If you’ve seen Deadpool 2, you probably got a great taste of Zazzie Beets, the actress who many thought couldn’t pull off the role of the comic book anti-hero Domino. You can check out my review of it here. Many thought that race-bending Domino would be a bad idea, but at the end of the day, Beets pulled it off just like The Ancient One. Spoiler alert, there’s this great action sequence where Domino showcases her superpower while Deadpool tries to dismiss luck as a superpower in a background voice-over. Hilarious. It turns out, there are five characters in the Marvel Universe that can alter probabilities of events and turn those events in their favor. In the simplest of terms, they can generate good luck. Here are the top five Marvel characters that have lady luck on their side.
Shamrock – aka Molly Fitzgerald is a minor hero in the Marvel Universe who first appeared in the 80s. She’s a bit of a stereotype being Irish born in Dunshaughlin, Ireland. Luck of the Irish and all that. Her powers are mystical in nature as she is helped by benevolent spirits which causes her good luck and bad luck for the bad guys. She appears a few times in the Marvel Universe as she’s rarely used because of her stereotypical nature. She’s semi-retired and works in a bar in New York. She could someday cameo in a Netflix series. While we’re on the Deadpool subject, Deadpool kills a zombie version of Shamrock in an alternate universe by turning her own good luck against her.
Black Cat – aka Felicia Hardy. Soon to star in her own film along with another mercenary, Silver Sable in a Sony-produced Spider-Man spin-off Silver and Black. Sounds silly but possible if Sony could pull Venom off. Anyway, Felicia Hardy is a Spider-Man character. She’s a villain and sometimes anti-hero and sometimes love-interest for Peter Parker. What does luck have to do with her? Duh, her Black Cat name isn’t just to advertise her cat burglar skills. We all know the superstition regarding black cats. Black Cat can cause bad luck to her foes. Her power is initially artificial by using various traps until one day she’s granted probability affecting powers by the Kingpin. She can subconsciously give anyone around her whom she perceives as a threat, bad luck.
Scarlet Witch – is perhaps one of the most powerful female characters in Marvel comics and is the first to have the power of luck. Unlike the MCU where the character uses powerful telekinesis, her ‘hex’ powers in comic books affect probabilities. She can alter probabilities to favor herself and her teammates. At first, her powers seem laughable but is actually the tip of the iceberg. Her true power later in the new millennium was the ability to alter reality. Who needs luck when one can actually alter reality, but only when she goes insane. Aside from her mutant power, she can actually perform real magic. Who knows, that might someday play out in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Longshot – is the first Marvel character I knew that has the power of luck when I first read it on a collectible card. My opinion is the same as Deadpool’s long rant about the absurdity of luck as a superpower. Longshot was a member of the X-Men during the 80s and 90s. He’s not actually from Earth but from another universe called Mojoverse where couch potato takes on a different meaning. If you’ve seen Deadpool 2, his son, (minor spoiler) Shatterstar becomes a member of X-Force who says he’s better than Deadpool at swordplay but is not as lucky as his father. What puzzles me to this day is why an artificial being from a different universe is classified as a mutant. Sorry for sounding racist.
Domino – we save Domino for last because she’s in the Deadpool movie and not these unlucky losers. Her real name is Neena Thurman and believe it or not, her first appearance in The New Mutants Comics in 1991 was an impersonation of her character by none other than Vanessa Carlysle aka Copycat, Wade Wilson’s girlfriend. Domino is also a mutant with the power of luck through minor subconscious psionic and telekinetic nudges to things around her that results in good luck for her and bad luck for her enemies. She took on the alias Domino because things always fall into place for her. Since she herself may not know of her own powers, her power counts as luck.
Supernatural Let the Good Times Roll Season 13 Finale continues from Part 1 here.
The show chose to portray Lucifer as an almost likable character at some points in this season. At times, I’ve complained about that, questioning whether a redemption arc was coming and very much opposing that. In a recent episode, Lucifer seemed truly hurt in his conversation with Gabriel (Richard Speight, Jr), so much so that a tear slipped out – and Gabriel was no longer there, so it wasn’t even a ploy. I’m still a little confused about that. I felt like my emotions were being manipulated at the time, and I didn’t know what to make of it or what to expect from the rest of Lucifer’s arc this season.
Now that it’s all played out, I think I’m going to give Show the benefit of the doubt and say that it was brilliantly done. There’s a thing that psychologists recognize called ‘parallel process’, which means that sometimes the things that are challenging your client in their lives start playing out similarly in the therapy relationship. I feel like that’s sort of what happened here. Lucifer, the master of all master manipulators, lured me in at the same time as he lured Jack in. I started to doubt whether all of him was evil, or if at his core he was a wounded being who despite the horrible things he’d done (because I could never put those aside), genuinely wanted a relationship with his son. I started to doubt, and of course that’s exactly how a master manipulator gets under your skin.
The beauty of Lucifer’s arc playing out that way is that in this episode, when Lucifer shows his true nature and his true colors once again, I felt a small version of that same sense of betrayal and foolishness and fury that Jack felt. It feels horrible to be played, to be fooled. To let yourself start to believe in someone’s good intentions and then to find out that they were just using you all along. In this episode, as Jack learns the awful truth about his father, my own emotions about that betrayal made witnessing Jack’s pain all the more powerful. So kudos to Mark Pellegrino and to the writers for taking me on that unwanted journey, because even when it’s unpleasant, that’s good storytelling.
Once Lucifer gives up the pretense of wanting to be the good guy, he returns to the sadistic, cold, cruel being that he was when we first met him. I was horrified by how he treated Jack, how quickly he turned on a dime and showed absolutely no remorse. Not even a lingering ambivalence when it came to his son, which I couldn’t help but see as the same as the coldhearted rejection of so many parents of abandoned or abused children. I literally sat there with my hand over my mouth in horror. And again, as much as I hated that feeling, that is good storytelling. I CARE about Jack, so it was excruciating seeing his father turn on him.
Lucifer: I tried with you… I told you what you wanted to hear, man. We could’ve been better gods than Dad.
Lucifer denigrates humans, and Jack protests that he too is part human.
Lucifer practically spits the next insult at him: You’re too much like your mother.
It’s so clear what he’s doing, how he’s already labeled Jack as “other” so he can destroy him. So that any real affection he did have for Jack is eradicated. It was so painful to hear, because for Jack, who is struggling with his identity development and figuring out who he is, his own father just rejected him as an unworthy, unlovable, worthless person. It happens in real life too, and it’s no less heartbreaking.
Lucifer makes the rejection explicit. And devastating.
Lucifer: I don’t want you, I just need your power.
Me: OMG, Jack!
He slices Jack’s throat and steals his grace, leaving Jack weak and helpless.
Sam, who really does love Jack as a son, leaps forward to try to save him.
Sam: Jack!
Dean: Sammy!
Cas tries to intervene, and is thrown to the floor.
Lucifer, Jack, and Sam disappear, leaving Dean yelling “Sammy!” again, to no avail. He looks devastated.
Me: OMG what just happened?!
Dean: What just happened?!
Me: That’s exactly what I just said!
Michael (crumpled on the floor): The devil won.
Archangels are the shiftiest most manipulative dicks ever, because I think Michael knows just how to goad Dean into doing something he might regret.
Michael: Lucifer has all the power now. He’ll kill the boy – and your brother. This is the end…of everything.
Anyone who knows Dean Winchester even a little bit knows that is the thing to say to get Dean to do whatever it takes to stop that outcome. Sam is in mortal danger, and Dean has proved again and again that he will go to the ends of the earth to save his brother. Jack, who Dean considers family, is in danger. And to top it off, the whole world will probably be ending. How can he NOT do something?
Dean looks anguished, and Jensen Ackles shows us every moment of his agonizing decision. When he turns his gaze to Michael, you can see Dean’s resolve – and his heartbreak.
Dean: What if you had your sword?
Me: OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
Castiel: Dean, no!
Michael is the only one who looks suddenly a lot less hopeless. He regards Dean like he’s looking at the thing he wants most in life.
Michael: Oh I know what you are.
Of course he does! He probably knew all along.
We get a flashback to Season 5, Zachariah and then Gabriel telling Dean that he is the Michael Sword – that Sam and Dean were always meant to be the perfect vessels for Lucifer and Michael.
I usually don’t like flashbacks because I remember the show too well, but in this case, I thought the flashback really worked to emphasize the gravity of this decision. Dean refused so many times, for so long, and now he feels he has no choice. It was also a wonderful feeling of the show circling back around and remembering its own past, which was powerful – it made it all seem like a destiny that you can’t outrun, and that felt BIG.
Cas again begs Dean not to do it, but Dean whirls around, his expression desperate.
Dean: Lucifer has Sam! He has Jack! Cas, I don’t have a choice.
He tells Michael this is a one time deal, and that he’s in charge.
Me and Alana: This isn’t gonna end well…
I think everyone knew that, but I also thought that it was totally in character for Dean to make that decision in that moment, and for him to at least try to make it on his terms.
Meanwhile, in a beautiful church (which is where epic things often go down in Supernatural) Lucifer flings poor Sam around, punching him ruthlessly. He drops a weak and helpless Jack right on the stone floor without a thought, so carelessly it made my blood run cold, then punches Jack just as brutally as he did Sam – with his fists and with his words.
Cap bestjaredpics
Lucifer (with disdain): I can make more kids…
Sam tries to intervene, and Lucifer scoffs at him.
Lucifer: Daddy Sam coming to the rescue.
Alana (screaming from my couch): He’s more of a dad than you ever were!!
The dialogue in this episode, I swear – OUCH. Kudos Andrew Dabb, it really cut.
Archangels all seem to share that love of drama and theatricality, and more than a little dash of sadism and hubris, because Lucifer also does not opt for a quick death for Sam or for Jack (who he may want alive to keep drinking from…) Instead he tosses an archangel blade onto the floor between them and sets up a mini Hunger Games contest, telling them if one of them kills the other, he’ll give the survivor a chance to stop him from remaking (ie destroying) the world.
This scene was so well done and so tense that Alana and I screamed through most of it, clutching each other and yelling NO NO NO NO NO and various other exclamations as Jack and Sam faced each other. Sam finally picked up the blade, which made me terrified that Sam was just going to kill himself so Jack could live.
Me: NO NO NO Sam, what are you thinking? What is he thinking? OMG Sam, what are you thinking?? Use your words!!
(Yes, I unfortunately know just what I started babbling because alas, it’s all on Alana’s youtube episode reaction video…)
Sam hands the blade to Jack.
Sam: Kill me. You can stop him, Jack.
Jack looks horrified – so do Alana and I.
Jack: No, I can’t beat him. But you can.
Now Alana and I are screaming NO NO NO NO JACK WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOOOOOO!
Jack looks at Sam, his face heartbreakingly sincere and open, full of emotion (because Alex Calvert effing rocks)
Jack: I love you. I love all of you.
And with that, he stabs himself with the archangel blade.
Me and Alana: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
I would have preferred something other than “I love you” – it would have been more powerful if it conveyed that sense in another way. One of the things I loved about Supernatural from day one is that Sam and Dean never had to use those words to show each other how they felt. Bitch-Jerk is a million times more powerful than “I love you” and a lot more in character, and it didn’t seem entirely organic when Jack said it either. I don’t think Cas needed to say it out loud either when he thought he was dying – they know. That’s what makes it so emotional. I wish they would use both those three words and the “family” designation more sparingly to preserve the impact, but maybe that’s just me.
As Jack tries to impale himself with excruciating slowness, the church is lit up in a flash of blinding light, and Jack pauses with the blade only a little in. They all shield their eyes, and across the room, we are all open mouthed at what we see.
Michael!Dean appears, and slowly and majestically his black wings unfurl behind him. It was such a gorgeous shot, Dean’s familiar bow legs juxtaposed with those angelic wings. Jensen plays it perfectly, right down to the roll of his shoulders as the wings slowly unfurl.
Sam: Dean?
Dean: Hiya Sammy.
And so we know that it is in fact Dean.
Then we get an epic fight scene with Rob Hayter’s always amazing fight choreography. Show tackled a huge undertaking by having the fight occur not only on the floor of the church but near the ceiling, which was strikingly high up. I can’t imagine how much work that was for both Ackles and Pellegrino, who had to be in harnesses and wires and still remember their fight choreography – or for the crew who had to film it and make it look believable. I appreciate that they wanted to make it epic, and it was, though I have to admit that wire work often throws me out of the moment. I mean, we do know that Ackles and Pellegrino can’t fly, so obviously we know there’s wire work happening, but I was distracted by the mechanics of it. I would have preferred that same epic fight on the ground, but I guess it makes sense that archangels don’t feel earthbound.
Lucifer, with the help of Jack’s grace, gets the upper hand and I really wasn’t sure how it was going to go for a while there, which I did enjoy. His sadism once again lets him take it slowly to savor the moment as he punches Michael/Dean repeatedly. Dean is near unconscious, his head lolling backwards, when Sam picks up the archangel blade and calls to his brother.
Sam: Dean!
Even near death, Dean hears his brother call his name and that Winchester ability to be in sync, honed over all those decades of fighting together, kicks in. Dean’s hand finds the blade Sam has tossed up into the air and wraps around it just as his eyes are starting to glow white.
Dean!!!!
He plunges the blade into Lucifer.
Lucifer drops Dean, who falls to the floor, and Alana and I watched open mouthed as Lucifer flames out – literally. Flames shoot from his eyes and mouth and his wings start to burn. Again, so many VFX kudos! He crashes to the floor, the outline of his singed wings spread out behind him.
Me and Alana:OMG
Sam and Dean share a moment of unbridled joy and relief – they effing did it. They killed Lucifer.
Dean: Holy crap.
Sam (grinning): You did it.
Dean: (starting to smile too): No. No we did it. We did it.
They grin helplessly at each other, Sam nearly doubling over and laughing with the sheer power of the relief he’s feeling. Jared Padalecki has taken us right along with him portraying Sam’s trauma at the hands of Lucifer and his resulting PTSD, his struggle to cope with and survive it, his empathy for others who have also been traumatized, and finally his tremendous relief at vanquishing his abuser and securing a sense of safety for himself. His acting has never been more nuanced or more powerful than in telling this part of Sam’s story, and I’m so grateful. It made this moment incredibly powerful.
Let me pause a second to say that Dean’s line correcting Sam to emphasize that they did this together was very important – to Sam, I’m sure, but to the fandom. The story of Sam and Lucifer goes way back, and is the main reason most of us could never have been on board with a redemption arc for Lucifer. The damage he did to Sam, the cruelty with which he tormented him and broke him, was too much, too horrible. So many of us wanted to see Sam have this win – to see Sam finally best his abuser and end it. On the other hand, I’m very aware that Dean was traumatized by the extent of his brother’s trauma, and thus holds a special hatred for Lucifer and a burning desire to see Sam’s abuse avenged and to know that Sam no longer feels vulnerable with Lucifer still in the world. Dean, I don’t think, has ever forgiven himself for not being able to keep Sam from plunging into the Cage with Lucifer – for not being able to keep him safe. So for both brothers, killing Lucifer was a monumental victory. They did it TOGETHER. And for me, that made it even more satisfying.
I am also happy with the way this played out because it allowed the full circle of Dean becoming Michael that they averted in Season 5, but it also made Sam just as integral a part of the victory over Lucifer as Dean. I’m going to assume that the reason the entire world wasn’t obliterated in the process once Michael and Lucifer finally had it out had something to do with Lucifer not being in his proper vessel (Sam). Otherwise that whole terror over their showdown having to be averted or else apocalypse now doesn’t make much sense.
I’m not sure exactly what Jack is feeling, because the rollercoaster of emotions he’s been on in the last few hours is…well, I have no idea what it is actually, because WHOA. But he’s still standing, and he’s with the Winchesters, so that’s good.
Alana and I were grinning at each other too, and we all savored that 0.5 seconds of happiness for… well, 0.5 seconds.
Joyous moment comes to an end as Dean doubles over.
Sam: Dean?
Dean: (anguished) We had a deal!
He straightens, and Sam knows immediately. We all know – because somehow Ackles looks not at all like Dean suddenly.
Sam: Michael.
Michael!Dean: Thanks for the suit.
You know what broke me? The way Sam hangs his head as he realizes his brother is gone. To go from that moment of joy to this devastation in such a short amount of time must be … again, I don’t even know. It reminded me of the end of Season 7, when Dean disappeared and Sam had no idea how to get him back. I felt Sam’s heartbreak then, and I felt it again now.
In some ways, I feel like Season 13 was a season of the Show trying to fix some blunders of the past. The killing off of Bobby and Charlie were arguably significant miscalculations of fandom’s affection for those characters, and the AU seems to have afforded a way to bring them back to this world (in AU versions, admittedly, but those versions seem to be getting more and more like the original versions every day). Sam moving heaven and earth to find his brother would make up for the hit-a-dog-and-shack-up-with-Amelia story line that neither Jared Padalecki nor most fans enjoyed. This time Sam has Cas and Jack with him, so hopefully that means he won’t hit a dog and stop looking – that was perhaps my least favorite story line ever because of course Sam would look for Dean.
Which brings us to Season 7 and Dean lost in a different kind of way – inside Michael.
Back at the bunker, Mary and Bobby return to find a devastated Castiel. That close up on Misha Collins’ face as he sits there faced with the knowledge that of course Michael will not keep his side of the bargain, and that Dean is lost to him, was so well done – it hurt to see the pain in his eyes. Cas turned his back on Heaven back in Season 5, it was so important to him that Dean not say yes to Michael. This must be a terrible blow, although I suspect there’s also a part of Castiel that understands why Dean did it. Jack is like a son to him too, after all.
We end with Michael suited up all Peaky Blinders style strolling down a city street. I almost expected something from Saturday Night Fever to play, but instead we get Michael!Dean looking around in wonder at this big world full of possibility – which does not bode well for humanity. Or Dean.
I wish they had ended there, with Michael!Dean looking around curiously. It was so obvious to everyone that Michael was 100% in control, and we didn’t need any further evidence. As cool as the blue glowy eyes are, I didn’t need to see them. And why we got a close up, then a freeze frame, then a zoom in on the freeze frame, I don’t know. Alana, film maker that she is, immediately was like ‘What the hell?!’
I’m not gonna go on about it, because it was one small thing, but I wish we could have left it out and not diluted the impact of the possession with that last shot.
So that’s the set up for Season 14. Jensen Ackles has said that he had some input into the wardrobe for Michael!Dean, so I can’t help but think that Ackles’ love for Peaky Blinders was influential – and that the actor is probably loving the opportunity to dress up and stretch his acting muscles by playing a different character. On the other hand, nobody loves playing a character as much as Ackles loves playing Dean, so I think he would miss it if the Michael!Dean story line goes on too long. I’m in agreement that the Demon!Dean story line ended way too soon (as are Jared and Jensen), but that was an exploration of Dean and his psyche – he was still Dean. If Michael is in complete control, that means Dean isn’t really on our screens for a while, and I wouldn’t want that to be the case for too long. I’d love to see Dean’s battle to take back control, though, so I hope we’ll see that – and that would mean we’d get some of both Dean and Michael.
We don’t honestly have a clear idea of what Michael even wants, other than the typical villainous “I’ll make over this world and it will be better than it ever was” which invariably means the opposite, and I think he mentioned something about “purifying” which is never EVER a good thing. I mean, he’s clearly not a nice guy, having tortured Mary and Jack and countless others – but I’m not sure what his plan is. For now, he just seems to want to wear stylish clothes and enjoy a world that doesn’t look quite so apocalyptic.
I’m also looking forward to seeing Sam look for Dean this time (unlike Season 8), and to seeing what lengths Sam and Cas and Jack will go to in order to get him back. We’ll get more exploration of Sam and Castiel’s relationship, and also of Castiel’s bond with Jack. All those things are good, but I will probably be longing for them to be reunited with Dean too. I guess that brings me right back to the power of parallel process, doesn’t it?
I am so grateful that Supernatural is still on the air and still telling stories that I’m invested in – I feel incredibly lucky that this is the Show I fell for so many years ago. A big thank you to the amazing hard-working cast and crew who bring the show to life week after week, year after year.
Alana set up the video camera, and we settled in on my couch to watch, both of us bouncing with that unique mix of anticipation and abject terror that Supernatural finales always bring. We and pretty much the entire fandom were a little bit spoiled in that we knew that Jensen Ackles was going to be playing a different character by the end of this episode. When that was first announced (for some reason I can’t fathom because WOW would it have been nice to be shocked and surprised by that reveal), speculation was mostly that Dean would be the archangel, Michael. After all, Dean is “the Michael sword,” his perfect vessel. In Season 5, he repeatedly refused to allow Michael to possess him, but perhaps AU!Michael would find a way? Then there were some articles that insinuated that no, it wouldn’t be Michael; it would someone we hadn’t seen for a long time. So Alana and I went into the episode with a lot of “OMG who is it gonna be??”
The first notes of ‘Carry On Wayward Son’ always make me emotional, but this time we began with a bit of Winchester history instead – and then Rowena in the backseat of the Impala.
Rowena: Boring… Is there music?
‘Carry On Wayward Son’ begins to play and Alana and I turned to each other grinning. What an awesome beginning! Well played, Show!
‘Let The Good Times Roll’ was penned by showrunner Andrew Dabb, as per tradition, and directed by showrunner Bob Singer. Once the episode itself begins, Sam is explaining the state of the non-AU world to some of the new inhabitants, using an old school pin board and sounding very smart indeed. Once he’s finished his recap, Bobby scoffs.
Bobby: The ice caps are melting, a movie where a girl goes all the way with a fish wins Best Picture, and that damn fool idjit from the Apprentice is president? And you call where we come from apocalypse world?
Alana and I laughed and then felt a bit depressed because wow, Bobby, good point. (Except the movie, but maybe that’s just us)
Sam gets a call from Dean, who just says “Hey Sammy, got something” and then Sam, Dean, Cas, and Jack (Alexander Calvert) are…hunting? I was totally confused. There was no sense that there had been a time jump so I didn’t know if they thought Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino) was in that cabin or what the hell they were doing. There’s a bunch of werewolves hanging out there, and honestly, they don’t seem to be hurting anyone and one even makes the exact same joke that Dean just did about Kardashian preferences and I keep thinking about Garth as the foursome swoops in and kills them all. I mean, I know, werewolves, but….anyway, that was a weird scene.
Me: I guess they’re teaching Jack to hunt? Saving people, hunting things, the family business?
Alana: (shrugs – aka I got nothin’)
Back at the bunker, Dean and Sam have a hallway conversation about Jack’s progress.
Dean: The kid did great. Hey, you remember when you asked if we could stop it? All the evil in the world? If we could really change things? Well, maybe with Jack, we can.
Sam: Maybe you’re right. But then what will we do?
Dean: (holding up his beer) This. A whole lot of this. But on a beach somewhere, you know? Can you imagine? You, me, Cas, toes in the sand, couple of them little umbrella drinks. Matching Hawaiian shirts, obviously. Some hula girls.
[I wondered if that was partly an ad lib, since for the Supernatural convention in Hawaii earlier this year, Jensen did in fact buy him, Jared and Misha matching Hawaiian shirts…]
Sam: You, talking about retiring? You?
Dean: If I knew the world was safe? Hell, yeah. And you know why? ‘Cause we freakin’ earned it, man.
Sam: I’ll drink to that.
It sort of breaks my heart to hear Dean allowing himself a little bit of hope that they might finally get the upper hand. Because this is Supernatural, so you know that hope is about to be horribly shattered.
Dean hears a sound from Jack’s room and goes in to investigate, waking Jack from a nightmare.
Jack: I’m sorry.
Dean: You don’t have to apologize. I have ‘em too, all the time.
Jack: What do you see?
Dean: Depends…mostly people I couldn’t save.
Oh Dean. He is always so tormented by his failures, and has such a hard time remembering all the good he’s done in the world, all the people he HAS saved.
Dean sits down on the edge of the bed and is so gentle with Jack, reassuring him that he is strong but that everyone makes mistakes and no one is perfect.
Dean: But we can get better. Every day, we can get better. I don’t know what you went through over there, I know it was bad. But we’ll figure out a way to deal with it. Together. You’re family, kid. And we look after our own.
I think it’s rather brilliant how the Show has managed to give the Winchesters and Cas a son, which is not something I anticipated. But all three of them have come to love Jack and to think of him as a son, as family. I loved this glimpse of Dean as a parent figure, because it’s always been such an integral part of him. He raised Sam, was mother and father as well as brother – and it’s clear that has been a defining part of his identity. Having the chance to do that with Jack is something I think Dean takes to naturally – once he finally decided that Jack was not going to go darkside. I love Jack’s quiet nod as he accepts what Dean says as genuine. Alexander Calvert was superb in this episode – but more on that later.
Meanwhile, Mary and Bobby are strolling through a rainy Vancouver woods that does not look at all like Kansas, but their conversation is kinda adorable. Ketch is apparently off doing his Ketch thing (and Mary seems to have gotten past her awful history with Ketch, oddly), and Rowena and Charlie are roadtripping.
Bobby: Ginger trouble.
It’s clear now that indeed there has been a time jump, because the AU people are “settling in”. Bobby included. He looks kinda shyly over at Mary.
Bobby: I like it here…
There’s a bit of flirtation going on between Mary and Bobby, which is…interesting. I’m not opposed to it, though I wonder what Jeffrey Dean Morgan will have to say about it when he finally returns to the show for the last episode (no, I have no idea if this will happen, I just like to believe it).
Their romantic interlude is spoiled by a trail of blood on the ground, because this is, after all, Supernatural – and no one gets to be happy for more than 0.5 seconds.
It’s Maggie from the tunnels (who half of fandom didn’t remember and thought it was a brand new character).
Jack clearly feels responsible and guilty as they ask a friend of Maggie’s what happened, trying to figure out how she was killed. Turns out there was a boy named Nate from the convenience store who Maggie had a crush on and snuck out to meet the night before…
Anddddddddddd poof! Jack is gone.
Uh oh.
Me: Oh no, he’s going after Nate.
Sure enough, Jack finds hapless convenience store clerk Nate and pins him up against the wall.
Me: Wait, how do we know that’s even Nate? What if that’s not Nate?? What does it say on his name tag? OMG I think it says George! That’s not Nate, it’s George!
Alana: (deadpans) It’s Nate.
Me: Oh.
Cas, Sam and Dean show up (very quickly so the convenience store must be in the bunker’s backyard, which is handy for beer runs) and try to stop Jack. Jack tosses poor Cas off like he’s not even there and ignores Sam and Dean. So Dean pulls out his gun, and shoots him.
Me and Alana: What the hell, Dean??
Sam: (silently): Same.
Jack: (dropping Nate) You shot me!
Dean: To get your attention.
Remind me never to ignore Dean Winchester. (Like that is even the remotest of remote possibilities, says everyone who has ever met me)
Jack is distraught and feels even more like everything he does is wrong. He runs out of the store. Cas tries to follow, but Dean holds him back and tells him to let Jack go.
Poor Jack wanders the nearby woods in anguish.
Jack: I keep hurting people…
He’s so angry with himself, so frustrated and feeling so guilty, that he erupts in self hatred, punching himself as he asks over and over, “why do you keep hurting people??”
It was so heartbreaking I had to grab Alana and cry out “Jack OMG Jack” repeatedly. Poor Alana.
Luckily we are both big Jack fans, so we pretty much got upset together. Once again, Alex Calvert absolutely killed it in this scene – he made it 100% believable that Jack was feeling all those emotions and was overwhelmed by them. It’s exactly what people do when they have no way to deal with self hatred, and it’s horrible to watch.
Back in the convenience store, an ear splitting sound paralyzes Sam, Dean and Cas. And ME! Alana and I had the volume turned up to about 80 on my television so we could hear it on the video, and that meant that our ears were in almost as much pain as the characters onscreen. Ouch!
Dean grabs Sam and the three of them run outside just as the windows of the store blow out. Michael makes a grand entrance, leaving Sam and Cas on the ground.
But Dean throws open the Impala’s trunk and quickly lights a holy oil bomb and throws it at Michael, giving them time to get in the car.
Dean: Run!
Me: Run faster!!
They get away as Michael stands behind a line of holy oil that’s about ten yards long.
Me and Alana: Um, how come he couldn’t just walk around it?
No time to conjecture, because Lucifer has also come through the rift and appears to Jack. Jack is understandably confused, since Sam told him that Lucifer was dead (which I’m sure he assumed was the truth).
Lucifer: Sam’s a big fat liar, and a bad person. And freakishly tall, so…
He tells Jack that Sam left him behind, which clearly disturbs Jack. Then he goes on to pretty much tell Jack everything he wants to hear, the way any master manipulator would. You need me…we’re not human… we can escape our past and our sins and start over…
Of course that’s seductive for Jack – he is desperate for a do over, so he can make up for his perceived wrongs and failings. Lucifer plays on that, and also on Jack’s youth and naivete.
Jack: What do we do?
Lucifer: We leave… explore the stars, the planets, the galaxies…
Jack: Like Star Wars?
Me and Alana: Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!
Lucifer: (taking advantage of every opportunity) Want a light saber? A Wookie?
He calls Jack affectionate nicknames like ‘buddy’ or ‘kiddo’, again playing on his longing for his father’s love – a universal thing that seems to persist even when people know that their parent is unable to give it.
And Lucifer does it – he wins Jack over. But first, Jack wants his dad to bring back poor dead Maggie. Lucifer is reluctant. He says it’s not a good idea, that people sometimes come back…different.
Jack: Sam didn’t.
Lucifer: Well, Sam has always been different….
Me and Alana: Damn right!
Sam proves that his “different” is awesome by being smart enough to ask Maggie more about her attack. He’s so gentle as he’s questioning her, so empathic. Both Winchesters, in this episode, are a mix of totally badass when they need to be and strikingly gentle with others who are hurting. Sam knows how disconcerting it is to be dead one minute and then alive again the next, and his conversation with Maggie reflects that understanding. And because of that, Maggie does share what she remembers.
Maggie: I didn’t see his face…but I saw his eyes…
Me and Alana: Lucifer!
The boys try all avenues to figure out where Lucifer is, including “putting Jody on it” – another reminder that the Wayward Sisters characters are staying prominent in the Supernatural universe – and Cas attempting to get information from Angel Radio, which apparently is just static. Not helpful.
There really is never a dull moment in this episode, because Michael (who woke up and walked around that line of holy fire) breaks down the door of the bunker without much trouble. Perhaps he let himself pause behind the holy fire because he knew that he could just stroll into the bunker anyway?
Michael seems to be the kind of guy who likes to put on a show (is it something with archangels?), because Asmodeus got into the bunker too but much more quietly. Michael not only blasts the door open and flashes all the lights, but he theatrically floats down to the floor instead of using the stairs. Christian Keyes can totally pull off dramatic and makes Michael a figure of some majesty (and some fear), which I really appreciate. Inexplicably, Sam and Dean start shooting at him and Cas tries to angel blade him – both of which they had to know weren’t going to do a damn thing. I guess it felt better than just standing there though.
I loved the small moment when Sam tells Mary to run and take Maggie out of there, and Mary looks at him incredulously.
Mary: What?! No!
Me to Alana: Yes! Good response, Mary! I like that she didn’t want to leave her boys behind.
Michael, again going with the theatricality, physically beats up Sam, Dean and Cas even though I’m sure he could have killed them all instantly. With Cas and Sam incapacitated, Michael picks Dean up by the neck and begins to slowly choke him to death, telling Dean that he should be honored to be the first soul that Michael has taken in this new world.
Michael: I could’ve done this quick, but I wanted to enjoy it.
Dean, almost unable to speak, nevertheless chokes out a typical Dean response.
Dean: As Shakespeare once said, eat me, Dickbag!
Oh Dean, I do love you. Defiant til the end. And kudos to Andrew Dabb for putting in that line of explanation, so I didn’t have to wonder why Michael was conveniently dragging it out long enough for something to intervene.
Meanwhile, Smart!Sam is trying desperately to save his brother’s life as Dean is slowly asphyxiated. On his knees and barely able to speak, Sam prays to Jack, telling him, “we need you.”
Jack and Lucifer are having a bonding time looking at the stars, with Lucifer already making some missteps talking about how he’s planning some “improvements” to the world, when Jack hears Sam’s prayer. Boom! He’s back in the bunker, eyes glowing, hand raised and facing Michael.
Jack: You hurt my friends…my family…
And just like that, Jack takes Michael down.
Me and Alana: Whoa, Jack can do that??
Lucifer (watching from safely behind Jack): Whoa.
Whoa
Michael falls to the floor, yelling at Lucifer: We had a deal!
Jack immediately starts to realize that the lovely father-son bonding story that Lucifer spun for him may not be quite true. He demands to know what Michael meant, and Dean and Sam fill in the blanks, telling Jack that Lucifer killed Maggie and what he plans for humanity. Lucifer of course denies it, trying to pull Jack back to his side, but Jack has way more power than any of us suspected. He stretches out his hand toward Lucifer, and as Lucifer’s eyes turn into glowy starbursts (very cool, VFX wizards!), Jack demands that Lucifer tell him the truth.
And he does! Lucifer confesses that he killed Maggie.
Lucifer:… So I crushed her skull with my bare hands, and it was warm and wet… and I liked it…
Caps by @kayb625
Jack is horrified.
Jack: You’re not my father, you’re a monster!
Lucifer, realizing that his ploy has failed, breaks into a ROAR of pure rage. He knows he’s lost and he is probably also realizing that Jack is so much more powerful than him that he wouldn’t have had the upper hand for long.
And in that moment, we see once again the true face of the devil.
In the famous words of the Bloodhound Gang, “like a scrotum, here it is in a nutshell;” Deadpool 2 was awesome. Not surprising is the fact that it topped the box office with a $300 million opening already. At this point, I really don’t want to root for any of Fox’s work on Marvel properties.
Many Marvel fans want the X-Men and Fantastic Four to come to their proper home which is Marvel Studios, to get the proper treatment and have moviegoers entertained as they should be. But Fox has been doing great lately with their two Deadpool films and Logan. If Fox keeps this up, it will take some time before the MCU can properly adopt them. Rebooting so soon wouldn’t be a good idea. Just like in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films, if something’s doing great, it doesn’t need a reboot.
The X-Men, however, is fair game because the way I now see it, Deadpool is its own franchise. A standalone, funny, entertaining, and violent superhero film that just happens to have a few X-Men characters in it. Fox may be onto something because the Marvel Cinematic Universe is terribly tough to emulate. The MCU works much like a comic book publisher with Kevin Feige as a strict editor-in-chief. Geoff Johns may be in Kevin’s position, but the suits at Warner Brothers are still calling all the shots. Fox meanwhile may have just given up on the shared X-universe with Deadpool. But what about that end-credits scene? (Won’t spoil it yet) Or how about that scene in the X-mansion? (That too) Those are just Wade being funny, at least I’d like to think so. But back to Deadpool 2. This is a very funny and entertaining film and I kind of like it more than the first one.
The plot is very simple with a simple homage to Terminator. The ties to Cable’s character in the X-Men is very loose, that is until Deadpool 3 does try to give him more character and actually ties him to his X-Men roots. If the plot is simple, why do we need 119 minutes? Because there’s plenty of action and comedy to fill in the gaps. It’s almost like Avengers: Infinity War which is more action than plot (which is not bad). Watching Deadpool 2 is like watching an old 80s action film with lots of action, gunshots, and swordplay. Not to mention the gore often found in B-horror films because Deadpool getting disemboweled is pretty normal. If you thought the hand thing in the first film was funny, things get disturbing in this one.
The comedy? There’s plenty of that around especially involving Deadpool’s X-Force. If you’re thinking of the comic book X-Force, it’s a bit different. You know how Fox works by now. Watch out for Terry Crews, Lewis Tan and Bill Skarsgard and a surprise cameo. Barkeep Weasel and cabbie Dopinder also get plenty of screentime do dish out some laughs.
This film has a lot of heart, which is literally mentioned several times. Now when we say heart, first thing that comes to mind would be Vanessa. She has more of a dramatic role here but works quite well in the film despite the shocking first act (Not spoiling that yet, was the word shocking a giveaway?). This film kind of gives Deadpool a bit more depth and emotion in his quest to find his real place in the world aside from being a do-good bloodthirsty psychotic mercenary. That, and his ability to care for other people. The heart of this movie is best explained by Reynolds.
“The first movie is a love story masquerading as a comic-book movie, and this one is kind of a family film masquerading as a comic-book film again.”
— Ryan Reynolds
By the way, is Josh Brolin open for the Terminator reboot? Because he really nailed the role with this. This is not a spoiler as even the most casual geek knows who Cable is. He’s a time traveler who goes back in time on whatever mission he feels would save the future. In this film’s case, he goes back in time for a kid as shown in the trailers. Josh Brolin really nailed that Terminator look with the bionic eye, just as he nailed Thanos which gave the MCU its first well-defined villain. Cable’s story, mission, and motivation here was simple and nice but really nowhere near his original comic book origin. Speaking of nailing it, Zazie Beets was awesome as Domino. I’m not really too familiar with the character, but her action scenes were just great. Overall, if you just want to see an entertaining superhero film and don’t really care much about continuity, Deadpool is for you. You might even find it surprisingly profound.
For a few years, the term ‘superhero fatigue’ has been bandied about with even James Cameron jumping into the discussion, but Ryan Reynolds “Deadpool 2” continues proving that it couldn’t be further from the truth.
Deadpool and his foul-mouthed crew of misfits and malcontents have taken down the Avengers. Reviews were rather positive, including ours, but word of mouth and another smart savvy marketing campaign helped push the superhero sequel to the top.
Fox’s “Deadpool 2” brought in $125 million this weekend, giving it the second-highest opening ever for an R-rated movie and ending the three-week reign of Disney’s “Avengers: Infinity War” at the top of the North American box office, according to studio estimates Sunday. It also gave 20th Century Fox its largest opening weekend in two years, and that was when the original “Deadpool” hit the big screen.
“Deadpool 2,” with Ryan Reynolds returning as the title character and co-writing this time, fell somewhat short of the $130 million the studio predicted and the $132.4 million that its predecessor earned two years ago.
“Deadpool 2,” cost $110 million to make, or nearly double the price of the first one, which took in $132.4 million over its first three days in theaters and went on to collect $783.1 million worldwide. Once again, Fox mounted a madcap marketing campaign that approached performance art, complete with a ballet-infused Celine Dion video.
Analysts and the studio said the difference can be attributed to the first film opening on a holiday weekend, and could easily be made up with Memorial Day coming, despite the looming competition from “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”
“I think with a holiday on our second weekend we’ll catch ‘Deadpool’ if not exceed it,” said Chris Aronson, distribution chief for 20th Century Fox.
The film grossed $176.3 million internationally and opened better overseas than the first, especially finding audiences in Latin America.
The Avengers are hardly hurting. Disney and Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War” brought in an estimated $29 million in North America for a four-week take of $595 million domestically and $1.2 billion overseas. It’s now the fifth highest grossing film of all time worldwide.
In a whole different corner of the cinematic universe, “Book Club” was third with a $12.5 million weekend that exceeded expectations.
It was a successful piece of counter-programming for Paramount, which used the modestly budgeted comedy starring Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton and Candice Bergen to find older audiences and women while “Deadpool 2” dwelled overwhelmingly on young men.
“There are definitely audiences out there for whom superhero movies are not their cup of tea,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore.
Paramount said that 60 percent of the audience was over 50 years old. Ms. Fonda sought to stir interest in the days leading up to release with a sassy Twitter message to Mr. Reynolds. “You’re not the only one that kills in a tight little red outfit,” she wrote. “We’ll show you ours if you show us yours.”
“Deadpool 2” follows the proudly foul formula of the first, mixing the usual superhero set pieces with gore, gross-out jokes, 80s power ballads and frequent fourth-wall violations.
The box office of the second film suggests that formula can become a long-term franchise, and builds its possibilities with the addition of antihero teammates from Marvel Comics for the title character, including Josh Brolin’s Cable and Zazie Beetz’s Domino.
“The source material is so vast and rich that I don’t think there’s any question that it just opens the door for more,” Aronson said.
Along with the earnings and acclaim for last year’s R-rated “Logan,” Fox has made itself the early leader in the burgeoning subgenre.
“The R-rating may be restrictive in terms of the audience make-up, but it’s certainly not restrictive in the creative freedom it offers, so when movies like these hit, they can hit big,” Dergarabedian said. “There is a place for the R rating. In the superhero genre it offers endless and really cool possibilities.”
“Deadpool 2” next faces off with “Solo,” but the two films along with the still-earning “Avengers” ought to make for a major Memorial Day for the industry.
“This marketplace is big enough for all these films,” Dergarabedian said.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
“Deadpool 2,” $125 million ($176.3 million international).
2. “Avengers: Infinity War,” $28.6 million ($84.4 million international).
“Book Club,” $12.5 million.
“Life of the Party,” $7.7 million ($1.3 million international).
“Breaking In,” $6.4 million ($300,000 international).
“Show Dogs,” $6 million.
“Overboard,” $4.7 million ($4.1 million international).
“A Quiet Place,” $4 million ($18.8 million international).
“Rampage,” $1.5 million ($4.4 million international).
“I Feel Pretty,” $1.2 million ($1.7 million international).
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to comScore:
There’s no other Marvel diversity character who is as popular as Miles Morales than Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel. In a time when there’s too much clamor about Marvel replacing its tentpole comic book heroes with younger diverse characters, Ms. Marvel remained strong and popular.
Perhaps because she was properly introduced and well-written, unlike others, who seemed forced during the ultra-PC movement that swept Marvel. This, unfortunately, seemed to have the opposite effect on sales.
Now, the Pakistani Muslim superheroine’s popularity has made it up to the mind of Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige. Kevin is thinking, somewhere down the line, let’s make a Ms. Marvel movie. If and when it happens, would be the second or third female led Marvel Studios film depending on when Black Widow’s solo film happens. Nat’s film, by the way, is rumored to be set during her run-in with the Winter Soldier or maybe even with Hawkeye during Budapest.
So who or what is Ms. Marvel? In comics, before Carol Danvers officially took the Captain Marvel mantle (Captain Marvel’s history is complicated), she was originally Ms. Marvel aka Warbird, aka Binary. Ms. Marvel is the Supergirl to DC’s Superman. In the MCU though, Carol Danvers starts out as Captain Marvel, a Kree-human hybrid with many special powers including flight, durability and energy projection.
She might as well be Marvel’s answer to Supergirl or Wonder Woman. Now back to Ms. Marvel. When Caron Danvers took the vacant Captain Marvel mantle, the Ms. Marvel name taken over by a Muslim Pakistani girl named Kamala Khan who idolizes Carol Danvers. Kamala Khan became exposed to the Terrigen Mist and gained the power to change her body mass and shape. Yes, she is an Inhuman, or what Marvel Comics’ calls Nu-humans. New Inhumans generated by a Terrigen mist outbreak.
In the MCU, the Terrigen outbreak occurs after Agents of SHIELD Season 2 after Quake’s mother’s stash of Terrigen empties into the ocean, consumed by fish and made its way into fish oil supplements. See? Omega 3 has special benefits. The big question now is, will Kevin Feige and Marvel studios acknowledge the existence of Inhumans in the MCU? Will they finally acknowledge the events of Agents of SHIELD? It would be a terrible shame and disappointment if they didn’t. When would Ms. Marvel be set given that she’s supposed to be a young girl who looks up to Captain Marvel since Carol Danvers’ story is set in the 90s and apparently is a forgotten or unsung hero?
If Marvel Studios simply hints at the events of Agents of SHIELD and uses Kamala Khan’s Inhuman origin, then she’d be too young to know the existence of Captain Marvel. Unless her parents or one of them were present during Captain Marvel’s adventures. Captain Marvel’s heroism would come through bedtime stories that young Kamala would appreciate. She would look up to the unsung heroine and anticipate her return.
If Marvel Studios continues with the one-sided idea of TV connectivity, it would be a terrible blow to hardcore comic book fans who are partially the audience to this film. Casual viewers would probably drop by Wikipedia to know more and would be scratching their heads if Marvel Studios refuse the existence of Inhumans entirely. Up to this point, Inhumans exist only on the TV side of the MCU and are easily dismissible in the greater scheme of the MCU films. They probably wouldn’t be if the Inhumans film went through as originally planned.
Riz! I am obsessed with this comic book, I’ve read them all. I love Kamala Khan. https://t.co/f3PevhfUzv
But I guess I can see the difficulty in shoehorning the fish oil origin for casual movie viewers who have never seen an episode of Agents of SHIELD, not to mention the Inhumans. One could imagine how cheap it would be for a young girl to gain her powers after popping a pill and suddenly getting encased in a movie-budget cocoon. Fans in the know may be happy but in the greater scheme of things, would feel sorry for those who don’t and would feel the same way if they try to see the ‘connected’ film in a ‘standalone’ perspective. The best way to do it, is that the movie would have to do an exposition on the events of AOS before starting the film. Perhaps through a two-minute telling about an incident on a rogue aircraft carrier as told by Nick Fury who’s been keeping tabs on Coulson.
If the film does dismiss the concept of Inhumans entirely, they could do an approach already done way back. What if Bruce Banner’s blood wasn’t restricted to one energy drink bottle, but two? Instead of hulking out, the drink reacts differently to her physiology? Another method, in case Fox completely closes their deal with Marvel, is you guessed it. To ironically pass Ms. Marvel as a mutant. Irony, in the sense that Marvel comics attempt to phase out mutants is by making more Inhumans through the Terrigen mist resulting in characters like Kamala Khan. The introduction of mutants to the MCU films would be through her. Because comics are weird. Anyway, if you trust the MCU as well as yours truly, they’ll find a way to properly introduce this character, connected or not, we’ll still be happy, or at least pleased with the result.
Thanks to the internet, you no longer have to go outside if you want to have fun during the summer. You don’t need to risk getting sunburnt when you can stay indoors and enjoy your ice cream and your free time out of the hot glare of the sun. This summer, geeks, nerds and any other adjacent, tech-loving groups will be able to amuse themselves at the touch of a button. Here’s how.
Stream Your Favourite Movies
Movies like blockbuster superhero flick Avengers: Infinity War, action-packed picture Rampage, and Disney epic A Wrinkle In Time are currently making waves at the box office. But there are plenty of streaming services that allow you to enjoy the most popular, highest rated movies from the comfort of your own home. Across Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Now TV you can find previously released Avengers titles, Disney Pixar classics, critically acclaimed comedies and more.
Play Online Games
No matter your taste in gaming or your aptitude at this interactive past time, you’ll likely be able to find an online game that suits your style and can entertain you this summer. For something strategic and tactical, Blizzard Entertainment’s collectible card game Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft will be right up your alley. Meanwhile, the roulette games offered by William Hill offer a reasonable amount of variety, including roulette games from throughout the ages, such as 2D classic roulette wheels and billiard-style titles like Bagatelle. Clash Royale is another card-based battler with a mobile app, providing a significant amount of variation and an easy learning curve, meaning that by the end of the summer you could be a pro!
Make Friends on Social Media
The great thing about the Internet is that whatever your interest, you will likely find someone else out there on the Internet that shares that same hobby. Social media platforms such as Reddit, micro-blogging sites Twitter and Tumblr, and the easy to find groups on Facebook make finding a friend a matter of a quick search. What’s more is that if you make a friend on social media, the next time you’re stuck for things to do, you could meet them rather than staying in the house.
Become a YouTuber
YouTube is one of the most-visited sites on the web and it has an estimated one billion active users each month. While you may enjoy watching YouTube content, have you considered becoming a YouTuber? With so many people using the site, there are plenty of potential viewers to tune in to your rants about the state of the film industry, the amazing new beauty products you’ve purchased, or whatever other topics you feel like discussing.
Learn How to Code
Coding is regarded as one of the most useful skills to employers, making it all the more valuable for you to learn how to code. There are several sites you can visit to get educated for free, including Code Academy, Git Hub and Code Avengers. Even if you don’t use it to apply for jobs, you could use coding to make your own games and more.
The Internet is a vast and varied place and there seem to be no limits to the ways in which we can entertain ourselves using tech. The above suggestions are just the tip of the iceberg.
It’s not a surprise that Marvel and Disney’s “Avengers: Infinity War” held on to the top spot at the holiday weekend box office as it continues breaking records with a $1.6 billion global tally. The only upcoming competition will be Ryan Reynolds “Deadpool 2” which opens next week, but this only keeps Marvel happy as it’s another one of their films.
“Avengers: Infinity War” is still ruling the box office in its third weekend in theaters, easily beating out the mom-themed fare.
The Walt Disney Studios on Sunday estimates that “Infinity War” has added $61.8 million from North American theaters bringing its total domestic earnings to $547.8 million. Globally the film has now grossed over $1.6 billion— $200 million of which was from its massive opening in China this weekend. It’s now the fifth highest grossing film of all time worldwide.
The superhero blockbuster overpowered newcomers like the Melissa McCarthy comedy “Life of the Party” and the Gabrielle Union thriller “Breaking In,” both of which were strategically timed to debut on Mother’s Day weekend. Both films drew overwhelmingly female audiences, too.
In a distant second, “Life of the Party” earned an estimated $18.5 million, which is a few million short of some of McCarthy’s other comedy collaborations with husband Ben Falcone like “Tammy” and “The Boss.” It also got similarly mixed reviews from critics. The Warner Bros. release stars McCarthy as a woman who decides to go back to college with her daughter.
The studio is “thrilled” with the results.
“It’s escapist movie palace fare,” said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros.′ president of domestic distribution.
The modestly budgeted “Breaking In” took third place with $16.5 million, over-performing most industry expectations despite lackluster reviews. The film stars Union as a mom who has to fight to save her kids from a group of home invaders.
“It’s an edge-of-the-seat thriller that you may not always associate with Mother’s Day, but it worked extraordinarily well,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic theatrical distribution.
The Universal Pictures release is just the latest in a long string of successful collaborations with producer Will Packer, who also produced “Girl’s Trip” and the “Ride Along” films.
“We have a great partner in Will Packer and ‘Breaking In’ is another example of his very talented approach and our mutual success,” Orr said.
Also benefiting from the Mother’s Day timing was “Overboard,” which earned $10.1 million to take fourth place, down only 31 percent from its debut last weekend. And rounding out the top five was “A Quiet Place” with $6.4 million. The John Krasinski-directed thriller has now earned $169.6 million domestically.
“This is a typical Mother’s Day weekend with a big blockbuster in the mix and some counter programming thrown in for good measure as we await the arrival of ‘Deadpool 2’ next week,” said comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian.
Because of the massive success of “Infinity War,” the box office is up 4.9 percent for the year, and a slew of blockbusters coming up are hoping to continue the success, including “Deadpool 2″ and “Solo: A Star Wars Story” just one week later.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
“Avengers: Infinity War,” $61.8 million ($281.3 million international).
2. “Life of the Party,” $18.5 million ($2.9 million international).
3. “Breaking In,” $16.5 million ($1 million international).
4. “Overboard,” $10.1 million ($8.2 million international).
5. “A Quiet Place,” $6.4 million ($2.8 million international).
6. “I Feel Pretty,” $3.7 million ($3.5 million international).
7. “Rampage,” $3.4 million ($6.4 million international).
8. “Tully,” $2.2 million.
9. “Black Panther,” $1.9 million.
10. “Blockers,” $1.1 million ($1.2 million international).
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to comScore:
After my epic review of last week’s episode, I’ll try to make this one more concise – which I realize isn’t saying much with the bar that low. Exodus, the penultimate episode of Season 13, began with a lengthy recap, which caused me to start encouraging my television to “come on, get to it, we know what happened last week!”
I suppose it’s possible that someone forgot that Sam Winchester died in the last episode and that Lucifer brought him back and that he has just now walked into the rebel camp – where Sam sees Mary alive, and Dean sees Sam alive. But I don’t know that person.
I do love that they pick up right where they left off, which doesn’t happen often enough and which gives the episode an extra sense of urgency and immediacy. Sam hugs Mary, who he’s been trying desperately to get to all season, and Dean stares at Sam over Mary’s shoulder like he almost can’t believe it, with a soft “Sam?”
As soon as Sam and Dean have a moment alone, they both need to reconnect after the intense emotions each has experienced – Dean’s devastation at losing Sam and Sam’s shame and guilt at being brought back by Lucifer and bringing him to the camp.
Sam: I’m sorry about all this.
I held my breath, waiting to see what Dean would say and my heart breaking for Sam – who has absolutely nothing to be sorry about but is always ALWAYS worried about disappointing his big brother.
Dean: Are you good?
Sam: I’m alive, yeah.
Dean: Well then you’ve got nothin’ to apologize for.
Me: OMG YES!
Dean pulls Sam into a hug, wraps him up so very tight, and you can see the moment when Sam lets go of that guilt and self-blame and just leans into it, letting his brother hold him.
Dean: I thought I lost you, man.
You can hear the emotion in Dean’s voice, all that he felt when he thought Sam was gone evident in the way his voice breaks. Sam hears it, understands it, and closes his eyes in response, his own mouth twitching in empathy as he hears the pain in his brother’s voice. It’s such a powerful moment, even more so because Ackles and Padalecki played it understated. It’s a quiet moment, but all the more emotional for that quiet. After a minute, Dean pulls away, but you can see the effort it takes him to do it, the way he fights to pull himself back in control. He has to turn away immediately, can’t look Sam in the eye or I think he knows his emotions would spill over. Sam is similarly awkward, avoiding eye contact, as both men try to get themselves back in control.
Those little nonverbal, not scripted but just the way that Jared and Jensen let themselves BE Sam and Dean, make all the difference. You know how much emotion they’re feeling by how hard they fight not to show it to each other. I had tears in my eyes, but this time they were tears of joy.
Fans wait all season for hugs between the brothers because they are so important to us – that emotion between the characters is what sets this show apart. Not the monsters they fight or the adventures they have, but the relationships.
Jensen had said that they didn’t play the hug as originally written, which I think really meant more when than how – they have said that the writers don’t really include stage directions for hugs between the brothers anyway, because they know Jared and Jensen will figure that part out. But originally I think maybe the hug was supposed to happen right after the Sam and Mary hug. If that’s the case, I think it worked so much better here. Not in front of dozens of people, and not before Dean got over the shock of Sam being brought back by Lucifer or maybe even a bit of “are you really okay because, well, Lucifer”. This way they were alone, and they had time to have a conversation, not just a hug. Dean gave Sam what he desperately needed to feel better about this, and that was such a gift – to Sam, and to us as viewers too. As angry as Dean was throughout much of this episode, with Sam he is gentle, every bit the big brother. My heart.
Dean also gives Sam exactly what he needs in the next brief conversation.
Dean asks about Lucifer, and Sam answers with resolve.
Sam: I’ll handle him. I will, Dean. Let me handle him.
You can tell how important this is to Sam. His torturer, his abuser. The one he’s been afraid of for so long. Sam needs to be the one to “handle” Lucifer, to gain back a sense of control that Lucifer stole from him a long time ago.
Dean seems to sense that. He’s quiet for a minute, considering. And then he simply says, “okay.”
Again, it’s soft. Quiet. But it’s Dean understanding how much Sam needs this, and putting his own needs (for Sam to be safe) out of the way and putting Sam’s needs first.
I loved that entire scene – every word, every unspoken message, every expression. Both Jared and Jensen say so much even when they’re not saying a word, or just a few.
With Sam and Dean back together and on the same page, much of the episode is devoted to the will-they-or-won’t-they story of Jack and Lucifer, as in will they develop a father/son relationship or won’t they? I can’t say enough about how fabulous Alex Calvert is in showing us Jack’s complicated emotions at finally meeting his biological father. The whole scenario is difficult and complex (as real life parent-child relationships often are), as Dean, Sam and Cas essentially get into a custody fight with Lucifer over Jack. They are the ones who have been here for him, who have raised him and taught him right from wrong. So they, understandably, feel that Jack should listen to them – and not to Lucifer. (That and the fact that Lucifer has pretty much been a not very nice guy who is perfectly willing to twist the truth in order to manipulate someone). I thoroughly enjoyed Castiel’s exasperation with Lucifer’s twisting of the truth and Cas not knowing quite what to do with it. He genuinely cares about Jack and considers himself to be a father figure and it’s really all kinds of endearing. But Cas, as well as the Winchesters, are all about trying to control Jack – and that isn’t sitting well.
Jack reacts in a way that seemed very realistic to me – he doesn’t want to be told what to do when it comes to making decisions about his father. Despite his reservations (“It’s Jack,” he says the first time Lucifer calls him “son”), Jack is understandably curious about who he is, where he comes from. He never got to meet his mother, and this is the first opportunity he has had to meet his father. Of course he doesn’t want to listen to Dean, who is angry and loud and blustery telling everyone what to do (including yelling for Gabriel to “kill him!”) This is Dean in protective mode, and I get that, but it backfired when it came to Jack and his father.
I liked the glimpse into Jack’s head as he withdraws from all four of his “dads” fighting over him and remembers the words of his mother, that he can be who he chooses to be. He also thinks about his bond with Sam, another source of strength for him – but the memory of his failures haunt him, and he’s clearly driven to try to figure out how he can be stronger, do better. Lucifer seems to know that, and that’s the vulnerability that he exploits. The Devil is smart like that.
While I really liked the exploration of Jack’s character in this episode, I was a bit confused by the treatment of Lucifer. I mostly hate Lucifer for what he did to Sam and I’ve said before that I really am not up for a redemption arc. His torture of Sam, and the aftermath that Jared portrayed so vividly, was just too much for me to forgive and forget. But the show seems to be bound and determined to make Lucifer a more sympathetic character, and Mark Pellegrino is skilled enough to show us some shades of gray in the character instead of just black and white or pure evil. Lucifer seems to genuinely want Jack’s admiration (maybe even affection) and it doesn’t seem to be solely so they can combine their powers and rule the world or something. I have little doubt that he would eventually show his true colors to Jack and open a rift between them, but he does seem to want that relationship. In this episode, we even see Lucifer shed a tear – and it’s not for show because there’s nobody else there to see it. I don’t think I want that for Lucifer – I don’t want to be conflicted about whether or not I hate him, or whether there is a being capable of empathy or sympathy buried in there. I don’t want to know he can be hurt, that he can cry. I don’t want that, Show! That complicates things way too much. Usually I’m all for shades of gray in my villains, but in this case? I wish you’d paint with black and white.
That complexity colors all the interactions Lucifer has in this episode. I loved when Mary hauled off and just punched him in the face, but his reaction was played for laughs and seemed to pull for us feeling some (grudging perhaps) affection for him. He seems to be trying SO HARD and no one will give him a break, and that pulls on my humanity way too much. Stop it, Show!
The other complicated parenting relationship going on in this episode is Mary and her sons. This entire season, for Sam and Dean, has been about trying to rescue their mother. In a way, the entire season has been a reflection of their entire lives – longing for an absent mother, wishing she would be home with them. No wonder this is such an emotional issue for them, more than it would be even for most adult children. Mary has never seemed to understand that, though it’s not her fault they had to live without her most of their lives (the deal, yes, but she was in a no win situation).
I was a bit spoiled for the part where Mary says she’s not going back with them, so it didn’t punch me in the gut, but it was really hard to watch. Fandom is divided on whether this was evidence of being a bad parent or a heroic hunter.
Mary: I know what you went through to come find me.
That didn’t sit well with me initially. Sam literally DIED to come find her – her sons have been risking their lives repeatedly, fighting to save their mother. That’s a big thing.
Mary: But these people, they need me here.
Dean: (angry) No, we need you, Mom!
There is such a huge and painful disconnect between how Mary sees her sons and how her sons see their mother. Mary sees Dean and Sam for the adult men they are, the strapping over-six-foot strong, smart capable hunters they are NOW. She never saw them as five-year-olds or ten-year-olds or insecure adolescents or any of those other stages of parenthood that let you eventually see your kids as still your kids but also capable and independent. This Sam and Dean have always looked like capable and independent adults to Mary, and in her eyes, they do not NEED her. She felt painfully not needed in her short time spent with them, and that goes against everything Mary is. She needs to be needed – she needs to save the world.
Sam and Dean, on the other hand, see Mary as their mom. They too were cheated — out of having a mother for all those years as they grew up, and they have never outgrown that need. When you’re deprived of that nurturing that every child needs, it leaves a gaping hole that you desperately want to fill – for Sam and Dean, here’s their mother magically back, and that brings with it a hope and a powerful fantasy that the hole can finally be filled. They can’t let that go any more than Mary can let go of her need to be needed and her inability to believe that her sons DO need her. It’s just not a physical need, it’s an emotional one.
It hurts so much that they’re not on the same page. I don’t want to judge any of them, I just feel for them. My emotional route into the show is through Sam and Dean, so it’s their pain that I feel more acutely. That means I end up angry at Mary for not giving her sons what they long for, what they were deprived of through no fault of their own – the love and nurturing they deserved. But none of them can go back in time, and Mary can’t give them that nurturing in the way they need it. I don’t think she can even understand that they need it that way, looking at their six foot plus selves. She doesn’t see the hurt and abandoned little boys that Sam and Dean still are inside when it comes to their mother.
Dean tries so hard to convince her, telling her all they’ve risked and all they’ve lost.
Dean: We have been mopping up the world for years! We’ve been knocked down. We’ve been possessed. We’ve lost friends, we’ve lost family. We’ve lost each other!
I started to tear up, but Mary doesn’t waver, although she clearly is hurting for her sons. Dean looks to Sam for collaboration, but Sam hasn’t been talking, he’s been listening. And thinking.
Sam: I think Mom has made up her mind.
Dean: Wait, what?
Sam: Mom doesn’t want to leave these people.
So Sam, brilliant grown man and longing-for-his-mother little boy that he is, comes up with a plan so that Mary doesn’t have to choose. She doesn’t want to leave, they’ll take those people with them!
Mary beams at Sam, and I can imagine that it warms Sam through and through – her admiration for him, her pride in him, maybe all he’s ever wanted.
Mary: You’d do that?
Oh, my heart. There were a lot of emotions in this episode.
That moment turned from a very sad one to a happier one, thanks to the brilliance of Sam Winchester, but Mary and Dean are rarely on the same page in this episode. Dean continues to worry about Jack being influenced by Lucifer, and to try to prevent that from happening. He sends Sam to check on them, and Mary takes that opportunity to give Dean some parenting advice.
Mary: Go easy on Jack. He’s been fighting a war. He’s lost people…
Me: But…but…
It’s one of those recurring things that keep bothering me this season – people telling Sam and Dean that they (or someone else) has had tragedy and loss. As though the Winchesters haven’t had more tragedy and lost more people than just about anyone! They are the walking poster children for loss – in the last book I co-edited, Supernatural Psychology, there is chapter after chapter of psychologists weighing in on how the hell Sam and Dean are still walking and talking and upright after all the trauma and loss they’ve been through.
I know that Mary knows this, I know she’s endured tremendous loss too. I know she’s been in the AU for months with Jack so the battles they’ve fought and the losses they’ve experienced together are immediate and fresh. I don’t even think she’s wrong advising Dean to let Jack come to his own conclusions, because you really can never tell someone else what to think or how to feel – certainly not an adolescent like Jack. But the way she chose to tell him just seemed so blind to Dean’s own loss – his brother was just killed earlier that day for godsakes!
Again, it’s interesting to me that Mary is more protective of Jack than she is of her own sons. I keep having to remind myself that she had more of a chance to “parent” Jack. She’s seen him vulnerable, afraid, trying to figure out who he is – all those things that parents get to help their kids with as they get older. Mary never had that with Sam and Dean – they just wish she had.
One thing I do wish that someone had suggested in terms of the Jack and Lucifer story line – maybe not tell him what to do or how to feel, but share some of your own experiences with Lucifer? Nobody really does that. Gabriel alludes to Lucifer doing something bad to him but when Lucifer claims not to remember, Gabriel drops it. Sam doesn’t tell Jack about his torture in the Cage at the hands of Lucifer. Those are facts – and they’re pretty damn relevant. Mary could have told him some stories herself. Still scratching my head about that.
So, Sam has a plan. Dean goes along with the plan, a bit more reluctantly. They encounter a group of angels along the way, and as everyone gets ready to take them on, Lucifer snaps his fingers and zaps them out of existence, much to everyone’s shock.
Lucifer: See? Team player.
(Also he was lying about the cuffs that Cas put on him being able to hold him – didn’t want to make them all feel bad…)
They meet up with Bobby Singer, and propose their plan to Bobby.
Bobby was another source of lots of feelings for me in this episode. Just having Jim Beaver back is beyond awesome, but AU Bobby is sounding more and more like “our” Bobby all the time, and that warms my heart. Hearing Bobby call Sam and Dean “you boys” and just seeing the Singer Auto Salvage sign (even if it’s not in Sioux Falls) felt good. Bobby is his same matter of fact self.
Dean: You let Charlie go with Ketch?
Bobby: She let Ketch go with her! It’s her mission.
Charlie is such a badass in the AU.
I loved having Felicia Day back for this episode too, along with David Haydn-Jones. I realize it can easily be put down to “fan service” but sometimes that just plain works on me. So when Charlie says things that “our” Charlie has said (like ‘see you on the other side, bitches’) it makes me smile.
I wasn’t on board for a Ketch redemption arc either for this season, but his character has grown on me and while the bad things he’s done in the past are far from insignificant, he does seem to regret them and to have changed. I often wonder if they were originally going to keep Ketch around and redeem him or if David Haydn-Jones and his popularity was the deciding factor. At any rate, I do have a fondness for Jones and Ketch is, therefore, growing on me a little.
Charlie and Ketch get ambushed on their mission and taken back to the angel base for some torture. Ketch remains defiant, giving directions from a Monopoly board instead of for real. Charlie too has refused to give in – so the angels bring in the big guns. Which turns out to be AU Castiel! I don’t know what to make of AU Cas, to be honest. Misha said that the director gave him free rein, which means that AU Cas sort of sounds like a cross between Nazi German and Misha’s patented India-Russian accent. I was so distracted by the accent that I couldn’t take him as seriously as I should have – though I was totally stressed out as he started to torture and mind wipe Charlie.
There’s an odd parallel storyline which I don’t know what I’m supposed to make of – that was a recurring problem with this episode. Sometimes it seemed to be dragging my emotions in a direction that didn’t really make sense, and one that I didn’t really want to go in. AU Cas tortures Charlie and it’s horrific, but our own Cas also tortures the rebel who sold out in almost the same way. Tied to a chair, the guy refuses to tell Dean who and where the angels are or admit that he set Charlie and Ketch up. Dean glances up at Cas and gives an almost imperceptible nod, and Castiel’s eyes glow blue as he takes the guy by the head. The guy screams just like Charlie, and there’s a part of me that has a tough time thinking that is any more okay than what the other Cas is doing. I’m not a big fan of torture, what can I say? I know this is Supernatural and it can be violent and these are desperate times and whatever, but I still find it tough to stomach. And it almost seems like the show wants me to feel that way. Why the parallel otherwise?
It’s…confusing.
I guess the guy breaks because Team Free Will plus heads out to save the day.
Once they get to the angel camp, there’s a badass fight which Rob Hayter makes look as awesome as the others he’s choreographed this season. Our Cas gets to kill AU Cas, which was quite satisfying.
They also have an odd conversation, in which AU Cas reminds our Cas that he’s not better, that they are the same. Surprisingly, our Castiel agrees – and once again I realize that Cas has been different this season and we really don’t know why. Was it his time in the Empty? Was his comment that he’s gotten used to multiple versions of himself a reference to Empty Cas, after all this time?? Hmm.
I liked that little scene with Cas and Cas and thought Misha handled it well – unlike the torture scene, both versions of Castiel I took seriously. Our Cas reaffirms his preference for humans over angels, and who the hell could blame him?
Rescue successful; Sam hugs Charlie then apologizes as he realizes he’s a stranger to her; she gives him a playful punch. (Felicia Day tweeted that was an adlib – it worked perfectly). Dean cuts down Ketch, and they have a moment of closeness that seems like a blatant encouragement to ship those two characters before Ketch thanks Dean for saving him with an “it’s about time.”
Meanwhile, Gabriel and Lucifer stay behind, which gives them time for some conversation. Richard Speight Jr. and Mark Pellegrino really sold the scenes with Gabriel and Lucifer. First when Lucifer introduces Jack to his uncle, and Gabriel refuses to just go along with the not-quite-accurate narrative that Lucifer is spinning for Jack. Then when they talk alone and Gabriel calls Lucifer on his poor me routine, saying that God had good reason for locking him up. Gabriel hits Lucifer right where it hurts – his longing for his son’s admiration and his long-standing sense of abandonment about his own father.
Gabriel: Do you really see a version where he sticks by you? He’s not like you. He’ll see who – what – you really are. You can’t change, you’re incapable of empathy or love… It’s too late for you.
Gabriel is brutal, leaving Lucifer no room for hope – or change.
Again, I don’t know what the show wants me to feel, because Lucifer looks devastated. Gabriel walks away, and a single tear rolls down Lucifer’s cheek. And look, I’m only human, because that kind of thing pulls at my heartstrings. Knowing someone can be hurt, even when they’ve done horrible things, still stings. And I don’t want to feel that!
Once everyone is reunited, Bobby once again sounds so much like Bobby that I’m grinning at my television.
Bobby: I’m real proud of you boys.
He even uses the “I” word – idjit. Is it a nature instead of nurture thing? Who knows. I don’t care, I like it!
Apparently every one of the rebels has decided to go along with Sam’s plan and return to our world to gather weapons and strategy to come back and fight Michael in theirs.
There’s another father figure conflict between Sam and Lucifer as both try to convince Jack to come back with them instead of going after Michael. Lucifer prevails, and gloats about it, and you can see how much that hurts Sam. Then it’s time to get back to the rift. Dean fixes an ancient abandoned bus because he’s Dean Winchester and off they go. There’s some overly dramatic music as the bus lumbers through the Vancouver woods and Sam, Dean, Cas and Gabriel bounce along in a jeep which Ackles probably had a lot of fun driving. I once again had trouble taking the scene as seriously as it was intended, but once they get to the rift the stress returned and so did my seriousness.
The rift is close to closing, but as they all watch it opens back up – because back in the bunker the person who is really the hero of this episode is working her magic. An exhausted Rowena refuses to give up, casting spell after spell trying to keep the door open. I want Rowena (and Ruth Connell) on the show forever, so I am not even a little ambivalent about her having a redemption arc, as long as it doesn’t change the character too much because I love her just the way she is!
The rebels start through the rift, to Rowena’s raised eyebrows. When Cas finally comes through, she bursts out with “it’s about bloody time!”
Finally, everyone is through but Sam, Dean and the two archangels – when suddenly Michael appears, exploding the last of the rebels. Lucifer has a go at him and is thrown back, while Sam and Dean stand there staring, and I start yelling at them to get the hell through the rift for godsakes. Gabriel steps up saying he’ll buy them some time (which honestly they didn’t need if they just would have GONE)
Dean: Gabriel, no!
Gabriel: All I did on Earth was run. I’m not running anymore. Go!
Me: Yes go, boys, did you hear him? Go for godsakes!
They do not go. They waste the time he bought for them with his life just inexplicably standing there as Michael stabs him with the archangel blade and he falls to the ground. This time the outline of his burnt wings are clearly visible, much to the great sadness of most of the fandom.
Sam motions Dean to go and he finally (FINALLY!) does. Lucifer heads toward the rift too, but Sam turns around and pushes him back.
Lucifer: Sam I’m hurt, please.
Sam: (unmoved) How did you think this was gonna end?
And Sam disappears through the rift, which closes behind him.
I wanted to jump up and down and cheer at that moment, because I have so wanted Sam Winchester to be the one to take down Lucifer. After all those hundreds of years of torture, that’s what Lucifer deserved – and that’s what Sam deserved. I just don’t understand why Show couldn’t give me that moment of unbridled joy, but my joy was tempered a little by the way Lucifer was portrayed in this episode. I’d been pulled to sympathize with him a little in this episode, so seeing him lying on the ground and bleeding and begging made it difficult for me to just be like, yeah, take that! Logically I know that Lucifer is still the villain that he’s always been, the one who did those horrific and unforgiveable things. I still wanted Sam to have that moment, and I’m glad that he did – but it wasn’t the black and white YAY moment I was hoping for.
That feeling is exacerbated by Jack’s reaction. As everyone else celebrates, drinking and toasting, Jack sits alone, head down. Have they just made Lucifer a martyr, pushing Jack more toward seeing his side of things?
Meanwhile, everyone else is deservedly happy, and it feels really good – almost like Sam’s dream of a happy family in the bunker.
Sam: Well, you did it, Rowena. We owe you one.
Rowena: Don’t think I won’t collect.
(Also, whoever put Jared Padalecki in that gray single layer shirt and jeans? I love you.)
Dean gives Gabriel credit for getting them out (even though I still say they should have just moved faster… as should Michael…)
Dean: He sacrificed himself, that’s why Sam and I got out.
And when Dean is asked about Lucifer?
Dean: Sam handled it.
I loved that simple statement. I am truly glad that Sam was able to be the one to keep Lucifer there, because it was so important to him that he be able to do that. To “handle” it. And it was important to him that his brother believed in him, and believed that he could.
Bobby: A toast to our new brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester. Thanks boys, welcome to the family.
The family theme starts to play, which always makes me emotional – Bobby is there, Charlie is there, Rowena is there, and of course Cas and Mary and the boys. I don’t necessarily think that everyone has to be considered family in this show, which dilutes the power of it, but even though these are AU versions, these are also beloved characters who have been considered family before.
Caps by @kayb625
It was nice to see them all happy for a hot minute.
Meanwhile, back in the AU, Lucifer schemes for his life, saying he knows how to reopen the rift. Uh oh.
Lucifer: So I can get my son.
Michael: And I get everything else. Are we agreed?
Lucifer looks tormented and cut to black.
Season Finale next week, how is that even possible?? I will be watching with Youtuber and good friend Alana King at @_KingBooks_, so look for our reaction video together on her Youtube channel – and of course my review right here!
Check out the latest Supernatural trailer for Let the Good Times Roll just above.
Now this isn’t about that other episode, this is about the latest episode of Supernatural, Exodus. I can’t believe I’m saying this again, but how can us fans not love Lucifer, at least in this episode? As a Christian, it sounds like terrible blasphemy and my Christian friends who stumble into this piece and not know much about the show would probably think I’m crazy. Swayed by the Devil and all that.
That it’s a conspiracy by the evil media to get us to like Satan, you know. Can’t help but feel shivers up my spine. Well, major SPOILERS in this one folks if you haven’t seen the episode yet. You have been warned. This has been a great episode in terms of acting, by Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino), by Sam (Jared Padalecki), and by Jack (Alexander Calvert). And by the way, I missed all the gray which I now realized has been back for a while now. The same gray atmosphere we’ve seen in the first two seasons of the show. That gray is in Apocalypse World.
Anyway, this picks up from what I saw as a bit of a disaster in Beat the Devil. (Both Lynn and Vinnie were in agreement on this in their reviews too). Lucifer brings Sam back to life as a gesture of good faith. Was he sincere? Perhaps. Bringing Sam back was a means to an end as he needed to be bearing gifts. Anyway, Lucifer manages to enter the survivors’ camp and even allows himself to be Enochian cuffed, again as a gesture of good faith, in order to get to know his son, Jack. Things get hairy for a while as Sam, Dean and Cas gang up against Lucifer and get in the way of Jack’s acquaintance. Jack does his disappearing act due to stress. Jack decides to get to know his father despite the objections of his ‘family’. Lucifer tells Jack more about himself and try to bond with his son, and even tries to bond with his brother Gabriel. Gabriel made a point that Lucifer introduced evil to man, and Lucifer doesn’t deny it but appears hurt by Gabriel’s rejection despite his apparent willingness to change.
In other matters, Mary opts to stay with the survivors to keep on fighting Michael, but Dean (Jensen Ackles) comes up with the idea of taking everyone through the rift in order for Mary to come along. They hatch up a plan to bring everyone along, but they need Ketch and Charlie who got ambushed because of a mole in the camp. Ketch really seemed noble by not selling out despite his torture as well as dropping his weapon when Charlie’s life was threatened. They manage to rescue Ketch and Charlie from an evil Castiel (Misha Collins). Yes, there’s an evil Castiel with vicious twisting lips and a weird accent. There was a theory that the angel ‘commander’ in previous episodes was AW Castiel, and that may still be true, and this AW Castiel eventually found AW Jimmy Novak. Anyway, AW Castiel seems to be an interesting future character, but the real Castiel capped that prospect real quick.
Before that, on the way to Bobby’s camp, the group was confronted by a squad of angels that Lucifer dispatched very quickly. The Enochian cuffs meant nothing to his power but him hiding his power and destroying the enemy angels seemed again like another gesture of good faith.
Jack plans to fight Michael first before leaving, but Lucifer dissuades him. Perhaps as a real gesture of love and concern. The survivors agree to go to Prime Earth, so they make it to the portal before any angels arrive. Most of the survivors make it including Ketch and Charlie. Rowena is surprised to see Ketch as was he to see her. Michael arrives, and all that’s left to go through are Sam, Dean, Lucifer, and Gabriel. Lucifer decides to fight Michael but is easily beaten. Gabriel decides to also fight Michael despite his weakness. While it’s going on, Dean goes through leaving Sam and injured Lucifer. Gabriel gets killed by Michael but Sam pushes Lucifer away from the rift trapping him with Michael.
Now we know we’re supposed to hate the devil. We should be happy that he’s trapped, again with Michael, in an interdimensional cage. But we’re not. Lucifer as a character has become truly sympathetic. We’re shown albeit rather quickly how immediately disillusioned Lucifer became in heaven. By then he had it all, and I was awed by what kind of damage he could do while in heaven. He wanted God’s throne, but it was ultimately empty after all these billions of years. That his previous beef with the Lord was childish at best and all that concerns him now is his son, Jack. It seemed that Lucifer is the best ally against AW Michael and that he’s turning a new leaf, but Sam couldn’t take that chance. That Lucifer would become evil again and threaten Prime Earth. We can’t take that chance can we? But watching the episode, I felt like crying for Lucifer at Sam’s betrayal. That felt awfully low of Sam and quite a twist. I was really hoping for Sam to push the opposite way and face Dean’s disapproval. Then again, Sam really suffered much under Lucifer. So much that it’s logical not to blame him. But it still felt like a big betrayal.
Watching the survivors’ celebration, it felt really empty, especially while watching the forlorn Jack who seems to have taken a liking to his father. In the end, this feeling of sympathy for Lucifer was strong, and this episode is great for that effect.
Trying to decide what to get your wife this Mother’s Day? It’s the one day you get to show her just how special she is, and finding the perfect gift isn’t always easy.
How do you say thank you for the hours of labor she went through? For the sleepless nights and the worry that comes with being a mom?
The key to finding the perfect gift is to understand what makes your wife tick. Think about what she really wants or needs.
If you need a little inspiration, then below you’ll discover 10 of the best Mother’s Day gifts you can give to your wife.
Most women love receiving jewelry. Whether it’s a diamond ring or a beautiful necklace; jewelry is bound to make her day. Before choosing a piece of jewelry, consider your wife’s personality. If she’s sentimental, consider buying her a charm bracelet that she can add to each year. The charms can represent anything from family to her hobbies or even her favorite animal. Or if you really want to spoil her, go all out on a diamond ring or necklace. You can find all the jewelry that could turn your Mother’s Day into a ‘big Daddy’s day’ right here.
Staycation
When you have children it’s hard to find time to spend alone together. The romance can fade, and life becomes all about laundry, packed lunches, and sleeping. Treating her to a staycation could be just what she needs. It’s cheaper than going abroad and easier to find a babysitter who will look after your kids for a weekend. Whisk her away and enjoy some much-needed time together away from the kids.
Appreciation gift
Every mom wants to feel appreciated. It’s easy to take for granted the hard work your wife puts in day in and day out. An appreciation gift shows her exactly how much you appreciate what she does. It could be a sentimental wall decal, or even a personalized pillow with a quote of your choice. It’s inexpensive yet comes with a very important message that she no doubt needs to hear. We’ve pulled together the best ones right here to make your life easier.
Spa Products or a Spa Day
Depending upon your budget, spa products or a spa day could be an excellent present. Being a mom is stressful, and it becomes all about the kids. If your wife could do with some much needed ‘me’ time, then spa products are an excellent choice. You could even offer to watch the kids while she enjoys using them. If you can afford it, spring for a spa day – it would be better and more relaxing for her, and you can find everything she’ll love right here.
Personalized Gift
Personalized gifts are a fantastic choice for any mom. There’s a wide range of these types of presents available on the market, and you can add your wife’s name, your children’s names or even add your own special message.
If she’s a huge coffee fan, why not go for a personalized coffee mug? Or if she’s a fan of a particular TV show, you could opt for personalized merchandise. There are plenty of things to choose from right here so get on it!
Live Plants or Flowers for the Home
If she loves gardening but doesn’t get much time to do it these days, an indoor plant is a great gift. Requiring very little maintenance, a plant will brighten up the home and gives her something small to tend to. You could also turn it into a romantic gift, offering her a small indoor rose bush. There are a huge array of live plants to choose from here that will get to your house in time for Mother’s Day.
Home Décor
Does your wife take pride in her home? Wind chimes, candles, and ornaments could be just what she wants. This is something that stay at home moms will especially appreciate. They spend most of their days in the home, so giving them something to brighten it up and personalizing it a little will be a fantastic gift.
If budget isn’t an issue, you could totally surprise her by investing in a new sofa or bed. Both will add to her comfort levels, which is definitely something she’ll appreciate. You can find every candle or home décor gift here.
Motivational Gifts
It’s hard to stay focused and positive all the time when you’re a busy mom. Why not give her something motivational as a gift?
Does she like motivational quotes? If so, you could buy wall stickers featuring motivational quotes, or even posters or pictures. If ever she’s feeling overwhelmed or she’s tired, seeing the motivational gift will give her the pick-me-up she needs. Get inspired here.
Stress Relieving Gifts
Being a mom is one of the most rewarding, yet stressful jobs there is. Why not help her eliminate some of that stress with a stress-busting gift? Adult coloring books have proven very popular and are great for creative types. Or you could give her a journal where she can write her innermost thoughts and feelings.
Anything that will help her drift away for a few minutes would be an excellent gift. A gift basket full of bath items – bubble bath, neck pillow, candles and a good book are great suggestions for women who love to take baths to relax. You can find everything to make her stress disappear right here.
Favorite Team Apparel
Does your wife love sports or are you just wanting to see her looking sexy in your team’s jersey? Whether she’s into MBA, NHL or NFL, you could surprise her with her favorite team’s apparel. It could be something as simple as a sweater or t-shirt, and you can find everything you need right here.
Nowadays there is apparel designed specifically for women. So, make sure to get her something that fits her body, not a shirt that a guy would wear. Touch by Alyssa Milano is a perfect place to find something she’ll actually wear.
Another excellent gift if you have the money you could splurge on season tickets or a rare signed shirt or photo of her favorite player.
When shopping for your wife this Mother’s Day, really think about what she likes. Think back to any conversations you have had with her about what she needs or wants. The ideas above should help you determine what type of gift she’d prefer – and appreciate.
Now all that’s left to do is pick one, wrap it and surprise her. Remember, it’s the thought that counts, and showing your wife you listen and know what she wants will really mean the world to her. You’re welcome!
Do you want to give your mom something different than the standard flowers and chocolates this Mother’s Day? It’s not a bad thing, but why not give her something she adores?
When you’re buying for someone who likes to tinker in her garden all the time, there’s a huge selection of great gift ideas out there. When it comes to finding a great gift for Mother’s Day, we often overthink it and wind up just getting what we think she wants instead of what she could really use.
Does your mom enjoy cooking just as much as she appreciates gardening? Then an herb kit is perfect. The majority of herb kits feature the most common plants used in cooking such as sage, thyme, and rosemary.
They’re very easy to grow, so they would make a great choice for moms new to gardening. Another benefit is the fact that they can be grown inside as well as out. Even if your mom lives in an apartment, she’ll get to grow the garden that she wants, and that is why an herb kit is ideal. Here’s a great variety at amazing prices right here.
Gardening Books
Gardening books can be very useful, especially for the beginner – featuring plenty of tips, tricks, and advice. The right book could help her understand exactly how to grow the perfect plants and flowers.
Even a more experienced gardener would benefit from a book about a subject she’s passionate about. There’s always something new to learn about planting techniques, and you can find them all right here.
Gardening Accessories
There are a lot of accessories out there that can help make gardening more comfortable, as well as easier. Show her you care by giving her knee pads to help protect herself as she’s tending to her garden. Or make her job easier with a brand new shovel or digging tool. Here’s a huge variety to choose from here, and you’ll probably find something you hadn’t thought of before.
Composter
Ok so this might not sound like an exciting present, but it’s a great idea for moms who also care about the environment. A composter helps to create high-quality compost that can help her plants and flowers grow. It also reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills. Find your perfect size and shape composter here.
Gardening Clothing
If you’re buying for a mother who does her best to look good at all times, why not surprise her with trendy gardening clothing? A lot of the time she’ll be out in the garden during hot, summer days. Something such as a hat can help keep her protected.
Gloves are another essential, helping to protect her hands. By giving gardening clothing you’re showing you care about her well-being, her hobby and her style. Check out everything you need here for all budgets.
Garden Décor
Garden décor really helps to personalize and brighten up an outdoor space. Why not give her a beautiful Suncatcher? They come in various nature inspired designs, and you could even choose a style that suits her personality.
Maybe she has a fascination with butterflies for example? Then she’d be delighted with a butterfly themed Suncatcher or windchimes.
Seeds and Bulbs
Help to make her garden look beautiful by buying her new seeds and bulbs. This gift can also be given in connection with gardening books. You could buy specific seeds that she’s never grown and then buy a book on how to grow them.
It’s worth keeping in mind that there are a few factors you need to consider before buying them for her. For example, you need to make sure they are compatible with the type of soil in her garden. You’ll also need to check whether they need to be grown in a greenhouse or can be grown directly in the garden. The last thing you want is to buy her something that she isn’t going to be able to grow. Check out this beautiful Black Dahlia one here.
Hanging Baskets
Flowers are a traditional Mother’s Day present but hanging baskets can be even better. Featuring a range of colorful flowers, they add a really decorative look to the garden and last a lot longer than flowers bought from a florist. You could even create your own hanging basket if you have the right gardening skills. Check them all out here.
Greenhouse
Working with a bigger budget? Splurge on her Mother’s Day gift by surprising her with a greenhouse. Give her a dedicated space to grow everything from flowers to fruits and vegetables. A high-quality greenhouse could turn into her pride and joy.
There are a lot of greenhouses out there with various features. Consider how much growing space she will need and how often she will likely use it to help you pick the right one. Here’s a wide variety here for all budgets.
Storage Shed
Another more expensive, impressive item is a storage shed. If she does a great deal of working in her garden, she’ll no doubt have a lot of equipment she needs to store. Help her unclutter the garden and your garage with her very own shed.
Keep a lookout for sheds that also feature a built on greenhouse. These are often referred to as potting sheds and provide both space to grow plants and flowers, as well as to store important gardening tools and equipment. Check here for a complete array to satisfy everyone’s needs.
So, there you have it – 10 of the Best Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for Moms Who Love Gardening. As you can see, there’s something for everyone on the list.
You can also choose to buy more than one item above and create a little basket that is all about her garden. Surprise her with something she is passionate about this Mother’s Day, and show her how much you care.
