Rewatch S6: Let It Bleed (6.21)

[hells_half_acre]

The depression continues!! Woo!

Seriously, as much as I love these rewatches, this month has been SO BUSY with them...I'm looking forward to being done. This is always such a harder endeavour than I remember.

I DO enjoy it, but I guess usually I don't have a deadline. It takes me about 4 hours to go through an episode, type this post up, and then

Comments

[ramblin_rosie]

Y'know, your point about the assumptions Cas was making reminded me of this exchange from SGA, especially the bolded line:

ZELENKA [on the radio to McKay and Sheppard]: As power output increases, new and exotic particles are continuously created and destroyed inside the containment chamber, interacting with each other and with the field itself. Eventually particles are created that cannot be prevented in this space-time, and they breach the containment field as hard radiation.

McKAY: As long as I'm monitoring the energy output manually, I can stop that before it happens.

ZELENKA: You cannot predict something that is inherently unpredictable.

SHEPPARD: Rodney?

McKAY: I know what I'm doing.

ZELENKA: Rodney, I am trying to tell you as a friend, I have serious doubts.

McKAY: Well, you're wrong. I'm sorry, but there it is. And to bring this up now when I am just about to do this smacks of nothing but professional jealousy.

ZELENKA (angrily): Fine! Kill yourself, just like the Ancients did!Sheppard manages to get McKay to listen in

[hells_half_acre]

Oh man, yeah, it's exactly like that - You cannot predict something that is inherently unpredictable.

And as much as I disliked Balthazar, I think he's actually the only angel to ever wish the boys Godspeed. I don't remember even Cas saying that to them.

Yeah, it's almost a throwaway line, but I really liked him for it - it kind of endeared him a bit more, and also was a very slight reminder about who these beings are.

[vail_kagami]

This is Dean ripping away the good things in his life because he doesn't deserve them, and the good things deserve better than him - no matter what they might think...and that's basically what he's done. He's taken away his option to ever return to Lisa and Ben, and he's taken away their ability to tell him that he's an idiot and that they love him.

I agree with your interpretation of Dean's motivation. It doesn't change the very big issues I have with this action, because Dean took their memories from them - and the fact that it wasn't to protect them but to punish himself makes it even worse. It wasn't really about them, it was about him, and they didn't get a say in it

[hells_half_acre]

It doesn't change the very big issues I have with this action, because Dean took their memories from them - and the fact that it wasn't to protect them but to punish himself makes it even worse. It wasn't really about them, it was about him, and they didn't get a say in it.

Oh yeah, definitely. It was a bastard move for sure.

I don't think Dean is aware of that, though - he's never been able to see things from any perspective but his own.

Yes, that's always been one of Dean's flaws. It's one of the reasons he and Sam clash so much too.

I love that Sam called him out on it, because that means the show is aware of these issues and doesn't try to sell it as a selfless act of mercy.

Indeed, there's nothing merciful about it. I think there would be outrage if they had tried to sell it as such.

And despite my issues, I love that Sam shuts up when Dean tells him to because even though he doesn't like it, he can see Dean is suffering and is willing to put his own issues aside for his brother's sake.

Very true.

[percysowner]

)Things would have been MUCH different if Castiel had come to Dean and Sam with the plan before they found out about it themselves. By lying about it, he MADE it a dirty little secret.

Interestingly, Dean makes the same mistake with Amy. He MADE Amy's death a dirty little secret. He could have told Sam that Sam was hallucinating and that Sam had trusted monsters before and been burnt. He could have left the trust Sam issues out and simply pointed out that Amy had killed once and that killing is the bright line that can not be breached (unless you're a cute doggie woggie named Lucky, yeah I do hold grudges). Sam and Dean could have talked about killing Amy and Dean could have killed her and I think the fallout would have been far less, but Dean doesn't like to disappoint Sam, so he followed in Castiel's footsteps, forgetting how Cas's lies broke the trust more than his plan did.

[hells_half_acre]

Very good point.

[galwithglasses]

I really like Bobby's interview with the sweet old man and I really didn't see that bit with Ellie coming. I liked her too.

The bit at the end with Dean saying good-bye to Lisa and Ben is so freakin' sad. The way Jensen had his voice break on the look after your Mom bit is so crushing. It would be one of the things Dean would focus on with his protect everybody attitude. The memory wipe is a rotten thing to do for a lot of reasons but I get why Dean did it. He removes himself from their lives which I agree is self-punishment on Dean's part. Also, he wipes the memories of demon possession and the whole knowledge that there is the extra scary world out there. He also makes sure that Ben isn't going to follow him into a life hunting which he was pretty adamant about.

[hells_half_acre]

Very true. Especially about how Dean would see the memory wipe as wiping the knowledge of the preternatural away as a good thing. He's told Sam before that he's wished that kind of innocence for Sam, it's only natural that he would also want Ben to not have the memory of it.

[4422shini]

"Says the C- lay with ten miles of daddy-issues. Whatever gets you through the night, tiny tim

[hells_half_acre]

Hmmm, good point. Also, given that he's prone to alcoholism (which has gotten steadily worse), that would also affect performance adversely.

So, yeah, there's a good chance that it DID strike a nerve. Poor boy.