by Sarah James WARNING: This review may contain spoilers for all previous episodes of Supernatural.
We know hunting isn’t just about killing. It’s about doing what’s right, even when it’s hard. So we go by our gut; we play by our own rules, and that scares them.After a crazy and eventful season, we’ve finally arrived at the end of the ride. When we last saw Sam and Dean, they had learned of their mother’s brainwashing and Ketch trapped the brothers along with Lady Bevell in the bunker. Crowley is presumed to be dead; Castiel and Kelly Kline are in the wind; and Lucifer has escaped Hell to find his son. What a perfect lead up to a two-part season finale. The first episode, “Who We Are”, tackles the growing conflict between the British Men of Letters and the Winchesters. This climactic battle between the American hunters and their British counterparts is full of intense and well-executed action sequences and plenty of tear-jerking moments. There are multiple callbacks to early episodes, such as Dean’s desire to use the grenade launcher that’s been sitting in the back of the Impala since Season One. Sam has an amazing moment when giving a speech to a group of hunters, and Dean shares an insanely emotional scene with his mother. This episode does a fantastic job of wrapping up one of the biggest conflicts from this past season while also expertly setting up the final showdown between the Winchesters and Lucifer. Which brings us to “All Along the Watchtower.” First of all, every time “Carry On Wayward Son” plays at the beginning of a season finale, I never fail to get a little teary eyed. I know I’ve said this before, but it has been so great to have Mark Pellegrino back as Lucifer for this season. He set the bar for this character back in Season Five, and he surpassed himself in this final episode. His performance has stood out throughout the whole season, but this episode in particular is outstanding. We see a fan favorite character from the past make a brief appearance, which is amazing, and even have an awesome reference to one of the greatest episodes of this show, “The French Mistake.” As with every Supernatural finale, plenty of characters die in this episode, some more loved than others. No season finale is complete without multiple moments to make you cry, and this finale is no exception. Sam and Dean have been through a lot over this past season, and it is going to be very interesting to see where next season takes them. Overall, I’m really glad they split this finale into two parts and gave each of these stories the time they needed to be resolved. Past season finales have felt rushed, but these two episodes were able to take their time and balance the fast-paced action with the slower emotional moments wonderfully. These two episodes wrapped up the entire season in a way that was entertaining for the casual viewer and incredibly satisfying for long-time fans. With plenty of references to earlier seasons and episodes and moments that made me tear up, “Who We Are” and “All Along the Watchtower” were a fantastic end to an amazing season. Here’s to Season Thirteen.Sam Winchester
