Airdate: Friday, May 20, 2011 8-10pm ET

Rating: ★★★★★

The two-hour season finale of Supernatural is clearly two separate episodes with little connection between the two. The season finale of season two – “All Hell Breaks Loose” parts I and II – seemed a lot more like a two-hour movie. Still enough ground is covered in “Let It Bleed” and “The Man Who Knew Too Much” to provide answers to many of the questions that have been asked over the course of the season. How satisfying those answers are will no doubt vary from viewer to viewer.

Crowley (Mark A. Sheppard) is at his devilish best until his "exit stage Crowley."

As with all Supernatural finales, the stakes were high and all the actors brought their “A” game. Mark A. Sheppard continues to delight as Crowley. Of all the villains on Supernatural, I’m convinced Crowley’s actual death would bring the strongest outcry from the fans. Crowley mimicking Cas’ (Misha Collins)“Flee or die” line was fantastic. Sebastian Rochè’s characterization of Balthazar shows great depth in this episode. He’s still a master of the one-liner, but there are nuances to this performance as Balthazar struggles to find the righteous path. He is clearly torn over what the right course of action is – whether he should support Cas simply out of loyalty even when Cas has clearly lost his own moral compass or whether he should help the Winchesters. Balthazar is finally faced with the downside of free will – sometimes the choices are hard.

Fans have been divided over the Lisa (Cindy Sampson) and Ben (Nicholas Elia) storyline, but I will be sorry to see it end. I think each of Elia’s performances grew stronger as the season progressed, and Ben’s scenes with Dean (Jensen Ackles) were among Elia’s best.

Bobby (Jim Beaver), Dean (Jensen Ackles), and Sam (Jared Padalecki) try to stop Castiel (Misha Collins) from opening the door to Purgatory.

It’s wonderful to see Bobby (Jim Beaver) out investigating on his own and fighting alongside Dean. Beaver delivers a wonderful performance that beautifully adds even more layers to the Bobby we thought we knew. We get to see his street smarts, and his concern over Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean – especially Dean – is clearly seen on his face. Beaver could have played the scene where his character discovers his former lover, Ellie (Kim Johnston Ulrich), is a monster a number of ways, but Bobby’s quiet acceptance is the stoicism we’ve come to expect from him.

Sam (Jared Padalecki) confronts Robin (Erica Cerra) in "The Man Who Knew Too Much"

Padalecki’s acting is highlighted in “The Man Who Knew Too Much.” His character’s identity is fractured, andPadalecki gets to strut his stuff as the soulful Sam viewers have come to love over six seasons, and the soulless Sam of earlier this season. Soulless Sam is very close to Padalecki’s portrayal of Lucifer, which is a terrific acting choice, yet is different enough for viewers not to think it is Lucifer. Seeing the two versions of Sam side-by-side really highlights what a subtle job Padalecki did all season. I wasn’t quite as convinced by the 2/3 integrated Sam who confronts the Sam-from-hell, as that Sam seems a little too soulless for me. The scenes with Sam-from-hell are shot a bit too much in shadow to be able to truly appreciate the performance. Additionally, Sam’s writhing as his identity is re-integrated feels a little too awkward to me.

Jensen Ackles as Dean in "Let It Bleed"

“Let It Bleed” is a much more Dean-centric episode. Dean’s heartbreak is easy to see as his worst nightmare comes true. Dean’s eyes fill with tears as he breaks with both his former family – Lisa and Ben – and his surrogate brother – Cas. Dean is clearly channelling his own father as he struggles to save both Lisa and Ben, having to play the drill sergeant in order to get Ben out safely. Ackles’ performance in the final scene of “The Man Who Knew Too Much” is wonderfully nuanced. His fear of Castiel is palpable and the change to determination to save his former friend – and himself, Sam and Bobby – is subtle.

Misha Collins as Castiel shines both literally and figuratively in these episodes. The H.P. Lovecraft expert whom Bobby interviews describes Cas as we’ve always known him: “looks like Columbo, talks like Rainman.” But Cas is tortured by his decisions and desperate for Dean’s approval. The scene between Cas and Dean is heartbreaking as the depth of Cas’ feelings for Dean are as clear as the tears in his eyes. Seeing Cas smug in having outwit Crowley and Raphael is somewhat satisfying but quickly turns to horror as a different Cas emerges – one who is happy to snap his fingers and explode Raphael, as both Michael and Lucifer did to him. None of Cas’ new emotions are over-dramatic, as Collins does an excellent job keeping them tightly controlled. Dean senses the danger to Cas, but Cas rejects him, finally telling him “You’re not my family, Dean. I have no family.” Cas insists that he is “neither stupid nor wicked,” and it’s easy to see that Balthazar’s concern over Cas becoming unbalanced is likely closer to the mark. Collins makes Cas’ slow descent horrifyingly believable. Absolute power corrupts absolutely after all.

I wish I could be as enthusiastic about the stories themselves, but with an entire season of build-up, some of the answers were either too easy or non-existent. Simply erasing Dean from Lisa and Ben’s memories doesn’t prevent them from being pawns to make Dean fall in line. Dean remembers them, so he will still care if there is a threat to them. And while red herrings are a necessary part of film noir, even though the entire Campbell storyline took up a lot of screen time, it really didn’t contribute in a meaningful way to the overall story arc.

The titles of the two episodes are a reflection of the themes within them. “Let It Bleed” is all about blood. Not only is Dean is forced to bleed out his love for Lisa, Ben and Cas, but he is coerced into torturing again in order to find Lisa and Ben. Sera Gamble’s script has some wonderful dialogue and it’s fitting that she be the one to write about the characters she initially created and introduced in season three’s “The Kids Are Alright.” Having H. P. Lovecraft provide the clue to finally opening purgatory is another wonderful literary allusion provided by Supernatural. John Showalter directed the episode, and his use of circling cameras and tight close-ups during the many highly emotional scenes is effective in completely drawing the audience in.

“The Man Who Knew Too Much” reunites writer and creator Eric Kripke and director Robert Singer, and together they echo the film noir of the movie of the same name. The narrative is given to us out of order and in flashbacks, the first scene being partially shot with a handheld camera. This not only mimics Sam’s disorientation but also heightens the audience’s anxiety. Like all good film noir, the episode progresses through numerous double crossings. And like all good Supernatural finales, the episode that began with Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son” ends with the Winchester brothers’ future uncertain, and an audience to spend an anxious summer awaiting closure to this cliffhanger.

Viewers will have to wait until next season to find out the fate of Dean, Castiel, and Sam.

Tune in to Supernatural when it returns in the Fall on Fridays, 9/8c on The CW. For more on the show, visit http://www.cwtv.com/shows/supernatural.

All photos ©2011 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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