The Road So Far…

Seven episodes into the fifth and final season of Supernatural and the writers still manage to figure out how to make life for the Winchester boys progressively worse and worse. This season, however, they've managed to drag the rest of the world down in it with them.  For two seasons straight not only have the brothers failed to accomplish their long term goals; preventing Dean from going to Hell and then the rise of Lucifer. As for those who they become involved with the list goes on: Bella, John Winchester, Jessica, Bobby, Ash, Ruby, Andy, Ava, Pamela…anyone and everyone near them ends up injured or dead. Need I mention that the boys are responsible for the breaking of the first and last seals due to their own personal weaknesses? And if that wasn't enough last season was the "break-up season." Last season was the season where we saw the brothers gradually dissolving their relationship and this season we see them dealing with the aftermath. For too long the brothers took for granted the fact that they were family and only now are they realizing that trust, even among family, must be earned. I just don't see Sam and Dean riding off into the sunset happily ever after at season's end.

Meanwhile, the Apocalypse is officially upon us, the angels are douchebags, Lucifer walks the earth, and God got the hell out of dodge. The boys have never been more alone and to compound their own personal issues with each other, they also just happen to be vessels for two diametrically opposed forces; Lucifer and the angel that whupped Lucifer's butt the last time, Michael. At first glance, one might think Dean quite shallow for refusing to allow Michael to use his body to tear Lucifer a new one for the second time. What one would be overlooking however, is that the Angels are not on our side. God did not cast Lucifer down from heaven because he was a bad seed; God cast Lucifer from heaven because he was the most vocal of many bad seeds. Now that the warden has left, the inmates are running the asylum and all of humanity is caught in the crossfire.

The newest revelation, the existence of the Anti-Christ, is quite interesting. Certainly, we will see more of this child, Jesse Turner. Castiel was quick to sentence the boy to death, but I think he failed to see that this boy may be capable of defeating Lucifer. What Jesse wants to happen, happens at his whim. The boy need only believe something to be true and true it will be. Fully developed, can Lucifer really survive an encounter with a ticked off Franklin Richards on steroids? I very much doubt it and feel likewise towards both the Angels and humanity; Jesse will play a major role in the resolution of the apocalypse and the war between angels and demons. Whether he does it of his volition or as a pawn of the more cunning side shall remain to be seen.

Season four was heavily mired in Christian Theology, the prophecies of the Dead Sea Scrolls in particular, and this season's greater story arc continues their depiction of "The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness." This war is predicted according the revelations found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, but no mention of Michael or Lucifer is made in the actual scrolls. Many theologians believe Michael, who is recognized in the Bible as the field commander of the armies of God, would naturally lead the forces of God against the darkness of Evil. Furthermore the war described in the Dead Sea Scrolls provides corrupted human civilizations as the antagonists with the demon Belial as the cause for the corruption. In this prophecy "all of Darkness is to be destroyed and Light will live in peace for all eternity." If taken literally by the writers, this spells bad news for humanity. Humans are a composite of both the dark and the light; one cannot exist without the other, meaning even if the Angels were to win, humanity would suffer the consequences.

In any case, regardless of the outcome, watching the final days of the war should be quite exhilarating if the writers do the Dead Sea Scrolls justice. On the final day of the war there are seven terrible battles in which both sides suffer numerous casualties. After the sixth the "score" is tied and in the final battle it is predicted that "the great hand of God shall overcome Belial and all the angels of his dominion, and all the men of his forces shall be destroyed forever." I am excited about the potential of that statement. Could God return to the earth of the Supernatural universe? If he does, and if we look at Belial as the corrupting force behind the angels' indifference towards humanity, we could see a very pissed off deity incurring his wrath on both sides. I imagine massive beams of light swathing a path of destruction among demon and angel alike, leaving humans alone to finally be the masters of their own destiny without supernatural intervention. In which case, should they survive, Sam and Dean just might get that ride into the sunset after all.

Next Week: Changing Channels. "Dean and Sam find themselves mystically trapped in a series of real-life 'TV shows' and there appears to be no escape. They believe their old enemy the Trickster is responsible, but discover someone or something else is involved." I'd actually love to see the Trickster back, but so long as it isn't another Zachariah episode, I'm hoping this episode is this season's first comedy episode. I could definitely handle another episode like season three's "The Mystery Spot" to wash the bad taste out of my mouth from having to sit through the show's first stinker in a long time, "Fallen Idols." Until then, carry on my wayward sons…