Abandon All Hope

Wow. Oh, wow. I just caught up on this past week's episode of Supernatural, titled "Abandon All Hope," and it packed quite a punch. This season is the big whammy, all about the apocalypse and it is, presumably, the last season of the show - and that's because the show's creator planned it that way, not because the show isn't doing well.

So, fifth season plus the apocalypse means all bets are off. This last episode really brought that home. Over at Edittorrent, there's been some talk about the dark moment. Despair, desperation, and all that good stuff. It's appropriate timing.

This episode was played out masterfully. We start with our heroes teaming up with some allies to go on a mission to attempt to kill the devil. No small feat, right? It's an impossible task, and stupid to even try it, but as Sam so succinctly says, "When have we ever been smart?" The night before the show down, Bobby has everyone pose for a picture, because it might be the last picture any of them take. It's slightly cheesy, but fitting.

By the time we get to the end of the episode, a huge sacrifice has been made and the outlook, which was previously pretty bleak, has turned even bleaker. In the last few seconds before the credits, one of the characters takes the group photo, looks at it for a moment, then tosses it in the fireplace. The camera watches the photo burn, then fades out.

It's a relatively small gesture, but incredibly powerful. They have so little hope left, that they've tossed aside even the little bit of hope that comes from remembering the fallen. After all, you have to be alive to remember.

We've officially hit the dark moment of this season's arch, and I have a feeling it's going to get even darker yet.