2 x 20 What is and What Should Never Be

In this episode Dean gets attacked by a Djinn and goes into another universe where he still lives in Lawrence, Kansas where he has a wife and his mother is still alive. In this warped version of reality, Sam and Dean do not speak outside of holidays or special dates, and their father has died of natural causes; also, Dean, Sam , and John have never hunted a day in their lives. Dean is very fond of this normal life, that is, until he starts getting flashbacks of his old life as a hunter.

            In my opinion, this episode is very well written. It starts out like any other one with monsters and  hunting, but quickly whisks us (the viewers) into a different adventure with Dean than we are used to. It not only entertains but it also gives us quite a deep and meaningful connection with Dean that we had not had the chance to experience.

The directing is wonderfully done by Eric Kripke, he achieves to make an episode that has the usual Supernatural charm, but also a tone of sensitivity that brings on ominous feelings from time to time.

            The lighting helps us perceive what is real and what is not. In the transition into the alternate universe we know it is not real because of the soft lighting and Dean’s mom entering. Then the flashbacks also have different lighting. The whole episode is brighter than the usual dim lighted episodes, the bright light alludes to the fact this is a better life than Dean’s real life.

As far as the writing goes, I’m sure Raelle Tucker had a blast writing this episode. I think Raelle does a wonderful job weaving an intricate web of who Dean is and what Dean wants, this episode really does depict that. It is so different than the rest of the episodes and brings on a whole new set of emotions to the table. She takes us along with Dean into this emotional rollercoaster where we really get to see a more sensitive side of Dean; we not only get to observe what could have been but we get to be there when it is taken away. Dean himself admits he wanted to stay in that alternate universe. It is a joyful and painful clash, when Sam and Dean end up reuniting in the end. But this episode does not only make us feel deeply, it makes us think: What would I do if I had to choose between the easy life and the hard one? What would I really rather have in life? We are put in a position where we really think of what we would do if we had some sort of magic being to grant us a different life where we get what we have always wanted.

The acting in this episode is phenomenal. Jensen Ackles taps into that softer side we never get to see from Dean. He dives into the role head first and really emits the emotions Raelle wants us to feel. Also, in his grave monologue he perfectly mirrors another monologue he has in “All Hell Breaks Loose-Part 2”.

            The episode fits with the season because it is put in at a pivotal time in the season as a pre-finale. This episode is the calm before the storm that are “All Hell Breaks Loose-Part 1 and 2”. We get to look more deeply into Dean before he has to make very important, life-altering decisions in the finale. It also introduces the question, if he is willing to give up the preferable perfect life to have Sam in his life, is he willing to die for him? This is later answered. Also, now that he had a taste of what could have been how will that affect him and how he deals with situations? And more importantly, will it have any effect on the show’s dynamic between Sam and Dean?