9.07 Episode review/ reaction / thinky

[ash48]

I'm late to the party (camping with my class does that!), but I have things to say about this episode so I'm going to write some stuff.

This turned out to be more meta-ry than reaction/review. I've had time to digest and think things over. I've also read a few reactions and I suppose this incorporates some of that.



I loved this episode. I loved it A LOT. It's probably one of my favs this season (after the opener maybe…).

I'm going to put aside a few things here - one being the ages of the boys (apparently Adam Glass wrote them as 14/10 instead of what we saw 16/12). Personally, I think it's irrelevant in terms of what we were being told in the episode. Sure, it's presents some canon problems but I am more interested in the essence of what this was all about rather than tearing apart our beloved canon. That's not to say it's not important, it's just that I think what's MORE important is what this episode gave us in character development and understanding.

There were so many incredibly poignant moments during this episode. I can't believe we were given so much in such a short time. Before I delve into those a list of pure SQUEE:

That was a Classic Supernatural Episode (can we trade mark that please?!): - salt and burn, boys standing over a grave with Dean lighting a book of matches, solving a ghost case COMPETENTLY together, Sam choked and Dean thrown into a wall, E.M.F.F! (had to throw a "fucking" for good measure!) - damn if Dean doesn't still have that baby, the fucking amulet (oh how they tease us!) wonderful broments and a heartfelt moment in the Impala at the end. <33 It's a check list of a CSE!

Also, as I've seen most people mention, the casting of Dylan Everett as young!Dean was an excellent choice. He brought the right emotion and characterisation for Dean and nailed it. He made me cry so full friggin' marks there!

The thinky stuff:

Dean

"Sometimes you've got to do the best for you, even if it's going to hurt the ones you love".

It's perhaps a little clunky, but that, right there is what this episode was all about. This was a hallelujah moment for me. Finally! FINALLY we hear Dean admit that he's done something for himself even though he knows it will hurt someone he loves. This isn't about excusing Dean for allowing an angel to possess Sam, but rather giving us background as to WHY he let that happen. It gives us an insight and a canonical moment that we can latch onto and see where it all started.

Dean needs Sam alive for himself and he's finally acknowledged that. This is about Dean wanting something and taking it (and rather ironically it's something Sam has asked him to do a number of times). It's selfish, it's wrong but dammit he's given enough and he's not giving up this. He let go of the life with Sonny, he let go of an opportunity with a girl he really liked, he let go of achieving in school, he let go of some semblance of happiness to return to Sam. He is NOT letting go of Sam now because he has let go of too many other things he loves and wants.

Fuck me if that's not the essence of what I love in this show. Dean loving and needing the one thing in his life that makes him truly happy. Sam.

It's also crazy sad because by doing this he IS hurting and damaging the very thing he wants - brotherhood.

I'm amazed that after 9 years the power of this relationship is STILL THERE! It floors me time and time again.


Sam

Dean. Thank you. For always being there - for having my back.

Sam has thanked Dean a number of times for "being there" during the series. Sam has expressed his gratitude for "having his back", but this time it felt like he was thanking him choosing him over other people, another life, other opportunities.

Sam discovered more about Dean and I think he continues to marvel in what Dean has done and what he has given up (at the same time as we do). The love goes both ways. It's different though - they love each other differently, and that's exactly what it's all about. They need each other differently and this episode really emphasised that. It's not about one loving the other more, it's about how they fit together - Dean needing Sam to complete him and Sam feeling special and loved in a way that no one else can. It also shows how that codependence is both beautiful and damaging.

I also loved Sam's quiet competence during this episode.

We are SO heading for a major fall. It kills me to think about it, but I'm also excited. If the drama is organic because it's borne out of character flaws rather than contrived like the jealously we saw in S8, then I am in my happy place. Even when my heart is being torn apart.

John

I actually had no issue with the way John was portrayed in this episode. Sure it hurt - especially thinking about him leaving both Sam and Dean at this time, but it's actually not too far from my fanon John.

My John is all about tough love. Leaving Dean with Sonny turned out to be the right move. This episode was about Dean's coming of age. John helped Dean grow up. He helped him face his responsibilities and he helped him make a choice. I have NO DOUBT that John knew about Sonny and his reputation with "bad boys". When Dean arrived at Sonny he was cocky and didn't seem to give a damn. Sure it was pretence but without Sonny's intervention he may have continued down this path. John was clearly failing (I totally believe Dean blew the food money on a card game. He was cocky enough to think he could win and when he didn't totally believed in his abilities to steal food. He was also stupid enough to hit a cop), Dean needed intervention and John was wise enough to give it to him.

John probably had a job on and knew that both Dean and Sam were safe where they were. What John did doesn't lessen him in my eyes at all. He's not the Father of the Year, but he cares enough to make sure they are safe and learning the lessons they need to stay alive.

Of course all of this is open to interpretation and I think we can all fill in whatever gaps we need to - including Dean leaving Sam for two months. Dean needed to be away from Sam for him to fully appreciate how much he means to him. That smile at the end was not fake. Seeing Sam again brought him pure joy. I think in our heady "they would never leave each other like that" fanon we forget that they are actually brothers. They would have fought and annoyed and truly hated each other at times. Having a break from each other wouldn't have felt like there worlds have ended. It would have been a relief. And then, after a while, they would have realised what they were both missing.

And so much more...

Dean's (possibly) first kiss. Again I think his age is irrelevant here, it's the fact that he discovers girls and the intoxication of their comfort, approval and yumminess. This is about Dean discovering a distraction. He finds a way to feel wanted and loved. It comes easy. So this coming of age story is not just about Dean shaking off his teenage attitude, or seeing the moment he learns about not being able to have things for himself, it's also about why he's into women. He was initially called a "womaniser" (S1 and S2 set him up to be so) but we've seen so much more since then. Now we get to see the role women play in his life. They accept him. They make him feel good. He can have them when he wants. And he can leave them. He may not want to, but he's become good at it. (I have a half written meta on Dean and Sex and this episode is further evidence of stuff I've been pondering. Mainly Dean's need for acceptance and comfort).

Dean also knows how to handle bullies. He's the one who taught Sam after all.

The MoTW = Dean being able to let go. I actually hope this isn't a foreboding message that one day Dean WILL learn how to let Sam go, but this is what the message seems to be. Timmy had to let go of his mother. Young!Dean had to let of a possibly better life. What does Dean need to let go of?

This episode hit so many right notes for me. I know we can quibble about ages and how the actors looked and the fact that Dean was away from Sam and that John left Dean with Sonny, but it was about giving Dean a reason for being who he is. It was about showing pivotal moments that shaped his character. It was a HUGE ask of a writer and I think Adam nailed it.

Was it to make Dean appear more sympathetic about his choice with Sam? Possibly. Does it work? I suppose that will depend on how much you accept the information we were given and how sympathetic you are to Dean's reasons. I think even if it does explain Dean's choices it probably won't excuse him.

He still has a lesson to learn. How to let go of Sam.

Comments

[zubeneschamali.livejournal.com]

But Dean already did learn how to let go of Sam, in "Swan Song." Not just in the sense of letting him fall into the Cage at the end, but when he told him the night before that it was up to Sam to make the decision and he was going to support him in it. I agree with you that this season is about Dean realizing that he's going to have to let go of Sam and that his failure to do so in the past has caused big trouble--but he has managed it before.

Maybe in the interim year with Lisa, Dean realized that he can't live without Sam, and once he got him back, he wasn't going to let go?

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

He did say that he never gave up, read every book, etc. And we never heard him promise. I'm not sure he did let go. But even aside from that, this is the first time it hasn't just been Dean sacrificing to keep Sam with him, it's the whole world. Like he said to Zeke, it's all the people who are going to die now because of it. They won't be the first to die because Dean put Sam first, but it's a line he's crossed, and he knows it. I keep thinking of his line at the end of S1, about how the things he'll do for Sam or his dad, they scare him. Well, guess what, Dean.

[counteragent.livejournal.com]

Argh. I'm so conflicted. Because while everything you say here has merit, I think the criticisms of this episode are really valid, too. I think this is a huge departure for Dean emotionally from what we've seen before and it doesn't quite hold up; it doesn't have enough heft to carry it off.

I would have much preferred that we lose the romance and developed more nuance to Dean's headspace via his relationship with Sonny or one of the other boys. Or the labor of the farm and how it differs from hunting. Imagine a gorgeous, nearly wordless scene wherein he's doing "honest" work and really enjoying it. It would have been like the opposite of the construction job in 6X01 and it would have been glorious.

The romance points you make are valid but I think we could have gotten them better from a story told slightly later (like an actual 16 year old story, where he has sex with a girl for the first time and he thinks it's going to be about getting laid hurr-hurr but instead it's the emotional connection).

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

I loved this episode, too. I also have no problem fanwanking John's actions (and I love John! Still! )—in fact, in this case I am a little grateful for the retcon about John's dead dad, since I can just picture him being helpless to know what to do with Dean at this stage.

That line of Dean's about hurting the ones you love chilled me, because even though he knows this is going to hurt Sam one way or another, I don't think he really, fully understands what he's done. I don't know that he ever can.

[kassidy62.livejournal.com]

I think Dean did let go once by supporting Sam's choice to jump in the pit, and it nearly killed him, emotionally. Dean tried, but it wasn't something that he chose or that allowed him to be truly happy. He began to recover in the time after, but even the people and the life he began caring about never had a chance once Sam showed up again. So I don't think that lesson, to let Sam go, is ever something he can chose without it tearing him apart. Sam is just too much a part of Dean - the way they grew up, the sacrifices he made - if Sam dies, a part of Dean does, too. I'm trying to think of a way they could show us Dean learning to let go of Sam - but how to do that without destroying the essence of the show? Guess I'll watch and see if they try it:)

[ash48.livejournal.com]

But Dean already did learn how to let go of Sam, in "Swan Song."

I know. And this is one of the major problems with having a show that completed it's story line in 5 seasons. :( The lesson was letting about go then and as they seem to be revisiting (and maybe going a little deeper) into all that now we see that all over again. (though I personally had trouble accepting that Dean would live well knowing that Sam was suffering in Hell. I think he was ready to let go of Sam - in terms of letting Sam do what he had to do, but if Sam had remained dead, I can't help but think Dean would have gone a little (or a lot) nuts).

With Sam returning I think that, yes, Dean has to now learn how to live without Sam. It seems to be an aspect of Dean that they want to keep exploring. I don't mind that because it's an aspect of Dean that has always been there. I actually like your idea that after living without Sam (in the life that he once imagined for himself) he realised after he got him back he never wants to do that again.

It's messy though and I know as the series continues its hard to create meaningful episodes that don't reinvent history or continue to muddy the waters. I think I am just grateful to have ones that continue to move me and at least attempt to explored these characters some more.

But I'm kinda easy like that.;)
xx

[kassidy62.livejournal.com]

I think that Dean saying he never gave up, read every book, all that, felt like retcon, compared to the actual events and what Sam and Dean said and did in the episodes leading up to Sam jumping in the pit. Though Dean was more than willing to go down with him, he did let Sam chose, finally. My take:)

[zubeneschamali.livejournal.com]

Fair enough! I think you're right that Dean didn't believe he was sending Sam to Hell forever, no matter what he may or may not have promised Sam about trying to get him out.

Dean loving and needing the one thing in his life that makes him truly happy. Sam.

It's also crazy sad because by doing this he IS hurting and damaging the very thing he wants - brotherhood.

So true! And it's an interesting mirror to S4, where Sam was the one damaging their relationship by doing what he thought had to be done to keep Dean with him (because Dean was too "weak" to do it himself).

[zubeneschamali.livejournal.com]

I agree; I keep thinking of the conversation in Bobby's junkyard where Sam's surprised that Dean's letting him go ahead with this, and Dean says something like, "You don't need my permission, you're a grown (overgrown) man."

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, but for me it's not about imagining what they could have done (the farm idea is nice and maybe having it in the background was about that suggestion) , but rather what we got and trying to understand how that relates to what they are doing now. I don't see this episode being just about Dean's history but rather how that moment it time matters for what he's going through now.

where he has sex with a girl for the first time

Yeah, but for me, I got all that emotion - and the not just sex for sex sake - connection through that kiss. I think it was probably less awkward (as in actually filming a sex scene) and sent the same message about Dean and how he feels and needs the connection to women. I was totally sold on that kiss - which might have been more about the actor in that scene rather than what Dean was doing at that age. I felt that Dean was more about bravado than experience. I totally buy it as a 14 year old particularly. 16 not so much. But as I say above, I'm kinda handwaving that in favour of going with the intent rather than the age. After seeing the would-be wee!Dean in The Kids are Alright I would say Dean was kissing at about 13/14.

[growyourwings.livejournal.com]

Everything you've said here.

Also, the "Sometimes you've got to do the best for you, even if it's going to hurt the ones you love" to me equated to Dean doing what "is best" for him, by choosing Sam and, unfortunately, hurting the first girl in was in love with. He chose Sam over that girl. Even though he knew it would hurt her. Because Sam was what was best for him. :)

I also agree about your John observations. This John also fits my fanon. Tough love twisted a bit because John was obsessed with finding Mary's killer. This was what, 10 years, before we first met John and if he was obsessed when we first met him, imagine the level closer to when he lost Mary. Technically John left Dean to "rot in jail" (or some phrase like that.) I'm sure he checked up an found out about Sonny or may be he knew about Sonny ahead of time and figured there would be a good chance Dean would be moved there. But even if John thought Dean would be in jail during the time, it would still be tough love to teach Dean a lesson. Was it harsh that John did that? Yes. But it was also harsh that John left a very young Sammy with a young Dean and expected Dean to take care of, provide for, and even protect a very young boy when Dean was so young himself. There was already precedence for a harsh, tough love, and obsessed John.

But as you said, that doesn't mean John didn't love his boys. Just that his love was different than fathers who have a normal life. Remember what Dean or Sam said in the episode where the brothers first met Adam (who? lol)? That Dad teaching the brothers how to fight, be vigilant, and protect themselves WAS taking the best care of them their Dad knew how. Their Dad knew what was out there. He knew if he didn't care for his boys in this way, his boys would die or suffer more. And that was proved out by Adam being killed by monsters. Adam who had a safe, normal life. Without John's harsh tough love.

I also agree that the age of the brothers ultimately does not matter even with the canon difficulties. I do think they should have left them at 14 and 10 because somehow that fits a bit better and honestly while fandom probably would be picking apart "how old" Dean looked, whatever. What is more important is the coming of age aspect of this episode and how much it reinforced what Sam means to Dean and that Sam appreciates it.

:)

Also, when I posted my initial reaction I ended with the statement that the brothers love for each other is both tragic and wonderful. The codependence you mention here. It's what drives the show for me just because it is both tragic and wonderful to behold.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I have a feeling we are all going to fanwank John's action in this episode! I have seen some beauties! And I suppose it's all about what works for us. I hated John in the beginning of this episode (wee Dean's face :((() but by the end I felt like it was just a lesson (like many others) so nothing had changed for me about him.

I am so torn about Dean knowing how much he's screwed up. I think he's definitely aware of a line he has crossed but he believes it was for the right reason and therefore won't ever really understand the wrongness of his actions. He's right in his eyes. Sam needs to live - end of argument (and I wonder if Dean feels confident that Sam will actually understand his actions and therefore won't ever really lose him. Hmmmmm….not sure…)

[growyourwings.livejournal.com]

I personally had trouble accepting that Dean would live well knowing that Sam was suffering in Hell. I think he was ready to let go of Sam - in terms of letting Sam do what he had to do, but if Sam had remained dead, I can't help but think Dean would have gone a little (or a lot) nuts).

I agree. And I think while he was as happy as Dean could be in the circumstances, Dean was not as happy as he ultimately could be. He was drinking (while not stressed, there was some evidence of it.) He woke up in the morning appearing to be ... not sure of the words ... thinking about having to face another day. He would stare at his Baby under her wrap looking like he was missing something. And as SOON as he caught a whiff of a potential hunt, he was OFF like a lightning bolt. More alive than he had appeared earlier in the episode. Hmm. Maybe this also shows that it's not ONLY Sam that makes him happy and alive. It's HUNTING and SAM. Dean even said it himself after he returned from purgatory. That he was happiest/at his best, sitting in the front of the Impala, hunting, with Sam by his side.

So if Sam had remained dead, Dean would have either gone a little/lot nuts or he would have become more dead inside as the years went by.

[tebtosca.livejournal.com]

FINALLY we hear Dean admit that he's done something for himself even though he knows it will hurt someone he loves.

I'm very glad to see someone that agrees with me on the interpretation of that line! I've seen so many people (mostly the ~anti-codependency~ sort) who were like "yes, Dean, learn that lesson! Now go do what's best for you! You don't need Sam!" and I'm sitting here like "no, duh! Dean already did this, and it was selfish and it's going to bite him in the ass in an epic way."

I found this episode completely emotionally manipulative and had a lot more problems with the retcon of Dean's feelings towards John and hunting, but I do think that the kid hit the exact right note at the end and left me feeling that Dean wanted to be with Sammy, and not just out of obligation. I felt Dean seeing Sam in the car was a joyful moment in the angst, and I appreciated it.

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

I think because of the choice they made in the church, neither one of them can really dwell on how much this costs Sam (and Dean, if Sam can't make peace with it). It's an interesting question (that this episode examined really well!) whether Dean has the right to choose Sam over a future in which the gates of Hell are closed.

Given what happened with Metatron and the angels, it may turn out that Dean's choosing Sam actually means that fewer people die. It might mean that they saved the world (again) rather than damned it. (Demons to balance the angels, and all that.) I'd love to see that examined—maybe it worked out that way because humans aren't meant to push a lever that big. But then they'll have to deal with the fallout. Sam is pretty much the toughest SOB in existence, so I can see him accepting what Dean did.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to think of a way they could show us Dean learning to let go of Sam - but how to do that without destroying the essence of the show?</i. Oh me too! Jensen's "dream" of Dean riding off into the sunset on a motorbike after letting Sam go is so sad (and yet kinda perfect….whaaa….). Not letting Sam go wouldn't be a problem if Sam just stopped dying! How about him just not ever having to let him go? They could just live happily ever after…. They really need to die together. Or not die at all. Damn you show...

[ash48.livejournal.com]

He chose Sam over that girl. Even though he knew it would hurt her.

Yes, exactly. He chose Sam because he wanted to and not through any obligation to "watch out for Sam". The girl was less important (though a hard choice…).

Ooh, and I never got the feeling that John thought Dean was in jail…maybe I missed something. If John thought Dean was "rotting in jail" then I take EVERYTHING back. Dean says John found him in one day and knew he was with Sonny ( I think?), so I felt that John had made a choice here.

I would have bought it if they said that kid was 14. He acted like he was 14 and I know 14 would have worked so much better but I'm hand waving that stuff. We'll have to take him as 16, which actually works for me as well.

And yes! Tragic and wonderful. So fantastic…<33

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

Grieving and letting go is a process. First, he said that when he was still planning to do whatever it took to get Sam back. :) Which is why Sam asked him to promise. But I do imagine that he had periods of acceptance during Swan Song and afterwards. I just don't think it's a choice he made every day. I think he also had the days where was like, screw this, I'm gonna find a way to get him out of there.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Now go do what's best for you! You don't need Sam!"

OMG! Sorry…what?! nonononno…it's all about Dean needing and wanting Sam (and yeah, the wincest friggin writes itself). I actually loved seeing that Dean's decision was based on something he wanted for himself. In ep 1 I thought it was about wanting Sam to live because he didn't believe Sam was really ready to die. After this episode I now believe it's about Dean finally doing something for himself. Keeping Sam alive because he wants him around (it's ridiculously romantic and wrong and tragic and screwed up, but Dean did it because dammit he wants it).

And actually I hope Dean never learns that lesson. Maybe he doesn't have to let go or give up Sam. Maybe it's all about accepting this reality and going with it. Damn shame he made the decision to let an angel possess Sam but hey, it's all about the flaws after all...

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Loving all this discussion, almost more than I loved this episode, even with all its flaws. And I jsut realised who the old boy who got tractored at the start was, which had been bothering me. It was Maybourne from SG-1. *is happy now*

[tebtosca.livejournal.com]

Well, you know how I feel about romanticizing what Dean did in 9.1, but it was definitely something that he did for himself. I think this other interpretation comes from people who think that Dean will suddenly be "healthy" if he becomes ~independent and realizes that he's not obligated to Sam anymore. I think the problem is that these same people are missing the key point about that smile at the end of the episode--Dean's love for Sam goes way beyond obligation, even if there is always going to be a layer of that built in to their relationship. Boiling it down to just that does a disservice to Dean's character.

[cassiopeia7.livejournal.com]

Everything you've said here. Every single word.

it's irrelevant in terms of what we were being told in the episode. Sure, it's presents some canon problems but I am more interested in the essence of what this was all about rather than tearing apart our beloved canon.

Thank you for this. I've seen a lot of harping on their ages to the exclusion of what was actually revealed in the episode, so yeah. In the grand scheme of 9.07, the age thing IS irrelevant. Quite. Thank you.

after 9 years the power of this relationship is STILL THERE!

Amen, sister! It's still there, and still has the power to bring us to our knees, to legit tears. (Now scratching my head even harder at the ones who are all about other relationships, those who want to permanently separate the brothers.)

it was about giving Dean a reason for being who he is. It was about showing pivotal moments that shaped his character. It was a HUGE ask of a writer and I think Adam nailed it.

This, too. For me, at least, this episode goes a long, LONG way towards explaining who -- and why -- Dean is. I bitch about bad writing on an almost weekly basis, but here, I agree 100%. Adam Glass absolutely and totally nailed the question of how did Dean become Dean. (And in my headcanon, what we didn't see goes a long way towards explaining the whos and whys of Sam, also. Especially Sam's stormy relationship with John.)

Sam discovered more about Dean and I think he continues to marvel in what Dean has done and what he has given up

The moment at the end, when it becomes clear that Sam knows exactly why Dean gave up life on the farm . . . just blew me away. (I'm hoping that what Sam learned about Dean, of what Dean would give up, would do for him, will go a little ways towards buffering what is sure to be a HUGE blow-up once he discovers Ezekiel. At least that he'd have some inkling of why Dean did what he did.)

Leaving Dean with Sonny turned out to be the right move. This episode was about Dean's coming of age. John helped Dean grow up. He helped him face his responsibilities and he helped him make a choice.

Jeez, this is why your reviews are my favorite. You make us THINK. Because I hadn't considered this at ALL. But after a bit of thought . . . maybe . . . I think you're right. Ex-Marine John would absolutely be about tough love. (His lying to Sam about it is another kettle of fish entirely.)

I have a half written meta on Dean and Sex and this episode is further evidence of stuff I've been pondering.

If ever a meta needs to be completed . . . *gently pokes you*

[jessm78.livejournal.com]

So much THIS!! I seriously enjoyed this episode a lot. I've felt bad that I've been not all that positive about this season so far, so I was really happy to change that when I saw this one. It felt like old school Supernatural again - no angels, no MOL bunker, just the boys heading to a case in the Impala. And YES to the EMFFFFF!! I loved all the brotherly stuff.

The MoTW = Dean being able to let go. I actually hope this isn't a foreboding message that one day Dean WILL learn how to let Sam go, but this is what the message seems to be.

Oh goodness, yes. That's what I was thinking. I really hope it won't come to that, or at least that we won't *see* it come to that. *sigh*

As for the fallout, I agree with you that it's building up to something huge. But they've gotta come back in the end. It'll be painful, but hopefully it will be worth it.

[quickreaver.livejournal.com]

YES. I agree with you 200%. I would've been ecstatic with the possibilities you just described.

[growyourwings.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, Dean did say John found him in one day. So John's initial "let him rot in jail" (which the cop reported to Sonny when he first dropped off Dean), may have been just mean for a few hours, not 2 months. Much better.