Ten Reasons Why I am (Cautiously) Optimistic For Supernatural Season 10
Another Comic Con has come and gone. Many of the videos have been viewed and re-viewed and minds are swirling with the potential that hopefully will be fulfilled in ten short weeks. (Yes, it really is short provided one does not check the countdown clock every, single day….good luck with that.)
I find myself more optimistic for this upcoming season than I have been in the past, so with that in mind, I decided to write this list of why I am optimistic, cautiously so, for Season 10. Here goes. Oh yes, there will be spoilers of some kind in here, so read on at your own risk. You’ve been warned. J
10. Jeremy Carver directly stated that the Men of Letters will be explored further, as this was, to him, the final piece of the boys’ history. We know about hunters, how everyone got into hunting via some tragedy. Having so much history about hunters, I am eager to learn more about the Men of Letters. We certainly know they had resources, intelligence, and commitment to the cause. I would like to know more about what caused them to become Men of Letters as well as see more of their resources utilized. With Abaddon gone, I feel like the show can explore that without having me wonder when Abaddon is going to surface, which means they don’t have to manufacture reasons for her to appear.
Also, on a personal note, I’d like the boys to discover a huge stash of cash in the bunker. Sure the bills would all be dated from the ‘40s and ‘50s but I believe they could slowly switch it out at diners and such, plus there are dealers that will buy older bills. It would just be a neat way to deal with their money issues permanently while allowing more exploration of the MoL bunker – plus add to the historical feel of the bunker. Just sayin’. 😉
9. Jody Mills is returning and she’ll have a new friend, or at least someone to interact with outside of the boys, as Sheriff Donna Hanscum is returning. I liked that new character, so I’m glad to see her back. Plus, any connection to Bobby Singer is welcome, so bring on more Jody Mills (and don’t kill her!)
8. There is a new character who, according to Jared, is someone from Season 1 or 2 who perhaps witnessed Dean, at least, (since this character is said to be looking for Dean) either save someone or kill something and he is looking for Dean. The purpose of this search is not yet known, but it is a good thing for the show to continue to dip into its rich history and explore the past a bit. Just don’t make it a fan favorite character (like Sarah or Tessa) and then unceremoniously, and unnecessarily, kill him off. We get there’s a lot of pain and whatnot in the hunting life, but perhaps, just perhaps utilize this character as a way to show the boys that they did some really good things in their past, saved people. Sure they’ve saved the whole world, but it’s the intimate saving of one life that really hits home and makes you realize your life has meant something.
7. Jensen Ackles directs his fourth Supernatural episode. I don’t know why it is, but I always enjoy watching an episode (even if it is not written well *cough* Heartache *cough*) that is directed by someone from the main cast. Whether it’s Thomas Gibson and/or Matthew Gray Gubler from Criminal Minds or Thomas Welling of Smallville or David Boreanaz from Bones or Jensen Ackles, there is just something about the actor of the show directing that same show. They have a keener eye for all things, and it’s a joy to view the episode through the eyes of the actor from the show. I just like it.
6. Supernatural gets a retrospective special on October 6th. If nothing else, this just means we get a massive Supernatural dose one day earlier than the premiere date. That’s a good thing. Also, it is a testament to just how much the show means to the CW in particular and how much Mark Pedowitz has changed things at the network since the departure (none too soon either) of Dawn Ostroff. It is unlikely Supernatural would even be getting a tenth season under Ms. Ostroff and certainly she would not be giving it a retrospective hour. This is a huge honor to Supernatural. Congratulations to all involved!
5. Supernatural gets a 200th episode that will be a love letter to the fans as well as showcase all our favorites from the years in some fashion or another. As Jeremy Carver says, they will all be there somehow, in spirit at least. I’d love for this to be further up on my list, but I have some concerns about this episode. One, I’m hopeful that it’s not a love letter to the fans of the Becky kind. She was slightly acceptable in Sympathy for the Devil as a means of communication between Chuck and the boys. She was even palatable in The Real Ghostbusters, but that is where she should have disappeared, permanently. Since this episode is supposed to be about a play being made of Chuck’s books and a ghost haunting it, I do hope that this is a true love letter to the fans and not the usual approach of sarcastic, over the top caricatures of the fans – who are the reason the show has stayed on the air to reach such a milestone episode. We deserve a true love letter, more along the lines of In the Beginning and Swan Song (yes, both had their weaknesses) and nothing of Season 7, Time For a Wedding or anything else that mocks the fans. So, I give it Number 5 on my list, as I’m excited for the milestone, but I have much hesitation about the execution. Also, I do hope that Demon Dean isn’t wrapped up already. Carver has stated the DD would hang around for a handful of episodes; I hope a handful is six or seven, not three or four.
4. Several interviews from Comic Con have stated that the season will explore the identity of all the characters. Each character will have to come to grips with who he is, be it a demon, an angel, a hunter, a brother – older and/or younger – and whatever else. I like this idea. It’s about time that Sam and Dean especially, though Crowley and Castiel certainly need to settle these issues too, discover, decide, and embrace their identity. It’s time the brothers stop trying to get out of hunting but rather embrace their legacy. It’s time both Sam and Dean discover that they are equals in this life and stop trying to change that. Jared Padalecki stated that in his mind the best ending for Sam and Dean is that they are dead at the end of the series – unless there is to be a movie. As painful as it is for me to say it, I have to agree. Sure we could get the Cheers ending where Sam Malone keeps being the bartender, embracing the awesomeness of his life, simple as it is, and thus we are left with the knowledge that Sam and Dean are still out there hunting monsters, saving people, continuing on with the family business. However, to be true to the gritty, dark nature of the show, I do find it far more in keeping with its makeup that Sam and Dean die in one final glorious battle, side by side, firmly united, not only as brothers but as soul mates. (I’d really like that final scene to be with Ash and Bobby and Ellen and Jo and John and Mary welcoming them both into the Roadhouse in Heaven. Yeah, I’m schmaltzy like that. Plus then it really isn’t sad because they’re all together again. We can imagine them roaming through Heaven, joining up with all the characters we’ve met over the series.)
3. Jared is very excited for Season 10. He is enthusiastic because Sam is wholly committed to finding and saving Dean. Jared has said in numerous recent interviews that the Sam he likes best is the Sam who is focused and unwavering. He believes the fans also like this Sam best. He has stated that Sam in Season 10 is fully committed to saving Dean and he likes it. His energy for this shone through in his words, eyes, and mannerisms at the Comic Com interviews I watched. Also, Jared is very excited for Jensen to play this new Dean. He readily states that he has had the opportunity over the years to execute different aspects of Sam: Sam on demon blood, Sam as Lucifer, Soulless Sam, Sam as possessed by an angel, but Jensen has never had this opportunity to play a new Dean. Jared is excited for his friend and colleague. I’ve always loved listening to this actor talk, not only about his craft but about his friends, but watching him embrace this opportunity for his co-star really raises him up even higher in my opinion as he is truly thrilled for someone else to have such a moment. Kudos, Jared Padalecki.
2. Jensen is playing Demon Dean. I’m eager for Jensen to introduce us to a new character that is Dean, yet not quite Dean. Sure, over the seasons we’ve seen moments of not-quite Dean: Skin, What Is and What Should Never Be, which offered a glimpse of fish-out-of-water Dean; we saw Dean interact back in time in In the Beginning as well as saw future Dean in The End; there was Dream a Little Dream of Me that gave us a moment of Dean as a demon as well as the Dean on Dean conversation, but we’ve never had an arc of Dean as different. He’s always been Dean, even as he drank and descended into long arcs of depression. Season 10 is giving us a whole new Dean, one whose soul has been twisted into a demon, who embodies all the anger, hurt, and evil that is within him, but carries none of the burdens. I’m eagerly looking forward to what Jensen does with it. And, I am hopeful, as I stated above, that this goes beyond three or four episodes…really hopeful.
1. The number one reason I am excited for Season 10 is that the conflict that is possibly to be explored this season between the brothers (at least as shown in the one-minute clip from Episode 3) appears to be organic. In the past the writers have manufactured conflict as the brothers lie to each other: Sam about Ruby and demon blood, Dean about remembering hell (although both those were the most tolerable of the lies), then there was Sam as Soulless or Dean having an angel possess Sam, let’s not forget that Sam never looked for Dean in Season 8 (as if we could) or that Dean killed a friend of Sam’s…all these lies and conflicts were poorly thought out and badly executed in the writing. (I could write an article about all the mistakes made because an idea seemed cool (i.e. Soulless Sam) but in execution failed miserably (all the way through to the wall crumbling) because it was obvious by the execution that these were not thought through. You can’t set up the idea that the person will ultimately die or be so incapacitated so as to render them useless unless you’re actually going to go there. Each time the show has pulled back, because otherwise it’s the end of the series, and we the viewers have been cheated as the ‘problem’ is simply swept aside. Oops, there are the main points of said article. Where was I? Oh, right, this is a positive article, with only a few snide comments.
The Number 1 reason I’m excited is that the conflict this upcoming season is a direct result of choices. Sam was dying and Dean chose to have an angel possess him to save his life. This led to Sam feeling betrayed by the one person he believed would never betray him in such a manner and the rift between the brothers grew so wide that Dean, in his isolation, struck out on his own dark path which led to the taking of the Mark of Cain. That mark ultimately led to Dean becoming a demon who is now darker than even Crowley ever suspected possible. This leads to Sam proving what all of us have always known: he loves his brother unconditionally, and will go very, very far to save him (which is an echo from Season 1’s Devil’s Trap when Dean tells Sam he gets scared sometimes by just how far he’ll go to save his family (having just killed Meg as well as the ‘brother’ that was about to kill Sam) and also is repeated at the end of the episode when Sam tells John that killing Yellow Eyes wasn’t everything – as he looks in the mirror and sees Dean in the backseat. Sam is relaying to us all in that moment that family is everything, not revenge, not the mission. In fact, to Sam, and Dean, the mission is family.
Season 10 appears to have the brothers on equal footing with the other. Both will know the dark deeds of the other, both will know just how dark the ‘monster’ is within the other: Dean isn’t possessed; his soul is twisted, but it is his soul. Sam also isn’t possessed; he does his bad deeds because he is consumed with finding and saving his brother. It all circles back to family.
So, with those thoughts out there, that is why I am optimistic – yes, still cautiously though as I’ve been here before, for Season 10. The cast seems very excited, especially Jensen and Jared, and that to me is a great indicator of things to come.
As always, thanks for reading, Elle2
I’m also cautiously optimistic. Here’s hoping they get back to basics and stop throwing a bunch of stories out there to see what sticks. Let’s see them explore the Men of Letters and leverage the knowledge gleaned from all those dusty old books. Let’s see both brothers actively involved in the storyline. It sounds as though they’ll both be doing questionable things, Dean as a demon and Sam’s actions in trying to save his brother, so let’s see the fallout from that and no more manufactured/contrived conflict. They’re both grown men now and need to finally come to terms with themselves and accept each other for who they are and how they fit in each others lives. I am a little concerned about the Demon Dean storyline – was hoping they were going to go real dark with him but it sounds like he’ll be Hedonism-Dean. More Jody Mills is always a wonderful thing.
Yeah, they could definitely explore the Men of Letters a lot more, and get a ton of interesting things out of it, I feel.
Also I’m really looking forward to see how Jensen handles Demon Dean, I hope they go dark with it too.
I was worried they would concentrate on the hedonistic aspects but after seeing the sizzle clip it showed a rather chilling DD so I am feeling a little better about that.
Great article! I honestly am still iffy on whether I’m looking forward to the new season…with each season since season five, it’s been a back and forth thing for me. But you mention quite a few things that I either didn’t know or forgot about that are making me look forward to the next season 🙂
This is a great article, And i agree on every point you’ve made! My dream ending is slightly different! I do think they will both go out in a blaze of glory fighting that last big bad! And i do want them to go to heaven! But this is how i see it playing out! Dean and Sam Fight the big bad of the final season they accomplish the mission but it costs them both their lives! A scene then shows Sam in heaven sat with his Mam, Dad, Bobby, Ellen, Jo, Ash, Jessica and pretty much everyone who The boys have lost… Cut to Dean sat at a Table looking on at his brother happy with the whole family a tear drops from his eye and he smiles at Sam and Sam smiles back then a plate with a piece of pie is seen put onto the table by Cas he hands Dean a fork and says Welcome home! Dean smiles at Cas and takes a forkful of Pie and eats it END SCENE (All the while an acoustic version of Carry on my wayward son is played) That to me is a perfect ending!
I’m in the wait and see category. Not been too happy with the lack of Sam POV the last 2 seasons so I’m taking his statement that both boys will have a story with a grain of salt. They’ve let too many really good chances to give Sam a story pass by for me to just accept this.
I am not a flag waver of Sam doing’ dubious’ things to save Dean. Dark paths never end well for Sam and it is not a path they needed to take Sam down again so we shall see what season ten throws up ?.
I am very optimistic about the new season, as I am for every new season. Can’t wait!
I find, for me it’s best not to speculate too much on how the season is going to unfold. Especially if I think I might get disappointed if the story doesn’t go how I wanted or thought it was going to go. I try to let the show take me on a ride. Some parts of the ride I may not like some I may really hate but usually the SPN ride is unexpected, heartbreaking (and warming) and unlike any other ride I have ever been on. Every new season is like a Christmas present that has been sitting under the tree for months. You look at the box, you’re given hints, but you have no clue what all might be inside. All I know is I want to open the box and see what joys, sorrows and thrills it has in store for me. And I want to open it now…..
😀
I am just plain optimistic. If the brothers each have plenty of screen time as JC has said and are concerned about each other (well obviously not DD, he won’t be concerned about anybody but DD!) I will be good to go. Give me some kick ass DD and a focused and driven Sam. Slightly nervous about the 200th but they usually do pretty good with the meta stuff. It’s a milestone episode so I can’t see them doing something lame.:) Small prayer for less or no Metatron. Yay for Jody and Sheriff Donna! Thanks elle2
Hi Elle2
I love your list and agree with pretty much all of it.
I’m very enthusiastic and optimistic for Season 10, as I have been for all the Seasons.
What can I say, I just love this show.
I love that they are going to explore more with the MOL.
I like that they are having Sheriff Mills interacting with Sheriff Hanscum. I think they’d make a great team.
I’m curious about Castiel’s fate. I still believe Metatron has his grace stashed somewhere and Cas will retrieve it back.
As for Crowley not sure what will happen to him. Will they finally make him human or kill him off.
Or will he continue to be a fair-weather friend, a constant foe/ally/pain in the ass. 😀
I’m excited to see what they do with Demon Dean and how he will be cured. And how the MOC will fit into this.
I love that Sam is doing everything to find and save Dean. I’m a little nervous on how far Sam goes to do so, however I so want the brothers to be a team again with no more lies, distrust or feelings of betrayal.
I know there was a lot of controversy over Sam not looking for Dean in Season 8. I feel the biggest mistake the writers made was never letting us see Sam’s story from the time he left Dick’s facility to when he hit the dog and met Amelia. I think if they had shown us his grief, his loneliness and how his life had imploded, the idea that he never looked for Dean would have been more plausible and acceptable.
Thank you for this article.
[quote]Sam also isn’t possessed; he does his bad deeds because he is consumed with finding and saving his brother.[/quote]This one sentence squashed all the optimism I had for s10.I know many will tell I am being negative and this might not be the place to tell.but my reaction to reading this sentence was well I have to spend another season where Sam will be blamed …because see he was not possessed, how bad can be when not possessed. [quote] Sam is relaying to us all in that moment that family is everything, [/quote]It has never mattered to Dean before and it will not matter now.This is where I will end this comment as I do not want to say anything more of my distrust in this article.People who are optimistic I am jealous of you.
I’m cautiously optimistic as well, and that pretty much scares the crap out of me, because I’ve been so before and have felt very much let down, especially since Carver took over and especially since about the middle of season 9 when I realized that Carver’s “three year plan” pretty much did not include any kind of meaningful POV for Sam and was all a set up for making Dean a demon. I’ve noticed a trend lately, we get far more character information from Jared in interviews than we ever see on screen. Jared is so thorough in his explanations of what’s going on with Sam and talks extensively about what Sam is feeling, and it’s clear that he’s given the character quite a bit of thought, but then? On screen? Little to nothing. In season 8 Jared says: “Sam couldn’t function after Dean’s death, he couldn’t cope, so he left the life and was just trying to exists” Did I see that on my screen? Nope. In season 9 interviews Jared says “Sam was very hurt by Dean’s actions, he felt betrayed and was lashing out.” Well I certainly saw the lashing out part, but the hurt and betrayal, the reason behind the lashing out? Nope…not at all actually. So, even though Carver claims that both brothers have a story and some POV, I’ll believe it when I see it. He’s said that before……once bitten twice shy and all that.
I am optimistic as well and even though I crave for spoilers and have expectations I eagerly wait what Supernatural has for us the next season. Because it will be a new story, an unseen story and I love stories.
I watch the show for my enjoyment and then only my view matters, not what others write/not write, say/not say, think/not think etc because that is how it is.
10. If they bring more story about the Men of Letters then bring it on! I like the bunker, the knowledge and all the secrets and stories it will give us. Men of Letters seems to fit for Sam so perfectly because he always searches the information while Dean is more the action packed hunter. And it fits. Dean is not that much of a reader and Sam does always well with both.
9. Love both sheriffs. Can’t wait to see them again. (Meaning that they will not KILL them off)
8. Supernatural does always good with new characters so can’t wait the new ones that we have been hinted of. (Only exception is Bloodlines because just ugh)
7. It is nice for the cast to spread their wings. It is nice that Ackles and Collins have directed some episodes. It is something new for them also and the episodes have been good.
6. Can’t wait for the retrospective! Glad they are doing it for Supernatural and the “trailer” for it brought back memories like it should. It was lovely so can’t wait for the rest.
5. The 200th episode sounds like loads of fun. In what ever series they have made the same they have been usually pretty thorough and thought it a lot through. So, eagerly waiting to see it. 🙂
4. Knowing new things about characters is a plus for me. So can’t wait.
2-3. The actors are exited for what is to come and focus on the brothers relationship is always a good thing. Jensen can now play Dean in a different way and he is exited about that and Jared is exited to play Sam just Sam who will find out what happened to his brother. And I can’t wait to see how both of them do it. Only doubt I have is that how long they will keep DD because it seems that it would be short. I am hoping they won’t wrap it up that fast.
1. The mission is family, that is all! 🙂
-Lilah
Thanks Elle2, great article. I am super excited for season 10. As Jared said, we are going to see a side of Dean that’s never been seen before and I can’t wait to see what Jensen does with it. He is always amazing in everything he does, but this is going to be, to quote Dean, awesome! 😉 And FINALLY Sam is the one who gets to do the saving, about time. Learning more about the MoL? Also great. I have butterflies in my stomach, I’m so excited! It’s amazing that even after 10 years, I still feel this way about a television show. I’ve always watched long running shows, sometimes to the bitter end, but it’s never come close to the way I feel about Supernatural, and that’s never going to change. 🙂
I am optimistic for S10 I can’t wait to see how Sam saves Dean, what lengths he will go to. What spell he will use, and what people he will use to get Dean back! I am just so thrilled that Sam is having the chance to save Dean. I think this reflects on Season 8 Sam not looking for Dean. I think its great to see the writers have swapped this around and letting us see Sam search for his brother and come face to face with him. That clip at comic-con was really scary and on you seat stuff, so I am very hopeful it will be an organic season. This was the first season a story went my way, so I am very happy. 😀
I love this show. I love that they are doing a retrospective. I love that episode 200 is this year. I’m so thankful we even get season 10.
Thank you to everyone at Supernatural!
Thank you, Alice!
I am very much wait and see. I will hope for the best, which for me includes a clearly developed, clearly stated Sam POV. I’m not going to hold my breath, but I will live in hope.
I do have to respond to this. [i]and the rift between the brothers grew so wide that Dean, in his isolation, struck out on his own dark path which led to the taking of the Mark of Cain.[/i] The timeline was Dean finds out about Gadreel. Crowley goes in and tells Sam what’s going on. Sam throws Gadreel out. Dean declares he’s poison, leaves Sam to be healed by Cas, hooks up with Crowley and takes the Mark. This is like 10 minutes after Sam found out what Dean had done. There wasn’t TIME for a rift to develop between Sam and Dean. Dean stuck out on his own dark path and took the Mark of Cain all by himself. Putting any of the reason on Sam doesn’t fit the timeline, unless you say that Sam had no right to be angry with Dean for even one day.
Even though I think Dean is a good hunter I don’t think he found the bar where Gadreel was in ten minutes. In sharp teeth they had been apart already was it two months? So I think it took little bit more time for Dean to find the right bar. I would think weeks. 🙂
Off screen time = rift
– Lilah
From Sharp Teeth [i]Dean: Nothing. I’m gone for two[b] weeks[/b], and you’re like an episode of “Teen Mom.”[/i] It is possible we define rift differently. It is obvious we define” [b]growing[/b] rift” differently. To me for a rift to grow there has to be something to feed the growth. Sam had said none of the speeches the many find OTT. Dean took off in a huff, refusing to deal with the emotional fallout from Sam being tricked into being possessed and Dean lying to him for months. But when Dean took the Mark Sam had done NOTHING to make a rift. Heck he was still being cured by Cas so he wouldn’t drop dead the way Gadreel kept saying he would once Gadreel was gone.
I am fully aware that fandom will blame Sam for Dean taking the Mark for all eternity and yes, saying the growing rift drove Dean to it is putting the responsibility on Sam. I will continue to point out that no, that’s not the actual chronology of when Dean took the Mark.
Sorry,
like I have said many times before I don’t blame Sam for anything on this season because this season we are talking about. I don’t blame him even seasons before because he is a fictional character as is the other characters on the show. They fight and because of the story there is usually a reason for it. Dean did that, Sam did that, Cas did that etc. Things happened because of “this factor”. So, no I don’t blame Sam. And I know many that also don’t. Even you belong to -the fandom- don’t you? So -all- of the fandom is clearly not thinking what you say we are.
But generalizing that all people hate/blame etc. any character when they actually don’t is bad. Just telling. 🙂
I am a foreigner and I actually see -the rift- different way here. I see it as a space between the brothers. Meaning they are apart because both have their own issues and because one left the other. The empty space is all the thoughts both are having and not letting it out. Talking it out. The buts, the ifs, the what nots and those can make you cry wolf more. See the small devil in the corner to grow to be a bigger one. Means the matter might grow in the mind bigger than it was. Dean’s quilt probably only grew like Sam’s “nightmares” in his mind. That is my take.
And about the time in Sharp teeth and that it was two weeks. Didn’t remember it correctly like I even wrote but that wasn’t the point. The point was that Dean didn’t find Gadreel in ten minutes because he is not Superman. Meaning until Sharp teeth the boys were apart for two weeks. And my view of -the rift- I explained upwards.
– Lilah
I understand what you meant. In the weeks following the bridge the brothers dug into their own issues. Dean with his fear that he went too far with his decisions and Sam with his sense of betrayal. Both Crowley and Castiel tried to get the boys to reconcile but neither would budge. Interesting that the demon was manipulating Dean and the angel was trying his best with Sam. By the time they reunited the rift was already pretty deep. I don’t think that Dean realized how deep until the next episode but even though Sam was angry he was still trying his best to make Dean understand that he went too far. Dean was just wanting to move on without rehashing past events. And Dean was already feeling the effects of the Mark so as time went on there wasn’t going to be any kind of reconciliation between them. But no matter how angry they were with each other they still were there for each other until the MOC and the blade took hold of Dean. And E and Percy are right Sam had nothing to do with Dean’s decision. He was too shattered physically and emotionally on the bridge to get into it with Dean. There really wasn’t any conversation just Dean walking away and into his own adventure.
Percy’s, I thought the same thing. The comment implies that Sam and Dean spent a good deal of time creating a rift between them THEN Dean went off and got the mark, and that is simply not the case. And fans can speculate as to how much time passed between that conversation and Dean accepting the mark (one day, 3 days, 2 months) all they like, but the fact is…. Crowley gets Gad out of Sam, Sam and Dean exchange 3 sentences with one another, Dean leaves and then he takes the mark. How much time passed in between Dean leaving Sam alone and when he took the mark is irrelevant, they did not speak to one another during that time, so there could be no rift created…. there must be conflict to create a rift and at that point there was no conflict, just Dean running away and seeking his own punishment and Sam doing who-knows-what, because it wasn’t’ shown. Its AFTER Dean took on the mark that the “rift grew so wide,” but by that time it wouldn’t have mattered if the brothers were having a love fest, Dean was doomed anyway. It’s subtle inferences like this, a shifting of the time line and a creation of a conflict that did not yet exist between the brothers that shifts the blame for Dean taking on the mark of Cain on to Sam when that could not be further from the truth. Even if that is not what people intend their point to mean, even if they don’t actually feel that Sam is to blame for what happened to Dean, it comes off like they do.
[quote]And fans can speculate as to how much time passed between that conversation and Dean accepting the mark (one day, 3 days, 2 months) all they like, but the fact is…. Crowley gets Gad out of Sam, Sam and Dean exchange 3 sentences with one another, Dean leaves and then he takes the mark. How much time passed in between Dean leaving Sam alone and when he took the mark is irrelevant, they did not speak to one another during that time, so there could be no rift created…. there must be conflict to create a rift and at that point there was no conflict, just Dean running away and seeking his own punishment and Sam doing who-knows-what, because it wasn’t’ shown.[/quote]
[u]9.10 Road Trip[/u]
[i]Castiel: You feel better?
Sam: A little, yeah.
Castiel: It’ll take time to fully heal you. We’ll have to do it in stages.[/i]
[u]9.11 First Born[/u]
[i]Castiel: We need to continue your healing. We’re almost done.[/i]
Dean had grown more of a beard. Cas was still at the Bunker in order to heal Sam but he left at the end of the episode. So I’d say at least a few days had passed since the brothers had last seen each other.
[u]9.12 Sharp Teeth[/u]
[i]Sam: Saw Garth’s John Doe on the police wire. You?
Dean: Yeah. Where you comin’ from?
Sam: New Mexico.
Dean: Well, that’s a haul.[/i]
Dean took off almost right away after Gadreel was expelled in [u]9.10 Road Trip[/u]. I think that [u]9.11 First Born[/u] showed what was going on with both of the brothers at the same time. The events seemed to take place in a single day. By the time [u]9.12 Sharp Teeth[/u] rolled around, Dean seemed to be more settled and Sam had found a case, driven to New Mexico from Kansas and then travelled to Wisconsin to see Garth. So it had definitely been less than two weeks when Dean took the mark of Cain.
Thus, I don’t think it was on Sam that Dean took the mark. Dean already knew Sam would be pissed ([i]“All right. Let me hear it.”[/i]) and he had already decided that he would leave ([i]“But I’ll find Gadreel. And I will end that son of a bitch. But I’ll do it alone.”[/i]) He did seem hurt when Sam said, [i]“Go. I’m not gonna stop you.”[/i] However, Dean didn’t have to leave as evidenced by Sam saying, [i]“But don’t go thinking that’s the problem, ’cause it’s not.”[/i] Dean made his own decisions based on what he thought should happen.
I agree with percysowner and E, the MOC is all on Dean. Sam was not involved in ANY way in that choice.
Saying that the angel possession was the catalyst for all the subsequent events that lead to Dean decision to take on the MoC is completely true in my opinion! I don’t think that Dean would have gone the MoC route had he and Sam been all hunky dory. Now NOWHERE in that statement is there any implied or stated blame placed on Sam! Dean made his own admittedly bad decisions and compounded them by making more bad decisions. Just because some fans are blaming Sam for this doesn’t mean all fans are blaming Sam!! Please don’t assume just because some of us feel that the conflict was a contributing factor, that automatically means Sam is at fault. Just because I am Dean leaning doesn’t mean that everything (or anything for that matter) I say has a hidden Sam-blame agenda.
If the statement had been that Dean in his guilt over Sam’s possession and Kevin’s death, or if Dean in reaction to Sam finding out about Gadreel I would have had no issue. The statement that I objected to was that the growing rift between Sam and Dean led to Dean’s taking the Mark. Right up until Sam threw Gadreel out, there was no rift. Sam thought he was falling apart because there was something wrong with him on a basic level, but he had no issues with Dean. Sam was questioning what was happening to him, but he was accepting Dean’s word that nothing was happening with Sam. Once Sam knew what had happened Dean declared himself poison, took off and got the MOC.
I totally agree that Dean would not have taken the Mark if Sam had not been possessed. In season four Sam would not have drunk demon blood if Dean hadn’t sold his soul and gone to Hell, but I rarely if ever hear that explanation for Sam’s behavior. Words shape how we view the show and the characters. Many commentators have talked about Dean taking the Mark because of Sam’s harshness, when in reality Dean took it before Sam had a chance to be harsh. You say the conflict was a contributing factor. Here’s the entire scene between Sam and Dean before Dean left
[quote]DEAN: All right. Let me hear it.
SAM: What you do want me to say — that I’m pissed? Okay. I am. I’m pissed.
You lied to me. Again.
DEAN: I didn’t have a choice.
SAM [emotion clouding his voice] I was ready to die, Dean!
DEAN: I know. But I wouldn’t let you, because that’s not in me.
SAM: So, what? You decide to trick me into being possessed by some… psycho angel?
DEAN: He saved your life.
SAM: So what? I was willing to die. And now… Kevin… [His eyes fill with guilty tears]
DEAN [strongly]: No. That is not on you. Kevin’s blood is on my hands, and that ain’t ever getting clean. I’ll burn for that. I will. But I’ll find Gadreel. And I will end that son of a bitch.
But I’ll do it alone.
SAM: What’s that supposed to mean?
DEAN: Come on, man. Can’t you see? I’m… I’m poison, Sam. People get close to me, they get killed…or worse. You know, I tell myself that I-I — I help more people than I hurt. And I tell myself that I’m — I’m doing it all for the right reasons, and I — I believe that. But I can’t — I won’t… Drag anybody through the muck with me. Not anymore. [DEAN looks pleadingly at his brother]
SAM: Go. I’m not gonna stop you.
[DEAN’s face falls in defeat and surrender and after shooting CASTIEL a glace he slowly turns to walk away.]
SAM: But don’t go thinking that’s the problem, ’cause it’s not.
DEAN: [pausing but not turning back around] What’s that supposed to mean?
SAM: Just go. [/quote]
I simply can’t call that conflict. Yes, Sam isn’t patting Dean on his head and forgiving him immediately. But Dean talks about leaving after Sam says five whole sentences and those were pretty mild. I wasn’t trying to jump on Elle or anyone, I simply was pointing out that I don’t see the sequence of events that led to Dean taking the Mark as a growing rift. Quite frankly one of the reasons I’m less than confident about next season is the fact that the show refuses to highlight the actual chronology and has kept Sam’s POV so hidden that many people only remember the rift, not the actual way things played out.
Well actually I do call that conflict. No matter how few words were spoken, Sam’s anger and hurt and disappointment were glaring. No Sam here blame but you can’t say that conversation did not affect Dean’s frame of mind as he walked off. Again, Dean made his own choices based on his F’d up frame of mind and I don’t hold Sam responsible for that one bit.
Just wanted to add that I don’t disagree about the Sam POV but I have more optimism about this season. I am not sure why, but I think they can’t avoid showing a good portion of Sam POV. A lot of activity had to have gone on in the months since Dean awoke a demon. I am sure there will be DD focus also but I if a significant amount of time isn’t devoted to Sam, his activities, and his POV I will be surprised and disappointed.