Personally I don't think the punchfest at the end was payback for Sam letting Dean get turned. I think it was just Dean letting out his pent up frustration and rage.
Probably all of the above and then some. Dean's knee-jerk reaction is to represses everything. And unless there's someone there to needle him about it whom Dean trusts *coughSamcough* and feels safe with, he'll just keep burying it all (with alcohol). Of course, that stuff can't stay inert and demobilized forever, it festers and ferments and then starts to seep out in other ways until it explodes (which I think is what we saw in this episode). see Dean's relationship with Lisa similar to what I'd imagine a war veteran's relationship with their spouse may be: wanting to be close and supportive but unless that person was there experiencing the dregs of war, it's hard to understand exactly what they're going through and hard for them to articulate the feelings/thoughts because there really aren't accurate words for such extreme, unimaginable experiences.
It both amuses and disgusts me that some fans are saying Sam deserved it
I'm glad I never stumbled across those discussions. That was a really triggery scene for me. There's no excuse for one-sided beatings no matter what the relationship or the sex of the abuser/abused. Nobody deserves such ugly violence.
Losing his brother has affected his emotions and his judgment and even though, like Sam, he believes he was handling it, I think underneath, he really wasn't.
*nods*
It's actually rather symmetrical.
And I can't help but recall how Sam practically pickled his liver with all the alcohol he consumed while Dean was in Hell (via flashbacks in "IKWYDLS") as well as Sam and Dean referring to John's narrowly averted nosedive into alcoholism and abuse ("Nightmare"). It seems that losing someone close prompts those Winchester men to hit the bottle and seek out physically violent ways to deal with their grief. Multi-generational dysfunctional symmetry. So healthy. ;)
I don't think it's going to work out though. The guys need each other to be balanced and whole.
How Dean's relationship with Lisa and Ben evolves is one of thing things I'm interested in seeing this season. I hope it becomes more complex than what it looks like it might be. Having a family (and Sam, of course) would be an unexpected and pleasant way to send Dean off into the sunset at the series' end. Don't get me wrong, I love brother angst, but the more downtrodden Sam and Dean's story becomes, the more I find myself wanting them to have not only a happy ending (i.e. them being together in whatever capacity), but also a healthy ending. Those boys deserve it.
Probably all of the above and then some. Dean's knee-jerk reaction is to represses everything. And unless there's someone there to needle him about it whom Dean trusts *coughSamcough* and feels safe with, he'll just keep burying it all (with alcohol). Of course, that stuff can't stay inert and demobilized forever, it festers and ferments and then starts to seep out in other ways until it explodes (which I think is what we saw in this episode). see Dean's relationship with Lisa similar to what I'd imagine a war veteran's relationship with their spouse may be: wanting to be close and supportive but unless that person was there experiencing the dregs of war, it's hard to understand exactly what they're going through and hard for them to articulate the feelings/thoughts because there really aren't accurate words for such extreme, unimaginable experiences.
It both amuses and disgusts me that some fans are saying Sam deserved it
I'm glad I never stumbled across those discussions. That was a really triggery scene for me. There's no excuse for one-sided beatings no matter what the relationship or the sex of the abuser/abused. Nobody deserves such ugly violence.
Losing his brother has affected his emotions and his judgment and even though, like Sam, he believes he was handling it, I think underneath, he really wasn't.
*nods*
It's actually rather symmetrical.
And I can't help but recall how Sam practically pickled his liver with all the alcohol he consumed while Dean was in Hell (via flashbacks in "IKWYDLS") as well as Sam and Dean referring to John's narrowly averted nosedive into alcoholism and abuse ("Nightmare"). It seems that losing someone close prompts those Winchester men to hit the bottle and seek out physically violent ways to deal with their grief. Multi-generational dysfunctional symmetry. So healthy. ;)
I don't think it's going to work out though. The guys need each other to be balanced and whole.
How Dean's relationship with Lisa and Ben evolves is one of thing things I'm interested in seeing this season. I hope it becomes more complex than what it looks like it might be. Having a family (and Sam, of course) would be an unexpected and pleasant way to send Dean off into the sunset at the series' end. Don't get me wrong, I love brother angst, but the more downtrodden Sam and Dean's story becomes, the more I find myself wanting them to have not only a happy ending (i.e. them being together in whatever capacity), but also a healthy ending. Those boys deserve it.
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