“Swan Song” (5×22)
This episode, which first aired on May 13, 2010, is the culmination of a five-season arc, and it certainly feels like a finale. It begins with what appears to be documentary footage of a car being built in a factory as Chuck describes the history behind the boys’ 1967 Chevrolet Impala, leading up to the moment that John bought it in a used car lot in Lawrence at the advice of a time-traveling Dean. Chuck, writing at his computer, says, “I guess that’s where this story begins. And here is where it ends.” This episode, then, is formally different than the episodes that have led up to it, with Chuck essentially framing the episode narratively, as the final chapter of a story that has either already been written or is in the process of being written. Throughout the episode, he continues to muse on the car as a symbol of the brothers’ familial bond.
In the meantime, Sam plans to consent to being Lucifer’s vessel so that he and Dean can use the Horsemen’s rings to open up the Cage and Sam can jump into the pit with Lucifer in tow. But when they get there, Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino) already knows their plan. Sam says yes, and Lucifer takes over his body before they can execute it. They have failed, and the final showdown between Michael—possessing their half-brother Adam (Jake Abel) rather than Dean, who was the intended vessel—and Lucifer is on.
Dean is determined not to abandon his brother, and he meets the archangels at the battlefield. He tries to talk to Sam, and Michael interferes, but Cas burns him up (temporarily) to give Dean time. Lucifer kills Cas, and Bobby soon after, and begins pummeling Dean. Dean doesn’t fight back, insisting over and over again that he’s there for Sam and that he’s not going to leave him. A reflection of light gleams off the Impala’s rim and makes him pause, and we see memories of Sam and Dean in the Impala flash by in quick succession, effectively empowering Sam to take over his body.
Once he has control, Sam opens up the pit and falls in, pulling Michael, who moved to stop him, into the Cage with him. The pit closes up, and Dean is alone, kneeling on the ground and crying. Castiel miraculously appears, alive and his powers fully restores, and heals Dean and revives Bobby. After everything, Cas decides he will return to Heaven to pick up the pieces, and Dean fulfills his promise to Sam, endeavoring to live a normal life with Lisa and Ben rather than try and release Sam from Hell.
Despite the episode’s framing as a clear ending to the show’s overarching plot, Chuck says, “No doubt, endings are hard. But then again, nothing ever really ends does it?” before dissolving into thin air. The episode ends with a shot of Sam standing underneath a streetlamp, watching Dean at the dinner table with Lisa and Ben.
The God Author 