Swan Song (Supernatural)

"Swan Song" is the fifth-season finale of The CW television series Supernatural. It is the 22nd episode of the fifth season, and is the show's 104th episode overall. Steve Boyum directed the episode with teleplay written by series creator Eric Kripke and story written by Eric Gewirtz. The episode aired on Thursday, May 13, 2010, and concluded the series' originally slated storyline.^[1] The narrative follows the series' protagonists Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles)—brothers who travel the continental United States hunting supernatural creatures—as they attempt to stop the Apocalypse.

Plot

Lucifer appears in a room with several demons and begins conversing with Sam's consciousness. He states that he can feel Sam trying to take control of his body, but that Sam should accept that he is enjoying it. Sam, portrayed in a broken mirror, angrily denies this but Lucifer claims he can see all of Sam's past and knows how he truly feels. Lucifer wants Dean to live and will bring back their parents when it's over. When Sam refuses to give in, Lucifer reveals the demons in the room are people from Sam's past dating back to his infancy, all part of Azazel's plan. He reminds Sam of their lifelong manipulation and tries to tempt him into getting revenge. Sam does not, so Lucifer brutally murders the demons.

Distraught about their plan's failure and desperate to stop Lucifer, Dean regroups with Bobby (Jim Beaver) and Castiel (Misha Collins) who tell him that there is nothing more they can do. Castiel explains that Michael and Lucifer will engage in an apocalyptic battle. Dean can't accept this and contacts Chuck Shurley to learn the location of the battle. Castiel warns Dean that if he goes to the battle he will witness Michael kill Sam, but Dean counters that he won't let his brother die alone.

Lucifer is seen standing in the cemetery when Michael, possessing

The story begins with a scene from an automotive plant. Chuck explains that on April 21, 1967, an automotive plant in Janesville produced their millionth GM vehicle, a blue two door caprice. The caprice prompted celebrations, including a visit from the lieutenant governor. Three days later, the same production line made another car, the 1967 Chevrolet Impala that eventually was passed down to Dean. Chuck states while typing on his computer, "No one gave two craps about her. But they should have" and that it would "turn out to be the most important object in pretty much the whole universe."

The next scene shows a man named Sal Moriarty purchasing the car brand new, for $3999.00 . Chuck describes Moriarty as "an alcoholic with two ex-wives and three blocked arteries", who would drive it on weekends and give bibles to poor people.

When Sal died, the Impala was put up for sale at Rainbow Motors in Lawrence. Chuck said "A young marine (John Winchester) bought her on impulse, after advice from a friend." The scene shows Dean (sent back in time) talking his dad into buying the car in a previous episode ("In the Beginning"). The Impala is priced at $2204.00 in the scene.

Later in the episode, the story picks up again with Chuck explaining the Impala is like any other car, except that it has features other cars don't have. The scene shows Sam and Dean opening their weapons cache in the trunk. Chuck notes those details aren't important. He goes on to explain that what makes the car uniquely theirs is the life Sam and Dean shared in the car.

Clips of their childhood in the car play while Chuck narrates. The clips show a young Sam cramming an army man into the ashtray on the back driverside door, then Dean shoving legos into the vents, which can still be heard rattling when the heat turns on. Next, the boys are carving their initials into the floorboard. (Seeing the army man later in the episode triggers Sam to take back control of his body from Lucifer.)

The scene then cuts to a clip from an early episode when the Impala was totaled in a semi wreck that almost killed Dean ("Devil's Trap"). Chuck continues to narrate, stating that when Dean completely rebuilt it, he made sure to keep those details, because "it's the blemishes that make her beautiful" ("Everybody Loves a Clown").

In the third segment, Chuck talks about Sam and Dean's life on the road outside of hunting jobs, doing whatever they wanted. The scenes briefly show Chuck's examples: They earn money through odd jobs and hustling; They drive thousands of miles to attend events like concerts or sports; Sometimes they park the Impala, sit on the hood, and stargaze for hours in silence.

The story concludes with a scene where Sam and Dean are sleeping in the Impala, and Chuck saying that "sure, maybe they never really had a roof and four walls, but they were never, in fact, homeless."

Production

Showrunner and series creator

The staff knew of the series' renewal well in advance, allowing Kripke to write the episode without the possibility of cancellation on his mind.[9] Because of the nature of the conversation between Michael and Lucifer in the beginning of the episode's climax, Kripke intentionally gave the scene a "certain kind of quirk" to make it seem less "heavy." For example, Dean turns on "Rock of Ages," a Def Leppard song, before interrupting their meeting, and Castiel's last words involve "calling somebody ass-butt."^[10] However, Kripke did not originally intend for Castiel to die, and instead had Lucifer knock him unconscious against a tree.^[11] After realizing the anger that Lucifer would have against Castiel for his attack on Michael, though, Kripke chose to kill him. Bobby's death, according to Kripke, was included to "make this feel like it's got weight." The writers of the series have a tendency to kill off the characters, so Beaver "wasn't shocked" that his character was finally killed. At the same time, he "wasn't surprised or relieved" at Bobby's resurrection because he felt the producers would not remove the character from the series.^[12]

In this episode, Stull Cemetery, Kansas, is the site of the final confrontation between Lucifer and Michael.^[3] According to an apocryphal local legend, it is said that the cemetery—which is located about 30 miles west of Lawrence, KS—is possessed by demonic forces.^[2][3] In a 2006 interview, Kripke revealed that he had made the Winchesters be from Lawrence because of the city's closeness to Stull.^[13] The scene featuring the characters in Stull was filmed over three days in Vancouver.^[14]

The title of the episode refers to both the phrase "swan song," meaning a final act or gesture before death, and the record company founded by rock band Led Zeppelin in 1974.

Reception

Prophet or God

Although Kripke announced at

TV Guide's Tina Charles said that "no matter how [the episode] turns out," he will "just feel significant." She also hoped that Mark Pellegrino would get more scenes in the episode, and praised Jared Padalecki for his acting by saying that he "has gotten better at playing Satan."[21] IGN's Diana Steenbergen, who gave the episode a 9, said that the episode served better as a season finale rather than a series ending, and that the episode could have more actions like the previous ones. She also said that even though Mark Pellegrino was great as Lucifer, Jared did "an admirable job playing both Lucifer and Sam."^[22] The episode ranked #22 in the Futon Critic's Best Episodes of 2010, being the highest for any series on the CW.^[23] It was ranked as the show's best episode by both Entertainment Weekly and IGN.^[24][25]

References

External links

• "Swan Song" at
  IMDb