so basically cas spent this entire episode wrapped up in dean’s blanket, sitting on the couch, watching netflix, researching lore and calling his boyfriend
Alright so, now that I’ve had a few hours to think about it,
I’m actually really interested in the facets of Dean’s personality that we got
to see tonight, particularly re: love and relationships. My initial response
was to kind of roll my eyes when Dean brings up Heather, because I assumed she
was the episode’s requisite “no homo” card.
I’ve seen every episode of this
show, most of them more than once, and I don’t remember ever seeing a hunter
named Heather. So, the more I thought about the idea that she was created
specifically for this episode, the more important she started to seem. Because
of that, I looked again at what Dean actually says about her:
My expectation was that Dean had contacted this girl and
arranged a meetup at the Roadhouse, but he immediately counters that idea. He
stops even though he knows she won’t be there, citing “good times” as the
reason. This alone is kind of strange to me, but particularly the idea that
Dean wanted to revisit one of his past hookups suggests that he isn’t satisfied
with random new girls. He spent the whole night in the bar and presumably had
multiple chances to leave with someone, but instead chooses not to. Why is it that strangers are no longer good enough for him?
His conversation with Sam in the Impala give us some insight.
And right there it is. Dean is asked about his romantic
goals for the first time in a long time, and though Sam presses, Dean continues
to brush him off, saying that neither of them have had much luck with
domesticity. At the time, I wondered why he didn’t answer, but looking back on
it, I think Dean’s answer actually came before the question, when he says:
He doesn’t say that he likes the one night stands, he just
says he’s lucky to get them. It’s that patented sense of Winchester Worthlessness
that leads to Dean denying what he desperately wants. Dean doesn’t think he’s
worthy of a real relationship, even though he clearly wants to connect with
someone he already likes. It’s Subconscious Desire 101. Dean Winchester wants a relationship, fucking fight me.
Cas living in the bunker and everyone caring about him WE ARE LIVING THE DREAM.
Sam bringing it out into the text that Dean could have something more with someone who understands the life and is a hunter in the same ep we see what a good hunter Cas is becoming, even when he’s just back home resting.
Also in this same episode Dean admitted to dreaming about growing up living a normal life basically??? With no monsters and no hunting and???? Kill me??????
The things that saved Dean were two symbols of femininity and I could not be more in love with Robbie. The hairpin got him out of his cuffs, and the Hello Kitty purse contained the coin (or rather, fist full of coins) that killed the monster in the end.
Also speaking of coins, I loved the reference to Charon. Charon originated in Greek mythology, however he is also depicted in Dante’s Divine Comedy, and that is now our second Dante reference in as many episodes…
Charon is basically a reaper though, ferrying the dead to the afterlife, and between the monster this week needing to be reminded they were already dead, and Billie the reaper reminding Sam that what lives must die, I feel like there is definitely a big theme unraveling here…
Anyways back to what is important: Dean wears booty shorts and life is beautiful.
Dean and Cas are honestly the best hunter husbands ever and I can’t deal.
It looks like when Sam prayed God didn’t hear him, but Lucifer definitely did. Between “I never could fool you, could I?” and Sam saying his visions are coming from the opposite of the darkness (so like… a light bringer), I definitely think we’re going to be seeing Lucifer again v soon…
A+ directing this episode was really visually so nice and I couldn’t be happier.
I love everything about this. But I find it a little bit out of character that Sam says “I needed that” because I feel like he’s so weird about talking to Dean about that stuff that he wouldn’t say that. But idk. I’m a Dean girl so I’m not a Sam expert.
I agree, I feel like soulless!Sam would say that, but not Normal Sam
@kaydallas21 Thank you! I feel like him being all embarrassed and frazzled is in character, I feel like him putting down a blanket is in character. And him picking up a girl in a diner? Sure. Asking for her number? Definitely. The “I can explain” when he and Dean are alone? Uh huh.
I just don’t buy into him being like “awww yissss I needed that” and also I feel like he should have been more upset about Dean finding them naked- like trying to cover them up or something?
I was so happy with this, though. Sam is constantly after Dean to let him grow up, but in many ways Sam continues to be the rebellious teenager, continues to be the “child” to Dean’s “parent”. I saw it as character growth. For the first time in a long time, he was not trying to prove anything, not trying to be better than Dean. He was being a brother and Dean loved it.
I think there’s a tendency to interpret a guy saying “I needed that” in regards to sex as a hyper masculine “aww yeah, added another notch to my bedpost” but that’s not always what it means. Sam seemed disappointed that Piper didn’t take his number, he was open to the possibility of seeing her again. This is the first person that Sam’s been with since Amelia, it’s been over two years but he’s finally moving on and getting interested in other people. Not only did he hook up with Piper, he was also getting flirty with the Gas ‘N Sip cashier and talking about the possibility of hunters being able to have long-term relationships. If this character were a woman who’d gone through a break-up, stayed out of the dating pool for a while, then had a hook-up and said this line I think most people would interpret it as “she needed to have a rebound and now that she’s done that she’s ready to start dating again.” We were shown all of this with Sam.
also might I mention the idea of the Impala = home = place to have sex, which was true for Dean for a long time, but then in this episode, Sam’s the one who views the Impala = home = place to have sex, and Dean maybe (probably? definitely) had sex in the Roadhouse: a building, not the car.
Okay but do you guys remember how Castiel and Dean “dug into the lore” in the episode? They dug into the lore in the car and in the bunker.
I love everything about this. But I find it a little bit out of character that Sam says “I needed that” because I feel like he’s so weird about talking to Dean about that stuff that he wouldn’t say that. But idk. I’m a Dean girl so I’m not a Sam expert.
I agree, I feel like soulless!Sam would say that, but not Normal Sam
@kaydallas21 Thank you! I feel like him being all embarrassed and frazzled is in character, I feel like him putting down a blanket is in character. And him picking up a girl in a diner? Sure. Asking for her number? Definitely. The “I can explain” when he and Dean are alone? Uh huh.
I just don’t buy into him being like “awww yissss I needed that” and also I feel like he should have been more upset about Dean finding them naked- like trying to cover them up or something?
I was so happy with this, though. Sam is constantly after Dean to let him grow up, but in many ways Sam continues to be the rebellious teenager, continues to be the “child” to Dean’s “parent”. I saw it as character growth. For the first time in a long time, he was not trying to prove anything, not trying to be better than Dean. He was being a brother and Dean loved it.
I think there’s a tendency to interpret a guy saying “I needed that” in regards to sex as a hyper masculine “aww yeah, added another notch to my bedpost” but that’s not always what it means. Sam seemed disappointed that Piper didn’t take his number, he was open to the possibility of seeing her again. This is the first person that Sam’s been with since Amelia, it’s been over two years but he’s finally moving on and getting interested in other people. Not only did he hook up with Piper, he was also getting flirty with the Gas ‘N Sip cashier and talking about the possibility of hunters being able to have long-term relationships. If this character were a woman who’d gone through a break-up, stayed out of the dating pool for a while, then had a hook-up and said this line I think most people would interpret it as “she needed to have a rebound and now that she’s done that she’s ready to start dating again.” We were shown all of this with Sam.
also might I mention the idea of the Impala = home = place to have sex, which was true for Dean for a long time, but then in this episode, Sam’s the one who views the Impala = home = place to have sex, and Dean maybe (probably? definitely) had sex in the Roadhouse: a building, not the car.
WEREPIRES!!!! :D :D :D I’m totally on this boat with you, Dean, don’t listen to Sam, he’s being pretentious and lame :P
“Alright, I called Cas” THESE WORDS FROM DEAN NEVER FAIL TO MAKE ME THE HAPPIEST CAULIFLOWER ;U; ;U; ;U; ;U; ;U; ;U;
That deputy was fucking creepy :P
Uehehehehehhe look at this cute girl stealing the car like a boss right under Dean’s nose :P “Come on, Dean, live a little” shut up, Sam :P
Also she looks a lot like Jenna and she shares Cas’s colours too. And “spider caught a fly” is there gonna be some symbolism in there¿?
PLEASSE LET THIS OTHER GIRL BE HER LOVER. CUTE THIEF GIRLFRIENDS PLEASE :D
LOOK AT THESE CUTIES BEING IDIOTS AND HAVING FUN AND TAKING SELFIES AND HELLO KITTY AND THAT MUSIC AND I AM IN LOVE :D :D :D :D
Oh, wait, she actually works there as a valet, she wasn’t actually stealing the car¿? THIS IS EVEN CUTER OMG¿??¿?¿ THANK YOU SO MUCH ROBBIE ;u; ;u; ;u; ;u; ;u; ;u; ;u;
“I’m not sure how orange correlates with black in a way that’s new””Step away from the netflix” :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
Also Dean took his sweet ass time to answer the phone, just think about Cas never ever hanging up until his phone runs out of tones while dialing Dean :)
“We’ve all had a binge” DEAN AND CAS BINGE WATCHING OINTB WHENEVER A NEW SEASON COMES OUT PLEASE AND THANK. ;U; ;U; ;U; ;U;
I also just noticed there’s a pine air freshener hanging in the Impala and I’m amused :P
Ooooh that long silence after Dean asks him to say werepire… Come on, Cas, it’s an awesome name, join the cool kids, be a supportive boyfirend :P
And Dean’s face while he waits for him to say it ;u;
AND CAS TELLING HIM ALL THESE COOL INTERESTING FACTS WHILE HE WALKS AWAY IS THE CUTEST THING EVER OMG AND DEAN WASN’T EVEN THERE TO HEAR HIM SAY WEREPIRE AND HOLY SHIT ROBBIE THOMPSON HOW MANY TIMES CAN I POSSIBLY THANK YOU FOR AN EPISODE THANK YOU SO SO SO SO MUCH FOR THIS THIS IS THE LOVELIEST THING EVER¿??¿¿?¿? ;u; ;u; ;u; ;u; ;u; ;u;
But also: an episode that LITERALLY NEVER LEAVES THE IMPALA (so, like, a bottle episode set inside the car) passes the Bechdel Test. Imagine that. It’s so easy it’s so easy it’s s o e a s y.
It also made the one night stand, the monster-mother, and the two girls that stole the car for a joy ride (women that, in any other episode, would be treated as Bad Things) as perpetrators of plot (see: possible divine intervention/the car’s superpowers.)
I need it to be like this for every episode and then the show might be up to old standards again. I mean, last episode? That was painful writing made watchable because of a director that knows and loves the show well enough that it showed.
Contrast that to the way that he withdraws from the conversation when Sam is in the car too. It’s been talked about over and over and over again, but here is yet another example of how Dean acts differently around Cas when Sam is nearby and when they’re alone.
When Sam is there, it’s all straight to business.
When they’re alone, it’s all about how much Dean cares about Cas.
