S11.E17: Red Meat

[Tara Ariano]

Sam and Dean battle a pair of werewolves who captured two victims. One of the werewolves shoots Sam, and Dean tries gets his brother and the victims to safety but learns that a pack of werewolves are hot on their trail, hoping to kill them all.

[catrox14]

 

Edited March 29, 2016 by catrox14

[Binns]

Trufax: Mystery Spot is next up tonight in my rewatch. One of my faves!

[catrox14]

[Demented Daisy]

*sigh*  What a letdown after last week's excellent episode.  Could that have been any slower?  So disappointed.

[Aeryn13]

What to say about Dean in this episode? Pointless? Incompetent? Pathetic? 

 

Meanwhile Sam saves the day a la Rambo even with a gutshot. Dabb is stanning hard.

[Frost]

I really  liked it until Dean's  character  regression.  Back to making  deals for Sam.  Sigh.  Otherwise, I  thought  there was a lot of tension.  And I liked Michelle  a lot.  Good actress and an interesting  character.  I figured  her husband  was already  werewolf-lite when he strangled  Sam.

[catrox14]

I really liked that episode, right until they forgot how to text each other. LOL

 

Kudos to Jensen for Dean's barely contained desperation throughout the episode. . It was fucking sad.

 

But shit, the reality is that Dean literally killed himself because he thought Sam died. He didn't care if he actually lived or died.  I'm really not okay with that.

 

There better be some follow-up to this in a future episode. Because that is no small fucking thing. Like at all.

 

Also, I guess Amara really wasn't going to help Dean like she said? Or did she save Sam?

[2Old2BAFangirl]

I liked it too. I didn't like Dean killing himself to make a deal for Sam, but if he hadn't tried he wouldn't be Dean, I guess.

The rescued girl and the doctor were good one time characters. I liked them both.

When we were supposed to believe Sam was dead, I was tearing up just thinking about Dean's face when he saw him. Jensen, as usual, did not disappoint.

[MYFAKETVBOYFRIEND]

I liked the episode a lot, I felt real tension for a change. The threat of the Empty ramps things up a little. Oh boy does Billie have it out for them! I really liked Michelle (where have I seen her before?).

 

I'm hoping that part of his desperation was because he doesn't think he can defeat Amara without him-not JUST that he can't live without Sam. He has been very agitated/cranky lately I think because he's having a much harder time with this Amara bond and losing Cas than he's letting on and I think that also fueled his desperation. And boy can Jensen's face show desperation!

[catrox14]

 

I didn't like Dean killing himself to make a deal for Sam, but if he hadn't tried he wouldn't be Dean, I guess.

 

This actually pisses me off the more I think about it.

 

Dean clearly hasn't learned anything. He's doing the same things over and over again. I don't know what I'm supposed to take from this.

 

Sure Dean had a plan to try and save Sam but he literally was committing suicide because Sam died. IMO his excuse was to save Sam but he said it himself, 'If it didn't work, it didn't matter.'

 

Shit. 

Edited March 31, 2016 by catrox14

[Kanner]

This one flew by for me, maybe that was because I fast forwarded the Sam grunting and walking around in pain parts. I liked Michelle a lot too. Dean had some great moments - operating on Sam, going after Corbin when he suggested leaving Sam, pulling it together to lead them to safety, his talk with Michelle at the end, just to name a few.

[bethy]

I found this episode so strange and melancholy. I mean I knew Sam wasn't dead, but Dean's grief was surprisingly powerful to me. Also, the scene with the wife telling Dean she was sorry was pretty moving. I was surprised that I was affected as much as I was.

And then the regression and deal making. Which made me sad for entirely different reasons. Because seriously? Sigh. I would have enjoyed Dean's "I knew you weren't dead " plot more. BECAUSE WE'VE DONE THE DEAN IS WILLING TO MAKE A DEAL/DIE FOR HIS BROTHER STORY A FEW TIMES BEFORE. Gee whiz. Do they think this is a revelation too anyone?

[Mulva]

Sam is a badass.

Edited March 31, 2016 by Mulva

[auntvi]

This actually pisses me off the more I think about it.

 

I agree. Suicide isn't heroic, it isn't romantic. I understand why they wrote it, but I really wish they hadn't.

[catrox14]

I found this episode so strange and melancholy. I mean I knew Sam wasn't dead, but Dean's grief was surprisingly powerful to me. Also, the scene with the wife telling Dean she was sorry was pretty moving. I was surprised that I was affected as much as I was.

And then the regression and deal making. Which made me sad for entirely different reasons. Because seriously? Sigh. I would have enjoyed Dean's "I knew you weren't dead " plot more. BECAUSE WE'VE DONE THE DEAN IS WILLING TO MAKE A DEAL/DIE FOR HIS BROTHER STORY A FEW TIMES BEFORE. Gee whiz. Do they think this is a revelation too anyone?

 

I'm going to hang onto the hope, that this will have a purpose by the end of the season. Not just for plot reasons but for Dean reasons.  I'm really sad right now. 

 

I'm also kind of surprised they didn't include a PSA at the end of the episode about calling a help line if your feeling suicidal and desperate because that is the reality of what Dean was doing. 

[catrox14]

Oh a couple of things that did make me laugh.

 

Dean literally yelling at branches 'GET OFF ME'  because he was losing his shit. That was pretty funny and sad at that same time.  I have yelled at inanimate things when I've been upset. I loved that little moment. I wonder if that was written into the script or if Jensen ad-libbed. Felt like an ad-lib to me.

 

Also, I did chuckle at "he was ....MOSTLY dead".  Oh Dean.

[Ferniesfreckles]

Add me as a fan of that actress, as well.

This was a meh, sort of episode.

Besides the torture porn or wounded porn or whatever you want to call it, there wasn't much there. Except to see that, once again, Dean is willing to die for his brother.

And once again show writers demonstrate not a single original, new thought.

I figured Dean couldn't die anyway because Amara wouldn't let it happen.

Also need to add that I wish they would stop "killing" or almost "killing" the boys.

Everybody and their mothers know it won't last and it won't stick. But again, tired tropes and plot points are all these people know.

Edited March 31, 2016 by Ferniesfreckles

[bethy]

I'm going to hang onto the hope, that this will have a purpose by the end of the season. Not just for plot reasons but for Dean reasons. I'm really sad right now.

I hope you're right. I'm afraid I've gotten to the point where I feel like "Dean will do anything to save his brother! Isn't he selfish!" is their go-to storyline when they need a place filler episode or have run out of ideas.

Also I thought the scene in the bunker waa weirdly repetitive of last week where they didn't have a lead on Cas or Amara and Sam's all, "A case!" and Dean's all, "We gotta find Cas." Sam: A case! Dean: Fine. I don't know. I think the previouslies even had an earlier episode of Sam saying they'd find Cas.

I just feel a little like we're treading water.

Edited March 31, 2016 by bethy

[catrox14]

 

I figured Dean couldn't die anyway because Amara wouldn't let it happen.

 

But Dean did die here, didn't he?

 

I thought it was just like when he died to find Death in 'Appointment in Samarra'.  Dean had to be resuscitated by Robert Englund in a certain amount of time before he got reaped. The doctor had to resuscitate him here before Billie reaped him. At least that's what I thought happened.

Edited March 31, 2016 by catrox14

[Goldmoon]

Being mostly dead to talk to someone the first time was sort of cool. Now it's just lame. I hated the boyfriend and loved the girl. Hated the lie and secret at the end though.

[enaiowen]

This is going to sound strange I know but here goes:

The first thing I thought of when Sam woke up while Dean was dying was "Romeo and Juliet".

Not that I think that was the intent necessarily but that was definitely the vibe I got.

[Goldmoon]

The girlfriend saying the man I love while dean was in the frame struck me as a parallel in a wincest kind of way. I would say it was unintentional but you know these show runners!

[Primetimer]

And other not-quite-burning questions about 'Red Meat.'

Read the story

[catrox14]

This is going to sound strange I know but here goes:

The first thing I thought of when Sam woke up while Dean was dying was "Romeo and Juliet".

Not that I think that was the intent necessarily but that was definitely the vibe I got.

 

Oh I thought the same thing. And it kind of really bothers me that was what came to mind, and I doubt we were alone in that.

[7kstar]

Well those that wanted a time for Sam to the rescue while nearly dead...Check.

For those that wanted Dean to talk to Billie to find out that yep, she won't make a deal & your lame for thinking I would.  check

 

A rinse and repeat of several seasons thrown into one ep...check

 

I did like Billie's and Dean's conversation where she was straight to the point, you're not doing this for Sam, you're doing this for you.  So if felt this conversation hasn't been done before...check

 

Now that you mention the Romeo & Juliet - He thinks she's dead and takes his life...so could this be a clue for the rest of the season?  Do they think they are being clever and we can't spot this?

 

I did like the doctor and the wife and I did like her conversation with Dean.

 

We did see how Jensen was trolling us with the hospital pics, can say it now since the ep aired. 

 

I did find myself trying to fast forward so maybe if I hadn't watched it live it would have felt a little better?

 

I could rate this a 5...not the worst in the bunch but not one I love. 

 

I'm hoping the doctor said something to Sam...that he really isn't in the dark about another Dean's secret. 

[catrox14]

The girlfriend saying the man I love while dean was in the frame struck me as a parallel in a wincest kind of way. I would say it was unintentional but you know these show runners!

 

You're not wrong. And I wouldn't be surprised if they were teasing the Wincest a bit. I mean the whole thing was Romeo and Juliet. 

[ahrtee]

Being mostly dead to talk to someone the first time was sort of cool. Now it's just lame. I hated the boyfriend and loved the girl. Hated the lie and secret at the end though.

I assumed this means that Sam never told Dean about Billie telling him they're out of "get out of dead free" cards and threatening them with the empty way back in ep. 1 either, because otherwise Dean wouldn't even have bothered to ask her to save Sam.  Oh, who am I kidding?  Of course he'd try.  But it still means to me that they're *both* still lying and keeping secrets.  *sigh*

[catrox14]

I assumed this means that Sam never told Dean about Billie telling him they're out of "get out of dead free" cards and threatening them with the empty way back in ep. 1 either, because otherwise Dean wouldn't even have bothered to ask her to save Sam.  Oh, who am I kidding?  Of course he'd try.  But it still means to me that they're *both* still lying and keeping secrets.  *sigh*

 

Sam did tell him because Dean said it to Billie when he met her back in Devil in the Details.  So Dean knew. Dean knew he wasn't coming back. Dean knew what the consequence was.

Edited March 31, 2016 by catrox14

[Binns]

The girlfriend saying the man I love while dean was in the frame struck me as a parallel in a wincest kind of way. I would say it was unintentional but you know these show runners!

I went there too.

Uneven episode for me- Jensen knocked it out the of park, of course, and lots of little throwaways like "mostly dead" that I enjoyed a lot. Really liked the lead actress. Kinda concerned they are going to have to kill Billie because she means business. I was disappointed in Dean's choice but I understand it. He's incapable of living without Sam. Not a fan of MORE SECRETS.

Oh...I also loved the "Then" with all of the death scenes!

Alaina Huffman....

https://twitter.com/alainahuffman/status/715396294349422592

[ahrtee]

Sam did tell him because Dean said it to Billie when he met her back in Devil in the Details.  So Dean knew. Dean knew he wasn't coming back. Dean knew what the consequence was.

OK, I forgot that (haven't been paying so much attention lately).  I figured Dean didn't care if he didn't come back, but still wonder why he bothered asking Billie to bring Sam back if he knew she was already determined not to.  But of course it was just to show the old "Dean won't let Sam go" trope again.  *sigh again*  I actually thought, when he walked away and left supposedly-dead Sam in the cabin, that it showed he'd gotten past that (though I did wonder at the lack of CPR), but that's giving the writers too much credit, I guess.  

[Jediknight]

Mortally wounded Sam takes out 2 werewolves by himself?  Okily dokily.  Sam makes it to the hospital in no time?  Does Baby have a hyperdrive?

 

I would have preferred if there were a couple of other werewolves who tried to attack the hospital.  Let Dean, the doctor, Michelle, and the ranger fight them off, and protect the others in the hospital.  The ranger could then let Dean go, and the ranger would learn how to deal with werewolves.

 

I was kind of bored by the episode.  In season 3 The Trickster said that the brothers constantly sacrificing themselves was bad, and we constantly see that, but yet the brothers still do it and don't learn from their mistakes.

[AwesomO4000]

I assumed this means that Sam never told Dean about Billie telling him they're out of "get out of dead free" cards and threatening them with the empty way back in ep. 1 either, because otherwise Dean wouldn't even have bothered to ask her to save Sam.  Oh, who am I kidding?  Of course he'd try.  But it still means to me that they're *both* still lying and keeping secrets.  *sigh*

 

No, Sam told Dean, because they had a "Then" scene where Dean recognizes Billie's name and says that she is the reaper that Sam told him about. He even mentions "the empty" or oblivion or something like that. So Dean did know. He was just going to try anyway.

 

And I'm sort of worried about the season 4 parallels here - The scene with Dean and Billie sort of reminded me of Sam trying to deal with the crossroads demons to get Dean back, and when that went badly and none would deal, that didn't end very well for Sam's psyche in season 4.

 

It hasn't been mentioned yet I don't think, but that scene where the husband was suffocating Sam was very tense for me. Well done by the actors there for me. Jared sold the desperation of fighting for his life well there for me, and the expression on Sam's face when he realized that it was the husband's plan to kill him. I was not expecting that to happen.

 

Also, I guess Amara really wasn't going to help Dean like she said? Or did she save Sam?

 

I was wondering about that myself. Sam did seem to be "gone" for quite a while, and the doctor's explanation seemed somewhat convenient. But I'm surprised then that she wouldn't interfere with Dean, too. Or maybe she did - because Billie seemed certain that Dean was going to die - and generally she would know such things, so hmm. Something to think about there.

 

 

I was actually surprised that Sam saved himself and killed the bad guys. (Maybe someone has been noticing my complaints about Sam being a Samsel in distress?) I was glad he got to save Dean. I think it's been a while since that has happened.

 

I enjoyed the episode even if Dean's actions here were a little distressing. I actually wonder if this is Dean having affects from no longer having the Mark of Cain? Things are closing in on him. He feels powerless against Amara - so much so that he has almost remembered his meetings with her incorrectly in his mind by assigning more powerlessness than was actually there - and he feels powerless to save Cas. Even if he mostly did not like what the mark of Cain did to him, I wonder if some part of Dean misses how it made him feel: that he knew he was pretty much unkillable (even if that meant maybe becoming a demon again.) and that meant he could take more chances and he was even sometimes physically stronger than usual.

 

Also, I think Dean was actually showing some progress at first. He left Sam after the "operation" to patch himself up while he helped the people in peril. So I think Dean started out thinking that he could do it... until things started actually happening. Like catrox, I liked Dean yelling at the branches, because for me it was showing his frustration, I think not only with the situation, but himself. I think that Dean was hoping he could do it, but faced with it actually happening - not so much.

 

I actually think the same thing is going to happen to Sam again somewhere down the line maybe. He certainly caved in season 9 and 10 that's for sure - his "No, Dean, same circumstances, I wouldn't [save you]" flew out the window pretty quickly when actually faced with a dying Dean and then jumped off the cliff at the end of season 10. Now that this empty threat is real - If a real situation comes along, I'm not expecting Sam to accept losing his brother any better than Dean did in this episode.

 

But maybe this is the start of Dean doing that? He learned that jumping the gun to save Sam almost lead to his premature death. I think it will give him something to think about anyway.

[catrox14]

OK, I forgot that (haven't been paying so much attention lately).  I figured Dean didn't care if he didn't come back, but still wonder why he bothered asking Billie to bring Sam back if he knew she was already determined not to.  But of course it was just to show the old "Dean won't let Sam go" trope again.  *sigh again*  I actually thought, when he walked away and left supposedly-dead Sam in the cabin, that it showed he'd gotten past that (though I did wonder at the lack of CPR), but that's giving the writers too much credit, I guess.  

 

Dean did tell Billie that Sam had to live to defeat the Darkness, which she scoffed at and didn't seem to care about.  Which I thought was odd..Like why was she so cavalier about it? 

 

When he left Sam, I don't think he fully believed or accept he was dead. Not uncommon for grief. But then when he woke up at the hospital after being tased was IMO when Sam being dead was a real thing for Dean....until Michelle said death wasn't the end. At that point, IMO he was so messed up and grief stricken he was going to do whatever... pretty much like he did in All Hell Breaks Loose pt 2. 

 

At this point Sam's death just triggers his default setting of 'Save Sammy'. It's pathological.

Edited March 31, 2016 by catrox14

[catrox14]

 

But I'm surprised then that she wouldn't interfere with Dean, too. Or maybe she did - because Billie seemed certain that Dean was going to die - and generally she would know such things, so hmm. Something to think about there.

 

Billie stopped time because she wanted to savor the moment. I think Dean was either already dead but Billie just hadn't taken him yet or he was at death's door.  I don't think Amara had anything to do with it.

 

Plus I think if Amara did do it, she would have gladly shown Dean that she was behind it. 

Edited March 31, 2016 by catrox14

[SueB]

I think Dean was ashamed of what he did and that's why he didn't tell Sam.

I suspect Dean sees his inability to live without Sam as weakness.

Everything about the situation felt like it was hammering the words 'WRONG CHOICE'. They used a pretty hefty contrivance (that Sam appeared dead but wasn't) to emphasize this lesson.

At first he does the 'right' thing. He gets the victims to safety and tries to go back for Sam. The. The reality of Sam lying dead in that cabin floor hits Dean and he pulls out three bad moves from the Bad Decision Playbook:

1)He refuses to accept Sam's death as an option

2) He kills himself and hopes he can be brought back

3)He attempts to make a DEAL.

And Dean recklessly runs straight at this danger. Which is how he got the MoC in the first place.

Before people think I'm harping on Dean, my point is that from Dean's POV, he realized from these events that no matter how much he THINKS he's maturing, he's instinctually wired to 'save Sam or die trying'.

As if he had no CHOICE in the matter.

Which turns around and makes this an Amara parallel. Dean doesn't want to be that guy who makes those decisions but he has to know now that he will fall for it EVERY time. And yet he still believes Sam will have to take out Amara.

How is that going to actually work when his Amara protection compulsion is up against the Save Sam prime directive?

I suspect the semi-resolved place he was in (find a way for Sammy to stop Amara) is now feeling like it's not on solid footing.

Edited March 31, 2016 by SueB

[catrox14]

 

2) He kills himself and hopes he can be brought back

 

I'm not so sure he was "hoping" he could be brought back. He already knew he was going to exchange his life for Sam's going into it.

 

For an entity who claimed 'We will always help each other', Amara has done fuck all that I can see to help Dean at all.

 

-- Let Dean have broken ribs

-- Almost get his heart literally ripped out

-- Nearly bashed his own head in via that Banshee

 

etc etc. 

 

I guess Dean having head trauma and emotional trauma over Cas, is not something she cares to help him with. She's definitely NOT fulfilling her end of that little arrangement.

[SueB]

I'm not so sure he was "hoping" he could be brought back. He already knew he was going to exchange his life for Sam's going into it.

For an entity who claimed 'We will always help each other', Amara has done fuck all that I can see to help Dean at all.

-- Let Dean have broken ribs

-- Almost get his heart literally ripped out

-- Nearly bashed his own head in via that Banshee

etc etc.

I guess Dean having head trauma and emotional trauma over Cas, is not something she cares to help him with. She's definitely NOT fulfilling her end of that little arrangement.

I know. What's up with that?

[catrox14]

I know. What's up with that?

 

She's a lying liar that lies? And only needs Dean to help her? Unless they really do have a symbiotic bond and every time he gets beat up, she gets beat up...and has to recover?

[poppy-]

Did Billie call Sam "The Big W"?  Does that make Dean the Little W?

[Triskan]

Regarding the Big W, it took me a while to figure it out ! ^^

 

At first I though Sam was higher on Billie's priority list and I started wondering what could make him more important to be thrown into the Empty than Dean until I understood it was just a joke regarding his height and I felt stupid for not getting it immediatly ! ^^

[NoWillToResist]

How is that going to actually work when his Amara protection compulsion is up against the Save Sam prime directive?

 

Hee! Now I’m amused to picture Dean, in the heat of battle against Amara, having some kind of robotic emotional break where he just stops dead and gets caught in a catch-22 loop of “save Sam” “but gotta kill Amara” “but gotta save Sam” “but gotta kill Amara”; smoke comes out of his ears and he falls to the ground muttering “does not compute…” and then dies. ;)

[cryptaknight]

I was getting Cas anvils from the episode. Showing him in the previously, Dean starting to lose hope about how they'd save him, and then the episode focusing on a woman watching someone she cared for turn into a monster and die because of it. Makes me nervous about Cas's fate and his ability to eject Lucifer.

 

That said, there was a definitely a Romeo and Juliet vibe to Same and Dean's behavior. And just like that play, Dean's suicide was stupid and pointless. All it did was affirm that they will be reaped if they die. I think the show did convey how stupid and pointless it was, though, instead of romanticizing Dean's actions.

 

I feel like there was something hinky about Sam's being only "mostly dead". He was out for a long time. I wonder if we're going to get some explanatory flashbacks at the end of the season like we did at the end of season six.

[ae2]

Just going to leave this here

 

[trxr4kids]

I know. What's up with that?

At the risk of sounding bitter, it's a Dean storyline. The writers have forgotten it exists and will continue to do so. Maybe they'll bring Adam back so he can have the Amara connection, I'm sure they can say that Lucifer gave him the mark while they were in the cage.

[Binns]

Things I think of in the middle of the night...who has an urgent care center where they can manage a critical gunshot wound and give blood transfusions and deal with a barbituate overdose and NOT send either of those two to a hospital?

But Dean did die here, didn't he?

I thought it was just like when he died to find Death in 'Appointment in Samarra'. Dean had to be resuscitated by Robert Englund in a certain amount of time before he got reaped. The doctor had to resuscitate him here before Billie reaped him. At least that's what I thought happened.

I didn't think he was ever completely dead- it looked like he was having seizures when they were resuscitating him. Although Billie wouldn't have come if he wasn't. I was thinking the needle they gave him was narcan but maybe it was meant to be epinephrine.

[MYFAKETVBOYFRIEND]

Things I think of in the middle of the night...who has an urgent care center where they can manage a critical gunshot wound and give blood transfusions and deal with a barbituate overdose and NOT send either of those two to a hospital?

I didn't think he was ever completely dead- it looked like he was having seizures when they were resuscitating him. Although Billie wouldn't have come if he wasn't. I was thinking the needle they gave him was narcan but maybe it was meant to be epinephrine.

He was on the verge of dying and she froze it so that she could gloat-and then they gave him the shot just in time.

[SueB]

So I've been pondering some response...

 

The Big W ... since the Reapers probably LOATHE the Winchesters, I don't think it's a compliment.  Options for how they refer to Dean: The Surly W, Mr. Sacrifice, Dead Man Walking, etc....  Of all the monikers, I suspect "The Little W" is not it.  

 

Wondering about Amara myself, I realized the most logical answer is that she's off on a galactic tour. Checking high and low in other planets, other galaxies, etc... and not tuned into Dean 24x7.  Because she's once again a "too powerful" character.  We had to believe that Dean believed he could die.  Even if at a meta level we've long since understood 'Sam/Dean are not going to stay dead'. This episode was not about whether or not they would both live but HOW they got through the situation and the choices they made.  If the bond between Amara is such that she will truly always help him and he will always help her - it seems to be limited to "while in each other's presence".  Otherwise Dean wouldn't be able to plot against her.  And while Amara is fascinated by Dean, she's got bigger fish to fry* (her brother).  So, they essentially HAVE to keep Amara separate from Dean in order to be able to tell other stories. Otherwise she's the 800 lb gorilla in the room* and everything is about her.

* I seem to be full of idioms today, 'sorry 'bout that.'

 

 

 

Other thoughts:

1) This was an attack on "keep grinding"

- Dean's "keep grinding" approach is under siege from every angle this episode.  Already emotionally weary from the loss of Cas and the hunt for Amara, now Sam gets shot.  And Dean keeps grinding. Note: I loved the little moment of him losing his shit with a branch.  Now Sam is dead. But the werewolves are coming and he's got civilians and there's no time to mourn. So he keeps grinding.  He gets them to safety and the sheriff wants a report? Oh HELL NO.  The bad decisions start to pop out. Who DIDN'T see that punch coming (beside Sheriff Pain-In-The-Ass)? After stopping ONLY BECAUSE UNCONSCIOUS, he wakes up in a hospital bed with two broken ribs and an helluva concussion and the doctor tells him to go no where. I'm stunned he didn't leave the moment she walked out of the room.  I think Dean was actually stopping to think for a moment.  And a-ha! He gets the "Reaper-summoning-by-suicide" plan.  And now he's literally dragging his body around the storage area working to make this happen. He's back to grinding again.  And while he watches them work on his seizing body, he takes a moment to comment "put me on my back to find a vein" (Dean is really working overtime here). Then the shutdown by Billie. Dean is very economical with his words and his request. Time's a wasting.  As soon as they give him the likely Pulp Fiction epinephrine shot, he's trying to get a car. And he has NO time for consequences.  Can't these people see??? He's got to get to Sam!  And now he's zip tied for a minute and then out the door. And Sam calls.  And it's better but he can't figure out what Sam is saying so the panic isn't over yet.

What surprised me is that he went back into the urgent care center. Did he understand Sam was trying to say something about Clinton and go check it out?  Regardless, his next move is to tackle a werewolf with is 2-broken-ribs/concussed/drug-laden body in yet another "keep grinding" move.  

- Now look at Sam's parallel journey.  After getting shot and Dean's emergency surgery, he's trying to hold his bleeding guts in with a gauze pad and get some tape on it.  Then he's dragging his body (with his brother's help) thru the woods. Now the "victim" is suffocating him because he's too much trouble. After stopping ONLY BECAUSE UNCONSCIOUS, he wakes up alone on a cabin floor with werewolves about to come in.  He keeps grinding. He goes down to the basement and kills them like the rookies they are (compared to his hunting experience) and drags his ass to their car.  He FINALLY gets to the Impala and a phone call to Dean and the damn signal drops.  So he drives his half-dead ass to the hospital where he comes in to see Dean about to  be choked by a werewolf and shoots his furry butt in the heart. Then he collapses (thus providing an opportunity to get him stitched up and transfused).

- Both brothers were apart but still (mostly) on the same page: keep grinding.  Keep getting up when knocked down and don't quit.  Except Dean DID quit for a brief moment. He tried to make a DEAL.  And it was a mistake.  And he knows it.  So he won't tell Sam.  But maybe, just maybe... he sees how "keep grinding" actually DID work when put to an extreme test.

 

Dean's moment of relief:

 

And NOW, he can stop grinding, just for a moment. 

 

2) Medical malpractice.  In the real world?  Yeah NOPE. These two should not be in that car at the end of the episode.  Sam should be in hospital for at least three or four days.  Did they even wrap Dean's broken ribs or is the only doc who knows that dead on aisle three?  Where'd all the dead bodies go?  Who cleaned up the hallway?  How much time passed in that clinic?  Did they ever EAT? Or DRINK?  I'm just saying, this episode was both physically brutal while being physically impossible.  I assume that Berens/Dabb gave themselves a pass on this because they were trying to make the point about getting knocked down and getting up again (yes, the song is going thru my head...).  And yet despite the egregious violations of feasibility, I did like some of the "smart hunter/field medic" moments both boys exhibited:

- Dean: knows the first step is to get the bullet out (call back to Bobby 'at Death's Door'). Uses a lighter to sterilize the forceps, has Sam bite down on a roll of gauze and gets the foreign object out.  

- Sam: gamely tries to secure the bandage while Dean releases the victims

- Dean: notes Michelle's wrists are infected and hands the husband some gauze to protect the wounds

- Dean: knows Sam should NOT be moved, moves him as far as he can and then tries to make a litter.  CLEARLY not the first time he's had to make a litter to carry Sam.  And suddenly I'm have a Weechester moment wondering when he had to do this when he was younger.

- Sam: knows he's reducing the chances of everyone surviving

- Medical fail: Shock speeds UP the heartrate (even hypovolemic shock... which is what I presume this was). So: the writers had to make up a fake symptom of shock (slowing down of the heart rate and breathing to mimic death) in order to keep the plot going. Otherwise, it's so inconsistent with how medically smart they've been up until this moment.

- Dean: after hearing a reasonable diagnosis (concussion, broken ribs) barely lets it phase him -- he's had worse

- Dean: Knows that the right drug for the moment is barbital because it's essentially the same as giving himself an overdoes of anesthesia, which COULD be counteracted.  It wasn't some random drugs he was taking.

- Dean: Knew the doctor needed to put him on his back and find a vein.

- Sam: fluids and rest will actually heal him up since apparently the bullet DIDN'T perforate any vital organs.  That the bullet didn't hit the kidneys or the small intestines is a TV contrivance for the action hero.

But here's the real kicker - they survived this episode mostly because they actually knew what they were doing when it comes to fixing trauma on the human body.  

Edited March 31, 2016 by SueB

[poppy-]

Yes, the little Dean vs the branch moment was really well done.

 

I do wonder why Dean didn't have the instinct to not trust that couple alone with Sam, because I'm sure most of the audience was not surprised by how it went down..... I know he was panicked, but, still.

 

I don't watch this show for this angle, but this episode treated Cas being missing like a love interest being missing.    It was a little odd.

[sarthaz]

I didn't enjoy this episode, but not because of the Dean sacrifice. They lost me when Dean just looked at Sam and was like "Looks dead to me. Now I'm sad."  No CPR? No pounding his chest? Pray to Cas or Amara or God (can't hurt to try)?  That didn't play for me.

 

As for Dean killing himself, as irritating as it is, that's his move.  And while he's learned from his mistakes, really, if Sam's dead, what's left for him?  Saving Cas?  I know that's a sad thought, but we're way past settling-down-with-Lisa territory in the Dean story-arc.  As a viewer invested in the character of Sam, if he did die (I know he wouldn't, but for the sake of argument), I wouldn't want Dean to stop the Darkness.  I'd be like, "Screw you guys. Let it burn."  So I get Dean's mentality.

 

Also, I think there was a part of him who saw Amara as a bit of a safety net. I don't think Dean really believed he would be allowed to die. In the same way he couldn't die with the Mark, can he really die while "connected to" Amara? I dunno, but maybe Dean wants to know too.

 

Ultimately, the point of this episode for me was establishing the stakes. We've been conditioned for years to expect Sam and Dean to always "come back".  They had Billie come in at the beginning of the season to say "no takebacks this time", and now this episode was meant to reinforce it. "For realsies, dudes. If they die, they die."  Something bad's going to happen soon, and we need to understand that if they can't get out of it, they really will be dead.  Anyway, that's what I took from it.

 

Finally, I hadn't thought about Dean's concussions until the Dr. mentioned it. But maybe he's suffering from CTE. If it makes a football player moody and suicidal, I can't imagine what it's doing to Dean. :)