SPN 9x10 - Road Trip

[pocochina]

Metatron’s mind games with Gadreel were pitch-perfect. He rides Gadreel about you’re a screw-up, nobody’ll have you but me, you have to fight more and harder and maybe just maybe I’ll give you a way out of this shame spiral which you’re only in because you’re such a failure, have we talked lately about how I’m a saint for not reminding you of that

Comments

[percysowner]

I totally agree that Crowley didn't tell Sam that Kevin's death wasn't Sam's fault because it helped Crowley. I do think he handled it well in as much as he identified Gadreel as the culprit, giving Sam an additional reason to fight and he pointed out the reality of the situation that Sam really wasn't the one who killed Kevin. Dean dismissing Sam's expression of guilt over Kevin's death came off as very manipulative to me. He starts with telling Sam that he knows Sam is pissed and it's okay. Basically Dean gave Sam permission to be "pissed" at him. Not furious, not angry, not outraged but pissed was authorized. Then Sam expresses feelings of guilt about Kevin's death. Unlike Crowley Dean doesn't say it's Gad's fault, he immediately swings into action and claims all the guilt for himself. Dean knows that Sam has consistently bolstered Dean when Dean is feeling "guilty". Sam tried to support Dean after John died and Dean felt guilty. When Sam found out about the soul selling and Dean told him tough toenails Dean got to be selfish if he wanted to, Sam didn't push it. When Dean admitted torturing in Hell, Sam told him anyone would have broken under the stress. So Dean pulls the look how sad, guilty and devastated I am card. Then Sam tries to talk about his guilt and deserved or not, remembering killing Kevin and the 2 other angel vessels would be horrifying and should be talked about so Sam can put the incident into some kind of perspective. But Dean did NOT pre-approve Sam feeling anything other than pissed. Sam must not be given the chance to cut into Dean's little pity party and possibly get emotional support for Sam's psychic wounds. Getting comfort for psychic wounds is Dean's deal, thank you very much and Sam must NOT poach on Dean's God given right to be coaxed out of feeling bad.

I am going to be interested in the Cas/Sam interactions next week. I'm not as optimistic as you because I can see Cas going into Dean is such a good man. He did what he did for love and you two belong together so you need to forgive Dean. I hope that his time being human and his interactions with Dean and Sam will have him valuing Sam enough to support Sam deserving to make his own choices and not have the knee jerk reaction to defend Dean and the almighty brotherly bond.

[pocochina]

Dean dismissing Sam's expression of guilt over Kevin's death came off as very manipulative to me. He starts with telling Sam that he knows Sam is pissed and it's okay. Basically Dean gave Sam permission to be "pissed" at him. Not furious, not angry, not outraged but pissed was authorized.

YES. On your whole analysis of this scene, really. He was totally trying to manage Sam's emotional response to the whole thing. THAT. THAT IS THE PROBLEM, DEAN.

I'm not as optimistic as you because I can see Cas going into Dean is such a good man. He did what he did for love and you two belong together so you need to forgive Dean.

I...actually can see that happening, and on the one hand it'll make me sad because, you know, I want Sam to have someone totally on his side. But from an outsider perspective, I think that the episode did a really thoughtful job setting up why Cas is so uncomfortable being an actual moral voice on this. I think Cas is having that lives-in-glass-houses fear that Sam usually has. Like, the fact that he sees through Dean's "I did what I had to do" is making him question on whether or not he's rationalizing on having had to do what he did to get out of the basement. The fact that he really did have to take desperate action to get out of there alive and escape a smiting when Theo realized he would be useless in getting to Metatron just makes him more susceptible to Dean's rationalizations. You know? Cas can hardly be a credible source of moral outrage about the indignities suffered by vessels - regardless of whether Jimmy's still in there or not, he did possess the guy and also a little kid right there in front of Sam and Dean - and given how little autonomy angels have, he really doesn't have the framework to understand or articulate the problems of the initial con and the subsequent gaslighting. On top of that, Cas has formed his "how people act" against Dean specifically, expecting that any kind of stance he takes besides platitudes about ~brotherly love~ will just cause the other person to dig their heels in and go on the attack. Not very noble, obviously, but I understand it from a characterization perspective and I think that Cas being a really unreliable moral voice on this was set up solidly enough.

[auroramama]

But Dean did NOT pre-approve Sam feeling anything other than pissed.

I love this description. So much.