Supernatural: possible happy ending?

If someone had asked me if I believed the characters in Supernatural would have a happy ending when I started watching 4-5 years ago, I would have said that there was no way that would happen and it would most certainly end with TFW dying (probably for the greater good). 

But after the finale of season 11, and after reading tons of meta from amazing writers here on Tumblr (@amwritingmeta @charlie-minion @tinkdw )  I’ve started to believe in Dabb’s ‘better way’, and to hope that maybe these characters that I love so much will one day get their happy ending (or as happy as it can be in a show like Supernatural).

That’s why I started thinking about the scene from 12x22 in which Dean and Sam are sitting next to the wall of the bunker after trying, unsuccessfully, to destroy it. Sam asks Dean if this [them being trapped in the bunker] is how he pictured their end, and Dean tells him that he aways thought he would go out in a blaze of glory. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen more than one video where Jensen and Jared discuss the end of the series, and wanting to go out in ‘a blaze of glory’. The mention of Jensen’s exact words in canon is what made me stop and think: what if they were telling us this because that’s what the original ending was going to be, but isn’t anymore? 

This immediately reminded me of Glee, in particular of episode 5x03, The Quarterback. Towards the end of the episode, Rachel (Lea Michele) tells her teacher that she always pictured her happy ending as being returning home to Lima after winning a Tony, back to her boyfriend Finn, and that she would walk through the door of the room where Finn was teaching and simply say ‘I’m home.’ The creator of the show afterwards stated that this was the ending he’d always wanted for the show, an ending that never happened because of Cory Monteith’s (Finn) death. But as this was the original plan he wanted to somehow insert it into the story, even if it could never be.

Though it’s obviously speculation, this is what I felt the scene between the brothers was: a “tribute”, in a way, to what would have been the original ending of the show, but isn’t anymore. It might be wishful thinking, but I do believe Dabb is taking us towards a happy (-ish) ending for these characters, and I couldn’t be more excited. As many others have said before me, I know that Eileen’s death seemed to put an end to that, because of how abrupt and unnecessary it felt, but with Cas’s death coming so soon after that, I’ve started to wonder if the parallel was intentional somehow, and if we’ll get something more in season 13, not just about Cas (for whom we already know we’ll get some sort of reaction), but also for Eileen. 

I’m going to try and keep my hopes up (but not too high, as that’s just setting myself up for disappointment), stay positive and pray that Dabb really knows where he’s going with these (possibly) final seasons. 

P.S. I don’t know if any of this makes sense, I’ve never written meta before, but this idea hit me so suddenly after watching the scene that I felt I had to share my thoughts.

I love this concept, the idea that they would put the idea for the original unhappy ending or at least, the boys own original concept of how their life would end, in the text of the show...

Only for Dean to pick up his grenade launcher and yell a “yippe-ka-yee” to that!

It’s very meta worthy - and we know that Dabb said it would be a meta finale ;)

It totally goes with the rest of the season’s positive endgame vibe and the vibe that I believe most of the meta guys have been getting for a good few years, I would love it if this was done on purpose, it definitely feels like a great metaphor!

This is a gorgeous gifset! 

But I still cannot look at any of these scenes without getting distracted by the PINK/PURPLE flashing lights and all the blue everywhere. lmao.

12x23: Destiel and s13 set up

So… pretty much everyone is dead or removed into a different dimension other than Sam and Dean…

I’m not going to go into the whole alternate universes discussion as so many good points have already been made. For me its just a plot point to take Lucifer and Mary away at the same time as Cas, to lead to the s13 starting point of winning Mary and Cas back and eventually having Lucifer back on the board too, when Jack has done his ‘bad things’ and has been pointed towards the ‘righteous path’ by a certain couple of someones…

To keep it brief because I’m just very late to the board and I can see there has been so much meta and speculation already, here are my thoughts:

TFW

- Cas is dead. 

Yeah, this is exactly what I expected  *happy dance*

As you will all know if you have read my ‘break up theory’ meta which is just taking standard romantic story line structure and seeing where they fit, which they PERFECTLY fit into by the way, since season 4 til now now, at this ‘break up’ point which is where for example Ursula looks like she’s about to win Eric away from Ariel or the Beast has to let Belle go back to her father… it’s the last 20 minutes of the movie, basically. 

I had said that 12x19 was going to be an argument and chosen separation, which it was, 12x20-22 was going to focus on Dean’s inner self and self acceptance, which it did, and 12x23 was going to have a forced separation, which it did. What could be better than Cas’s death at this point?! Seriously? For Dean, who has JUST figured out that he doesn’t want to hide behind his facade anymore, to have to now deal with losing Cas RIGHT AT THIS POINT. I nearly want to say ‘you can’t write this shit!’ but…clearly you can, thank you Dabb & Season 13 writers!

I’d even speculated about the fact that Mary would also be taken away at the same time (in order to downplay the Pining!Dean of course), but I hadn’t factored in that they would be taken away in separate ways, which is an interesting way to do it, but essentially still boils down to the same thing character-reaction wise.

There were only 2 things that I didn’t like in the way that this was done:

1. We didn’t get a hugely emotional reaction from Dean after the initial shock, but man, the initial shock stuff was GREAT (the screaming, the parallel with Sam/Jess when he’s pulled away, then the parallel with Cain/Colette when he falls to his knees…) BUT now we know that they filmed what happens next already? Jensen hinted that Dean cries? Also that we will see more reaction about this death in 13x01.

2. That Cas’s death felt like it was very much geared towards being a tool for Dean’s man pain, without telling us one way or another if Cas was being manipulated by Jack, whether Cas was right or wrong in his choices. Not treating this death as something relevant to CAS but only to DEAN. That really annoyed me as a big time Cas fan (but still mainly a Dean girl). BUT again, we have been told at Jibcon that the important thing is how this death AFFECTS / TRANSFORMS Cas so this is again going to be relevant to season 13. 

So I’m totally forgiving them for not putting it in 12x23 if we are going to get it in the next episode and they told us at Jibcon so hellatus isn’t so hellish :)

Basically, it’s all on track for endgame Destiel, *yay*.

- Sam & Jack. Well…

I still do believe until proven otherwise that Jack still has a CHOICE to make about which way he takes his life and what he does.

I’ve said before that this season and now I’m even more convinced that season 12 was so Dean focused (and Cas) that season 13 should be very Sam focused, which it now looks like it definitely will be. I was thinking endgame Mol!Sam anyway but to have that kind of pushed forwards in 22 was… well honestly I found it slightly jarring in it’s speed, but hey. Now with Mol!Sam on track and Jack too, with Sam being the one to find him… yeah, season 13 is going to be VERY Sam focused.

The Nephilim story is a huge part of tieing up Sam’s self-forgiveness arc that centres around being Lucifer’s vessel, the bad choices he made to start with with Ruby, the demon blood, even then in s11 going back to the cage, but also the good choices he has made… the link between him and Jack is going to be key to his endgame arc.

I fully expect and hope to see Jack make some very bad decisions to start with but be led to being good in the long run by the boys, the Righteous Man and the Boy who rejected Lucifers plan for him, and probably eventually the Fallen Angel in love with Humanity, the direct mirror to his blood father … 

For me this is where I see the story going in the long run. 

I may be wrong but honestly I don’t see how it can be any other way, given the narrative over the last 12 years for the core characters: the overriding theme of free will, of choices and heart (love), of family being chosen, not just blood, all this creating who you choose to be as a person. If Jack ends up evil, fine, but it will have to be his CHOICE to be evil, and honestly, I don’t see that this is where they are going with this.

Cas is also linked to Jack in whatever way it is with the yellow grace, the fact that Jack chose Cas and Cas seems to have chosen Jack, whether it be against his will or not is yet to be seen and can only be speculated about, even though I have my own mind made up about this until proven otherwise…

But ALSO their stories are so similar - literally both stuck between Heaven and Earth.

Jack will be key to both SAM and CAS’s arcs next season, which makes total sense after s12 was all about Dean and deconstructing Performing!Dean, it was absolutely beautifully done.

- Other aspects: 

Crowley is Dead, but for me he went out in a really good way and tbh I would be a bit upset at this point if they brought him back after that excellent Death.

The important thing is how this relates to Dean - who just the episode before has basically let down the walls to Performing!Dean, the ‘dark side’ that is sometimes associated with Crowley. 

Then Crowley (who represents this dark side of Dean), dies after SAYING HE IS JUST DONE WITH IT ALL and kills HIMSELF.

CROWLEY’S DEATH IS THE METAPHORICAL DEATH OF THE DARK SIDE OF DEAN WINCHESTER WHICH I WROTE ABOUT MONTHS AGO AND I AM ALIVE. 

Rowena’s death not so much but then again, she was always a villain until recently and, like Crowley, I understand that people like them both, but when you look at the awful things that they have done, to be honest, I’m not so hot on a redemption arc for them. Dying in a good way is what I would have wanted for both of them and Rowena’s death pisses me off as we were robbed of that (if she isn’t going to somehow come back).

- AUs don’t excite me and IDGAF unless they give us some good plot points and character arcs that tie in. 

- Lucifer & Mary. Will be back for plot reasons, honestly, I hope they keep well out of season 13 until it is time for Jack to help out and if they are literally in 2 episodes I will be happiest but I doubt that, they will drag them and the stupid AU out for much more than its worth but eh, ok, fine. Shrugs and sticks to caring about the character driven storylines that will take place around this.

Overall, this wasn’t the character - driven finale I was hoping for, there was way too much faffing around in the AU, which I really don’t find interesting, way too much Lucifer BUT the themes are carrying forwards into season 13 as I had hoped they would, Cas’s death seems to be going to serve exactly the purpose for both his arc and Destiel that I would hope and this episode coupled with 22 makes me even more confident in my endgame wishlist.

Tink’s Endgame Positive Wishlist :

- Mol! Sam (and Eileen, Chuck I’m still bitter about that though, I really hoped her death would turn out to be a misdirection). Pretty much CHECK.

- Hunter / Mol collaboration with Sam and Dean as leaders. Pretty much CHECK.

- End of the brodependency, Dean acknowledging he was Sam’s parent and letting him go. CHECK.

- End of Performing!Dean. Pretty much CHECK.

- Destiel. Pretty much CHECK.

- Human!Cas and self worth and belonging for his arc. TBA probably next season, what happened this season makes no sense if not to lead to this.

On how destiel lives even if Cas truly dies

I watch Supernatural for destiel. I know it’s often frowned upon to say that the ship is the most important thing for you, but I’m old enough to own the way I enjoy fiction, so there: I probably wouldn’t watch this show if not for Dean-and-Castiel being the most beautiful love story ever told.

In light of this, my main fears are related to the ship’s narrative: « no homo » bullshit, explicit denial, addition of forced love-interests, etc. Death of one of the characters is not, however, something I fear per se. Because death doesn’t kill love. Not in fiction, not in real life.

If someone you love dies in real life, you will love them forever. It doesn’t mean that you can’t love other people after they’re gone, but your love for them is just going to freeze in the state where it was when they passed. You will grieve, but you won’t forget, and after you pass the mourning stages, you’ll just end up in the same place: you love them, they’re just away.  

Love stories (when people stay alive) are living entities; as such, they evolve, and they can deteriorate, rot, decay. And that’s how they truly end: when the love actually disappears. It happens more often than not in real life. In fiction, it’s a bit different, because we rarely see the long term process, but fictional love stories can be distorted, perverted, and lose all their meaning. That’s what they did to johnlock, incidentally. They broke it, with John and Sherlock staying alive, and their relationship becoming a meaningless shell of what it once had been.

That’s not what I saw happening to destiel in this finale. Dean and Cas’ relationship has been as strong as it was for all of season 12, that is to say very strong, stronger than we ever saw it. So Cas died. We all know what death means in this show; it’s like in tarot. The XIIIth arcana doesn’t mean death, it means change, rebirth, the fertile soil where seeds disappear in order to grow. That’s what I saw here.

And if we’re all wrong and Cas is really dead, then, we’re looking at a tragedy. Tragedies are still, narratively, good love stories. They aren’t the slow decay of a relationship, but eternal love. And also, they’re so very easily fixed in fanfiction.

On we go, then. Let’s wait, and let’s write.

(I’m gonna tag some people under the cut)

Keep reading

oh gosh I only just saw this today, but yes. :)

Especially now that we KNOW Cas (and OUR Cas) will be back.

Yeah, exactly. Cas is dead which is exactly the point we need in this story and what Dean needs to take the final push after his recent brush with death himself and the un-death of his mother led him to question himself and come to face himself, with some startling conclusions only minutes before for the audience.

If Cas was perma-dead then yeah it would be tragic, and I’m sure it WILL be tragic for Dean, even in this non-perma-death because the point is HE doesn’t know that and will act accordingly, which is exactly what the general audience need to see. Some real mourning and romantic tropes being thrown in there to boot.

I’m sure this is exactly where season 13 will pick up :D

Death is never the end... Not on this show anyway.

well. that was… um… yeah.

I’m not quite done processing.

The thing is, we have been speculating for so long now about Cas dying in the finale that it was almost expected for me. When he died I didn’t even react (certainly not in the way that Misha probably wanted when he asked for reaction vids) I just kinda went ‘Oh’ and that was it. 

I got up, took a walk to Sainsbury’s because I had to get some food, and spent the entire walk there and back pondering this new turn of events. 

I need to sort out my thoughts properly, but this post will more likely be me screaming into a void because I just need to type right now.

Cas is not dead.

Lets just get that one out there. No matter how real that whole stabbing, flashy light, burnt wings thing looked. It didn’t happen. Not the way we think it happened. Absolutely not. Cas’s story is unfinished. This is Andrew Dabb we are talking about after all, the master of Cas’s story arc in Carver era and into season 12. Cas hasn’t answered any of the questions they have been throwing at him since season 8. He hasn’t found his place, accepted who he is, learned to love himself… 

My biggest issue with the finale (aside from Lucifer’s mere presence) was that Cas wasn’t Cas. He was off, he wasn’t himself, he was kinda cold. Just like in 12x19. I have so many questions and there is no fucking way that this is the end for him. We still don’t even really know what happened to him in heaven, let alone what the Nephilim did to him. What was with the golden glow when he healed Dean? That was all wrong. 

I don’t know whether the alternate universe thing means we will get au versions of Cas now, or whether the Cas that was killed WAS an au version himself and real Cas is trapped somewhere? Or maybe Nephilim Jack will bring Cas back on the spot? 

Other than being great emotional fodder for shippers, and a chance to see Dean at his absolute best when he is an emotional wreck (just like my fave scene in 12x22 with Mary - WOW), it just seemed kinda flat. I’m upset about it, but probably not in the way Andrew Dabb wants me to be. 

One thing is for sure, when Cas comes back (and he WILL come back) he better still be HIM, OUR CAS and not some au version. Cas still has so far to go with his own story and Dabb hasn’t finished telling it. I don’t doubt that we WILL get OUR Cas back eventually, but I am sure that we will get more than a few episodes of Dean suffering serious man pain before we do. 

Crowley is Dead

As a great compare and contrast to Cas’s shock death, Crowley’s was perfect. It was exactly how I have always wanted Crowley to go out. He finished up his story arc. He admitted he was done with hell, he wanted more, or something different, and then he gave his life to save and protect the family he loves. It was beautifully done, and I was happy about it, and also sad because I will miss Crowley. He was a fantastic character, but I am glad to see him go.

Also, it works as proof that the writers DO know what they are doing with the characters. The fact that they were able to round off Crowley’s story and give him a decent send off means they DO know how to write a decent death scene and CAN do it well. They KNOW they have unfinished business with Cas, hence Cas WILL RETURN as the Cas we all know and love. Crowley’s story however, is now finished.

HOWEVER - with Earth 2 looming and a character born who can open up alternate worlds, it is entirely possible that they will bring back Mark Sheppard to play an au version of Crowley from now on. Perhaps we will actually get a truly evil demon Crowley again just like in season 6? Perhaps they will start his story over again? it is entirely possible that we may see a whole bunch of versions of Crowley. Just because the REAL Crowley’s story is now over, doesn’t mean we couldn’t have different Crowley’s come back into the story just like how they brought Bobby back.

Rowena’s death pissed me off

Yeah this one hurt the most actually. Because unlike Cas’s flat shock value/shipper fodder death that did him no justice, and Crowley’s perfect send off, this was just utter bullshit. It was Bucklemming levels of bad. Damn Dabb are they getting to your head or what?

The fact that they didn’t even give Ruth Connell the chance to come back and send off our Queen with pride and a decent fight has royally upset me (and again, not in the way Dabb probably wants me to be upset). The burnt corpse on the floor was just cheap and crappy and have I mentioned that I am so over Lucifer already?

I am hopeful that she will also come back, but that it will be an au version of her as I think they made it pretty clear that the real Rowena is dead. Since her story ties in closely with real Crowley (I’m gonna have to start referring to the original characters as Real!Character from now on arn’t I?) it makes sense that the original Rowena is gone for good. Though au evil witch Rowena coming back to bother the Winchesters? Badass fighter witch Rowena from Earth 2? Hell yeah I am all for that. Bring it on. Still doesn’t make real!Rowena’s death right though.

Alternate Realities are an anything goes area

Seriously though. How many fanfics do we read that start ‘au this’ and ‘au that’. practically everything we write is an au. Imagine where they could take this?

(I’m thinking about that beautiful fanfic called The Mirror right now and OMG IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES?!?)

I would like to see an au version of Cas. BAMF Cas in a black trench who doesn’t know or care about Dean at all. Just to see Dean’s reaction. OR an au where destiel is REAL?

Imagine if they get fem!Cas back? An au where Cas never left his original vessel? Dean may actually get to meet fem!Cas! 

(Once again I am thinking about The Mirror because suddenly this is something that we could actually get on the show and I may be freaking out about this… Dean goes to an au and meets himself and fem!cas and they are married and she is carrying his child?!?! IMAGINE how much THAT would hurt NOW with Dean believing that HIS CAS IS DEAD?!?!?)

Okay the more my mind wonders into AUs the more excited I get. This is the big pull for me next season. This is what I want. That and Cas back. Obviously. Which, as I said above, we WILL get. 

Lucifer

OMG just be dead already I don’t fucking care I just want your stupid face off my TV screen just fucking DIE.

Mary Winchester

Again, won’t die. They only brought her back last season. I reckon AU Bobby will save her (along with real!Cas maybe?!?) and they’ll kill Lucifer (PLEASE) and find a way to escape. 

To be honest, other than that amazing scene in 12x22 in Mary’s head I didn’t really engage with her all that much. I don’t think she’ll die at all, she may be trapped, but she won’t be trapped for long. I am interested to see how she deals with Lucifer now. 

Dean

Oh Dean, you poor sweetheart. Everything he said and did in 12x22 just broke me. He was so open and honest and he actually talked about his feelings. He has come so far, and I am sure we will be picking apart that scene with Mary all summer. 

Then, in 12x23, Cas’s death. I said it was all for shock value and for shipping fodder. I mean this, but not entirely negatively, not on Dean’s side anyway. The way Sam had to pull Dean back through the portal when Cas stormed up to Lucifer, the way he screamed when Cas was stabbed, the way he just fell to his knees in front of Cas’s body, the way he looked up to the sky in disbelief, in prayer to a God he doesn’t believe will ever help him…just… wow. THAT was where the emotion was. Dean is well and truly back in his place as the emotional heart of this show and I couldn’t be happier with that.

I full expect season 13 to become a sort of season 7 for him. I can predict that Dean will believe Cas is well and truly dead for a good few episodes, even if it revealed to the audience far sooner that Cas is fine, or brought back, or however else he manages to survive that. I expect Dean to be truly mourning Cas, and I hope that this time around it won’t be hidden under other layers like guilt for killing your brothers monster friend for example. They have been nearly completely candid about Dean’s feeling towards Cas all season (and last season) so there would be no reason NOT to show him completely in mourning and non functioning because of it. I wanna see the pain, and I wanna see just how much that pain differs from Sam’s pain over loosing Cas.

Sam and the Nephilim

Yep, this is Sam’s problem now. His brother will be useless I guarantee it. Sam will be all business and logic and be all about dealing with the Nephilim, as well as getting Mary free, whereas I fully expect Dean to become withdrawn and broken.

We will see Sam take control, take the lead on everything they do in the first few episodes until they can rescue Mary, take out Lucifer, and reunite with real!cas however that pans out. It will be interesting to see.

The Nephilim was weird. I didn’t like it. I knew we weren’t gonna get a baby because a baby is useless, but it just becoming a creepy guy like that? I dunno. Found it weird. Not sure how I feel about it. I reckon he will be all about alternate worlds… I dunno if he will be traditional bad guy either. I kinda hope he is at least kinda good because otherwise the whole deal with Cas makes even LESS sense. I am so annoyed we didn’t find out what the deal was with Cas? Urgh.

I hope that they pick up all the plot points they dropped next season. I don’t want the Nephilim to become just another big bad, because it truly does just make the whole thing with Cas just seem ludicrous. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT THE HELL THAT NEPHILIM DID TO HIM DAMMIT!!

Anyway. Thats as much as I can type down right now. I’m all a buzz of speculation and thoughts so feel free to send me an ask about the episodes and I’ll hopefully be blogging about them over the weekend.

I agree so much with all of this - I haven't had time to meta yet and I'm happily reading other people's thoughts on this finale - Blue this is pretty much exactly how I felt!

I still do believe until proven otherwise that Jack still has a CHOICE to make about which way he takes his life and what he does.

Re: TFW, I believe Sam will be key to this and this is a huge part of tieing up his self-forgiveness arc that centres around being Lucifer's vessel, the bad choice he made to start with with the demon blood, then the good choices he has made since... the link between him and Jack is going to be key to this and I fully expect and hope to see Jack make some very bad decisions to start with but be led to being good in the long run by the boys, the Righteous Man and the boy who rejected Lucifers plan for him, and probably eventually the fallen angel in love with humanity, the direct mirror to his blood father ... this is where I see the story going. I may be wrong but honestly is this not exactly what had been set up narratively over the last 12 years for all these characters and the overriding theme of choices and heart making who you are over blood and fate?

Cas is also linked to Jack anyway in whatever way it is with the yellow grace, the fact that Jack chose Cas and Cas seems to have chosen Jack, whether it be against his will or not is yet to be seen and can only be speculated about, even though I have my own mind made up about this until proven otherwise...

but ALSO their stories are so similar - literally both stuck between Heaven and Earth.

Jack will be key to both SAM and CAS's arcs next season, which makes total sense after s12 was all about Dean and deconstructing Performing!Dean, it was absolutely beautifully done.

APART from Cas's death, it felt just it was just for Dean's man pain. And we didn't even see a huge amount of it (granted my link was such bad quality and it's only seeing amazing gifs on here that I could really see Dean's pain, the parallel with Cain etc).

However if what they are saying is true, that we WILL see more pain from Dean in episode 1 and that this death will truly AFFECT / TRANSFORM our Cas, then I am happy with the choice to take the inevitable separation part of the story this way.

Me & @amwritingmeta:

“It’s so weird how 12x23 was super Destiel heavy in the script but not so much in the visuals. The storyline, Dean shouting ‘Caaaaas’ multiple times, Dean staying with Cas’s lifeless body while Sam goes inside etc.”

“Dabb wrote it but I wonder who directed it? Who would have told Misha not to stroke Jensen’s face as he heals him? Who would have told Jensen to tone down the angst to the point that it seems totally weird even as a bro moment as he watches a lifeless Cas lay on the floor and falls to his knees?”

“Oh, it was Robert Singer……”

I thought I was the only one who didn’t really feel the last scene. But it was the same problem I had with Cas almost death in 12x12, it doesn’t feel right to not touch a friend who’s dying/is dead. I don’t need him sobbing and lying on Cas but touching his arm and/or a few tears should be normal in that moment of falling on his knees.

I am so happy now we know that they filmed Dean's sobs and it is just waiting to be shown in 13x01.

My love of this season is complete :)

Apart from Eileen. That shit was balls.

[x][x]

[x]

Yes!! S13 is going to start where s12 left off? Sounds like we will get our Dean reaction in 13x01?! @amwritingmeta as we expected!

12x23: "I have faith in us."

Alright guys, strap in because I’m about to say some potentially dangerous things

Here goes: if I can ever stop crying, I’m going to admit that killing Cas was exactly what destiel needed.

We’ve needed a catalyst. A turning point for these two. And, this is it.

It makes me start to believe that Jensen’s “destiel isn’t real” comments were a major misdirect because he knows. They all know, that destiel is destined to become canon.

Dean has lost Cas… Again. But it’s different this time. THIS is the season that Cas is told he’s family over and over again. THIS is the season that he’s told Dean and the Winchester’s that he loves them. (I love you, I love all of you). And Dean finally understands the distinction. He understands that Cas is in love with him. Even if he’s not ready to do anything about it… yet.

And, as much as I f******* hated watching Cas die, deep down i cant help but be amazed at the writers. Because it’s great storytelling. Because if Dean has had fears before about telling Cas how much he means to him, you better believe he’s ready to do it now.

Just look at what they brought us at the end of the season during Dean’s talk with Mary! Dean had such a beautiful moment of pure honesty with her. He knows it’s not his job to be Sam’s parent anymore. He knows that if he wants to work things out with the people he loves, he needs to forgive them, trust them and work with them:

“I have faith in us”

This quote from Dean is the essence of this episode: us. Together. How telling is it that the episode ended with the contrast of everyone’s seperation?

How telling is it that Sam lost Eileen right before Dean lost Cas?

I can’t speak for the writers intention, but right at this very moment, I feel more hopeful for Eileen than I ever thought possible! Because even if it looks like it, this isn’t a story about seperation. It’s a story about being together!

And, they have the entire next season to spend bringing everyone back together again!

Dean’s ready. Sam’s ready. Mary’s ready. I’m ready.

And when they bring back Cas, it’s going to be beautiful. I hated tonight, but man, I think I believe in canon destiel more right now than I ever have.

@tinkdw I can’t say if this fits with your views, but I believe in your positivity now more than ever. Even if it came at the cost of a bucket full of tears

YES.

YES. YES. YES. This is what I’ve been talking about for the whole season :) I’m so happy right now! This is exactly my Break Up Theory coupled with my Faith = Free Will theory. I was talking to another meta writer about Faith being negative in the show, which it is, and I totally take on board what they said, but I still felt like for me the shift is for them all to go from having no Faith or Faith in the wrong thing to having Faith in THEMSELVES... and then Dean said that and I just.... ARGH! YES!

I’m just going to leave this here:

I’m not sure I can shout any louder or more regularly that THIS IS CLASSIC ROMANTIC STORYTELLING.

Act 1.

~ Dean doesn’t believe in Angels.

~ Cas is a soldier and Angel of the Lord.

Classic antagonistic meet-cute. They get to know each other through season 4 as reluctant allies. Debate is rife between them as to the right thing to do. Denial is a running theme for Dean re: Cas, let’s be honest, not even romantically but the ever old “It’s Cas, he’ll be fine” etc. Denial is central.

Season 4 finale: THE NEW RELATIONSHIP. Cas rebelled. He did it, all of it, for Dean. They are now compatriots working together against Heaven and Hell.

~ Dean starts to have faith in Cas, he prays to Cas.

~ Cas starts to see Dean as his leader and ally, not the Angels.

Act 2.

Season 5 - 8. Getting to know you. Well its SPN, so not exactly Fun and Games but yeah, this is it. They do get to know each other, and we get to know them better too. Cas even occasionally takes part in some MOTW ‘fun and games’ episodes and we see the development of both the romantic Destiel and the very kindly clearly written as a mirror obviously platonic Sastiel for comparison.

Point of no return / deeper commitment: somewhere around season 8 / Purgatory. “I’m not leaving here without you” etc. This is also the point where Dean believes that emotions will break Cas. This is literally heartbreaking and affects how he reacts to everything moving forwards, most specifically it is the reason why he holds back so much other than when Cas is human (see all the meta about 2nd nightstands, all of 9x06, the bar scene etc). It is also a standard unrequited/undeserving/it’s better for them if they don’t love me love trope in order to drag the story out, just saying.

Falling for you / Complications & Higher stakes: Cas becoming Human. Dean’s Demon/MoC arc. All these arcs lead them to a more profound emotional development towards each other and more textual romanticism in the writing rather than the initial crush/interest.

Final straw for Cas: Perhaps believing Dean is dead in 9x23 but then consolidated in 11x23.

Final straw for Dean: Lucifer possessing Cas, the whole second half of s11.

~ Dean over this whole period comes to see Cas not as a distant Angel but in a much more Human way. He even might have stopped praying to him as he replaces it with phone calls / direct communication, but his faith in Cas is clear.

~ Cas replaces his love and faith in God with his love and faith in Dean (consolidated in 11x23) and doesn’t want be a soldier but wants to help people, maybe by saving people, hunting things…

12x12 is the expositional point telling us that Cas has CHANGED. It also is a call back to Dean’s worry that emotions will break Cas as here he is, emotional and breaking. Dean even bows his head and visually looks like he is praying (it doesn’t even matter really if he is or not, the effect for the audience is the key).

These concepts tie back round to and build on where they were BEFORE THEY MET to show how they have changed within themselves and grown in relation to each other.

So, Now. They have both experienced the complications and higher stakes towards each other. They have both fallen in love, Cas both metaphorically and literally falling (it’s only on becoming human that I think he truly realised how he felt, it’s both a narrative reality and a metaphor). Dean’s gone from having no faith to eventually meeting God and worrying the whole time about saving Cas.

Which leaves us currently at the Break up Moment. 

Which is honestly exactly where I see this separation and all the questions about choices/Angels/nephilim/cosmic consequences going, leading us to…. 

Act 3.

Winning him back.

I’m just going to reblog this after season 12 finale…what bigger way to break up and for Dean to have his realisation moment after the self awareness part of his story has peaked, than for Cas to die...