{"id":3848,"date":"2014-08-06T13:00:25","date_gmt":"2014-08-06T20:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=3848"},"modified":"2014-07-02T19:14:41","modified_gmt":"2014-07-03T02:14:41","slug":"mark-watches-supernatural-s05e16-dark-side-of-the-moon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2014\/08\/mark-watches-supernatural-s05e16-dark-side-of-the-moon\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Supernatural’: S05E16 – Dark Side of the Moon"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the sixteenth episode of the fifth season of\u00c2\u00a0Supernatural<\/em>, YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME. HOW DO YOU MAKE\u00c2\u00a0THIS<\/em> SAD? Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Supernatural<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Let the record state that this show found a way to make\u00c2\u00a0going to Heaven<\/em> a heart-wrenching tale. I mean, I expected it! It seems that season five’s greater storyline is to constantly remind the Winchesters and everyone else in their life that the end is near, they’re all gonna die, and there is no hope left.\u00c2\u00a0That’s it<\/em>. This shit is increasingly bleak, y’all! AND SO MUCH GOOD WORLDBUILDING.<\/p>\n

Death<\/strong><\/p>\n

At this point, I should really just accept that I’m watching a show that kills off its main characters often. I should just accept it. Granted, Sam died\u00c2\u00a0really<\/em> early in “Dark Side of the Moon,” so give me that much credit. IT WAS SO QUICK. And then Dean was dead and THIS IS THE FIRST THREE MINUTES OF THIS EPISODE.<\/p>\n

Heaven<\/strong><\/p>\n

Admittedly, I wasn’t\u00c2\u00a0that<\/em> worried about what had happened to the Winchesters in the cold open because they’re vessels. At the very least, Dean will be immediately resurrected by Zachariah, and given that the angels want their holy showdown with Lucifer, I figured that Sam would be sent back to the mortal world, too. One of the things I came to love about this episode was how the writers ditched the common format of throwing us into an absurd situation and then spending half the episode confusing us. No, after a particularly stunning sequence involving Dean and Young Sam, we find out exactly where Dean and Sam are: Heaven. Literally. Like, it’s not a trick! And they weren’t sent there as part of some manipulative endgame by the angels or demons. They died AND WENT TO HEAVEN. It’s with this that the writers take the concept of heaven and give it a thorough examination through the lens of the\u00c2\u00a0Supernatural\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>mythology.<\/p>\n

AND I LOVE IT. I LOVE IT SO MUCH.<\/p>\n

Prior to finding your own personal heaven, souls essentially revisit their greatest hits, as Dean puts it so succinctly. What I found so fascinating about this is that so many of these happy moments were remarkably subtle. They weren’t graduations or proms. They didn’t feel like traditional markers of happiness. They just had to contain a moment of pure joy, even if what surrounded them was sadness. Dean experiences a particular Fourth of July with his brother; Sam relives a Thanskgiving dinner with a crushes’s family! And as they cycle through these memories, we see how even in some of the darkest moments, there was happiness. Despite that Dean witnessed a depressing conversation between his mother and John, his happiness came from hugging his mother and comforting her. (DESTROY ME RIGHT NOW, OH MY GOD.) And even if it was short-lived, Sam found happiness in escaping his family.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, one of the things that’s eventually exploited by Zachariah is rooted in these memories. I really do think this exploitation is intentional, too, and I would be willing to bet that\u00c2\u00a0this<\/em> time, the memories that Dean and Sam witness together was planned. HOLD ON, I WILL EXPLAIN. I think it’s extremely telling that all of Sam’s memories are of him alone or without his family, and it’s too much of a coincidence for me. If we accept that Zachariah’s endgame (at least before Joshua interrupts him) was to wear down Dean to the point that he consented to being Michael’s vessel, wouldn’t this be the\u00c2\u00a0perfect<\/em> way to do it?<\/p>\n

I suppose this might be my way of explaining Dean’s behavior in a way that shifts the blame away from him, because honestly? I felt\u00c2\u00a0super<\/em> uncomfortable watching him rip into Sam. Sam can’t help that he found joy in escaping his father! I don’t think it is at all fair for Dean to judge Sam as harshly as he does here. I understand it, and I understand that this exacerbated the trust issues with Sam that he’s been working on throughout this season. Which is why I think it makes sense that Zachariah has given up on trying to convince Dean to be a vessel. He’s just going to force him to consent, which… is not really consent, of course, but the angels are jerks. They’re horrible, and they’re selfish. They’ll do what they need to in order to get what they want. Isn’t that the whole point of the agonizing scene between Mary and Dean prior to Joshua’s appearance?<\/p>\n

Anyway, LET’S TALK ABOUT HEAVEN SOME MORE. Out of nowhere, right as Zachariah is close to nabbing Dean and Sam out of Heaven, a masked intruder arrives to rescue them!\u00c2\u00a0AND IT’S ASH. OH MY GOD THIS IS THE BEST CAMEO I COULD HAVE EVER ASKED FOR<\/strong>. And it gets better! I just love that they’ve brought him back for\u00c2\u00a0this<\/em> episode, and I love that he’s the one spouting exposition about how heaven is organized, and I love that he’s just got a casual friendship with MOTHERFUCKING PAMELA BARNES, MY GODDESS. Oh my god, every detail here is just the best thing I’ve seen on this show. Multiverse heavens, all catered to each specific person, except SOUL MATES, who are allowed to share a heaven. And Ash has a way to SPY ON\u00c2\u00a0THE ANGELS. Fluent in Enochian!!! Ash has the best Heaven, there is no question, I swear.<\/p>\n

I’m so excited about all this because I know that I’m now going to have to address all the sadness. Like Dean and Sam informing Ash about Ellen and Jo. (STILL MAD.) (I say that like it’s been ages, but I literally watched it less than 24 hours before I’m writing this review, LOL.) But let’s get to the realest shit yet.<\/p>\n

Joshua<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like I mentioned before, I don’t think\u00c2\u00a0Supernatural<\/em> has ever felt so bleak. After finally finding Joshua, Joshua reveals… well, a lot. It\u00c2\u00a0was<\/em> God who put the Winchesters on that plane in “Sympathy for the Devil” and resurrected Castiel. God also granted them both salvation, allowing them into Heaven…\u00c2\u00a0and that’s it<\/em>. For some reason unknown to us, God is done. He has no interest in helping Castiel or the Winchesters or\u00c2\u00a0anyone<\/em>. He’s just going to hang out on Earth and let the apocalypse happen.<\/p>\n

Of course, it’s a devastating sequence because of the implications it has for Dean. “Dark Side of the Moon” calls back to Dean’s plea at the end of “My Bloody Valentine,” and it answers him. God has said\u00c2\u00a0no<\/em>. It’s a statement of apathy, sure, and it later devastates Castiel as well. But for someone like Dean, who has been disappointed and abandoned so many times, it feels like the last straw. I mean, HE THROWS AWAY THE SAMULET. Has he given up on Sam, too? On himself? On saving the world? It’s so distressing to me! And there are deliberate parallels drawn between Joshua, God, Dean, and Castiel. All of them are\u00c2\u00a0alone<\/em>. Joshua says he empathizes with God as a gardener, but they all have loneliness in common, too.<\/p>\n

I just… shit, y’all. It’s like Zachariah didn’t even need to\u00c2\u00a0do<\/em> anything to push Dean in this direction. I’M REALLY UPSET.<\/p>\n

The video for “Dark Side of the Moon” can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– 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!<\/span><\/a>
\n– Please check out the MarkDoesStuff.com<\/span><\/a>. All Mark Watches videos for past shows\/season are now archived there!
\n– My Master Schedule<\/span><\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Feature will be Farscape<\/i>. <\/b><\/span>
\n– 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<\/span><\/a> often to see if I’m coming to your city!
\n– 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<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"