Whether this was the series finale or just a season finale, it was a fitting end to the storyline and gave us the explanations were were craving. Dean, be assured that in some world your parents had a chance to choose their own destiny because of you.
Note: This recap may contain spoilers!
Kicking off the episode, we see the scene at the Detroit bus station back in 1972. John is stateside to bury a friend, but he’s lost himself. He doesn’t know where to go or who he is, and spends the entire day at the bus station contemplating that. And then Dean shows up, handing him the letter that’s been a constant throughout the season, and giving John a destination. He is headed to Lawrence, Kansas.
It was such a happy sight to see not only Dean, but Bobby watching the scene unfold from afar. It seems like Dean’s not yet embraced the peace part of his Heaven. Instead, here he is interfering in matters he shouldn’t be. But, like the good adoptive father he is, Bobby supports the journey. Dean is supposed to keep an eye on things unfolding for John and Mary while Bobby goes to retrieve the cavalry. One last hunt.
Back in the present, Samuel’s back. He’s found the KSU admission letter, but Mary still hasn’t decided what’s next for her. There’s no time to dwell on that anyway because they have a lead on the case and Dean’s location. He’s not of this earth and can take out the Akrida queen, if they can just find him. And Ada finally reveals the full story on the crystal. It will only work once and will require a piece of her soul. Heavy sacrifices to make to save the world.
Following Samuel’s lead, John and Mary join him at a bar to talk to a hunter, Joan Hopkins. She knows of Dean since he was digging around about the Akrida. But she’s not on their side, since she tossed Dean and the Impala into a portal and has deemed him dead. Makes sense since she’s actually the Akrida queen and creating a distraction so her minions can take over the clubhouse to help her advance her plan of destruction.
Samuel leaves to look for the portal while the team does research elsewhere. Well, all but Lata who is still in the clubhouse when Joan arrives. They face off and Joan tells her history of loss. She was a hunter from 1673 and decided monsters weren’t the problem, it was mankind. She has become the Akrida leader by giving them a purpose to their total annihilation of all worlds. Too bad Lata isn’t strong enough to defeat her. Instead, Lata is possessed and helps Joan burn the Men of Letters symbol throughout the clubhouse to reverse the Akrida’s banishment. When the gang arrives, they confront Lata and Ada is finally pushed to use the crystal and a piece of her soul to free their friend.
Back to the plan! Carlos believes that the Ostium can bring Dean through the portal if they feed it his journal at midnight. Until then, they need to keep the Akrida at bay. But it’s not going to be a full-out effort. Instead, the team is split. John, Carlos, and Samuel head out to confront Joan while Mary stays behind with Millie, Ada, and Lata. It all comes together so gloriously that I was cheering for the latter half of the episode.
The women do the spell to try and bring Dean back, but all that shows up is Baby. Hey, I am all for seeing the Impala again and I am especially pleased to hear her running. I didn’t know how much I missed that sound until I heard it again. And she’s going to play a key role in the plan, with Mary deciding to take the Impala and run Joan over. Detroit steel makes a fine weapon.
Things get tricky during the play-through, but it all works out in the end. Mary runs at Joan, who opens a portal. Mary drives through, taking Joan with her. Then the portal opens again with the Impala screeching to a halt. Dean is in the driver’s seat and Mary in the passenger seat. And then Dean gets to tell his story, though he leaves a few identifying items out.
Dean tells them he’s already dead, taking a detour from Heaven. He’s a hunter, just like them, and he’s been looking for his family. Or more like looking out for them, wanting to give them a happy ending in at least one of the universes Chuck created. This is what he was doing during the long finale drive, waiting for Sam to join him.
Dean’s story is closed out when Jack and Bobby show up to take Dean home. Jack admonishes Dean for interfering, but wants Dean to finish what he started. He goes back to the group and gives Mary and John his journal. If they’re going to stay in the game, it will help them out. And he warns Mary about the Yellow-Eyed Demon before giving her the Colt. Before he leaves, John wants to know his name, and Dean gives the alias of James Hetfield. Then Baby, Dean, Bobby, and Jack disappear. Dean can return to Heaven and enjoy eternity with his brother now.
Closing out the episode, we get hope for the future. Lata is going to help Ada restore her soul. Samuel’s off on another hunt. And John promises to face his anger. Mary says, when she went through the portal, she saw every possible version of herself. But now she wants to make her own future. That includes going to college it seems. And she’s not going to go alone. She shows up at the garage later and wants John to come with her. He can hunt in the evenings while Mary goes to class during the day. Best of both worlds. They ride off together, happy ending for now!
Rating: 5 / 5 Stars
