Dean Winchester: aka Squirrel

[Aeryn13]

I like all the suggestions so far. I`d also be fine with "squirrel" if we want to go with the accompanying Sam-thread. Just, not a big fan of basically "Not Sam" either. 

[DittyDotDot]

Just pulling together all the options so far since we jumped a page:

• Not Moose (Leave it as is)
• Squirell
• Saving the world since 1983
• A GED and  a Give 'em Hell Attitude
• The Righteous Man
• He Killed Hitler. Really
• A Man of His Word
• Defying Expectations since 1979
• He Kills Gods

Is that all of them so far? You have til tomorrow morning to think of more...what a chore to think about Dean (and Sam) for a whole day! ;)

[Frost]

I like "A GED and a Give 'em Hell Attitude"  except for some reason I thought is was a "can do attitude".  I don't like Squirel or Not Moose.

[Demented Daisy]

From Sympathy for the Devil:

 

SAM
So, let me ask the million-dollar question. What do we do now?

BOBBY
Well... We save as many as we can for as long as we can, I guess. It's bad. Whoever wins, heaven or hell, we're boned.

DEAN
What if we win?

BOBBY stares at him. SAM turns to face DEAN, who sounds a bit too confident.

DEAN
I'm serious. I mean, screw the angels and the demons and their crap apocalypse. Hell, they want to fight a war, they can find their own planet. This one's ours, and I say they get the hell off it. We take 'em all on. We kill the devil. Hell, we even kill Michael if we have to. But we do it our own damn selves.

BOBBY
And how are we supposed to do all this, genius?

DEAN
I got no idea. But what I do have is a GED and a give-'em-hell attitude, and I'll figure it out.

[SueB]

"Mommy Dearest" was on TNT Rewatch today.  One of my favorite moments was when he declared the hybrids to be "Jefferson Starships".  Because they are horrible and impossible to kill.  I love when he entertains himself.

[AwesomO4000]

1 hour ago, SueB said:

"Mommy Dearest" was on TNT Rewatch today.  One of my favorite moments was when he declared the hybrids to be "Jefferson Starships".  Because they are horrible and impossible to kill.  I love when he entertains himself.

Hee, but this is also why no one will let Dean name any other creature ever again! No matter how hard he tries. That is one of my current favorite running jokes on the show. One of my others was Dean not getting his pie - which sorry for @catrox14, Sam did finally bring him pie. (The third is Sam trying to kill Crowley.)

[ILoveReading]

One thing I love about Dean is his ability to get pleasure out of the smallest things.   Poor Dean when he finally gets someone to say werepire, he's not around to hear it.

[Aeryn13]

I gotta say I like his names. Jefferson Starships, Werepires, Vampirates (Benny dug it). Those are pretty cute and funny. 

[FlickChick]

Maybe we should call the thread: Dean Winchester - Creative Monster Namer

[DeeDee79]

4 hours ago, AwesomO4000 said:

Hee, but this is also why no one will let Dean name any other creature ever again! No matter how hard he tries. That is one of my current favorite running jokes on the show. One of my others was Dean not getting his pie - which sorry for @catrox14, Sam did finally bring him pie. (The third is Sam trying to kill Crowley.)

And also the running joke of Dean always choosing scissors :)

[Myrelle]

5 hours ago, Aeryn13 said:

I gotta say I like his names. Jefferson Starships, Werepires, Vampirates (Benny dug it).

Vampirates will always be my favorite. I loved that little scene with Benny and Dean's rationale for the name-"It's like the third thing you say..." ;-)

Edited February 7, 2017 by Myrelle

[PAForrest]

18 hours ago, DittyDotDot said:

Just pulling together all the options so far since we jumped a page:

• Not Moose (Leave it as is)
• Squirell
• Saving the world since 1983
• A GED and  a Give 'em Hell Attitude
• The Righteous Man
• He Killed Hitler. Really
• A Man of His Word
• Defying Expectations since 1979
• He Kills Gods

Is that all of them so far? You have til tomorrow morning to think of more...what a chore to think about Dean (and Sam) for a whole day! ;)

Having a hard time choosing between:

 

Saving the World Since 1983

A GED and a Give 'em Hell Attitude

The Righteous Man

 

I'm good with any of these!

[DeeDee79]

I really like A GED and  a Give 'em Hell Attitude :)

[DittyDotDot]

Okay, here's the title poll thread, I put both polls in the same thread: 

Have at it!

[PAForrest]

21 hours ago, DittyDotDot said:

Okay, here's the title poll thread, I put both polls in the same thread: 

Have at it!

Thanks for doing this, though after looking at the results I wish I could vote again because a lot of folks clearly want to change the name, but we're splitting the votes, so I fear it's going to end up staying the same name that's essentially about Sam and not Dean.

[Myrelle]

1 hour ago, PAForrest said:

Thanks for doing this, though after looking at the results I wish I could vote again because a lot of folks clearly want to change the name, but we're splitting the votes, so I fear it's going to end up staying the same name that's essentially about Sam and not Dean.

I haven't voted yet for this very reason. :-/

[MysteryGuest]

I don't know if the numbers continue to change after you vote, but it looks like Moose and Squirrel are leading the way.  So Dean's thread would change from "not Moose" to Squirrel, and Sam's would stay the same.  I'm not sure how that's about Sam and not about Dean?  I guess it's just a personal preference thing.  I'm absolutely a Dean Girl, but I never had an issue with "not Moose", because I thought it was pretty funny.  I love when that shows up on Crowley's phone...it makes me laugh every time.

[Diane]

56 minutes ago, MysteryGuest said:

I don't know if the numbers continue to change after you vote, but it looks like Moose and Squirrel are leading the way.  So Dean's thread would change from "not Moose" to Squirrel, and Sam's would stay the same.  I'm not sure how that's about Sam and not about Dean?  I guess it's just a personal preference thing.  I'm absolutely a Dean Girl, but I never had an issue with "not Moose", because I thought it was pretty funny.  I love when that shows up on Crowley's phone...it makes me laugh every time.

Me too!!

[SueB]

Crowley's relationship with the boys is an endless source of entertainment for me.  

[Geordiegirl1967]

Not sure whether this belongs here or in the episode discussion thread for this ep. If this isn't  the right place for it let me know.

Jensen was given an honourable mention in EW's 'Performer of the week' for Regarding Dean. Well deserved IMO. Jared was also amazing at showing Sam's increasing panic and fear over losing Dean.

http://tvline.com/2017/02/11/melissa-mccarthy-saturday-night-live-sean-spicer-performance-video/

Quote

HONORABLE MENTION |  During this Thursday’s Supernatural, Dean’s inability to remember his own name – or much of anything – led to a performance we won’t soon forget from star Jensen Ackles. As the hunter faced himself in the bathroom mirror, we looked on in awe as he came to the terrifying realization that his own identity was slipping away. “My name is Dean Winchester,” he desperately repeated to himself until all he was left with was three scary words: “I don’t know.” More than his infamous single perfect tear, it was the fear and sadness in Ackles’ eyes in that moment that reminded us why he is an unforgettable — and underrated — talent.

[AwesomO4000]

17 minutes ago, Geordiegirl1967 said:

Not sure whether this belongs here or in the episode discussion thread for this ep. If this isn't  the right place for it let me know.

For me, I think it's good here, but you might also want to put a mention in the "awards and recognitions" thread called "I'd Like to Thank the Academy... Someday: Awards, Nominations, and Recognition" since it's always good when that thread gets a new entry.

Edited February 11, 2017 by AwesomO4000
I forgot the "Nomination" part.

[catrox14]

Or even in the Supernatural in the Media thread vs (social media)

[PAForrest]

Like the name change!

[ILoveReading]

I heard the ultimate quote to describe Dean when when I was watching NCIS today.

"When you're going through hell, you just keep going."

Just thought I'd share.

[gonzosgirrl]

It seems as though the IMDb board is officially gone now. I will miss the discussions I had there, but... onward and upward. Hopefully next week's episode will give us a little more to talk about, Dean-wise, than this week's hot mess did. Meanwhile, there's always this...  :)

[VirileManifoDivine]

8 hours ago, gonzosgirrl said:

It seems as though the IMDb board is officially gone now. I will miss the discussions I had there, but... onward and upward. Hopefully next week's episode will give us a little more to talk about, Dean-wise, than this week's hot mess did. Meanwhile, there's always this...  :)

I know, I saw it! Ah memories...

I really loved "Regarding Dean", it was my first perfect 10 of the season. Did not like the way "Stuck in the Middle" ignored the connection between Dean and Michael. I'm looking forward to the next episode though. Not sure what the policy for spoilers is yet so I won't say more lol.

[Res]

New here and didn't get to vote before it closed. Would've preferred Saving Lives or Giv'em hell but Squirrel is definitely better than "Not Moose" which I would hate. Don't really like Squirrel either since it was a derogatory nickname that Crowley gave him but whatever. New board, new people and all that.

[catrox14]

8 minutes ago, Res said:

Don't really like Squirrel either since it was a derogatory nickname that Crowley gave him but whatever. New board, new people and all that.

I figure since both Moose and Squirrel are both from Crowley and disparaging at least it's a match set.  Dean did get his licks back in with Boris and Natasha at least! .

Welcome to the board everyone!

[DittyDotDot]

1 hour ago, VirileManifoDivine said:

I'm looking forward to the next episode though. Not sure what the policy for spoilers is yet so I won't say more lol.

We have a dedicated spoiler thread here: 

Basically, if a thread is tagged as a spoiler thread, you can openly talk about any spoilers. Any other threads you'll want to spoiler tag--the eye icon at the top of the editor box--anything you're not sure of. 

[Res]

1 hour ago, catrox14 said:

Dean did get his licks back in with Boris and Natasha at least! .

True that! Lol.

[Lemuria]

I came across this compilation that I really liked--it's nice to see some praise for Dean (not nearly enough for 12 seasons, IMO):  Dean Winchester is awesome

Quote

Don't really like Squirrel either since it was a derogatory nickname that Crowley gave him but whatever. New board, new people and all that.

Let's not forget, though, that the squirrel was one with the brains!  :)

Edited February 20, 2017 by Lemuria

[gonzosgirrl]

Still feeling my way around so I need to ask. Is the thread strictly for Dean talk or can we wax poetic about Jensen as well? Because he rocked my socks off in Vegas last weekend and I am still feeling the need to squee like a schoolgirl. Some caps from my SNS videos,  here.

[catrox14]

21 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

Still feeling my way around so I need to ask. Is the thread strictly for Dean talk or can we wax poetic about Jensen as well? Because he rocked my socks off in Vegas last weekend and I am still feeling the need to squee like a schoolgirl. Some caps from my SNS videos,  here.

Most of our Jensen talk non-Dean division  (or any other actor in the show) is in the Social Media/Public Appearances thread or if you want to just ogle and objectify we have the eye candy thread. :)

Edited February 20, 2017 by catrox14

[SueB]

So I'd like to do some Dean-squee here regarding the latest episode (Stuck in the Middle (With You)).

BadAss Level - That was a Prince of Hell they took on.  And in the final battle, it was Dean vs Ramiel for several critical seconds going toe-to-toe.  Ramiel, IMO, recognized a threat and went to kill Dean.  Sam, elbows him simultaneously with Mary stabbing Ramiel and Sam gets the lance -- and stabs the Prince.  But Dean provided the major muscle in that fight.  Dean is ALWAYS the pointy end of the spear (for those unfamiliar, that phrase generally is military in nature and it's NOT 'blunt instrument' -- it creates the opening for the rest of the attack).   And he was in that same position for the ambush at the house as well. His job was to immobilize Ramiel so the knife could kill him.  In a 'Dean world', he will always takes point. That way everyone else is safe. 

Leadership - He didn't organize the plan but he was who everyone looked to once it went pear-shaped.  Plus we have the ever-important BadAss walk w/ bonus Winsych. And yes, Dean is front and center. He may only be leading them into the diner but he's the biggest alpha in that crowd.  

Emotional level - I'm going to go with a well-hidden 9.  I think he was shattered looking at Cas.  As was Sam. His shortness with Crowley, his determination to take on a Prince of Hell.  He was in denial up until Cas started foaming at the mouth.  The look of shock on his face was evident and he was starting to come to grips with "this is it" when Crowley saved the day.  But Dean LEFT Mary as soon as he saw a hurt Cas and called Sammy over to see Cas as well.
 

Intellect - Dean was much more brute force that cunning this episode. The improvised re-do of "hold and interrogate" was the best they could come up with in a short amount of time, but they didn't survive this episode with their wits so much as their hunting skill IMO.

Character Tidbits - So he likes the smell of waitresses.  Well, I'm going to chalk that up to women and sex are like comfort food to him.  And having them smell like comfort food is just extra double bonus points.  Now his comment regarding Piper "she smelled good" makes more sense.  I also liked how he insta-bonded with Wally.  Wally was a good guy.  I thought his brotherly banter game was pretty good (regarding Sam's need for good wifi). And I REALLY liked him drawing the waitress into an extended 'teachable moment' for Cas, once he recognized that's where her interest lies.  It's interesting, however, that the ONLY person he didn't really bond with at that table was his mother.  I didn't sense hostility or anger, just a great big 'don't go there'.  In fact, cutting up with the boys instead of talking to Mary seems intentional to me.  That was probably the easier choice than dealing with the awkward relationship that is NOT improving.  

All-in-all, a good episode for Dean IMO.  

Edited February 21, 2017 by SueB

[RulerofallIsurvey]

1 hour ago, SueB said:

Plus we have the ever-important BadAss walk w/ bonus Winsych.

Interestingly, [intentional foreshadowing or not?] (I didn't notice in the episode until I looked closely at the photo above) Sam and Dean and Cas are all on the same foot.  Mary is out of step.  Can't tell about Wally, but I think his left foot is also leading.  

[Myrelle]

Welcome to everyone who's new! :-)

[Myrelle]

10 hours ago, SueB said:

Leadership - He didn't organize the plan but he was who everyone looked to once it went pear-shaped.  Plus we have the ever-important BadAss walk w/ bonus Winsych. And yes, Dean is front and center. He may only be leading them into the diner but he's the biggest alpha in that crowd.

Indeed and YOWZA! to the bolded part. I saw this pic on tumblr and yes, he's in the Harvey Keitel/Mr.White position in that pic.

[PAForrest]

41 minutes ago, Myrelle said:

Indeed and YOWZA! to the bolded part. I saw this pic on tumblr and yes, he's in the Harvey Keitel/Mr.White position in that pic.

Why do these things look better and more impressive in still shots on tumblr than they do playing out on screen? Yes, Dean looked good. He always looks good.  I wish I had more to say here.

Edited February 21, 2017 by PAForrest

[Myrelle]

32 minutes ago, PAForrest said:

Why do these things look better and more impressive in still shots on tumblr than they do playing out on screen?

Yeah, that's why I don't even bother watching eps like this past week's anymore. The Dean/JA pics and gifs are all I go to tumblr for, though. Any discussion on this show(and really anywhere now) has just turned into a big exercise in redundancy more than anything else and that's because that's what almost every aspect of the show has become. Even here it's all the same, but with more people(and especially Deanfans) to provide pretty pics, gifs, and videos, episodes like last week's can be mindwiped more easily and readily for me here, too-which is good because I've got a feeling that it's going to be a long rest of the season episode-wise-at least for me.

ETA: LOVED that vid, Lemuria. Loved it. So much. Thank you!

Edited February 21, 2017 by Myrelle

[Aeryn13]

Quote

Why do these things look better and more impressive in still shots on tumblr than they do playing out on screen?

I think in the episode those were all little things. Yes, a still image of the walk makes it way more impressive than a short moment of them walking onscreen. Just like where he stands when or a couple of wacks to Ramiel in the fight are blink-and-you`ll-miss-it in the episode itself. Which, granted, the episode was more high on its own gimmick than anything else and I thought it was half-baked doing it.

It was obviously not a Dean-episode like last week but it wasn`t one where he really had a presence either way. For example the hunter funeral one wasn`t a Dean-ep but he still had a little moment here and there to pop. This latest episode was IMO half-gimick and half Mary/Cas with "we need new lore" strewn in. 

For this Season I can`t give enough praise to "Regarding Dean". It wasn`t the character as usual but they found a way to make a different version that wasn`t mean-spirited or designed to laugh at and still celebrated some core characteristics by keeping those intact. Like Dean generally had a positive and fun outlook, he saw worth in helping people and being heroes and he could still be smart and capabe while impaired. Gold stars for Glynn. 

[Myrelle]

3 minutes ago, Aeryn13 said:

For this Season I can`t give enough praise to "Regarding Dean". It wasn`t the character as usual but they found a way to make a different version that wasn`t mean-spirited or designed to laugh at and still celebrated some core characteristics by keeping those intact. Like Dean generally had a positive and fun outlook, he saw worth in helping people and being heroes and he could still be smart and capabe while impaired. Gold stars for Glynn. 

I remember reading something by Matt Roush years ago when he used to have a Q and A at the TVGuide site(and before it became the rag that it is now). Someone asked him why people keep watching shows that have obviously gotten so long in the tooth that it almost doesn't seem worthwhile and his answer was that if the show was good to begin with or at one time, then there's always the slight chance that they can deliver something that good again, and even if those kind of episodes become very few and far between. I thought Regarding Dean was the best episode that they've given us since The Werther Box and before that one, well, I can't really remember one, that I thought was as well put together since early S5, maybe Reichenbach, and maybe The Prisoner. And I'm talking entire episodes here and where the writing was decent too, which unfortunately, leaves out most of S5-12 for me.

[SueB]

I need no such motivation ('waiting for a 'good' episode). I still enjoy every episode.  I'll have problems with a few scenes or plots but I ALWAYS find great enjoyment watching this show.  And yes, I actually watch for the plot.  I find the long-form story telling that Supernatural has been privileged to provide to be fascinating.  I swear, I know more about the psyche of Sam and Dean than I do myself.  But of course, like all good stories, it is in exploring those characters that we learn something about ourselves.  

Pictures and gifs are fun but I find them unsatisfying.  I want the show, the dialog (which I find almost always fun), the characters, and the plots.

Since this is the Dean thread, I'll stop here.  Perhaps, during summer hiatus, I'll wax poetic in the all-season threads about each of the seasons since S5.  I have found each has strengths and weaknesses but there's not a single season I would skip. 

[Aeryn13]

Quote

 I thought Regarding Dean was the best episode that they've given us since The Werther Box and before that one, well, I can't really remember one, that I thought was as well put together since early S5, maybe Reichenbach, and maybe The Prisoner. And I'm talking entire episodes here and where the writing was decent too, which unfortunately, leaves out most of S5-12 for me.

I thought the writing was always kinda "you are cute and you are trying", even in what I consider the best Seasons 1, 2, and 4 but the lack of skill in creating a good narrative was off-set by fun and charme. Those days are long past, now they still have some good ideas here and there but at best so-so execution. It`s actually interesting to imagine if I would have the same favourable reaction to "Regarding Dean" back in say Season 2. Don`t get me wrong, I consider it a good and positive episode for the characer but at a time when I had more in the positive column overall, I think the score would have gone down slightly.

Edited February 21, 2017 by Aeryn13

[Myrelle]

14 minutes ago, Aeryn13 said:

It`s actually interesting to imagine if I would have the same favourable reaction to "Regarding Dean" back in say Season 2. Don`t get me wrong, I consider it a good and positive episode for the characer but at a time when I had more in the positive column overall, I think the score would have gone down slightly

I hear you. Our hopes and expectations were greater then because there were so many possibilities and yes, especially more reasons to be positive.

 

On ‎2‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 1:30 AM, gonzosgirrl said:

Still feeling my way around so I need to ask. Is the thread strictly for Dean talk or can we wax poetic about Jensen as well? Because he rocked my socks off in Vegas last weekend and I am still feeling the need to squee like a schoolgirl. Some caps from my SNS videos,  here.

LOVE! your pics, gonzogirl! I bet you had a blast. Please post away if you have any more.

Edited February 21, 2017 by Myrelle

[Boopsahoy]

51 minutes ago, SueB said:

I need no such motivation ('waiting for a 'good' episode). I still enjoy every episode.  I'll have problems with a few scenes or plots but I ALWAYS find great enjoyment watching this show.  And yes, I actually watch for the plot.  I find the long-form story telling that Supernatural has been privileged to provide to be fascinating.  I swear, I know more about the psyche of Sam and Dean than I do myself.  But of course, like all good stories, it is in exploring those characters that we learn something about ourselves.  

I enjoy every single episode to some extent. The past 2 I loved 9.5/10.  The thought of skipping one because there's not enough Dean is beyond my understanding

[Myrelle]

7 minutes ago, Boopsahoy said:

The thought of skipping one because there's not enough Dean is beyond my understanding

That's not why I skipped this one. My reason is documented in the bitterness thread.

[PAForrest]

2 hours ago, Aeryn13 said:

I think in the episode those were all little things. Yes, a still image of the walk makes it way more impressive than a short moment of them walking onscreen. Just like where he stands when or a couple of wacks to Ramiel in the fight are blink-and-you`ll-miss-it in the episode itself. Which, granted, the episode was more high on its own gimmick than anything else and I thought it was half-baked doing it.

It was obviously not a Dean-episode like last week but it wasn`t one where he really had a presence either way. For example the hunter funeral one wasn`t a Dean-ep but he still had a little moment here and there to pop. This latest episode was IMO half-gimick and half Mary/Cas with "we need new lore" strewn in. 

For this Season I can`t give enough praise to "Regarding Dean". It wasn`t the character as usual but they found a way to make a different version that wasn`t mean-spirited or designed to laugh at and still celebrated some core characteristics by keeping those intact. Like Dean generally had a positive and fun outlook, he saw worth in helping people and being heroes and he could still be smart and capabe while impaired. Gold stars for Glynn. 

I think in Glynn we have that rarer than a unicorn Dean-fan writer on staff, and not surprisingly I thought Dean shined best in her two episodes so far this year. Most of the rest of the episodes I'd have a hard time recalling with a gun to my head. Yeah, there a few decent Dean moments in the hunter funeral episode, though I think what I liked best about it is that another mother read Mary Sue the riot act, and I couldn't get enough of that. Heh. Plus Dean got to be fed up with Mary, at least briefly.

The plot will always mean a whole lot more to me if my hook character is actively involved.  If he's not, I'm not going to care as much. And this year I don't find any of the plots interesting on their own. I really don't think Dabb is a good storyteller.

[PAForrest]

1 hour ago, Aeryn13 said:

It`s actually interesting to imagine if I would have the same favourable reaction to "Regarding Dean" back in say Season 2. Don`t get me wrong, I consider it a good and positive episode for the character but at a time when I had more in the positive column overall, I think the score would have gone down slightly.

Yeah, I think there's no doubt I would have ranked it differently too in an earlier season when the writing was a lot stronger.

[ILoveReading]

22 minutes ago, Aeryn13 said:

I thought the writing was always kinda "you are cute and you are trying", even in what I consider the best Seasons 1, 2, and 4 but the lack of skill in creating a good narrative was off-set by fun and charme. Those days are long past, now they still have some good ideas here and there but at best so-so execution. It`s actually interesting to imagine if I would have the same favourable reaction to "Regarding Dean" back in say Season 2. Don`t get me wrong, I consider it a good and positive episode for the characer but at a time when I had more in the positive column overall, I think the score would have gone down slightly.

This is how I feel.  I admit the episode came out so much better than I thought.  The concept had all the ear marks of lets laugh at Dean, he did something dumb to get hexed in the first place.  But it was surprisingly charming.   I liked that all Dean's core qualities were still intact, despite no memory.  

But there were some things I felt were missing.  But I put those down to time constraints.  I would have liked to see a little more of the darker side of the curse.  I also thought Dean's Sam, and his looking a little irritated at the impala being insulted (although I'm not sure if that was a character moment or Jensen bleed) kind of ruined the emotional impact of the mirror scene.  I get they're trying to show how deep Dean's connection to Sam is, but if the tragedy of the episode is supposed to be that Dean forgot everyone then they need to follow through on this.   I think no reaction in that scene would have driven home how bad Dean was getting.  The scene at the end with Dean taken Sam's word, could have accomplished what they were trying to do. 

That's the biggest problem with the writing. They come up with some great ideas but they seem to be afraid to execute if it might mean bucking the status quo.  Sam and Dean's bond isn't going to fall apart if they spend a couple of episodes apart, or Dean doesn't try to jump in front of a bus for Sam every other episode.  They've already established that Sam and Dean will sacrifice for each other.  Not every episode needs to remind us of that.  It gets to be overkill after awhile.  (For me anyway).

It was the same during Our Little World last year when Dean overcame Amara because she attacked Sam.  Protect Sam has been Dean's prime directive since he was four.  Imagine the emotional toll it would take on Dean to not be able to do that.  It would have made him telling Sam he'd have to take out Amara in Love Hurts far more logical because as it stood I saw Dean take on Amara twice and break the hold.  That whole scene left me shaking my head thinking WTF? 

The problem is that writers seem to think that everything has to be all or nothing.  That was evident with the Mark of Cain.  During episode 10-12, the showed us Dean escalating and spiraling.  Then they put the breaks on in ep 13 because they realize they escalated Dean too quickly.  In episode 13 I felt Dean decided that the best way to fight the mark was to really find his inner peace, which for Dean is hunting.  Its like it helped him get the mark under control.  But from that point on I felt the story shifted to Sam saving Dean, they forgot to show us the Dean part.  Dean's level of violence (before The Prisoner) was no worse than what Sam and Cas were displaying.  They say Dean can't hunt and then show him playing miniature golf.  It's another WTF moment.  

I get that they can't show Dean kicking puppies or holding up liquor stores, but there are other ways to show he's deteriorating.  Like our boys' a bit of a neat freak, show the bunker a mess.  Or when Dean was clearly working out show us him getting so angry he rips the heavy bag.    

But the writers are lazy and rely on the tell.  It didnt' work because it didn't match the show.  At that point I thought Dean was actually gaining more control, but we had Sam and Cas say he's getting worse, or had given up.  What came across was that despite trying to save Dean, they really had no respect of faith in him.  Even though that wasn't their intention.  They rely far too much on tell vs/show.  They come up with fresh and interesting ideas but then drop them because it would require shaking up the status quo.  (Demon Dean, purgatory, mark of cain, etc).  All dropped.  Dead horse Lucifer is still being beaten into the ground while Michael continues to be remain unexplored (although after this last ep I'd prefer they keep it that way).

They don't talk to each other.  Amara's line about nothing bad happening to Dean.  That was dropped.  Amara should have showed up in that episode that must not be named rather than Billie.  

I could go on but this post is getting too long.  

The tl/dr version is that I think if the writers aren't going to buck the status quo they need to stop coming up with story lines where its necessary otherwise nothing will ever live up to its potential.

[Myrelle]

What I liked more than anything was that even w/o any of his Dean Winchester memories, he was still incredibly charming and lovable and he still loved the idea of the hunt in that he saw it as heroic and "awesome", unlike even in What Is and What Should Never Be wherein he didn't see himself in a very good light at all even while he was happy with the idea of being a "civilian". I have always liked  it that underneath it all, Dean actually loves the hunt and(even more so)that he is proud of being a hunter. They've given that back to him now, IMO-and this stayed true even after he'd been turned into a demon for a time.

Edited February 21, 2017 by Myrelle