Mark Watches ‘Supernatural’: S05E18 – Point of No Return

In the eighteenth episode of the fifth season of Supernatural, Dean becomes convinced that the only solution to stopping Lucifer is to give in to Zachariah. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Supernatural.

Trigger Warning: For discussion of suicide.

Hey, at least the reference in the title actually stands for something positive for once!

Drinking With Angels

Let’s start this off with my praise for that awesome cold open. Now that I know that this was Zachariah’s final episode, I do want to take some time to praise Kurt Fuller, who has given this role a life of its own. Fuller took Zachariah and gave him an unsettling sense of humor and a willingness to always cross the line of decency and cruelty. He went from being mysterious to downright antagonistic, and here, in the opening of “Point of No Return,” he’s just a delight to watch. Terrifying, certainly, but I’ll miss him.

One Last Shot

Until the later portion of this episode, I actually thought “Point of No Return” was a rather slow episode. And it should be, for the record. The moral struggle at the heart of this story needed the time it got, and I’m thankful for that. And lord, what a messy, sad, and heartbreaking ride this was. For the most part, the people in Dean’s life who still care about him (WHAT FEW ARE LEFT OH GOD EVERYONE IS DEAD) are determined to convince him not to consent to Michael. I think if Sam hadn’t tracked Dean down, none of this would have happened as it did. Dean would have already consented. But that act is important because it sets the tone for the remainder of this episode: Sam has unending faith in Dean.

The same goes for Bobby Singer, who gets ANOTHER soul-crushing scene in this episode. Like Sam, Bobby may be impractical in his devotion to Dean, but he’s sticking to it. He’s sticking to it despite thoughts of suicide for nearly the last year, and all because he promised not to let Dean down. And I know this episode is just overflowing with angst and dramatic staring and Misty-Eyed Boy Talk, but Sam? Bobby? Sam and Bobby??? Sam and Bobby constantly exhibiting their loyalty and faith in a man who has every single reason to give up and they know it and THEY DON’T CARE???

WHY AM I SUCH A MESS???

Adam

After “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid,” you’d think the characters in this show wouldn’t bring a recently resurrected person back to their house, but HERE YOU GO. Zachariah’s final plan is set in motion with the resurrection of Adam – impossibly so! – specifically so that Dean could be further manipulated. Initially, though, THINGS ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM. Because somehow, Adam is convinced that he is Michael’s vessel. It’s a perplexing situation because technically, Adam fits the profile. He’s John Winchester’s son, he’s in the right bloodline, and he’s ready to consent to Michael. So… whoops, Dean? Guess you’re not needed!

But is he? I wasn’t surprised that this was all meant to draw Dean to Zachariah through exploitation. By dropping another Winchester into the mix – particularly one that Dean and Sam couldn’t save – Zachariah correctly predicted that Dean would put family first. Sort of. Adam throws a wrench into everyone’s plans, not just Dean’s. Sam – bless his heart – tries so hard to reach both of his brothers throughout this episode with a number of tactics, none that seem to work. It’s fascinating to me how Dean and Adam are paralleled this way because they both are stubborn in their cynicism. Who can blame them? We know why Dean behaves as he does here. But Adam’s an interesting case because until he was brought back to life, he had no stake in this war. And yet? He immediately wants to accept Zachariah’s offer. His cynicism is rooted in the unfairness of his death, in the bitterness he holds for John Winchester, and in the desire to have anything more with the only person who ever showed him love and respect.

Faith

It’s important that Sam spends so much time believing the best of Dean and Adam because it’s the main reason that Dean’s rejection of Sam is so painful. It’s been coming for some time now, though I don’t want this to come off like I totally knew it was going to happen when it did. This is more hindsight than anything else. “The End” gave Dean a physical manifestation of this lack of faith, and despite that he tried as hard as he could to ignore it or move beyond it, he couldn’t escape it. And it’s so sad because it’s a one-way street! Sam clearly doesn’t feel the same way for Dean, but what can he do at this point? Dean just said the worst thing imaginable to him, and it’s an obvious indication that he’s beyond the point of saving.

See, I thought that was the point of no return the title referenced. Once Dean couldn’t believe in Sam anymore, he was Michael’s.

Castiel

But there’s another important character here who also believed in Dean, so much so that he pulled Dean out of Hell. And when Castiel catches Dean trying to throw this all away, he’s furious. Sam tries to reason with Dean and Adam, appealing to their logic or their emotions. Castiel? Yeah, he just kicks the shit out of Dean.

Well, that’s one way to deal with Dean.

The Green Room

Y’ALL. IT’S A LITERAL ROOM ON EARTH. IT’S NOT IN ANOTHER DIMENSION OR IN HEAVEN OR SOME BYWAY OR ANYTHING. IT IS IN AN ABANDONED MUFFLER FACTORY IN VAN NUYS. Oh my god, I know this isn’t that important in the grand scheme of things, but I adore this so much. SO MUCH.

Anyway, Zachariah is ridiculous in his final scenes, and I think that was intentional. At that point, he’d never been closer to getting Dean to consent, and he knew that he had it in the bag. He had manipulated Dean through Adam, Adam couldn’t defend himself, and worse than all of that, Dean had finally given up. The saddest part of this is that Zachariah wasn’t misreading Dean when he showed up to the Green Room. It was seriously going to happen. IT WAS VERY DISTRESSING TO WATCH. It’s not like this show wouldn’t go this far! HOW MANY TIMES HAVE THE MAIN CHARACTERS DIED. We’ve seen Sam as Lucifer in the future. THIS SHOW WILL CROSS THE LINE AND THEN LEAP OVER IT IF IT CAN. I’m not saying that the scene was tense and upsetting, because lord, it totally was. It’s just that… well, I believed it was happening. I thought that the remainder of this season would deal with it.

But then there’s that goddamn wink, and Dean changes his mind. God, what a fantastic moment. He goes from apathetic and hopeless to sassy Dean Winchester in like five seconds, taunting Zachariah before KILLING HIM HOLY SHIT. But what about Adam, y’all??? I’m assuming that this means that Adam is the vessel now. Technically? Or will the angels try something else?

I don’t know, y’all. While the end of this episode is a shocker, I think that Dean and Sam’s conversation post-escape is the biggest surprise of all. It’s hopeful. Unabashedly so! Dean’s apology to Sam is incredibly meaningful because Dean acknowledges what he did wrong: he refused to have faith in a brother who had the utmost faith in him. And he thankfully didn’t let that brother down. I’m so used to this season dumping me in a pile of emotions that I found the end to “Point of No Return” to be an excellent lead in to the final four episodes of this season. (How am I already at this???) The boys’ point of no return isn’t Dean consenting to Michael; it’s the validation of and commitment to Team Free Will.

Fuck destiny, y’all.

The video for “The Point of No Return” can be downloaded here for $0.99.

Mark Links Stuff

– If you would like to support this website and keep Mark Does Stuff running, I’ve put up a detailed post explaining how you can!
– Please check out the MarkDoesStuff.com. All Mark Watches videos for past shows/season are now archived there!
– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often. My next Double Feature will be Farscape.
– I will be at quite a few conventions and will be hosting events throughout the US, Canada, and Europe in 2014, so check my Tour Dates / Appearances page often to see if I’m coming to your city!
– Inspired by last year’s impromptu event in London, I am taking Mark in the Park on the road! You can see all currently planned dates and pitch your own city here.