deanswingsbothways-deactivated2:
“Season 9 was about choosing the kind of person you wanted to be, like Cas deciding to stay human or become an angel again. I think season 10 will be about everyone looking up and saying, ‘You know what, I am what I am.’ We’ll see that play out in each and every character.” -Jeremy Carver
I’m actually surprised at how much they’ve shunted aside the Mark of Cain storyline in order to do this pocket of brother-heavy episodes. As Robbie Thompson unfortunately leaked, this is definitely a “pocket of episodes,” he straight out said that the demon/MOC thing was gonna be a huge deal later and he had this “pocket of episodes” to re-establish the Winchester bond before everything goes to shit again.
So everyone who theorized that Dean was gonna get demony again, congrats, you’re likely correct.
It really is gonna be the year of the Deanmon, and we have precious few moments left to re-establish for new viewers what exactly it means to be a Winchester brother.
The point that you made is absolutely, utterly key to understanding what Dean’s mindset is this season. Dean is desperately searching for and clinging to the things that make him Dean.
The second he’s himself again, he’s looking for cases and looking for things to keep him busy. Dean is not Dean unless he’s saving people and hunting things. Dean cannot fathom a world in which he is not hunting, it makes him feel real and present, and it validates his existence.
At the same time, Dean has tried to put himself in the middle of the action only to have Sam come along and do the actual dirty work. Poor Sam, who only wants to take a break and rest, is having to keep Dean from his own demons.
I know I mentioned this in my season premiere write-up, but this dichotomy really hammers home the idea that Dean and Sam have different happy endings. Dean’s happy ending is continuing to save people and hunt things, Sam’s is an early retirement with a dog and a wife and some babies.
Dean wants to save people. Sam wants to be happy. Each endgame is equally valid, but we needed to re-establish that these are the core differences between the Winchester brothers. Sam sees an end (when the current crisis is over), but Dean sees more of the same (because he’ll never save enough people).
So yes, it is entirely on purpose that Sam has taken on the killing from the cases Dean cajoled him into. It’s a commentary on the Winchester brothers, it’s a commentary on their respective happy endings, it hammers home how their decisions affect each other, and it establishes the core values of each brother for new viewers.
Plus, if you’re looking for Burcon spoilers, Dean’s gonna have to grapple about the Mark of Cain soon, and Cain himself is gonna be a part of it. Personally, I cannot wait.
I need Dean to choose this life without anything compelling him. Because he is talented, dedicated, and good at this, and I need him to know it’s okay to be and do those things.
I need Sam to opt out of this life without anything compelling him, because his true talents are in the civilian world and he’s talented, dedicated, and good at them.
I just need these jerks to be happy, okay?
