Supernatural Recap: “Brother’s Keeper”

I find it absolutely amazing that something can keep me captivated and entertained for 11 years. Supernatural finished off a strong Season 10 by proving just that. Of course over 10 seasons, the show has had its major ups (Season 5) and its major downs (Season 7), but Season 10 really showed that by staying consistent and true to the characters, it performs well.

My grand takeaway from “Brother’s Keeper” is that Supernatural knows if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. They know exactly what their fans want to see. And that is the brothers beating all of the odds because of their love for one another. All season we’ve seen Dean take turn after turn for the worst. He did so many things, while both demon and human, that made us question if he’s even the same Dean anymore. We saw this in last week’s episode when he was one inch away from killing Castiel, and again during the finale, when he had no remorse or empathy while taking down the vamps’ nest. 

But then Dean does things like serve Death hot tamales on a platter, and act nervous that he didn’t please him with the Mexican spread. A classic, adorable moment that is so Dean.

(Side note, where did Dean get that food? We know that restaurant was abandoned when Dean found it. Did he go in the back and cook it himself? Or did he run to a Taco Bell and pretend the food was authentic? These are the things I think about while Death is staring my favorite character in the face.)

Anyway, back to the point, Sammy hit the nail right on the head, and consequently, right in my feels. While there are plenty of times Dean does questionable things, he is so very GOOD inside, through to his soul. And I love the character development with Sam’s view of himself as well. He’s finally come peace with who he is and what he has done, and he truly considers himself good as well. I don’t know about anyone else, but when Dean and Sam exchanged blows, which ended with Dean standing over Sam about to deliver the final blow, all I thought was wow, this is like a literal reversal of “Swan Song.” And that made me very happy.

Sam willing to die so Dean could go someplace he can’t hurt anyone is probably the most selfless thing he’s ever done for his brother. Now before anyone says “um excuse me he jumped into a hole with Lucifer,” let’s remember something. Sure he did it so that he could save his brother along with the rest of the planet, but Sam ultimately did that because he felt he needed to make up for trusting Ruby and letting Lucifer out in the first place.  However this time he willingly knelt in front of Dean, giving up his other plans of saving him because this is what his brother wanted and NEEDED. 

And staying true to the Dean we have known for a decade, he killed Death rather than sacrificing his baby brother. I have to say, ever since he was first introduced in Season 5, I always thought Death was the one smart enough not to underestimate the Winchesters and their penchant for saving each other regardless of the consequences. I guess in this case I was wrong.

I still wasn’t completely sold on the Crowley/Rowena storyline this season. After Dean was human again and left their buddy adventure, the King of Hell turned into a mope, pining over his lost best bud. And then Rowena came along and made him even more sensitive. But that storyline progressed throughout the season as well. And I’m happy that it ended up tying into the main storyline with the boys as well. I had this similar problem with the Castiel and Claire storyline, and I still don’t find the end of the arc very satisfying, but perhaps seeing Claire down the line again as a mini-hunter could be interesting.

I actually found myself laughing at the end of the episode. Not because of something being funny, but because I thought back to the first couple of seasons, where I would have to mentally prepare myself to be sobbing for a full hour and then lamenting over having to wait the entire summer for it to pick back up. I would like to think these emotions have changed because I have matured as a person. Having now watched 10 Supernatural season finales, of course I first can’t handle how amazing the brothers’ relationship is, then I think everything will be ok, but then realize there’s only 5 minutes left in the episode, and then oh crap something crazy is about to ensue. 

And I have learned over the years that yes, what does ensue is bat shit crazy, but in the end it will never be a match for the Winchesters. To quote sarcastic Season 5 Dean, the Winchesters will save the world, once again, with “the power of love.” Because even if Adam (see I still remember you dude!) didn’t believe it, that’s actually what has always worked.

Until Season 11, SPN Family!