This episode, all on its own, would have been remarkably bad, even in as spotty a season as this one. But Andrew Dabb's meandering and pointlessly cruel season 12 finale looks all the worse for having airing immediately after 12.22, an episode that showcased many of Supernatural's best assets and, but for tying up a few loose ends, may as well have been the actual season finale.
The episode wastes no time in bringing the audience down from the emotional high of the previous episode, dispatching the Winchesters' sometimes-enemy, sometimes-ally Rowena (Ruth McConnell) off-screen and sending her off as a charred corpse at Lucifer's (Mark Pellegrino) feet. Just a week previously, the show provoked significant backlash for killing off Eileen (Shoshannah Stern), a Deaf hunter who became a fan favorite from two previous episodes, in a cold open in which she spoke no lines. Dispatching Rowena, the longest-surviving female character in a series with a serious shortage of women, comes off as incredibly ill-conceived and oblivious for a show that so proudly boasts of its special connection with its (largely female) fan base.
But the most outrageous and pointless death of the episode was that of Castiel (Misha Collins, who in a bit of cruel irony was celebrating his 100th episode of the series). The angel who raised Dean (Jensen Ackles) out of Hell nine seasons ago, and subsequently fell from grace for the love of humanity, was literally stabbed in the back in the last minutes of the episode, leaving only moments for Dean to silently mourn his fallen friend before the cut to black.
The rest of the episode was a confusing tangle of uncertain motivations and pointless actions, such as Crowley's (Mark Sheppard) death as part of a spell to seal a dimensional rift that did not actually close until the plot required it, several minutes later. Supernatural has certainly suffered from failures of narrative logic before, but such things used to be mere lapses in otherwise good episodes.
What good there was in this finale came in spite of the writing, notably the performance of Courtney Ford as dying expectant mother Kelly. A better script would have given her the send-off she deserved, too; but these days, that seems to be too much to ask of Supernatural.
The episode wastes no time in bringing the audience down from the emotional high of the previous episode, dispatching the Winchesters' sometimes-enemy, sometimes-ally Rowena (Ruth McConnell) off-screen and sending her off as a charred corpse at Lucifer's (Mark Pellegrino) feet. Just a week previously, the show provoked significant backlash for killing off Eileen (Shoshannah Stern), a Deaf hunter who became a fan favorite from two previous episodes, in a cold open in which she spoke no lines. Dispatching Rowena, the longest-surviving female character in a series with a serious shortage of women, comes off as incredibly ill-conceived and oblivious for a show that so proudly boasts of its special connection with its (largely female) fan base.
But the most outrageous and pointless death of the episode was that of Castiel (Misha Collins, who in a bit of cruel irony was celebrating his 100th episode of the series). The angel who raised Dean (Jensen Ackles) out of Hell nine seasons ago, and subsequently fell from grace for the love of humanity, was literally stabbed in the back in the last minutes of the episode, leaving only moments for Dean to silently mourn his fallen friend before the cut to black.
The rest of the episode was a confusing tangle of uncertain motivations and pointless actions, such as Crowley's (Mark Sheppard) death as part of a spell to seal a dimensional rift that did not actually close until the plot required it, several minutes later. Supernatural has certainly suffered from failures of narrative logic before, but such things used to be mere lapses in otherwise good episodes.
What good there was in this finale came in spite of the writing, notably the performance of Courtney Ford as dying expectant mother Kelly. A better script would have given her the send-off she deserved, too; but these days, that seems to be too much to ask of Supernatural.