I have to admit that I didn't enjoy this episode and that it left me with a bad taste in my mouth and a real growing resentment against Dean as a character, and it was all because of those final scenes with the mindwipe.
I appreciate your thoughtful analysis of why Dean did that and I agree that it is completely in character for Dean to make this kind of decision and take on other people's pain, but I think you give him too much credit. I may be wrong here, but my gut feeling watching this episode was that Lisa would want absolutely nothing to do with Dean ever again once she woke up, considering she'd seen her boyfriend murdered, been kidnapped and possessed and seen her son traumatised. So the relationship would be over and done with anyway, and sure, that would be sad and everything but at least it would be her choice. Dean took away her ability to chose, he violated her freewill - the one thing he supposedly believes in above all else. It was an immensely hypocritical, selfish and wrong thing to do, and I can't forgive him for it, and I have the feeling that one of his reasons for doing so was that he couldn't bear the idea of both Lisa & Ben hating him and resenting him after the fact. I'm not a fan of the Lisa & Ben storyline, (though I genuinely like Lisa as a character), and when this episode started I was hoping it would tie up that plotline for good, but now I just want them to come back and for Dean to get his comeuppance for what he did.
Aside from the mindwipe, I kinda enjoyed the rest of the episode, though I was frustrated by the way Sam was conveniently sidelined in a locked room for half of it, though that did give us the awesomeness of Dean going all John Winchester on Ben's ass. I know it's probably wrong of me, but I completely *loved* that. I always appreciate it when the show gives us these little glimpses of John's continuing influence over the boys even years after his death.
One final thing I just have to mention is that I still don't understand exactly why Dean has such a problem with Castiel working with Crowley to stop the apocalypse when he did exactly that at the end of last season, not to mention all the many times he worked with Crowley this season. I can't understand why Castiel hasn't raised this hypocrisy of Dean's part on the many occasions he's tried to make Dean get his POV. Also, I'm disappointed at the lack of Sam/Cas interaction as like you also point out, Sam is the one person who can really understand where Cas is coming from, after his own actions in season 4.
At no point has Dean explained rationally just why Castiel is so wrong, his one word answer of "Because!" in the previous ep was so frustrating because I genuinely don't get his reasoning. The boys are always making deals with demons and okay so I get that that's "wrong", but would it be better for Raphael to win? To bring back the apocalypse?
I guess I just feel very frustrated with this entire plotline. I understand that Castiel is wrong in keeping secrets and offing his lieutenants when they speak back to him and of course in the next episode what he does to poor Sam is unforgivable. But man, I feel like I'm missing so much in not agreeing with Dean.
Anyway, lovely analysis, and it gave me a lot to think about. Sorry for the long-winded comment.
"At no point has Dean explained rationally just why Castiel is so wrong" and "Castiel is wrong in keeping secrets and offing his lieutenants when they speak back to him " Word. Haven't they learned anything from experience?
I appreciate your thoughtful analysis of why Dean did that and I agree that it is completely in character for Dean to make this kind of decision and take on other people's pain, but I think you give him too much credit. I may be wrong here, but my gut feeling watching this episode was that Lisa would want absolutely nothing to do with Dean ever again once she woke up, considering she'd seen her boyfriend murdered, been kidnapped and possessed and seen her son traumatised. So the relationship would be over and done with anyway, and sure, that would be sad and everything but at least it would be her choice. Dean took away her ability to chose, he violated her freewill - the one thing he supposedly believes in above all else. It was an immensely hypocritical, selfish and wrong thing to do, and I can't forgive him for it, and I have the feeling that one of his reasons for doing so was that he couldn't bear the idea of both Lisa & Ben hating him and resenting him after the fact. I'm not a fan of the Lisa & Ben storyline, (though I genuinely like Lisa as a character), and when this episode started I was hoping it would tie up that plotline for good, but now I just want them to come back and for Dean to get his comeuppance for what he did.
Aside from the mindwipe, I kinda enjoyed the rest of the episode, though I was frustrated by the way Sam was conveniently sidelined in a locked room for half of it, though that did give us the awesomeness of Dean going all John Winchester on Ben's ass. I know it's probably wrong of me, but I completely *loved* that. I always appreciate it when the show gives us these little glimpses of John's continuing influence over the boys even years after his death.
One final thing I just have to mention is that I still don't understand exactly why Dean has such a problem with Castiel working with Crowley to stop the apocalypse when he did exactly that at the end of last season, not to mention all the many times he worked with Crowley this season. I can't understand why Castiel hasn't raised this hypocrisy of Dean's part on the many occasions he's tried to make Dean get his POV. Also, I'm disappointed at the lack of Sam/Cas interaction as like you also point out, Sam is the one person who can really understand where Cas is coming from, after his own actions in season 4.
At no point has Dean explained rationally just why Castiel is so wrong, his one word answer of "Because!" in the previous ep was so frustrating because I genuinely don't get his reasoning. The boys are always making deals with demons and okay so I get that that's "wrong", but would it be better for Raphael to win? To bring back the apocalypse?
I guess I just feel very frustrated with this entire plotline. I understand that Castiel is wrong in keeping secrets and offing his lieutenants when they speak back to him and of course in the next episode what he does to poor Sam is unforgivable. But man, I feel like I'm missing so much in not agreeing with Dean.
Anyway, lovely analysis, and it gave me a lot to think about. Sorry for the long-winded comment.
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and "Castiel is wrong in keeping secrets and offing his lieutenants when they speak back to him "
Word. Haven't they learned anything from experience?
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