Review: Supernatural 'Sacrifice'

Sacrifice was directed by Phil Sgriccia and written by Jeremy Carver. And man, was this finale awesome?

Carry on wayward son...best finale opening ever!

So.. did we see THAT coming? I expected a few things involving Crowley's fate, Hell and Naomi's death. I have very little theories about Cas, Metatron and Heaven. But THAT ending and the curveballs are the reasons Jeremy Carve gets paid the top job to helm Supernatural! The ending of the season eight finale was nothing short of spectacular. After eight seasons, the writers still managed to inject creativity and surprises.

Let me be up front about something, Sacrifice is definitely up there with Devil's Trap and No Rest for the Wicked, which in my opinion are two of the most standout cliffhangers of all time for the show. Sacrifice shows maturity with great twists, great editing and great performance. The show has come so far from the day when we first heard Dean saying 'saving people, hunting things, family business.' 

I think the finale has resolved the season long arc. Of course, you can always look at the technicality of the story about the tablets, the translation and the closing of the gate of hell and heaven. Our heroes, Dean and Sam, made a choice about not completing the last task, and Cas was once again fooled by another angel about the real agenda. It seemed that with all that hard work, it had been a waste of effort. The notion of a task is tied to the notion of completion. A task is for whoever is doing it to complete, traditionally speaking. You have to finish where you started. We are bound by this idea. But it isn't Supernatural if there ain't curveballs! 

For a show like Supernatural, it's important not to have the technicality to overshadow the brother relationship. This is why I am so impressed with Jeremy Carver's direction, the story has been really well planned and focused -- the show/ season is about the brothers. This very core idea didn't get lost. The brothers' decision about not completing the last task to close the gate of hell was a brave one. Family is important and hunting is a two people job. Dean and Sam must do this together. Closing the gate of hell is a great idea, it can save a lot of lives but it's not worth dying for. It is personal!

Another thing is that, with Dean returning from Purgatory, Sam returning from his gap year, and Cas becoming more confused than before, the emotional and trust issues have caused further damage to their relationship. The brothers have been surviving on the 'I forget I forgive' basis. If/ when crap happens next time, they will go back to square one. I think that's why it's so important to point out -- the finale actually has resolved relationship problems. That to me is the number one season long arc.

I am so proud of Sam for everything he's done, especially in the second half of the season. I love his confession and I love how they were related to his feeling about letting Dean down. Sammy! Ouwwww…. You are such a loveable little brother! The while 'is it because of what I do in the past, you decide to trust someone else' thing is totally adorable! Dean's suggestions to Sam about his confession was half joke half serious, Dean can be so bitchy and it is funny! Sam can go through his greatest hits -- Ruby, Lucifer, being soulless, not looking for Dean. But MOST importantly, he thinks he has let Dean down and he really hates it. Sam well knows how important 'trust' is to Dean. And it kills him not to be trusted by his big brother because of his wrong doing. Hunting is a two people job! It's the family business. Sam is the one person Dean cares and loves most. No matter how bad things were, Sam and Dean will always get each other's back. It is such an epic finale with shit load going on. But when it matters, Sam and Dean have a dialogue that put an end to all the fugly feelings. It's OK, brother, just let go. Dean's last hug of the season is for Sammy. 

Dean is as brilliant as usual. I am glad Cas went to Dean for help, despite putting his trust in the wrong person again. In the previous episode, Dean and Cas have a wall between them and Dean couldn't care less about Cas. But we all know Dean will get over it. Cas is a friend and they've been through much together. You see.. as long as Cas is being honest about something, doesn't matter if he is being stupid or naive, Dean will be fine and he will always help. Good relationships never run smooth and I hope everyone will set aside their differences and misunderstanding or whatever in season nine and work as a team -- the Men of Letters. Oh shut up! I can't help it! Everyone should be People of Letters!! The on-screen chemistry between Jarpad and Jensen continue to be gold to watch! The last scene was just so good!  

OK.. Stop crying.. onto the next topic.

We knew Metatron was not to be trusted. I struggled with coming up a theory about this guy. He spent a very long time in hiding and he relied on people to bring him stories. But the ultimate revenge by exterminating the angels and casting them out of heaven was something I did not see coming. AT ALL. I just love the surprise factor presented in the episode. 

Do you think Metatron is obsessed in words and stories? I think so! A lot of more than he should! To Metatron, the ultimate storyteller is God himself but he left and it left a hole in Metatron's heart. Metatron had to leave the paradise his father left for him and his brothers and sisters because the internal conflicts. Metatron was looking for his fix and he became very obsessed with stories. Metatron let Castiel go, and I assume Castiel will remember who he is, all angels will have their memories intact. And with this, they will live a life until they die. And when they die, their soul will return to Heaven, they will tell Metatron their stories. He is a very crazy obsessed yesterday angel. It's safe to say that we will see the full impact of Metatron's doing to Earth, humanity, angels, and possibility hell in season nine. For now, I assume Metaton is home alone in Heaven and the rest of the army is now on earth.

Castiel is now a human, just like Anna was. Unless he could retrieve his grace, he will not be an angel again. And something tells me, he won't mind about being a human. In The End (season five), we have seen the human Cas. Will we see that for real in season nine? Cas continues to provide plenty of amusement and he just doesn't know how funny he is. I really love seeing him working a case, whether he is with Dean or Metatron. It's always interesting to see how his brain works and how he understands things. I hope Case will clear his confusion in season nine. It's really interesting to me how Cas will develop in season nine now that he is back as a regular.  

All things have consequences, Sam and Dean didn't close the gate of hell and Abaddon is on the loose and Crowley is…'recovering'? OK.. so, this is Mr Mark Sheppard's best performance on Supernatural. I love the transformation of his character in this episode so much! It's is really interesting to watch the kind of things Crowley has said during the purification process. We got a bit of an insight into his desire. He just wanted to be loved (and he loves HBO). While I was watching the episode, I can't help but think if all Crowley ever wanted was to be loved, then I think part of him is jealous of the bond Dean, Sam and Cas have. Apart from Dean, Sam and Cas, the only one who know them well is Crowley. He knows what make them tick. Crowley continues to be a very interesting character with a lot of growth since he first appeared on the show. Mr Crowley will be back in season nine for sure. But how? Will be return to his old self? Will he be trapped in the middle -- either good or evil? He may be in a bit of an identity crisis. I don't think Dean and Sam will let Crowley go, but where will they keep him?

What about Kevin? FINALLY! Dean and Sam gave him the key to the MoL bunker! YES! I want Kevin back in season nine. He has to! I think with Garth and Charlie out there doing their stuff, Kevin can be a great asset to the Winchester, he can really be a Man of Letters! Right? I am sure a lot of people will bring up a point about not completing the trial. From the Special K's POV, he'd lost his mother and his life for this and now the brothers decided not to go through with it? But Kevin's work is not forgotten, the stuff that he discovered from the demon tablet will help the brothers to kill many demons. Will Kevin spend time to translate the angel tablet in season nine and if so, what will he find? He still has a duty. Once a prophet, always a prophet!

The last scene with all the angels falling from Heaven is spectacular from the visual point of view. I feel like I was watching a movie. The soundtrack was amazing and it was well utilised to tell a story. It gave me goosebumps and my jaw was dropped onto the floor. I cannot process how awesome it was to tight this scene back to the MoL bunker! This will drive me crazy for months! MONTHS! Like.. the equipment just turned itself on, like Atlantis in Stargate! For a second, I thought it was going to fly away like a spaceship. 

I am not sure if the equipment was build to detect angel movement specifically, but the mass falling of angels was indeed a very powerful thing, perhaps it detected the energy reading. But why did the bunker equipment turned itself on? It was either energy related or angel related. Perhaps someone or something -- like a ghost or whatever -- was messing with the equipment and showing Kevin something. I can't process it right now! I can't process how important the MoL bunker will be in season nine. Come to think about it, there's still a lot of things we don't know about the bunkers. May be it's a mess grave for witches and vampires.. oh wait.. wrong show. Remember what the old man said about the bunker? Abaddon wanted it and he recommended Dean and Sam to just shut the door and leave it along! Why? Anyway, I really hope we will see more backstories. And I really hope this is a HQ or a home for Kevin and Cas in season nine too.

I think we have a few sightings in Australia!

For the first time since October, I am closing a review without a description of the next episode. What the hell am I going to do between now and September/ October? The good news -- we will have our season nine, we will welcome the arrival of Baby Ackles and we will have Comic Con.