Last night CW re-ran the finale episode.
I still love the ending and Jared did a wonderful job with Sam in this episode. I also loved Sam's reaction when Dean told him the trials would end up killing him. The way he just looked a him and said, "So?" I knew that it had already occurred to Sam that he was probably not going to make it out of this one alive and he was OK with that. But this time, when he was giving Dean his speech about how he felt his biggest sin was letting Dean down, something struck me. He was supposed to be confessing his sins, but somehow he managed to turn it around and make it sound like his failings were Dean's fault. When he told Dean he couldn't stand to see him pick an angel or a vampire over his own brother again I thought, "Wait a minute. You're the one who chose a demon over your own brother, Sam. You're the one who chose a "normal" life with Amelia over looking for your missing brother. Stop trying to put this on Dean. He's been there for you every single time. Even when he said he was done with you, he was still there for you in the end. You're right, you have let your brother down, but take responsibility for it and stop trying to make excuses."
This is what bothers me about Show sometimes. We are constantly being reminded of how Sam was cheated out of a normal life, how Sam was manipulated and used by the angels and demons, how Sam suffered in Hell, etc. Show seems to forget that Dean has suffered just as much and gone through the very same things his brother has. This thought reminds me a conversation I had elsewhere about the show's perspective. In that conversation I commented that I had always thought it was Sam's story told from Dean's perspective and maybe this confirms that thought. If we are indeed getting Sam's story from Dean's perspective, it would make sense that Dean's own suffering would be considered insignificant while Sam's would be intolerable.
Hmm. Interesting thought. I'll have to think on that a bit more….