST! HOLY MOSES! Castiel is one hardcore BAMF.

Dean gets in the room and finds Adam bleeding, and Zach sneakattacks him! but then Sam sneakattacks Zach! But he fails his sneakattack roll (can you tell I played D&D?) and Zach gets to counterattack...and soon the two youngest Winchesters are coughing up blood, and Dean has not ONE younger brother in peril, but two! And they are both ridiculously adorable with their pained puppydog eyes...and Dean...says yes.

And Sam his disappointed, and I'm like "holy shit, does this mean we get 4 episodes of Michael!Dean?" but we had no reason to worry, because as soon as Zach's back is turned, Dean's eyes slide to Sam's and he SMILES and WINKS....and man, if that's not the sexist damn thing ever, I don't know what is.

Dean is going to get Michael to smoke Zachariah - but then Dean has AN ANGEL SWORD! DUDE!

HE KILLS ZACH! Man, and I LOVE the wingspread on the wall and floor...I need me a screenshot of that. Nicely done, my friends.

But Michael is descending, and they must flee! Only Adam gets distracted by the shiny light! Oh no! The Littlest Winchester's puppyness has been his DOOM!

So, Adam is gone again...and Castiel is MIA. But DUDE, Dean initiates a chick-flick moment that Sam was totally going to let him out of...and it's good, because Dean took one look at Sam and thought "that stupid son of a bitch" believes in him, and it made all the difference...and their bond is back and Dean's got some of his mojo back...and I still want the amulet back, and I have a feeling the next 4 episodes might not be as optimistic as this closing scene, but goddamn, I'm glad they at least gave us this after the last two weeks.

So, "the point of no return" was used in my driving lessons as the point you pass where if the light turns yellow, you don't have time to stop.

Only, my Mum and I shared this huge van that had really shoddy brakes...so, when we saw a yellow light, most of the time we just called out "point of no return!" as a warning to each other that we were running the light because our point of no return was way earlier than everyone else's. I was never sure if it was a joke about our crappy brakes, an excuse to run a light, or announcing that we were aware of the fact that we very well might die this time. :-P