BabySpinach

That's an interesting question. I agree that "thrives" is the key sticking point because the word implies flourishing, succeeding, being the best that you can be, and deep, scarring psychological pain is never the catalyst for that. People thrive in spite of trauma, not because of it. Dabb's assistant's tweet that trauma was Dean's "kink" and that she was into that was just really cringey and uncomfortable to read, BTW. I did get what Yockey was trying to get across despite the questionable wording, but maybe something like "Trauma just makes Dean fight harder" might have sufficed.

So, a logistical question... Michael can't use his angel powers in the mindscape and is just a regular projection, therefore only his consciousness must be locked in that freezer in Dean's head. So where is Michael's grace in this equation? Could Dean possibly access celestial abilities on his own, without Michael's involvement? He is currently holding an archangel in his body as well as his mind, so if he got cut, would he heal? Would he bleed grace if sliced by the appropriate weapon/wielder combination? Dean got to drive in 13.23, but Michael had willingly ceded control that time.

Underrated moment: http://deanwinchesters.tumblr.com/post/182116953351 He literally couldn't be bothered less by an attempted attack. Such casual BDE (sorrynotsorry).

That's fair. Lord knows I roll my eyes at Super!Sam often enough to understand your perspective. But if anyone is capable of locking down an archangel in their mind, I think it would be Dean. He's pretty much the embodiment of willpower and agency on the show, and Michael is only one of many villains/frenemies who have tried and failed to fully claim him.

YES, they did. The book said D. Winchester on the spine.

I just feel like I need to reiterate this: Dean is trapping the most POWERFUL archangel in his mind on a long-term basis! Cas could only hold back Lucifer for a few seconds in 11.14, and Sam only needed to retake control for a minute or so in 5.22. Damn, I never thought we'd get this under Dabb's reign, but I'll take it all! Give me MOOOAARRRR. I do wonder if Dean's going to start displaying angelic powers, and I also love that Dean's notebook is the new ongoing mystery for the season. Gosh, it's so fun to speculate future plotlines when I actually like the show!

Michael keeps calling Dean pretty, and I am 100% here for it. Good to know he appreciates the hotness of his perfect vessel. Jensen's Cas imitation was fucking hysterical and weirdly dead-on in an exaggerated, caricatured sort of way. That whole scene was gold, and quite satisfying for being one of the few times where a villain mercilessly roasted the absolute shit out of Sam and Cas on Dean's behalf. It's usually Dean who bears the brunt of verbal abuse for being clingy/weak/bloodthirsty while his loved ones are cast to be worthier/more independent. The fact that Michael's takedowns held some degree of truth just made them sting even more. A bit of balance at last! His comments on Jack tickled me as well. Finally, someone says something mean to Nougat Boy and doesn't fall at his feet in worship! Finally, someone implies how spoiled and coddled he is, and how aggressively he was shoved into our faces. This is the kind of material that should have been present at the beginning of the season. The central story of 14.10 could have happened much earlier, since nothing really changed with Dean and Michael between the first possession and the second. Better late than never, I suppose, and I'm certainly not complaining about what we got! ETA: Jensen leaping over that bar at the beginning was a thing of beauty. Always appreciate his impressive displays of athleticism. His fighting was amazing as always, especially as Michael. Also a great element of the episode: multiple canon declarations that Dean was strong/more than strong, plus some cool insight into his psyche about how he "thrives" on trauma. And now Dean is doing what Sam only did for a few seconds in 5.22: retaking his autonomy from a fucking archangel! Michael had no idea what he was in for. Poor, arrogant bastard. Yockey is a godsend. I could just gush about him and this episode for hours. It's amazing that this show can still have so much momentum and intrigue 14 seasons in (as long as the writing is actually good and we don't waste time on one-dimensional pet Sues). This really felt like old-school SPN quality, which is pretty remarkable.

Steve Yockey has cemented his status as the best writer on staff for Dean. Wow. He is still firmly at the center of the mytharc, and this locking of Michael in his mind was pretty much the ideal way to achieve that while still giving us MOTWs as well. Dean also got to be the awesome badass we all know him to be! Jensen, you're fabulous. It's a goddamn crime that it took these dunderheaded writers 14 years to give you a role like this while simultaneously cramming endless alternate versions of Sam and Cas down our throats. Your acting singlehandedly justifies this show's absurdly long run. Loved the callback to Billie and Advanced Thanatology and one of my favorite themes of the show: Dean consistently getting special treatment and consideration from omnipotent cosmic beings who should regard him as an insignificant bacterium but are somehow helpless to resist him. And rather than being flattered, Dean acts as belligerent and unimpressed as ever. Just as I was prepared to settle back into season 12 levels of ennui upon spoilers of Dean as himself by 14.11, they pull me back in full-force. All it takes is one episode like this, and I'm 100% at this damn show's mercy again. It's got its claws in me deep, I tell ya! The bitter spec that Dean was going to be booted out of his own story has still not come to pass (yet). Gotta admit, I'm impressed. Steve Yockey, could you please take over as showrunner? I have money...

Sweet mother of mercy....

If that's the case, any of my lingering investment in the Michael story gets flushed down the toilet. The ONLY reason I'm currently still interested is because of Dean's direct connection and importance to the mytharc. I have no reason to give a damn about Michael if Dean is shoved out of his own story AGAIN, especially from a big narrative established years before but never followed up on until now. What a slap in the face that would be...

Oh how I've missed him... This is the most comfortable chained-to-a-column pose I've ever seen.

In honor of Michael!Dean's return, I thought I'd do another drawing of him. Since my first piece was in blue (like a lot of fan works of him are), I thought I'd go the opposite route this time with the fiery fury of Heaven's general!

That's right, Jensen did that fantastic Michael scene while he was flu-ridden and feverish!

That's a great point. Intentional or not, Dean was ultimately shown to be plenty strong enough on his own, regardless of his previous self-flagellation over any supposed weakness or inadequacy. He managed to bother an archangel to such a degree that the latter left him to construct an elaborate psychological game, solely to render him more compliant. And it must have taken a lot of bothering for Michael to even temporarily abandon his perfect vessel. I'll certainly treasure scraps such as these that demonstrate the unbreakable resilience of Dean Winchester, especially since they're probably never going to textually address it in the show. Besides, Cas' supposed "terrible" possession was all Tell and no Show. In 11.18, he was just staring glassy-eyed at a television and telling Crowley straight-up that Lucifer mostly left him alone. That doesn't even remotely compare to Dean's experience.

With the way Michael is holding out his hands, I strongly believe that he let them put the cuffs on. And if he'd been restrained by force, I feel like Sam and/or Cas would be grabbing onto him rather than standing several steps back. It'd also be ludicrous if they actually overpower Michael!Dean after regular Michael took them down with no effort. Only makes sense if Dean briefly hinders him from inside, proving that he's far from "gone" or "broken," hence the others going into his head to find him later on. Whatever the answer is, it's most likely not the combined strength of two humans and a regular angel that got the better of Michael!Dean.

Kaia obviously didn't want to go with them if she'd rather hand over her all-powerful spear than risk her own ass. Personally, I'm exceedingly grateful that she stayed away. I don't have enough barf bags on hand to endure another round of Super Special Warrior-Sue Wunderkind's stupid flips and dives and her overall cringey, wannabe-badass self. Dean is the most skilled fighter out of the core group, so it made sense for him to wield the spear. They didn't lose because of Dean's lack of ability, they lost because Michael had been in complete control of the situation from the beginning. He could have hopped back into Dean at any time, regardless of who was twirling the fancy meat fork around.

I think, given the precedent set by Raphael all the way back in season 5, consent in terms of archangels is a different beast from regular angel possession. They may need that initial "yes," but once they're inside it looks like they can open up a permanent re-entry route if they choose to. Lucifer may have just been too arrogant to bother, which would be pretty in-character of him. Cas did say in season 5 that archangel vessels were a direct line to their possessors. While they all look dumb now for not taking precautions upon Dean's return, I don't necessarily see it as a lore retcon.

Some additional thoughts, since I'm still caught up in the buzz... Michael isn't a half-bad villain, certainly leagues better than Colonel McShittySouthernDrawl and s11-onwards Lucifer. The latter was no more than a toddler throwing a tantrum who got by on dumb luck and even dumber surrounding characters. He was just flinging poop at the walls, breaking daddy's toys, and being an overall petty, sadistic, entitled little shit. Michael has a clear goal, subtle methods, and outmaneuvers his enemies with strategy and manipulation. His plan to "break" Dean is both diabolical and deeply personal. He has an interesting but understandable outlook on his (and Jack's) place in the universe. He doesn't hurt/kill people for no reason, nor whine about daddy not paying enough attention to him. He is utterly certain about who he is and what he is meant to do. It's refreshing to not have to put up with pathetic, clearly over-compensating Big Bads for once. This was the first time we've seen Dean fight with a spear, so yay for new things! Dean fumbling it and then using it flawlessly later on makes a kind of sense, if you squint a bit. He could be adept at fighting with a spear but maybe sucks at the fancy twirls and flourishes because they don't serve a function and he's never needed to learn them. Take note, Kaia... I found the conversation between Michael and Jack to be surprisingly engaging, because the dialogue was specifically tailored to the circumstances surrounding these two characters. That's the kind of substance I want between Dean and Michael. I want them to establish a unique dynamic, the more personal the better. I want to learn things about both of them, and see if/how their principles and perspectives affect each other. That'd sure be nice, wouldn't it?

Dean's face is NEVER this blank or cold. He's always expressing some thought or emotion, even when there are no words for him to say. This is what truly and comprehensively differentiates him from Michael. So awesome!

I find it interesting that Michael has changed back into his old clothes in the promo. Couldn't go long without dressing up his perfect vessel again? What a fashionista, with priorities like those! There's no way that they got the cuffs on him against his will. I feel like Michael, now that he's activated his monster army, is just sitting back and letting Sam and Cas do what they want because he knows it's futile. He was grinning from ear to ear with those electrodes on his head. He's probably having fun watching them all scramble desperately, and certainly doesn't seem like he's being held against his will.

YASSSSS BITCH YASSSSS MICHAEL!DEAN IS BACK, BABY! THE SEXIEST ARCHANGEL/VESSEL COMBO MAKES HIS TRIUMPHANT RETURN! Fangirling aside, this really highlights an insidious problem with Dabb and co. They're fully aware that Michael!Dean is what most people are interested in, but instead of developing the story with in-depth character interactions and narrative progression, they use it as bait to force us to continue watching while they shove their little pets and subplots down our throats instead. Shameless and manipulative. So as over the moon as I am about the return of Michael!Dean, I wouldn't be surprised if he's cast out/killed within the next episode or two and we're shoved into a dumb time-waster tangent again. Maybe we'll follow Kaia Sue's fascinating acclimatization to our modern world, or maybe see Jack get his first girlfriend. I dearly, dearly hope that what little Michael!Dean we get has some actual juicy stuff this time. Reveal something about Dean/Sam/Cas, damn it! Go deeper than surface level! It's LITERALLY your job to do that, writers! Jensen's choreography with the spear was much more grounded and realistic than twirly wannabe-cool Kaia's. And I'm always a sucker for competent warrior Dean. Jensen's switch from Dean to Michael was also incredible, especially with his voice! Ketch was surprisingly adorable in his brief appearance. He was so proud of himself for mailing the egg to them, d'aww. Can't help but roll my eyes at Kaia's threat to kill Dean if he doesn't bring the spear back. The mighty force of a 98 lb. girl against a 180+ lb. grown man, oh my! What's she going to do, kick him in the shins? He could render her entirely helpless just by sitting on her. For my own personal vindication, I'd like to list the bitter spec that thankfully DIDN'T happen: Michael didn't ditch Dean because the latter was a weak/inadequate vessel (in fact, Dean was too strong and irritating to his possessor, so a big win, there!). Kaia Sue didn't heroically swoop in and kick Michael's ass while everyone else gaped. And Dean was, in fact, the one to convince her to give over the spear. He also wasn't relegated to the sidelines in the climactic showdown. Michael's non-Dean vessel was not Nick (YASSSS). Kaia's spear had nothing to do with Michael's temporary exit. Overall, a LOT better than I was dreading, mostly thanks to that ending. A story can be mediocre/dull in the beginning and middle, but if you have a kickass ending, that's what most people are going to walk away with.

But that's the exact opposite of what's shown in the sneak peek. Dean in season 11 saying that he couldn't fight Amara was setup for him being the one to confront her. This scene has Dean determined to kill Michael, meaning that he likely won't be the one to do it.

I don't remember one time when Sam or Cas were made to admit that they didn't know how bad Dean's experience was and then verbally castigate themselves for their ignorance. Sam never expressed that after his own Hell experience, for instance, though it would have helped make up for the things he'd said to Dean in season 4. But it's always Dean who's just not enough, no matter what he does. One comment was celebrating that Dean had "finally" acknowledged Sam and Cas' past pain, as if he were somehow inadequate until now or that he hadn't gone through plenty of shit on his own and never been comforted for it. It shouldn't be his job to baby everyone else, but Berens just loves casting him in that role. Same with his blunt honesty to Jack in 14.03 that was framed as dickish behavior, as if he's obligated to know of and cater to everyone's sensibilities after coming back from a major trauma. There's also zero reason to add in Dean being "conned." Regardless of what Dean believed about Michael's trustworthiness, saying yes to him was still the best and only option at that time. Michael's slow burn monster plan is leagues better than Lucifer unraveling the world within a week and enslaving the remaining half of humanity. So there's no purpose in making Dean look like an idiot for trusting Michael, because trust was never a crucial aspect of this desperate, last-ditch attempt to kill Lucifer. This is just another excuse to shit on Dean, as is Berens' MO.

Well, it is a Berens episode, so Dean is obligated to shit talk himself about how useless/dumb he is at some point, with no counterpoint or reassurance from anyone else. And whenever a character is verbally acknowledged as being "happy," it's a guarantee that something terrible is going to happen to them. Berens did this exact thing back in 13.21 with Sam. He's really not very original, is he? This episode is probably going make or break my investment in the season. Not too hopeful so far...

What really chaps my ass is that Jack has been the primary focus of the last three (THREE!) consecutive episodes. Not even Cas has gotten that privilege. And nothing was accomplished by this narrative choice except for endlessly cheap, soapy "feelz." Nothing about this moved the mytharc forward, it was just a bunch of wheel-spinning filler. There's no way that Nougat Boy's tragic woobie illness merited this much screentime over goddamn Michael!Dean. FUCK. The more I think about it, the more mad I am.