5.04 The End

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Promotion Still for 5.04 The End.jpg
Title The End
Episode # Season 5, Episode 4
First aired October 1, 2009
Directed by Steve Boyum
Written by Ben Edlund
On IMDB The End
Outline Zachariah takes Dean five years into the future to show him the consequences of not helping the angels.
Monster Lucifer
Timeline August 25th or mid-June, 2009
August 4-7, 2014
Location(s) Kansas City, Missouri
[[{{{prevep}}}|« Previous Episode]] | [[{{{nextep}}}|Next Episode »]]

Synopsis

Dean enters a hotel, passing a man preaching outside the front door. Once in his room, Castiel calls him to tell him that he believes the Colt may still be in the possession of the demons. Castiel got Dean's location and plans to arrive immediately, but Dean says he needs rest and that Cas should get there the next morning. After going to bed, the phone rings again - this time, it is Sam. He wants to rejoin Dean, but Dean says that their enemies will find a way to exploit their relationship, that being together makes them weaker.

Dean wakes up in the hotel, which was trashed and messed up. Outside, Kansas City appears destroyed and deserted. He finds a little girl crying in the street who attacks him with a knife. Dean knocks her unconscious. He sees the word Croatoan spray painted on a wall just as a large number of Croatoan infected people began to chase him through the streets of Kansas City. They corner him, but members of the U.S. Army came and began killing the infected people.

Dean escapes into a nearby alley hiding while watching the battle. Later at night, he emerged from his hiding place seeing a warning sign that shows that the year was 2014. He hot wires a car and leaves the city. Zachariah manifests in the car with a newspaper and talks about how the Croatoan pandemic has spread as far as Australia. He tells Dean he wants him to see what the future will be like if he says no to being Michael's vessel. Zachariah says he will leave in this reality for three days.

After Zachariah vanishes, Dean goes to Bobby's place. The house is torn apart, and he finds a wheelchair with bullet holes in it. Dean retrieves Bobby's journal and sees a picture of a group of people including Bobby and Castiel outside of a place called Camp Chitaqua. On arriving there, Dean sees a ruined Impala just before he is knocked unconscious.

Dean wakes up cuffed to a wall. Future Dean begins interrogating him. Dean explains he is from the past and spoke about how Zachariah has sent him there. Future!Dean doesn't believe him until Dean mentions how an old girlfriend made him try on her pink, satiny panties. Future!Dean talks about how the demons planned to finish off the human race with the Croatoan virus.

Future Dean says that Sam, who he hadn't spoken to in five years, got into a showdown with Lucifer in Detroit and died. Future Dean leaves on a mission. For the next few hours, Dean picks the wooden floor getting a nail out and manages to free himself from his cuffs. He escapes and finds Future Chuck. Future Chuck appears to be in charge of organizing supplies. Future Chuck begins asking about the mission he was suppose to be on, and just as a woman, Risa, confronts Dean demanding to know where he was last night. After she leaves, Dean asks Chuck where he can find Castiel.

Dean finds Castiel talking to a group of women, and telling them to prepare for an orgy. Cas instantly knows that Dean is from another point in time. Future Castiel reveals he no longer has his angelic powers. Future Dean returns with a group of men and as they disembark their jeep, Dean shoots one, proclaiming that he had been infected with the Crotoan virus.

Future Dean leads Dean back to his cabin, and they argue about the methods of dealing with the Croatoan infected. Dean asks about the mission and Future Dean says it was to retrieve the Colt, which he has wrapped up in a jacket. Future Dean stated how the demons had been moving the Colt around and how after five years he located it.

He tells Dean that he plans to kill Lucifer later that day, and gathers Risa, Chuck and Castiel to meet up with him and his past self. Future Dean reveals they captured an important demon during the previous week, who had revealed Lucifer's location. Castiel comments that the named place is filled with Croatoan infected and demons and about how dangerous the plan was. After the others have left, Dean begins asking his future self questions. Future Dean tells him that five years ago in Detroit, Sam agreed to be Lucifer's vessel. He pleads with Dean that when Zachariah sends him back, he must agree to be Michael's vessel.

Dean argues that if Michael possesses him and fights Lucifer, half of the planet will be destroyed. Future Dean retorts that half a planet was better then no planet. He says he wished he'd consented to Michael when he had the chance, but by the time of the battle at Detroit, it was too late.

As they drive to the mission, Future Castiel tells Dean that he misses being an angel and that he figures he might as well indulge in drugs and sex while he can.

The group searches the city for Lucifer and finally locates the building that they needed to break into. Future Dean, Risa, and Future Castiel gather their weapons. Dean realizes Future Dean is planning on using his friends in a suicidal diversion, while he sneaks around the back of the location, but when he confronts him, Future Dean knocks his past self unconscious.

Dean wakes up hearing gun fire and screaming as Castiel, Risa, etc. are killed in a battle. As Dean runs towards them, he meets Lucifer, wearing Sam as his vessel with his foot on Future Dean's neck, which he casually breaks.

Lucifer says that killing Dean would be redundant and tells Dean the story of how he fell from grace. Lucifer says he loved God, but when humans were created, he refused to love humans more than God had instructed. Dean says that he will find a way to kill Lucifer and that he will not say 'Yes' to Michael and would never kill Sam. Lucifer begins to lecture him telling him he will inevitably end up at this point. Lucifer leaves and Zachariah takes Dean back to where he fell asleep in the motel room.

Zachariah tells Dean that he needed to say 'yes' to Michael to prevent the death of billions, but Dean continues to refuse. Zachariah is upset and threatens Dean, but suddenly, Castiel uses his powers to get Dean to his location.

Dean calls Sam, and they meet up with him the next day. Dean apologizes for leaving Sam and stated they needed each either to hunt together, that they keep each other human. Dean says they need to create their own future.

Characters

Definitions

Music

  • "Do You Love Me" by The Contours
(plays when Dean watches the shooting)

Quotes

Castiel: What? What? Dean--I didn't--I didn't get that.

Dean: You know it's kinda funny talking to a Messenger of God on a cell phone. It's like watching a Hell's Angel ride a moped.

Castiel: This isn't funny Dean. The voice says I'm almost out of minutes!
Castiel: I'll be there immediately.

Dean: Whoa, whoa, whoa. No, come on, man. I just drove, like, 16 hours straight, ok? I'm human. There's stuff I gotta do.
Castiel: What stuff?
Dean: Eat, for example. And this case, sleep. I just need, like, 4 hours once in a while, ok?
Castiel: Yes.
Dean: Ok so you can... pop in tomorrow morning.

Castiel: Yes. I'll just (Dean hangs up on him) ...wait here, then.
Dean: I guess I'm a little numb to the earth-shattering revelations at this point.
Dean: We're not stronger when we're together, Sam. I think we're weaker. Because whatever we have between us -- love, family, whatever it is - they are always gonna use it against us. And you know that.
Dean: Ok, well. Good. Great. You have had your jollies, now send me back you sunuvabitch.

Zachariah: Oh, you'll get back. All in good time. We want you to marinate a bit.
Dean: Marinate?
Zachariah: Three days, Dean. Three days to see where this course of action takes you.
Dean: What does that supposed to mean?

Zachariah: It means that your choices, have consequences. This is what happens to world if you continue to say no to Michael. Have a little looksee.
Dean: Rhonda Hurley. We were, uh...19. She made us try on her panties. They were pink. And satiny. And you know what? We kind of liked it.
Dean: Oh come on, you don't trust yourself?

Future!Dean: No. Absolutely not.

Dean: ...dick.
Dean: What, are you stoned?
Future Castiel: Uh... generally, yeah.
Future Dean: Yeah, ok. You're coming because I want you to see something. I want you to see our brother.

Dean: Sam? I thought he was dead.
Future Dean: Sam didn't die in Detroit. He said yes.
Dean: Yes? Wait. You mean?

Future Dean: That's right, the Big Yes. To the Devil. Lucifer's wearing him to the prom.
Chuck: Some free advice? You ever get back there, you hoard toilet paper. You understand me? Hoard it. Hoard it, like it's made of gold.
Dean: You wanna use their deaths as a diversion? Oh man, something is broken in you. You're making decisions that I would never make. I wouldn't sacrifice my friends.
Future Dean: You're right. You wouldn't. It's one of the main reasons we're in this mess, actually.
Dean: You're not fooling me, you know that? With this sympathy for the Devil crap. I know what you are.

Lucifer: What am I?

Dean: You're the same thing, only bigger. The same brand of cockroach I've been squashing my whole life. An ugly, evil, belly to the ground supernatural piece of crap. The only difference between them and you, is the size of your ego.
Dean: The point is... maybe we are each others Achilles Heel. Maybe they'll find a way to use us against each other, I don't know... I just know we're all we've got. More than that, we keep each other human.

Sam: Thank you. Really. Thank you. I won't let you down.

Dean: Oh, I know it. I mean, you are the second best hunter on the planet.

Trivia & References

Dean: So, you're his vessel, huh? Lucifer's wearing you to the prom?

Sam: That's what he said.
Dean: Just when you thought you were out, they pull you back in, huh, Sammy?

Michael Corleone says "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in", in The Godfather: Part III, when he tries to enter legitimate enterprises and leave the Mafia lifestyle, but is forced to retaliate after an attempt to kill him fails.
Dean: So we're just going to walk in, we'll be the Dynamic Duo again?
The Dynamic Duo is the nickname for Batman and Robin.
Signs of the Apocalypse - Sarah Palin is president, as seen on the newspaper Zachariah is reading in the car when he first confronts Dean. Also, the state of disrepair of the Impala.
The cinema has a movie listed as Route 666. 1.13 Route 666 is the 13th episode in season one, as well as one of the Supernatural books Chuck has written.
Dean: The last thing they need to see is a version of The Parent Trap.
The Parent Trap is a movie about twins who are separated at birth.
Dean:: I thought I smelled your stink on this Back to the Future crap.
Back to the Future is a famous '80s movie 3-parter, in which Michael J. Fox travels to the past and later future in his DeLorean.
Dean: Oh well, if it isn't the Ghost of Christmas' Screw You.
In Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. the Ghosts of Christmases' Past, Present and Future teach Scrooge humility.
Dean: And the orgies and the love guru crap?"
The Love Guru was a 2008 comedy movie starring Mike Myers.
Future Dean was not wearing his amulet.
At Salute to Supernatural Chicago 2009, Jensen talked about the challenges of playing two versions of Dean.
The final scene is set in the same location at which Dean and Sam part with John in 1.21 Salvation.
The set for the 2014 apocalyptic future, was actually a set from the movie Watchmen, which featured Supernatural alumni Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Pics of the set in use during the movie here. Pics of the set during filming of Supernatural:
The episode title might refer to The Doors Song "The End", which uses themes of the Apocalypse and a world gone mad ('all the children are insane'). The song also evokes the image of the devil ('the snake is long, 7 miles, (..) and he's old, and his skin is cold'), and has an oedipal part, where a son goes to murder his sister, brother and finally father, to confront his mother, who he wishes to have sex with. Furthermore, the song was used in Francis Ford Coppola's iconic war movie, Apocalypse Now. See also The Meaning of Episode Titles.
The episode is so popular in fandom, it spawned its own community on Livejournal - Spn - The End.
There was mixed opinion among fans as to whether the future shown here is "real" or merely constructed by Zachariah to persuade Dean to become Michael's vessel. Commentary on 5.04 The End on the Season 5 DVDs by Ben Edlund and Eric Kripke supports that this is an alternate universe model, rather than time travel.
The infection by the Croatoan virus is reminiscent of the Danny Boyle movie 28 Days Later, about a world overrun by virus-infected zombies.
Dean: You're not fooling me, you know that? With this sympathy-for-the-devil crap. I know what you are.
"Sympathy for the Devil" is the name of a song by the Rolling Stones. It was also the title of the season 5 premiere.
Zachariah: We've been making inspirational visits to the fringier Chrstian groups. They've been given your image, told to keep an eye out.

Dean: The Bible freak outside the motel. He, what, dropped a dime on me?
Zachariah: Onward, Christian soldiers.

Onward, Christian Soldiers is a hymn about the many followers of Christ marching together against enemies of Christ, in this case it would be Dean in his unwillingness to help the angels.

Minutiae

This episode filmed from August 6-18th.

Sides, Scripts & Transcripts

Promotion

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