The Girl Next Door
And I'm getting the vibe that that's an unpopular opinion?
There's a lot to this episode, but I'm probably just gonna focus on the thing everyone is so worked up about, cause I've got a lot to say about it.
Yes. Dean killed her. Here's my question to the masses...why exactly does that shock/massively horrify you? In my opinion, Dean did nothing out of character tonight. In fact, I am adoring this season simply because nothing is fucked. It's like a return to the good ol' days of Supernatural when Dean wasn't randomly acting out of character just to force distance between him and Sam and he wasn't running off with a random cardboard cutout of a woman. He was just Dean. I mean, think about it.
He's trying to keep Sam on the rails. Desperately trying. And for Dean, the amount of trust he's giving Sam is phenomenal. I mean, he is worried as hell about his little brother and he's freaking out, but he's obviously trying his best. Shit, last week he fucking brought me to tears with his speech about what's real....he's doing his best, here. Is there any wonder he flipped when he found out Sam had gone off on his own? Yeah, even if he's trying to focus on what's real, there's no escaping the fact that last time Sam went off on his own it was roadtrip with Satan time and he was shooting his gun in an empty warehouse. I get why Sam did what he did too, but not answering his phone didn't exactly make it look like he was stable on Sanity Island, either.
So then he punches Sam. Which I mean again, ok, how is this new? They're brothers. Hell, they're boys...is it really surprising that someone's gonna get a punch here and there? Dean has punched Sam before. Sam has punched Dean before. And not only under horrific circumstances, it's happened sometimes when everything was ok pretty soon after, too. I understood why he did it, in any case, and most of that was worry for Sam. I mean like he said, the things that could've happened, Sam going off on his own in that state...it really could've been bad. Dean had every right to worry. Because yeah, Sam may be learning to deal, but all things considered it is more than reasonable to think it might take Dean awhile to learn that and be sure of it, because Sam was pretty bat shit crazy there for awhile.
so then he tells his story, and I think it's plain, Dean actually understands. and I mean, Sam...finally accepting himself for who he is, being alright in his own skin...I hate that it took craziness for that to happen, but I wanted to hug him and cry. he's so amazing. But here's the thing....I don't think Dean was lying about trusting Sam. or at east, about wanting to trust Sam. I feel like that was utterly genuine. But everyone's gotta admit, even when he's not being blind and stupid about it, Sam's got a thing for the monsters. Madison, anyone? Sure, Sam wants to believe her. Maybe she even thought she was telling the truth and hell, maybe she even was. But as a hunter, sometimes there are risks you can take and risks you can't. Look at where Dean is right now: he lost Cas. He's seen betrayal by soooo many others. Right now, I think the only people he does trust are Sam and Bobby, because no one else he's tried to even sort of trust has turned out to be who he thought. Granted, I think he could've learned to trust Cas again because Cas really was family, but that wound is fresh too and everyone on the outside of the family....they can't get that luxury of the benefit of the doubt, right now. He's learned better. so yeah, I think he believed Sam trusted her. and I think he agreed that Sam had some good reasons. I honestly don't think his actions had anything to do with mistrust of Sam, just a distrust of the world outside of the Winchester/honorary Winchester clan. Because sure, Sam might have good reasons to believe her, but she could still be lying to him, and she's a monster.
Do I agree with her death? That's a hard question. I can see both sides here, and I honestly don't know what I'd choose....but I think I'd probably do exactly what Dean did. And I've always said I'd never kill kids, but under those circumstances, I might could've worked up the nerve to kill the kid too. I can see Dean from season 2 doing this, guys, I can. He'd have been more visibly torn up by it then, sure, to those that know how to read him well at least, but it's vital to remember all that time Dean spent in hell in addition to his recent losses....he's still the same man, but when he has to make decisions like that, he's gonna be colder about it. Plus I mean....really, this is the same kind of thing he's always done. He's protecting Sam, from disappointment and hurt and what had to be done.
So....yeah. I didn't have a problem with his actions at all. I thought they were perfectly in character and I could understand and...I dunno. I just loved all of it. For me, these first three episodes have been heaven.. I wanna like....crawl inside them and hug them for days, lol