‘Supernatural’ Recap: ‘Inherit the Earth’

11/19/2020

Written by Juanita ‘Obi-Juan’ Bonner

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the penultimate episode of ‘Supernatural’. Also, to revisit Episode 1518, ‘Despair,’ click here.

With dual writers Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Leming on board, 15.19: ‘Inherit the Earth’, gives us tons of satisfying scenes, a few returning characters and some well-deserved just desserts while still leaving a handful of questions unanswered. Which is exactly what a penultimate episode is supposed to do, am I right!?! Wanting to take an analogous approach to Meredith Glynn’s writing style and my tribute recap of her work in 15.17: ‘Unity’, I thought I would discuss this second to last episode in a similar fashion. This time with four titles – each addressing what I feel are important areas for the Supernaturalverse as a whole. So… before you can say “Death Starter Kit” (LOL!!), let’s dive in, shall we?

God and His Sons

Diving right in to the climax and the final fall of our Biggest Bad, I have to say seeing Chuck (Rob Benedict) being forced to live, virtually as a human no less, is undeniably flawless. I mean. For months I’ve been trying to decide how he would be defeated while still allowing balance in the Supernaturalverse and to see him basically helpless is better than death. His enormous ego reduced to that of a mere mortal makes all the rest - saving people, hunting things - SOOOO worth it!! Especially after he preys on our boys with his “I’m cancelling your show” humor!! The dog Miracle is a particularly fierce “DAMMIT CHUCK” moment too, am I right!?!

And speaking of egos. His children!! His self-centered, constantly striving for daddy’s approval, offspring definitely do not disappoint. First up… Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino) and his delicious humor! An absolute joy to see one last time, Mark and his portrayal of the devious Prince of Darkness, has always been one of my favorites. Right down to his Castiel (Misha Collins) fake-out intro, the little Devil (*wink*) brings his A-game from the get. I also loved Betty the Reaper and short lived (LOL!) new Death (Kimberly Sustad) who previously played Amanda Willer several years ago in 7.11: ‘Adventures in Babysitting’. Yay for more past actor cameos!

As for Michael (Jake Abel), even though I expected to see him again, the twist that he’s STILL seeking Daddy’s approval, just like his brother, makes complete sense. With Adam, the fallen Winchester, blinked out of existence like all the rest of the world, Michael pretending to want revenge for everything his father put him through fits right in with the ‘turnabout is fair play’ theme. Abel is spectacular! Most notably, him bickering with (LOL), and ultimately killing Lucifer (WOW!). Absolute perfection!! Oh, and I can’t forget to mention, upon learning of his half-brother’s end, Dean (Jensen Ackles) saying poor Adam can never catch a break, speaks directly to the fans and memes the world over, am I right (LOL!!)? Overall, it’s quite clear that God and his children constantly forgo the importance of The Family Business for selfish ego strokes and power (insert eyeroll here!). But not our boys.

The Winchesters

Watching the boys’ despair with things like Sam (Jared Padalecki) blaming himself, Jack (Alexander Calvert) even more mopey than usual and Dean a hung-over mess, succinctly adds to the beauty of the final reveal. Not to mention Sam and Dean initially surrendering to Chuck only to have him deny their plight in his typical me, me, me fashion, gives us all the hopeless feels! Therefore, seeing the tables turned, placing Chuck on the receiving end of his own wrath: “Eternal shame. Suffering. And loneliness” – was EPIC!! A real “page turner,” FOR SURE!! Right down to Chuck trying to spin his fated death as glorious at the hands of the Winchesters’, in effect, becoming the HAHA moment I didn’t even know I wanted. Nay… NEEDED!! I spit out a mixed combination of relief and laughter as Dean says: “It’s the ending where you grow old. You get sick. And you just die.” Followed by Sam: “And no one cares. And no one remembers you. You’re just. Forgotten.” F&%K YEAH!!! As they turn to walk away, Chuck never seems to know when to shut up (LOL!) as he pleads with them to wait. Seeing the Impala kicking dust and dirt in Chuck’s face while he’s begging and trying to scramble to his feet, only to fall despondent and crying is… SO OMC SATISFYING!!!

I truly felt that every scene spoke to the essence of the show. And by defying Chuck until the very end, Sam and Dean do exactly what the fans expected, though in a new and surprising way. THEY WIN!! And boy did I LOVE IT!! Looking at the span of the entire series, it’s always been this way. It’s why THIS Sam and Dean have always been Chuck’s favorites. OURS, TOO!! It’s also why Chuck’s grand design to give his creations free will turns out to be his undoing. And particularly, why the Winchesters’ never gave up. Because, coming full circle, it’s who they are – to their core!! Not only did they see Michael’s betrayal coming a mile away (NICE!!), they used it coupled with God’s own ego to their advantage. Our boys even anticipated and benefited from the physical beat down (OUCH!!) they knew Chuck wouldn’t resist. Talk about a painful distraction… LOL!! And to keep getting back up when Chuck tells them multiple times to stay down is some good old fashioned Winchester magic to say the least! Stronger than any of Chuck’s punches, that’s for sure!! KAPOW! Serving up the diabolically dual purpose of sidetracking, not only Chuck, but US, from what was to come… JACK!!

Jack Kline

I think it’s safe to say that most, if not all of us, never truly wanted Jack to die, no? But after his return from The Empty (Rachael Miner), his place in the final story seemed murky. Portrayed as seemingly powerless, or at the very least, quite confused about his own strength, turns out, Jack was actually absorbing energy the whole time. WHOA!! I loved this take for so many reasons! Namely, because it shows that our boys TRULY needed Jack to prove that God doesn’t control the entire narrative. Adding another full circle moment: “Family don’t end with blood.” NICE!! And, parallel to Chuck not being able to read his own Death Book, the whole Jack storyline shows that Team Free Will still has the power to change the story. And change it they do!! Not only does Jack reduce Chuck to a mere man (HECK YA!!) but, he uses all of God’s absorbed power to restore Earth’s missing inhabitants, too (WHEW!). But before all that, his strength is cleverly used to throw us off the trail. Because, as Jack causes plants to die in his despair, the audience is led to believe, that regardless of his warm soul, Jack may still end up going Dark Side after all. Revealed later that Sam and Dean picked up on Jack’s power absorption early on makes the whole thing tricky for all the right reasons!! Not to mention, beautifully executed as well. And my personal favorites come in the end! Jack creates a harmonious balance with Amara (Emily Swallow), which is EXACTLY what she ALWAYS wanted in the first place, basically wrapping up the cosmic balance arc with a warm fuzzy bow, am I right? And looking outward, as if speaking to both the real world AND the series ending, Jack, having pretty much become the new God, gives a fantastic speech about being a part of everyone and everything. **CALM SIGH**He goes further to explain that Chuck’s mistake was putting himself in the story. Taking a more hands-off approach, Jack says he learned from Sam, Dean, his mother and Castiel that: “When people have to be their best, they can be.” AWWW!! The whole scene is moving from start to finish. Including seeing Miracle again. **BIG GRIN** And now… CHUCK IS FINALLY GONE!! But what about Cas?

Castiel

Presumably still in The Empty, our beloved Castiel was only mentioned in passing. I was left scratching my head as to why Dean barely discussed his sacrifice with Sam and Jack. You? And though it made perfect sense that Chuck would deny Dean’s demands to bring Cas back. Why didn’t Jack? Then, there’s the absolute bombshell of making #Destiel Canon without actually confirming anything on screen. Though Misha did acknowledge Cas’s pre-sacrifice confession was that of actual, not brotherly, love for Dean, I for one am still wondering how this would work should Castiel be restored. I mean. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the fact the writers pay such tribute to the decade long fanfic ship of Dean and Cas. However, I want Cas to survive!! And for me, 15 years of Dean’s character as a COMPLETELY straight man, with only one episode to go, would make for too much unexplored awkwardness, no? While I’ve seen plenty of posts and arguments to the contrary, simply saying Dean could be gay, or even bisexual, just doesn’t hold up. Maybe… and this is a BIG MAYBE… if the series spent time building towards this, I could see it. Additionally, many have argued that passing glances and unspoken moments between the two, are examples of a relationship. However, I will always maintain that this, at the very least, is a bromance with Cas experiencing deeper, yet unrequited, love for Dean. Regardless, as it stands, even with murmurs of spin-offs or future episodes, we’re at the end and I just can’t see it. One can only hope the final episode in the series will bring closure on Castiel’s journey, including the controversial Destiel ship, because we certainly didn’t see any here. **FROWNY FACE** I know I’m not the only one that feels Castiel’s 10-year arc shouldn’t end this way, right??

Completing the episode with a 15 year compilation of memorable moments and characters topped off with a final symbolized “We got work to do,” closing of the trunk felt truly like the end of the series. It seems they just about covered all their bases. Though, I definitely didn’t see Cain (Tim Omundson) in the mix! Nor the forgotten Cambion Jesse Turner (Gattlin Griffith). Hmmm??? With only one more episode left, what predictions or questions do you have? Where’s Eileen (Shoshanna Stern) and the rest of our beloved hunters, both Earth and Apocalypse world alike? What about Heaven, Hell, The Empty and everything in between? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or reach out to me @obi_juanita on Twitter and for one last time… GO TEAM FREE WILL!

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