You Must Have The Will.
Freaking 'Lazarus Rising', forcing me to say 'the first episode of the fourth season' every time I refer to it in a non-spoilery zone. OOH, THE TITLE OF THE EPISODE IS 'LAZARUS RISING'. I WONDER WHAT HAPPENS IN IT? Seriously, Supernatural. Seriously.
Anyway. Perhaps it was not, in fact, that spoilery, because maybe
maybe
MAYBE DEAN HAS BEEN IN HELL FOR THE WHOLE OF THIS SEASON
AND THAT IS WHY MOST OF IT HAS BEEN FROM HIS POINT OF VIEW
AND HE'LL SNAP BACK ONTO HIS MEATHOOKS AT ANY MOMENT AND A YELLOW-EYED VISION OF SAM WILL LAUGH AT HIM AND SAY 'OH, DEAN, YOU REALLY THOUGHT YOU HAD ESCAPED?'
IT COULD ACTUALLY MAKE 'IT WAS ALL A DREAM' COOL
...er, of course that scene in 'Metamorphosis' in which Dean is unconscious would be sort of problematic there. Never mind. And there are only so many episodes you can have before an 'it was all a dream' reveal, no matter how awesome, would just invalidate too much.
I like to think that at least some of Dean's time in Hell was spent with Hell tricking him into believing he'd escaped and then dragging him back into reality, and so Dean still hasn't quite accepted the idea that maybe he's really out of there this time. Because it is fun to be cruel to Dean. I'M SORRY, DEAN. You know I love you. It is not my fault that you are immensely tormentable.
(I also like to think that sometimes Hell threw Dean into Silent Hill. And then reunited him with an illusion of Sam, and then killed that Sam viciously as an unforeseen but theoretically foreseeable consequence of something Dean did.
OKAY, DEAN, YOUR LITTLE FACE IN MY MIND IS MAKING ME FEEL REALLY GUILTY FOR MAKING AN ENTRY ENTIRELY ABOUT HORRIBLE THINGS HAPPENING TO YOU. I... also hope... Hell... gave him... cake?)
Speaking to amy_wolf has made me wonder whether Sam is still in a state of cannot-function-without-Dean or whether the months of, you know, functioning without Dean have left him capable of surviving without his brother. The thought that Sam can live without Dean actually upsets me. SAM, THE IDEA OF BEING ABLE TO LIVE AND BREATHE AND EAT AND THINK WHEN YOUR BROTHER ISN'T THERE SOUNDS DANGEROUSLY HEALTHY TO ME. YOU GO BACK TO BEING TERRIFYINGLY CO-DEPENDENT RIGHT NOW.