‘Supernatural’ 13x23: Predictable season 13 finale comes full circle, Dean’s new character

“Supernatural” season 13 finale has come full circle from season 5. “Let the Good Times Roll” has tied loose ends but burnt the whole rope with its ending.

“Supernatural” 13x23 spoilers are discussed in detail in the following article. The episode aired on The CW in the US on Thursday. It will air in Australia on Eleven on Monday.

Sam and Dean Winchester (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles), including Castiel (Misha Collins) and Jack (Alexander Calvert), are helping the Apocalypse World refugees settle in their world as they also resume hunting. But before anything else, the first thing that audiences need to know is that Rowena (Ruth Connell), Charlie (Felicia Day), Mary (Samantha Smith) and Bobby (Jim Beaver), as well as the rest of the guest stars, are all safe. One of the refugees, Maggie, was found dead, though.

When Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino) showed up from the alternative universe, he quickly tried to entice Jack to leave with him among the stars. Jack asked him to resurrect Maggie first. Maggie later identified her killer to Sam, saying it had red eyes. It was undoubtedly Lucifer.

While Lucifer was peddling his vision of greatness to Jack, AU!Michael (Christian Keyes) showed up again in the bunker to basically kill Team Free Will. Sam prayed to Jack to save them, and the barely one-year-old teen did. Unfortunately for Lucifer, his true intentions were also revealed at that time. Michael told Jack the deal he made with Lucifer, making Jack realise that his father didn’t care for him at all.

Lucifer is dead

Surprise! Lucifer was bad all along. In what was probably the least surprising twist of the season, the devil himself was still selfish and unredeemable. He didn’t truly care for his son. He just wanted the Nephilim’s power for himself.

And when that bit of info was revealed to Jack, Lucifer didn’t waste time siphoning his son’s grace. Unfortunately, when he was transporting Jack to a crypt, Sam tagged along. Thanks to Jack’s grace, Lucifer was the most powerful as he had ever been, and this would have been hard to beat.

Michael!Dean

With no other choice left, Dean asked Michael to use him as a vessel. It can be recalled from past seasons that Dean was Michael’s perfect vessel. And with Michael using his perfect vessel, the eldest archangel would be his most powerful self.

Castiel tried to stop him but there was truly no other viable way given that they had very little time. And so Dean, after all this time, finally said yes to Michael, just in time to save his brother and Jack from Lucifer’s hands.

“I love you. I love all of you,” Jack said to Sam as he was about to kill himself. If this sounds familiar, it’s because his adoptive father, Castiel, also said this very same lines while he thought he was about to die last season. As for whom the first line was is anyone’s guess, though it should be noted that the camera panned to Dean’s face following the said line.

Back to Michael!Dean and Lucifer, the fight was short and not so epic as viewers might have expected from the two archangels. Sam had to throw the archangel blade to Dean so his brother could kill Lucifer with it. And that was it.

Castiel’s broken heart

As the Winchesters and Jack celebrate Lucifer’s death, Michael reneged on his deal with Dean. Instead of what they had agreed upon, which was Dean would have full control of his body and decisions, Michael decided he wanted to be in charge instead. He departed, leaving Sam, Jack and Castiel devastated.

And if there’s a contest for the most devastating face, Cas would win hands down. The mighty seraph was full blown distraught, which was no surprise as he had just watched a version of his brother take over his beloved human.

‘Let the Good Times Roll’ review

Dean agreeing to become Michael’s vessel was no surprise. The show’s producers and cast have been hinting it for months. The question was whether it was AU!Michael or the original Michael. But with the latter still trapped in the cage, it was apparent that AU!Michael would take over.

And take over he did. Castiel didn’t like it one bit. He had turned his back on heaven just so Dean wouldn’t say yes to Michael in season 5. It’s no wonder he was despondent at the end.

The mid-air fight between Michael!Dean and Lucifer was not exactly television’s best special effect. They appeared as if they were dangling from suspension cables, which was exactly what they had been doing. The show could have just had them battle it out on the ground to make it a little more realistic. As it happened, it looked so fake.

And no, contrary to what was claimed in season 5, Michael and Lucifer’s fight didn’t roast half the planet, not even the two people in the same premises as them. Perhaps it’s because Lucifer wasn’t in his true vessel (Sam) and so his powers weren’t in full capacity at that time. But still it appeared like the writers forgot about that bit of information.

The end where Michael!Dean looked at the camera while his eyes glowed blue was a little bit clunky as well. It froze before zooming in on his face, which looked like it was an effect done in the ‘80s.

Sam’s silent laugh of relief when he realised Lucifer was dead was an unforgettable sight. With credit to Padalecki’s acting, Sam has shown incredible emotion of a tortured victim seeing that his tormentor was finally gone. His scenes with Lucifer in this season have been telling, that he was a victim and he had been trying to survive.

Calvert has proved in just one season that he is very much a crucial part of the cast. His emotions during this episode have undergone lows in different degrees, and Calvert was able to portray each one believably.

Lucifer is a polarising character for viewers. The character has a strong fanbase, but other viewers couldn’t wait for his storyline to end for good. Pellegrino’s rendition of God’s favourite son was a delight. He made the character hilarious and likeable. But again, his plot should have ended seasons ago.

As for Castiel, besides having his wings broken, he should be back at his former strong self. But the show basically made him useless. He was just “the other one,” which was unfair to the seraph who was instrumental in keeping literally the whole world alive, including Sam, Dean and Jack. Yes, Castiel deserves a lot better.

One good thing the producers did for Castiel this episode was show a solo shot of him with his heartbroken face at the end. It proves the depth of the angel’s love for his human.

With AU!Michael very much still present in season 14, maybe he would enlighten others as to why he had to attack humans in the Apocalypse World. That part still isn’t clear. Why did the angels had to antagonise and kill humans if they were just after demons? Their actions were opposite of what God asked them to. Also, the whole “cosmic consequences” that was warned from season 12 should appear next season.

Season 13 finale, written by Andrew Dabb and directed by Robert Singer, was a disappointingly predictable one, most especially for “Supernatural” fans. What saved the it from obscurity was the characters and their emotions, including Dean’s short but emotional speech to Jack, whom he hated at the beginning of the season. Also, Michael!Dean’s epic entrance complete with his majestic wings was a sight to behold.

“Supernatural” season 14 will be back in the US in the fall, which means spring in Australia.