.picspam: The Casifesto; or, Why Castiel is not your grandma's angel
One of the things I'd really like to see more of in my life and my fic is a Castiel who is crabby, impatient, vaguely hostile, angry, and kickass, not just sad/patient/content to muse on the sorrows of his life and/or Dean's. It's something I've been thinking for a while as I've been working on the Dean/Cas Exchange Fic of Doom and some other projects, but it finally started to take shape last night while talking to trinityofone and 22by7. A sample:
aesc: 22 pointed out how, when Pamela kisses Dean (and also I think when Anna kisses him in 4.10), he is actually quite passive
trinityofone: this is true
trinityofone: he likes to let the ladies top, too, iirc
aesc: yeah, he'd totally be down with Cas in charge in bed
trinityofone: more of this, please!
aesc: I mean, it makes SO MUCH SENSE
aesc: [Cas is] stubborn and determined and crabby and impatient when he wants things to get done and people aren't cooperating
trinityofone: i <3 this description
aesc: so in bed, if Dean is being really slow about getting him off, Cas would be all, "Dean, put your hand on my dick right now and make me come"
That developed into the following picspam/commentary, which is pretty much my interpretation of Cas so far this season. It is, of course, just my interpretation, so your agreement/mileage/sodium intake may vary. But hey, pretty pictures! Lots of them! And spoilers up through 5.18!
.updated 10.26: Added 6.03!
.updated:11.03: Added 6.06!
CASIFESTO
Argument
Cas is not an innately patient or understanding being. He is also not particularly nice. If he's going to perch on your shoulder it's so that he can tell you that you're being a moron. Also, he'd smite the hell out of those Precious Moments figurines if he ever saw them. I'm just sayin'.
THE BEGINNING
Let us go back to see what Cas is like, pre-Winchester influence. My primary contention here is that Cas really doesn't change a lot between 4.01 and 5.16, at least, not in the fundamentals. What changes the most is really his orientation to humanity, understanding the importance of free will and its preservation. Beyond that, he's still stubborn, impatient with delay, and very righteous. And he does not intuitively understand you, because humans are weird, irrational creatures and he has better things to do. Like save the goddamn world.
4.01: Lazarus Rising
Despite those sad blue "You don't believe you deserve to be saved" eyes, Cas is pretty ruthless in this scene. First you get The Big Entrance, then all-around ass-kicking, and then when Dean doesn't seem to be taking the bait, definitive proof. When Dean accuses him of burning out Pamela's eyes, Cas doesn't really express any remorse over that: as far as he's concerned, Pamela had it coming, insisting on seeing his true form when he told her to quit spying on him. It's also something he never really apologizes for later on in 4.16 after Pamela's funeral. (Although he does look guilty about that.)
Also, Cas pulled Dean out of fucking Hell. It wasn't a run to the convenience store. We all know this of course, but it's such a central part of Cas's canon, and part of his relationship with Dean, I think it tends to be forgotten.
4.02: Are You There God? It's Me, Dean Winchester
You should show me some respect.
Dean, that insolent/sarcastic game you have going? Castiel don't play that. I have no doubt that Cas is being uttery sincere when he tells Dean he can throw him back into Hell if Dean doesn't shape up and get an attitude adjustment. Yeah, this is old!Cas, before he comes around to Dean's way of thinking, but as we'll see, even after Castiel decides to sign up for Team Free Will, he doesn't become much nicer.
4.03: In the Beginning
I paired these because I think a lot of us tend to dwell on the first: Cas with his hand on Dean's shoulder (OMGGGGGGGGG *dies a bit still*) and looking as consoling/kind/sad as we've ever seen him. But just on the flip side, once we're back in the present day, Castiel unambiguously tells Dean to stop whatever the hell Sam is up to, or else the angels will take care of Sam themselves.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Sam = #1 Priority in Dean's life, and Castiel fairly calculatedly plays on Dean's concern for Sam's welfare. And this comes right after--right after--Cas tries to console Dean in his completely unconsoling Cas sort of way by telling him Destiny is what it is, and there's no use in fighting it. Oh, by the way, your brother's doing something shady, so tell him to knock it off before I take care of him myself.
4.07: It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester
The first episodes with Cas continually emphasize not only the big picture--Apocalypse! Fate of the world!--but the fact that Castiel is compelled to look at the world from a particularly and peculiarly angelic perspective. He cannot understand (although he eventually tries to) why Dean is so stuck on a tiny town of a few thousand people when there's an entire Earth out there to keep an eye on. And that worldview necessarily limits the sort of options he thinks are available to him.
My point here isn't really to reiterate what we already know, but to emphasize that these aren't patterns or ways of thinking that Castiel ever gives up. While he does learn to take the narrower view--specifically, the view of the right of the individual to free choice--the almost fanatical devotion with which he adheres to whatever viewpoint he takes never really changes. That's the constant, even as Cas learns about new ways of looking at the world.
Uriel and Castiel are friends and brothers; we know this from 4.16, and we also know that Castiel regrets the decisions Uriel's made. More on that later. At the moment, Castiel is giving said friend and brother a verbal smackdown, and he'll do it again--with evident enjoyment--in 4.10.
This is probably the nicest Cas has been since trying to reason/coax Dean into working for Heaven in 4.01, and he's still... not terribly nice. And I think this is where, for me anyway, Cas starts to make the slow turn to trying to understand Dean on his own terms. He's had evidence of Dean fighting against impossibility in 4.03, but now Cas himself has been put in the position of obeying Dean's orders--having to look at things from his viewpoint. Still, that doesn't let him let Dean try to edge out of what Castiel thinks is waiting for him: their conversation ends with another dire reminder that Hell is just a few Seals away.
4.10: Heaven and Hell
Cas still isn't coming around. He's had several chances to see Dean in action, and the qualities of mercy/forebearance demonstrated, but nothing's really happening yet.
Again, inviting Uriel to disobey. Double-dog-daring, in fact. He knows (or thinks he knows, but Uriel's orders seem to be to go along with Castiel) that Uriel's subordinate to him for now, and is able to use that knowledge to torment him a bit. Lesson: Castiel is fairly unrepentantly manipulative when he knows he has to be, or senses there's an advantage in it. Your grandma's angel never plays mind games like that.
4.15: Death Takes a Holiday
I'm not sure why this doesn't come up more often, but you guys, Cas totally fakes Dean into doing what he wants him to do. Nice, understanding, patient angels don't do that: they perch patiently until you come around. But Castiel's on a schedule, and if he has to impersonate one of Dean's friends to get him to do what he wants, then so be it.
His more extended conversations with Dean are always kind of amusing, because they both seem like people speaking slightly different languages, or people who understand words in a different way, but who want to comprehend each other: Dean wants to understand how it is Cas--who may be an ally, may be not--thinks something this fucked up is okay, and Cas just wants to figure out what makes Dean tick so maybe his mission would be a little less awful. (And also, Dean himself is starting to intrigue him.) There's no mystical or immediate comprehension, just two people wanting to figure each other out.
Also, "You're different." Oh, Cas, could you be any more mysterious?
TRANSITION
Okay, here we have Cas starting to turn away from Heaven. But what really changes, and how does it change? Let's take a look, shall we?
4.16: Head of a Pin
"Head of a Pin" is one of my favorite episodes because it starts Cas's turn away from Heaven and toward Dean. I find it interesting how he goes quiet/avoidant when he knows he's not in the right, and how he clearly knows what he's asking of Dean is pretty fucking horrific... but he asks and, for once, doesn't try to compel. Still, he persists in his course, despite the questionable victory that is getting Dean to torture Alastair, and this brings up another, related point: Cas--like a lot of humans, probably--has a terrible time working in moral grayscale.
Once again, Cas's consolation is not very... consoling. Dean's on a hospital bed, and Cas tells him there's something rotten in Heaven, and the fate of the world is still Dean Winchester's responsibility. It makes me hurt for both of them, because it's becoming increasingly clear to Cas that Heaven can't be trusted, and he's beginning to think that Dean probably has a point--and that Dean can't, and shouldn't, be expected to shoulder all of this. And Dean, for his part, still can't figure out if Cas is 100% to be trusted, or where he is on the friend/ally spectrum.
Fortunately, the next episode helps with that.
4.18: The Monster at the End of This Book
Not much flaps Cas's wings. When Dean flips his shit, Cas reads a book (twice: see also 4.01). When Dean is demanding to know if Cas is really actually serious about Chuck being a prophet of the Lord, or if he's yanking Dean's chain, Cas says very calmly that no, no one's chain is being yanked.
What separates Cas from the rest of the angels, at least so far, is that he can be persuaded, and I think this is the moment when Cas ends up in the friend/ally camp as far as Dean's concerned. At this point in time, Cas has pretty much learned his lesson from 4.16, to question and probe and think for himself, and that lesson never really stops being applicable, even when he temporarily swings back to Heaven in 4.20/4.21. And we see the results of that lesson in S5, when Cas makes some interesting decisions of his own.
You know what I would like to see in fic? Cas sneaking his way out of somewhere. He is a badass stealthy motherfucker, that's what he is, and he saves Dean's and Sam's ass with a bit of clever linewalking. I'll get to this in 4.22/5.01, but I think we're also seeing Cas with a bit more self-preservation as he starts to change course, unwilling to risk himself or his postion, either for Heaven or for Dean. He knows how to play the odds, and how to assess risk, and he's not willing to gamble everything for anyone at this point: it's all about staying alive.
22by7 reminded me of something I forgot: namely how Cas's ability to slide around Heaven's rulebook demonstrates a pretty subtle awareness of the power of language, and how language regulates behavior. He can't interfere directly, but he can definitely interfere indirectly. His understanding of how to manipulate language and find the loopholes argues against the "trusting, innocent, believes the best of everybody" trope I've seen. Cas is way too canny to think that anyone--angels or humans--are good-hearted, altruistic individuals. You don't fly under Heaven's radar by believing the best of anybody, and Cas's remarks in 4.20 suggest that, when all he sees is "pain," he doesn't believe humans are the pinnacle of perfection: they're flawed and screwed up, and while they don't deserve to be squished by angels stomping around, they aren't necessarily to be trusted either.
4.20: The Rapture
Oh man, "The Rapture." *heartclench* Cas miscalculates his risk, but he leaves behind some serious destruction; he went down swinging, and probably fighting all kinds of dirty.
The end, oh god. The end still kills me, even though "When the Levee Breaks" shows a Castiel that is nowhere near as resolute as this one is. But yeah, Castiel will not put up with your shit if he decides he doesn't want to hear it, especially if you're an impertinent human in the shape of Dean Winchester. And of course in the preceeding fight scene we have Castiel being all kinds of sneaky and badass. He scores in the 99.999th percentile for cunning, you guys.
4.21: When the Levee Breaks
Because it bears repeating! "Good" angels don't blackmail/pressure you into taking an oath to obey no matter what, no changies, no takebacks. Instead, they help and counsel you. Castiel is much better at the former than he is the latter, and he rides Dean until Dean finally caves and does what he wants. Considering this eventually means Dean being unable to stop Sam from opening Hellgate and then Dean himself saying 'yes' to Michael and instigating the Apocalypse For Realz, this requires a lot of delusion/conviction to carry off--and the ability to ignore the pain of a person Cas has been coming to care for over the past year.
That said, I've never really understood why people are determined to see Cas as the Ultimate Unrepentant Traitor here. He is clearly conflicted when he lets Sam out, and when he turns Anna in, for all the good that conflict does anyone. There are two lessons Cas has learned out of all of this: that he has the right of choice for himself, and that doing what your conscience (and not Heaven, or expedience) says is right is probably the best course of action. Whenever he decides for conscience, I cheer; whenever he decides for Heaven, I bang my head on a hard surface. But it's best, and I think the most telling, when he chooses for himself and sticks to those choices no matter what. For which see 5.01-5.03.
4.22: Lucifer Rising
While Cas does like Dean an awful lot, he's still not convinced what Dean wants is the right thing, or even the best thing for Dean. Cas takes a lot of convincing to get him to go along with anything, as Dean's found out (and will find out) on several occasions. Cas is not this pliant, mindlessly DEAN DEAN DEAAAAN! creature--he's also not mindlessly HEAVEN HEAVEN HEAVEN either, early on. Cas is his own creature, and that becomes clearer as the series goes on.
And this is another thing: When you've convinced Cas, he's convinced, and he's all in. This right here is when Cas abandons self-interest, that instinct that has him wanting to stay alive more than helping Dean or capitulating to Heaven (which, I think, he senses would also get him killed sooner or later). He's the sort of guy who surprises you, playing conservative, hedging his bets, going for what he's sure he can get, but then at the crucial point pulls out all the stops and commits himself all the way.
Even now he has a plan, and he doesn't have time to indulge Dean's questions (probably why he shuts him up preemptively, rather than worrying he's going to alert Zachariah). No, it's wham, bam, thank you Ms. Winchester: he has Zachariah banished (woooo!) and the two of them out of there in a heartbeat, has decided that they're going to make it up as they go, and then transports Dean to Maryland before Dean can make things more complicated.
Then he lets Raphael take him apart. And staring death in the face even for a hope of saving the world... That is pretty fucking badass, you guys. You don't get much more awesome than that. They write epic poems about this shit.
TEAM FREE WILL
Some musings on S5. With Cas out of the nest, what happens? Is he still stubborn and badass and smitey? Um, yeah. You better believe it, bitches.
5.01: Sympathy for the Devil
Okay, can I get a HELL YEAH! for Zachariah pwnage? HELL YEAH! That's what I thought.
It's been said before by many people, but Castiel really only gets more awesome as S5 goes on. It's true, because his awesomeness doesn't depend on his grace or some umbilical cord to Heaven, it's all his... because he is, weirdly, the most unfettered character in the series. Both Dean and Sam are hedged around with destiny and Fate and prophecy, trying to dodge it and save themselves and maybe, on a good day, the world, but Cas is his own agent.
There are drawbacks to that sort of agency: he doesn't have family, really, only Dean and Sam, and he's understanding the sort of sacrifices that are required if you want to do your own thing. Even with those reservations, though, he keeps fighting: he gets rid of Zachariah and takes his resurrection as a sign that he needs to help Dean and Sam cheat Heaven for as long as possible. And despite that freedom he still sees his duty pretty clearly: to save the world for humans, and all that humanity implies, not the rerun Paradise/Heaven the angels want.
So, yeah, he's Pro-Winchester. But does that mean he goes along with them?
5.02: Good God, Y'All!
Oh hell no. Cas is a strategist, a tactician. He doesn't do theology--he really doesn't need to, seeing as he's an angel, and a lot of theology is really only humans talking to themselves about what they imagine God is like or how God would order things (or, really, how they would order things if they were God). And he lets Dean know that. He also lets Dean know that his crazy not-plan to "kill the devil" is the stupidest shit he's ever heard in his life, and he's been alive a really fucking long time.
Cas: 1; Dean: 0.
You do not say no to the guy who got himself blown apart to help you, and you really do not say no to the guy who got himself cut off from Heaven and then killed his own family and did it, all of it, for you. Very likely Dean knows this, but it also helps that Cas is relentless--relentless and angry, because he'd placed his faith somewhere other than Heaven and it got him a spell in oblivion and the biggest family feud this side of the '80s, slim consolation that they're all alive and Dean and Sam aren't bodysuits for two archangels. Really, Cas already has that amulet in his pocket; Dean just doesn't know it yet.
Cas: 2; Dean: 0.
Object lesson: Once Cas has fixed on something, he's not backing down. He's an angel, he's absolute, and that's as true here as it is back in 4.02, when he made it clear he'd toss Dean into Hellmouth like a dog treat if Dean didn't shape right the hell up. He's not wishy-washy, he's not understanding and kind and tolerant when people have differing points of view they wish to present. No, it's "give it to me, Dean," and it's really only a choice between giving Cas the amulet now, or watching in pain, cradling your broken wrist, while Cas takes the amulet anyway.
5.03: Free to Be You and Me
This is where I get a bit shippy, for those of you who don't dig the Dean/Cas. I'm going to try to limit my terminology to relationships in general, or to "friendship," but for my fellow Dean/Cas followers out there, when I say "friends," I mean, um, you know. FRIENDS. *sideways look*
First, I think it's important to say that Dean considers Cas a friend; we know he does, i.e. 5.01, "my friend Cas." And I think Cas is still trying to figure out if Dean is a friend, or a comrade, or some combination of the two, as I suspect angels don't really have "friends" as such--or else maybe Cas, being weird, hasn't ever really had friends, only fellow soldiers, or whatever is implied by his comment in 4.10 that he and Anna have "history" together. Which just might be Cas!speak for "we have been through much together, you and I, and now I have to do something unpleasant to you."
At any rate, what Dean is at this particular moment is a pain in Castiel's ass. He never really gets used to Dean's constant questioning and seeking after reasons why, and that shows in the fact that he's very impatient and short whenever Dean starts with the "why? why? why?" routine. It means writing fic is a bitch, because I always feel like it's nice to take the time to explain things, but while writing this, I realized that I need to go back through and cut Cas's dialogue by about two-thirds. Brevity is the soul of badass.
Cas's "I have no idea what that means" face is also his "why the fucking fuck are you wasting my time with your bullshit?" face. This scene is just awesome. I love it: it's taut and tense and Cas is hell-bent on doing his thing... and he pushes Dean into going along with him by the simple expedient of telling an inconvenient, yet strategic, truth: Dean is the only person who will help him track down and trap Raphael.
Cas doesn't take shit from anybody, Raphael. It's time you learned that.
Dean and Cas's relationship here is beautifully drawn, and I'm going to do my damndest to take this as a template for how I understand them in fic. (And this is where I slide my shipper glasses firmly on.) If you look at Dean's relationships with men and women, the people he likes and respects are the people who give him a hard time, who don't let themselves be pushed around by his own stubbornness/persuasiveness and his own rather powerful personality: Bobby, Cassie, Ellen, Jo, and Victor all call Dean on his bullshit, and they all have their own way of doing things that can bend, but don't give way to, Dean's desires.
And Cas is the same way. The exact same way. He doesn't lean on Dean, or need his shelter, or let himself be dominated by him. 5.03 sketches out a friendship that isn't based on heart-to-hearts, but rather a mutual respect for the fact that the other party is cantankerous and stubborn and hates having stuff dictated to him. And yeah, Cas can see into Dean's soul, but he doesn't quite seem to know what to do with what he sees, beyond knowing that Dean's someone worth being with and fighting with, in both senses of "fighting with." As for Dean, while I think he likes having someone to take care of (e.g. Anna), the relationships he remembers--the ones that stick--are the ones with people who continually resist him but also, despite that resistance, stay and back him up.
That's pretty much what Cas does, in his crabby, impatient way. And that's what Dean needs--someone with strength who doesn't rely wholly on him, or follow him completely and faithfully and without question. Does Cas follow him? Absolutely. But he also gives him hell along the way.
5.04: The End
In part, Cas's impatience with Dean's need for trifling human things like food and sleep is a function of him not really understanding the limitations of humanity. But this entire scene is filled with Cas's trademark get-up-and-go: The Colt can kill supernatural things, the Colt is out there somewhere, and the search is going to start right now, and he is NOT PLEASED when Dean asks for four hours (four hours!) of sleep. And yes, "I'll just... wait here then" is hilarious and kind of sad, but Cas is an angel of action, and not used to standing around, being peaceful and meditative.
It's like being chained to a comet, after all. Comets don't rest.
One of my favorite scenes ever. I can't get enough of what this screencap implies: not only fondness, but "I totally saved your ass from getting owned, but I'm not going to rub it in," a very calm happiness and pride that is completely merited. Because Cas just snaked Dean right out from under Zachariah's pointy nose, which goes to show you that even with his powers on the wane he still has it. Because Cas doesn't need Heaven to be awesome.
I didn't include this originally, but then I realized I should... future!Cas is by no means a doormat either, and it sort of, idk, annoys me when 5.04 coda/companion fics are written that turn him into a sex-starved, spineless wuss who caves to Dean's sexual demands. Why? Because even in 5.04 he doesn't give into Dean. He mocks him with the "fearless leader" remarks--cruel when Dean is pretty fucking terrified 99% of the time and trying not to be--and continually questions and critiques Dean's admittedly shitty decision-making skills.
But in the end of course he goes with Dean, because there's nowhere else to go and no one else to go with in this world. It's the bitter end of a decision Cas made long ago, to drop out of Club Angel--and while he's sacrificed a fuck of a lot, there's some ornery, stubborn core of Cas-ness that never quite goes.
5.06: I Believe the Children Are Our Future
Again, worth repeating: Cas doesn't blindly follow Dean. Yeah, he's committed himself to Team No Apocalypse, and it's pretty clear he's thrown his chips in on an all-out wager for free will to win, but he still has Very Definite Ideas about where his obligation to humanity requires him to take an innocent life; moreover, he doesn't quite understand why Dean and Sam aren't capable of grasping what is, to him, clear and irrefutable logical argument--and it seriously irritates him, because it's more time out of his day that he has to spend explaining shit to them. He also has Very Definite Ideas about how badly Sam fucked up, and what Sam's mistake has cost him. It's a personal thing, not only "You just royally screwed the world over, Sam, thanks," but "you made the worst possible choice imaginable and Dean couldn't stop you, and I'm a casualty of your fuckup."
It's not that I think Cas is particularly bloodthirsty; he's pretty stone-cold, actually, even if he very definitely has second thoughts about the appropriateness of killing a little kid. But still we see him ready to set conscience/other obligations aside for the greater good, and that sort of resolve and single-mindedness just reinforces the fact that you can find him under angel, avenging in the index to Revelation.
5.08: Changing Channels
Castiel's character took a beating back in S4, particularly in 4.10 and 4.16, when he needed Dean and Sam to get his ass out of trouble. Throughout S5, and the latter part of S4, the tables have turned. Cas has his own fine ass covered most of the time; I like the implication that, once Gabriel figures out it's another angel onto him and that said angel is close to figuring out what he really is, it's only then that he locks Cas up tight and only releases him on demand. Very worth remembering that Sam says no one gets the drop on Cas, not unless they're something they say they aren't.
Given the dire situation, and Cas's worry, he's totally justified in the snappishness: "I've been looking for you." He's spent the past several days, and taken time out of his life to look for Dean's ass (well, Sam and Dean's collective ass, but said while staring fixedly at Dean), and now that he's found them he wants to clear the hell out of there. Wherever Gabriel dropped him the first time it's clear it wasn't pleasant, but Cas still breaks out (are you convinced of his awesomeness yet), and despite the danger to himself tries to warn Sam and Dean that something crazy is up.
5.10: Abandon All Hope
Angel is fucking fearless you guys. If I tried to show you every badass moment in this episode, from Cas being trapped by Lucifer and remaining as calm and cool as a still pond on a winter's day to getting himself out of that trap, and finally snaking Dean and Sam out from under Lucifer's nose... we'd be here a while. And you thought him pwning Zachariah was awesome.
Bottom line: Castiel is a fucking warrior, guys. He doesn't need his hand held, and he doesn't need rescuing. I think, if anything, he's become even more badass and determined since his grace started to go, and that's old-school warrior ethic for you right there: as your strength fades, your resolution becomes like steel. Cas doesn't falter.
5.13: The Song Remains the Same
Any time Cas says "We've been through much together," some kind of colossally shitty thing is going to happen, and chances are, Castiel's going to do it to you. In some ways, he's guilty of some pretty scary moral justification--"we're brothers and friends and comrades, but now I'm going to have to do something unpleasant to you, even though I hate it"--that carries over into his membership on Team Free Will.
I think that's a pretty big point: that Cas is used to making sacrifices of conscience in service of his larger goals, whether those goals are aligned with Heaven or with Dean. Sometimes I'm kind of uneasy about it, how easily he's able to set aside any internal conflict and resolve to kill Uriel and Anna, two of his siblings and people he's known going on forever. Obviously I'm happy that this helps him keep Dean alive and unoccupied by Michael, but it's not something that someone wishy-washy or hesitant is capable of doing.
This scene pretty much goes to proving that Dean has to work to persuade Castiel into anything. Cas wins the war over Anna having to die, even though he eventually loses the battle over Dean and Sam getting to go back in time along with him. (Sidebar: I'm kind of disappointed by that, actually. Obviously it had to be done, but I would have loved to see some kind of crazy 70s Kill Bill-type action, and Castiel being offered weed. And now I never will. Woe.) But the fact is, Dean has to work for it, and finally appeal to family--oddly, the very thing Castiel's forsaken. I wonder if that chafes, Dean trying to save his family when Cas has been pretty active in taking out various members of his.
Oh, Cas <3 I'm not sure why I included this, except it's adorable, and a brief change from badass/impatient/seriously angry Cas. His "I don't understand that reference" in this scene, while lolarious for pointing out how far he has to go to understand Dean's off-the-cuff references, also points out that Castiel doesn't quite get speech that isn't straight to the point and that doesn't get things accomplished.
5.14: My Bloody Valentine
Even when he has to say something hilarious like "A cupid has gone rogue, and we have to stop him before he kills again," Cas manages to sound intense and "Why the fuck am I using oxygen to explain this shit to you?" (We can thank Misha's godlike skillz for that.) Again, he really has no time in his day for Sam and Dean having to work through things at Mortal Speed, which is roughly equivalent to the land speed achieved by a snail on hot concrete. (Seriously, for Castiel, this is true.) He's not good at the explanations the boys--and the audience--need, and it shows in his impatience.
5.16: Dark Side of the Moon
These two scenes, with Cas giving Dean instructions over radio and TV, are perhaps the clearest statement of the fact that, when it comes to most things (especially things Winchester and Apocalypse-related), Cas has no patience whatsoever, and no time for Dean's requests for clarification, reasons why, reservations, etc. etc. If the CW had let him say it--sadly, there are powers greater than Cas--he would have said "God fucking dammit, Winchester, just follow the motherfucking road, you goddamn moronic son of a bitch." He is two seconds away from saying that, with a spell on the fritz and an uncooperative dimwit mortal on the other end of the line.
Hey God? Start running. Right now. You are not going to like it when Cas shows up.
Still, it's important to remember: even determined, badass, cranky angels need hugs.
5.17: 99 Problems
"Don't ask stupid questions" is pretty good policy when dealing with Cas; he doesn't like them when he's sober, and he really hates them when he's drunk. Until it becomes clear that Dean is buckling under the pressure (which happens, oh, a week after discovering God wants nothing to do with him), Cas gets by on faith in God and then faith in Dean. Then the bottom falls out.
The one thing that defines Cas, I think, is purpose. As insight2 told me, he's become more absolute as the series goes on (see 5.18 for more on this), but now he's confronted with the loss of everything, and for possibly nothing at all. It's as wrenching as 4.21, when he finds himself trapped between two ways of doing his duty, obeying orders or helping Dean, only his two ways (help Dean or give up) seem to lead to the same dismaying conclusion.
Still, the hell of it is, he keeps going. He doesn't stop. He explains everything to Dean and Sam, tells them a terrible joke about goat blow-jobs (and thinks it's hilarious, oh Cas), takes himself and his hangover to get the Magical Cypress Stick, gets himself a serious dose of agony... and then his reward is having Dean vanish out from under him. (Not literally.)
5.18: The Point of No Return
Um, yeah.
The moments leading up to this are great. Cas is at the end of his rope, and is angry; it seems like the despair from 5.17 has worn off, and having to spend time rounding up Dean has replaced that with some slowly fermenting fury. I think Cas has some very valid points, which he expresses to Dean in the alleyway, but I also think his hostility in this scene--and toward Dean for the rest of the episode--is also a result of him not really understanding the fact that human endurance only goes so long; a two years of unending shit (preceded by forty years of unending shit) is a lot of shit to go through for a person, and Cas doesn't seem quite able to understand that.
Oh, and... able to haul people up by the scruff of the neck.
The last time Dean got looked at like this, he got laid.
One of the things I wonder about is how much Dean really understands about what Cas gave up to help him (not to save the world, not to help Sam, to help Dean). Cas has said twice, here and in 5.02, that he's done everything for Dean--rebelled, killed his brothers (Dean, seriously, do you not understand this? THE GUY IS KILLING HIS FAMILY AND YOU'RE TRYING TO KEEP YOURS TOGETHER), lost his powers--and Dean doesn't quite seem to get that. So I can understand Cas's anger here. (Although see discussion above.)
It also goes to show: Sam believes in the emotional blackmail. Cas believes in the beatdown.
Cas's bitterness here... Oh man. It's a suicide run and he doesn't care, and he's going to kill himself if he has to. Not that I approve of badassery dead-ending in suicide missions, but I think if you want Cas being absolute, this is it. He's selling himself to give Dean one more chance, shitty as Cas thinks it is, faith or no faith. This moment also brings to a (possible?) close the problems of faith that Cas has confronted throughout the past year or so, and even the problem of the nature of faith: Cas has always believed in God first, and everyone else is fighting for second place. Once God demonstrates that he's not interested in refereeing the Apocalypse, Cas has nothing--because right along with God vanishing for good, Dean is starting to fall apart. And there's nothing for Cas after that except to keep fighting to some terrible conclusion. It's the sort of thing that you're reluctant to admire, but almost have to, that he sticks it out to the bitter end for the doubtful consolation of not watching the end he sees as inevitable, Dean failing and the world ending.
And presented without comment:
5.21: Two Minutes Before Midnight
Oh, Cas, you've fallen a long, long way. Or have you? The last time we saw him, he'd banished himself along with three other angels (taking out a fourth along the way), apparently to a shrimping boat. Oh, to have been on that shrimping boat. Anyway.
Who's that guy in the bed? He looks smart. And really muscular.
Don't let the hospital gown, cuts, and bruises fool you. Why?
Because this guy is fresh out of the hospital--apparently brain dead, tapped out, beaten, bruised, on his own and pretty much awake enough to experience humanity for a handful of days and he gets himself on a bus and goes and finds Dean and Sam and then very sneakily lures Pestilence in, gathers his 99.9%-human strength and cuts off the bastard's fingers. Fingers, multiple. "Maybe just a spark," indeed.
Okay, admittedly this is not from the scene I'm going to talk about, but I like it and I had trouble finding a cap I liked with Cas and Bobby talking. And it's really more pertinent to something I believe very firmly, something I think is absolutely central to Castiel's character.
That is, all of what you've seen in the past two seasons, up to and including this episode, is Castiel. All his ass-kicking, his impatience, his brilliance, his determination, his fearlessness... that's him. It isn't his grace, or his angelic nature, it's all part of what makes him Castiel, something a lot more intrinsic than the apparently much more contingent/uncertain abilities that come along with being an angel.
Yeah, he's lost a lot this year: his home, his family, his good-for-nothing jerk of a dad, his ability to heal others, exorcise demons, time-travel, and finally to teleport and heal himself. His grace is about gone. But you know what isn't? The important stuff that's kept him alive and kept him going despite the tons and tons of fucking impossible shit he's had dumped on him. He's been outmatched or at a significant disadvantage pretty much every single time he's gone up against another angel or demon this year, and with the exception of the Whore of Babylon, he's won every single time. He's done what he needed to do, no matter the cost to himself, he's cleared the way and gotten Dean and Sam out of hot water and saved his own ass, and has kept fighting.
So, yes, I pretty much disagree with the argument that human!Cas is less badass than his angelic counterpart. For the reasons I've given above, and because Supernatural is a fundamentally human show. Being angelic is no guarantee of being badass--look at Zachariah, for god's sake, and Lucifer, the whiny brat of epic proportions, or Gabriel (whom I love, but sorry, hiding out isn't really cutting it); all it means is you can smite people who annoy you. It doesn't make you resourceful, or brave, or determined, or give you a conscience that leads you to side with the two guys who want to do the impossible.
Cas bucked his programming because there was enough human empathy in him, and he's kept with Dean and Sam because he has the courage of his convictions. He's known what's been happening to him as the year's gone on, and he's accepted it as a necessary evil, and yeah he hates it, but guess what? Cas can lose his grace, but he can keep--and has kept--going on even when he's shackled and cornered and thinks he's helpless. To wit:
Still cool. He goes in, takes out the guy about to get away.
And learns new weapons on the fly. He gets over his angsty scene with Bobby pretty quickly. He's a soldier, he knows necessity, and he's learned a lot about making do since the Winchesters came his way and he found himself the underdog.
5.22: Swan Song
Oh, season, where did you go?
Viewed one way, this is kind of grimly, sadly hilarious: Cas still doesn't get that, "oh, [he's] supposed to lie" to comfort Sam in this darkest hour, and when he does realize it, it's pretty clear he's learned how to lie from the Dean Winchester School Of How To Be Completely Unconvincing. Viewed another way, though, it's Cas acknowledging his limitations: he's human now, snoring and all, and there's no possible way he can take care of Dean and Bobby the way Sam wants, or believes, he can.
While it's pretty clear we're supposed to side with Dean, Cas's pessimism is damn understandable. He's given Dean.... four fairly significant chances at putting an end to all of this, and so far the track record is kind of abysmal: stop Lucifer from getting out (failed), kill Lucifer (failed, although this was not Dean's fault), not give in to Michael (succeeded, terrible apology given), trap Lucifer (failed, so far). On top of that, he's died once (#2 coming up soon), been exiled, lost his powers, become human, and pretty much killed himself doing the impossible. Add in God basically telling him to "fuck off", and I can't blame him for wanting to drink. This is my life on some days, and I don't have anywhere near Cas's excuse.
And yet. Yet.
Assbutt ♥♥♥
This is one of Those Moments for me, in case you can't tell: Cas putting aside his reservations, tossing the dice, making it work, and not flinching. Even when Death #2 comes around.
On the other hand, this is possibly one of my favorite moments, aside from the incredible rush of OH MY GOD CAS ISN'T DEAD HURRAY HURRAY HURRAY: Dean asking Cas--voice breaking, hoping, maybe disbelieving--if Cas is God. And that sentence, for me, says a whole fucking lot about Cas, and Dean's relationship with him. Not in a "you're a god in bed" sort of way, but the fact that Dean seems to be recognizing, however briefly, Cas being the one to shepherd him through a whole lot of shit, the one who was there at the beginning to raise him up, the one who helped him when everyone (even Sam) had deserted him, who'd kept helping despite everything, and who's here now at the end.
And while Cas thinks it's a compliment, really, it should be God who's honored by the comparison. Go sit yourself in the corner, God.
Oh, difficult scene. 5.22 pretty much automatically met my minimum requirement that Cas be alive at the end. Cas going back to Heaven... On one hand, my to-the-bitter-end Dean/Cas-shipping heart protests violently at Cas going back home. On the other, cognizant of reality that I am, Heaven needs someone like Cas, who's known the human side of things and who sees that the past few years of strife have made a Hell of Heaven, so to speak. And Heaven needs someone who doesn't take bullshit, whether it comes with a 1967 Impala or wings, and it's Cas deciding this for himself. Not God, as he tells Dean; this is something he's doing, because he sees the necessity of it.
Necessity, what needs doing... That's pretty much Cas for me.
My point is... [.eta: even though he gets them back!] Cas doesn't need fancy angel powers to be badass. That's all down to him, who he is, at a level that transcends whatever abilities he possesses by virtue of having his batteries all charged up. Admittedly I like the illusion of safety that comes with a fully-powered Cas, who heals in a second and can clear out of trouble if it comes knocking, but again, those powers aren't a guarantee that their possessor is going to be brave even in the face of death and impossibility, or find a way between the rock and the hard place. (They also aren't a guarantee that said character is going to live.) But, you know, everything that makes Cas the badass, cranky, impatient, smart character I love is still there, intact. Because all of that is Cas, plain and simple, and he doesn't need grace or a big whacking pair of wings to make him any of these things. He has them all on his own.
Bottom line: Cas is a badass motherfucker, and we need more of him in the world, in canon and in fic. And in Dean/Cas, while I do love me some banged-up Cas and a Cas who needs someone to keep an eye on him while he recovers from being awesome, I have a hard time with fics that have Cas perpetually at the end of his tether and needing Dean to stitch him up emotionally, or coddle him, because he's a lot tougher than that. Your mileage may vary with this statement, but... Cas doesn't fold like a bad coat because he has a bad day. He doesn't get sad, and he doesn't get mad, he gets even--or if he can't, he gets out of there so he can regroup and find a new way to deal with whatever's pissed him off by getting in his way.
And, as for coddling... I think Dean likes that he has a friend who isn't an emotional vampire like Sam is. Cas doesn't make him talk, because usually Cas either doesn't get what he's saying or isn't interested in inspecting the contents of Dean's emotional vomit. He's content to take what Dean offers by way of advice, whether it's a night at the brothel or how to keep faith in the face of doubt, but doesn't push past that (.eta: see 5.18). And that's what Dean needs. That's not to say Dean doesn't (or shouldn't) worry about Cas--clearly he does (5.08, for example), but Cas gives back as much as he takes, in the form of cantankerous, idiosyncratic loyalty and the occasional angel-ex-machina save of the day.
It will be interesting to see where the rest of the season goes* following the discovery that God would like Cas to stop looking for him. If they do find God, I hope Cas lets the old bastard have it. In the meantime, I'd like to see him keep fighting the good fight, for kick-ass, cranky, impatient angels everywhere.
* = no spoilers for future episodes/S6, please. Some people may be spoiler-free :)
.eta 5.19: Thank you so much to everyone who's read the original Casifesto and its updates!
HEAVEN'S CLINT EASTWOOD, ONLY MORE AWESOME
YAY, SEASON SIX! When we last saw Cas, he was headed back to Heaven to try to get things in order. At the end of 5.22, Dean accuses Cas of running back to his Daddy, and trying to be the good soldier-boy again, and while I personally would have preferred it if Cas and Dean went and had consolation sex, Cas's decision makes a lot of sense. He's powered up, he's needed, and I think what we see in 6.03 pretty much bears out a lot of what his implied motivation has been for the past two years: trying to set things right.
6.03: The Third Man
"Hello." Oh, Cas. Seriously, I love it when Ben Edlund writes him; Cas is just on in this episode, a bit of everything that makes Castiel so fucking awesome: clueless, abrupt, irritable, totally kick-ass, unexpectedly compassionate. Mostly kick-ass.
One of the things I love is Cas's ability to multitask,usually involving him reading things or investigating something and trying to get the Winchesters up to speed.
I just love this. As someone pointed out elsewhere, Cas assumes that he has "people skills" that could possibly become "rusty" with "disuse" after spending a year as a multidimensional being. (Incidentally, I did like getting a bit more of a hint about how Cas spends his time when he's not in human form/envesselled/whatever.) Also, you totally know he picked up the dick quotes from Dean.
It's been said that the scenes with Cas here take place in Cas-time, and I think that's a very true observation. Really, it's almost jarring when you think about where Cas had been going through most of S5, and then watch him flickering in and out, back and forth, dictating the pace of these scenes. And there are a few callbacks to his old habits: unannounced and unwelcome transportation (Dean bitching at him when they land in the poor guy's house), being very competent with his spellwork... and also being ready to do fairly horrible things, like torture a little kid, in the name of necessity.
And oh, yeah: disarming another angel who comes at him with two swords, tackling him out the window, obliterating Sam's car, and climbing back up... All in a day's work.
Oh, Cas. There's bad shit going down in Heaven, between Raphael deciding things need to end Scripturally and weapons going missing from the armories. I'll have a bit more to say about this when we get to Balthazar.
"Even I know that's a bad joke." One of the many things Cas learned last year: He has a bad sense of humor :(
This entire scene killed me, it really did. Cas's exchange with Balthazar touches on some fairly important character points. First, that Cas is, in his own way, an idealist--not an idealist in the sense that he tries to abide by his ideals, but that his ideals are goals toward which he's driven. He strikes me as being a lot like Dean in that sense: someone who is constantly chasing after peace, but finds circumstances against him. He wants Heaven to be a brotherhood again, or to be a brotherhood in the first place, if it never was to begin with; Balthazar pretty much tells him that's a pipe dream, that there's always going to be conflict.
Second, is that there's a... hm, I'm not sure, an inconsistency? in the way angels like Balthazar and Gabriel and angels like Cas (if there are angels like Cas) define rebellion. Technically speaking, Cas only rebels against orders that come from Michael/Zachariah/Raphael, not against God, as suggested by the fact that God brings him back twice. Balthazar, though, rebels in a distinctly un-angelic way and abandons his post. There's the implication that other angels are taking Castiel's example to heart, that Cas has ripped up the script and burned it, and I have the feeling that Castiel didn't want his actions interpreted that way.
It's a sentiment that is hinted at in Cas's earlier conversation with Dean, when he admits he's ashamed of what his brothers have been doing (right before helping himself to some of Dean's blood, if you recall). And that seriously has to fucking suck, you know? It's clear Cas had, however wrongly, expected better from his family, and has to deal with the fallout when they can't rise to his expectations.
Poor Cas, post Raphael-administered beatdown, and after realizing that his friend is never going to agree to help him. Sigh. He has his work cut out for him this year, kickass angel that he is.
6.06: You Can't Handle the Truth
I kind of love the callback to 4.02 here, with Cas leaning up against the counter.
This cap is so much... cheerier-looking after you mess with the brightness and contrast. It almost looks like they're standing in some quaint little b&b on the Maine coast or something. Anyway, I found it interesting that Cas offers Dean a drink, and doesn't take one himself. It looks like Cas's boozing days are behind him.
"Where'd you look?"
"Everywhere." Duh.
One of the things I was turning over with people in the review for this episode was how Dean really doesn't seem to get that Cas 1.) still doesn't know everything, and 2.) is stuck in a battle that he's trying to fight on his own, against extremely difficult odds. I mean, I don't know about you but "stuck in a battle you're trying to fight on your own, against extremely difficult odds" sounds really, really familiar. Some understanding would be nice, Dean. Anyway, this is Cas being forced into a tight place again, and you'd also figure that Heaven would have learned its lesson the last time it tried to thwart Cas. It didn't work out well for them. Stop making Cas's life difficult, assholes!
So, yeah. There's my Casifesto.
aesc: 22 pointed out how, when Pamela kisses Dean (and also I think when Anna kisses him in 4.10), he is actually quite passive
trinityofone: this is true
trinityofone: he likes to let the ladies top, too, iirc
aesc: yeah, he'd totally be down with Cas in charge in bed
trinityofone: more of this, please!
aesc: I mean, it makes SO MUCH SENSE
aesc: [Cas is] stubborn and determined and crabby and impatient when he wants things to get done and people aren't cooperating
trinityofone: i <3 this description
aesc: so in bed, if Dean is being really slow about getting him off, Cas would be all, "Dean, put your hand on my dick right now and make me come"
That developed into the following picspam/commentary, which is pretty much my interpretation of Cas so far this season. It is, of course, just my interpretation, so your agreement/mileage/sodium intake may vary. But hey, pretty pictures! Lots of them! And spoilers up through 5.18!
.updated 10.26: Added 6.03!
.updated:11.03: Added 6.06!
CASIFESTO
Argument
Cas is not an innately patient or understanding being. He is also not particularly nice. If he's going to perch on your shoulder it's so that he can tell you that you're being a moron. Also, he'd smite the hell out of those Precious Moments figurines if he ever saw them. I'm just sayin'.
THE BEGINNING
Let us go back to see what Cas is like, pre-Winchester influence. My primary contention here is that Cas really doesn't change a lot between 4.01 and 5.16, at least, not in the fundamentals. What changes the most is really his orientation to humanity, understanding the importance of free will and its preservation. Beyond that, he's still stubborn, impatient with delay, and very righteous. And he does not intuitively understand you, because humans are weird, irrational creatures and he has better things to do. Like save the goddamn world.
4.01: Lazarus Rising
Despite those sad blue "You don't believe you deserve to be saved" eyes, Cas is pretty ruthless in this scene. First you get The Big Entrance, then all-around ass-kicking, and then when Dean doesn't seem to be taking the bait, definitive proof. When Dean accuses him of burning out Pamela's eyes, Cas doesn't really express any remorse over that: as far as he's concerned, Pamela had it coming, insisting on seeing his true form when he told her to quit spying on him. It's also something he never really apologizes for later on in 4.16 after Pamela's funeral. (Although he does look guilty about that.)
Also, Cas pulled Dean out of fucking Hell. It wasn't a run to the convenience store. We all know this of course, but it's such a central part of Cas's canon, and part of his relationship with Dean, I think it tends to be forgotten.
4.02: Are You There God? It's Me, Dean Winchester
You should show me some respect.
Dean, that insolent/sarcastic game you have going? Castiel don't play that. I have no doubt that Cas is being uttery sincere when he tells Dean he can throw him back into Hell if Dean doesn't shape up and get an attitude adjustment. Yeah, this is old!Cas, before he comes around to Dean's way of thinking, but as we'll see, even after Castiel decides to sign up for Team Free Will, he doesn't become much nicer.
4.03: In the Beginning
I paired these because I think a lot of us tend to dwell on the first: Cas with his hand on Dean's shoulder (OMGGGGGGGGG *dies a bit still*) and looking as consoling/kind/sad as we've ever seen him. But just on the flip side, once we're back in the present day, Castiel unambiguously tells Dean to stop whatever the hell Sam is up to, or else the angels will take care of Sam themselves.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Sam = #1 Priority in Dean's life, and Castiel fairly calculatedly plays on Dean's concern for Sam's welfare. And this comes right after--right after--Cas tries to console Dean in his completely unconsoling Cas sort of way by telling him Destiny is what it is, and there's no use in fighting it. Oh, by the way, your brother's doing something shady, so tell him to knock it off before I take care of him myself.
4.07: It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester
The first episodes with Cas continually emphasize not only the big picture--Apocalypse! Fate of the world!--but the fact that Castiel is compelled to look at the world from a particularly and peculiarly angelic perspective. He cannot understand (although he eventually tries to) why Dean is so stuck on a tiny town of a few thousand people when there's an entire Earth out there to keep an eye on. And that worldview necessarily limits the sort of options he thinks are available to him.
My point here isn't really to reiterate what we already know, but to emphasize that these aren't patterns or ways of thinking that Castiel ever gives up. While he does learn to take the narrower view--specifically, the view of the right of the individual to free choice--the almost fanatical devotion with which he adheres to whatever viewpoint he takes never really changes. That's the constant, even as Cas learns about new ways of looking at the world.
Uriel and Castiel are friends and brothers; we know this from 4.16, and we also know that Castiel regrets the decisions Uriel's made. More on that later. At the moment, Castiel is giving said friend and brother a verbal smackdown, and he'll do it again--with evident enjoyment--in 4.10.
This is probably the nicest Cas has been since trying to reason/coax Dean into working for Heaven in 4.01, and he's still... not terribly nice. And I think this is where, for me anyway, Cas starts to make the slow turn to trying to understand Dean on his own terms. He's had evidence of Dean fighting against impossibility in 4.03, but now Cas himself has been put in the position of obeying Dean's orders--having to look at things from his viewpoint. Still, that doesn't let him let Dean try to edge out of what Castiel thinks is waiting for him: their conversation ends with another dire reminder that Hell is just a few Seals away.
4.10: Heaven and Hell
Cas still isn't coming around. He's had several chances to see Dean in action, and the qualities of mercy/forebearance demonstrated, but nothing's really happening yet.
Again, inviting Uriel to disobey. Double-dog-daring, in fact. He knows (or thinks he knows, but Uriel's orders seem to be to go along with Castiel) that Uriel's subordinate to him for now, and is able to use that knowledge to torment him a bit. Lesson: Castiel is fairly unrepentantly manipulative when he knows he has to be, or senses there's an advantage in it. Your grandma's angel never plays mind games like that.
4.15: Death Takes a Holiday
I'm not sure why this doesn't come up more often, but you guys, Cas totally fakes Dean into doing what he wants him to do. Nice, understanding, patient angels don't do that: they perch patiently until you come around. But Castiel's on a schedule, and if he has to impersonate one of Dean's friends to get him to do what he wants, then so be it.
His more extended conversations with Dean are always kind of amusing, because they both seem like people speaking slightly different languages, or people who understand words in a different way, but who want to comprehend each other: Dean wants to understand how it is Cas--who may be an ally, may be not--thinks something this fucked up is okay, and Cas just wants to figure out what makes Dean tick so maybe his mission would be a little less awful. (And also, Dean himself is starting to intrigue him.) There's no mystical or immediate comprehension, just two people wanting to figure each other out.
Also, "You're different." Oh, Cas, could you be any more mysterious?
TRANSITION
Okay, here we have Cas starting to turn away from Heaven. But what really changes, and how does it change? Let's take a look, shall we?
4.16: Head of a Pin
"Head of a Pin" is one of my favorite episodes because it starts Cas's turn away from Heaven and toward Dean. I find it interesting how he goes quiet/avoidant when he knows he's not in the right, and how he clearly knows what he's asking of Dean is pretty fucking horrific... but he asks and, for once, doesn't try to compel. Still, he persists in his course, despite the questionable victory that is getting Dean to torture Alastair, and this brings up another, related point: Cas--like a lot of humans, probably--has a terrible time working in moral grayscale.
Once again, Cas's consolation is not very... consoling. Dean's on a hospital bed, and Cas tells him there's something rotten in Heaven, and the fate of the world is still Dean Winchester's responsibility. It makes me hurt for both of them, because it's becoming increasingly clear to Cas that Heaven can't be trusted, and he's beginning to think that Dean probably has a point--and that Dean can't, and shouldn't, be expected to shoulder all of this. And Dean, for his part, still can't figure out if Cas is 100% to be trusted, or where he is on the friend/ally spectrum.
Fortunately, the next episode helps with that.
4.18: The Monster at the End of This Book
Not much flaps Cas's wings. When Dean flips his shit, Cas reads a book (twice: see also 4.01). When Dean is demanding to know if Cas is really actually serious about Chuck being a prophet of the Lord, or if he's yanking Dean's chain, Cas says very calmly that no, no one's chain is being yanked.
What separates Cas from the rest of the angels, at least so far, is that he can be persuaded, and I think this is the moment when Cas ends up in the friend/ally camp as far as Dean's concerned. At this point in time, Cas has pretty much learned his lesson from 4.16, to question and probe and think for himself, and that lesson never really stops being applicable, even when he temporarily swings back to Heaven in 4.20/4.21. And we see the results of that lesson in S5, when Cas makes some interesting decisions of his own.
You know what I would like to see in fic? Cas sneaking his way out of somewhere. He is a badass stealthy motherfucker, that's what he is, and he saves Dean's and Sam's ass with a bit of clever linewalking. I'll get to this in 4.22/5.01, but I think we're also seeing Cas with a bit more self-preservation as he starts to change course, unwilling to risk himself or his postion, either for Heaven or for Dean. He knows how to play the odds, and how to assess risk, and he's not willing to gamble everything for anyone at this point: it's all about staying alive.
22by7 reminded me of something I forgot: namely how Cas's ability to slide around Heaven's rulebook demonstrates a pretty subtle awareness of the power of language, and how language regulates behavior. He can't interfere directly, but he can definitely interfere indirectly. His understanding of how to manipulate language and find the loopholes argues against the "trusting, innocent, believes the best of everybody" trope I've seen. Cas is way too canny to think that anyone--angels or humans--are good-hearted, altruistic individuals. You don't fly under Heaven's radar by believing the best of anybody, and Cas's remarks in 4.20 suggest that, when all he sees is "pain," he doesn't believe humans are the pinnacle of perfection: they're flawed and screwed up, and while they don't deserve to be squished by angels stomping around, they aren't necessarily to be trusted either.
4.20: The Rapture
Oh man, "The Rapture." *heartclench* Cas miscalculates his risk, but he leaves behind some serious destruction; he went down swinging, and probably fighting all kinds of dirty.
The end, oh god. The end still kills me, even though "When the Levee Breaks" shows a Castiel that is nowhere near as resolute as this one is. But yeah, Castiel will not put up with your shit if he decides he doesn't want to hear it, especially if you're an impertinent human in the shape of Dean Winchester. And of course in the preceeding fight scene we have Castiel being all kinds of sneaky and badass. He scores in the 99.999th percentile for cunning, you guys.
4.21: When the Levee Breaks
Because it bears repeating! "Good" angels don't blackmail/pressure you into taking an oath to obey no matter what, no changies, no takebacks. Instead, they help and counsel you. Castiel is much better at the former than he is the latter, and he rides Dean until Dean finally caves and does what he wants. Considering this eventually means Dean being unable to stop Sam from opening Hellgate and then Dean himself saying 'yes' to Michael and instigating the Apocalypse For Realz, this requires a lot of delusion/conviction to carry off--and the ability to ignore the pain of a person Cas has been coming to care for over the past year.
That said, I've never really understood why people are determined to see Cas as the Ultimate Unrepentant Traitor here. He is clearly conflicted when he lets Sam out, and when he turns Anna in, for all the good that conflict does anyone. There are two lessons Cas has learned out of all of this: that he has the right of choice for himself, and that doing what your conscience (and not Heaven, or expedience) says is right is probably the best course of action. Whenever he decides for conscience, I cheer; whenever he decides for Heaven, I bang my head on a hard surface. But it's best, and I think the most telling, when he chooses for himself and sticks to those choices no matter what. For which see 5.01-5.03.
4.22: Lucifer Rising
While Cas does like Dean an awful lot, he's still not convinced what Dean wants is the right thing, or even the best thing for Dean. Cas takes a lot of convincing to get him to go along with anything, as Dean's found out (and will find out) on several occasions. Cas is not this pliant, mindlessly DEAN DEAN DEAAAAN! creature--he's also not mindlessly HEAVEN HEAVEN HEAVEN either, early on. Cas is his own creature, and that becomes clearer as the series goes on.
And this is another thing: When you've convinced Cas, he's convinced, and he's all in. This right here is when Cas abandons self-interest, that instinct that has him wanting to stay alive more than helping Dean or capitulating to Heaven (which, I think, he senses would also get him killed sooner or later). He's the sort of guy who surprises you, playing conservative, hedging his bets, going for what he's sure he can get, but then at the crucial point pulls out all the stops and commits himself all the way.
Even now he has a plan, and he doesn't have time to indulge Dean's questions (probably why he shuts him up preemptively, rather than worrying he's going to alert Zachariah). No, it's wham, bam, thank you Ms. Winchester: he has Zachariah banished (woooo!) and the two of them out of there in a heartbeat, has decided that they're going to make it up as they go, and then transports Dean to Maryland before Dean can make things more complicated.
Then he lets Raphael take him apart. And staring death in the face even for a hope of saving the world... That is pretty fucking badass, you guys. You don't get much more awesome than that. They write epic poems about this shit.
TEAM FREE WILL
Some musings on S5. With Cas out of the nest, what happens? Is he still stubborn and badass and smitey? Um, yeah. You better believe it, bitches.
5.01: Sympathy for the Devil
Okay, can I get a HELL YEAH! for Zachariah pwnage? HELL YEAH! That's what I thought.
It's been said before by many people, but Castiel really only gets more awesome as S5 goes on. It's true, because his awesomeness doesn't depend on his grace or some umbilical cord to Heaven, it's all his... because he is, weirdly, the most unfettered character in the series. Both Dean and Sam are hedged around with destiny and Fate and prophecy, trying to dodge it and save themselves and maybe, on a good day, the world, but Cas is his own agent.
There are drawbacks to that sort of agency: he doesn't have family, really, only Dean and Sam, and he's understanding the sort of sacrifices that are required if you want to do your own thing. Even with those reservations, though, he keeps fighting: he gets rid of Zachariah and takes his resurrection as a sign that he needs to help Dean and Sam cheat Heaven for as long as possible. And despite that freedom he still sees his duty pretty clearly: to save the world for humans, and all that humanity implies, not the rerun Paradise/Heaven the angels want.
So, yeah, he's Pro-Winchester. But does that mean he goes along with them?
5.02: Good God, Y'All!
Oh hell no. Cas is a strategist, a tactician. He doesn't do theology--he really doesn't need to, seeing as he's an angel, and a lot of theology is really only humans talking to themselves about what they imagine God is like or how God would order things (or, really, how they would order things if they were God). And he lets Dean know that. He also lets Dean know that his crazy not-plan to "kill the devil" is the stupidest shit he's ever heard in his life, and he's been alive a really fucking long time.
Cas: 1; Dean: 0.
You do not say no to the guy who got himself blown apart to help you, and you really do not say no to the guy who got himself cut off from Heaven and then killed his own family and did it, all of it, for you. Very likely Dean knows this, but it also helps that Cas is relentless--relentless and angry, because he'd placed his faith somewhere other than Heaven and it got him a spell in oblivion and the biggest family feud this side of the '80s, slim consolation that they're all alive and Dean and Sam aren't bodysuits for two archangels. Really, Cas already has that amulet in his pocket; Dean just doesn't know it yet.
Cas: 2; Dean: 0.
Object lesson: Once Cas has fixed on something, he's not backing down. He's an angel, he's absolute, and that's as true here as it is back in 4.02, when he made it clear he'd toss Dean into Hellmouth like a dog treat if Dean didn't shape right the hell up. He's not wishy-washy, he's not understanding and kind and tolerant when people have differing points of view they wish to present. No, it's "give it to me, Dean," and it's really only a choice between giving Cas the amulet now, or watching in pain, cradling your broken wrist, while Cas takes the amulet anyway.
5.03: Free to Be You and Me
This is where I get a bit shippy, for those of you who don't dig the Dean/Cas. I'm going to try to limit my terminology to relationships in general, or to "friendship," but for my fellow Dean/Cas followers out there, when I say "friends," I mean, um, you know. FRIENDS. *sideways look*
First, I think it's important to say that Dean considers Cas a friend; we know he does, i.e. 5.01, "my friend Cas." And I think Cas is still trying to figure out if Dean is a friend, or a comrade, or some combination of the two, as I suspect angels don't really have "friends" as such--or else maybe Cas, being weird, hasn't ever really had friends, only fellow soldiers, or whatever is implied by his comment in 4.10 that he and Anna have "history" together. Which just might be Cas!speak for "we have been through much together, you and I, and now I have to do something unpleasant to you."
At any rate, what Dean is at this particular moment is a pain in Castiel's ass. He never really gets used to Dean's constant questioning and seeking after reasons why, and that shows in the fact that he's very impatient and short whenever Dean starts with the "why? why? why?" routine. It means writing fic is a bitch, because I always feel like it's nice to take the time to explain things, but while writing this, I realized that I need to go back through and cut Cas's dialogue by about two-thirds. Brevity is the soul of badass.
Cas's "I have no idea what that means" face is also his "why the fucking fuck are you wasting my time with your bullshit?" face. This scene is just awesome. I love it: it's taut and tense and Cas is hell-bent on doing his thing... and he pushes Dean into going along with him by the simple expedient of telling an inconvenient, yet strategic, truth: Dean is the only person who will help him track down and trap Raphael.
Cas doesn't take shit from anybody, Raphael. It's time you learned that.
Dean and Cas's relationship here is beautifully drawn, and I'm going to do my damndest to take this as a template for how I understand them in fic. (And this is where I slide my shipper glasses firmly on.) If you look at Dean's relationships with men and women, the people he likes and respects are the people who give him a hard time, who don't let themselves be pushed around by his own stubbornness/persuasiveness and his own rather powerful personality: Bobby, Cassie, Ellen, Jo, and Victor all call Dean on his bullshit, and they all have their own way of doing things that can bend, but don't give way to, Dean's desires.
And Cas is the same way. The exact same way. He doesn't lean on Dean, or need his shelter, or let himself be dominated by him. 5.03 sketches out a friendship that isn't based on heart-to-hearts, but rather a mutual respect for the fact that the other party is cantankerous and stubborn and hates having stuff dictated to him. And yeah, Cas can see into Dean's soul, but he doesn't quite seem to know what to do with what he sees, beyond knowing that Dean's someone worth being with and fighting with, in both senses of "fighting with." As for Dean, while I think he likes having someone to take care of (e.g. Anna), the relationships he remembers--the ones that stick--are the ones with people who continually resist him but also, despite that resistance, stay and back him up.
That's pretty much what Cas does, in his crabby, impatient way. And that's what Dean needs--someone with strength who doesn't rely wholly on him, or follow him completely and faithfully and without question. Does Cas follow him? Absolutely. But he also gives him hell along the way.
5.04: The End
In part, Cas's impatience with Dean's need for trifling human things like food and sleep is a function of him not really understanding the limitations of humanity. But this entire scene is filled with Cas's trademark get-up-and-go: The Colt can kill supernatural things, the Colt is out there somewhere, and the search is going to start right now, and he is NOT PLEASED when Dean asks for four hours (four hours!) of sleep. And yes, "I'll just... wait here then" is hilarious and kind of sad, but Cas is an angel of action, and not used to standing around, being peaceful and meditative.
It's like being chained to a comet, after all. Comets don't rest.
One of my favorite scenes ever. I can't get enough of what this screencap implies: not only fondness, but "I totally saved your ass from getting owned, but I'm not going to rub it in," a very calm happiness and pride that is completely merited. Because Cas just snaked Dean right out from under Zachariah's pointy nose, which goes to show you that even with his powers on the wane he still has it. Because Cas doesn't need Heaven to be awesome.
I didn't include this originally, but then I realized I should... future!Cas is by no means a doormat either, and it sort of, idk, annoys me when 5.04 coda/companion fics are written that turn him into a sex-starved, spineless wuss who caves to Dean's sexual demands. Why? Because even in 5.04 he doesn't give into Dean. He mocks him with the "fearless leader" remarks--cruel when Dean is pretty fucking terrified 99% of the time and trying not to be--and continually questions and critiques Dean's admittedly shitty decision-making skills.
But in the end of course he goes with Dean, because there's nowhere else to go and no one else to go with in this world. It's the bitter end of a decision Cas made long ago, to drop out of Club Angel--and while he's sacrificed a fuck of a lot, there's some ornery, stubborn core of Cas-ness that never quite goes.
5.06: I Believe the Children Are Our Future
Again, worth repeating: Cas doesn't blindly follow Dean. Yeah, he's committed himself to Team No Apocalypse, and it's pretty clear he's thrown his chips in on an all-out wager for free will to win, but he still has Very Definite Ideas about where his obligation to humanity requires him to take an innocent life; moreover, he doesn't quite understand why Dean and Sam aren't capable of grasping what is, to him, clear and irrefutable logical argument--and it seriously irritates him, because it's more time out of his day that he has to spend explaining shit to them. He also has Very Definite Ideas about how badly Sam fucked up, and what Sam's mistake has cost him. It's a personal thing, not only "You just royally screwed the world over, Sam, thanks," but "you made the worst possible choice imaginable and Dean couldn't stop you, and I'm a casualty of your fuckup."
It's not that I think Cas is particularly bloodthirsty; he's pretty stone-cold, actually, even if he very definitely has second thoughts about the appropriateness of killing a little kid. But still we see him ready to set conscience/other obligations aside for the greater good, and that sort of resolve and single-mindedness just reinforces the fact that you can find him under angel, avenging in the index to Revelation.
5.08: Changing Channels
Castiel's character took a beating back in S4, particularly in 4.10 and 4.16, when he needed Dean and Sam to get his ass out of trouble. Throughout S5, and the latter part of S4, the tables have turned. Cas has his own fine ass covered most of the time; I like the implication that, once Gabriel figures out it's another angel onto him and that said angel is close to figuring out what he really is, it's only then that he locks Cas up tight and only releases him on demand. Very worth remembering that Sam says no one gets the drop on Cas, not unless they're something they say they aren't.
Given the dire situation, and Cas's worry, he's totally justified in the snappishness: "I've been looking for you." He's spent the past several days, and taken time out of his life to look for Dean's ass (well, Sam and Dean's collective ass, but said while staring fixedly at Dean), and now that he's found them he wants to clear the hell out of there. Wherever Gabriel dropped him the first time it's clear it wasn't pleasant, but Cas still breaks out (are you convinced of his awesomeness yet), and despite the danger to himself tries to warn Sam and Dean that something crazy is up.
5.10: Abandon All Hope
Angel is fucking fearless you guys. If I tried to show you every badass moment in this episode, from Cas being trapped by Lucifer and remaining as calm and cool as a still pond on a winter's day to getting himself out of that trap, and finally snaking Dean and Sam out from under Lucifer's nose... we'd be here a while. And you thought him pwning Zachariah was awesome.
Bottom line: Castiel is a fucking warrior, guys. He doesn't need his hand held, and he doesn't need rescuing. I think, if anything, he's become even more badass and determined since his grace started to go, and that's old-school warrior ethic for you right there: as your strength fades, your resolution becomes like steel. Cas doesn't falter.
5.13: The Song Remains the Same
Any time Cas says "We've been through much together," some kind of colossally shitty thing is going to happen, and chances are, Castiel's going to do it to you. In some ways, he's guilty of some pretty scary moral justification--"we're brothers and friends and comrades, but now I'm going to have to do something unpleasant to you, even though I hate it"--that carries over into his membership on Team Free Will.
I think that's a pretty big point: that Cas is used to making sacrifices of conscience in service of his larger goals, whether those goals are aligned with Heaven or with Dean. Sometimes I'm kind of uneasy about it, how easily he's able to set aside any internal conflict and resolve to kill Uriel and Anna, two of his siblings and people he's known going on forever. Obviously I'm happy that this helps him keep Dean alive and unoccupied by Michael, but it's not something that someone wishy-washy or hesitant is capable of doing.
This scene pretty much goes to proving that Dean has to work to persuade Castiel into anything. Cas wins the war over Anna having to die, even though he eventually loses the battle over Dean and Sam getting to go back in time along with him. (Sidebar: I'm kind of disappointed by that, actually. Obviously it had to be done, but I would have loved to see some kind of crazy 70s Kill Bill-type action, and Castiel being offered weed. And now I never will. Woe.) But the fact is, Dean has to work for it, and finally appeal to family--oddly, the very thing Castiel's forsaken. I wonder if that chafes, Dean trying to save his family when Cas has been pretty active in taking out various members of his.
Oh, Cas <3 I'm not sure why I included this, except it's adorable, and a brief change from badass/impatient/seriously angry Cas. His "I don't understand that reference" in this scene, while lolarious for pointing out how far he has to go to understand Dean's off-the-cuff references, also points out that Castiel doesn't quite get speech that isn't straight to the point and that doesn't get things accomplished.
5.14: My Bloody Valentine
Even when he has to say something hilarious like "A cupid has gone rogue, and we have to stop him before he kills again," Cas manages to sound intense and "Why the fuck am I using oxygen to explain this shit to you?" (We can thank Misha's godlike skillz for that.) Again, he really has no time in his day for Sam and Dean having to work through things at Mortal Speed, which is roughly equivalent to the land speed achieved by a snail on hot concrete. (Seriously, for Castiel, this is true.) He's not good at the explanations the boys--and the audience--need, and it shows in his impatience.
5.16: Dark Side of the Moon
These two scenes, with Cas giving Dean instructions over radio and TV, are perhaps the clearest statement of the fact that, when it comes to most things (especially things Winchester and Apocalypse-related), Cas has no patience whatsoever, and no time for Dean's requests for clarification, reasons why, reservations, etc. etc. If the CW had let him say it--sadly, there are powers greater than Cas--he would have said "God fucking dammit, Winchester, just follow the motherfucking road, you goddamn moronic son of a bitch." He is two seconds away from saying that, with a spell on the fritz and an uncooperative dimwit mortal on the other end of the line.
Hey God? Start running. Right now. You are not going to like it when Cas shows up.
Still, it's important to remember: even determined, badass, cranky angels need hugs.
5.17: 99 Problems
"Don't ask stupid questions" is pretty good policy when dealing with Cas; he doesn't like them when he's sober, and he really hates them when he's drunk. Until it becomes clear that Dean is buckling under the pressure (which happens, oh, a week after discovering God wants nothing to do with him), Cas gets by on faith in God and then faith in Dean. Then the bottom falls out.
The one thing that defines Cas, I think, is purpose. As insight2 told me, he's become more absolute as the series goes on (see 5.18 for more on this), but now he's confronted with the loss of everything, and for possibly nothing at all. It's as wrenching as 4.21, when he finds himself trapped between two ways of doing his duty, obeying orders or helping Dean, only his two ways (help Dean or give up) seem to lead to the same dismaying conclusion.
Still, the hell of it is, he keeps going. He doesn't stop. He explains everything to Dean and Sam, tells them a terrible joke about goat blow-jobs (and thinks it's hilarious, oh Cas), takes himself and his hangover to get the Magical Cypress Stick, gets himself a serious dose of agony... and then his reward is having Dean vanish out from under him. (Not literally.)
5.18: The Point of No Return
Um, yeah.
The moments leading up to this are great. Cas is at the end of his rope, and is angry; it seems like the despair from 5.17 has worn off, and having to spend time rounding up Dean has replaced that with some slowly fermenting fury. I think Cas has some very valid points, which he expresses to Dean in the alleyway, but I also think his hostility in this scene--and toward Dean for the rest of the episode--is also a result of him not really understanding the fact that human endurance only goes so long; a two years of unending shit (preceded by forty years of unending shit) is a lot of shit to go through for a person, and Cas doesn't seem quite able to understand that.
Oh, and... able to haul people up by the scruff of the neck.
The last time Dean got looked at like this, he got laid.
One of the things I wonder about is how much Dean really understands about what Cas gave up to help him (not to save the world, not to help Sam, to help Dean). Cas has said twice, here and in 5.02, that he's done everything for Dean--rebelled, killed his brothers (Dean, seriously, do you not understand this? THE GUY IS KILLING HIS FAMILY AND YOU'RE TRYING TO KEEP YOURS TOGETHER), lost his powers--and Dean doesn't quite seem to get that. So I can understand Cas's anger here. (Although see discussion above.)
It also goes to show: Sam believes in the emotional blackmail. Cas believes in the beatdown.
Cas's bitterness here... Oh man. It's a suicide run and he doesn't care, and he's going to kill himself if he has to. Not that I approve of badassery dead-ending in suicide missions, but I think if you want Cas being absolute, this is it. He's selling himself to give Dean one more chance, shitty as Cas thinks it is, faith or no faith. This moment also brings to a (possible?) close the problems of faith that Cas has confronted throughout the past year or so, and even the problem of the nature of faith: Cas has always believed in God first, and everyone else is fighting for second place. Once God demonstrates that he's not interested in refereeing the Apocalypse, Cas has nothing--because right along with God vanishing for good, Dean is starting to fall apart. And there's nothing for Cas after that except to keep fighting to some terrible conclusion. It's the sort of thing that you're reluctant to admire, but almost have to, that he sticks it out to the bitter end for the doubtful consolation of not watching the end he sees as inevitable, Dean failing and the world ending.
And presented without comment:
5.21: Two Minutes Before Midnight
Oh, Cas, you've fallen a long, long way. Or have you? The last time we saw him, he'd banished himself along with three other angels (taking out a fourth along the way), apparently to a shrimping boat. Oh, to have been on that shrimping boat. Anyway.
Who's that guy in the bed? He looks smart. And really muscular.
Don't let the hospital gown, cuts, and bruises fool you. Why?
Because this guy is fresh out of the hospital--apparently brain dead, tapped out, beaten, bruised, on his own and pretty much awake enough to experience humanity for a handful of days and he gets himself on a bus and goes and finds Dean and Sam and then very sneakily lures Pestilence in, gathers his 99.9%-human strength and cuts off the bastard's fingers. Fingers, multiple. "Maybe just a spark," indeed.
Okay, admittedly this is not from the scene I'm going to talk about, but I like it and I had trouble finding a cap I liked with Cas and Bobby talking. And it's really more pertinent to something I believe very firmly, something I think is absolutely central to Castiel's character.
That is, all of what you've seen in the past two seasons, up to and including this episode, is Castiel. All his ass-kicking, his impatience, his brilliance, his determination, his fearlessness... that's him. It isn't his grace, or his angelic nature, it's all part of what makes him Castiel, something a lot more intrinsic than the apparently much more contingent/uncertain abilities that come along with being an angel.
Yeah, he's lost a lot this year: his home, his family, his good-for-nothing jerk of a dad, his ability to heal others, exorcise demons, time-travel, and finally to teleport and heal himself. His grace is about gone. But you know what isn't? The important stuff that's kept him alive and kept him going despite the tons and tons of fucking impossible shit he's had dumped on him. He's been outmatched or at a significant disadvantage pretty much every single time he's gone up against another angel or demon this year, and with the exception of the Whore of Babylon, he's won every single time. He's done what he needed to do, no matter the cost to himself, he's cleared the way and gotten Dean and Sam out of hot water and saved his own ass, and has kept fighting.
So, yes, I pretty much disagree with the argument that human!Cas is less badass than his angelic counterpart. For the reasons I've given above, and because Supernatural is a fundamentally human show. Being angelic is no guarantee of being badass--look at Zachariah, for god's sake, and Lucifer, the whiny brat of epic proportions, or Gabriel (whom I love, but sorry, hiding out isn't really cutting it); all it means is you can smite people who annoy you. It doesn't make you resourceful, or brave, or determined, or give you a conscience that leads you to side with the two guys who want to do the impossible.
Cas bucked his programming because there was enough human empathy in him, and he's kept with Dean and Sam because he has the courage of his convictions. He's known what's been happening to him as the year's gone on, and he's accepted it as a necessary evil, and yeah he hates it, but guess what? Cas can lose his grace, but he can keep--and has kept--going on even when he's shackled and cornered and thinks he's helpless. To wit:
Still cool. He goes in, takes out the guy about to get away.
And learns new weapons on the fly. He gets over his angsty scene with Bobby pretty quickly. He's a soldier, he knows necessity, and he's learned a lot about making do since the Winchesters came his way and he found himself the underdog.
5.22: Swan Song
Oh, season, where did you go?
Viewed one way, this is kind of grimly, sadly hilarious: Cas still doesn't get that, "oh, [he's] supposed to lie" to comfort Sam in this darkest hour, and when he does realize it, it's pretty clear he's learned how to lie from the Dean Winchester School Of How To Be Completely Unconvincing. Viewed another way, though, it's Cas acknowledging his limitations: he's human now, snoring and all, and there's no possible way he can take care of Dean and Bobby the way Sam wants, or believes, he can.
While it's pretty clear we're supposed to side with Dean, Cas's pessimism is damn understandable. He's given Dean.... four fairly significant chances at putting an end to all of this, and so far the track record is kind of abysmal: stop Lucifer from getting out (failed), kill Lucifer (failed, although this was not Dean's fault), not give in to Michael (succeeded, terrible apology given), trap Lucifer (failed, so far). On top of that, he's died once (#2 coming up soon), been exiled, lost his powers, become human, and pretty much killed himself doing the impossible. Add in God basically telling him to "fuck off", and I can't blame him for wanting to drink. This is my life on some days, and I don't have anywhere near Cas's excuse.
And yet. Yet.
Assbutt ♥♥♥
This is one of Those Moments for me, in case you can't tell: Cas putting aside his reservations, tossing the dice, making it work, and not flinching. Even when Death #2 comes around.
On the other hand, this is possibly one of my favorite moments, aside from the incredible rush of OH MY GOD CAS ISN'T DEAD HURRAY HURRAY HURRAY: Dean asking Cas--voice breaking, hoping, maybe disbelieving--if Cas is God. And that sentence, for me, says a whole fucking lot about Cas, and Dean's relationship with him. Not in a "you're a god in bed" sort of way, but the fact that Dean seems to be recognizing, however briefly, Cas being the one to shepherd him through a whole lot of shit, the one who was there at the beginning to raise him up, the one who helped him when everyone (even Sam) had deserted him, who'd kept helping despite everything, and who's here now at the end.
And while Cas thinks it's a compliment, really, it should be God who's honored by the comparison. Go sit yourself in the corner, God.
Oh, difficult scene. 5.22 pretty much automatically met my minimum requirement that Cas be alive at the end. Cas going back to Heaven... On one hand, my to-the-bitter-end Dean/Cas-shipping heart protests violently at Cas going back home. On the other, cognizant of reality that I am, Heaven needs someone like Cas, who's known the human side of things and who sees that the past few years of strife have made a Hell of Heaven, so to speak. And Heaven needs someone who doesn't take bullshit, whether it comes with a 1967 Impala or wings, and it's Cas deciding this for himself. Not God, as he tells Dean; this is something he's doing, because he sees the necessity of it.
Necessity, what needs doing... That's pretty much Cas for me.
My point is... [.eta: even though he gets them back!] Cas doesn't need fancy angel powers to be badass. That's all down to him, who he is, at a level that transcends whatever abilities he possesses by virtue of having his batteries all charged up. Admittedly I like the illusion of safety that comes with a fully-powered Cas, who heals in a second and can clear out of trouble if it comes knocking, but again, those powers aren't a guarantee that their possessor is going to be brave even in the face of death and impossibility, or find a way between the rock and the hard place. (They also aren't a guarantee that said character is going to live.) But, you know, everything that makes Cas the badass, cranky, impatient, smart character I love is still there, intact. Because all of that is Cas, plain and simple, and he doesn't need grace or a big whacking pair of wings to make him any of these things. He has them all on his own.
Bottom line: Cas is a badass motherfucker, and we need more of him in the world, in canon and in fic. And in Dean/Cas, while I do love me some banged-up Cas and a Cas who needs someone to keep an eye on him while he recovers from being awesome, I have a hard time with fics that have Cas perpetually at the end of his tether and needing Dean to stitch him up emotionally, or coddle him, because he's a lot tougher than that. Your mileage may vary with this statement, but... Cas doesn't fold like a bad coat because he has a bad day. He doesn't get sad, and he doesn't get mad, he gets even--or if he can't, he gets out of there so he can regroup and find a new way to deal with whatever's pissed him off by getting in his way.
And, as for coddling... I think Dean likes that he has a friend who isn't an emotional vampire like Sam is. Cas doesn't make him talk, because usually Cas either doesn't get what he's saying or isn't interested in inspecting the contents of Dean's emotional vomit. He's content to take what Dean offers by way of advice, whether it's a night at the brothel or how to keep faith in the face of doubt, but doesn't push past that (.eta: see 5.18). And that's what Dean needs. That's not to say Dean doesn't (or shouldn't) worry about Cas--clearly he does (5.08, for example), but Cas gives back as much as he takes, in the form of cantankerous, idiosyncratic loyalty and the occasional angel-ex-machina save of the day.
It will be interesting to see where the rest of the season goes* following the discovery that God would like Cas to stop looking for him. If they do find God, I hope Cas lets the old bastard have it. In the meantime, I'd like to see him keep fighting the good fight, for kick-ass, cranky, impatient angels everywhere.
* = no spoilers for future episodes/S6, please. Some people may be spoiler-free :)
.eta 5.19: Thank you so much to everyone who's read the original Casifesto and its updates!
HEAVEN'S CLINT EASTWOOD, ONLY MORE AWESOME
YAY, SEASON SIX! When we last saw Cas, he was headed back to Heaven to try to get things in order. At the end of 5.22, Dean accuses Cas of running back to his Daddy, and trying to be the good soldier-boy again, and while I personally would have preferred it if Cas and Dean went and had consolation sex, Cas's decision makes a lot of sense. He's powered up, he's needed, and I think what we see in 6.03 pretty much bears out a lot of what his implied motivation has been for the past two years: trying to set things right.
6.03: The Third Man
"Hello." Oh, Cas. Seriously, I love it when Ben Edlund writes him; Cas is just on in this episode, a bit of everything that makes Castiel so fucking awesome: clueless, abrupt, irritable, totally kick-ass, unexpectedly compassionate. Mostly kick-ass.
One of the things I love is Cas's ability to multitask,usually involving him reading things or investigating something and trying to get the Winchesters up to speed.
I just love this. As someone pointed out elsewhere, Cas assumes that he has "people skills" that could possibly become "rusty" with "disuse" after spending a year as a multidimensional being. (Incidentally, I did like getting a bit more of a hint about how Cas spends his time when he's not in human form/envesselled/whatever.) Also, you totally know he picked up the dick quotes from Dean.
It's been said that the scenes with Cas here take place in Cas-time, and I think that's a very true observation. Really, it's almost jarring when you think about where Cas had been going through most of S5, and then watch him flickering in and out, back and forth, dictating the pace of these scenes. And there are a few callbacks to his old habits: unannounced and unwelcome transportation (Dean bitching at him when they land in the poor guy's house), being very competent with his spellwork... and also being ready to do fairly horrible things, like torture a little kid, in the name of necessity.
And oh, yeah: disarming another angel who comes at him with two swords, tackling him out the window, obliterating Sam's car, and climbing back up... All in a day's work.
Oh, Cas. There's bad shit going down in Heaven, between Raphael deciding things need to end Scripturally and weapons going missing from the armories. I'll have a bit more to say about this when we get to Balthazar.
"Even I know that's a bad joke." One of the many things Cas learned last year: He has a bad sense of humor :(
This entire scene killed me, it really did. Cas's exchange with Balthazar touches on some fairly important character points. First, that Cas is, in his own way, an idealist--not an idealist in the sense that he tries to abide by his ideals, but that his ideals are goals toward which he's driven. He strikes me as being a lot like Dean in that sense: someone who is constantly chasing after peace, but finds circumstances against him. He wants Heaven to be a brotherhood again, or to be a brotherhood in the first place, if it never was to begin with; Balthazar pretty much tells him that's a pipe dream, that there's always going to be conflict.
Second, is that there's a... hm, I'm not sure, an inconsistency? in the way angels like Balthazar and Gabriel and angels like Cas (if there are angels like Cas) define rebellion. Technically speaking, Cas only rebels against orders that come from Michael/Zachariah/Raphael, not against God, as suggested by the fact that God brings him back twice. Balthazar, though, rebels in a distinctly un-angelic way and abandons his post. There's the implication that other angels are taking Castiel's example to heart, that Cas has ripped up the script and burned it, and I have the feeling that Castiel didn't want his actions interpreted that way.
It's a sentiment that is hinted at in Cas's earlier conversation with Dean, when he admits he's ashamed of what his brothers have been doing (right before helping himself to some of Dean's blood, if you recall). And that seriously has to fucking suck, you know? It's clear Cas had, however wrongly, expected better from his family, and has to deal with the fallout when they can't rise to his expectations.
Poor Cas, post Raphael-administered beatdown, and after realizing that his friend is never going to agree to help him. Sigh. He has his work cut out for him this year, kickass angel that he is.
6.06: You Can't Handle the Truth
I kind of love the callback to 4.02 here, with Cas leaning up against the counter.
This cap is so much... cheerier-looking after you mess with the brightness and contrast. It almost looks like they're standing in some quaint little b&b on the Maine coast or something. Anyway, I found it interesting that Cas offers Dean a drink, and doesn't take one himself. It looks like Cas's boozing days are behind him.
"Where'd you look?"
"Everywhere." Duh.
One of the things I was turning over with people in the review for this episode was how Dean really doesn't seem to get that Cas 1.) still doesn't know everything, and 2.) is stuck in a battle that he's trying to fight on his own, against extremely difficult odds. I mean, I don't know about you but "stuck in a battle you're trying to fight on your own, against extremely difficult odds" sounds really, really familiar. Some understanding would be nice, Dean. Anyway, this is Cas being forced into a tight place again, and you'd also figure that Heaven would have learned its lesson the last time it tried to thwart Cas. It didn't work out well for them. Stop making Cas's life difficult, assholes!
So, yeah. There's my Casifesto.