There was a moment in Supernatural's latest fall finale—I'd say around the time that Claire tried to rob a Qwik-e-Mart—when a horrifying thought crossed my mind: "Is this it?" It came out of nowhere because up until that point, I was loving the whole Cas-and-Claire storyline, but then I remembered that "The Things We Leave Behind" was a finale of sorts, and with that status comes certain expectations.
And then Dean slaughtered a house full of loan sharks and rapists and all was right in the world. His secret's out. Sam is horrified and desperately rationalizing—he knows damn well what Dean did, but still gave him a wide-open shot at lying his way back to complacency. Supernatural's brotherly moments have been forced for at least the last three episodes, with Sam and Dean tiptoeing around the homicidal elephant in the room, and even with undeniable evidence of his worst fears staring him right in the face, Sam tried to give Dean an out with, "Just tell me you had to do this. Tell me it was you or them."
While the roles have often been reversed on Supernatural—with Sam more often than not being the brother with the questionable hobbies and Dean clamping his hands over his ears and insisting, "He's not evil he's not evil lalala I can't hear you"—Sam's moral blinders when it comes to Dean aren't exactly new. Even going as far back as Season 1, in "Faith," Sam saved Dean at the cost of another man's life and while Sam didn't know that at the time, even once the truth came out, Sam's response was more, "AND I'D DO IT AGAIN TO SAVE YOU" and less "OMG WHAT HAVE WE DONE?"
What I'm saying is, Sam's protectiveness of Dean isn't particularly new, it just hasn't has a chance to be in the spotlight lately.
We know the lengths Dean will always go to in order to save Sam. One of the biggest opportunities that Supernatural Season 10 has at its disposal is the chance to explore Sam's side of the relationship. I'm just hoping that when the show returns in January, we can delve deeper. We're still only scratching the surface compared to the depths of Dean's mangst (man-angst) with regard to Sam With Demon Blood or Sam in Hell or Sam Without a Soul or Sam Who Is Losing His Marbles or Sam Who Is Dying from the Trials. We've seen entire musical montages dedicated to Dean's struggles. We've tuned in for episode-length flashbacks and witnessed plenty of angelic interpretation.
Sam's denial and his willingness to let Dean join in that denial with regard to the Mark of Cain was a step in the right direction. I'm just greedy and I want more. MORE I SAY!
Elsewhere, The Cas and Claire Odd-Couple Hour was delightful; Misha Collins and Kathryn Love Newton share the perfect sort of awkward-but-antagonistic-but-reluctantly-attached-to-each-other chemistry that makes the relationship between Claire Novak and the angel wearing her father's face so interesting. There's also the fact that Misha Collins could probably work up some solid chemistry with a coffee table, much to his credit, so we all win.
It was inevitable that Claire was going to end up a little damaged after the events of "The Rapture," though that expectation didn't lessen the impact of losing her father, which dramatically altered her life's trajectory. Burdened with daddy issues (welcome to the club, girlfriend!), Claire's been in an out of foster care and halfway homes since Cas ran off with her dad's meatsuit. However, we've been told that despite her jaded exterior, Claire is bright and sweet and still a loving person. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of her, particularly where Castiel's newfound humanity comes into play.
Meanwhile, in hell, Rowena conned her way out of demon jail by exploiting Crowley's—I mean Fergus's—abandonment issues, and their snark was wonderful and Conflicted Crowley is the best Crowley. That is all.
Meet me back here on January 20 for the next round of crazy and daddy issues and angst!
CASE NOTES
– I can't handle demented family storytime with the Winchesters. I just can't.
– Rowena: "You were conceived during a winter solstice orgy! It's not like I was taking names!"
– "There. Now you look like a dad." Specifically, Claire's dad. Which is the only image of a dad she has and the only one that really matters to her. Somebody hold me.
– Did anyone think Dean was trying a little too hard when he was watching The Three Stooges?
