Supernatural Literary Analysis

Themes in “Swan Song”

There were a plethora of rumors circulating around season 5 of Supernatural being the last season.  I think it was very clever to name the final episode of season 5 “Swan Song” this title is not only a nod to the rumors that circulated but also a relevant title name keeping with the theme of the season.  I believe “Swan Song” is the turning point episode in the series as it sets forth to reaffirm what is the ultimate moral of the show by experimenting with different story telling devices.

One such device is narration.  The episode opens with narration from the prophet (and possibly God) Chuck. This is significant as very few Supernatural episodes contain a narrator.  In his narration Chuck speaks about how the Impala was not seen as significant after its creation, the information given here seems out of place as the episode should be focusing on the major problem at hand, that problem being the apocalypse.  As a first time viewer of the episode I thought it was a cute little tid-bit of information acting as the consolation prize for the devastation that will be the season finale.  Looking back as a fifth time viewer I now realize this was blatant foreshadowing embedded within the narration   The narration creates a feeling of hope, hope that even though things are currently bad for Sam and Dean they’ll get better “[Narration] the process of making manifest some essential emotional quality of the story.”( Bordwell 13)  The next narration that is introduced is about how Sam and Dean spent their idle days, even though their life is tough it isn’t without its small moments of happiness. During one of the narrations Chuck is interrupted by Dean in a way that almost breaks the fourth wall showing that the Winchesters are always going to do things their own way by using narration as “a self-conscious device.” (Mittell 182) the writers remind the viewer that Chuck is still a character with quirks of this own.  A character interrupting the narrator is very rarely used especially in a serious toned piece.  Near the end of the episode Chuck goes on to state what can only be best described as the moral of the entire series, “They chose family. And, well... isn't that kinda the whole point?”

In plot twist Deus ex Machina form Castiel arrived to put everything back to place after Lucifer, Michael, and Sam fall into the pit.  Castiel himself was literally saved by the grace of God.  This could be attributed to lazy story writing (remember Chuck said ending are hard), or more importantly to the theme of Supernatural, things will be okay.  Throughout everything Sam and Dean face this is always one of the core messages.  Castiel goes back to heaven to sort out what will definitely be chaos, Bobby goes back to hunting, and Dean goes to start a life with Lisa and Ben.  They stop the apocalypse from happening and then continue on with their lives.  Castiel’s home is most likely in ruins, Bobby went back to being alone, and Dean lost Sam.  Each character lost something but staked their lives on stopping the apocalypse.  When things seemed hopeless it all worked out as well as it could.  They moved on knowing that what they were moving onto was not without some level of grief yet it was still better than what they had prior (facing imminent destruction during the apocalypse).  Once again, they continued on with their lives because it does get better or in the very least- less bad.

There are numerous parallels drawn between Sam and Dean compared to Lucifer and Michael.  When Sam agrees to let Lucifer into his body in order to throw Lucifer back into the cage Sam loses.  Lucifer spares Dean, he says he does this for Sam and I believe this is true but I also believe he does so because he can relate to their situation.  If Sam fails to defeat Lucifer then Dean has two options: Let the apocalypse happen and let his brother die or kill Lucifer himself.  Dean does not want to kill Lucifer as this would mean the death of his brother, he instead decides to die with him.  When Michael arrives to face Lucifer- Lucifer pleads for Michael to forget about fighting.  He doesn’t wish to kill his brother either.  Lucifer then continues to say that they’re just running around doing what their father wants them to do even though he’s not around.  This is similar in the beginning of the series as Sam and Dean follow their father’s journal and following whatever their absent father John wanted them to do.  When Castiel Molotov cocktails Michael with holy fire Lucifer says (in slightly different words) the only one who can mess with Michael is him.  This line struck another chord as it’s hinted that Lucifer probably didn’t plan to kill Michael.  Lucifer makes it clear that he loves his brother and he doesn’t want to fight.  Lucifer most likely thought he and his brother would squabble for a bit and that would be it, perhaps he was calling Michael’s bluff about wanting to fight.  Perhaps Lucifer was gauging Michael’s reaction to fighting or the lack there of to try and convince him that as a family they shouldn’t fight.  This is a theme continued throughout the series as Sam and Dean may be at odds but always make up in the end.

Season five’s finale “Swan Song” was a declaration.  It was the writers’ saying these values are the essence of the show, these are morals that will save Sam and Dean every time.  In a way it said ‘if this is the last episode then so be it, take away these key points’. Know that family above all else matters and know that it will get better.  Using narration, Deus ex Machina, and parallelisms the writers are able to set up what the show stands for.  I believe the thought behind this episode still has many layers to be discovered.  I implore my readers to go back and examine this episode further as each character’s actions and motivations go back to these two central themes.

Bibliography

Bordwell, David. Narration in the Fiction Film. Madison, WI: U of Wisconsin, 1985. Print.

Mittell, Jason. "Comprehension." Complex TV: The Poetics of Contemporary Television Storytelling. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 182-83. Print.