9.09 ep reaction/review

[ash48]

Thank you Show! You did not let me down.:D That was an epic mid season ender. Answered a HEAP of questions, gave us some (mostly) great moments and left us wondering…what next?!

I was worried that Ross-Leming and Buckner couldn't deliver the mid-season ender so I was mostly relieved that it gave me a lot more than I expected. Sure, it lacked fineness (but I am past expecting that), but it hit a lot of what I needed going into the hiatus. Mostly answers.

Stuff:

Did any one else yell out "single perfect tear" at the end?! Oh man, I know it was a sad moment (and I did feel a pang of sadness) but I was hanging out for the Single Perfect Tear and I wasn't let down! I actual said out loud "there it is!". Kudos to Jensen though because I really felt the depth of his utter realisation of how much Dean FUCKED UP! But maybe I should have been bawling my eyes out? Have I been watching this show too long?

I gotta say Kevin's death came as absolutely no surprise to me (hey! It's Supernatural!). To be honest, a lot of that stems from feeling that he has worn out his usefulness (in terms of his character). I thought the episode did him justice though. He was a used and a rather abused character and his death empathised that. Sad, but I have to admit I'm not going to be mourning his lost that much (*yikes* sorry). I love Osric (such a passionate supporter of the show and seems like a genuinely lovely person), but Kevin's storyline ran out a little while ago so him dying was totally on the cards (and set up from the beginning of the season). Also - we'll no doubt see him again in some form ;D.

Jared must be suffering whiplash after that ep. Great transitions between his characters. Really loved the work he was doing. Initially Gadriel (Gadreel?) came across as somewhat sympathetic (I think it was Jared's puppy eyes) but then noooooooo……..oh so evil…..(with perhaps the potential to redeem himself maybe?). (The card on the body was a bit cheesy mind…)

The angel war is rather ho hum to me - but I wasn't exactly bored by it. I think it was kinda epic enough to move past my "oh, just get on with it". I recognised a bigger pictured needed to be told, even though I really don't care that much about it. Two sides equally awful? Hmmm….

But WHY are angels such dicks? I wonder if they'll ever address that? Maybe too much paradise is bad for you. Or something.

I was going to rant about Sam not saying more about "missing time" when he got back from the long beer run, but by then Gadriel was well and truly in charge so yeah - I LIKED! (in hindsight)

I LOVED Dean's confession to Sam and then I HATED that Sam didn't actually hear any of it! (though I suppose we'll find out how much Sam is aware in future episodes).

I LOVED that not!Sam (Gad!Sam? Samdriel?) mentioned "choice". Even though it wasn't actually Sam I love that the whole issue was addressed and that it suggests that Gadriel knew Sam VERY WELL, so he knew how to be Sam.

Once again I'm all over the place with Cas. Seeing them all together again was actually nice (and boy do I CRAVE Sam and Cas interactions…we never get much of that. What we did get in this episode was so warm and genuine. I liked it a lot. Dean and Cas on the other hand is always just so damn murky. That "profound bond" sure adds a weird layer to everything. Seriously, remove the destiel stuff (and I don't mean that in any way other than trying to look at these two without that added layer) and what goes on with these two? There's equal levels of awkwardness and fondness. It actually confuses me. But then, I think the way they are writing Dean this season is a little confusing. It's almost like the Sam of last season. The first half of last season set Sam up to be the "wrong" one because he didn't look for Dean. This time it's Dean's turn maybe? Perhaps Dean is all over the place because of him decision to let an angel possess Sam without his consent….or something. I don't know.

I do know that I'm still really REALLY invested (damn you Show!). I like the tangled web of messiness. There's a sense of epicness that I'm appreciating but the nature of humanness and being flawed is shining through.

I like that as much as it isn't the show it used to be it's still so very (very!) much the show it used to be (and yep, I'm going to be posting about this at a later date…).

Summing up in brief:

Metatron is beyond slimy and how anyone trusts him is beyond me.
Cas without the trench coat makes me happy.
Cas has another angel's grace… O_o (back to instant problem solving?)
Cas working an angle to get out of danger = clever. Thank you.
Cas torture made me uncomfortable (looks like I can only tolerate Sam and Dean being tortured. what the…?)
Dean's bossy when Sam is in danger
Dean's just plain bossy
Kevin's dead (for which he might actually be thankful for- but what was that about Kevin's mom then?)
Sam is screwed
Dean is screwed
Cas is… ? God knows! (maybe he actually does?)
Gadriel is curious. I'm looking forward to knowing more.
Malachi has potential - but will probably die before we know more
A lot of vessels died :(
Religious institutions are taking a hammering lately
Faith seems to be respected - "institutions" not so much. I'm ok with that.
Not a lot of SamnDean, but it's all about SamnDean so I'm ok with that (and we've had a LOT of SamnDean and I knew we were heading here so that's ok).
No demons? Probably saving for later.
Gadriel has been imprisoned and so has Sam. Nice.
Sam is, once again, not in control of his body. Not so nice, but could be interesting!
"Sam" killed Kevin. He didn't but man, how Sam survives this is beyond me.
WE STILL HAVE THE FALL OUT FROM SAM FINDING OUT! (I WANT THIS SCENE FOR REALS NOW!!!)
What's gonna happen next?!?! *FLAILS* Still so much potential. (I have to say I had a moment when I thought Sam had actually made the choice to embrace the angel within. That would have screwed with my head I have to say- probably in a good way! Or bad -I DON'T KNOW!)

So yeah. I liked it. I enjoyed watching - which counts a lot for how I react to an ep. I figure there's a bigger discussion about how we are doing this far into the season but I can't gather my thoughts about it right now. Or what it means for Sam to be possessed by something he doesn't know about. What I do know is that I am in a much better place than I was this time last year. :)

Comments

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I'm not saying what he did was good or that we can take it as actually being Sam, just that Sam's reaction was probably how Sam would have reacted. Gadreel knowing that is indeed all sorts of wrong (and yeah, I'm on of those who - rightly or wrongly - have enjoyed this current storyline).

I think percysowner's hit it on the head in the comment above - they are probably planning on showing Sam responding differently later on and therefore gave us this one so they can have their cake and eat it too. Assuming they do actually give us a Sam response. I would be surprised if they don't because if this whole thing hasn't been about testing their relationship and Dean realising the boundaries for what he can and can't agree to when it comes to Sam and Sam standing up for himself and making it bloody clear that Dean was wrong - then not only will I be left scratching my head but also joining those who are angry about this storyline. I have to believe there's been a reason for all this (other than just giving Jared the opportunity to play another character). If Sam doesn't get a chance to really respond I will be all sorts of pissed. The fact that they gave us a responding scene that wasn't Sam (and really - gadreel didn't need to do that at all, he could have just hit Dean straight away and left) as part of the cliff hanger then I would feel that Sam's response and "finding out" is crucial - and will no doubt effect the rest of the season.

[de-nugis.livejournal.com]

I'll be surprised if they do a rerun of the revelation scene. I think whatever has to happen to get Gadreel out will happen, and Sam will wake up knowing. So I don't think we'll actually witness him finding out. I'm sure he'll react, but so far they've overwhelmingly prioritized Dean's side of this storyline (and they could perfectly well have made Sam's experience of missing time, noting Dean's odd behavior, hypothesizing about what was going on, maybe doing some investigating into part of the narrative, and they chose not to), and in the case of this episode they chose to completely displace Sam at the moment of crisis -- the only person whose reactions were there, and real time, was Dean.

I think that stands in for a lot of what's profoundly evil about what Dean has done -- he has displaced Sam as a real person with his own subjectivity and choice and mind and body boundaries, and he's seen that action allegorically literalized in a way in Gadreel's takeover. But I continue to feel that the extreme marginalization of Sam's POV in this season is collaborating in the erasure of Sam in ways that I find really unpleasant.

I think I may have put my feelings more clearly in a discussion I had with counteragent over on her hiatus poll:

http://counteragent.livejournal.com/222788.html?thread=2775620#t2775620

Also, if their goal is to have Sam react differently, how? That seems inconsistent with the idea that Gadreel WAS channeling Sam's reactions. And if Sam's reaction is in stark contrast to "Sam"'s, I'd worry that they were softening real Sam's reactions.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Ah boo. No I'm crying. That all makes far too much sense and I think you are absolutely right and that makes me so sad that I can't even.

Damn this stupid stupid show.

If we don't get genuine Sam POV on this whole thing then - fuck it. My so called positiveness will evaporate damn quickly. In fact it's already starting too. I was hoping the whole Sam finding out and reacting was the whole point. But no - it's so we can see Dean fall apart. So we can see Dean's guilt - again. And then no doubt defend his action and Sam's experiences will be brushed over as they won't matter because the "drama" has already been played out.

Sam waking up and knowing what happened is very very likely (and why we actually had the fake scene so they won't do that again - I get it :(((). And then they'll make pissed Sam seem prissy because Dean will be all hurt and sorry and not actually learned his lesson.

Damn it. But thank you. I couldn't quite figure out what was making people so annoyed with that last ep. I understand the anger over the story line, but I've always held out hope we'd have an awesome resolution - And I loved the crazy messed up nature of it. Oh well. Might be best to go back to being content with just looking at the pretty. ;) (which I do mostly anyway I think)

xx

(And I just had a thought that as they seem to be playing with past issues (not to resolve but rather to rehash) then Sam will no doubt do something "stupid" (like siding with Metatron) because he's pissed with Dean and then Sam will be the one who's ultimately done the wrong thing. D:).

I can see why you've not been watching.

[de-nugis.livejournal.com]

I didn't mean to inspire you with a pessimism still greater than my own! Maybe we will have awesome Sam-trapped-in-his-head-by-Gadreel stuff! Maybe there will be amazing aftermath! And even at my most pessimistic, I don't think the narrative is trying to say that Dean's choices were right. I just think that Dean's side is much more dramatically present than Sam's side (they've talked in interviews about giving Dean a whole new level of guilt, but none of TPTB, as far as I know, has talked about how this is also a whole new level in Sam's history of body and autonomy violation).

I doubt that Sam will do something incredibly stupid like side with Metatron -- Sam's priorities are so much on not causing harm that his temptation has been more to run away from responsibility than to make reckless choices, and even at his most extreme making bad choices moments I don't think he'd have sided with a clear antagonist who carried out a hit on a friend and ally using Sam's body as executioner -- but I actually would not at all mind if he reacted badly (I mean, not just in the sense of not being happy, which is perfectly justified, but in the sense of reacting destructively). Partly because I think being immediately forgiving would be bad for both Sam and Dean, so I definitely don't want saintly!Sam, and partly because Sam going overboard in some way could ultimately involve a healthy reclaiming of agency.

I really don't dislike this storyline. In fact, I think this storyline is fantastic. To annoyingly quote myself again "I think in some ways the set-up for this season is absolutely brilliant as an enactment of fundamental problems, though I think they've gone darker than they are going to be willing to face the consequences of. Dean, because of his childhood, defines himself as a protector, primarily of Sam, and has trouble perceiving others as autonomous, independent subjects because of this. Sam, because of his childhood, has difficulty forming a self in the context of his family, and simultaneously has his selfhood under various forms of supernatural siege. And now they've brought that together: Dean has literally acted to erase and displace parts of Sam, selling out Sam's status as subject to preserve Sam as protected object; Sam's family is now the source of supernatural alteration, the two forces pressuring him have made an alliance." What I have disliked a lot of so far, and have apprehensions about for the future, is the HOW of the storyline, not the WHAT of it.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I didn't mean to inspire you with a pessimism still greater than my own!

I admit I was suddenly hit with a massive wave of pessimism because it all became abundantly clear what the issues have been (not just with you but with quite a few of my flist whose opinions I respect) - and I found myself not able to think past the injustice to Sam's character (who I have ridiculous amounts of love for). Having said that though I am trying to reconcile possible outcomes with head canon that might make it not look all that bad (bit like I did at the beginning of S8). That's not your fault btw, that's just me (finally) reading the stuff and understanding it. ;)

I'm glad you can't see Sam siding with Metatron - I worried that if Sam was angry enough he'd actually leave Dean and try and save heaven by himself and see that Gadreel was actually on the right path. Though Sam siding with Gadreel might be an interesting twist - only I really don't want Sam being misguided (like S4). If he makes a decision for himself and it's wrong we'll only be back to where we started once again.

I am happy to see Dean confronted with the outcome of his decision to trust an angel and to let him inside Sam without his consent. I suppose it'll come down to what happens next. I love to see him tied that into saving Sam right back in S2 when returning Sam from the grave led to dire consequences for Sam. They've never made that parallel so I'm not sure they will now.

Sam being immediately forgiving with be a let down but knowing Carver he'll want to milk the fall out as he can. To me Sam eventually forgiving Dean won't be a bad thing because there's power in forgiveness. Just as long as it's not part of an apology.

What I've loved about the storyline is what you have loved. It COULD be amazingly powerful and be a brilliant set up to sort out some fundamental problems in their relationship. I like that that's being explored and if it leads to further growth and understanding it will all mean something. But. I'm not sure I trust these writers enough to give us that. They might - so I'm holding on to hope. I have genuinely enjoyed watching the show this season. Apart from a few bumps I have been entertained and it's kept me guessing. If the 2nd half is about working through what's happened to both of them, if we get a good chunk of Sam POV AND there's so intriguing MoTW eps I will continue to be happy.

I might be back to being cautiously optimistic…;D
xx

[de-nugis.livejournal.com]

I have complicated feelings about Sam and forgiveness. There is power in forgiveness, and Sam's capacity for forgiveness is one of the things I love about him. Heck, it saved the world in 7.1: if Sam hadn't understood and reached out to Cas after the Wall-breaking, Cas would have gone nuclear. And I certainly want Sam to forgive Dean eventually. But I think I need an emphasis on the eventually part. Because I also think forgiveness for Sam can be a coping mechanism, and not always an entirely healthy one. Sam has so many issues with control, and it's always been important to him to DO something with his experiences. In that regard, forgiveness is a way of getting past the helplessness of being hurt that goes with other ways Sam has used to get past the helplessness of being hurt: channeling hurt into revenge, trying to use his hell experience to get past his guilt issues, running away.

Of course not all of those are destructive, and forgiveness is certainly one of the most constructive, but I feel like just as Dean has a tendency to get stuck in hurt or guilt or resentment and never be able to fully move on, Sam has the opposite flaw of wanting to move on immediately and using whatever means are to hand to do so, and as a result there are a whole lot of things he's never fully processed. I think he sometimes mistakes getting an analytic handle on a situation (seeing how Cas's mistakes were similar to his own mistakes and therefore getting where Cas was coming from) for having an emotional handle on a situation: at no point in s7 did Sam really react to the fact that someone he trusted as a friend and an ally had injured him hugely. I actually thought Sam was getting a bit better about letting himself experience hurt in s8. His reaction to Benny wasn't pretty or good, but I actually think there was something healthy in the fact that it wasn't fair to either Dean or Benny, that Sam could react (even if he reacted really, really badly) to the raw pain of feeling that Benny was replacing him as the better brother.

So I guess I'd like to see Sam be a little bit unfair to Dean? Obviously Sam has every right to be furious with Dean without it being unfair in the least, but the things that have happened (being tricked by someone wearing a trusted face, being infiltrated by an alien presence, being manipulated, having his choice and selfhood and control over mind and body taken away) all echo a lot of experiences of Sam's for which Dean was in no way responsible, and I'd like to see those echos affect Sam and contribute to his anger and hurt without his being immediately able to sort out which parts are legitimately Dean's responsibility and which parts of his reaction relate to old damage that doesn't come from Dean's actions.

pt II of teal deer

[de-nugis.livejournal.com]

I'd like that to happen partly for Sam's sake, but also partly for Dean's: one of the things we saw last season is that Dean tends to attribute choice and agency to Sam's mistakes in ways that are sometimes not entirely fair, and sometimes just plain wrong (Sam wasn't responsible for losing his soul). I've thought for a long time that in a way that judgey tendency of Dean's is a backhanded compliment to Sam: Dean thinks of himself as so messed up that he projects not messed up onto other people, and assumes that Sam is his own man to a degree that no one is, let alone someone as fucked up as Sam. One of the reasons what Dean did in 9.1 was so horrible was precisely the ways it repeated so much of Sam's traumatic history, but I think Dean didn't think of it in that light partly because he doesn't see Sam as a messed up trauma victim; he thinks Sam is much stronger than he is, and that's partly because Sam's own tendency to skip over processing in his coping mechanisms lets Sam appear most functional sometimes when he's most damaged. So in a way I think that Sam having a hard time forgiving Dean might contribute to Dean finally being able to forgive Sam, because it would confront him with Sam's real humanity.

And, finally, Dean has never really had the experience of having to earn back Sam's trust. It was clear in Dean's confession that he expects the same pattern they've always followed when Dean has fucked up with Sam: Sam's going to blow up, Sam will have to get over it to deal. I think it's true that Sam has never really stopped trusting Dean, for all he's been very angry with Dean from time to time, or arrogantly dismissive of Dean in s4. And I think that's a bad thing for both of them. Dean needs the experience of messing up and being able to change to restore some of the sense of moral agency that he lost in hell and its aftermath. And Sam's trust in Dean I think is a bit of a crutch for him. He grew a lot in later seasons in being able to see Dean as human and vulnerable without reacting by getting angry or with compensatory arrogance, but I think Sam needs to know for himself that he can really lose trust in Dean and still survive on his own feet (in 8.23 he'd displaced way too much of his self-worth onto Dean's approval) and still love Dean and eventually trust him again in a less childish will-to-believe way and a more adults-who-forgive-eachother way.

Re: pt II of teal deer

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Well. Wow. I think I've said this to you before (possibly in discussion about S8) that I would love to think that the writers had the depth of character understanding that you do. Considering that from season to season they manipulate the drama (and characters) to suit whatever they need for the storytelling, you have been able to draw together these recurring characteristics and actually make some sense of them.

I like your thoughts on Sam's ability to forgive and the observation that Sam is quick to forgive as a way of coping. And also that it gives Dean a way out so he's not able to learn from anything that he does to Sam. It's tricky because if all these issues were resolved then there would be no on going story between the brothers. And even though many of these issues had been resolved (probably at the end of S5) because the show has kept going they have had to revisit the issues all over again (and why I think they are actually rehashing a lot of what has already been explored).

So I guess I'd like to see Sam be a little bit unfair to Dean?

I would too, but you know that as soon as that happens fandom will go nuts with Sam hate and that would make me sad all over again. Because, for some reason, Sam being "mean" or unthankful or unfair to Dean weighs more than Dean controlling or being "mean" to Dean. But yes. Sam making Dean work back his trust would be satisfying - and rewarding. I've always felt that Sam has had to work constantly to gain back Dean's trust (even up to end of S8). I know Dean has a lot of admiration for Sam but trusting him with his own choices seems to be beyond him (at the moment).

And this is why I thought the speech that Gad made from within Sam was still poignant. We may never hear that come out of Sam's mouth (and we won't now), but I feel that by Gad saying it as least we had some acknowledgement of what Sam might be feeling. Or at least what might be lurking in his deeper thoughts.

Ack! dammit. I can't be as articulate as you (and no the alcohol has nothing to do with it!). I do enjoy reading your ideas on it all though. It'll make me look at the 2nd half more critically in what they are doing with Sam - and Dean for that matter.

The show still has at least one more season (possibly more?) before it ends so I can only hope that the on going issues between the brothers is all part of a long term character arc plan. I don't actually believe that, but it helps me hold on to the hope that they understand the characters (at least a little bit) like you do.

[percysowner.livejournal.com]

The one reason I don't think this was Sam's real reaction is Sam doesn't hit Dean. He didn't hit him when Dean
hit him in bloodlust. He didn't hit him in Metamorphosis when Dean hit him and said Do you even know how far off the reservation you've gone? How far from normal? From human? He didn't hit Dean in Sex and Violence even after Dean held a knife to his throat and then came at him with an ax AND Sam had been dosed by the siren. He didn't hit him when he didn't have a soul and Dean was practically beating him to death. He didn't hit him when he found out about the Amy lie. The ONLY times he ever hit Dean without Dean trying to kill him was when he was high on demon blood, and when he was possessed by Lucifer. The only times he hit Dean while not supernaturally influenced was in the Pilot when Dean broke in and Sam didn't know it was him and in Southern Comfort when Dean was holding a gun on Sam AND Garth. Sam has lots of flaws, but he does not hit Dean from anger.

So Sam's angry words may have been in character, but I'm 99% sure Sam would not have hit Dean. His reaction may be less anger and more depression. He was willing to die because he knew Dean didn't trust him and on some level he believes he deserved the distrust. So finding out Dean STILL doesn't trust him to make his own decisions and that his inability to not know he was being tricked into saying yes may turn inward toward more suicidal thoughts and being less careful during hunts. If Sam doesn't take off, I also expect him to seethe at Dean and be unreceptive to any suggestions Dean has for doing anything. But that part I'm not sure of. Sam may leave Dean, possibly to join Cas in his fight. I would like Sam and Cas to interact and form a relationship. I so hope they let Sam react SOME WAY and until they don't I will live in mild hope.

[de-nugis.livejournal.com]

I think Gadreel hitting Dean was basically a practical move on Gadreel's part, though Gadreel's reasons for going through the whole charade in the first place are a little obscure -- presumably all he needed was to alter the spell, and he could perfectly well have immediately knocked Dean out and left. I've seen it suggested that he's sort of parasitically latching onto Sam and Dean's relationship. Maybe in some twisted way he even thought he was doing something for Sam and Dean by "representing" Sam in that scene. It wouldn't really fit with angel as opposed to demon modes of dickishness for him to be doing it for the sheer pleasure of messing with their heads, as Meg did in BUaBS.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I actually don't think it was Sam's reaction, just that Gad knew Sam well enough to "play" him. It's a good point about Sam's never hitting Dean in anger. I was shocked a little when that happened (along with cheering actually…) because I felt we were really setting a pissed off Sam. I think Gad HAD to knock out Dean to give himself time to get away.

But that part I'm not sure of. Sam may leave Dean, possibly to join Cas in his fight. I would like Sam and Cas to interact and form a relationship

Oh that would be awesome. Just to get some Sam and Cas would at least another layer to the mix. I'd actually even like to see Cas pissed with Dean for not trusting him either. If Dean had shared what he had done with someone (be it Cas, Charlie, Kevin etc) he might not be in the mess he is in now.

We are in for seeing a lot more of Cas so I sincerely hope they are going to mix up the scenes he shares with others. Now that he has some grace I have no idea what they could do with him that would be interesting (maybe back to badass!Cas would be cool ;D).

[abrakadabrah.livejournal.com]

Okay -- but the alternative - in this storyline -- was Sam dying. Dean had two choices. Are you okay with that? I don't get that sense at all, somehow?! [vbg]

[percysowner.livejournal.com]

There was another alternative, tricking Sam and then telling him what was going on and letting SAM decide what he wanted. It might have ended with Sam dead, or Sam might have caved to Dean's desire for him to live. I understand the initial decision, but after that, keeping what was going on with Sam was wrong.

[casey28.livejournal.com]

It might have ended with Sam dead, or Sam might have caved to Dean's desire for him to live.

So, if Sam was told about it then, and he decided to die, are you ok with that?

[percysowner.livejournal.com]

Yes. I have a living will and there are certain treatments that I don't want if I become ill. I expect and want my wishes to be followed by my doctors. Every adult has the right to refuse medical treatment if they want to even if it means they will die.

Before you tell me that that would end the show, since this is a show they could have changed the situation, but they didn't, so I'm basing my thoughts on the situation as presented and I absolutely believe that Sam had the right to make the call about his own body. I also believe that Dean doesn't get to make the decisions based on the fact that he wants Sam alive. He can argue to Sam that he wants Sam alive and try to convince Sam that way, but in the end it is Sam's choice and he decides that death is preferable to possession, that is his call and his call alone.

[casey28.livejournal.com]

So, Sam makes the choice, and dies... and since the show doesn't "end", then it goes on without him. Accepting that Sam has the right to die, means accepting that the show can go on without him. Cause there's no other options.

[abrakadabrah.livejournal.com]

But it is even more complicated than just Sam. If Sam dies, after Dean pulled him away from sacrificing himself at the end of the trials, then Dean is doubly damned. For losing Sam - and for pulling Sam away from shutting the door to hell permanently. If he were going to lose Sam, better for a noble cause than just because, rather selfishly, he put Sam's life before making the world forevermore a better place. To lose Sam at that point is unthinkable. And when someone is as weak as Sam was at that point and the course of treatment is also unpleasant, it is hard to be reliant on their will to live.

[casey28.livejournal.com]

I didn't make it clear in my comment, but I was just saying that if Sam made the choice to die, then the show would go on without him. I was pointing it out, because it's not an acceptable option. I'm very much against Sam choosing to die. I agree with what you're saying. "To lose Sam at that point is unthinkable."

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's something I had hadn't considered. I always thought of Dean simply wanting Sam to live because he couldn't live without him, but looking at it in the context of Dean stopping Sam from completing the trials so he wouldn't die is poignant. If Dean was going to let Sam die it would have been then - for a good cause and all. To let him die after he (they) failed to complete the trials would be like a double failure.

When the episode first aired I was of the opinion that Sam was not in the right state of mind to make a decision about whether to live or die. I felt that Sam seemed suicidal and therefore Dean a right to do whatever he could to keep him alive. But the fact that Dean then didn't tell Sam what was going on as soon as he could and trust Sam to make the "right" decision (to keep the angel inside) is where the consent issues become (even more) problematic. I do love this mess of consent and possession though. It's made for an interesting season. And, of course, I'm glad Sam is still alive. :))