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#idk what it is about this scene but dean just seems way more vulnerable than normal
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🩸Bloody Dean Every Episode🩸- 14x14 Ouroboros
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thetrap · 4 years
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why i think deancas just might go canon
i’ve been wanting to write this for a bit, but i haven’t really had the time until now. basically this is just a super unorganized collection of thoughts i have on why i think that dean and castiel actually have a fairly decent shot of becoming canon (and by decent shot i mean like.....a solid 5% chance. and that’s being generous). this is based off of the show itself (obviously), quotes from andrew dabb, and other things.
1. andrew dabb is deancas positive
i made a post a while back that never made it out of the drafts, but it was basically a summation of all the good deancas shit dabb has given us as a writer. here are the bullet points:
- the hug/"i'm not leaving here without you!" moment in purgatory (8x02) 
- "don't lose it over one man"
- "he's in love.....with humanity"
- cas/colette parallel ("dean. stop.") in 10x22
- just the fight scene from the prisoner in general like......wow
- sam/jess and dean/cas parallel in 12x23
- "we've lost everything......and now, you're gonna bring him back" + dean's just generally overwhelming grief in 13x01
- "and how is it that you lost dean? i thought the two of you were joined at the.....you know, everything"
and these are just the big moments.
also notable is the fact that an activist sent dabb (and some of the other producers of spn i think) a book about dean and cas and why the fans want it/why it would be a good thing for the show. a few years later, meghan fitzmartin (who wrote the most recent episode!) was hired as dabb’s assistant, went into his office and posted a tweet a with pictures of the book, saying something along the lines of “doing some reading for work!��
the fact that dabb actually kept a fanmade deancas book for years.....the fact that he’s consistently written episodes with really strong subtext for years.....the fact that the dean and castiel romantic tension has only picked up since he took over as showrunner (mixtape, lily sunder, cas’s death, dean’s grief arc, the entirety of season fifteen, etc.)......idk i just think it’s really interesting that there has been such a marked shift since he was put in charge.
2. the mixtape
i know this was a few seasons ago, but it’s still relevant because like. a mixtape is not platonic. this scene was not platonic. full-stop.
and it’s not even the act by itself; it’s also the dialogue!! “it was a gift. you keep those.” this is more than likely a direct callback to aragorn and arwen in lord of the rings (that’s the first thing i thought of, at least).
the fact that dabb let this slide, like......he knows what this looks like. berens and glynn, who wrote this episode, know what it looks like. they knew precisely how this would be perceived, and then wrote and aired the scene anyways.
and that’s not even getting into the camerawork. like what?? was this shot???
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yeah so. definitely not platonic.
3. the trap
honestly i thought about just posting this part of this overlong essay thing, because to me, this is the episode where i went okay, so this might actually happen.
there are SO many things in this episode that made me go insane the first time i watched it (”i left, but you didn’t stop me”) but the thing that stuck out to me the most was dean’s reaction to castiel saying, “you don’t have to say it. i heard your prayer,” when dean tries to tell him something.
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like?????? he does not look relieved!! nor does he look particularly happy!!
hell, if you go back and watch the video you can literally see him swallow his words down like....jensen ackles is the master of micro expressions and that shit is Not Accidental. this moment 100% gives the vibe that there is something that is not being said. the camera following dean as he gives cas a lingering look is really interesting too.
3. dabb’s comments about dean and cas in season 15
this part is actually sort of related to the point above, since a lot of dabb’s comments are in reference to “the trap.” here are some interesting ones that i want to point out:
But the Leviathan won’t be the focal point of the purgatory story. Rather, it’s about what Dean and Castiel are going through. “They’re not going to resolve the emotional stuff, but it allows them to redefine their friendship a little bit in light of what’s happened especially earlier this season,” Dabb says. (x)
the key thing here is that dabb said that, in 15x09, dean and cas are “not going to resolve the emotional stuff.”
now. i don’t know about you, but dean falling to his knees, praying to cas and weeping feels a lot like emotional resolution to me. like, sure, things will probably be awkward between them for a while, but surely this is the peak moment of their emotional vulnerability with each other, right? surely this is the moment where they’ve resolved the issue between them? like how the fuck does it get more intensely emotional than this??
yet dabb seems to be implying that it will, which leaves us with the million dollar question: what is left about dean and cas’ relationship to resolve?
keep in mind that as of 15x16, there hasn’t been much forward movement on that front; that is, we’ve had some cute moments between them, but in terms of serious conversation about their relationship, there’s been basically nothing. so we can assume that this development, whatever it is, will occur in 15x18, since dean and cas will be separated for most of 15x17, as cas will be off with sam.
aka the episode where cas will likely get yanked away by the empty. aka the episode with the teary (!!!) conversation we saw in the promo between dean and cas.
also notable from the above quote is dabb saying that dean and cas are redefining their friendship. like....redefining how? to what?? that wording is just really interesting to me.
another quote from dabb re “the trap”:
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(x)
it forces them to “start that process.” indicating yet again that the prayer scene between dean and cas is not the moment where whatever is between them is resolved. yet, from where we are right now, dean and cas seem mostly fine. which means that whatever they have yet to work out doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with their fight.
lastly:
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a really significant chunk of what happens to dean in 15x09 is him confronting his issues with cas. don’t get me wrong - there are other important things that happen in the episode - but the fact that an episode where so much time/emotional energy is given to dean and cas’ dynamic is considered a turning point for dean is very notable and, to me, speaks to the importance of their relationship for the rest of the season.
4. dean/cas and sam/eileen being set up as units
i’m of the opinion that sam and dean will (by choice) go their separate ways at the end of the show. i think this for a variety of reasons that i wrote about here, and to add onto this, i think that dean/cas and sam/eileen are, in a way, being set up as two units.
this theory comes from two points:
1. the fact that eileen got brought back at all
this isn’t to say that eileen isn’t an interesting character all on her own/outside of her romance with sam, but the fact that they brought her back and then proceeded to set her up in this romance feels really significant to me. what’s especially interesting is how, even after she leaves in 15x09, we get a continuation of their romance in 15x14. i don’t necessarily think that she’s sam’s endgame in the sense that the final episode will show sam going to her or whatever, but i do think that part of the reason she was brought back was so that sam would have someone who he loves/someone he could potentially build a life with after he and dean defeat chuck.
2. the way the two couples were portrayed in “the trap”
like....just watch the future scenes in the bunker. there’s very much a sense that these are two couples living together. and “ever since the mark made cas go crazy, ever since i had to bury him in a ma’lak box.” note the use of i, not we. and then dean/cas and sam/eileen are directly paralleled when dean tells sam he needs to give it up after eileen’s death, comparing it to how dean has given it up after having to bury cas in the ma’lak box.
5. dean does not do Well without cas
this is probably an understatement. there have been a couple of notable instances in this season where the viewer is given a glimpse of what happens to dean when cas dies/is in danger of death/is separated from dean (in case the whole ass widower arc in s13 wasn’t enough).
two of these are from “the trap”:
1. dean freaking out/crying/praying when he’s separated from cas in purgatory
2. dean giving up on life/hunting after burying cas in the ma’lak box in the future world
3. dean’s reaction to cas temporarily going to the empty in 15x13
the one i want to spend the most time on is number two, in large part because sam was witness to it and i think that this might get brought up in 15x17.
part of my spec for that episode is that cas will tell sam about his deal/sam will find out somehow, and in reaction sam might tell cas about how dean reacted to his death in s13 - a conversation that was notably absent from the show when cas finally returned in 13x05. i also think that he might mention no. 2 above, basically telling cas that if he dies, dean is done. that he won’t be able to handle it/move past it. the show has been telling us this over and over for a while now, and it’s only been emphasized more in season 15. i think that 15x17 is the episode where this will finally be verbally expressed.
to me, all of this emphasis on dean giving up when cas is gone isn’t for nothing. in my opinion, it’s being done very purposefully to set up an endgame where dean and cas are together in some sense of the word. and a lot of what i’ve said above is what makes me think it’ll be a Romantic together.
5. bobo berens’ three part deancas saga
so we all know that berens is pretty much spn’s foremost deancas warrior, and what i want to point out here is how this season has been utilizing him as a writer.
this season, berens has three solo episodes (he wrote “galaxy brain” with meredith glynn):
1. the rupture
2. the trap
3. despair (formerly known as “the truth”)
so far, these first two episodes have had major deancas moments. you could even label them as:
1. the rupture (the breakup)
2. the trap (the reconciliation)
3. depair (???)
keep in mind also that berens wrote 14x18, where the dean and cas sort of had a preliminary breakup. he’s been in charge of this arc for a while, and the fact that so much of his writing this season has been deancas focused.......i don’t know, i just think it’s significant in part because, while berens has always been deancas positive, he also writes plenty of episodes that aren’t focused on dean and cas. but now, in the final season, the dean and cas emotional arc has been handed to him, and it’s been the primary focus on his writing.
(sidenote: berens was promoted to executive producer for this final season)
to me, this is all leading to a big moment between dean and cas in 15x18 - and the fact that it was at one point called “the truth,” only to be switched back to despair - makes me think that there will be some sort of confession involved. my money is on cas being the one to say it (especially since this would line up with the leak), especially given the glimpse we saw of (what might be) this moment in the promo. which leads me to...
6. cas does not cry
i saved this for last because the promo where we see teary-eyed cas is actually what pulled me back into this shitshow.
cas does not cry. like. ever. he got a little teary in 15x15, when jack told him of his plan to sacrifice himself, but we have never - never - seen him shed actual tears. and in the promo, particularly that shot where cas says “you have fought for this whole world,” it 100% looks like cas is about to cry cry.
cas has seen his son die. he has seen dean die. he died himself, over and over and over. and we have never seen him cry.
yet for some reason, in this moment of vulnerability with dean, he’s crying. i find it highly unlikely that cas would cry because of his impending death, for a number of reasons (for one, he wouldn’t want to upset dean more than he has to). so, assuming he’s not crying because of his own death, then what is making cas so emotional that he is genuinely crying for the first time in the twelve seasons he has been on the show?
my guys.....i can only think of one thing.
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Hello there. I have a question (more like a thesis): What would have happened if Cas told the Truth anywhere between season 7 and 15? Do you think it would have had the same impact on Dean? Logically speaking Cas could have told him anytime.
Oh gosh, yes. I mean Dean’s reaction in season 15 is still the best it could have been really :P He was in the best place and most accepting of himself and he still had a BSOD for a moment and then Cas had to shove him away so he could go die... (Assuming you take the on screen boring presentation of what happened as canon and not throw in the reciprocation, tears, pull in for a kiss, etc that we know exists either in our hearts or on Jackles’ phone.)
I’ve been thinking about this and the parameters we’d have to apply if we were gonna get something like the show being self-healing back to its self as we know it but we were allowed a confession. Also the show has to be as punishing as ever. So these are my personal theses on each season... 
Season 7 the confession would have to be after Cas comes back, and everything in 7x17 that looked like Dean was jealous of Daphne and Meg textually was meant to be read that way in the set up for the confession. To make it the most painful obviously we still get Cas exactly as he was all through to the end of the season and he never really says anything too different but then right when they’re having the “cursed or not” discussion he’d bust out of nowhere that he supposes it is inevitable Dean would talk him into going on this dangerous mission to get Dick because obviously Cas loves him. And Dean, who is in a weirdly zen sort of place in the remaining minutes of season 7 after Bobby’s send off and final words that helped him go make up with Cas, is in a similarly season 15 oddly okay spot, mental health wise. At least. COMPARED TO ALL THE REST OF SEASON 7. But I still personally have always read it as a genuinely good place for him that could have endured much longer if not for *gestures everything that happened after stabbing Dick* and obviously making up with Cas was step one and a huge part of his process. 
(idk if you’ve noticed but 7x23 pretty much has no Sam and Dean interaction after Bobby’s send off, and their last good broments are really scarce; it feels sort of natural for abrupt calamity and no time for teary farewells in a season with a strong commentary on grief, which also hyperfocuses the attention on Dean n Cas there.)
So I think Dean would maybe be stunned but maybe quirk a sceptical smile like “He can’t mean it like that and anyway he’s currently coo-coo, this doesn’t mean anything hahaha oh Cas :)))” and then idk shake his head and move the story on and Cas just turns one longing look after him like “dammit that didn’t work out like planned” 
Anyway then the exact plot beats of 7x23 follow, exactly as seen on your screens, but we’re left going into season 8 and Carver era with Dean far far more messed up about Cas and it can force clarification in 8x02 in Purgatory where Cas is entirely adamant he meant what he meant and furious at Dean for being mad at him and Dean’s mad at Cas for all the season 8 reasons so they continue angsting at each other but Benny’s reaction shots are just 10x funnier. This is followed by Dean’s reciprocation of “I love you” instead of “I need you” in the crypt scene in 8x17 and from there honestly it’s been built up into canon in such a way that the emotional arc of the show has to go off the wheels and I can’t keep to the self-healing model to continue following the “real” plot and contain this much raw power.
Coincidentally, if the first confession is in season 8, it would be “what broke the connection” after a season 8 where nothing was different up until that point. Cas flaps off while Dean is still processing that the answer was “You. I love you.” and Dean is left yelling at the empty crypt like “What the hell, Cas?!” 
Then he’s as mad at him as he was in canon except instead of being borderline a really bad overreaction into his anger phase which we have to weather as miserable fans tethered to this ship who know sometimes Dean gets mad and yells at Cas for no reason, he’s reacting proportionately. It’s always seemed like 8x22 only makes sense if Dean is furious at Cas for confessing and fleeing except, obviously, in our “”real”” canon, it can only be like Cas confessed and Dean took it that way and also felt embarrassed how far he went with his own feelings only for Cas to run. 
This would make the bar scene with the cupids in 8x23 make a lot more sense too, and after they get the cupid bow Dean’s going to turn to Cas and give him a nervous smile, and then - Naomi flaps in like she does and distracts them away from reciprocation. 
I think this one could go long - maybe even season 13 Cas being dead and Dean being like “FUCK I never got a chance to work things out with him” and 13x06 onwards is where we get any actual work on the ship, because Carver era was so determined to be emotionally gruelling and unsatisfying and relentless from one issue to the next. And the confessions are so bound up specifically in the moments of miscommunication or failed attempts, cut off conversations etc that whether Destiel is canon or not, they’re never gonna get to talk it out under those conditions. Cas is only explicitly the grieving wife and jealous ex to Crowley’s smug take over of Dean’s affections rather than subtextually. 
The season 9 confession... I feel like we’d come perilously close to the Monkey Paw curse we once envisioned of Buckleming making it canon because they love jumping the gun on plot points and making them too obvious. So the end of 9x03, Cas is really blatantly angling to come in with a big “Hey I’m human can I live in the Bunker look at me I learned to do The Sex can we do it now” kind of vibe. All the enthusiasm he was giving to eating that burrito in the background while “Zeke” was trying to get him kicked out, but with lusting over Dean :P 
If we avoid that we can leap to Mr Bobo Berens and his first episode, and have this thing handled by a pro, as it’s already very much about Cas as a homeless queer man with a bad ex he still loves rolling into town where he’s just trying to make a new life and play straight - I mean human - for his own survival. I suspect the confrontation with Iphraim would make it really obvious that Cas didn’t just want to live as a human but had an eye for living as a human with Dean, and then he’d attempt a confession right before Dean would accidentally talk over, like, the L in “love” honestly, to tell him that sorry things do still stand that you can’t come back with me. Leaves Cas utterly devastated but Dean is none the wiser and he drives off and Cas pines piningly at the pine trees in his Gas n Sip. 
Again the end of season probably would force the real confession, since there’s a ready made moment in 9x22 where Hannah tries to force Cas to kill Dean and he gives it all up for one man. Cas can just lower that knife and be like, “No, I love him,” talking to his shoes and Hannah rather than meeting Dean’s eyes. Mark of Cain Dean is fuuuucked up at that point but we still get the moment where Dean carries Cas’s bag into the bunker and sits down with him and tries to care about his health and now also this confession. Sussing out what the heck is up with Cas, and maybe he looks like he’s playing it cool and is still so messed up but Cas is vulnerable, and finally Dean starts to reach across the library table for his hand, and it’s a moment where maybe things could have started to go better for them...... Cue Gadreel walking into the library, Dean going feral, blah blah demon!Dean, blah blah explicitly stated Drowley, blah blah muuuch healing and Cas giving Dean a wide berth for a lil while. Though, in this scenario, 10x22 is far worse but has the reverse crypt scene moment, so Dean can be more obviously unable to kill Cas because he loves him, and then he walks out, followed by season 11 and Cas being returned to them. Unfortunately. Yep. Another finger curls on the Monkey Paw... 11x03 by Buckleming would absolutely be where Destiel goes undeniably canon as it is their first real interactions post Mark of Cain. Our only consolation - directed by Jensen Ackles.
Season 10 confession, hm. Poor Cas. He has the option of 10x03, of confessing and then immediately apologising and walking off to handle stuff with Hannah (thanks Buckleming!) or the Burger Date, where Dean may be slightly less stunned stupid but still likely to laugh it off and not believe it. There’s not much heavy tension between them most of the season so it’s possible that the only time Cas would really get is to confess in 10x22 while telling Dean that he would have to watch him murder the world, and that would suck because I love you. At which point the story dictates that Dean beats Cas to paste so it’s a very bad look. Season 10 destiel confession is the worst. 
Season 11 may be better because Cas has options to be jealous of Crowley and Dean’s connection to Amara multiple times and then Casifer happens and that can really play up things in a season where a confession is coming. 
I think the Beer Run in 11x23 might be the only viable place, where Dean grabs Cas and takes him out for that drive for last drinks before the end of the world. Cas gets the “you’re our brother” thing and just lays into Dean with the certainty of someone who knows this is it - now or nothing - with “You know that’s crap, Dean. You wait until the end of the world and you can’t even say it. Well I can; I love you.” 
Cue awkward tension, well-placed interrupting Moose, and then the world very much not ending so that when Dean n Cas hug and kiss in front of Mary in 12x01. Well. There’s even more explaining to do to her. Since we’ve made it to Dabb era, I believe any confessions from this point onwards can just slot into the show as we got it from there since it’s entirely compatible to start season 12 assuming Dean n Cas are literally married and never be contradicted by the text in their behaviour. But since we’ve had canon Destiel since whenever, obviously the final episodes are good instead of. That.
Season 12... Going to have to go with the first sniff of true canon coming in Lily Sunder with just a few lines leaning even further in the Cas’s Angel Family Are Homophobic Assholes metaphor, leaving Cas’s relationship with Dean even more live wire exposed. Followed by The Mixtape Scene where Cas is going to confess to Dean and get him startled up out of his seat, accidentally knocking the mixtape to the floor and for a moment it’s like, did he throw it is he mad? but then he’s smooching Cas, fade to black, return to scheduled programming but the whole line about Cas stealing the Colt from under Dean’s pillow makes fuckin sense, as well as the fall out argument and how mad Dean was at Cas followed by how devastated he was at Cas’s death. This just means Dabb era continues as planned except we get a kiss in 13x06 under that big glowy cross, and some more smooching here and there when things are good from then on. 
Season 13... Hm. Cas has to do the confessing and I don’t think he’d throw that at Dean on return from death so unlike if Dean was the one who was being made to confess obviously the aforementioned glowy cross scene obviously would be it for him... Cas could keep that bottled up much longer, especially as he has so much to do with Jack this season. It’s entirely possible we go through the whole season and then Cas lobs it at Dean as a final card when he’s making his Michael decision and we actually see the scene that we didn’t get, where Cas has to watch Dean getting possessed. Except Dean is like, tearful and furious like why would you tell me that now, and anyway i’m doing this for you as well dumbass but fuck you but also how dare you anyway I need to be an archangel now and save our - your - son, bye. Cue Cas sitting there not just in total horror at what happened but also kicking himself for fucking up the moment :P I guess this way at least we can have that moment where Dean is un-Michaeled and tells Cas he’s going to shower and finger guns at him, and now we can have Cas wordlessly and furiously follow him. 
Season 14, we get Cas at Rocky’s bar confessing to Dean while figment!Pamela cheers the whole thing on. If there was EVER a time to use the power of love to snap Dean out of it, Cas upsetting his cosy routine with “this isn’t real, I’M NOT HERE IN YOUR FANTASY” is absolutely the time to pull a reverse crypt scene which has such low stakes in terms of neither of them needing to punch each other when Michael is an external aggressor.
My ONLY issue with this is that Sam has to witness the whole thing and we would get reaction shots and I am a weak mortal who will start cackling at them when I’m supposed to be having the transcendent moment of canon and the whole thing would be ruined just because of the way Jared gurns when doing reactions to dean n cas interacting. Wow thanks. Thanks a lot. 
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cassiesboy · 2 years
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hi same anon as the deancassie ask this is the last one i promise (sorry for the mistakes english isn’t my native language and i wrote a lot) i just think it’s insane that they are the only canon het relationship on the show (besides saileen) that was well written lmao i mentioned their love scene in the previous ask and i think i like it so much because they aren’t cringy or uncomfortable to watch partially because their chemistry is really good but also because they seem so hungry for each other (and again you don’t see that happening between dean and his other female interests) like please his grip on her hair, her biting his nipple, the last bit when they are just breathing in each other mouth, the forehead touch. idk if it was in the scrip or if that’s just the way megalyn and jensen decided to acted it but they literally eat other mouth whenever they kiss. i mean i too would kiss my first love like i want to alienate all thoughts from their brain. they’re so hot for each other and not in a gross way but in a i miss you so much way, also the intimacy ?? the fact that he kept caressing hers arms and her back during their pillowtalk and the fact that he admitted her he couldn’t lie to her and that he was afraid of working things out with her, i’m sorry but he can fight monster but he is afraid of being vulnerable and taking about his feelings yet he chooses repeatedly to do so with her cause he is in love (literally dean thesis) and his grip on her waist during their movie kiss and the fact that he kept his eyes close after the kiss yeah that’s peak of romance, the fact that he always steals glance at her and he only ever do that with one other person on the show, and they probably drove in his car, and he blasted his favorite songs and started singing super loud while staring at her with a goofy smile and she probably laughed from the passenger sit, i’m unwell lmao. in my alternative version of the show, cassie is back in season 6 and she is living with dean but cas has to erase her memories etc and the last shot of them is dean seating in his car staring at her (their) house, and after they never mention her again on the show because she is a bit of a taboo subject since she is the only other love dean ever had but when he thinks of her it’s with a lot of fondness…deancassie my beloved :) i’m going to stop my rant here because it’s so long but yeah i just think they are a good premise for any dean’s ship xx
"he can fight monster but he is afraid of being vulnerable and taking about his feelings yet he chooses repeatedly to do so with her cause he is in love" LITERALLY YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!!!!
i have a lot of thoughts about her reappearing on the show... i think for one thing we should've seen a lot more of their stanford era relationship -- the flashbacks like u mentioned would've been a good option for that. but also i think... idk i like the idea of her reappearing but it's so difficult to come up with when to place it, because like in every season OTHER than the first season there's always some insane baggage for him. like not that he'd have to keep his hunting life a secret anymore, but originally, his secrets were, what. his baggage with john, the fact that he's a hunter. after season 2, it's that his dad literally made a deal with a demon to bring him to life and then promptly told him he'd have to kill his own brother someday. after season 3, it's that he made a deal with a demon where he sold his soul to bring his brother back to life. after season 4, it's that he went to hell for forty years, and when he came back, he found out that he started the fucking apocalypse while he was down there. like it never stops. and so at some point it's like, i don't know if they'd be able to work on any real level unless dean was finally given a moment to breathe, and then it's like... what could he possibly tell her? i think there's a seed of tragedy in that went unexplored since we never saw her again
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unalivex · 4 years
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13 Reasons Why | Season Four Review ( SPOILERS )
i just finished watching season four, and it’s got me DEEP in my feelings. so, i’m going to review it and give my opinions. first i’m going to do main characters, then the side characters, and then my overview of the whole season. i’m going to keep it as short as i can!
MAIN CHARACTERS
clay | clay has and probably always will be my favorite character. this season finally addresses some of his mental issues and his trauma. i feel like all of the other main characters forget that clay went through everything too and he also has some serious issues, so it was nice to see him talk about it. he was kind of frustrating though. this season there was a severe lack of communication between him and others. like dude, tell your damn therapist you see dead people!! he was also a dick to justin throughout the whole season, and i did NOT dig that. overall, though? i still love him. he had an interesting plot. he had a really good glo up though 10/10 he was hot this season.
justin | HOW DARE THEY KILL HIM OFF. he was fucked with all season. first he and jessica break up, then she starts seeing diego, then clay starts being a dickhead, then his mom dies, then he relapses, and then he fucking dies!! what the fuck!! he didn’t deserve this after all of his character development. he and clay can never be happy.
jessica | every season her and justin do the ‘will they wont they’ thing and i think it was over done and unnecessary. jessica was kinda immature in s4, especially when justin broke up with her. i do love her, but i got frustrated with her at times. she wasn’t the worst though. her friendship with ani was cute, and she is still the baddest bitch on the block. her and bolan’s relationship was one of my favorite things tbh.
ani | surprisingly pleasant. i’m really glad the writers managed to save her character. i still think she’s not really needed, but i didn’t hate her at all this season, and i actually managed to like her. her hair had a major glo up like damn sis. i loved the hairstyle with the bangs! 
alex | BABY BOY. i loved him so much this season. alex has never really annoyed me, but this season i especially loved him. after getting messed with every season i appreciated seeing him thrive. i loved seeing more zalex (even if its just a friendship but hey they kissed!!) and he and charlie were SO cute. some of his relationships were a little rushed, but i could still enjoy them.
zach | i used to adore zach up until this season. he just kinda showed up drunk and then never stopped. there was no build up. he had some scenes where i cheered for him, and he does have some badass and fun scenes. he’s the one main character that annoyed me a lot though, which is sad because he used to be one of my favs. 
tyler | he deserves the world. i think tony and clay were right to suspect he was up to something, because he was acting suspicious, but i’m glad he wasn’t doing anything bad. i’m so happy he’s getting more comfortable in his own skin. his and winston’s friendship was cute while it lasted, and him and estela were hella cute too. 
tony | meh. he didn’t really do much this season tbh. i still love him, but i feel like the last two seasons haven’t been giving him enough screen time. i also was disappointed that his friendship with clay isn’t really shown anymore. he was best in seasons one and two. 
SIDE CHARACTERS
winston | i feel like i’m alone when i say that i love winston. i can understand the disappointment though. the trailers made him out to be a big threat and then didn’t really do anything with it. i also feel like the only one who didn’t care about him and alex? they were fine together, but i don’t see the chemistry that others seem to. him saying he loved alex was wack. winston and monty hit different than any other relationship on this show and i’m not gonna apologize for saying that. i cried like a baby during the prom episode. it’s bs that he apparently only knew the version of monty that he wanted to see, when he was the only one who really knew monty the person and not monty the jock or monty the bully. winston was the only one to know monty in an intimate, vulnerable state. winston was done dirty this season and he deserved better.
monty | he gets his own category because he may be dead but he was a prominent character. i hate that i get really emo about monty but i do. he was an awful person, and i’m not gonna make excuses for him because he doesn’t deserve them, but i just get really emo and sad about him and i’m not sure why. maybe because the show redeemed bryce (bleh) but didn’t allow monty the same luxury. i really wish he wasn’t dead. they didn’t need to kill him off at all. the plot wouldn’t really change much if he had been alive. clay could’ve still seen him bc he felt guilty, and winston still could’ve gone to the school. 
estela | i love her so much!! she is mourning her brother but understands what he did was gross and disgusting. she didn’t really do much but i still appreciated her. her and tyler were cute.
diego + the football team | diego was kinda shitty and he fucked with clay when he didn’t need to but i don’t think he’s a bad person at all, and i believe he genuinely cared about jessica and wanted her happy. he was kinda used as a plot device for jess and justin so he didn’t really do much after the first few episodes besides be there to make justin jealous. the football team was actually kinda fun this season and i didn’t hate them. kinda asses but not in the way the past ones were.
caleb | caleb and tony are perfect for each other but caleb is also too good for tony tbh. they’re cute though and i’m happy they have each other, but shit tony doesn’t listen to him. caleb doesn’t do much in the show but he’s cool. 
the parents | i’m only gonna speak in detail about one parent and that’s mister bill standall. idk i just kind of love him and i think he’s an amazing father to alex. every time he kisses alex on the head my heart goes soft because it’s what alex deserves. the whole standall family is super cool and i like peter’s reaction to alex dating charlie. clay and justin’s parents try really hard and they love both their boys though. jessica’s parents also love her very much and i love her dad. we only see ani’s mom once this season and i love her even if she’s strict. mrs. walker is cool and i wish the best for her. 
gary bolan | he and jessica have really funny interactions. you can tell he does actually really like her and values her input but he also thinks she’s overbearing and it’s amazing. he sucks sometimes but you can tell he’s trying.
the dean guy and also that one police guy | i don’t remember their names and i don’t care enough to look it up. the dean guy was kind of a dick sometimes but woah i was not expecting the gay from him. i thought the police guy was awful at first but he grew on me when i realized he wasn’t out to fuck with tony.
scott | he was in one scene and it wasn’t even really him but i love him so i’m gonna mention him. 10/10 stole the show. 
charlie | i saved my favorite for last. CHARLIE IS BABY. he literally has done nothing wrong in his entire life. the sweetest boyfriend. not closeted and isn’t afraid to show affection. would literally do anything for alex. his and alex’s relationship was a b i t rushed but i enjoyed it nonetheless. i don’t know how people could prefer alex and winston over charlie and alex literally they’re so cute and charlie is the best.
OVERVIEW
i think this season was pretty good. a bit fucky here and there, but overall a lot better than season three. i do wish some things were different, and i don’t know why there weren’t thirteen episodes because that would’ve helped slow things down a little so some things didn’t feel too rushed, but eh whatever. this season tackled some interesting topics like mental illness, AIDS, sexuality, and police brutality. i was super stressed out watching but in a good way. i do wish some things were done differently. that’s what fanfiction is for i suppose. i’m gonna give this season a 7/10. it was good and i enjoyed it, though i think some decisions were questionable and i think there should’ve been a happy ending for all of the main characters since they’ve been put through literal hell.  please interact if you share the same opinions or if you think differently because i would love to discuss further!! i feel like i have a mixture of both popular and unpopular opinions about this season, so i’d love to hear about what anyone else thinks.
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nickmillerscaulk · 4 years
Note
41, 46, 51 for the gg meme! :)
(thank you for this, @bourbon-ontherocks!)
41. What relationship is the most frustrating for you?
I mean... Beth x Dean seems like the most obvious choice here, so let’s say... Dean x screentime?? Dean x his own plotlines that nobody gives a shit about?? Dean x existing in the GG universe?? hahahaha LITERALLY DEAN IS THE MOST FRUSTRATING, PERIOD.
46. What character(s) do you want to see more of in season 4?
In very particular order:
A soundtrack full of s1/s2-level bangers n bops!!!! (YES THE GG SOUNDTRACK IS A CHARACTER AND IDK WHY IT WENT MISSING IN s3)
Rio!!
Rhea!!!
JT!!!!
Mick!!
Krystal!!
Agent Phoebe!
Fitzpatrick!
51. What is something you wish would happen in season 4 but you’re sure is way too unlikely?
Alright idk if these are unlikely, but the gg writers let me down in s3 so anything’s not-possible, right?? Also pretty glad I started this hashtag to keep track of the things I want. To name a few:
Um, Rio getting more than 1-2 scenes per episode?? (LIKE I SAID. I WILL NOT REST.)
A return to Rio’s (new) loft, wherever it may be...
Beth saying Rio’s name to his face
Beth x Rio... just more. more business. more bar conversations. more incentive. more bathroom breaks. more breakups. more vulnerable kisses. more callbacks to their history.
More s1/s2 vibes, less s3 vibes
More Annie bullying Dean (like where did that go?? it was brilliant.)
Beth finally divorcing the dead weight that is Deansie
Better writing (i.e. less forced comedy, more callbacks to Dean’s bullshit, Rio serving a purpose beyond showing up lookin’ like a snack at drops for six seconds each episode...)
Annie further pursuing her EMT stuff!!!
More tshirt!rio and/or hoodie!rio
Stan x Ruby teaming up to do crime shit together with their crime besties Beth x Rio!!
Dean going on an Antarctic cruise and realizing his dream job is actually being an Antarctic cruise tour guide and wow, look who it is! Gayle! Participating in the same tour guide training! Etc etc.
MORE BOPS AND MORE BANGERS. NONE OF THAT S3 SOUNDTRACK NONSENSE. I CAN’T NAME MORE THAN 3 SONGS I LIKED FROM S3. I AM UPSET.
(good girls ask)
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curioussubjects · 5 years
Text
Non-jittery Thoughts on 15.01
Alright, had some time too calm the hell down, so I could have thoughts beyond a keysmash and a crying emoji. Chances are, too, that I’ll have more to say once I sit down with the episode again. Had to get these initial reactions/musings out of the way first.
This episode did a bang up job setting up the personal plot points for tfw. I’m super excited to see where this is going: Dean’s hell trauma revisited, Sam’s wound and its connection to his own darkness, Cas still struggling with belonging, Dean and Cas’s continuous wrongfootedness coming to a head. It’s going to be a killer of a season emotionally, and I am Here. For. It. 
Full disclosure: the biggest chunk is destiel related. In my defense, Dabb & co. didn’t have to enable me, but here we are.
More thoughts under the cut. 
General Thoughts:
My hype was not squashed! We got a really strong season opener and I’m so happy about it. Sure, we got running ghosts. But overall the episode was incredible; just a solid SPN episode all around. A+ job and kudos to all involved ♥♥♥
The new title card is gorgeous and full of meta potential goodness. See this post for more on that; op hit it on the head I think. For additional analysis, there’s this post from different op that is killer.
Opening sequence with tfw fighting zombie ghosts and running for shelter? Amazing. Showstopping. Breathtaking. 
Dean’s grief over Jack that’s embroiled in his grief for Mary. Just. “He was our kid.” That’s some complicated shit right there. 
Gotta love all the tidbits hinting at what is to come during 15.a, at the very least, if not the larger goal of the season. Reading y’all’s thoughts on the episode has been great so far, and I can’t wait to see what else crops up this week.
                                                              //
On Sam: Currently, Sam’s role in the more interesting aspects of the plot continue to not quite match Dean’s, which has been a problem for a while. I’m seriously hoping that changes some with Eileen’s return, Rowena coming in with some banter maybe next week, and whatever weird curse Sam got with that bullet wound. I’m loving the potential and I’m loving the prospect of having Sam brought back to the center of the plot. I missed some more emotional involvement from him this episode, too, but that should be addressed once things calm down and Sam and Dean can debrief. However, we got peak Sam in a crisis and it’s always a treat to see him do his job. Bless. Him telling the clown to shut up made my night. I love him so much. 
                                                               //
On Belphegor: First off, Alex did such a fantastic job. I giggled a ridiculous amount. Instantly invested in the character as bringer of shenanigans. Was not disappointed. Quick deliciously meta tidbits about Belphegor, some of which may not feature in the show, but are still *chef’s kiss* (x):
Moabite deity responsible for fertility and sexual power (in case the ep wasn’t clear on that lmao)
was worshiped in the form of a phallus (so glad that made it to canon jfc)
is a fallen angel??? hello???
he’s the demonic embodiment of sloth, BUT specifically negligence and apathy (i am screaming isnt negligence the whole ordeal with dean and cas atm...and apathy was the problem with jack’s soulessness) 
rules misogyny and licentious men (yeah ok no wonder he was a fan of younger dean oof)
the juiciest: emerged from hell to investigate marriage among humans (and is conveniently in the peanut gallery of dean and cas’s fight. funny how that happens. hilarious, even.) 
apparently after living as a man to experience sexual pleasure he was appalled and fled back to hell where sex between men and women wasn’t a thing i’m??? what?? (yet in the show he seemed ok with hot dudes ayy)
I’m glad my “horny on main” observation turned out to be so on point jesus. Can’t help but wonder how long he’s gonna stick around. His outside perspective is amusing, at the very least. However, the fact that he barely interacted with Sam, but was a lot interested in Dean as well as Cas (though to a lesser extent) makes me think that he’s doing more than just deus exing them out of zombies and ghosts or offering hell exposition. Seems like he going to expose SOME OTHER STUFF. ABOUT DEAN (AND CAS?). He is the “Lord of Opening” after all. And isn’t using their words and being honest the thing we’re all waiting for wrt to DeanCas?? There’s some opening up that is necessary posthaste. Listen, I know I’ve been saying they need a marriage counselor, but this is not what I had in mind. Pretty on brand, though, I guess lol
I’m also really interested about the coding work the character is doing in continuing to queer Dean’s characterization. Belphegor being himself associated with (male) sexuality, and the show clearly focusing on his attraction to humans of the man variety. I wouldn’t even call it subtextual at this point as Belphegor’s interaction with Dean in the car to was really overt. My hopes that the show might actually be explicit about Dean’s bisexuality is uhhhh getting high again *confetti.* Should also maybe at least note that using a demon to do this is probs not like the best strategy, but at least said demon was 1. not skeevy and 2. mostly sympathetic to the audience. 
This is all assuming, ofc, that Belphegor is not catfishing tfw (there’s precedence, after all -- and kudos to anon and op for the timely observations). 
                                                                  //
On Dean & Cas: I think it’s really damn telling that so much space was given to their relationship as like the most important thing going on with their characters? Obviously they have individual issues to deal with (their own struggles with Chuck, revisiting Dean’s stint in hell....which btw also eventually involves Cas too so *hands*), but my sweet baby jesus the validation feels good. Onwards. 
We actually have a weird amount to unpack here because, as others have said, the tension between them is coming from more than just Mary and Jack -- though Mary and Jack are absolutely the main stressors atm as well as emblematic of problems they’ve had for a long long time.  
I’m gonna start with Dean because boy do I love that dumbass; I want to shake him. So we have Dean: he’s grieving Mary, he’s angry, he’s scared, he’s lashing out. It’s a Thursday. We know he’s angry with Cas because he blames him for Mary’s death, even if indirectly. You know what that reminds me of? Dean hating Jack for causing Cas’s death, even though it wasn’t directly Jack’s fault. More importantly, though, both the loss of Mary and the loss of Cas were caused by the same catalyst: Cas going off on his own to solve a problem instead of asking Dean (and Sam, but really, mostly Dean) for help. Like, it’s the one thing Dean has very clearly expressed that Cas needs to stop doing (hi 12x19). It’s the same mistake Cas has been making for years. There was a false sense of security there during seasons 13 and most of 14, but alas. Again, here we have Dean losing someone because Cas couldn’t just come ask him for help. Like. It makes sense, and it’s understandable, despite Dean’s coping mechanisms being shit. In short, Dean’s actual problem with Cas is less that Mary is dead and more that Cas refuses to learn his lesson wrt them being stronger as a unit rather than doing their own thing and putting themselves and others in unnecessary danger. 
Meanwhile, we have a continuation of Cas just being really sad and heartbroken because not only is Jack dead, but he’s once again unsure about his standing with Dean. He wants to protect his family, he wants to protect Dean, he wants to come back with a win; once more, he goes off on his own to do it and it blows up in his face somehow. As much as I loved Cas getting mad at the end of last season, I get why he’s somewhat subdued again. He has his guilt and grief and doubt to deal with. He doesn’t want to be mad at Dean probably about as much as he doesn’t want Dean to be mad at him. So far I’m not yet seeing the return of the spark we got when Cas was defending Jack last season, but I’m sure Dean walking out rattled him beyond the hurt. I wanna see what else happens to make him leave “in a huff” (a bit of spec on this further down). That said, what I’m most excited about is seeing how Cas gets reintegrated into the family -- pretty sure that’s universal lol.
The juiciest part now, though: I was all about the interplay of distance and care that we saw between them; let’s pause here for a quick sec to appreciate how that same interplay has been such a central part of Dean and Cas’s relationship since always like ugh. So much of the larger plot points in the show have also been situations that kept them from being truly partners as well as being constant interruptions on their ability to USE THEIR FRIGGIN’ WORDS AAAACK. We give Sam a lot of flack, but everything has awful timing in this show. We’ve had moments of honesty and vulnerability, but they’re always always cut short before we actually get somewhere; before they arrive at a place where they can talk about their issues. If the “are you ok” scene isn’t a perfect microcosm of that idk what is  /sigh
So, yeah, the “Are you ok” scene oooh boy. I wasn’t as excited as some of you at this scene being an example that Dean still cared, as that was never a doubt I had in my mind (it was definitely a yes omg just talk jesus moments nevertheless). Dean couldn’t possibly just turn that shit off, no matter how much he thinks he’s done with Cas. Like, please.  What we do have is Dean indulging on his own need to know that Cas is, at least, immediately fine. Triage, if you will. Him walking off before Cas can either elaborate, or, most likely, tell him about Sam, is peak Dean passive-aggressiveness. The meltdown I had in the tags of a gifset of the scene is still relevant:
 #cas's little sigh of idk relief???#like he's so sad and physically fine but he's SO SAD and heartbroken#and here's dean finally not just being cold to him and ASKING ABOUT HIS WELLBEING#look at cas's face in tht second gif my heart#you can see him gd relax too i cant#and dean has his fucking check in during a break in the chaos face#im so mad#jdhakjsdfhklsd#and then dean just.........walks away and doesnt actually debrief or help or none of the things he would do#and cas is just...there all vulnerable and upset right before he clams up at the demon's quip#but it doesnt even last look at his damn face as he leaves IM SO#somebody hug him#skldjfhklsajdfa#he needs a dean hug#but noooo dean is being a jackass#this is awful#im not ok#i hate it when they fight#im over it that's enough drama dabb i take back everything i said about loving pain
I’ll definitely have more thoughts on this once we have whatever emotional payload next week.
All in all, I’m not actually concerned about the future of their relationship. They’ve been through much, they’ll be fine. I am, though, tickled that we’ll see these key problems in their relationship reach a point where they have to be dealt with. Also: I can’t wait for the catharsis that Cas leaving is bound to elicit. Both for us, the viewers, and the characters. Besides, Dean needs to go to a corner and have a think about his behavior and if pushing Cas away is really what he wants. And then maybe finally we can get that sweet sweet resolution of an affirmation about Cas’s place in Dean’s life. And in turn an affirmation that Cas does trust their family unit enough to depend on them. 
I think we got a good set up in this episode leading into whatever drama we get in the coming weeks. The tension was up to 11. Love it. Hate it. Personally, I think the empty deal might be what does sets off Cas walking out. Somehow, the deal is not a secret anymore. We have here another instance of Cas making a super important decision that affects The Family on his own and then keeping it a secret (to protect Sam and Dean, a pattern). Dean can be angry and think Cas is dead to him all he wants, he will blow tf up when he learns about this deal. Sam isn’t gonna be thrilled either, though he’s more likely to make puppy eyes of sadness and Disappointment than yell at Cas. Seriously, though, I can just see Dean saying some bullshit because he’s just so done and here goes Cas potentially dying again, which in turn will probably piss Cas off. Etc etc. Cue the violins. 
                                                               //
tl;dr: if episode 1 is any indication, we’re in for a wild fucking ride, kiddos. hold onto your butts!!! 
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mittensmorgul · 7 years
Text
For the first time in weeks, I had exactly zero messages, anon or otherwise, asking me about the new episode. Let me say, I feel y’all’s apathy. There were a few things that are worth mentioning, though.
First of all I AM THRILLED THAT GAVIN WAS RESTORED TO HIS PROPER TIMELINE. As to HOW and WHY and all the rest of the details surrounding Gavin’s return... I’m just gonna...
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BUT IT IS DONE. I am more than willing to just close my eyes to the timey-wimey bullshit fixing their original problem dredged up. It’s just gonna give me a migraine trying to sort through this problem. I just... can’t be fussed to care.
For ~plot reasons~ I’m just gonna... handwave the whole mess and pretend it’s just... not a problem anymore and just move on with my life. Especially since it didn’t really seem like Bucklemming themselves could be fussed to do it much justice. The whole plotline played out with the feeling that they’d been ordered to clean up their mess by Dabb and they went about it in the most perfunctory and grudging manner possible.
Okay. :)
On to the other important plot-related stuff, in order from least disappointing to most disappointing:
Mary’s descent arc is moving along apace. Those BMoL weapons that we find absolutely morally reprehensible (that mutate vampire blood to poison them en masse like some sort of radiation sickness, and now a ray gun that boils rugaru brains at twenty paces), Mary thinks they’re neat and effective tools. Her “training” session with Ketch was a more voluntary and only slightly less horrifying callback to Castiel’s “training” under Naomi to kill a warehouse full of Deans. To an extent, I think when Dean learns the entire truth about Mary’s involvement with the BMoL, it’ll have the same metaphorical impact. Basically a room full of “you’re dead to me” Deans... a la “the face.”
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(aside to note that all I could think of when Mary complained about “the face” was Phil Dunphy on Modern Family talking about how “in the know” he is about the kids’ lingo... before listing off the acronyms he knew... including WTF, which he sincerely believed stood for “why the face.” WHY THE FACE. And yes. This was a serious WTF for me... in the correct meaning of wtf...)
So yeah, Mary’s come ~partially~ clean to Sam and Dean. She’s been willing to accept Ketch’s statements about Toni having been a “rogue operative” who wasn’t working within the authority of the MoL, but Sam and Dean have seen just a little bit too far behind their curtain. They’ve also had experience with these sort of shady deals, and unlike Mary, they’ve grown FAR past the “shoot first, ask questions later, just kill ALL THE MONSTERS” mentality. Mary still believes in that definition of hunting. On top of all the guilt she feels personally-- rightly or wrongly-- for the lives her boys ended up leading.
That fundamental core belief is in need of some serious shaking, and I think (I hope!) that 12.14 begins to address that for her. She’s still keeping some secrets (like her role in having been ordered to steal THE COLT in 12.12...) so Sam and Dean are still partially in the dark as to the extent of her shady dealings. There’s definitely more revelations to come to light before they have all the information they need to begin putting the RIGHT questions to Mary...
Dagon’s an interesting character. Kinda relieved she was used so lightly in this episode, so they didn’t have a chance to do anything regrettable with her... but still... both she and the two angels had no trouble finding Kelly, when Cas and Sam and Dean have been looking for her for weeks now with no success. I’m now rolling my eyes at the logic gap with that one, but then I remember Bucklemming and again it’s just easier to handwave it and accept they lack a grasp of narrative continuity and logic. *HEAVY SIGHING*
I’m slightly confused as to how she was able to just annihilate two angels so easily when Ramiel needed to use Michael’s lance on Cas... but then again maybe he could’ve just poofed Cas to death and he just wanted to watch him suffer with the wound from the lance instead. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
(I should probably just title this essay *shrug emoji*)
(anyway, moving on)
Rowena was a delight, as usual. I love that she’s developed her own interesting relationship with Sam and Dean, independent of Crowley. And despite the fact that Rowena has worked with Crowley when their motivations were to defeat a common enemy, it’s interesting to see the sort of situation that has the power to drive a wedge between them.
I’m glad that Rowena’s grudge over being forced to kill Oskar has finally gotten a little payback. I also find it interesting that her revenge also including a “child” who had been “displaced in time.” Rowena had given Oskar immortality, which in its own way is just as problematic as Crowley’s desire to give Gavin a shot at a normal life in the wrong time.
Crowley’s weirdly powerful feelings toward Gavin, I believe, stem from just how human and vulnerable he’d been through most of s9 when he was at the peak of his human blood addiction. Granted by 9.21 he’d “recovered” a lot from that, but he was also biding his time waiting for Dean to completely succumb to the Mark. Crowley had some weirdly familial feelings for Gavin, after having largely ignored the boy for most of his life. Getting a chance to give Gavin a taste of normal modern life was probably the least he could do to repent for that... but the fact he STILL seemed to care so much now is just... weird. IDK.
I saw another post complaining that Sam and Dean didn’t “let” Crowley have a proper goodbye, and Rowena had frozen him when he’d reached out to Gavin. BUT CROWLEY WAS NOT ABOUT TO SHARE A TEARFUL GOODBYE. HE WAS ABOUT TO BOOP OUT WITH GAVIN AND TAKE HIM TO PLACES UNKNOWN TO PREVENT HIM FROM RETURNING TO HIS PROPER TIMELINE. So, no. I don’t think their actions there were hypocritical.
Dean’s shirt during the “Send Gavin Back To The Bottom of the Ocean” scene was eerily similar to the ugly plaid couch on which Cas nearly died in 12.12. So, watching Gavin reunited for all time with the “love of his life” while wearing the goofiest look on his face as these people who were brought back together by the power of their love in order to repair a broken timeline and restore a bunch of innocent people to life... *it’s all about the love... and love* and I mean thanks costume and props folks for dressing Dean in Castiel’s 12.12 couch basically. I see what you did there. I only put this so far down the list because it’s interesting, but that’s all it is.
Cas and Dean are still having private phone calls. But after the intensity of 12.12, and the revelations about Cas and his feelings, what we were given as a reminder here was just... underwhelming. There was just no weight to it, as if 12.12 hadn’t even happened. As if Cas hadn’t nearly DIED, and confessed his LOVE and feeling of FAMILY and BELONGING. It’s just... opportunity wasted to have given some sort of (or ANY sort of) emotional punch to the fact that Cas has just ~randomly left the bunker to fruitlessly continue the random Kelly search~ all alone. I mean... ???
Crowley. Oh dear. Can you say, Character Assassination??? I mean, wtf, bucklemming. After one of Crowley’s strongest episodes in YEARS, where we got a plethora of incredible insight into his motivations, his history, his intelligence, and his FEELINGS for the Winchesters-- including Cas-- all of a sudden we get this ridiculous disaster of characterization?
Seriously, WHAT THE FUCK.
What was both ridiculous and terrible here:
Crowley really had no idea that the Winchesters had failed to kill the nephilim?
THEY HAD BEEN IN PRISON BUCKLEMMING! REMEMBER? WHERE YOU’D PUT THEM WITHIN MINUTES OF THEM BANISHING LUCIFER IN THE FIRST PLACE?! AND IT WAS YOUR STUPID FUCKING PLOT HOLE THAT ALLOWED THAT TO HAPPEN IN THE SAME MOMENTS THAT KELLY WAS ALLOWED TO “ESCAPE.”
I mean, you could’ve just left her in the White House with the President and had Cas escape safely with Sam and Dean, BECAUSE YOU, CROWLEY, HAD THE ABILITY TO JUST BOOP IN AND PICK KELLY UP TO DO WHATEVER YOU WANTED WITH HER DOWN THE LINE. BUT NOOOOOOOO IT’S YOUR OWN DAMN IDIOTIC CANON ACROBATICS THAT HAVE LED US TO THIS INANE PLOT SITUATION FROM WHICH THERE IS APPARENTLY NO REPRIEVE. YOU STUPID FUCKERS.
So in order to make this entirely idiotic and contrived plot line work, you have to warp a character so far beyond logic that they barely even seem to be the same character we saw the week before... and no. After the brilliant writing, the loving recollection of past canon and the incredibly nuanced characterizations we’ve had over the prior three episodes, this just felt THAT MUCH MORE FUCKING CONTRIVED AND WRONG FOOTED.
I’m not really gonna forgive this bit.
Crowley, Mr. “i’m the only one on the board who doesn’t underestimate those denim wrapped nightmares,” Mr. King of Protecting his own Self Interest, Mr. You’re Good But I’m Crowley... you... bucklemming... want us to believe that in ANY ITERATION OF REALITY that Crowley is not only petty and vengeful enough to have his demons pull the same “resurrect the meatsuit” bullshit they pulled to fix your meatsuit with in 11.01 TO DIG UP AND REPAIR LUCIFER’S FORMER VESSEL NICK, as well as “studying the molecular makeup of the cage” in order to forge some weird dog collar thing strong enough to hold Lucifer, and that you would risk unleashing Lucifer on the world again ENTIRELY OUT OF PETTY VENGEANCE BECAUSE YOU WANT TO FORCE HIM TO CLEAN YOUR FLOOR WITH HIS TONGUE?!
I’m sorry. That’s just... no. That’s too much no.
AND IT GETS WORSE!
Not only is Crowley suddenly behaving idiotically out of character here, HE IS ALSO SUDDENLY MORONIC ENOUGH TO LET INFORMATION SLIP IN LUCIFER’S HEARING? Like the fact that he even had a son at all, let alone was having some sort of ~personal issues~ surrounding this weird parental family dynamic?
AND CROWLEY IS REPEATEDLY PUTTING HIMSELF IN A SITUATION WHERE HE’S LET HIMSELF BECOME COMPROMISED THIS WAY?!
I mean... this is NOT the Crowley we’ve seen lately. The Crowley who would sacrifice the only weapon that could potentially put Lucifer out permanently. One of the FEW weapons that could even protect him from what he should likely expect will be the revenge of Dagon and Asmodeus after Crowley essentially broke his deal with Ramiel... yet he’s too busy being a petty little tyrant toward Lucifer to be concerned about them?
I guess I’m particularly outraged about this 180 degree about face in Crowley’s characterization because after three OUTSTANDINGLY character driven episodes in a row, what we got here was a TERRIBLE FUCKING MESS.
Most of s12 so far has felt so deeply personal, like all of the major plot arcs have been deeply rooted in the characters own feelings and history, and have revolved around the questions of what is family and what is love and who am I and where do I fit in this world.
And in 12.13, it seems like ALL of that was just tossed out the window in favor of a couple of utterly contrived and flimsy plot points.
With a few obvious exceptions as stated above, it just felt entirely out of step with the rest of s12. In the hands of a capable writer, that could’ve been an entertaining and believable episode. But what we were served lacked any of the finesse and character development we’ve grown accustomed to.
Pro tip for writers: You have to make the plot actually fit the characters you’re writing for. This episode is an excellent example of how NOT to do that... >.>
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I had a thought on Cas not telling Dean about going back to heaven. He was truthful in that he did have a "lead" on Kelly, but didn't say where that lead came from. To me, he seemed very unsure in regards to calling heaven home again. I wonder if he left that part out when talking to Dean, in case he decides it's definitely not his home. Like, why cause worry/upset if it turns out to be a moot point anyway? However, on the flip side, if they're lying and something goes wrong 1/2
If something goes wrong, dean and Sam would have no idea where to start looking for cas if they don’t hear back from him within whatever time frame. But that seems somewhat unlikely since we know he’s back on earth in 12x19 from some of the fan photos that posted recently
Yeah… I’m struggling to answer all these asks I’ve got about Cas’s future because obviously we know he’s in more episodes and will be back on earth and all. We don’t even know if he’s gonna spend like 3 hours in Heaven, be sent back to Earth and we find out what he talked about in a flashback or something once we catch back up to his story. Because he left before a little patch of non-Cas episodes, nothing drastic can happen to him that can’t be told either with an in media res start and then some catch up once he has a moment, or just some memory of it later when appropriate and we see him getting on with the same old same old until then. So I doubt he’ll be hurt or captured or anything more than have a chat, unless they do some clever writing to get around the problem of writing the show to a formula… 
But your comment is really good that it’s about how Cas is thinking about this which I didn’t really register the last couple of times I tried reading my asks (sorry, it’s been a long week :P) and that is interesting because he doesn’t know how much trouble he might end up in and is very much taking it on faith because Joshua has never deliberately hurt or plotted against him or anything, and Cas will always extend a huge amount of faith towards angels, which always makes me sad because it has so far got a pretty horrific percentage of encounters turning nasty on him. 
Choosing not to tell Dean because he doesn’t want him to worry or because Cas feels like he has to do this on his own when it comes to making decisions about his family… and after 12x09/12x12 it’s obvious there’s a huge conflict of interest about Cas’s family and home that Cas himself is pretty much responsible for stating/showing over and over and that he’s probably in a position to really deal with it finally (hopefully) because we have to assume that he’s never ALLOWED himself to think/feel these things in a way he puts words to it before until he actually says it on screen, and he’s finally acknowledged properly that yes he does consider them family and is SO much closer to openly calling the Bunker (or wherever the Winchesters are or earth in general) home… 
I definitely got the impression he was really just hearing Heaven out strategically or giving them a chance for other reasons (because they ARE family and he doesn’t want to be exiled by them forever even if his heart has gone with the Winchesters) but he has been so much more certain about who he considers family recently, that it’s not terrifying that he’ll choose Heaven… they may make demands that take him away from where he wants to be (the clumsy scene with Ketch telling Mary to ditch her family is presumably a similar parallel to a worst case scenario for what Cas might encounter up there, especially as he and Mary have had very paralleled stories…)
I often feel like we’re reacting probably how we’re supposed to but a lot like Dean would/we hope he would on finding out stuff like this… the whole Molly Weasley chewing out her sons for endangering themselves thing where we need to tell our faves in no uncertain terms that not telling each other the whole truth is never going to serve them well… Idk it’s obviously fun to do that to a degree but I also don’t really feel worried about Cas on a sort of level of what I think the story will do with him and we know he’ll be back and as much as times like season 10 or 11 have kept them away, it’s not like they’ll NEVER interact EVER again… And ALSO it’s episode 15/23 so even if people thinking Cas HAS made a choice are right, and that he’s thinking down some different lines that we didn’t want to credit him for (like Sam and the BMoL where we hoped it might not be all it seemed at first) but he’s obviously in a vulnerable/guilty place to think them (it WOULD be a sharp reminder that he just made a huge leap to call some random humans his family and then the angels are back like, hey, that’s us - and Cas overcompensates out of guilt as a knee jerk reaction or something) that’s not exactly the place for a FINAL choice - more like the same sort of bad choices we’re right to call out like Sam and Mary choosing to work for the BMoL…
But yeah, I agree he seemed uncertain, and I think he was interested to see what else he could negotiate about reconciling without having to return to Heaven permanently or to sacrifice the new family he made… We’ll see >.>
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