Excellent dissection of the episode. I've heard wank on both sides about the split with Lisa and Ben, but as you wisely point out, it's a decision that is supposed to be awful and yet understandable.
The comparison of Castiel's arc and Sam in season four seems pretty popular. I love the unspoken conversation you add. It seems to me that Show really missed an opportunity here to show us the Sam/Cas friendship that Sam commented upon in 6.20 (to all our amazement - "Sam and Cas are friends? He'd die for him? Wuh-huh?"). While, yes, the "profound bond" for Castiel has always been and probably always will be with Dean, I would have liked a bit of an exchange in which Sam shows his own growth and maturity. All the things you have Dean saying between the lines could have been said by Sam himself as he tries to explain what he's learned post-Ruby/Lilith and trying to stop Castiel from making the same mistake.
Nonetheless, the scenes between Dean and Cas in 6.20-6.22 are really palpable. I can't wait to see how they struggle with what's become of their relationship in season seven.
Funny: in an email exchange with others before this review went up, I expressed the conversation as being between EITHER Sam or Dean and Castiel; I used Dean here only because, given the way the episode was structured, there was more opportunity for conversation between Dean and Castiel than between Sam and the angel. But I'm with you: I'd have LOVED to have seen Sam speak to Castiel from his own perspective and bitter experience! That might even have carried more weight, coming from Sam's own personal conviction. I have hope that will still happen in season 7, and be all the more potent then for the two of them sharing their mistakes.
I wasn't amazed or taken aback by Sam's comment in 6.20, though; Sam (with a soul, anyway!) is perfectly sensible about what Team Free Will owes to Castiel, and he is a friend. Sam's perspective may be a bit tainted now since he knows Castiel brought him back without a soul, but I still think that could be overcome if only Castiel admitted he'd made a mistake and been too ashamed and distracted to have admitted to it at the time.
Sigh. Why don't guys ever talk through the things that really matter? *wry grin*
Excellent dissection of the episode. I've heard wank on both sides about the split with Lisa and Ben, but as you wisely point out, it's a decision that is supposed to be awful and yet understandable.
The comparison of Castiel's arc and Sam in season four seems pretty popular. I love the unspoken conversation you add. It seems to me that Show really missed an opportunity here to show us the Sam/Cas friendship that Sam commented upon in 6.20 (to all our amazement - "Sam and Cas are friends? He'd die for him? Wuh-huh?"). While, yes, the "profound bond" for Castiel has always been and probably always will be with Dean, I would have liked a bit of an exchange in which Sam shows his own growth and maturity. All the things you have Dean saying between the lines could have been said by Sam himself as he tries to explain what he's learned post-Ruby/Lilith and trying to stop Castiel from making the same mistake.
Nonetheless, the scenes between Dean and Cas in 6.20-6.22 are really palpable. I can't wait to see how they struggle with what's become of their relationship in season seven.
Nice work here, thanks for sharing.
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Funny: in an email exchange with others before this review went up, I expressed the conversation as being between EITHER Sam or Dean and Castiel; I used Dean here only because, given the way the episode was structured, there was more opportunity for conversation between Dean and Castiel than between Sam and the angel. But I'm with you: I'd have LOVED to have seen Sam speak to Castiel from his own perspective and bitter experience! That might even have carried more weight, coming from Sam's own personal conviction. I have hope that will still happen in season 7, and be all the more potent then for the two of them sharing their mistakes.
I wasn't amazed or taken aback by Sam's comment in 6.20, though; Sam (with a soul, anyway!) is perfectly sensible about what Team Free Will owes to Castiel, and he is a friend. Sam's perspective may be a bit tainted now since he knows Castiel brought him back without a soul, but I still think that could be overcome if only Castiel admitted he'd made a mistake and been too ashamed and distracted to have admitted to it at the time.
Sigh. Why don't guys ever talk through the things that really matter? *wry grin*
Thanks for coming by!
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