sweetondean’s Review – 7.11, “Adventures In Babysitting”
A special message from Alice: I’m very excited to announce that we have a new member of our writing team! After recommending her reviews for the last few months on our Review Roundups, I asked sweetondean to share her refreshing passion for Supernatural with us here at The Winchester Family Business as a staff writer. She agreed! I think she offers a perfect compliment to the reviews that we publish here and when I read this fair and heartfelt analysis on “Adventures In Babysitting,” I knew she belonged here.
You can get to know sweetondean by checking out her writer’s page. She’s been a fixture on Twitter for a while now and is well known by many in the fandom. For those of you on Twitter, give her a follow and welcome her to the team. You can also leave comments of welcome (as well as feedback) in the comments of this article or on her author page.
Welcome sweetondean! Now, the review…
Review – Supernatural 7.11 “Adventures in Babysitting”
Warning contains spoilers…
I’m not gonna quit. It’s not even an option. I’m not gonna walk out on my brother.
And we’re back,.though, it appears, not everyone made it through the hiatus alive,..
I always think there’s a lot of pressure on the mid-season premiere. Supernatural generally gives us a rip-snorted of an episode as the mid-season finale, often with a cliff-hanger, usually with something that rips our heart out and makes us scream no, or makes us gasp out loud, or cry buckets of tears. We are then left to our own devices for 4-6 weeks to ponder the outcomes and feed each others frenzy. As we get closer to S-day we start counting down and I mean that literally. We rewatch the last episode. We hungrily keep an eye out for clips, spoilers, anything that will give us a tiny hint of what to expect. We discuss and theorise possible outcomes, motivations, arc directions. By the time the episode actually airs, the excitement is palatable; as well it should be, because we love this show and every moment without it is a nightmare. But I think this level of anticipation, this build up, often leaves us feeling a bit flat.
I’ll be honest and say, traditionally, the mid-season premieres have not been the strongest episodes of the season. But what they do, particularly in the later seasons, is bridge the gap between the first half and the second half of the season and show us where our characters are and how they are dealing, or more specifically, not dealing with what ever tragedy just befell them. They give us a sense of where we go next and set up questions that will take us through the next 10 or so episodes. If we look at them from this angle, they do their job well. All this sounds like maybe I didn’t enjoy Adventures In Babysitting,.but, I did. For me, Adventures In Babysitting acted as a character piece, allowing us to, once again, witness the diverse nature of grief experienced by Sam and Dean. It also acted as a preamble for the remainder of the season by setting up some intriguing mystery and it stayed purposefully obtuse about the loss of Bobby and what his final decision was, stay or go, allowing for the possibility of something powerful to be revealed at a later date. It may have been a bit of a weak MOTW episode, but if you think for a minute Adventures In Babysitting was all about the Vetala, then you weren’t paying attention.
I liked how the passage of time was demonstrated after the loss of Bobby. Okay, before I go any further let’s talk about Bobby. As I said earlier, I feel like the writers are being purposefully obtuse as to whether Bobby chose to stay or go. We didn’t see Bobby answer the Reaper, we didn’t see the end result at the hospital, we didn’t see his body burned by the boys, a funeral, burial, cremation, nothing. For all we know he’s still in a coma in hospital, as per Dean in In My Time Of Dying, except that both the boys alluded to his death, specifically Sam saying he passed away, so we’ve got to assume he never made it through that final flat line. But by not discussing it in detail, by not giving us a clear cut answer it keeps us engaged with Bobby and his storyline, because we’re left wondering what he decided and how will this impact the arc moving forward. We’re left to imagine and discuss the possible options and outcomes. It leaves us with a glimmer of hope that maybe we might see him again in some form, and hope can be a hard thing to come by on Supernatural so we hang-on to it like it’s a life preserver! But most importantly, it leaves us intrigued by the possibility of a crack in the door. I thought that was smart writing, manipulative sure, but smart writing. Of course we also had the mystery of the disappearing beer. Was that Bobby, looking after that idjit Dean from beyond? Making sure he didn’t go the route of the senior Winchester and get lost in a mire of alcohol and grief induced revenge? Well only time will tell,.
As devastating as the loss of Bobby is to me, somewhere inside I feel like it’s a loss we had to have, because the nature of death in Supernatural was starting to lose meaning. It had almost become a gag. You die, so what, they’ll bring you back later. Death was beginning to no longer have the impact that it had when the boys lost John. I feel like we’re being shaken out of our complacency, that we’re being given a wake-up call. Real death still happens on this show and it still has a significant impact and a death this large is going to reverberate through the boy’s lives and somehow change them. It’s for this reason alone, that I have sort of come to a place of peace with the loss of Bobby (also because I’m still in denial), because if his death has an importance to the season arc or is imperative to the development of Sam and Dean, individually or collectively, then, as dead Ash said when he came back, I’m cool with it. Having said that, in my heart of hearts of course I hope it’s not forever, but I no longer feel cocky about that assumption.
Okay, back to the boys. Sam and Dean have always dealt with grief differently but somehow, they seem to have come to a place where they now share one aspect of their processing, they internalise. As they’ve got older and encountered more and more crap, they’ve turned less to each other to unload. A lot of this comes from the breakdown of trust they’ve experienced through their various transgressions and lies. You can’t expect them to just open up, not when there’s been so much water under the bridge. Once upon a time, Sam would have tried to make Dean talk, but not anymore, he knows it’s futile, he knows his brother wades through denial like no one else. Once upon a time Sam may have tried to open up about his feelings, but now Sam’s dealing with a whole other problem inside his head. Seeing them sitting on the couch in silence, experiencing their own grief personally and yet together was powerful. Jensen and Jared need only look at each other to show the well of emotion their characters are feeling or show Sam and Dean’s isolation even though they’re sitting next to the person they love most in the world. I got the sense from those looks that each wanted to reach out, but neither no longer knows how. There was a tragedy to that scene that just floored me.
Three weeks in, as they moved through their grief they both took different paths which I felt was totally appropriate to how they would react. Sam chose to follow a case that related back to Bobby. The kid of one of Bobby’s hunter friends needed help. Sam chose to go that route; I’m sure thinking that if he could save this one life it would give some kind of meaning to everything. Restore some kind of balance. Dean chose to bury it all deep as usual and angrily pursue revenge, focusing on the numbers Bobby gave them with his dying breath and continue the search Dick Roman. In having a separate focus, they went their separate ways. This would usually freak me out! But though they weren’t working together, they never actually felt apart. They kept in contact, didn’t cut the other out, ensured the other knew what was going on. Sam told his brother he could do with his help. Dean dropped everything when he realised Sam was in trouble. They weren’t working the same case, but they were still working together. Somehow, this felt like a step forward. It felt like they were leaning on each other just a little.
As Sam went in search of the missing dad, Dean went in search of the silent Frank, only to find that the conspiracy nut had gone even further off the grid due to helping Sam and Dean with their Leviathan problem. Dean’s interactions with Frank reveal some things about Dean and his grieving. He doesn’t want to talk about Bobby, getting openly hostile when Frank tries to share stories. He appears even more torn than usual about living the life, but he resolutely will not leave his brother. That and revenge seem to be the only things moving him forward right now. He’s so bottled up it’s explosive. He’s operating on fumes. He’s tired. When he finally crashes out, Frank lets him sleep for 36 hours. When he wakes up, Dean gets some advice from Frank about how to keep going. I’m not so sure it was what Dean needed to hear quite frankly. Frank essentially told him to either quit or fake it. Wake up everyday and slap a smile on your face because that’s what you do because it’s your job. You’re alive. Be a professional. To quote T. S. Eliot, “Put on a face to meet the faces that you meet.” ad: bury your pain. The last thing Dean needs to be told is to bury his pain. He’s already a master at that. And I mean, look at Frank, the man is obviously buckets of crazy, and as we find out, after finding his wife and children butchered in his home, he’s been burying his pain like a dog with a bone ever since. No, Dean needs to get it out, somehow, and I think he will and I think when it happens, it’ll be violent.
When Dean finally gets the message from Sam and realises Sam’s working on old information, he leaves Frank to continue the surveillance of the mysterious field owned by Dick Roman enterprises and hot foots it to find his brother. In doing so, he meets Krissy, the daughter of the missing hunter. Personally, I adore any interaction Dean has with kids. I love the way he speaks to them. He susses Krissy out almost instantly as a tough brat of a hunter and talks to her accordingly. He talks to her like she’s got a brain. She calls him a dweeb. During their conversation we also get to hear a story from when Dean was hunting and Sam was at Stanford. I may or may not have geeked out a little over this! I love nothing more than hearing about the brother’s lives before we met them. Of course this also gave Dean the chance to tell Krissy she could go to Stanford too. Become a hunter/paediatrician. He’s a good man Dean Winchester, with a great big heart and I love it when we get to see this side of him.
Of course, Sam’s case of Krissy and her missing father, directly mirrored the lives of Sam and Dean. Murdered mother, father driven by revenge, kid dragged along for the ride. By saving Krissy’s father and then by saving Krissy from the brother’s fate of living the life, the Winchester brothers finally got something they desperately needed. They got a win. Lord knows they need a win every now and then.
As the episode comes to a close we have the two brothers, alone in the car. They discuss how good it is to finally walk away from a case feeling like they’ve made a difference. Dean asks Sam how he’s doing. Sam openly admits, once again that he’s not doing great, but says he just wants to work, saying to his brother, “Should I even ask?” Of course, Dean answers, “I’m fine,” and also just wants to work, after all, they are professionals. Sammy knows it’s a heap of crap, frowns at his brother, turns up the music and swings around to try and sleep off the recent attack. Then as his little brother rests beside him, Dean takes Frank’s advice and practices smiling,. Though his eyes are filling with tears, Dean practices smiling,. He’s going to fake it. That’s how he’ll be able to keep going, by faking it, by putting on a smile. In this moment, Dean’s true level of grief and despair is revealed. This scene. This scene was amazing. To be honest, I burst into tears. Great big wracking sobs. Jensen Ackles is just, I don’t know, I can’t even put it into words. Why these two guys don’t get the kind of kudos their far less talented peers receive is one of life’s great aggravating mysteries.
“Adventures In Babysitting” was in absolutely no way the best episode of the season, I think we’re all honest enough to say that, but it offered us a lot to think about and I feel like that was it’s job. It set up the mystery of what the Leviathan were doing in the field. It made us question what was the fate of Bobby, by keeping that information hidden and having that beer strangely disappear. And it proliferated the scenes with engaging characters such as crazy Frank and fiesty Krissy, which helped us see how the brothers are doing both individually and as a pair. Through conversations and actions, tragic and heroic, we saw Sam and Dean’s inner struggles as they process their grief. Sam always seems to be doing better, but his eyes and their sadness reveal his struggle with in. Dean is in a deep pit of anger and despair, but he’s going to try harder to hide it. I want nothing more in this world than for Sam to be whole again. I want nothing more in this world than for Dean to find his spark. I want them to come through this and be better for it. And that’s what I hope will happen, because though I feel like the worst is yet to come, I felt like some small progress may have been made here and this is why “Adventures In Babysitting” worked for me.
There’s been a lot of talk about the show no longer having hope, but I don’t see that, because I choose to see the Winchester brothers as the hope. As long as they keep getting up and fighting the good fight. As long as they keep battling evil and not letting the supernatural S.O.B.s push them around. As long as they stick together through everything, even when they’re mad with each other, then as I see it, there’s hope. Because they do keep getting up and fighting the good fight. They do keep choosing their own paths. They do stick together. Maybe they sometimes forget why, maybe they sometimes can’t stand the pain of it, but they do keep doing it and in a way, that shows they still have hope. It shows that somewhere inside them, they still believe that they can win. They still believe that good can triumph over evil. They still believe that what they’re doing means something. They still believe in each other. And this gives me hope. They give me hope. And that’s all I need.
Well, there you have it….I’m nothing if not optimistic, though some may say delusional…feel free to tell me in the comments. But one thing you should know, I’m on this journey with the Winchester brothers until the end, thick and thin, good and bad, I joined this ride a long time ago and I’m sticking with them.
- – sweetondean
Remarkable review. The best one I have read on this episode. I liked AiB, except for Krissy, and this article made me realize why it worked for me.
Your outlook gives me hope that there is hope that the Winchesters will end this season on a happier note and in a better place than anything I’ve seen in the past two years.
One interesting thing you brought out with the opening scene was that they were together, yet separate. I’ve been feeling that there is a real emotional separation this season, even though the brothers are together, and I’ve felt that it comes from Dean being on a downward spiral all season. I want that resolved because, actually, Dean has been spiraling down since the end of S4. What you pointed out is that Sam has learned not to push, push, push like he used to. I noticed that, too, but what I want for Sam this season is to be the one to get through to Dean, because I think Dean’s going to get a whole lot worse. Helping Dean will, I think, help Sam.
Anyway, great review and I sure welcome you to WFB and look forward to more of your reviews. It was very optimistic, just when I needed to hear some optimism.
Thank you for your review. Finally someone who is on the same wavelength as I am. It is hard to read so many that I don’t relate to. I do feel as though I am in the minority so thank you for so eloquently stating what I feel but could never write. I especially relate to your statement of:
“As devastating as the loss of Bobby is to me, somewhere inside I feel like it’s a loss we had to have, because the nature of death in Supernatural was starting to lose meaning”.
I truly agree with that statement. It is not the far fetched monster aspect of Supernatural that keeps me glued to the show; if that were all it had to offer I would never have gotten past the first few episodes. It is the real, human aspect that I love. The rocky yet love filled relationship between the brothers mirrors real life. In the real world people die and stay dead and the effects on the loved ones left behind are devastating. In the real world people don’t handle death at all well. Bobby’s death has meaning and the boys don’t know how to cope or even how to turn to each other. This show mixes the un-real and real in a way that makes it all believable.
I don’t know what the future holds but I always look forward to each week and what we are given. I don’t always like what we get (Defending Your Life is a perfect example) but I always find something within each episode to love.
I didn’t discover Supernatural until January of 2010. I loved Season 6 and I am equally loving Season 7. Perhaps being a late-comer to the show is the explanation for this because it seems the ones least satisfied with seasons 6 and 7 have been there from the beginning in 2005. Of course I could be completely off base with that theory. Whatever, like many have said, I will continue to sit back and enjoy the ride.
I look forward to reading more reviews from you sweetondean. Thank you.
WELL U EITHER IGNORED THE RADIO PODCAST OR DIDNT HEAR IT LIKE I. NEVERTHELESS I LIKE THIS EPIS. NOT LOVE B/C NOW B/C OF THE 2 ARTICLES B4 I AM PERPLEXED.
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A DOUBT ABOUT THEIR LOVE NOR DEVOTION TO ONE ANOTHER.
JENSEN CAN DO NO WRONG W/ ACTING. THEY REALLY NEED TO LET HIM BE ON AT LEAST HBO OR SOMETHING DURING HIATUS. I AM AFRAID HE WILL BE STUCK IN ONE GENRE FOR LIFE. HES TO GREAT OF AN ACTOR FOR THAT.
HIS DENIAL AND TO KEEP GOING ON IS EXACTLY WHAT I DID AT AGE 18 WHEN MY MOTHER DIED. NOT ONLY THAT I WENT BACK TO COLLEGE AFTER A NEW ORLEANS FUNERAL.
HAD THE 1ST & ONLY MIGRANES EVER BUT I PERCIVIRED.?
SO OF COURSE DEAN WENT TO HIS LITTLE BROTHERS SIDE WHEN HE WAS NEEDED.; AFTER ALL THATS HIS SOLE REASON FOR BEING?? AM I WRONG??
YES I KNOW HE IS MICHAELS VESSEL & THEY MESSED THAT UP SO WHATS TO COME??
I MUST SAY MAYBE BECAUSE I AM A WOMAN WHO LOVES SOME DEAN, BUT I NEVER EVER SAW KRISSY AS A YOUNG FEMALE DEAN. I SEE IT NOW BUT NOT WHILE I WAS WATCHING. WISHED SHE WOULD HAVE KISSED HIM ON THE CHEEK BUT THEN DEAN WOULD NOT HAVE AT THAT AGE CORRECT? IT IS THE SOUTH IN ME PERHAPS.
OTHERS HAVE TALKED ABOUT HOW DEAN FROZE AND KRISSY AND SAM DID IT ALL. YES BUT I THINK HE SAW HIS BROTHER ABOUT TO DIE AFTER BOBBY AND JUST WAS STUNNED. SIMPLY FROZE OUT OF BEWILDERMENT.
I LOVE THIS SHOW AND WILL KEEP WATCHING IT NO MATTER WHAT. IF I COULD WATCH SEASON 6 OF HIGHLANDER I CAN CERTAINLY SEE THIS THROUGH.
THANK YOU ALICE AND SWEETONDEAN. LOVE ALWAYS
Hi there
I did hear Adam on the podcast, but not until after I had written my review. 🙂
Welcome sweetondean and very nice review.
I also enjoyed this episode, but like you said it wasn’t one of the best. I enjoyed Frank, and Dean’s reaction to him and yes…the last scene in the car was an Emmy nominating one if Jensen has ever had one. Smiling through his tears really brought home the point of how hurt Dean is by Bobby’s death and in some ways helped him express it openly instead of keeping it all inside. Even if we were the only ones who saw it. That was his first step to healing and accepting the loss.
As for Bobby’s death, I think it should not have happened. It wasn’t necessary to the arc to make all of us realize how dedicated Dean and Sam are to eliminating the leviathans from their world. We already knew that. No reason they can’t have one old friend at their side to help. The series just takes some things too far.
This was a very good review. Thanks for sharing it. While I don’t agree with everything that you said, I find some of your conclusions refreshing and in need of consideration on my part.
I’m a long time viewer going all the way back to the Pilot. I’ve generally enjoyed all the seasons; some more than others. Season 1 is my all time favorite followed by Season 5. I’ve just been feeling lately that something is missing and isn’t just the Impala, Cas and Bobby, but something more. Gamble and Singer have been doing a good job, but I think I miss Kripke’s touch. Please, by no means do I mean that this guy had everything right. I found myself on several occasions screaming at the screen and wandering what in the H*LL was he thinking. However eventually I could figure out where the show was heading. It’s not that way anymore and I feel like I’m walking in the dark. I don’t like it. Now, don’t get me wrong. I will stay with this show until the very end. I just wish I could figure out what’s their endgame…
BTW – I agree. Jared and Jensen are terrific actors. It’s a shame that their industry hasn’t given them the recognition that they deserve, but at least, we fans know how great they really are!!!! 😀
thank you i love i could not have sayd it any better my seif i love it keep it up im in it to the end i have hop to cuz of you thank you so much
Great review
Great Jensen’s performance in the last scene isn’t?
I still don’t see the point for to kill Bobby, and I didn’t complain when they killed John or Ellen and Jo or Cass (because I know with Cass they have all really easy), or any other character, but to kill Bobby??? They could have let him in coma or something but kill him? and I know is a show that kill important characters but to kill such an important character for just do a shocking scene ???
I’m kind of disappointed with the writers, I think they just run out of ideas.
I imagine they sitting in the writers room thinking of ideas for cliffhanger of season 7 and someone,,
-we need to Kill someone important!
and other writer:-But we already killed everyone!
and then someone:- we could kill Bobby again
I love supernatural and I’ll watch it until this ship sinks, but I really think they need better writers, I loved seasons 1 to 5 and I liked season 6, but this season is like, I feel like they don’t know where they are going.
Sweetondean, I really (really) enjoyed reading your review. It echos a lot of my sentiments and gave me insight into more. Well done.
I’m so glad that your reviews will be posted here. I always go to your webpage, but sometimes it makes things easier when everyone is on the same page. Heh, heh, double entendre there. I actually just posted there to tell you how much I loved your review of the episode.
Congratulations, and many welcomes. It would be such an honor to work on the writer’s staff. Sure wish I could do something like that. Well done. And very enjoyable review. Thank you for the optimism. I was starting to lose mine. And not because I’m disappointed with the story or the show or anything, but just because these guys have lost everything, and everything is still expected out of them. It’s gut-wrenching. Sometimes I do feel like there isn’t any hope left for them, and that’s why I loved your line: “I choose to see the Winchester brothers as the hope.†I get so caught up in other things, speculating, details, what was the significance of this look, or that scene, that I forget that they are hope. They are love, they are light, they are courage. Even when they fight, or go in separate directions, I know that they will always find their way back to each other, and there is hope in that. Thank you for reminding me.
I also agree with you about Frank’s advice. I really like Frank, but in this case, I can’t agree with him. Maybe this is one time, one marble, that Dean shouldn’t try to force into that lead friggin’ box. Dean knows how to do that already. He’s been doing it most of his life, and has even given the same advice to Sam a couple times in the past. Shove it down, and let it come out in spurts of violence and alcoholism. But how much longer can he do that? And should he really have to keep doing that? Does it really have to be all or nothing? I would love to see him take Bobby’s advice: “Now you find your reasons to get back in the game. I don’t care if its love or spite or a $10 bet.†Dean Winchester needs to get back to badassery with both barrels blazing. But can he ever do that if he’s never “allowed†to deal with anything?
I would like to see Sam start to push Dean. These guys used to be supports and therapy for each other. And maybe they can be again. Maybe the old ways wouldn’t work anymore, but surely something should, and maybe by doing so, Sam will find a way to help himself.
I’m looking forward to many many more reviews in the future. Thanks again.
I loved your review as it wasn’t full of negativity that so many others have been lately. I love your optimism and understand your feelings towards the show as they are mine as well.
I must confess I am still hoping for a comatose Bobby who will eventually reawaken and be our same old Bobby again.
I’ve been watching live since the middle of season 3, so season 4 was my least enjoyed as the brothers were so not on the same page. It isn’t the monsters I come back for but the brothers’ relationship with each other. Dean is like Sam’s brother, father and mother combined, and that is a lot of love. They were the closest in seaons 1 to 3 so these are my favourite episodes. So far I’m enjoying season 7 up to losing Bobby and will never desert my boys no matter what the writers get up to. Have to watch an episode every single day. Thank God for the dvds! 😛
So welcome Sweetondean! I know I’m going to enjoy your reviews from now on. 🙂
Great to finally see a positive review unlike the boringly negative ones the regular contributors seems to put out every time these days! Keep up the good work 🙂
Welcome, Sweetondean! Very nice review. I liked your optimism about the show. Though I do have some reservations about this season, I too am in it for the long haul. Looking forward to reading more from you.
The negativity is there because it deserves to be. Some find positives is wonderful and all power to SweetonDean for seeing them what I see is Deans pain is drawn out and focused on he even gets Frank to soundboard off and Sam gets a throw away line about not being ok .
I assume he is having hallucinations still has he pressed his palm and instead of Sam pushing Dean how about Dean rising up from his bed of doom and taking a long look at Sam because right now he has nobody to talk to and nobody taking a interest in him .
Give me a balanced story where Sams pain receives the same focus and care has Deans and equally valued and the show and I will rediscover what we once had.
This is a lovely review, Sweetondean and you have captured my feelings on AiB perfectly. I too feel the two brothers are the hope. Dean deciding to put his game face on was a step forward, because in doing so, he also made a thought out decision to try and work through Bobby’s death in some other manner than self-destructive. He doesn’t know how yet, but at least he is now open to figuring it out.
I suspect we have now finished Dean’s mini-arc on finding that game face and will get more focus on what’s up with Sam. My guess is Sam is going to need help from Dean, help that until now Dean was in no position to give.
I loved the close look we had at Dean and expect to love the peek we’ll get next into Sam and how he’s handling his damage. I think Sam’s unexpected strength is part of his story, not the writers dropping the ball. He’s got demon blood and he’s survived Lucifer. Now he needs to put himself back together and see where’s he’s at. There’s never been anyone like Sam, so he’s in unexplored territory.
I’ve been really enjoying the season, though of course, not every episode is stellar. No season has had that kind of track record. (-:
I 100% agree. I see Sam this way too, he’s been through so much and just keeps coming through the other side. There is a strength to Sam’s character that I simply adore. I’m also look forward to seeing the flip side of this and how he’s dealing with what’s going on with his ‘wall’ and what the outcome will be. I never see this show as one brother over the other, I see it at the brothers. They have their own journeys both individually and collectively and I’m enjoying seeing all three of these journeys being reflected this season. That’s how I see it anyway…. 🙂
Me too! Jensen and Jared make this show an embarrassment of riches when it comes to loving the characters. I never see them as a zero sum game. I love them both.
GOSH, I’M GLAD YOU CRIED! I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ME. MY MOTHER HATES THE SHOW, AND JENSEN CAN STILL MAKE HER CRY
Hi Sweetondean,
Welcome aboard and thanks for the lovely, heartfelt review. I’ve been reading them on your site, but this is is so much easier. (I don’t have Twitter or I’d have sent you a message long ago!)
I think Dean is following the advice of both Frank and Bobby now. He’s smiling through the tears and taking it one day at time, a la Frank. And really that’s often the only way to cope with grief. When the sun rises the next day, as it inevitably does, you get up with it and try to make it through to the next sunrise, and the one after that.
Dean is taking Bobby’s advice too. He’s found something to get him back in the game – avenging his beloved Bobby’s death. Although I don’t really think revenge suits Dean. He’s always participated in it. After all, he also wanted to hunt down the YED. Yet, until now, I felt like he went along with the idea somewhat grudgingly; more as a way to support his father & brother then because he was a true believer in the concept.
I think he (or Sam, but more likely the boys together) will find a way to make Dick limp, and then kill him. (I’m so sorry. I could not avoid that pun.) But then I predict he will discover that revenge feels flat, solves nothing and doesn’t resurrect the dead – although this being Supernatural, the last idea is probably a real possibility! However, at that point he will have the comfort of knowing that the rest of humanity is safe. I think and hope that will bring him full back to his own philosophy “Saving People. Hunting Things.”
I too admire Sam’s strength, but I don’t see Dean’s current breakdown as a weakness. Like I’ve said, sometimes the hardest thing, in the world to do, is get up each morning. And Dean is managing to do that. I think the boys express their strength in different ways, and that’s what makes them such complimentary partners and soulmates.
Thanks!
Pragmatic Dreamer 🙄
Hi and thank you! I agree and hope that this moving forward is part of Dean’s healing, though I still feel that he’s got to get it out a bit! I don’t ever see Dean as weak, I see both the boys as incredibly strong and resilient in their own ways. That’s what is so wonderful about their journey and about them, that they are so human, with flaws and frailties but they keep going. It’s so hopeful.
And I can’t wait until they make Dick limp…and I loved your pun!
Thank you so much for the support! 🙂
I love a strong Sam has much has the next person but you keep showing Sam has strong then there is no point in putting him through anything. I love human Sam has well and I want to see him not just a ‘strong’ Sam who keeps going he doesnt get any exploration.