Supernatural - "The Rapture"

[kitsu84]

After watching this incredible episode, I felt like crawling into a fetal position, and just crying myself to sleep.

How is it possible for a television series to affect me so? Is it the amazing performances from the actors? My emotional attachment to it? What is it, exactly, that causes my heart to feel as if it's been crushed once an episode has concluded?

_________________________

Here we have a man by the name of Jimmy Novak. He's nothing special; just a normal family man with a perfectly drab job. At least that's what he thinks. As it turns out, Jimmy is special - he's a chosen vessel for the angels of God. What makes him special, I do not yet know. All I know is that it's something in his blood.

Then there's Castiel; an angel of the Lord who's slowly being corrupted by his human charge. With one word, one plea - Dean's able to get Castiel to do just about anything for him. In fact, Dean means so much to Castiel, that Castiel's willing to go against Heaven itself to relay an important message to him. Unfortunately, Cas is pulled out of his human host kicking and screaming; pulled back to Heaven to suffer his punishment for going against his superiors.

♠ Dean

I had a hard time getting a read on Dean tonight. He was clearly confused and worried about Castiel, but he also wanted to protect Jimmy; wanted to send him back to his human family where he belonged.

There were a couple of things that I found rather interesting, though:

1. The look Dean gave Jimmy when he hugged his wife. I found it rather odd. Was he jealous?
2. His expression when Jimmy was shot. He looked as if his entire world had come crashing down.
3. The hurt on his face when Castiel said that he 'didn't serve him'. It BROKE me...

♠ Sam

Sam. Sam, Sam, Sam... I want to be angry with him, but I just can't bring myself to do it. I know what it's like to live with someone who's THAT addicted to something; I know all too well how they're able to do ANYTHING to get it. He has my sympathies...

♠ Jimmy

I'm not sure what I think about Jimmy. I feel sorry for him, yes, but the brothers tried to warn him; tried to tell him that demons would be after him, and his family if he were to return to them. And yet, he did it anyway. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was a Winchester just from his stubbornness alone. Still, he gave up everything to protect his daughter; to shield her from being a vessel for the angels.

♠ Castiel

Oh, Cas... What was it exactly that he wanted to tell Dean? Was it something to do with the apocalypse? Chuck's vision? Or was it more personal? YOU'RE KILLING ME HERE, KRIPKEEPER!

Also, the final scene between him and Dean... Oh my god, I literally grabbed my chest. That was so very, very harsh. Just what, exactly, did they do to him in Heaven and why? Was he dangerously close to falling, and his angel brothers were forced to step-in? Did he say what he did to deliberately push Dean away from him? I MUST KNOW. Or else my head's going to explode...

KITSU'S FINAL GRADE: A+

Comments

[creativeelf.livejournal.com]

I think Cas doesn't want to push Dean away but he must :( UGH That scene was sooo harsh! All I can say about this episode...DAMN YOU KRIPKE!!

Love your review as always tough bb! :) I look forward to it every week. I just can't believe Dean SAW Sammy drink blood!

[brittwinchester.livejournal.com]

It affects me the same damn way. It hurts!

Was he jealous?
I wasn't thinking jealous. More like he knows Jimmy can't have that because of what happened. Like he wants him and his family together but that can't happen.

DEAN ♥ always will have my heart.
SAM. Is scaring me. I don't know anymore :(

THEY NEED TO BE TOGETHER. It's killing me.

Heaven's prob pissed cause Cas was getting to close. Too emotional.

KRIPKE YOU MAGNIFICENT BASTARD

[x5649.livejournal.com]

OMG! I totally agree... about EVERYTHING! I was actually crying during some parts of this episode... because of MISHA! not Jensen.... that was weird.

1. The look Dean gave Jimmy when he hugged his wife. I found it rather odd. Was he jealous?
The shipper in me wants to say he was jealous. And part of me really does think he was jealous but on a different level. I think Dean was more guilty. He saw Jimmy with a family, something that Dean has always wanted. And Sam and Dean were forcing Jimmy to leave his family. I think Dean felt more guilty than anything... but that's just me... and part of him I think was jealous of the fact that Jimmy did have a "normal" family at one point... but mostly I think it was guilt.

[raphaellover.livejournal.com]

Dean 1, 2, and 3 EXACTLY!!!

I, too, wondered why the frick they'd deliberately show Dean watching that moment between Jimmy and his wife. It seemed very much like Castiel watching the Dean/Anna kiss... hard to place beyond slashdom. I mean, I tried to give it a generic "he wants to save Jimmy but can't"... the softer side of Dean we've been getting as Sammy goes further and further dark... but, it still seemed weird in the gen. Slash-goggles made it much more deliberate and well-placed.

Which leads into 2... again, it was Dean they panned to when Jimmy got shot, Dean who look like he lost his world. We don't get Sam's reaction (or do we?! I don't recall it).

And 3, the emphasis on serving Dean. I don't think Dean ever even meant to have it perceived that way. Did he ask for Cas to serve him? Not quite. It's sort of implied, but it's not deliberately asked. So, it seems more like Castiel projecting his own issues. He HAS been serving Dean's will more than anything else. And Heaven wants it to stop. I don't think he quite gets that he made a choice and Dean can't force him to serve him nor has he been outright asking him to.

[twivamp92.livejournal.com]

it's been over an hour and im still reeling from the shock of it all.
This episode is hands down one of THE Best episodes to ever be created of any television series.
I laughed and cried and freaked out and sobbed my heart out..all in a 45minute show.
thats something.

Dean:
My heart literally shattered for this man again.
the look on his face when he saw Sam drinking the demons blood...i have no words for it. hurt, anger, sadness, disbelief, shock, just general 'omfgwtf.'
and when Cas said he served heaven, not man and not Dean...again my heart broke.
during this season, anyone can see the rift inbetween sammy and dean, and i think Cas kinda helped Dean with it by being there, someone for Dean to lean on emotionally if not physically.

Sam:
I agree...part of me wants to hate him. really really hate him. but then the rest of me makes that hateful part realize that its not HIS fault so much as it is Ruby's. if the bitch hadn't given her blood to him in the first place, none of this would be happening. she needs to go die now.
I feel so sad for him because he wants to stop, but he can't... =|

Jimmy:
I love him hard.
I got teary eyed when he was reunited with his family and when he was trying to show his wife that he wasn't crazy...loved it.
and when he was screaming at Cas for not protecting his family...gah. <3

Castiel:
fuck, they did some major shit to him up in heaven. I think they just brainwashed him. think of the book 1984 if you will. Winston went again Big Brother even though he *knew* he shouldn't, but he didnt care. when big brother found out, they tourtured him to the extent that it was die, or surrender to their will.
Thats what i think happened to Cas. they tourtured him to the point that he was forced to side with Heaven and god and the angels and no longer show sympathies to humans. no longer show his emotions for Dean. No longer question god's will and his purpose for being on earth.

and then...the PREVIEW.
jesus friggen christ on a cracker.
If i thought this episode was an emotional rollercoaster, then i don't even know what to call what i went through during the preview. sam and dean beating the crap out of eachother. lilith. alistair. ruby. the angels. just everything.
and Deans line..."If you walk out that door don't you ever come back." had me crying by the time it was over. Not only is it the same thing John said to Sam all those years ago (seems like another lifetime, huh?) but its Dean saying it.
there is not one thing on the planet that means more to dean then his little brother. so for him to be able to say that to Sam...i just don't even wanna imagine whats going to happen that would make dean go as far as to say that. it broke the little bits of my already broken heart =/



Kripke...I love you you sonofabitch.
you own my goddamned soul for eternity for this show.

[emotikka.livejournal.com]

Dude, I had tears in my eyes when this ended. The last scene between Castiel and Dean broke my heart into itty bitty pieces. I think Castiel was punished for some reason, IDK. AND YES MAYBE HE WAS DELIBERATELY TRYING TO PUSH DEAN AWAY ADJSDJSLKDF.

Just an amazing episode - I can't wait till next week! ♥

[xphoenixrising.livejournal.com]

It's been clear, to me (unspoiled) that Castiel was going to get some intervention, what with all but telling Dean what was up to save Sam from Lilith, meeting with Anna (who I still don't like because I think she was just a whiny child who huffed off in teenage angst), and becoming much too attached to humans (re: Dean).

The point that Sam has come with his addiction terrified me in this episode. It has gone from being 'ew' to being 'Holy shit this is VERY much not right' (not that it was before). Dean's certainly been denying it but seeing his brother flip out and munch on blood so his mouth and chin was covered in it... That's not Sam Winchester. Sam Winchester has vanished and what is left in his place is not human. It make have a heart, pump blood, and appear human, but Sam is 100%, 3000+ miles off the reservation and still at a dead run.

As for Dean's look to Jimmy and his family? I rewatched bits and pieces of the episode. After Sam just laid into Jimmy, Dean clearly felt guilty and sad for this poor guy. This is how I viewed the scene. Later, when Jimmy was shot and the pan to Dean? Well, Dean is the one that is connected to Castiel. Castiel is like... Dean's caseworker. Him and Castiel have this bond. Castiel pulled him out of hell, etc.

I see that it has also been compared to the Anna/Dean kiss. I see no similarities at all. Cas clearly cared deeply for Anna, and so his reaction back then was sad and vague hints of jealousy.

Anna also presented rebellion, an angel that refused to let God control her. She would add more complications and Castiel was already having a hard enough time with Dean getting to work with [for] the angels.

I am not a slasher nor a Dean/Castiel shipper, so I'll have to respectfully say it's probably the 'tainted' eyes of a shipper viewing these scenes when there isn't meant to be anything like that. (Same as me geeking over 'OMG Sam and Ava are hugging! Therefore they will be together forever! EE!' in AHBL1)

[isha-chan.livejournal.com]

How is it possible for a television series to affect me so? Is it the amazing performances from the actors? My emotional attachment to it? What is it, exactly, that causes my heart to feel as if it's been crushed once an episode has concluded?
That's exactly what I keep asking myself everytime. After every episode (and even a day before a new episode is aired o_O) And I scares me a bit 'cause one day the show will end and what will be able to give me that feeling again?

That episode was amazing. Misha did a great job! Jimmy was so very different from Cas. Even his voice has changed. They really did a great job in casting Misha.

I agree with you completely^^ And I really hope, we will hear why Cas has suddenly changed and turned away from Dean and what the big secret was he wanted to tell...

*sighs* The next weeks will be so very long and too short the same time^^

[wyntertwilight.livejournal.com]

I feel your pain as if it's my own, believe me! I can't stop freaking out!

I HATE how Castiel was so cold to Dean at the end, it broke my heart! But I have to keep hope that he was just doing it as a front to appease his superiors...I refuse to believe that everything they've gone through, their connection and bond means nothing anymore. NO FOOKING WAY.

Jimmy was awesome. And I just loved how Misha switched flawlessly between playing the two characters, the man is amazing. This was just a brilliant episode.

And let's not go into the promo...*IZ DED*

[spuffy-girl.livejournal.com]

The entire time Sammy was going after the demon in that warehouse, I kept saying "No, Sam, no!" And then he did it anyway and got caught by Dean.

[ashonorion.livejournal.com]

I think all the open to interpretation stuff just shows how much Kripke loves us. The look could be taken either way, and I think it was meant to be. The pan to Dean - omg killl me now. The last scene between Dean and Cas was a friggin nightmare! I's scareded. I'm hoping beyond hope that he's pretending or protecting, but I have a feeling he's been brainwashed. But seriously, there aren't enough tissues in the world.

I like Anna sorta - I don't like her relationship with Dean because I can't get them to fit in my mind. And I think her appearance was meaningless but easy to let slide.

Sam is a bad boy. I petition that we should all go and give him a good spanking.

Jimmy was much better crafted than what I was expecting, so I'm happy.

But oh Cas, the gorgeous little angel that couldn't. Dean needs to give him lots of sex...oops...I mean hugs.

*sniffles* Deeeaaaaann! It hurts! It really hurts! But I know it'll get better. Because Kripke is just made of candy and fuzzy stuffed animals and love like that >.<

(yeah, not buying that one either)


to you,



P.S - I ship Dean/Castiel but I didn't pick up on the jealousy vibe. My slash-o-meter broke when we had Dean's reaction to Jimmy being shot though. I honestly expected him to yell out 'Cas!' when it happened.

[24snowyli-chan.livejournal.com]

His expression when Jimmy was shot. He looked as if his entire world had come crashing down. and:

The hurt on his face when Castiel said that he 'didn't serve him'. It BROKE me...

AGREE SO HARD ON THIS, i swear i was just staring and the screen. I'm pretty much thinking the same thing since the withering look that Castiel gave Dean, seriously, ouch even i felt bad. Something tells me that Castiel is just doing this to push Dean away from him, to protect him somehow because to from: "i care about you" to "I only serve my Father, not you" WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?! and the fact that's there's a hiatus doesn't help. I'm still in a wow shock over this ep, even if Jimmy did end up being shot and we basically witnessed Dean's world tumble, but now? i needs a new episode now, seriously ;)

[poetic-dreamer.livejournal.com]

I felt more sorry and depressed and teary eyed over Jimmy saving his daughter than Dean/Sam and that says alot.

[force-oblique.livejournal.com]

OMG the last scene killed me too!
I mean why would he be so cold and abrupt... I dont serve you?
Seriously Castiel? I mean wow...you follow orders you dont even understand and you condemned poor Jimmy to never see his family in the flesh again! :(

Sam omg, I friggin adore him but he couldnt help himself drinking that demon's blood even in front of everyone? Jesus!!
I firggin love the show...

[tracy-loo-who.livejournal.com]

Also, the final scene between him and Dean... Oh my god, I literally grabbed my chest.

I couldn't even BELIEVE that had happened the first time I watched it! So I rewatched it, and jesus, kick to the gut much? D:

The look Dean gave Jimmy when he hugged his wife. I found it rather odd. Was he jealous?

Of course my shipper heart's gonna say "of course he was jealous"! But I'm not sure. I think more than anything he just felt sorry for Jimmy. :(

[unstable-humor.livejournal.com]

Cas’ last line to Dean was so badass. So utterly perfect that it made me grin. Not like a feel good grin - I suppose more like a creepy Sylar grin. Case it point:


Seriously though.
I LOVE this show.

And because it was that awesome:
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m36/John_Winchester/Banners/castext.jpg

Excuse my lack of knowledge on cutting and making links by naming them.
Think of my relationship with technology much like Papa Winchesters.
I fail.

[horusguard76.livejournal.com]

The look Dean gave Jimmy when he hugged his wife. I found it rather odd. Was he jealous?
Hmm, I never noticed that one - must watch again (for the 4th time now).

If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was a Winchester just from his stubbornness alone. Still, he gave up everything to protect his daughter; to shield her from being a vessel for the angels.
Yes, THIS!

I actually felt him being already a Winchster. Just looking at that seating arrangement when Jimmy had his fast food meal. Additionally he has the sacrifice routine down just like ALL Winchesters - if that doesn't make him an honorary one, I don't know.

And amen to your last comment.

I sometimes I just skip through an episode to see what it's about because I don't have the time to watch in peace. This time I was in a hurry, the download had just finished and my partner was telling me to hurry since we had somewhere else to be... thus I just dashed through the episode and when I saw THAT scene and heard THAT statement - I ran out of the room screaming.

My partner was so kind to shut down my laptop while I was trying to focus on getting ready and not to think about Castiel and Dean and that ugly feeling of betrayal inside my chest. By the time we returned I was calm enough to bear it.