Will The Real Dean Winchester Please Stand Up?
No doubt this season has gone in a daring new direction. So much focus and so much outrage has been placed on Sam. He’s not right, he’s soulless, now there’s big doubt that he wants his soul back even though he’s telling Dean he does.
We’re not here to talk about Sam though.
I’ve read several comments where some have been worried about Dean’s character direction as well. So what is going right/wrong with Dean this season? Has his characterization been as uneven as Sam’s? Or is it a case that he’s being written as too soft and often uncaring? Is he just going through the motions and does he really care what happens to Sam? Why is he sticking with Sam on this when he can’t trust him? Is it that sense of duty and obligation that he can’t shake or that he’s got nothing better to do?
What do you think of Dean not being able to let go of Lisa? How even in episode eight we see him somberly in the motel room thinking of calling her. How he’s silently suffering without her. How many are wishing he would let her go and move on? Is it Sam’s sorry state that’s preventing him from going back to her or is it the guilt over putting her and Ben in harm’s way? Or is it what he told Veritas, he’s a killer and can’t change that? Is this another case of Dean’s low self esteem holding back his happiness? He wasn’t happy though, so why is he even bothering? Gah, it’s quite maddening isn’t it? Maybe this is just a case of the heart wants what the heart wants.
I for one thought that Dean being turned into a vampire was a fascinating, mind blowing turn that shook him to the core (and rightfully so). His reaction after that over Sam’s betrayal and lashing out at his brother seemed dead on to me too. However, that’s just two episodes. How has Dean been all season? He certainly doesn’t seem to be the confident, “give them hell†hunter of seasons past. Yet as he’s proven a few times he’s vicious in a fight. Where is Dean going? What is his purpose? I constantly feel he is on autopilot and is acting without any sort of a mission. Is he just waiting for that day when he’s covered in his own blood?
Okay, here’s the hot button question. Where do you want to see Dean go from here? Do you trust his character will be handled properly?
I’ll state the two rules of the discussion up front. Keep the comments respectful, constructive and no knocking down Sam at the sake of building up Dean. One brother is not better or worse than the other. Other than that, be open and honest. All opinions are welcome and valid, even frustrated ones. Let’s get to the bottom of this together! It gives us something fun to do on this holiday week.
Alice I swear to God I don’t know.
I don’t know if Dean is just waiting for Sam really screw things up so badly that there is not a coming back to where they were, or he just so sick and tired of everything that he is just going with the flow.
One thing is for sure, he knows (deep down – and it hurts him – and me) this “man” who is sitting beside him in the Impala is not his “pain in the ass little brother”… he knows “Sam” is not there. There is this “empty body” where Sam used to be. And as much as I loved the ideia of a souless Sam, I have had it…
I admire the showrunner and the writters for having the balls to “mess” with the core of the show – the brothers’ relationship – and I really think is bold and interesting…
But I still want Sam back –
Ok last episode it was funny to see his and Dean’s banter back and forth – but at the end of the day (episode) it becomes so sad, because it’s not SAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They are the show – Sam and Dean – Dean and Sam – the brotherhood, the puppy dog’s eyes, the bitching, the caring, the family… I do miss that.
I’m really sorry, because I have already read that some people are really enjoying this and having a blast with this “Sam” and they think that it should continue …
Whatever!!!
I want my Dean back, and I want my Sam back.
You asked if I trust the character of Dean would be handled as it should – no I don’t.
And I really don’t know where Dean should go from here, because his sidekick is not here.
Should he go back to Lisa? I wish he could.
Should he continue hunting? Maybe. But not as a buttler for Crowley (I love the character, but I just can’t see Dean or Sam for that matter being the servers of Demons up to the end of the season.)
And I ask why should they??
Do “Sam” really want his soul back?
Who REALLY has his soul?
You know something I miss the time where all we had to worry about was the Apocalipse!!!:lol:
Good old times!! 😈
Just rambling – put I had to put this in writing, it was bugging the hell out of me.
Take care everybody,
Clarice
It’s a journey. Always has been with these two. I sometimes look at Dean this season and feel like he is thinking “God, I am having to clean up Sam’s mess AGAIN.” He is kind of the epitome of “I am my brothers keeper.” He’s had a taste of life outside of hunting and I believe deep down he wishes he could have the best of both worlds. I also think he is sick of being hell’s chew toy and heaven’s wonder boy. I don’t see him as being too soft. I see him as tired. Tired of dealing with Sam and the messes he gets in to (granted him coming back without a soul was not his fault), I think he is tired of being pulled between two lives. I think he is tired of shouldering all the worry and responsibility and often times blame. When I think he just wants someone to tell him he is doing a kickass job and he is going to be ok
For me, Dean is way too soft this season. Sam’s soullessness would be easier if we knew at least one of the brothers had his act together.
Dean’s low self worth and his whiny attitude is NOT Dean Winchester. And no one knows that better than Jensen. Jensen has a knack for seeing from the viewer’s perspective, and his comments about his character were well founded. Those comments by the way were right after wrapping 6.08 and just after starting 6.09.
Unfortunately they were taken to mean he was unhappy with the show, which is silly. He like anyone else has a right to an opinion about a character. This one more so that anyone else. Like everyone else who had problems with the series, he cared enough to express a criticism. That’s what loyal fans do. But they won’t do it forever.
Dean needs to be Dean again, and then he can help Sam. They need to get the big brother/little brother roles back. That’s when the boys complimented each other so well. Dean needs someone to need him, someone he can protect and feel is family, and Sam needs someone to look up to, the big brother as he has said many times he wants, and no, that is NOT something you grow out of.
And, no I don’t trust that his character will be handled properly. They lost sight of it in season 5, and I have seen no intention of them restoring it so far this season. That will be a big loss to the show.
I think that Dean, in a way, is “soulless” too. You’ll recall that last season, Pestilence said that there was nothing inside him — whether he meant lack of soul, dead inside, or both (is there a difference?) was never clear. Dean’s been sick of “the life” for a while now (since season four — although there were intimations of it earlier). All that ever really mattered to Dean was family, and he’s now lost *both* of them (along with all of his friends like Ellen, Jo, Ash & Pamela). At most, he’s got his surrogate dad, Bobby.
Is he just going through the motions? Maybe. I think he’s unleashing some pent-up rage in decimating vampire nests and such. But what other option has he got? Death? Heaven sucks and Hell is … Hell. I don’t think he can go back to Lisa and Ben because he doesn’t want to jeopardize their safety (that kind of might be too much for him to recover from). So his only hope of having something to live for lies in getting Sam’s soul back. And Sam doesn’t seem too big on that idea.
Tricky. I usually define Dean in relation to Sam and as that isn’t an option at the moment it’s hard to say. He does feel wrong, but I couldn’t say if that’s the writers showing his inner exhaustion and apathy or the writers not really having much of a clue what makes him tick any more … Only time will tell. I hope he gets his mojo back sooner rather than later though, I enjoyed this week’s snark-fest … It brought back happy memories. I miss the old violent smart-arse of days gone by. :cry::
Dean had a year to recover. Even if he wasn´t all happy and apple pie he had some time to figure thing out. I always thought of the time with Lisa as a kind of vacation (even when he missed Sam badly).
But obviously he didn´t.
Where do I want Dean to go from here? I don´t know, I would like to see both of them happy or at least ok for once.
I can say that since I first laid eyes on Mr. Dean Winchester, he has not disappointed me in any way since.
He has taken more horrendous lumps than any other could have without being taken screaming and babbling to the insane asylum. He has overcome so very much. He needs to be needed and when he doesn’t have that (as of right now with soulless Sam) of course he is deflated and struggling to continue to survive without it. Doesn’t mean he doesn’t care. He is just so alone right now and even Bobby doesn’t seem to be in the helping Dean cope mood lately. The little brother he has cared for since he was 4 and feels like a father would towards a beloved son is completely missing and seeing his likeness in front of him and knowing it is hollow inside must be killing his spirit. If he didn’t care so damn much he wouldn’t appear to be apathetic or uncaring.
Some think he is whiny. If anybody had more reasons to appear whiny in this saga, it is Dean! Season 2 he put up with the constant Sam whine of ‘I’m going to turn evil’ and ‘please kill me if I become a monster’. I’m not picking on Sam as he had good reasons for how he felt. I’m just saying let’s cut Dean a little slack right now. He went to hell and when he came back and finally shared some of his feelings about it, was told “boo hoo” by two of the persons he loves most in the world. This after being begged to unburden himself!
I’m hoping when Sam’s soul is returned (and sooner than later please) Dean’s relief will know no bounds. At least I hope so. Some sincere hugging would make up for the depressing beginning of this season. I don’t believe for a moment that deserting his brother would ever enter his mind. Sam is like a son to him and that bond would never be forgotten. I am aching for a reunion along with tears shed by both boys and the two of them taking on the baddies of this season together as a well-oiled team like they used to be.
And that is how I would like Dean’s characterization path to follow in the near future.
I personally think deep down Dean has been a big softie from the beginning. But I don’t think that that makes him soft by any means. I just think that at this time in his life he has moved to a place where he is more apt to let it show. After Sammy took the swan dive, I think Dean came to his big fork in the road. One way lead to the sunny side of the street so to speak with Lisa and Ben and a “normal life”. The other, the always dark, foreboding, lonely, terrifying road of a hunter. Where you are covered in blood until you are covered in your own blood. Dean is badass when he needs to be to get the job done, vamp and sniper Dean come to my mind. And can be damn hot while doing it. But he just doesn’t need to be badass Dean all the time.
Lisa and Ben showed him that it is okay to be a bit more empathetic, and now that Sam is soulless and has completely lost that ability, someone has to be able to do it. If Sam and Dean where both shoot first and ask questions later, that would really be one hell of a mess for Bobby to have to try to get them out of.
Then there is the whole aftermath of losing Lisa and Ben. I totally understand the whole “not wanting to let Lisa go” thing. This is a woman and child that took him in when he had no where else to go. They excepted him unconditionally. He spent a whole year with them. And a year in the life of Dean Winchester is not just some casual thing. They took care of him as much as he watched out for them. They were in it together. I would find it much more unbelievable if he just never mentioned Lisa again. Because yeah, sometimes it is just, the heart wants what the heart wants.
Dean has spent most of the season so far kinda lost. But who wouldn’t be. Every new thing in life comes with a adjustment period. So what is the proper adjustment period for hunting again after a year of “normal life” spent as a father figure and loving partner? Especially when it is with your brother who was resurrected from hell without his soul and admits that he can’t care about what he can’t care about.
This is part of what I wrote in comments for Elle2’s review of Clap your Hands… But it really seems appropriate here too: After my meltdown while watching Exile on Main St., I have changed how I view our show. Now don’t get me wrong, I love the show more than ever, and watch it live, along with DVR. I have started just loving it for what it is. Without letting myself get bogged down with expectations and what-not. I have trusted the writers, cast and crew from the jump. I’m not gonna give up on them now. Sam and Dean have made it through all kinds of crap, and always ended up on their feet with the other by their side. And I believe this to be no different.
I know I have said it before, but I am on this crazy ride we call Supernatural, and plan to hold on and enjoy the trip to the very end. Oh and Elle2, I saved you the seat next to me! I’ll bring the snacks if you bring the tissues! Cause those two boys can still make me cry. 🙂 🙂
Thanks for doing this Alice. I am a Deangirl so apologies for the length of the post! I think this season has had its ups and downs, and, to me, Dean’s characterisation has too. A few notes by episode, and then my current concern at the end:
• Ep 1: I thought Dean was fascinating– family man, rusty at hunting so having to be saved by the others rang true. I thought showing how he had ‘assimilated’ was really watchable. His reaction to Bobby knowing about Sam and Dean not going with Sam at the end were heartbreaking and looked it.
• Ep 2: A couple of very strange scenes. Loved seeing Dean (and Jensen) looking after babies. ‘Locking down’ Lisa and Ben was really believable – as was his reaction to it at the end of the episode. But the fact that he basically played ‘the girl’ for parts of it, particularly in that scene that had him backing away from Shapeshifter Sam with the baby, but no weapon in sight at all was completely bizarre to me. Dean Winchester with no gun or knife and a monster walking towards him? Unlikely.
• Ep 3: I remember very little of this episode except that Dean was against Sam and Castiel torturing the kid and he was very fatherly towards the kid. Both of these rang true. Oh and his asking Cas to respond to Sam was good too.
• Ep 4: Thought Dean on the phone to Crowley and to Bobby during the fight were really good. And him getting on a plane for Bobby was believable. But Dean saying ‘it is not all about you’ and ‘selfish’ to Bobby struck me as wrong. I do not think Dean would have said that to anyone, let alone Bobby. Not because he is the perfect hero, but because he does not talk about stuff like that. I do think his line ‘More important than Sam?’ was brilliant though.
• Ep 5: Amazing. Practically perfect in every way. From asking Sam about when they had a drink together last, to scaring the fake vamp, to his reaction to Sam and Samuel when vamped out and choosing to go see Lisa and the brilliant massacre of the nest to his struggle to not drink to his heartbreak when he realised Sam had betrayed him. Incredible.
• Ep 6: I think Dean beating up Sam was really believable – seemed like he reached the end of his tether and snapped. I think it was right that he put the gun down, but the pause after that before he punched Sam made it seem less spur of the moment and more cold. Perhaps this was in character, but it was uncomfortable. Dean’s speech prior to that when Veritas was questioning him was really good, although I was sad that he had retreated once more to the ‘I am nothing more than a killer/blunt instrument’.
• Ep 7: Dean torturing the Alpha Vamp jarred. Yes he was angry and yes it did not hurt the vamp. But a few episodes back he had been against Cas and Sam torturing the kid for the Staff of Moses, last season in The End he was against Future Dean torturing and he was deadly against it in Season 4 in On the Head of a Pin before he was convinced. Why would he throw all that suddenly out the window? I do believe that Dean would not kill his grandfather though, so I thought that was right.
• Ep 8: Sniper Dean was very cool and his empathy towards the Shapeshifter (and his re-established stance against torture) was believable (although the parallels with Lisa taking Dean in may have been a little heavy handed writing-wise). His pain when NotSam said he did not really care about Dean was palpable and his growing concern at NotSam’s lack of feeling to others throughout the episode rang true.
• Ep 9: Thought the ‘I have to show my little brother the ropes’/Jiminy Cricket vibe was very believable and the humour was great. But I think the whole red cap fairie stalking scene and Dean’s Yellow Fever type terror was overdone and really out of character. Last week he was a sniper coolly taking down skinwalkers, a couple of weeks before that he was a vampire who decimated an entire nest. He has faced down angels and Lucifer. Why on earth would he be so freaked out by one faerie? Did not ring true at all. (Was this an editing choice? I assume with most scenes they try out a variety of ways to play something, and for some reason they chose this one for the final cut? Did not work at all for me).
Overall: The thing I find the most strange is the absence of urgency or any hint of desperation from Dean over the last three episodes, in getting his brother out of Hell/the Cage. Now that he knows for sure it is not Sam in front of him. i.e. since the beginning of Family Matters. Whatever changes Dean has gone through, Sam has always been the most important thing in the world to Dean. Why is Dean not tearing the world apart?
Granted in Episode 7 they did immediately go to get the truth from Samuel (and found out about Purgatory and Crowley’s involvement). And then in Episode 8, Crowley convinced Dean to go after the skinwalker by threatening Sam, which rings true. But a) Dean seemed to quickly forget that later when he decided to kill the pack leader. While I agree neither Dean nor Sam would countenance sacrificing 150 people to save Sam, Dean did not hesitate at all in dismissing NotSam’s query about his soul. And b) what could be the justification for Dean’s distraction with Faeries in Episode 9? While I loved it as a Supernatural episode, Dean now knows that Sam is in still in HELL with LUCIFER and has been now for OVER A YEAR and counting. Of all people, Dean knows what decades in Hell could do to someone. The longer he leaves it, the more horrors Sam could be enduring. Every second must count. When Dean was with Lisa he was tortured by these thoughts.
I am really hoping that the next new episode addresses some of this. I also hope that the writers come up a brilliant way to explain how Sam will have any semblance of sanity and humanity when he gets resouled. Perhaps his soul in not in fact in the cage as it was only ever designed to hold Lucifer. Perhaps it is in Purgatory or even Heaven (?put there by God as a reward for Sam’s sacrifice, but hidden from a preoccupied Castiel – or perhaps Cas knows it is there and not telling Dean is one of the regrettable things he has to do). Perhaps Sam’s soul has been ‘comatose’ in the Cage (or even within NotSam) so has been shielded. Perhaps Michael has shielded it/him within the Cage or perhaps his memories will be wiped by God/Castiel/Michael when he is rescued. Otherwise, how will Sam be anything resembling human or Sam when he gets released?
I found the initial mystery of ‘what is wrong with Sam?’ really interesting, as is the current odd couple vibe (although the throwaway line ‘I have killed a lot of innocent people’ from Sam has horrifying implications). Both Jensen and Jared have been amazing this season. Jared has really impressed me and Jensen is as always ridiculously good. But none of this helps me understand why Dean Winchester is not moving Heaven and Earth now to free Sam. I don’t get it. That’s where I want things to go from here. I still love Dean, Sam and Supernatural and my trust in Sera and Co is somewhat battered but still hanging on …
Do I think Dean has gotten soft? Yes. Is the characterization uneven? It’s a change from the past, but not inconsistent. Now, I credit that to Jensen more than the writers, since I think he is the one who is keeping Dean’s reactions consistent with who he is at the core. Writers may have wanted to soften Dean up even more than what we are seeing. Which would be unfortunate.
Currently, I think Dean is going through the motions and struggling with apathy, frustration, and loneliness. All of those things Dean has struggled with in the past, but he’s always had Sam there. This season, he doesn’t so I think it is clinically depressing him. At least, that is what I am hoping the writers and Jensen are going for.
I hope it does not last. Because especially with SoulessSam, SOMEONE has to step up and be the heart of the two, and that has to be Dean. Dean always has been the heart, I think. Sam was the sensitive one, but Dean was the one who cared about family the most. Dean is our emotional connection right now to the brothers and the show as a whole, and with Dean being apathetic and frustrated, the audience can easily follow in his footsteps.
So what I would like to see from Dean is: I want him to care more about Sam. I want him to dig himself out of that pit he is in, and actually SHOW Sam what it is to have a soul, what it is to care and love one’s brother, and to do whatever he can (morally reasonable anyways) to save him. So far the Jiminy Cricket has been all talk, Dean TELLING Sam how to behave, and what having a soul should mean. Sam is having doubts, because Dean doesn’t always articulate everything (like why he misses Lisa, because having a soul also allows happiness and closeness with someone). Sam needs to learn what having a soul really means, and WANT it. And he needs to learn that from Dean. It’s just that because of the pit Dean is in, and the losses he has suffered, he is not the most ideal teacher for Sam. But he has to step up anyways.
Furthermore, what I would like to see from the writers is more of a purpose for Dean this season. Season 4 and 5 he was the one the angels were pulling for, Heaven’s weapon. What is he this season? Just a brother’s keeper? Is it another Sam-Is-Special arc that’s already been done? I am hoping the writers have a bigger purpose for him.
Hi, boobula 😀
I’m enjoying the ride on the bus next to you! Tissues, check; chocolate, check; wine, check; popcorn, check; doggie, check; kitty, check; (good thing there’s lots of roomy seats!)
Do I think Dean is soft? yes and no. He’s always had a bit of a soft core to him, family especially but he’s also been good with kids and that takes a softness as well.
He can still be bada** (Vampires anyone! as well as handling Samuel and let’s not forget sniper Dean!) I love the layering that has happened. If after six seasons either character had remained exactly where I first met them it would bother me (and bore me) but each season has deepened the person and I like the journey.
Was he written OCC in Clap Your Hands, yep, and I still think that was mostly to play for laughs rather than to keep to the character. I can take a blunder every now and again, ’tis fine. As long as he doesn’t stay in Yellow Fever mode (and I have no belief he will) I’m good with him.
Do I miss a lot of his joy in his work (Hunting things, saving people, the family business) yes but I understand the whys of it. (It’s been a tough road for the character)
I’m hopeful that the brothers will ultimately find Sam’s soul, get it reinstalled and then find their way back to their relationship which will never again be Season 1 but again, I wouldn’t want that since that would negate all their growth and all their experiences. But finding themselves older, wiser, sadder but yet still loyal to the other…yeah, that works.
I have faith, in the meantime I got plenty of supplies and fun folk to enjoy the ride with.
I agree with most of the thoughts here…yes, Dean has changed. Yes, he has gotten “softer” and yes, this is not necessarily a bad thing.
It’s been very hard for me to watch this season, not because I don’t like the way the characters are being written but because it’s painful to watch them going through their lives. Sam is lost, and Dean is tired and beyond worn out, and obviously going through a major clinical depression. And anyone who has gone through one, or known someone who has gone through one, knows that’s not something you just snap out of…wake up one morning and go, oh, hey, I feel better now. It’s not being weak or whiney. Picture it as being trapped at the bottom of a well. No matter how strong or brave you are, it won’t help you get out of the hole. At least, not by yourself. Dean’s down there right now, and everything else to him becomes distant and unimportant; but he is “going through the motions,” because he hasn’t given up!
I believe Sam *is* going to get his soul back, and they’re both going to have to deal with the changes they’ve been through. But it’s not going to be (or shouldn’t be) a quick and easy thing, as in “oh, Sam’s got his soul back. Great. Let’s get back to work,” because that’s just not realistic. But hopefully they’ll be working together (eventually), because I can’t see either one accepting help from anyone else (except Bobby!)
My wish? I want Dean to regain his joy in life, and in “saving people, hunting things” because I think that’s what truly gives him purpose. But he’s not (nor has he ever been) a solo hunter. He needs a partner, needs family, to keep him grounded and happy.
One thing I do applaud the series for is *allowing* the characters to grow and change as the events in their lives affect them. As Elle2 pointed out, they can’t go back to their season 1 selves without negating all their experiences in the past 5 years. They have grown and that does mean change. That (for me) is what makes this show so fascinating…not just that the show reinvents itself periodically, but that they *don’t* reinvent the characters, but let them grow organically. I think it’s time we start appreciating who the boys are now, instead of whimpering about who they used to be.
Because, yeah, Sam will get his soul back. They will get back to being badass. They will get together again. I’m convinced of that. But in a different way than before, because Dean learned about shades of gray, and Sam learned about hard, cold necessities. Because Dean has learned to acknowledge emotions, and Sam has learned how to cut them out when he has to. Because they’ve finally learned to accept each other as adults, and not just as extensions of themselves. And to go back to where they were before–as enjoyable as it would be–is a disservice to them and the fans. I’m not the same person I was 5 years ago. Why should they be?
Sorry if this is long-winded and pretentious. I love Dean and would love nothing more than seeing him happy, but I’m fascinated by his journey!
Don’t forget that Dean thought that Sam was gone forever. So he put all his love into making it work with Lisa and Ben. But I don’t think he had completely grieved for Sam. (he did mention that he tried to get Sam back).
When Sam got back into his life, he tried to have both his families. But, Sam was and always will be number one.
Then, due to circumstances beyond Dean’s control, he lost Lisa and Ben. Then, he is confronted with the fact that Sam is soulless, and not the little brother he lost in ‘Swan Song’.
Dean went from having all this love, to where he is now, with nobody who loves him (except maybe Bobby, he did mention that Dean was his favorite :D).
So of course he is depressed and out of sorts, but when the powers that be (Sera and Co.) decide that Dean has had enough (and we have used enough tissues) then they will give Sam back his soul and Dean can then start being himself again because Sammy is going to need his big brother to help him over the guilt of what he has done for the last year.
As awful as things have been for Dean, I’m excited about the road he’s traveling. As Mizzou Girl stated above, he does seem tired. Just beat. I find the title of this interesting, since this seems the perfect chance for the real Dean Winchester to finally stand up. His entire life has been based off of his father’s will, protecting his brother, longing for something he couldn’t have. Now, his father’s will is fulfilled, protecting his brother isn’t a real option since Sam isn’t technically around, and besides, he let that go in allowing Sam to jump into the box. He finally got a family, loved it but found that it wasn’t enough. The core of what he based his existence on has shifted.
I’m not saying that he isn’t still Dean. He’s still loyal, snarky, bad ass (hello! Sniper! Vampire slaughterer! Beat down of soulless gigantor!) hot and so on. But the things he used to prop himself up, to define himself in the past, are missing. I believe he is going through the motions because of loyalty and habit. So what I’m looking forward to is his finding his new way. His new props so to speak.
I hope that one of those props will be a redefined relationship with his brother. One that is true, deep, beautiful, equal and HEALTHY. And as much as I know it won’t happen, another prop I’d like to see is a continuation of the relationship with his little family. Remember that happy/shy phone call with Lisa when she was telling him to get his ass home? Or their conversation on the stairs when he was told flat out that he was wanted for no other reason than being him? I loved that, and I think his being valued for himself, and KNOWING he is valued for himself alone, would be a wonderful building block to who he is becoming. But considering this is not a happy show…ah well.
Quick side note, I’m interested on how it is going to effect him in the long run that this time HE did the leaving. First time. Sure, he “left” in 99 Problems, but came roaring back with that wonderful wink.
What I’d really love to see, is Dean to grow comfortable within himself. To feel fulfilled in being the man who walked a long road, sacrificed, made mistakes, helped end the world, helped save the world, rose from hell, gave heaven the finger, loved, lost, fought, conquered and let go of who was nearest and dearest. The elements for this to happen are there, he has a chance to define himself without the loving push and pull of his brothers concern. He has a chance to define himself as someone separate from his family’s needs.
I miss Sam, I miss the relationship of the brothers. I can hardly BELIEVE how much I miss it! (It’s only a tv show, it’s only a tv show) But I am so, SO, hopeful of how what is happening now, with Dean, will influence (for the better) their relationship when Sam does return. It promises an equal relationship, equal load carried, equal weight leaning against one another, and equal need. A need born from love, respect, past history and trust; without the desperate ‘you are my only’ need that threaded Dean’s nucleus.
And this is WAY longer than I intended. I’m done with this, but not done with excitement and hope.
I think the reason Dean seems so different this year is that Sam is different. (Hello Captain Obvious.. Yes, I know!)
Here’s a little story to illustrate what I mean. I know a couple who had been married many years when he developed cancer. The surgery and the treatment made him weak and he simply wasn’t capable of doing all the things he usually did. He had to become a little more passive, more accepting of help. Meanwhile, she had to become a bit more assertive She was shovelling the driveway and driving more oten, and taking charge in a subtly different way than before the cancer. She moved and acted with a different confidence and strength. Obviously those characteristics and abilities had always been there, or she wouldn’t have been able to call on them. But they were only apparent when her husband was sick. Interestingly, as his health improved, they were able to go back to their more traditional, more comfortable roles.
What I’m saying is that the brothers have always made up for each other’s deficits. In past seasons, Sam was the more touchy-feely, emotive one, so Dean was more hard-ass. But now Sam isn’t being as compassionate or thoughtful so Dean is having to step in and pick up the slack. I think he’s showing the characteristics he’s always had (empathy, compassion, the need to make it right). It’s just they seem more obvious now, possibly even exaggerated because they’re so lacking in Sam. Dean is having to make up for that deficit.
And I don’t think he’s soft. Like someone else say, he was always a softie — look at him around kids, as early as Dead In The Water. And helping people was ALWAYS his mantra – see Wendigo (saving people, hunting things.) I think he’s finally maturing, because he’s willing to let that side show a bit.
I do agree, Dean needs to be needed. He doesn’t really see himself as worthy or valuable unless he is protecting or helping others. But, I don’t think it shows character regression to suggest he still has self-esteem issues. All of us have a personality traits we struggle with. We think we’re making headway and then life sweeps our feet out from under us, and we fall back into the familiar pattern. At least for a little while.
I also think it shows real maturity and character growth that he still thinks about Lisa and Ben. It means he’s capable about thinking of the long-term. It makes sense he was never completely happy, or at peace the year he was with them. His brother was dead, suffering in hell. Dean was grieving like anyone — How can I be happy when the person I love most is dead? But there must have been days and moments he enjoyed – fixing the truck or making the Wendigo mask with Ben, that wonderful feeling of sleeping beside someone every night (with all the benefits that suggest.. nudge, nudge, wink, wink), maybe even a tired body after a day on the construction site when he didn’t have to fear for his life but could see he’d accomplished something. He got a chance to glimpse a few of the sparkly moments of our so-called normal lives. (I don’t think any of us lead ordinary lives, but that’s a different subject.)
I think there is still a part of him that hungers for that stability, that warmth, that acceptance, even though he is starting to acknowledge that he is truly a Hunter too. And let’s face it, even the most happily married parents among us, have ocassional moments when we think about what we might be doing if we weren’t driving kids to hockey or cooking dinner. It’s pretty natural.
Finally, I think Dean is being set up for something.. maybe something good, maybe something bad. I’ve read a few people suggesting it, and wonder myself if he’s an Alpha. I think it’s intriguing that he’s been the subject of several Alpha attacks. And I thought a clue might have been dropped in the fact the fairies only took Firstborn sons (most folklore and religions have always considered firstborn males to be special). I think he’s got some special mojo which others will either want to stop him using, or get him to use. There’s got to be some payoff for the dangling Dean threads!
And somehow he is going to convince Sam that a soul is worth it — maybe an act of sacrifice, maybe another act of aggression, maybe a warm, fuzzy story (miracles and chick-flicks do happen!). He’s going to have to do something to show Sam a soul is worth more than suffering, even though Dean’s experiences to date would suggest otherwise. Because the brotherly relationship we all love and expect has to return sometime!
I’ll stop blathering now.
I’ll admit that I have a fondness for Dean over Sam, for various reasons. I think the issue with Dean this season is that we did not see the year without Sam except in a series of clips that were presented in a particular way to segue into the season premiere. We’ve been “told” about Dean’s experience, but we have not “seen” it. Now, from a storytelling perspective, I imagine this is an intended device. From a writer’s point of view, if I want to divorce a story from a previous one, then I have to consider what is the best way to go about that and then what tools I have at hand, i.e. time jump, the breadcrumbs of what might have been, etc. So, to me, that explains the disjuncture in the Dean character, if there is one.
From a character standpoint, though, I think that Dean has not so much softened as he began to relax for a spell. A year passed without event and life was establishing a normal pattern for Dean. Once Sam re-entered, that relaxation disappeared. But it had to, and we see, to a certain extent, that Dean expected it since he did not get rid of his weapons during that year. Now, I’m going to say something here that might not be popular, but it is my take on the Lisa/Dean relationship.
Many have said that Ben (especially as presented in the show’s montage at the beginning of the season premiere) stood in for Sam, and that the relationship echoed the mentor/mentee one between the brothers as seen in flashbacks of their youth. However, I think Lisa has been the real stand-in for Sam. I say this because (except for “The Third Man” workoutSam! and dreamDeam! scenes) the relationship between Dean and Lisa has been presented in a surprisingly non-sexual way. Even in the Twilight inspired encounter in “Live Free and Twi-Hard” the tension that was supposed to be erotic, to me, seemed almost satirical. But I think that the show acknowledges this subtly by having Sam make Dean promise to go to Lisa during “Swan Song.” Although Sam said it was about giving Dean a chance at an apple pie life, I would argue that it was Sam’s base knowledge of Dean and Dean’s need to be connected to someone, not something. It is a character trait that distinguishes the older Winchester brother from both his father and Sam. Both John and Sam have demonstrated a penchant for attaching to ideas – which was poignantly portrayed in “Dark Side of the Moon,” among other episodes, while Dean’s suffering in stories like “What is…,” “No Rest….,” and “The End” has been the result of attaching to individuals, specifically Sam. And this is one of the reasons why I think that Dean suffers. He needs to be connected to another person.
Now we see Dean disconnected from Sam, from Lisa, from everyone. While Sam has the benefit of not feeling the disconnection, perhaps even enjoying that disconnection, Dean does not have such a luxury. But he never has had that luxury. Even Famine’s observation about Dean’s emptiness in “My Bloody Valentine” was predicated on a series of experiences (Dean’s time in hell as a torturer) that capitalized on Dean’s innate empathy and need for companionship. For me, the most incredible story point to date was the show’s willingness to make Dean a torturer. The storyline hit at the heart of his character in a way that the show is trying to repeat with Sam.
I think, in retrospect, when Sam does regain his soul, we will see a similar catharsis. Where Dean is about connection, companionship, and the tangible results of those needs (family, brotherhood, hunting), Sam is about the capacity to love and the fragility inherent in making oneself vulnerable to love.
In the end, I have confidence that Sam’s soul will return and with it, the return of a Dean that is completely incomplete, which makes him the character that we love, but also the character that will always be the one who suffers in the world because of the world.
Another apology for long-windedness.
I think Dean’s characterization this season has run hot and cold.
Much of the consistency, IMHO, is a credit to Jensen molding the scripts he’s given to stay true to the character he’s created over five years.
This season, Dean has been dropped into alien circumstances (no pun intended, Mr. Edlund) so a lot of his familiar tropes are AWOL. That’s not necessarily a bad thing given characters need to grow and stretch. BUT compound that with a handful of new writers and new directors who seem to be missing some of the nuances of his character – those that we fans look for and revel in – and we get the OOC moments. Dean’s run from the Red Cap fairy is one of the most recent; with no ‘yellow fever’ to blame the behaviour on, it just wasn’t Dean – to the point it yanked me from the story and had me going, ‘huh?’ The scene seemed to be shot more for cool cinematography than accurately portraying his character.
Conversely, I like the way they’ve handled Dean’s relationship with Lisa. From season one, episode one, we’ve known that a) Dean doesn’t give his heart easily and b) family means everything to him. He loves Sam, his mom and dad and Bobby. Beyond that, he’s pretty closed off emotionally. He can certainly be charming, and I don’t think he’s ever callous, but he rarely, if ever, lets his emotional guard down.
I think he genuinely loves Lisa (and Ben) because they represent his idea/ideal of family – although I don’t know they’ve given us enough to know whether or not he’s ‘in love’ with Lisa. But, in this instance, I do think they’ve stayed true to his character. For someone whose prior long-term relationships were counted in days, he lived with Lisa and Ben for a year. To have him just walk away from them, wash them out of his life without another thought – that’s not the Dean we’ve grown to love over five years. I’m not advocating for L&B to be riding around in the backseat of the Impala, but to show Dean struggling with the disintegration of the relationship, to me, is very much in character.
I read an interview before the season began – and forgive me for paraphrasing because I can’t find it to quote from – that suggested that if the brothers were getting along, it would make for boring TV. It was another ‘huh?’ moment. At heart, Sam and Dean are like most brothers I’ve every met – they bicker like an old married couple, love pranking and one-upping each, will rib each other mercilessly if they screw up, etc. etc. and, from time to time, will have a right royal barney – but threaten one, and the other is right there. Then, they’re in sync, each protective of the other, fighting together against the common enemy. And isn’t that what we fell in love with in the first place?
Hey, I’m enjoying this season, warts and all, but add me to the list of fans tiring of the endless stretch of ‘it’ll get worse before it gets better.’ Enough already. I’m ready for the better.
Hey Alice, thanks for bringing this issue to the fore .. This really worries me … where Dean is going? How is he doing? What are they trying to do with him? I honestly don’t know if I like or not the way things are taking .. I’m seriously in doubt about what or which way Dean is following …
The major theme of the season was released: Sam is soulless, Crowley made the Winchesters his bitches, there are a bunch of Alphas to be caught .. bla bla bla .. But are you really sure at to ask about the Dean’s role in all this .. That’s what I wonder every episode I see ..
And each episode I see, I realize that Dean is far from Dean we know someday .. Do I like this new Dean? No way ..
I really have to admire and respect the courage of Sera Gamble and of the writers for doing this, because they are dismantling the characters that way. They are brave, yes, but I fear that this may be a shot in the own foot. This is risky and very, very dangerous. Because this can be brilliant, but at the same time can be a disaster of gigantic proportions.
We all know how the fans are overprotective about the main characters, on Dean and Sam. And even if the story of Sam soulless may seem interesting and very daring, this can also put the ground throughout the storyline about Sam.
And along with that comes the Dean’s storyline. Dean has always fought for what he considers fundamental: his family. Dean has always had in mind that to keep your family and save people was crucial. Remember the first season? “Saving peoples, hunting things, the family business” .. Saving people has always been the family business. And now? Dean went through so much, he went through so much suffering, he fought so hard for everyone, especially for Sam, and every day he sees his ” pain in the ass little brother” to be less and less his “pain in the ass little brother”. Dean has been stabbed by whom he most loved and love in a way he never thought.
And something inside him snapped. I still do not know what it is but he seems to me to be on autopilot. As if he doesn’t know what else to do, how and why to do. Dean is literally in no direction. And it’s so painful to see. Because even in his worst moments, Dean wasn’t so. It was as if he wasn’t himself.
I really miss the complicity, the friendship, horseplay, tricks, affection expressed at a only look between them. I want it back. I want to see Dean make sure he can send a demon to go to fucking hell and that Sam will be there, body and “soul” to him. Sam will always be the “Dean’s strength” and vice versa.
I sincerely hope this Dean which we are seeing in season is only a draft and that the real Dean, bossy guy, clueless, courageous and brave, will be back at some point. I hope he comes out of dormancy and apathy that he’s inside and that he can be back to take the reins of the situation at his hand. I hope never to hear from Dean that he did not want to have Sam around. I hope I never have to see the look full of doubt and pain from Dean when he looks at Sam. And never, never I want hear from Dean the he is a murderer! Dean is a son, brother, friend, husband and Dad! And he’s the best!! Someone have tell him it, and above all made him believe it!! Fuck!
And in my opinion, I think Dean is paying to see where Sam is going, how far Sam will carry this farce on the soul, hunting, family and everything. I just hope it all does not break Dean in a way that neither Lisa nor anyone else will can fix.
Neither Dean nor Sam deserve it.
A hug and sorry if I talked too much and was not even a little coherent .. I tend to ramble when I think about all this .. And of course, sorry for any gramatical errors but English isn’t my native language.
Thanks again and Brazilian hugs for y’all …
Actually, I think we are over-analysing a tad too much (no offence, folks, I’ve been guilty about that, too).
Personally, I like to have a sense of psychological continuity. And we are getting that.
If there’s something I’ve learned in those years I’ve worked with sick people then it’s: people always react in different ways. Just when I think I have fully grasped a person’s journey, they go and show me another side of them that makes me re-think all my theory.
Especially with people that have been through some kind of trauma, and we get that in spades here in this show.
So far, nothing happened that I would describe as TOTALLY incompatible with Dean’s character. I think it’s very brave to admit, even to himself, that he is a killer. He is not only that, he is much more – loving brother, loving partner, caring friend, tender soul, stout heart, etc – but he is also a killer. He’s been killing from his childhood days.
I think a huge part of the trials we have to master in our lives is – to embrace the dark parts of us.
I know what I’m talking about. I tend to be too hard on myself. But I’m learning. Thanks to people brighter than I
I’m constantly learning that having the occasional bad thought is only human. So is pain. Suffering. Love. Longing. Being wrong. Finding truth. Growing.
What I’m basically saying is: I still love Dean, and I am happy that the writers are going about his character and his journey in a logical way. There might be some twists we don’t really get or don’t want to have there due to personal issues and wishes, but in general Dean is one of the bravest, sweetest and, alas, most disturbed, people I’ve ever encountered in a tv show. And he is close to my heart.
Cheers, everyone, Jas
Oh Jas!
Hallelujah!
I do `love` you !
As Yvonne would say – YOU ROCK 😉
Thanks Jasminka. A beautiful post about our Dean.
As I said in my post, he has never disappointed me yet. I completely understand when he lets one of his weaknesses show. How could he not, unless he is a superman indeed! But he is entirely human, thank God. My HUMAN hero! Not with any kind of ‘powers’ or ‘deep destiny’ but just an exceptional human being, with great empathy and hardly any self esteem at all! And that is why I love him.
Regarding his running from the redcap, consider this. He had just been ABDUCTED (he though from aliens), discovered his beloved brother was so OK with it that he was banging hippie/chick in his absence, and had a frightening incident with Tinkerbell, who he finally defeated with the microwave. How is he supposed to take all this and still be all badass and tough inside? He’d have to be superhuman indeed! So the redcap was like the last frikkin’ straw. He was alone and had no one to impress so he ran scared. Don’t blame him a bit.
Also, Dean has always had a soft side that he liked to keep hidden but it kept popping out now and again even at the very beginning of the series. Lucas in “Dead in the Water” and Haley and her little family in “Wendigo” are just 2 examples. He is not, as he thinks ‘a mere killer’ but so many other good things that he never considers. Someone should show him those things. Lisa maybe already has but now he is cut off from her and Ben. I certainly believe that he truly loves Lisa and Ben, especially after living a whole year with them. I hope that he can keep in touch with them in the future as I truly believe they love each other and he so needs some unconditional loving.
I never made a secret out of it that I fell for Dean during the pilot. It just seems to be a character flaw that I love the Hunsolos of this world.
But I “lived” and suffered with Dean and Sam of the past years. Had my laughs. And boy did I enjoy the ride so far and still do. (Elle2 will you scoot over a little bit so I can share some of the popcorns with you. Even brought something to drink with me)
One of the reasons I love this show is that it lets the characters grow (unlike some other boring shows where the characters are the same from one season to another). Yes I do miss brotherly banter. While reading the comments I thought for a second that it would be great to have a season seven where both brothers are “normal” (no personal problems) and where they are just hunting. And then I thought a whole season of that very likely would be boring too. We do need the angst. It is just so much part of our show that it wouldn’t be our show without it anymore.
As for Dean. I do suffer with him. I constantly wish I could jump through the screen and give him a comforting hugh – or two – or three!!!
That man is not characterized as a softy this season. He has been a softy since he carried baby Sammy outside. Remember he gave is little brother the breakfast he wanted. He tried to give his brother a normal x-mas. He was ready as a teenager to go after the guy that beat up his little brother. The grown man always was very tender and soft with kids whenever he come across some. So no this softside is not new it is just showing now in each episode rather than just 2 or 3 a season where we only got glimpses of it.
And coming back to one of my favourit subjects. A grown man that has lived with a family and looses it. Of course he will miss them. And I for one want them to get back together again. What can I say I am a romantic.
Enough rambling. Alice I love how you manage to get these discussions started. Thanks for that.
I want S3 -4 dean back. In season 5 he was so hurt with Sam (first half of the season) and 2nd half he had lost the will to try anymore. The wink episode made my day and I thought ‘yes he is back’. Dean in Season 6 is too subtle for me, I liked the really loud mouth and the most caring brother you would want and if anyone said or wanted to hurt Sam, Dean would be there
I do prefer the ‘fighting’ and ‘brothering caring’ Dean and he seems lost. I hope Sam gets his soul back soon as I think Dean seems lost without him as he also wanting his brother around.
I don’t think he feels stuck with his brothers problems again, as Sam saved the world by jumping into the pit and Dean knows this. I think Dean is around the non souled Sam as he knows he doesnt have a soul and could do something stupid and doesnt want this to cause prolems for ‘real sam’ when he comes back. (he will have bad memories from Hell, he doesnt need any of the Robosam hurting inocent people) I do wish that Dean would stop calling the non soul guy Sam as he has already told him he is faking it and he is not Sam. I feel like he is being unfare to the real sam by talking and hunting with the robosam. Sam is probably being tortured in hell and there have been too many episodes not challenging this. Unless Sam has become Lucifer right hand demon) – Im hoping I’m stretching as I want the caring Sam back SOON
What I have always liked about this show was how the characters have changed and grown and made bad decisions (and good ones).
Dean’s not soft, people. He grew up. He let go of his brother last season, despite being probably the only human being in the world that knew his brother was suffering in hell (not dead). He let go for the good of others, not for Sam, and not for himself.
Why is he sticking with RoboSam? Because that’s the case he’s on. That’s his brother’s meatsuit, and he’s probably going to want it back. Dean is working the case (the get Sam out of hell case).
In case we forget here, as fans of the show, we have nothing on the line. We can walk away if the show doesn’t go the way we want, no harm, no foul. No one is going to judge us harshly if the show is just not our thing anymore. But “the powers that be”, “the showrunners”, “the writers”, whoever we want to blame for our angst and fears, THEY have their reputations on the line, their livelihoods, their futures. They care more about the characters and the story they created than we ever could. This is their baby. So maybe we let them tell the story? Find out where they are taking us?
We are still here after 5 years. There may never be very many of us, and we’re not that all important demographic, but don’t try to tell me that we want our show to sell out and take the easy road. Remember, “suffering’s the only game in town”.
Isn’t being human the game in town? As opposed to supernatural riff raff?
Being human means to be soft and strong. Good and evil. Well, but it’s never black or white, it’s mostly grey. And we’re getting plenty of all kinds of shades of grey…
I do miss the Dean Winchester of the 1st few seasons, with that irresistible charm, smartass attitude & loyalty to family. That’s who I fell for from the moment he appeared on the screen in the pilot episode. However, would I want that same Dean back now? No, he’s grown & matured & been through way too much to ever go back to that. I love the character precisely because he’s endured through everything that’s been thrown at him, & because he responds to it in a real way, whether that be anger, frustration, determination, acceptance, & dare I say, hope (he is still hanging in there with Sam, despite how grim things seem right now…again!)
Even when he was younger & put on the gruff, snarky exterior, underneath there was the vulnerable, “soft” side that allowed him to be a dad to his little brother, to care about the people he was saving while doing “the family business”, & to want a family of his own, even if he never dare admit it.
To me that soft side is a strength, not a weakness. It’s certainly a trait I’d want in a man, & it allowed him to accept Lisa’s choice to let him in her life & experience being a “family man”. He may be a killer, but look at how many other good people could be considered that too, when trying to do the right thing, such as soldiers & police. I’ve felt that way myself, as a veterinarian, when I perform a euthanasia.
I think Dean is tired & frustrated & depressed once again. After all that he & Sam sacrificed, there is still no peace. He’s lost Lisa & Ben, & it’s absolutely normal that this incredibly loyal man for whom family has been everything still misses them. He thought he’d lost his brother, & doesn’t know what to do with the NotSam that is with him now, but I don’t think he’s giving up. So he’ll keep soldiering on, until he finds a way to make it right. I don’t see him ever giving up on family; it is just too much of who he is.
When all of this is said & done, & the series does come to an end, however, there had better be peace for Dean & Sam! They’ve more than earned it!
Just had a thought. In Dark Side of the Moon, Ash says that only soulmates get to share Heaven. The implication being that as Sam and Dean had been together in their whistle-stop tour of Heaven that they were…so now that Sam is missing a soul, what does that mean for Dean? When Dean’s soul was in Hell it almost destroyed Sam….Hmmm..Perhaps too much over-analysing again. Note to self: it’s just a TV show, it’s just a TV show, it’s just… 🙂
I don’t view Dean’s character as being “soft.” As others have said, he has always had those characteristics, and because Sam does not have a moral center or empathy, those characteristics are being displayed more now than they have had to be in the past. Dean has a wonderful, beautiful, tender side, which he tried to hide most of the time, but life changes and you grow and mature and the year he spent with Lisa maybe helped him to develop that side of himself a little more. So, while he may be showing more of that empathetic side, he has definitely not gone “soft”.
Dean has always been an adapter. We’ve seen him pretty much adapt fairly easily to the circumstances and situations he finds himself in. And this season is no different, albeit, the circumstances he finds himself in with a soulless Sam is probably the hardest thing that he has ever had to deal with, so it is taking him longer to adapt. But, if Sam were to continue in this way, Dean would learn to adapt himself as best as he can and find himself again to best handle this situation. And that all ties in with why is Dean sticking with Sam. Sam is his brother, his family, no matter what. Family is family and you deal with what you are given. So, Dean is doing his best to deal and adapt with his current familial situation, as well as trying to restore his Sammy. Does he stay with Sam out of obligation? Well, don’t we all feel some sort of obligation towards our family members. So, yes and no. Family is family, but he also loves and cares for Sam, so he will always do what he can for Sam, and in this case it is to restore Sam back to himself and help him along the way however is needed.
I love that Dean is still thinking about Lisa. I too, believe that he loves and cares for this woman and deep down, is thinking and hoping that one day he will be able to repair his relationship with her and somehow still be a part of her life. She has become a center for him, a home, a place where he is loved and needed unconditionally, and as we all know and has been stated very eloquently already, Dean needs to be needed. It is at his core. And with Lisa, he is needed, but it is on more equal grounds, and that is why Lisa is so good for him. She needs him, but not in a desperate kind of way. She is independent and can survive on her own, but she still needs Dean. Despite Dean keeping a lot of things from her, I would dare say, his relationship with her has probably been one of the more healthy relationships he has ever had with another human being. So, I do hope he reconnects with her and tries to rebuild their relationship, but, for now, his focus needs to be on Sam and making him whole again.
Where do I want Dean to go from here? I want him to get his Sammy back first. And then I would like to see him heal the hole of hurt inside his own soul that has been plaguing him now since he came back in Season 4. It takes a long time to heal those kinds of wounds and I would love for him to make some great strides with that and, in turn, when doing that, he will start to feel more positive about himself and who he is, and not look at himself as “just a killer.” But he will look at himself as a good man, brother, friend…..and Father.
As far as trusting TPTB. I’ve trusted them this far, I will continue to do so. I just hope they won’t let me (and all of us) down.
I miss my Dean who was cool confident, older brother who kicked ass. I miss my Sammy who was sweet, cared, and looked up to Dean as a little bro should. This probably explains why I really don’t care about season six and hope there is no season seven. This show probably should have ended at season 5.
Honestly,
I think Dean has become a boring whiny bitch Long live Soul-less Sam, he is at least a little more fun than Suffering Martyr Dean, hanging on the cross of his own devise.