It’s the family reunion we’ve all been waiting for, and it doesn’t disappoint.
Can I bitch about spending too much time with the annoying teenagers of Lebanon, KS in the beginning of this episode? Can I complain about how the appearance of Zachariah would have been much more effective if the PR machine hadn’t spoiled that reveal weeks before it aired? Would I have liked a few more minutes of watching the boys catch their father up, and make it clear that Grandpa Winchester did not, in fact, abandon John?
Of course!! There all kinds of things I could whine about, but in the end, this episode made me tear up more than once. It was a heartfelt love letter to how we all feel about the Winchesters, and how they, and in turn we, have managed to make it this far in one piece. Wish fulfillment wrapped up in a tidy little bow, that ends in the most bittersweet way, with a sweet It Was All A Dream for one character, and blubbery, tear-stained cheeks, for everyone else.
The eppy starts with our beautiful brothers tracking down an artifact that was stolen from a hunter friend in Boston. After showing us a few fun artifacts, Sam and Dean dispatch the dishonest shop owner, and they realize that the back room full of dangerous occult objects shouldn’t be left for any schmo to stumble upon. They pack up a box of goodies, stash it in the back seat of the Impala, and head back home.
Of course, Dean needs to make a pit stop at the local booze store, and while Jackson – who knows Dean well – is getting Dean’s regular order, Sam finds an interesting object listed among their recent acquisitions. The Baohzu, a Chinese pearl that can grant your heart’s greatest desire.
Sam and Dean agree that Dean’s greatest desire is to get Micheal out of his head, and before they have a chance to really let that sink in, one of those pesky teenagers across the street steals the Impala.
Dean is incensed, and as they boys run outside to try and do …. something? I realize that one of the movies playing at the local movie theater is Hell Hazer’s. Heee.
Sam and Dean try to shake down one of the kids, and get a name, but nothing else. Sam tries to get some info from the local postal worker, Marta, who is not amused by his creeper looking for a young girl vibe. And then Dean swoops in and lays on the charm. Marta is all of us, getting all gooey, and giving up the info.
Now we know a little about the townspeople of Lebanon, and that everyone has noticed the Campbell brothers (HEH), and the local kids have all kinds of theories about those two and their weird friends.
The boys find out about Skip Day at the local pizza joint, and head out to the old house outside of town to retrieve their things.
Meanwhile, the kids have rummaged through the box, releasing the ghost of John Wayne Gacy, all decked out in his creepy clown costume. Whoopsie!
The boys show up, Dean practically makes out with Baby, and they crash the party with their FBI badges, running everyone out as they search for the box of goodies. Dean teases Sam about his love for serial killers and his hatred of clowns, which is pretty funny as Sam tries to get his Zippo to light. The ghost shows while Sam is trying to burn the box. The kids run back in just as the ghost of Gacy burns up, and Sam and Dean give the kids The Talk.
We finally head back to the bunker. Wasting no time, Dean is all, let’s get this done! Yes! I am itching to get me some John Winchester time!
Dean grasps the pearl, the lights shut off, and as the red emergency lights flicker on, the boys find themselves fighting someone in the darkness. They scramble, but the figure has them both on the ground. The lights click back on, and the three Winchester boys stare at each other slack-jawed.
It is awesome.
I understand that there is only so much time in the episode, so we join the Winchester boys sitting in the kitchen of the bunker, with John letting us know that he has been brought up to speed on the many, many adventures of Sam and Dean. And just as we all are able to take breath, we hear Mary’s voice calling for her boys, and John’s face crumbles as he realizes he is about to see his girl, his love, Mary Winchester.
The look of shock on Mary’s face winds up the tear factory in my eyeballs, and when John and Mary fall into a loving, kissy embrace I am done. Sam and Dean have the wherewithal to realize that they should leave their parents alone for a minute, and they hustle out of the kitchen.
Time for Sam to be the wet blanket, as he does his Sam thing, realizing that as awesome it is that they just left their now not dead parents in the kitchen, that something is obviously off. Dean begs Sam to let them have just one family dinner, and stop being such a pill.
Sam wanders into the library, catching John perusing the stacks, and we get the first Father/Son talk of the evening. John apologizes, and so does Sammy, and they both get to say some stuff that is healing and by the end of it I am chanting Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! from my couch for some reason.
Sam, feeling better after talking to Dad, tells Dean that he is all in for dinner, and offers to help on the grocery run. They head back to Lebanon, and quickly realize that no one knows them, and that their lives have taken a weird turn. Sam posits its a temporal paradox, stemming from yanking Dad out of 2003, and into the right now. Dean is fine with being wanted for multiple criminal acts, because he’s still hunting, but he cannot live with the idea of Sam being internet famous, and being a fan of kale. Sam’s almost TED talk video is pretty funny, and a little sad. (NO FAMILY)
The boys spot a bright light coming from the pizza joint, and are stunned to see an alive Zachariah, and an original recipe Castiel. Zach realizes that the timey whimey shenanigans are Winchester related, and he sics Cass on Dean, while he takes on Sam.
Sam is pretty quick to take out Zach, as it seems the boys carry angel blades with them these days. Castiel spends a lot of time beating the snot out of Sam and Dean, and I am happy to forget that OG Cass would be able to smite these two in a heartbeat if he really wanted to, and enjoy watching the show remember what a badass Cass is.
Just as Cass is about to finally dispatch Dean, Sam activates the angel ejecting sigil he draws on the floor, and the boys hustle back to the bunker, realizing that this family dinner will be the one and only one they will get.
Dean fills in John about the paradox, and without hesitation, John chooses Mary. When John says he wished that fighting and killing Yellow Eyes would have let his boys live a peaceful life with a family, Dean assures him that he has a family.
Everyone sobs!!!
The awkward family dinner starts with a heavy cloud hanging over all of them. John lets them know how happy he is to get any time at all with his family, and lightens the mood just enough so that they all can enjoy their time together to the strains of Bob Seger.
The boys leave their parents alone while they do the dishes, which is super sweet, and gives the boys time to talk about their feelings. Dean acknowledges that it sucks, but if they change things, and give themselves a “happy ending” who would they be? Dean likes who he is, and who Sam is, and wonders if he’s just too old to go changing things.
Finally, it’s time to crush the pearl, and the four Winchesters gather for final goodbyes. John hugs his boys, and tells them he loves them, and anyone who watches this without shedding a tear is dead to me.
Sam, Dean and Mary are beside themselves, Dean especially barely holding it together, when Sam smashes the pearl, and a content and smiling John disappears.
The remaining Winchesters are gutted, and when Castiel walks through the door, they are relieved to see their friend.
The last scene is John waking up in the Impala, circa 2003, taking a call from Dean, telling him he had a super crazy, but good, dream, and that he is heading back.
*WEEPS*
How satisfying was that??
I wonder how the visit from John will affect Sam and Dean and Mary the rest of the season. There should be an ease in everyone’s heart, getting to soothe some wounds, but also an emptiness that will never be filled. Regardless, Jeffrey Dean Morgan did an amazing job keeping the John we knew there, but being so proud and kind to his family. I have watched this episode a couple of times now, and have cried a bunch of tears, and I hope that the impact of this episode resonates no matter how many times it is watched.
Quotes!
Eliot: “I mean, think about it. Where did they even come from? Them or their weird sidekick with the trench coat. And what about that kid with the dumb Bambi look on his face all the time?”
Dean: “A serial killer clown, I mean this is like the best worst thing that’s ever happened to you, because you love serial killers and hate clowns.”
John: “So, you saved the world?” Dean: “More than once.” John: “Then it’s all true. God, the Devil, you boys smack in the middle. Now you live in a secret bunker with an angel and Lucifer’s kid.”
John: “Sam. Son. I am so sorry.” Sam: “I’m sorry, too. But you did your best, Dad. You fought for us, and you loved us, and that’s enough.”
Dean: “According to the Internet, you run a law firm and love kale. Wait till you check out your, uh, wannabe TED Talk.”
Dean: “Well, without everything that we did, with God, The Darkness, she never comes back. Sam thinks that she’ll just fade away.” John: “Okay. I mean, me versus your mom? That’s not even a choice.”
John: “I am so proud of you boys. I love you both so much.” Dean: “I love you, too.”
Next! Jack has a new hairdo, and a new attitude!!