6.20 reaction/ramble
I know people on my flist have been excited for the Cas centric episode for ages, particularly as it was written by Ben, but I have been downplaying my excitement and somehow managed to not think about it too much, so I loved the episode as I had very few preconceptions of it.
I loved it and am about to watch it again, but thought I'd put some thoughts down first. The episode was sort of everything I wanted from it even if it wasn't at the same time. It showed Castiel's story, and while I would have much preferred to see more of it over the season, I still loved what we got. There will probably be the inevitable Cas bashing but I'm very good at avoiding reading any of that.
We got to see Castiel's conflict and motivations, his good intentions, and misguided decisions. His heart is in the right place even if he has been prideful. I loved that he went to Dean back before it all started, but couldn't pull him back into the whole mess, even if he should have.
I just adored Dean in this episode, his loyalty and faith in Cas was wonderful to see. His acknowledgement of what Cas has been through and done for them over and over again. That he actually called him his brother made something in my chest catch. That he asked Cas to trust him and wanted to help rather than just turn on him, that you could see his desperation and hope that he could get through to Cas. (Though on a side note, where has this Dean been for the rest of the season???)
I loved that Cas was talking to his father, asking him for help and guidance, that after everything he is still looking for his father's approval and love. I can't wait to see what Cas does next, if he keeps going through with his plan or if he will go back to Dean.
I love that Cas was spying on the boys. I love that he pulled Sam out of hell for Dean, even if he didn't get it quite right and didn't realise he didn't save his soul. It works in with his surprise when he found out that Sam was missing his soul.
I loved that there was so much of the bond between Dean and Cas shown in this episode. I'm choosing to have faith that their bond will see them through this.
I really want to know if Balthazar knows what Cas has been doing, if he agrees with it or if he will also want to stop Cas.
I can't wait to see what Dean does next, if he will keep trying to get through to Cas. The angst and the heartbreak was just in the right proportions for me as it was all about the trust between them. It was all about Cas wanting to keep the boys safe and stop Raphael. It was all about Dean having faith in Cas and wanting to help him.
Sure Cas didn't take the chance Dean gave him at the end of the episode, but there is still time for him stop or find some other way to defeat Raphael. Whether that is the direction the writers are going to take it or not is still to be seen. But Dean and Cas have always been heartbreaking characters, torn and conflicted, and doing what they have to and their difficulty with the decisions they make. It is what makes them great characters. They don't always get it right, and sometimes need each other to pull them back in the right direction, so I don't mind that they aren't all honky dory just yet.
I love that Cas in his dialogue with God, was aware that he was lying to the brothers to not only protect them, but also himself. That he is aware that the decisions he has made are in a morally grey area. That his bond with Dean is guiding him, even if he is still going in a direction he knows Dean doesn't agree with. He is still holding himself up to what Dean has shown him is right. Otherwise he wouldn't care so much what Dean thinks.
All in all, I loved the episode, it had me fixated on the screen the whole time, and I am completely excited to see the last two episodes. I'm hoping all of this is leading up to another very emotional Dean and Cas scene. It may take a while to get them back to being 100% again, but this episode had Dean showing how much he trusts Cas and cares for him. He doesn't just call anyone brother, he has always just been about Sam, but Cas has found his way in there too. I want to see how far Dean will go to help Cas. I hope this is what the writers will give us with all this angst between them. They gave us a lot of that in this episode, I hope they continue along this vein with them.
As I said Dean doesn't just call anyone his brother, he has gone to hell and back literally for Sam, that he sees Cas as his brother makes me hope the writers will carry that bond through and Dean will get off his high horse and do everything he can for Cas.
Some of the Winchester's reaction could be seen a hypocritical, but that is sort of the Winchester way, and it didn't worry me as I was so wrapped up in Castiel this episode. I imagine this episode could be taken a lot of different ways, but as Castiel had most of my attention I'll forgive the few inconsistencies and hypocrisies.
I have loved the last couple of episodes, and it makes me wish even more that the rest of the season hadn't been so directionless, as this is the suspenseful, angsty, emotional supernatural I have loved.
Cas has broken my heart, again. There is just no end to how heartbreaking his character is apparently. All this rambling and I still can't put into words how much I loved Castiel in this episode and just how damn heartbreaking he is...*wordless inarticulate gesturing*
Oh and the eternal queue that is hell FTW!!
Ok that was a super long ramble...what can I say I liked this episode, and Cas owns my heart...so many other thoughts racing around my head but I just can't put them into word, which is probably a good thing given the length of this entry as it is...