Sunday 25 January 2015

Review - Supernatural 10x10 "The Hunter Games" - There's a Little Monster in All Of Us




And our show is back and all is right with the world! 

Yes, hellatus ends and balance is restored to the Universe. At least that’s how it feels to me! How I love having a new episode of Supernatural on my tele. Even when it’s all hurty! 

“The Hunter Games” had our baited breaths hanging on it, not knowing what would be happening with Dean after his, err… incident. Happily we picked up pretty soon after the err… event, back in the bunker, full of worries! 


“The Hunter Games” was a continued exploration of family and the stories currently surrounding all three of our protagonists (as usual, I’m referring to Sam and Dean as one here, as their focus is currently fused). But as is usually the way, the stories were cleverly interwoven. 

I think I’m going to look at each character arc individually and I’ll kick off with Crowley – as that’s how our episode started! 


Oh Crowley, please don’t tell me you’re falling for your mother’s crap! Rowena’s manipulations seem so damn obvious to me! But then, I’m not Crowley. Deserted and left in a workhouse. Just wanting to be loved. I don’t think he’s still suffering the side affects of human blood; so much as his touch with humanity, followed by his friendship with Dean has changed Crowley. I think the things that once satisfied him…the power, ruling Hell, torturing, all the badassed stuff we’ve seen him do, just doesn’t seem to hold the same magic for him anymore. It’s all so empty. He looks like he’s going through the motions. He looks damn lonely. And when he’s at the lowest he’s been for probably a couple of centuries, in walks his mam. And she’s playing him like a violin. Plucking at all the right strings! 

I have to say I’m troubled that Crowley’s not seeing this happening. I’m troubled that the brilliantly devious Crowley we all know and love is currently MIA. I literally was yelling at him to wise up, because I can’t believe he’d fall for that woman’s garbage! Please tell me he’s not going to fall for her garbage…wanting to be loved or otherwise. 

I adore Crowley – even though I know I shouldn’t – I do, and I feel horrible for him right now. The way he perked up when Not Moose rang him. And the way he rushed off to meet the only two people who he likes and cares for… Oh gosh, the Winchester’s and Crowley’s relationship is all sorts of mixed up! Ha! And it looks like he’s onboard with helping Dean. I guess erasing the Mark of Cain and stopping the possibility of Demon Dean making a come back, First Blade in hand, is in his and all his demon minion’s best interest, but I also thought it looked like he got some pleasure out of helping his old howling at the moon buddy. Maybe he felt useful, wanted, needed again. Anyway, I do feel sorry for Crowley and I hope he’s going to get his head out of his royal butt and see Rowena for what she really is, a conniving witch, before she does whatever it is that she’s planning on doing! 


And what on earth is that? Take over Hell? I have no clue what that woman’s plans are, and I like it! I’m watching her through squinty, suspicious eyes going, “What are you up to, woman!” She’s an interesting character and her relationship with Crowley is something we’ve not seen before. We’ve not seen a mother/son relationship on this show. Not for our main characters anyway. We’ve certainly seen motherly vibed relationships, but not an actual mother in the picture. And Rowena is a complete mother of a mother! 

I need to say though, there were a couple of times I found Rowena so over the top in this episode that she felt like a parody. I’d like to see that performance dialled back a notch. I think Ruth and Mark have great chemistry, but Mark is so subtle with his scenery chewing that at times Ruth felt very, very large in relation to him, and there were occasions where I found that a little jarring. I think that’s why I was like “COME ON CROWLEY! YOU CAN’T BE FALLING FOR THIS!” But I am enjoying the mystery surrounding the character of Rowena, she’s fun to watch, and I’m totally fascinated to see what devilish tricks she has up her sleeve! She knows about the Winchesters, she knows about The First Blade, she knows where Crowley’s stashed his bones! Not one of those things is good! 


Then we had Cas torn between his two families. The Winchesters and Claire. I loved it when Claire told Cas how she was feeling in that hotel room, because seriously, I can’t think of much worse than an entity trying to ingratiate himself into your life whilst wearing your dead father’s body. Having your dad there but not there. Seeing your dad and knowing it’s not him…and knowing he’s no longer here because of the thing that is now inside his shell. Ugh. It’s totally horrible. I know Cas means well, but it’s just not well thought out! I do appreciate the hell out of him trying though, because he does always try, he may not do the right thing, but like a couple of other people we know, he does try and he really wants to try and make amends and help Claire stay out of trouble. 


I like Claire, she's a glaring reminder of the consequences of the supernatural. We don’t often get to see the aftermath of what happens when Cas or the brothers blow in and out of people’s lives. But here’s Claire, her life devastated by a supernatural act perpetrated against someone she loved, all in the name of that old chestnut, the greater good. I hope at some stage we see her again. Her story in this week’s episode was a reflection of what all our characters are going through, or have gone through; struggling with the monster that lies within. She’s self destructive and angry and it’s causing her to make poor choices. But when push shoved, she couldn’t go through with having Dean killed, that’s not who she is or who she wants to be and seeing that seemed to release a little of the anger inside her. I personally feel that she should stay as far away from Cas and the Winchesters as possibly! Frankly, I think she’s probably safer out there trying to make it on her own! 

Cas of course, is a different being now. I don’t believe he would take the same path if faced with taking a vessel, regardless of the need. Just as now, he is looking for a way to help Dean with the Mark of Cain, as opposed to honouring his promise. Once upon a time I think things would have been different, but until there is no other way, until he sees his friend is lost to the dark side, Cas is going to do what he can to help Dean – including getting Metatron out of the slammer!


I’m not entirely sure why the team thought Metatron would play along? What was in it for him except a thank you and an eternity in prison! Oh Metatron. I hate you. But I love you. I love to hate you. Curtis Armstrong’s Metatron is so foul…so completely foul. What a nasty little thing he is. He’s fantastic. The whole scene with goading Dean to go deeper, darker was all very Star Wars! “Give yourself to the Dark Side”. “Anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering” The angrier you get, the more the Dark Side takes control – or in Dean’s case, The Mark of Cain. 


Beating the snot out of Metatron, just makes Dean’s fury burn more intensely and the more often he gives in to the MoC, the less of Dean remains. Metatron did give the boys a couple of things though – they need the First Blade (we assume he wasn’t lying) and “The river ends at the source”. The later was enough of a thing that it had Dean remembering it and pondering what it could mean. I think most of us assume that the source means Cain. For Dean the source of the Mark of Cain is Cain himself. Even though he’s not the original source, that being God, Cain was the source for Dean. So I think the answer has something to do with Cain and the Blade and maybe putting the Blade into Cain. Unless it is God and Chuck comes and removes it from Dean’s arm! OMG I NEED TO WRITE THIS BECAUSE, YES!!! 

Of course, the other scenario with the Mark is that, Dean learns to live with it. I was batting that idea around twitter earlier in the week and was met with a lot of people not believing Dean was capable of that, or at least not for any relevant amount of time. But I’m with Sam; I believe Dean might be a powerful enough force that he could control the negative affects of the Mark. Maybe Dean has that within him. I guess I just believe enough in this character to believe he does. And I guess that means I’m now on to the brothers! 


I’m falling more and more in love with Sam every episode. Of course I’ve always been in love with Sam, but this season, he’s just even more awesome than he usually is! I appreciate the stand he is taking with Dean. He’s not pushing him. He’s not forcing Dean into a corner and he’s not judging him – the last thing being very important right now. He's being smart, smart, smart! He’s being honest with Dean about what he thinks and Dean is repaying him with being honest in return. They are talking about this stuff – and I love it! 

The fact that Sam has become Dean’s anchor once again is so wonderful to watch. He just has to lay his hand on Dean’s shoulder and it calms Dean. He just has to say Dean’s name and it clears Dean’s mind. I feel like Sam is standing a little taller somehow – if that is even possible – because his brother needs him and is leaning on him and is letting Sam help him. Dean is turning to Sam, and right now it’s Sam who feels like the big brother. 


Of course we’ve seen a back and forth like this in their relationship before, but not for a while. The way the brother’s are interacting with each other now makes me cry tears of joy, because this is how I love them – being there for each other, supporting each other, relying on each other, being open with each other. 

I’ve spoken about how the about face this season is so perfect because it allows each brother to walk in the other’s shoes. Dean – the one never touched by the supernatural – is now facing going down a path of darkness, just as his brother has had to face in the past; being cursed by demon blood and all that brought along with it. Sam – the one who has come to believe that the consequences of an action outweigh personal need, is now faced with deciding how far he will go to stop his brother becoming a monster. There’s been some storylines teased about this very thing coming up for Sam, but I think we’ve already seen this starting to occur. Dean has become his main priority and the dead folk in Dean’s wake? Well for now, Sam’s just focused on Dean. I’m sure Sam is going to come face to face with what he believes he would or wouldn’t do, and what he finds he will actually do to save his brother. Like, I don’t believe in the death penalty, and if I lost a loved one in a violent act I dearly hope I would still feel the same way – but I don’t know, because I haven’t experienced that (not that we have the death penalty here.) Sam has always believed (or at least has articulated recently) that the end does not always justify the means, but will he be able to stay true to this belief, or will he decide that when faced with losing his brother for good, all bets are off. How far will Sam go to save Dean? That both brothers have had to walk this road is so damn delicious. 

For now though, Sam is the voice of reason, support, love and calm in Dean’s growing more and more chaotic and violent world, and every time I see the affect his voice or his touch has on Dean I want to hug my TV (because Sam’s inside it)! He is everything that Dean needs (now and always) and any thought that his brother might not love him as much as he loves his brother, for Dean, has to be gone. *Sigh* 


Dean. Man, he is heart breaking. Lost and scared, as this rage bubbles away inside him. Suppressing the Mark to the point where he is oddly calm. He just looks frightened all the time, except when he’s pounding into someone, and that high-pitched drone starts up in his ears as he loses himself to the Mark. He's killing me! My boy is killing me.... *wibble*

Dean has always had darkness inside him riding along side the good. Sure, he’s a great big hero, but he’s also done some pretty dark things. Whether admitting to enjoying torturing souls in Hell, or torturing the demon Alistair, or the purity of killing in Purgatory, Dean’s darkness has often existed just below the surface. There’s often a sense with Dean that he could simply explode. So when Sam said to Dean that maybe there’s a part of Dean that wants to give in to the Mark of Cain, I think he may have hit on something. Beating down on Metatron for example. Sure, the dickwad deserved it. For everything he did to Cas, Kevin, Sam, Dean, he deserved it, but having the Mark there on his arm, did that give Dean an excuse to lose control and kill him? Did having the Mark allow him to simply give in to that urge? 


Dean does not have the First Blade, and while we saw him changing under the influence of the Mark, it wasn’t really until that First Blade was placed in his hand that the Mark truly took hold of him and made him lose a sense of who he is, and made him lose the last vestiges of control. So maybe, maybe there’s something in what Sam said and maybe, maybe there’s a little bit of Dean’s inherent violence driving the Mark as opposed to it purely being the Mark driving him. 

Just hearing this concept, and then hearing how much Sam believes in Dean, in being so powerful that he could overcome the Mark, may be all that's needed to help push Dean onto a more controlled path while the brothers continue to look for a cure. Dean's always had incredible fortitude and heart.


The fact that Sam believes in Dean that much, believes Dean is a powerful force, may be the best thing ever. Seriously, I couldn't love this more! And I think it went a long way to stopping Dean taking out the Natural Born Killers that Claire sic’d on him. In that moment – the Mark starting to hum in his ears – Dean chose not to follow through on what I’m sure every single fibre of his being wanted to do. He chose not to kill. He was strong enough to controlled by the Mark. Dean loves Sam more than anything, and if Sam believes Dean can do it, that will go a long way to helping Dean believe that too. 

These brothers. I love them with everything I have. 

You know, I always assumed that we’d get rid of the Mark of Cain. I figured it was probably something to do with episode 10x14, which we know features Cain, but now I’m wondering if maybe, just maybe, Dean will have to live with it. Truthfully, I think they’ll get rid of it, but the idea of Dean living with this thing on his arm and being able to control it, because he’s strong enough to control it, powerful enough to control it, and because he and his brother both believe enough in his ability to control it, fills me with squee! I still think it will probably go…but the alternative is exciting and intriguing don’t you think? 


I can’t go without talking about how gorgeous this episode was artistically speaking. The wonderful lighting in the bunker dungeon with Dean emerging from the shadows, and then Sam sitting in the light while Dean was permanently shrouded in darkness. The fabulous shot of the brothers walking through the bunker halls talking and then later, the shot of Cas and Sam running down the hall to stop Dean. The amazing crypt set where Crowley’s bones are stashed, and Crowley’s fabulous lair. And of course, the brilliant scene where Rowena’s eyes rolled back in her head and then we whizzed through the sky and the city to spy on Crowley and the boys. That was absolutely breath taking. “The Hunter Games” was a remarkably visual episode. 


And I’ve got to mention the hilarious raining in the alley scene! The continuity with the wet hair was a bit all over the place but I’ve never seen any of them look that drenched by rain before! I was laughing…when I wasn’t gasping at how pretty Sam looked all drippy! 

Also, John Badham thank you kindly for the stunning close-ups of Dean…stunning. Did I mention stunning?



So we now have the First Blade in play, along with The Mark of Cain, and then there’s mysterious and crafty Rowena manipulating away, and I still have no clue where we’re heading, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I love it! We’re getting so much wonderful character work by our wonderfully talented cast this season. This “more personal” storyline Carver is delivering is the bomb! Give me a good BM over a salt and burn any day! 

What were your thoughts on the episode? Let me know! And don’t forget, I’ve started a squee page where you can go and just yell your love for our show and cast from the rooftops, ask a question or start a topic of conversation! I hope to see you there! 

Next week the delightful Felicia Day is back and it looks intense! I CAN’T WAIT! 

-sweetondean 





12 comments:

  1. Wow wasn't Jensen terrific in this episode. I was terrified, worried, heartbroken, (uh, a little turned on) and every emotion in between. Why no Emmy's? I loved that Sam (and who would know better than Sam) gave Dean that little glimmer of hope in living with the evil inside him. FarAwayEyes said in her review that humanity is the most powerful force and that is what Dean has always believed in. That seems to be a theme this season. It is the power of humanity that seems to overcome all evil (that and the Winchesters).
    Thank you for your review. It seems like all the pieces are in place now.

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    1. I'd take Allison's thought further and say that Dean's humanity, not just his belief in humanity, has always been a powerful force. That's why he has everything inside him to control the Mark. Because his own humanity is so powerful.

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  2. Personally, I don't care too much for Rowena. She is SO over the top obvious in her manipulation of Crowley, it just makes me so frustrated that Crowley doesn't see it, or anybody else, and call her on it is beyond irritating for me. Right now I find the story boring and tedious. I hope it changes soon, and we get a smarter, wiser Crowley, the Crowley that we all knew and hated in S5.

    As for Dean and Sam - I am totally loving what they are doing with the brothers. At the end of S9 when we were first introduced to demon!Dean, I was not a happy camper. I think one of the big reasons I was so upset with this storyline is something you mentioned in your review. That up until now, Dean is the one person that has never been touched by the Supernatural. He was always the one untouched, unsullied, and I liked and appreciated the fact that our hero (my hero) has never fallen victim to it like everyone else has. Yes, he has come to the line many times, and maybe at times even crossed over it a little bit, but he has always found a way back. So, with him becoming a demon that was no longer the case, and I mourned that fact. But, now that we are watching Dean go through this, watching him fight against himself, fight against the supernatural that is now seeking to overpower him, and watch him and Sam draw closer to each other than they ever have, watch these brothers finally on the same page, in each other's corners - well - this has been a true treat. I am loving every single second we get of these brothers together.........FINALLY. We are seeing a growth in both men that is a pure delight, and we wouldn't have seen this growth had it not been for the path Dean is currently on. I also am loving Sam. I love that he has risen to the occasion of helping Dean out and "being" there for him - the way that Dean has been there for Sam their whole lives. I am loving that Dean is turning to Sam and that Sam has become Dean's anchor. It has been a long time coming to have these brothers at this point, and I say, the wait has been worth it. We wouldn't be having this "oneness" between the brothers if they had not gone through the journeys they went through these last couple of years. This episode was a delight to watch them together. Dean against Metatron was powerful, and I so wanted him to skewer Metatron and put him all out of our misery, but, perhaps he will still serve a purpose somewhere down the road. I am looking forward to seeing how Dean and Sam figure this all out. I believe in Dean. If the Mark cannot be removed, I do believe he has the power within himself to control the Mark. Sam believes in him - now all we need is for Dean to believe in himself.

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    1. I agree with you, we need Crowley to realise he's being played and play his mother in return. Maybe that's what's happening but hasn't been revealed yet, because I find it terribly hard to believe Crowley, as wobbly as he currently is, would fall for her BS. He's been around the block too many times; he'd see through it.

      As for Dean, I think knowing that Sam believes in him. seeing how Sam is there for him 100%, standing by him, not judging him, being honest with him and not pressuring him in any way...but mostly, so obviously on Dean's side, will go a hell of a long way in helping Dean believe in himself.

      I'm also with you on the Demon Dean thing, I had issues around this happening to Dean for the reasons you say...but I did enjoy watching Jensen play Demon Dean.

      Could that have gone longer? Maybe. But there was the 200th episode and the show obviously wanted to do something special and having the brothers so far apart - in that one wanted to kill the other - was not going to be in anyway appropriate for how the show wanted to celebrate the 200th with its fans.

      But the other thing for me was, the longer Dean was a demon, the more bad things he would do, and Dean finds it hard enough to live with what he's already done, let alone to add in a litany of new "crimes", responsible or otherwise. The longer Dean remained a demon, the more irreparable damage may have been done to that character - at least in that characters eyes. And to explore Demon Dean and not have him do heinous demony things would have been a cop out. So it was kind of a rock and a hard place. Had the 200th not been in the way, I think I would have liked to see another few episodes of Dean trying to live as a demon and Sam on his tail - but no more than that.

      As it stands though - I'm in love with the prospect of Dean controling the Mark of Cain. So how it's ended up playing out, for me, seems like a far more interesting angle.

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  3. While I'm enjoying the MOC storyline and love seeing Sam in this role, (Lordy-lo, I LOVE seeing Sam like this), I wish Dean had been forced to take the Mark, rather than have taken it willingly, without finding out the consequences.

    The story could have progressed with Sam reeling Dean in and keeping him in check (so to speak) while they search for the person(s) responsible for Dean having the Mark. Cain wouldn't have to be evil, Rowena could have been behind forcing the Mark on Dean and Cas aides the brothers on their search for a way to rid Dean of the Mark. They fight demons - sent by whom they believe to be responsible, Crowley - to misdirect and mislead everyone while Dean learns - with Sam's help - to control the effects of the Mark and adapt to living with it.........while Crowley embarks on a mission to prove to everyone he is not responsible for either the Mark or the demon army hot on their trail......

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    1. You've obviously thought about this a lot! It's a very well thought out scenario! But I can't say I agree with your idea.

      I think the introduction of Cain was one of the most inspired storylines the show has come up with. The fact that the thing on Dean's arm is ancient, Biblical and of legend makes it all the more terrifying. It also makes the removal of it seem that much more difficult. It's way beyond anything they've ever had to deal with. Way beyond normal magic.

      And the fact that Dean took it voluntarily without thought of consequences, while in a bad emotional place, makes the situation that much more regretful and tragic.

      I don't see Cain as evil. In the show's lore, Cain chose to take the Mark to save his brother from Lucifer. Killing his brother sent him to Heaven instead. It was a selfless act of sacrifice which cost Cain everything. Yes, he then became a Knight of Hell, and lived many years as a demon, but in the long run he chose not to live as a demon and chose instead to isolate himself in order to control the violence driven by the thing on his arm. He even managed to fall in love.

      I adore the Cain storyline and the twist the show put on it. It's up there with the Men of Letters for me as one of the highlights of the show over the last few seasons.

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  4. I liked this episode because Claire and Rowena started to grow on me. They are not out of the woods yet though for my final decision. Depends of course where their story goes. And I am with you guys. Rowena is clearly putting an act and I wish times 1000 that Crowley is not falling for it. One spot on the episode I think Rowena acted like herself and that was when she iced the butler. I am hoping to see more that version of her.

    The boys were great. All three of them. It was something when the brothers and Cas was in the bunker that felt homey and like family. The brothers, oh heavens how I like them this season and now as Cas is with them. Lets just say that those three belong together. I like the brothers but Cas is in my eyes family too. How Jared and Jensen performed. Both 10+ from me. I actually dislike Metatron for many reasons but Curtis really brought the act home in this one.

    Can't wait for next... Already I have a bad feeling about it. Poor Dean...

    - Lilah

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  5. hey sod...miss you over at the wfb...miss all your positive and insightful thoughts..lilah was kind enough to direct me to your website. glad to see that you are still posting. as always , a pleasure to read.

    you know, two and a half years ago, when carver took over, there was a lot of complaining about what he was doing. perhaps you recall. at that time I had posted many a post defending carver and actually lauding him on the story that he was in essence about to embark on. knowing carver from his past eps and the fact that he was coming from a show called being human...it didn't take me long to figure out where carver was going...and though in the beginning it was a little rough, I think he has told an amazing story thus far.

    carver did something that I think it quite brilliant. there was no topping the apocalypse...and I loved soulless sam story and I though sera did an incredible job, but her mistake I think was to try to go as big as the apocalypse with leviathans, and it just didn't work out so well. now I liked s7, but a lot of people complained. they all thought there was a disconnect between the boys. I think what happened was that while sera was trying to isolate the boys by killing off their friends and family, she accidentally isolated sam and dean from ea. other. they didn't seem as close as they should've been under those circumstances. but then carver came with a different angle. he can't top the apocalypse, so why even try? so he did something that no showrunner has done to date...he introduced a new monster...not a big bad end of the world monster...but something more personal ....he introduced the boys inner monster...the big bad they had to fight was what was inside themselves. I thought that a spectacular story to tell and I so tried to explain that for the last two years. it's so wonderful to see that you see the same story as well. you and farawayeyes have validated every post I've written for the last few years. I appreciate that to no end.

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  6. the boys have always had their issues, monster, and they were touched on over the years...but never truly dealt with until now. finally...and believe me this arc is ten years in the making. it started with quite the bang too. and it was so simple.

    sam thought his brother died. he broke. he imploded and ran away from the life that killed his entire family. and he kept a promise to his brother that if they died, they would leave it...after years of being told what's dead should stay dead...when it's your time to go..go...sam has learned this life lesson. when his brother returned sam had no idea that keeping his promise to his brother would end up disappointing dean yet again. though we start the season with the boys not as close as we hoped, there is a passion between them...you can see the love past the hurt and anger because hurt and anger only exists because of the love. now I thought dean was an ass for the entire first half of the season..a hypocrite really..because sam only did exactly what dean did two seasons earlier. so why then was dean so angry with sam? was he? and it got me to thinking sod, this is the inner monster that dean will be battling as the story progresses. I got to thinking why was dean truly upset with sam, sam only did what he was told. it dawned on me. I think dean was angry at sam not because dean suffered in purgatory, but because he didn't. because sam didn't look, dean was free to be a killer. because sam wasn't there with him, dean was free to enjoy the killing. if sam had been with dean in purgatory, granted they would've killed to survive, but do you think with sam by his side dean would've found the joy in it? I believe no. I think that's why dean built up benny to be more than a monster. after giving amy that speech about monsters right before he killed her and then all of a sudden benny is the exception to dean's monster rule? he seemed to go right back to the monster notion in Hibbing 911 when dealing with those vamps..so why then did dean turn benny into the exception? he certainly didn't trust benny when they were on top. and benny would've drank dean the moment he met him if dean wasn't his ticket out. benny saved dean sure, they saved ea. other sure, but for the sole purpose of escape. so why did dean paint benny as something he actually was not. the way I see it, dean needed to believe benny to be more like a human or else dean would be nothing more than a monster.

    dean's experience in purgatory fueled dean's belief that he is no good and merely a killer. dean's attempt to believe in benny after their escape nearly destroyed his relationship with his brother. we saw in the second half of s8 dean's total 360 towards sam, even going as far as telling him he wants normal for him. dean spent the second half of s8 trying to make up for what he'd done to sam but also trying to be human again. to put the monster at rest. a bandaid, not a cure....

    but then sam was dying and dean couldn't let that happen. not only is taking care of sam who he is, but being with sam keeps dean human. sam's light overpowers dean's darkness. his lack of self worth. sam gives dean worth and without him dean doesn't like what he becomes. it's why he goes to such extremes to save sam. death is just not an option..

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  7. that's how we go into s9...dean's monster takes over again. his lack of self worth. his self loathing.....overpowers dean and has him do questionable things even for the right reasons. and when sam finds out....it's more than dean can handle. he literally abandons sam on that bridge. he can't face sam...because he can't face his own monster. if dean were to talk to sam right there and then....sure sam would've ripped him a new one, but if he had stayed...if he'd have been able to face his inner monster...to explain truly why he did what he did....he never would've ended up a demon....

    but dean's monster is too strong...and then his monster manifests into a walking, talking, boozing, womanizing, bad karaoke singing killer. here we are now in s10....as the battle against this monster continues...

    and don't get me wrong...sam has his monster too. his lack of self worth is just as bad as dean's. only it affects them differently. sam believes himself to be the least of them all. he feels as though all he is to his brother is a major failure. his worth is so lacking that he misconstrues dean's words in the purge as them fighting the world together as a mere confession by dean that he only saved sam because he doesn't want to be alone. dean didn't save sam for sam, that he saved sam because he wanted someone to hunt with. the constant misunderstanding between these boys that stems from this monster they both have. this monster that has ea. brother believe that they are a disappointment and a failure to the other...when that is so obviously not and has never been the case....

    these monsters have to die.....and now. and here we are heading into that final battle. this role reversal that the brothers are in right now. they are ea. in the other's skin and they are on the path to finally coming to understand where the other has been coming from. it's like getting lasik on their eyes and for the first time they are beginning to see ea. other clearly.... not only are they coming to understand the other's pov by experiencing what ea. has lived through, but they are truly communicating now. that fear of opening up is chipping away, the monster isn't as strong as it's been, the power of love is stronger...love is stronger than darkness...it's sam's love for his brother that will give dean the strength he needs to control the monster inside. it's dean's love for sam that will enable him to conquer it.

    by the time this season is over, I have no doubt that the boys will finally accept not only who they are but love who they are as well .....and the relationship will be stronger and mature and they will love ea. other as the men they are now without the issues of the boys they were then.

    jmo of course.


    aka (nappi815) as I was known on wfb :D

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    1. nappi! It's so great to see you! I've always enjoyed your insights.

      You and I are on exactly the same page as far as Carver and his plan (and everything else!). I could see from the beginning where he was taking us and what the outcome would be. That putting the brothers into the situations that they have been facing, having them walk a path the other has taken, and learning what that path feels like, would bring about a greater understanding of each other and themselves and lead them to the more mature communication and relationship that Carver spoke about.

      To have brought them to this place without them having gone through the hard yards would have seen false and empty. But to see them continue to cling to each other, despite all the water under the bridge and understand that they do continue to need each other, has been rewarding to watch.

      To see them take this journey leading them to where they are now and where I agree with you, they will finally end up, has been epic. There have been times where it's been challenging, but all great stories are challenging and Sam and Dean's story is one of the great ones.

      Thank you so much for coming over and sharing your insight. Like you, I always feel so happy to see someone whose opinion is the same as mine - who sees the big picture the same way I do. It makes me feel less alone out there!

      I agree, the story Carver has told so far has been amazing. And I'm sure it will continue to be.

      Hope to see you here again!
      -sweetondean

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