What Is and What Should Never Be Review
Best Episode Ever!!!
For the first time in a long time I can honestly say that there is absolutely nothing I would change about this episode. It was an absolutely brilliant Dean character study. Since the entire world was a figment of Dean's imagination, I am about to go way overboard with my analysis. Bear with me.
First, how sad is it that Dean casts himself as a total loser? Sam is happy and has the same girl and goals...Mom is happy and alive...and Dean is the drunken screw-up who stole from Sam and would have been totally believable stealing from his own mother. At first, when Carmen says that he has her because she has low standards, I assumed it was a joke...but later on it seemed it was the literal truth. It was clear that neither Sam nor Mom expected Dean to be even slightly friendly or reliable. So, even in his own fantasy, Dean imagines that he isn't good enough...that he has to work at being worthy of love from his mother and from Sam. I just want to squish him.
I was so relieved that Carmen was a nurse. For a minute there, when she was going off to work at night, I was so convinced that she was going to be a stripper or something. At least Dean imagined himself with a nice girl. I suppose that, at least, is one area where he doesn't lack confidence. Every other area...yes - but not in regard to his effect on women.
It was kind of sad that Papa Winchester was still dead. Dean was obviously disappointed. It reminds me of that bit from The Matrix...where the original computer world was programmed to be utopian, but the human brain wouldn't accept it, so they had to add some pain and suffering back in. Maybe if Dean's fantasy had been too perfect it would have been easier for him to fight his way out.
It was also a little bit sad that once he came out of his trance, Dean could only dwell on all of the things he doesn't - and can't - have. It would have been nice if instead he could take strength from the fact that he actually chose his life this time. Up to this point, it had all been forced on him by his father and by unfortunate circumstances. Ah, well...maybe he'll come to appreciate the whole free will thing at some point in the future.
...Not that it looks like he's going to have much time to think about it next week. Yikes. I'm almost afraid to watch.
For the first time in a long time I can honestly say that there is absolutely nothing I would change about this episode. It was an absolutely brilliant Dean character study. Since the entire world was a figment of Dean's imagination, I am about to go way overboard with my analysis. Bear with me.
First, how sad is it that Dean casts himself as a total loser? Sam is happy and has the same girl and goals...Mom is happy and alive...and Dean is the drunken screw-up who stole from Sam and would have been totally believable stealing from his own mother. At first, when Carmen says that he has her because she has low standards, I assumed it was a joke...but later on it seemed it was the literal truth. It was clear that neither Sam nor Mom expected Dean to be even slightly friendly or reliable. So, even in his own fantasy, Dean imagines that he isn't good enough...that he has to work at being worthy of love from his mother and from Sam. I just want to squish him.
I was so relieved that Carmen was a nurse. For a minute there, when she was going off to work at night, I was so convinced that she was going to be a stripper or something. At least Dean imagined himself with a nice girl. I suppose that, at least, is one area where he doesn't lack confidence. Every other area...yes - but not in regard to his effect on women.
It was kind of sad that Papa Winchester was still dead. Dean was obviously disappointed. It reminds me of that bit from The Matrix...where the original computer world was programmed to be utopian, but the human brain wouldn't accept it, so they had to add some pain and suffering back in. Maybe if Dean's fantasy had been too perfect it would have been easier for him to fight his way out.
It was also a little bit sad that once he came out of his trance, Dean could only dwell on all of the things he doesn't - and can't - have. It would have been nice if instead he could take strength from the fact that he actually chose his life this time. Up to this point, it had all been forced on him by his father and by unfortunate circumstances. Ah, well...maybe he'll come to appreciate the whole free will thing at some point in the future.
...Not that it looks like he's going to have much time to think about it next week. Yikes. I'm almost afraid to watch.