he now puts those words into action by placing his trust in Dean without expecting anything in return. It's the not expecting anything in return that's key (or, at least, one of the keys). Up till this point every argument that anyone has offered Dean has revolved around someone else's needs, has been about insisting that he continue to give because it's what other people need, even though he has nothing left in the tank. And then finally Sam makes this offering and it is no longer about receiving something from Dean, but instead is about giving - putting something back into that empty tank. It's perfect.
Zachariah and Ruby managed to circumvent Dean’s desperate attempts to throw his brother a lifeline (the apologetic phone call, following Sam to the convent), thus ensuring that Sam saw no other way than to go through with his decision to kill Lilith. Damn, I wish they knew about that altered phone message!
I get more and more angry about Castiel beating Dean up the more I think about it. It is such a self-centred action - 'this person has disappointed me, so I am going to punish them'. It isn't designed to make Dean change his mind - in fact could almost be calculated to push him further away. It's all about Castiel trying to make himself feel better. Dean doesn't try to defend himself at all, he pleads with Castiel to stop hurting him, he flinches when Cas steps forward to knock him out because he expects to be hit again...it adds up to a very unpleasant side of Castiel's personality, one that even now has no understanding of human frailty or of the mutual give-and-take required from any truly meaningful relationship. He has no compassion for Dean, has no interest in understanding what is wrong. All he can see is his own anger, his own needs - and his own desire to punish. He needs to learn a sharp lesson, fast. I'm just not sure I can see it happening - I mean, if he can't understand the pressure on Dean and his depression now, when they have been through so much of this season together, how can he ever? All this scene tells us is that Castiel has only ever been aware of his own needs, leaning too heavily on Dean to let himself see how damaged he was and how badly he, in turn, needed support.
ETA to add Maybe even more devastating though is Dean’s calm resignation at the prospect of stopping Lucifer in Sam’s body. Where once killing Sam would have been Dean’s worst nightmare, he now accepts it as part and parcel of his decision to surrender to Michael. I think the key point here is that if Sam said yes and became Lucifer's vessel, he would already be dead - witness Sam's reaction to Dean's decision to surrender, he saw it very much as suicide. So it wouldn't be Sam Dean/Michael would be killing, because Sam would already be dead, I think both brothers would see it that way. It would be putting down the evil thing that had killed him and was wearing his skin - and would also mean that Dean himself was no longer around to have to see it happen. Even though they both met Jimmy and know he was conscious at least some of the time while a vessel, they both still see becoming the vessels of an archangel as suicide. So I think that slants their perspective on that battle somewhat.
no subject
he now puts those words into action by placing his trust in Dean without expecting anything in return.
It's the not expecting anything in return that's key (or, at least, one of the keys). Up till this point every argument that anyone has offered Dean has revolved around someone else's needs, has been about insisting that he continue to give because it's what other people need, even though he has nothing left in the tank. And then finally Sam makes this offering and it is no longer about receiving something from Dean, but instead is about giving - putting something back into that empty tank. It's perfect.
Zachariah and Ruby managed to circumvent Dean’s desperate attempts to throw his brother a lifeline (the apologetic phone call, following Sam to the convent), thus ensuring that Sam saw no other way than to go through with his decision to kill Lilith.
Damn, I wish they knew about that altered phone message!
I get more and more angry about Castiel beating Dean up the more I think about it. It is such a self-centred action - 'this person has disappointed me, so I am going to punish them'. It isn't designed to make Dean change his mind - in fact could almost be calculated to push him further away. It's all about Castiel trying to make himself feel better. Dean doesn't try to defend himself at all, he pleads with Castiel to stop hurting him, he flinches when Cas steps forward to knock him out because he expects to be hit again...it adds up to a very unpleasant side of Castiel's personality, one that even now has no understanding of human frailty or of the mutual give-and-take required from any truly meaningful relationship. He has no compassion for Dean, has no interest in understanding what is wrong. All he can see is his own anger, his own needs - and his own desire to punish. He needs to learn a sharp lesson, fast. I'm just not sure I can see it happening - I mean, if he can't understand the pressure on Dean and his depression now, when they have been through so much of this season together, how can he ever? All this scene tells us is that Castiel has only ever been aware of his own needs, leaning too heavily on Dean to let himself see how damaged he was and how badly he, in turn, needed support.
ETA to add
Maybe even more devastating though is Dean’s calm resignation at the prospect of stopping Lucifer in Sam’s body. Where once killing Sam would have been Dean’s worst nightmare, he now accepts it as part and parcel of his decision to surrender to Michael.
I think the key point here is that if Sam said yes and became Lucifer's vessel, he would already be dead - witness Sam's reaction to Dean's decision to surrender, he saw it very much as suicide. So it wouldn't be Sam Dean/Michael would be killing, because Sam would already be dead, I think both brothers would see it that way. It would be putting down the evil thing that had killed him and was wearing his skin - and would also mean that Dean himself was no longer around to have to see it happen. Even though they both met Jimmy and know he was conscious at least some of the time while a vessel, they both still see becoming the vessels of an archangel as suicide. So I think that slants their perspective on that battle somewhat.