Thank heavens for the Supernatural Season 8 Finale Sacrifice. If it wasn’t for this episode, I would have happily assigned all of season 8 to the land of ‘MEH!’ which is right next door to the land of ‘I think I watched it’, which is where I sent season 7 to die. I mean, come on, they killed Bobby! And then there was the leviathans storyline to deal with after Cas went crazy and thought he was god. Having to look at Dick Romans’s smarmy face and wanting to put my foot in the screen was too much to bear. Actually, now that I’ve said that, I think season 7 actually engendered some emotions, it couldn’t’ have been that bad after all. Anyway, back to the tale at hand.
Coming into season 8 with more heaven has gone to hell in a hand basket shenanigans was initially off-putting after Cas was trapped in purgatory. But viewed as a whole and with Sacrifice to round it off, the season hasn’t been that bad. I do like a good story arc. A story arc, good or bad, is all it takes to make me rate a whole season as being good, shyte or excellent.
The Road So Far
The finale started with “The Road So Far” clips that reminded me that there had been some good moments this season. And hearing those dulcet tones of Kansas singing, “Carry on, my wayward son. For there’ll be peace when you are done. Lay your weary head to rest. Don’t you cry no more.” Straight away, I was stoked as I see this as the Winchester boy’s battle cry. Yes, sometimes it means something awful has happened, but still, I love the song and love the opening.
In the previous episode, Clip Show Crowley went on a campaign to kill everyone the Winchesters had saved to force them to give up the trials and stop trying to shut the gates of hell. In his continued attempt, Crowley tricks Sheriff Mills into going on a blind date with him and puts a spell on her. To save her life, Dean and Sam agree to hand over the demon tablet in exchange for the angel tablet. They agree to meet, but the boys lay a trap for Crowley and handcuff him with some cool demon handcuffs. Crowley is the third trial: curing a demon. Whoop!
Castiel’s Mission
Meanwhile, Cas and Metatron are on their own mission to close the gates of heaven. For Cas’s second trial, he has to retrieve Cupid’s bow. Whilst they are hanging out in a bar waiting for cupid to lay the love whammy on the barkeeper, Naomi catches up with them and kidnaps Metatron. Cas seeks Dean’s help to retrieve the bow.
It was great to have Amanda Tapping playing Naomi this season, as I haven’t seen her on my screens since my drip-feed to all things Stargatey and Sanctuary was ripped from my arm. I did find her accent strange, though, and a bit harsh, unlike her Brit accent in Sanctuary.
Cas and Dean get the bow from Cupid and Naomi shows up and explains that she looked into Metatron’s head and he lied about the trials. They are designed to close the Gates of Heaven and to kick all angels out of Heaven so they’re forced to live on Earth. She also explains that Sam’s trials will kill him. Damn! the ultimate sacrifice. That’s just Great! Sam’s gonna die, and Metatron was not the good guy.
After hiding out for millennia, he had some issues with his fellow angels. So once again, Castiel was played. Naomi returns to heaven, and Metatron kills her. She was a bad guy and had to go, so RIP you.
Abort mission
Back on earth, Sam has pumped Crowley with his purified blood, and the cure seems to be working as Crowley expressed some feels. Dean shows up and tells him that completing the trials will kill him. They have a talk about their feels and decide not to go through with closing the gates as it’s not worth the cliffhanger of killing off a Winchester when it’s been done already.
Upstairs in heaven, Castiel confronts Metatron, who then cuts open Castiel’s neck and steals his grace, rendering him human. Oops. Metatron’s plan is complete. As we close out the episode, Sam is in pain from the trials, Castiel is human, and angels are falling from the sky like meteor rocks in the Smallville opening credits. Actually, better than that.
For me, this was a great episode as the cliff-hanger isn’t about saving Sam and Dean from hell, death or purgatory. They are actually alive and almost well. Crowley, on the other hand, will have to see a demon therapist if he’s gonna get his bad mojo back. But best of all, angels falling from the sky. What does that mean for us mortals?
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