SPN 6×21 and 6×22
Things I liked:
* Dean freaks the fuck out when Lisa and Ben are taken and immediately reverts to torture-mode. I like the way SPN deals with torture--it's never the right thing to do, it's always a sign that the character committing it is fucked up. And it's true to Dean, a consistent character flaw ever since he came back from hell, and a compelling reason why he thinks he shouldn't be around Lisa and Ben. It's a real dark side that effectively explains why he thinks so poorly of himself. He knows it's wrong--look at 5x04, "We're torturing again?"--but he still goes to that dangerous, scary place when things get rough. I remember complaining in S4 that Dean got over hell too quickly, but actually he didn't--this is the fallout.
* Dean acting just like John when Lisa was injured, slapping Ben, ordering him around, forcing him to shoot the gun. The mindwipe makes perfect sense to me, because Dean saw himself treating Ben like John treated him, and he knows exactly how much that treatment fucks you up.
It's not that I think the mindwipe is okay--it takes away agency, it's never okay. But I totally and completely understand why he did it. They had just been traumatized by being kidnapped,and Lisa was extra traumatized by seeing her boyfriend killed and being possessed and stabbed, and Ben was extra-extra traumatized by seeing his mother nearly die and being forced to shoot a gun and being slapped by Dean. This is the same kind of trauma that fucked Dean up irreparably, and he wants to protect them from being fucked up like he is. And of course he thinks it's all his fault.
(I also totally appreciate that the show had Sam call Dean on how wrong it was.)
I'm sad that Lisa and Ben have been written out, but I guess I'm less upset because I'm so pleasantly shocked that Lisa wasn't killed. She's one less mark in the "fridged" column and always has the potential for a memory-restoration (in fic or--less-likely--canon).
I also appreciated that Dean apologized to them (of course I think he should have been apologizing for the mindwipe, whereas he was apologizing for ever involving himself in their lives in the first place). The thing that breaks my heart is that it's Dean giving up on what he wants most, the family and safety and love and happiness that he dreams of, and he really is doing it to protect them. And I totally understand why, because it's not just the external danger of demons coming after them, it's the internal danger of Dean's own dark side, the part of him that immediately reverts to torture, that slaps and shouts at Ben. And it's so heartbreaking because we know that Dean has such an incredibly loving side, and he's burying his own best nature, resigning himself to being this torturer and hunter, instead of the father and partner that he wants to be. It's like Dean doesn't recognize or value the side of himself that makes him most special, that part of himself that would give anything to hold his family together and protect the ones he love and that's always leaping to self-sacrifice and forgiveness.
And the other thing I appreciate is that the show didn't try to imply that Dean didn't really want to be with Lisa and Ben, that he was forcing himself to try for a fake!normal when what he really wanted was the "myth of the open road." (Because the show has been so good at deconstructing that myth, at showing how empty a life of danger and lack of human connection actually is.) Dean didn't want Lisa and Ben for "normal," he wanted them for love and family and stability and human connection. It's so clear from that last scene where he threatens Sam that Dean did want that life with Lisa and Ben, desperately, that he's being longing for that life since he was four and dreaming of it specifically with Lisa and Ben since season three.
And it's extra heart-breaking because it's probably the first time in Dean's life that he's actually gone after his own dream instead of sacrificing his own needs for others. (See season one episode six: "You don't think I had dreams of my own?") And it turned out to be a disaster--he considers it a "loss of control." And that "control" is the control to close off his incredibly loving heart and give up on his dreams. :(
Again I really hate mindwipes and I really hate "leaving them for their own good" stories, but this one worked much better for me than usual because it was so true to Dean's character and I strongly felt that the narrative didn't present it as "noble" or "right" but as a continuing, consistent aspect of Dean's fucked-up psychological issues.
* I totally bought dark!Cas. Castiel this season was totally in-character with Cas since he was introduced. Cas respects and is fascinated by and looks up to Dean, but he also considers himself superior to humans and frequently regards them with contempt. He's never been a wise/loving/forgiving traditional angel type--he's always been arrogant and bitter and sulky and judgmental. Remember Cas beating the hell out of a broken Dean in 5x18? Remember his threat to throw Dean back to hell? And yet it's also true to Castiel's character that he wants to do right--that's how Dean got him to betray heaven, after all. Unfortunately this time Castiel's desire to do what he thought was right combined with the arrogance that's always been there led to him to betray Dean. And Cas has always been driven by this need to follow--when god disappointed him he turned to Dean, and when Dean disappointed him he snapped and decided to become god, which is totally fucked-up and crazy but still in-character and consistent and quite interesting.
And in a way I understand, and I think Castiel is right to feel betrayed by his friends. Look at everything he's done for them--even when they're supposedly antagonists, he keeps popping in to save their lives and do magical favors as with Lisa and Ben. Cas does still love them, and from his perspective he's just asking for the same in return, and yet the boys refuse to hear him out or even consider helping. (And yet he's totally off the reservation with his scary arrogance, so I see where the boys are coming from. I totally love writing that's this complex, where I see all sides and am not entirely sympathetic to any party.)
Things I disliked:
* Do I even have to mention that this show is taking misogyny and racism to almost parodic heights by killing off 95% of the women and people of color it introduces (and dismissing the other 5% from the narrative)?
* Triple-the-Padalecki = Triple the painfully bland, one-note acting. I can't believe they tried to make that dull dreamscape carry 1/3 of the season finale.
* The narrative wasn't nearly convincing enough about why Dean/Sam/Bobby were so opposed to Castiel's plan, about why his plan was so risky and was better than letting Raphael start the apocalypse. I get the sense that the writers just aren't interested in exploring the heaven stuff, fine, but it was hard to really judge whether the boys were being hysterical or totally on-point in their judgment of Cas, because the audience had no way of assessing what was really at stake. "Cas lied about other stuff, therefore we are totally opposed to anything he does going forward" is not enough.
* On a shallow level, not enough ho!yay between Dean and Cas. I know, I'm twelve.
SPOILER FOR SEASON SEVEN BELOW--HIGHLIGHT TO READ IT
[spoiler]Cas won't be a regular next year? But they're just finally starting to explore him! I'm really interested in what's going on in his head and want to see more! :([/spoiler]
Overall:
My reaction is mostly positive (with a few major caveats) and I am looking forward to 1) next season and 2) rewatching this season in retrospect.
Originally published at rusty-halo.com. Please comment there or at Dreamwidth.