History Recap / SupernaturalS05E22SwanSong

-->'''Michael:''' You are a monster, Lucifer. And I have to kill you.

<<|Recap/{{Supernatural}}|>>

For the series so far = At least 388 humans (of which 6 were witches), at least 139 demons, 29 ghosts, 19 zombies, 13 gods, 11 vampires, 9 angels, at least 9 hellhounds, 6 changelings, 3 shapeshifters, 2 ghouls, 2 werewolves, 1 archangel, 1 cat, 1 crocotta, 1 djinn, 1 dog, 1 rakshasa, 1 rawhead, 1 reaper, 1 rugaru, 1 shtriga, 1 siren, 1 wendigo, the whore of Babylon, and 1 wraith.

* ActingForTwo: Jared Padalecki, as Sam Winchester and Lucifer. [[TalkingToHimself Simultaneously at one point]], as Lucifer in Sam's body talks to the trapped Sam through a mirror.

* TalkingToHimself: Lucifer in Sam's body has a conversation with Sam, using a mirror.

* NoSell: Lucifer takes it even further than he did in [[Recap/SupernaturalS05E10AbandonAllHope "Abandon All Hope..." (S05, E10)]]. In his True Vessel (Sam), he's almost completely immune to the Colt, [[DownplayedTrope although it does cause some damage]].

* ImmuneToBullets: The Colt does absolutely nothing to stop Lucifer, it merely annoys him.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: A rather blatant one [[RewatchBonus the seconding viewing through]], but: "This is the stuff that's important."

For the series so far = At least 388 humans (of which 6 were witches), at least 139 demons, 29 ghosts, 19 zombies, 13 gods, 11 vampires, 9 angels, at least 9 hellhounds, 6 changelings, 3 shapeshifters, 2 ghouls, 2 werewolves, 1 archangel, 1 cat, 1 crocotta, 1 djinn, 1 dog, 1 rakshasa, 1 rawhead, 1 reaper, 1 rougarou, 1 shtriga, 1 siren, 1 wendigo, the whore of Babylon, and 1 wraith.

Meanwhile, it's go time for Team Free Will. Sam and Dean have had their heart-to-heart, jugs of demon blood are in the trunk, and the Horseman rings are at the ready. As they drive to meet the Devil in Detroit, with the [[BroughtDownToNormal depowered Castiel]] sleeping in the backseat and Bobby following behind, Sam [[LastRequest makes Dean promise him]] that once he's gone, Dean will leave him where he is and go live a normal life with Lisa. In Detroit, Sam says his goodbyes to Bobby and Cas and downs the blood. Then he and Dean enter the building. Things don't go to plan. Lucifer knows that they have the rings. Sam says yes anyway and Lucifer takes him over. Dean opens the gate to the pit, but it's no use. Lucifer's in control. He zaps himself away.

* WhatAnIdiot [=/=] TooDumbToLive: InUniverse, Lucifer considers Dean interrupting his fight with Michael as, even for Dean, a "whole new mountain of stupid".

-->'''Lucifer in Sam's body:''' Oh he's in there alright. ''[hits Dean]'' And he's gonna feel the snap of your ''bones''.

* BadassFingersnap: Lucifer merely snaps his fingers, and Castiel ''[[LudicrousGibs explodes]]''.
* BadBoss: Lucifer assembles a collection of demons that played some part in Sam's past, and offers them up to Sam for target practice.

'''Season 5, Episode 22''':

Chuck is typing away at his computer, waxing lyrical about the most important object in the universe: [[CoolCar a 1967 Chevy Impala.]] There's a toy soldier stuck in the ashtray where a young Sam once shoved it, and Legos rattling in the vents thanks to young Dean. Why should we care about these details? Lucifer doesn't. But these, Chuck says, are the important things.

Cas and Bobby have given up, but Dean, still determined to do something, calls up Chuck and asks him where the battle will take place. Turns out, it's [[WhereItAllBegan a cemetery near Lawrence, Kansas.]] Dean resolves to go there and talk to Sam. Cas tries to talk Dean out of it, telling him that all he'll see is Michael killing his brother. Dean responds that in that case, [[BigBrotherInstinct he needs to be there for Sam when it happens.]]

The next day, Michael and Lucifer meet at the cemetery, wearing Adam and Sam respectively. They talk briefly. Lucifer tries to convince Michael that they don't need to go through with this, that they could just stop. But [[TheDutifulSon Michael sees that as rebellion against their father,]] and refuses. The fight is just about to begin when suddenly, there's the growl of an engine. The Impala roars up, and Dean gets out. Michael and Lucifer are understandably confused, and refuse when Dean asks for five minutes to talk to Sam. So Cas, who's standing nearby with Bobby, nails Michael with a [[HolyHandGrenade holy oil molotov,]] temporarily sending him away. Lucifer is not impressed. With a snap of his fingers, he causes Cas to explode in [[LudicrousGibs a cloud of gore.]] Bobby tries to shoot him. [[NeckSnap Lucifer breaks his neck.]] Then he turns to Dean, throws him against the hood of the Impala, and begins [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beating him to a bloody pulp.]] Dean's face becomes a mangled, bleeding mess, yet between the punches, he keeps [[YouAreNotAlone telling Sam that it's okay.]] Lucifer raises Sam's fist for one last blow.

Suddenly, light glints off the side of the Impala. The Impala with the toy soldier in the ashtray and the Legos in the vents; the Impala that Sam and Dean have slept in, laughed in, pranked each other in, argued in, driven all across the country; the Impala that has carried them as they faced everything, together. These memories flash faster and faster through Sam's mind until he's left with an image of himself and his brother, hugging.

[[ThePowerOfLove And Sam lowers his fist.]] He tells Dean that he's going to okay. Then he takes out the rings and opens the pit. Before he can jump, Michael appears, and tells Sam to stop because [[YouCantFightFate he and his brother and destined to fight.]] But Sam ignores him, and [[HeroicSacrifice lets himself fall.]] Michael steps forward and grabs his arm, tries to pull him back, but Sam's weight is too much and he is dragged into the pit as well. The ground closes up, and Dean is [[EverybodysDeadDave left completely alone.]] Until he looks up, and there's Castiel, [[BackFromTheDead resurrected]] [[DeathIsCheap once again]] and restored to his angelic glory. Cas touches Dean's face, and instantly it's healed. He brings Bobby back to life as well.

-->'''Lucifer in Sam's body:''' Oh he's in there alright. [hits Dean] And he's gonna feel the snap of your ''bones''.

-->'''Lucifer:''' That's the way it's gotta be... I'd like to see you try.

-->'''Dean:''' Ain't he the little angel.

* BittersweetEnding: The ending starts out as this, as Sam has to sacrifice himself to avert the Apocalypse and trap both Lucifer and Michael in the Cage. The world doesn't end, but Dean, Bobby, and Castiel have lost a brother and a friend. Bobby continues to hunt, Castiel assumes command of Heaven, and Dean goes to live a normal life, as he promised Sam. Then it turns into TheEndOrIsIt in [[CliffHanger the last several seconds.]]

-->'''Castiel:''' [[OhCrap Uh... no.]]

* TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: Or rather, The Call Has Been Following You Your Entire Life as Lucifer reveals that many important people during Sam's childhood were possessed by demons.

* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Castiel fails to realise he's supposed to say something reassuring to Sam. When he does realise, Sam tells him to just stop.

** Sam's prom date Rachel was among those possessed by a demon. [[Recap/SupernaturalS02E20WhatIsAndWhatShouldNeverBe Alternate!Sam]] mentions that Dean slept with his prom date Rachel Nave.
* CreepyCemetery: The battle for Armageddon will take place in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stull,_Kansas#Stull_Cemetery Stull Cemetery]], a boneyard just outside of Lawrence, Kansas.

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: [[IncendiaryExponent "Hey, ass-butt!"]]

* DespairEventHorizon: Dean after losing Sam and Cas going back to heaven.

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: "Did you just molotov my brother with holy fire?"
** BlatantLies: "Uh... ...no?"
** Bobby shoots the Devil, then shrugs as if to say, "Well yeah, I knew that wasn't going to work either..."

* TheEndOrIsIt: In the very last scene, Dean is having dinner with his old flame and her son, settling down to the normal life he promised Sam. [[WhamShot Pan out the window to Sam]], standing under a streetlight watching, [[CliffHanger aaaaand...credits]].

** This is perhaps a ShoutOut to Dante's [[TheDivineComedy Inferno]], which rather famously features a frozen Hell that gets colder the closer one gets to Lucifer at the center.

* AFriendInNeed: Dean refuses to let Sam [[DyingAlone die alone]],

** Implied. After averting the apocalypse, one of the last shots we're treated to is "The Prophet Chuck", who had unwittingly used his powers to write a series of books about the Winchesters, ending his last book with a soliloquy about how hard it is to write a satisfying ending. He decides that sometimes it's better if things don't really end per se, then smiles and disappears into thin air. Near halfway through the same episode, he is seen calling a "Mistress Magda," a reference to Mary Magdalene who is believed by some to be a) an adulteress/prostitute and b) the wife/consort of Jesus.

* HumanityEnsues: Castiel became human in the previous episode. He shows further signs of this when he's sleeping in the back of the Impala on the way to Lucifer, which Sam notes is something angels plain don't do.

-->'''Lucifer:''' [incredulous] Did you just molotov my brother with holy fire?
-->'''Castiel:''' Um... ''no''.

-->"You've got a whole virginal/hooker thing going on."
* MolotovCocktail: Castiel throws a molotov cocktail of holy fire at Michael, temporarily banishing the archangel from the fight zone. This allows Dean enough time to try to reach Sam.

* NeverMyFault: Lucifer blames anyone but himself for being evil. Michael lampshades this trope when Lucifer tries to convince his brother to join him against God.

* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: When Dean interrupts his plans, Lucifer unleashes a brutal beating on Dean, which he says he will relish and perform slowly, while Sam will be forced to watch.
* NoSell: Lucifer takes it even further than he did in "[[Recap/SupernaturalS05E10AbandonAllHope Abandon All Hope...]]" In his true vessel (Sam), he's almost completely immune to the Colt, [[DownplayedTrope although it does cause some damage]].
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: After Castiel banishes Michael, Lucifer angrily states that "nobody dicks with Michael, but ''me''". Then Michael tries to stop Sam from hurling himself into Hell.

-->'''Lucifer:''' If I win... well, then I win.

** In what also serves as a [[ContinuityNod Continuity Nod]], Lucifer when seeing the effects of Sam drinking demon's blood, says "Chock full of Ovaltine, are we?". The [[Recap/SupernaturalS04E03InTheBeginning YED]] also compared demon's blood to Ovaltine.

-->'''Lucifer:''' I've never lied to you Sam -- you can at least pay me the same respect.

* WhatAnIdiot [=/=] TooDumbToLive: In-universe, Lucifer considers Dean interrupting his fight with Michael as, even for Dean, a "whole new mountain of stupid".

!!Body count
For this episode = [[spoiler:8 demons.]]

* ArchangelMichael: Michael is the secondary villain in this episode. [[spoiler:He gets locked in the Cage with Lucifer.]]
* AuthorAvatar: With Chuck actively writing what looks to be the conclusion of the story it's pretty clear that he's a representation of ''Supernatural'''s writers, Eric Kripke in particular. [[spoiler:This becomes overly literal at the end when Chuck is all but outright stated to be God.]]

-->'''Lucifer:''' That's the way it's gotta be... I'd like to see you try.
* BadassFingersnap: Lucifer merely snaps his fingers, and [[spoiler:Castiel]] ''[[LudicrousGibs explodes]]''.

* BigNo: Dean gives one when [[spoiler:Lucifer kills Bobby by snapping his neck.]]
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The ending starts out as this, as Sam has to sacrifice himself to avert the Apocalypse and trap both Lucifer and Michael in the Cage. The world doesn't end, but Dean, Bobby, and Castiel have lost a brother and a friend. Bobby continues to hunt, Castiel assumes command of Heaven, and Dean goes to live a normal life, as he promised Sam. Then it turns into TheEndOrIsIt in [[CliffHanger the last several seconds]].]]

* CallBack: [[spoiler:The streetlight goes out in the presence of NotQuiteDead Sam. Given that the demon Crowley blew out a similar streetlight a couple of episodes back, it adds a disturbing implication to this miraculous return.]]

* TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: Or rather, The Call Has Been Following You Your Entire Life as Lucifer reveals that many important people during Sam's childhood were possessed by demons.
* ChekhovsGun: [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming The army-man toy]].

** Sam's prom date Rachel was among those possessed by a demon. [[Recap/SupernaturalS02E20WhatIsAndWhatShouldNeverBe Alternate!Sam]] mentions that Dean slept with his prom date Rachel Nave.

* DespairEventHorizon: Dean after losing Sam and [[spoiler: Cas going back to heaven.]]
* DeusExMachina: [[spoiler:Cas turns up and heals all the damage done during the fight. Perhaps in reference to this trope, Dean asks if he's God.]]

* DrowningMySorrows: After the gamble fails and [[spoiler:Lucifer successfully takes control of Sam's body]], Castiel loses all hope and suggests this.

* TheEndOrIsIt: [[spoiler:In the very last scene, Dean is having dinner with his old flame and her son, settling down to the normal life he promised Sam. [[WhamShot Pan out the window to Sam, standing under a streetlight watching]], [[CliffHanger aaaaand...credits]].]]
* EvilIsDeathlyCold: Lucifer shows this trope, freezing a window with his breath, and states "Sorry if it's a bit chilly. Most people think I burn hot. It's actually quite the opposite."

* AFriendInNeed: Dean refuses to let Sam [[DyingAlone die alone]],
* {{Foreshadowing}}: A rather blatant one [[RewatchBonus the seconding viewing through]], but: [[spoiler: "This is the stuff that's important."]]
* {{God}}: [[spoiler:Chuck is strongly implied to be God at the end.]]
* GodWasMyCopilot:
** Implied. After averting the apocalypse, one of the last shots we're treated to is [[spoiler:"The Prophet Chuck", who had unwittingly used his powers to write a series of books about the Winchesters, ending his last book with a soliloquy about how hard it is to write a satisfying ending. He decides that sometimes it's better if things don't really end per se, then smiles and disappears into thin air. Near halfway through the same episode, he is seen calling a "Mistress Magda," a reference to Mary Magdalene who is believed by some to be a) an adulteress/prostitute and b) the wife/consort of Jesus.]]
** Also played with mere moments before it's played straight. After [[spoiler:Castiel shows up and heals Dean]], Dean asks if he's God. His response is "That's a nice compliment, but no."

* HealingHands: [[spoiler: When Cas is restored as an angel at the end, he heals Dean's wounds and resurrects Bobby.]]
* HopeSpot: [[spoiler:It seems like Sam has retained control of his body after he merged with Lucifer, and prepares to jump into the Cage. Then Lucifer reveals that he was just toying with Dean, and that Sam never stood a chance.]]

-->'''Castiel:''' Um... ''no''.
* KillEmAll: [[spoiler: {{Subverted}}.]]

* MindOverMatter: [[spoiler:Lucifer snaps Bobby's neck with a mere hand gesture.]]

* NeckSnap: [[spoiler:Lucifer kills Bobby this way.]]

* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: After Castiel banishes Michael, Lucifer angrily states that "nobody dicks with Michael, but ''me''". [[spoiler:Then Michael tries to stop Sam from hurling himself into Hell.]]

* ThePowerOfLove: [[spoiler:Sam's fond memories of the life he's spent with Dean is what allows him to retake control of his body.]]
* ThePromise: Sam forces Dean to promise him that he will live a normal life after Sam has jumped into the Cage with Lucifer. [[spoiler:Dean keeps his word, and joins up with Lisa and Ben. Then it turns out that Sam has returned.]]

* ShapedLikeItself:

** In what also serves as a [[ContinuityNod Continuity Nod]], Lucifer when seeing the effects of Sam drinking demon's blood, says "Chock full of Ovaltine, are we?". The [[Recap/SupernaturalS04E03InTheBeginning YED]] also compared demon's blood to Ovaltine.

* StatusQuoIsGod: Castiel gets his full powers back. [[spoiler: And Sam is back from the dead.]]

* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: [[spoiler:Completely averted. Lucifer immediately kills Castiel and Bobby (who actually does shoot him) after they try to stop him. He beats Dean to a bloody mess instead of killing him outright, but only because he wants both Dean and Sam to feel it.]]

-->'''Michael:''' You are a monster, Lucifer. And I have to kill you.

** Also played with mere moments before it's played straight. After [[spoiler:Castiel shows up and undoes what little damage was done in "the final apocalyptic battle"]], Dean asks if he's God. His response is "No, but thanks for the compliment."

* RavensAndCrows: A crow is seen flying by when the plot switches to Stull Cemetery.

* StatusQuoIsGod: Castiel gets his full powers back. [[spoiler: And Sam is back from dead.]]

* FantasticRacism: Michael showcases the angelic attitude to humans when he calls Dean a "little maggot".

* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: The ThePowerOfLove scene and the end when Dean keeps his promise to Sam, even though he really didn't want to. Sam making Dean promise to find Lisa and live a normal life with her.

* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: After Castiel banishes Michael, Lucifer angrily states that "nobody dicks with Michael, but ''me''".

* StatusQuoIsGod: Castiel gets his full powers back.

* CreepyCemetery: The battle for Armageddon will take place in Stull Cemetery, a boneyard just outside of Lawrence, Kansas.

* TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: Or rather, The Call Has Been Following You Your Entire Life as Lucifer reveals that many important people during Sam's childhood were possessed by demons.
* CreepyCemetery: The battle for Armageddon will take place in Stull Cemetery, a boneyard just outside of Lawrence, Kansas.

* TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: Or rather, The Call Has Been Following You Your Entire Life as Lucifer reveals that many important people during Sam's childhood were possessed by demons.

->''Sammy, it's okay, I'm here. I'm not gonna leave you. I'm not gonna leave you! ''

Cas and Bobby have given up, but Dean, still determined to do something, calls up Chuck and asks him where the battle will take place. Turns out, it's [[WhereItAllBegan a cemetery near Lawrence, Kansas.]] Dean resolves to go there and [[IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight talk to Sam.]] Cas tries to talk Dean out of it, telling him that all he'll see is Michael killing his brother. Dean responds that in that case, [[BigBrotherInstinct he needs to be there for Sam when it happens.]]

The next day, Michael and Lucifer meet at the cemetery, wearing Adam and Sam respectively. They talk briefly. Lucifer tries to convince Michael that they don't need to go through with this, that they could just stop. But [[TheDutifulSon Michael sees that as rebellion against their father,]] and refuses. The fight is just about to begin when suddenly, there's the growl of an engine. The Impala roars up, and Dean gets out. Michael and Lucifer are understandably confused, and refuse when Dean asks for five minutes to talk to Sam. So Cas, who's standing nearby with Bobby, nails Michael with a [[HolyHandGrenade holy oil molotov,]] temporarily sending him away. Lucifer is not impressed. With a snap of his fingers, he causes Cas to explode in [[LudicrousGibs a cloud of gore.]] Bobby tries to shoot him. Lucifer breaks his neck. Then he turns to Dean, throws him against the hood of the Impala, and begins [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beating him to a bloody pulp.]] Dean's face becomes a mangled, bleeding mess, yet between the punches, he keeps [[YouAreNotAlone telling Sam that it's okay.]] Lucifer raises Sam's fist for one last blow.