llywela | "So you're mad because I'm starting to agree with you?"

Aww, no pretty things to print! Oh well, I'll live. I'm actually still on the fence about this episode, but it was fun to read through your review!

You know what's particularly heartbreaking to me? For all the years before this one, Dean was trying to protect Sam from becoming too hardened. It was Dean opting to take on all the tough decisions and choices that allowed Sam to keep his soft heart, and now it looks like it will all be for nothing, because Sam is right - if he wants to survive, he can't really be the Sam we known and love.

And what's also hard is that I think Sam is hardening not only because he has to, but because he thinks it will somehow help him save Dean. And he couldn't kill someone before - meaning Jake and Gordon - when it was his own life at stake, but the second it's Dean's soul on the line, he doesn't have a problem.

I've decided that I love this one. I don't like Ruby claiming to be a good demon, but since I don't believe a word she says anyway, I'm free to love the rest of the episode.

The situation the boys are in is heartbreaking in just about every way - everything twists in on them, and so much that they've both struggled with seems to be in vain. Like...how every time Sam felt responsible for the YED targeting their family and Dean reassured him, but, you know, he's right. If Sam hadn't been born, John, Mary and Dean would have lived normal, happy lives, and that's heartbreaking to think about. And how Dean believed all through season two that everyone would have been better off if he'd died when he was supposed to, and he was right, too. Dean would have been better off - he certainly wouldn't be staring the prospect of hell in the face right now. And that hurts to think about. Everything about their situation and how they are reacting to it hurts to think about. Poor boys.

Dean just needs to be hugged for the rest of his life, he deserves it.

I am curious about Mary's history though - and if it was the demon blood that made those kids special or if they had powers already, or...I need backstory, dammit!

You know what else is sad? For all of Sam's empathy and compassion, this season he's so focused on the big picture he loses track of the little things he used to find so important. When Sam died back in AHBL, Dean didn't go after Jake - he stayed with Sam. Now, I think the situation in this episode was a little different, because he KNEW an exact way to stop Dean dying, but the fact is: he seems to have no problem sacrificing time with his brother for trying to save him. For some reason, and I can't pinpoint why, I think that may come from John.

And you're right, if it hadn't worked in Faith, how devastated would he have been, that he spent his brother's last days away from him?

I can't imagine being Sam right now. Because if he spends all his time researching, that's time he'll never get back to be with Dean if Dean doesn't make it. And if he spends all his time with Dean, or maybe even any time at all and Dean dies, there will always be a part of him going, "If you'd looked more often, you would have found a way." Sam's more focused on the future than the now, which is how he always is - but for Dean it must hurt, because he lives for NOW, and NOW he is kind of without his brother.

You know what else is sad? For all of Sam's empathy and compassion, this season he's so focused on the big picture he loses track of the little things he used to find so important. When Sam died back in AHBL, Dean didn't go after Jake - he stayed with Sam. Now, I think the situation in this episode was a little different, because he KNEW an exact way to stop Dean dying, but the fact is: he seems to have no problem sacrificing time with his brother for trying to save him. For some reason, and I can't pinpoint why, I think that may come from John.
Yeah, it was the soldier's choice, like I said. He saw a possible solution and he ran for it, choosing to fight for his brother's life over offering comfort. Impossible situation, because he had no way of knowing if his idea would work - and ultimately, it didn't. If Ruby hadn't come to the rescue, Dean would have died all alone, and it would have become another thing Sam wouldn't forgive himself for. But he had to try, because if he hadn't, he wouldn't have forgiven himself for that, either. So...he was doing what he had to do, but it's just another example of how focused he is, so incredibly single-minded, just to be able to walk away from Dean like that. It's definitely a character trait he got from John.

I can't imagine being Sam right now. Because if he spends all his time researching, that's time he'll never get back to be with Dean if Dean doesn't make it. And if he spends all his time with Dean, or maybe even any time at all and Dean dies, there will always be a part of him going, "If you'd looked more often, you would have found a way." Sam's more focused on the future than the now, which is how he always is - but for Dean it must hurt, because he lives for NOW, and NOW he is kind of without his brother.
I'm not sure Sam even is researching ways out of the deal any more. We saw his feverish efforts at the beginning of the season, but he really seems to have completely given up now, and that's a terrible thing to contemplate because Sam never gives up.

You know, I don't think I can take another season of this. At least the last two seasons, there was hope, but this season, it's like: Dean's dying. That's it.

They had BETTER NOT kill him or I'm gonna be pissed.

I know :( They really are laying the hopelessness on thick, in the last few episodes especially. I still think that's to emphasise the magnitude of the miracle when Dean is eventually saved. Which he will be. No other possibility shall be considered!

They kind of hit rock bottom in 'Croatoan' in S2 as well and Sam was giving into despair pretty heavily back then too! We all know, that they like to make things worse before it goes up again! *g*

Well, they killed Sam, see how that turned out! *lol* Honestly, no matter how they go about it, this show only has 2 leads and they won't have a show with one of them dead. There is no way in the world they kill Dean off for good. ;)

ROFL Oh, I love your circular logic. 'See how they did this before, and it all turned out okay...except that it really didn't because Sam died...but it will be okay, honest!' LOL

If they killed either of the brothers, they would have no show. So in that, at least, we can feel reasonably secure. But, man, they love to torture us! Such an emotional rollercoaster this show is.

Hey, it DID turn out okay .. well mostly .. at least he isn't dead anymore. *g* There's a lot of speculation about them sending Dean to hell for a while, let the contract actually play out and Sam then freeing him, which would be an intriguing concept, except that I don't think they have the budget to actually realise hell on screen. Plus, separating the brothers for a longer amount of time is just unthinkable.

Hey, they can kill Dean off and then make it the Sam and Ruby show! *g* Heh, just kidding. :D

LOL Well, logically, if one of the actors wanted out but the show went on, the formula and concept would have to be tweaked accordingly to show the other actually having to deal with life alone. Expanding the roles of existing recurring characters would be the only way of realising it, in practical terms, because that solo brother would need other characters to interact with, if only for ease of exposition! But it isn't going to happen, of course. I'd rather have Jo back than Ruby, in that case. *G*

There's a lot of speculation about them sending Dean to hell for a while, let the contract actually play out and Sam then freeing him, which would be an intriguing concept, except that I don't think they have the budget to actually realise hell on screen. Plus, separating the brothers for a longer amount of time is just unthinkable.
I think if they went down that route they'd have to not show hell, just have Dean gone and Sam in bits, and then deal with the aftermath once Dean was back, the inevitable trauma, and whatnot, if he returned with memory intact. But the problem with that theory is that, Sam aside, people on this show do not come back from the dead. If Dean died and went to hell, releasing his spirit later would not bring him back to life; his body would already be gone. Unless they repeated the same trick that was used with Sam, but I can't see them going for such direct duplication. So the only way to do it would be to have Dean dragged bodily into hell, which seems less likely now that we know more about what goes on in hell. If the whole point is to trap human spirits down there and burn their humanity away until they become demons, there'd be no point at all in taking someone there whose spirit was still attached to a body...

Okay, my brain hurts now.

*sigh* All we can do is wait and see what happens! And keep hoping for a resolution to the strike, so that we can have new episodes made sooner rather than later.

ROFL can you imagine the uproar in fandom if they would actually try to replace Dean with Ruby or Jo for that matter. *g* Kripke would receive homicidal letters in spades and would need to hide for the rest of his life. Apart from the fact that both actors won't get tired to stress how much they love their roles, I can't really see them working on the show without the other. This is the Sam'n'Dean show, we know it, the writers and producers know it, the actors know it. :)

True, they wouldn't actually need to show hell, still I can't imagine they would dare to shoot a couple of episodes with Dean gone. *g* People already complain if one of the boys isn't featured in one episode enough. SN fans are a picky lot. :D

ROFL can you imagine the uproar in fandom if they would actually try to replace Dean with Ruby or Jo for that matter. *g* Kripke would receive homicidal letters in spades and would need to hide for the rest of his life. Apart from the fact that both actors won't get tired to stress how much they love their roles, I can't really see them working on the show without the other. This is the Sam'n'Dean show, we know it, the writers and producers know it, the actors know it. :)

ROFLMAO Absolutely. I was just being hypothetical, since the issue had been raised...

OMG cat is eating my shiny new SN magazine!

...*rescues mag and returns*

True, they wouldn't actually need to show hell, still I can't imagine they would dare to shoot a couple of episodes with Dean gone. *g* People already complain if one of the boys isn't featured in one episode enough. SN fans are a picky lot.

Very picky. *G* Well, since we're dealing in hypotheticals, I daresay there wouldn't need to be more than one episode with Dean gone...

*wonders what the writers have planned*

*wants strike to be over already*

*rescues magazine again*

"So you're mad because I'm starting to agree with you?"

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