Love Hurts X Safe House: Dark Desires and the Return of an Old Friend

"Well boo-hoo I'm sorry your feelings are hurt, princess"

-Bobby Singer

Love Hurts Recap:

     Valentine's Day arrives and it seems as though the usual affairs are happening. Dean got lucky in the Bunker, Sam is avoiding it as always, and there's a case to be solved as a girl dies by having her heart ripped out of her chest. Sam and Dean take off to Hudson, Ohio to see if it's a werewolf they're dealing with, but when they arrive they discover that the husband, Dan, hired the girl to babysit his daughter while him and his wife went out, was also having an affair with her and had a video of what happened. When Dean confronts him and watches the video they see a flare and think that they are dealing with a shapeshifter. That night, Dan is leaving the office when the corpse of babysitter returns to rip his heart out. Sent in a loop of confusion, the boys are back to square one and go to interview the wife, Melissa. She said she knew of the affair, but still had hope. Skeptical, Sam and Dean leave only to have Melissa come running back to them as her husband's corpse came to attack her. She confesses that she has confided in her hairdresser, a white witch, about the affair and received a love spell when really it was a curse to summon a Qareen to kill anyone who comes in contact with the casters' kiss. Dean steals the kiss from Melissa so that she wouldn't be a target and the Qareen morphs into Amara. Before he is killed, Sam offs the white witch and everyone is safe. 

Safe House Recap: 

     In Grand Rapids, Michigan, Sam and Dean come across a case when a mother and daughter are attacked by a monster and left in a coma. When they arrive, Sam and Dean have suspicions that this was a case Bobby and Rufus worked on a couple of years ago. Sure enough, Dean finds the entries in Bobby's journal. It seems as though they are hunting what's called a Soul Eater. They take the tips they find and try to do their best work; which means that Dean sets himself up to be bait while Sam does the "smart work." Sam must paint a sigil on the wall of the house while Dean lets himself be captured by the Soul Eater to enter his "nest" and paint the sigil there as well. While in the nest, Dean finds past souls that were taken by the Soul Eater and begins to piece together how the Soul Eater's nest is beyond time and space. Also while there, he gets possessed by the Soul Eater so that it could prevent Sam from painting the sigil. In the end, the brothers succeed and move on to the next case.

Review: Comparing and Contrasting these two episodes, I would like to say that they did a great job targeting Dean with the people he still truly loves the only difference being that with Amara it was to show how Dean's addiction is coming back to him and the other was to show how Dean can still be saved. The parallelism of Sam/Dean to Bobby/Rufus was well done, as surprisingly, Bobby and Sam show similar characteristics of caution, doing research, and being thorough while Rufus and Dean share the characteristics of "shoot now, ask questions later" and being very blunt about things. Another comparison I saw was that of Sam doing all the work to save the day while Dean continues to be his reckless, borderline suicidal, self as he continues to put himself in the line of fire. It's almost selfish, revealing the false hope that even though he is trying to get better, it seems as though the Mark will have everlasting affects on his mindset because of what he had done. It brings up the question, "If Dean continues to get worse while human, is he no different than a demon and thus may need to be killed?"
     The contrast I saw in between these two episodes would be that of showing punishment and justice. For example, in "Love Hurts", only the "sinners" (Dan, the babysitter, and the vengeful witch) were punished. Sort of like the "they had it coming" theme. Then in "Safe House" the mother and daughter were just innocent damsels in distress and the boys swooped in to save them. This balances the "righteous justice" scale.

Questions/Concerns: I enjoyed these episodes thoroughly. Although fillers, I thought "Safe House" was a well-written narrative that used parallelism effectively to reveal more character development and that "Love Hurts" was like a warm blanket and tea after enduring a harsh winter. But both of these episodes show the lack of inspiration the writers were beginning to feel as they resort to the "monster-of-the-week" narrative and are still trying to recover from the absence of Rowena (or maybe that's my personal pain).

Season 2 In Review: Scary Monsters and Not-Nice Spirits

Season Recap:

    Trying to recover from the loss of their father, Sam and Dean Winchester take it to the road as they continue the mission of "the family business" and take on supernatural cases across the map. All the while, they are also still hunting down the yellow-eyed demon who killed their mother and has gifted Sam with psychic abilities. Along their way the brothers gain more allies, like Bobby Singer and Ellen Harvelle, who help them when they get stuck on a case. As they get closer and closer, Sam and Dean figure out that they need the Colt to get rid of the demon before he succeeds in his plans to open the gates of hell. But before that, an unforeseen death occurs, prompting a life-threatening decision from someone, as Sam gets whisked away by the yellow-eyed demon to be featured in a ultimate showdown between him and all the kids the demon gifted.

What Worked:

     The main plot that drives this season would be Sam and Dean hunting down Azazel as Sam develops more of his psychic powers. But in between the exposition and the climax, other episodes of this season involve tropes such as the "monster-of-the-week" where subplot is used to develop the arch. Technically, fourteen out of the twenty-two episodes in this season are strictly monster-of-the-week episodes. This means that whole episode is about Sam and Dean showing up in a random U.S. town, dressing up, going out and solving a "strange" case. For this season, it started with vampires and ended with djinn. The trope works for this season because during this time of year in Television a lot of shows, such as Bones (they actually aired on the same date), used the same trope to develop their plots and it garnered a lot of ratings. This strategy of repetition is rather a simple one as all they have to do is fill-in-the-blanks on a writing board and they have an episode. But what makes it so intricate is the challenge of making each episode different from the last while using the same formula. Season 2 is successful at this by expanding the mythology of the Supernatural world with the introduction of unusual lore. Take for instance the djinn (or genie) (2X20). It's a ghastly monster, only fought against twice in the series, yet talked about numerous times. It is found in much of Middle Eastern lore. This type of oddball myth keeps audience wanting more. People love wandering into the unknown, which is exactly what Supernatural capitalizes on.

     One question this season raises is "What constitutes a monster?" This question isn't necessarily answered in the season, which works and has worked up until the current season, mainly because of the fact that both Sam and Dean share qualities of what it is to be a "monster" and what it takes to make the decision whether to "kill" or "save" one. This season openly showcases the "monster within" trope as Sam and Dean meet other humans and monsters who are either the same or drastically different, in surprising ways, which causes a rift in their world and opens up opportunities to develop more of the Supernatural canon and meta. An example of this happens in the beginning of the season with 2X3 "Blood Lust" (this title is suggestive of the movie which is about a crazed hunter). In this episode Sam and Dean are involved with a case that centers around vampires, but it is not that vampires they end up hunting. While at a bar, they meet another hunter, Gordon Walker, who seems friendly at first but ends up being a bloodthirsty psychopathic murderer. What causes this change is the fact that the vampires they were after ended up being a moderately calm and friendly clan. They claimed that they fed off of the animals on the farms. Gordon knew of this but was hunting them merely for sport.

    From the beginning, Sam showed his disdain of excessive killing when Dean saws a vampire in half which prompts Gordon to buy him drinks afterwards. In Sam's absence Gordon has a talk with Dean which is when he says, "You know why I love this life? It's all black and white. There's no maybe. You find the bad thing- kill it. Most people spend their lives in shades of grey, "Is this right? Is that wrong?' Not us," to which Dean makes a remark about Sam's deviant views, and Gordon responds with, "You and me. We were born to do this. It's in our blood." This "black-and-white" perspective proves to be a challenge for the brothers as they see more of "humanity" in the vampires than they do "monsters" which Gordon fights saying, "You're a killer," suggesting that that's all there is to this life, but it doesn't make you a bad person because of what you're killing. This theme works for the season as it helps center the main plot arch, which is curing same of his psychic abilities and killing Azazel, and helps shape Sam and Dean to be more dynamic as they are posed with this existential crisis, making them more "realistic" to the audience and more "dramatic" to draw in viewership. The debate of what is a "monster" is a never-ending one and very real in our eyes as we are exposed to 24-hour news that shows the horrors that are happening the world around us. For this year, 2006, the theme was perhaps used to help distract people from what was going on in the world so that they could subconsciously face their fear of monsters in the show. Living a fantasy, per se.

What Didn't Work

    There are two things that didn't work in this season. One is a downside to the "monster-of-the-week" trope and the other is the overall appearance of women in the show (which fans have taken and made into a on-going joke). Even though the Supernatural universe is expanded upon by the boys solving cases, when they do the actual research required for the monster they are hunting their usually isn't a solid culturally accurate representation of where it came from. Most of the people used for more humanoid monsters were typically white and even if there is some type of culturally inclusion it was typically from a white person (an example would be 2X11 "Playthings" with a white women practicing hoodoo which is rooted in Congo and Native American traditions). Even with the Rakshasa, who is depicted in the show as a white male dressed as a clown who must feed on human flesh, is actually a wicked human from Hindu mythology that are birthed from a different reincarnation and were known to possess humans and desecrate holy ground. And when you look at the Djinn, which originates from Arab culture and is said to have been created by Allah, this season turns it into a Westernized being that is tattooed and poisons people. Although this season seems to be diverse in terms of quests within the story line it stays within the conformity of a typical American horror/thriller of predominately white and Westernized structure.

    The other hindrance for this season was its representation of women. Although they do appear in a lot of episodes, most of the roles of women were to either be a victims of a monster attack, a passive victim of misogyny, love interests who become targets because of it, or have the potential to be a strong female lad but are undermined but an unforeseen event. Indeed, the death toll of women compared to men is astronomical (even though some diagrams show otherwise that is because it is showing male characters who developed farther than one episode). Female college students, an elderly woman, a crazed psychic, mothers, and a female werewolf are among those who are killed in this season. Besides these "secondary" characters, there are some women who assume the passive role, such as a waitress in a bar, to be the target of a sexist comment either from Dean or another male character. Then there is Madison. Coming from 2X17 "Heart", Madison is a werewolf that Sam falls for and sleeps with. This is perhaps one of the most talked-about episodes in the series, but Madison isn't displayed as a strong female lead. Instead, they see her as a damsel in distress and she stands-by doing nothing to help herself from what she has become, but is eventually shot by Dean anyway. It seems like a lot of these episodes end with a dramatic female death. And lastly, the introduction of Ellen and Jo Harvelle seems like a great move for this season. Here we have a look at females inside the hunter society. And yet nothing happens with them until season 4. They only appear a few times in this season, and one of the bigger times is on a case (2X6 "No Exit") when Jo joins them and is kidnapped by the ghost who was hunting "petite, blonde women." Therefore, undermined. Ellen just ends up playing a protective mother role until the season finale when she helps to close the gates, but both girls are then forgotten.

Final Thoughts and Observations:

    Overall, season two if Supernatural is what sets the ball rolling for the dramatic events that are to happen to the Winchester brothers. Now that the audience has been introduced to the world in the first season, the second season is all about continuing the road trip and settling into the hunting life. What I personally enjoyed about this season is the familiarity of the "monster-of-the-week" trope, the way it was written, the cinematography, and the old partnership between Sam and Dean. This project came around the time I was doing a cinematography analysis so while I re-watched the season I paid attention to lighting, camera angles, and so direction. I would have to say in comparison to more recent seasons, this one in particular takes the cake for me in this field. The camera angles are perfect for medium long shots (2X3 "Bloodlust" scene of Gordon and Dean at the table) and close-up shots in conversations (2X22 "All Hell Breaks Loose Pt.2 conversation between Dean and the crossroads demon). I love had washed-out everything is, how the music plays at the right time for suspense like in a horror movie, or when it is absent in times of reflection. I also enjoy the way the partnership between Sam and Dean flourishes in this season. From "ganking" monsters together to having sentimental talks by the Impala. Things were much simpler in this season compared to the confusing chaos that is to come.

Supernatural's Season 7 in Review

(1)  Season Recap

After Castiel consumed the souls of Purgatory, his megalomania comes to an end as all the souls are returned to Purgatory, except those of one species. The deadly Leviathan are the monsters for whom God himself created Purgatory, to prevent them from destroying his creation. These creatures possess Castiel’s body and escape into the world. Castiel is not dead for long, as he is brought back to life later in the season, without his sanity. Sam is at his breaking point, unsuccessfully attempting to cope with the visions of Lucifer and the Cage that are plaguing him. Bobby is killed, only to be ultimately put to rest once more in ghost form when he becomes vengeful. Dean, beaten down by the constant suffering and loss that they have faced, is struggling with severe depression, disillusioned with the hunting lifestyle and their fates. The Leviathan take over Richard Roman Enterprises and the Sucracore Corporations with the purpose of breeding fatter and more mentally and emotionally submissive Americans, upon whom they can feed. The Leviathan seem invincible and are only slowed by Borax, but the deciphering of the Word of God by Prophet Kevin Tran reveals the lone method of killing the Leviathans. The Winchesters, Crowley, Meg, and Castiel ultimately kill Dick Roman and the Leviathans, but Dean and Castiel find themselves trapped in Purgatory as well. Crowley has abducted Meg and Kevin, leaving Sam deserted.

(2)  What Worked

The Leviathan were fantastic “Big Bads” for the season, and brought in a refreshing combination of darkness and humor. Dick Roman was a well-written character and brilliantly acted by James Patrick Stuart. It is hard to imagine season 7 having a convincing-enough plot without this specific combination of character writing and acting. While the Dick jokes brought out a recognition of childish but entertaining humor to the viewer, they served a greater purpose of lightening the mood. The jokes draw the audience into the Leviathan as believable and likeable though evil characters, making the season less overwhelming and burdensome in the face of increasingly dark and depressive themes. This notion is also illustrated through other characters in the season, especially Dean and Sam, for the same purpose of balancing out the emotional spectrum of the season.

Humor plays an essential role for this reason, primarily due to the focus on Dean and the juxtaposition of his defeated, broken mindset compared to the mental illnesses that Sam and Cas are facing in this season. All of these are heavy motifs, especially in comparison to the relatively lighter themes of previous seasons. Dean’s self-loathing is at an all time high. He is broken by the idea that he and his loved ones are cursed to a life full of endless pain and destruction. In episode 1, Dean states, “Look at our lives. How many more hits can we take?” Sam is clearly not the only one who is mentally falling apart. He states to his brother in episode 8, "You've been taking care of me your whole life. Not you get to take care of yourself.” This role switch between Sam and Dean makes the season unique and interesting. Instead of Dean taking on his usual role of big brother, protector of Sammy, he is the one that needs care and support. In episode 2, when he thinks Bobby dead after his house is torched, Dean brokenly leaves a voicemail on Bobby’s phone, stating, “You said you'd be here. Where are you?" Due to this precarious mental state, Sam is afraid to tell Dean of his visions of Lucifer, because he cannot risk breaking him further. Sam is the brother who still has hope, and has even come to terms with his past, as depicted in episode 4.

This focus upon Dean is an intriguing aspect to the season. He struggles to deal with what he perceives as the changing world around him. In reality, however, it is he who is changing mentally and emotionally. In episode 3, Dean is confronted by a humanizing story of a monster. He kills Sam’s childhood friend because she is not human: “People are who they are, no matter how hard you try. You are. You will kill again." In episode 4, a ghost kills an animal abuser, who had previously changed his life around and worked to help animal shelters after his conviction. When Sam states in response to this information that "people change," Dean is skeptical. He later exclaims, "When did our black and white case suddenly turn to mud?!" The juxtaposition is clear: different from previous seasons, Dean himself is changing. Sam seeks out cases and wants to solve them, but Dean is tired of hunting and of being beaten down. For once, he does not want to work a case. Dean thinks the world is changing around him, even the line between good and evil, but it is his perspective that is changing.  

(3)  What Didn’t Work

The season lacks the hard core, masculine, “we hunt monsters and kick ass” narrative upon which the show has thrived. This is largely due to the audience’s perception that Dean himself is missing from the season. Because the season focuses upon the older brother, his loss of self is made more apparent. The craft of the season also displays this notion. There is a distinct lack of classic rock music, which is widely identified with the characterization of Dean. The season utilizes silence in a manner that is has not before, with many episodes ending without any music whatsoever, such as 1 and 10, which provides a sense of emptiness. The use of silence actually parallels the emptiness that Dean feels, as well as the seemingly relentless theme of death and destruction in this season. Similarly, the Impala is not utilized for plot purposes, and its absence makes the season feel more off-kilter. This genre of music and the car are vital to the identity of Supernatural, especially to Dean himself. When missing, the show feels like it is missing its integral themes and characters that are largely responsible for the success of the show.

Additionally, not every episode was well thought out, though each one-off, “monster of the week” episode did further the overarching plots of the season in some manner. However, these constant reminders or progressions of the Winchesters or the Leviathans did not always outweigh the episodes that were not as well produced. One of the worst parts of the season is the “Time for a Wedding” episode, due to its critique of Supernatural fans and fandom. This episode slanders passionate fans who comprise Supernatural’s fanbase by distastefully representing them through Becky, the psychotic, obsessive fangirl of the “fictional” book series about the Winchesters’ lives. She drugs and assaults Sam in order to be with him. This fandom commentary is gross and unjust, as well as so negatively exaggerated that it could not have been written for the sole purpose of comedy. If the loveable Charlie character had been inserted into this episode instead of later in the season, it may have balanced out the episode’s fandom critique by representing the positive side of the fandom through her. But they did not. Are the writers actively trying to turn away the fans who are responsible for giving them their ratings and unpaid publicity for the show? While a more reasonable version of the critique may have sufficed and possibly been humorous, the condemnation of Supernatural’s fandom is the worst aspect of season 7.

(4)  Final Thoughts and Observations

The season is a critique of American society, comprised of large and small-scale factors. The smaller discourses appear especially in the first half of the season. These are focused on faulty practices at American hospitals and the Orwellian NSA, as commented upon particularly in episodes 2 and 6 of the season through Sheriff Mills and the government-fearing character of Frank. Larger-scale themes condemn corporate America and the political system. Crowley, King of Hell, says to a contract-breaking demon in episode 8 that such behavior destroys consumer confidence. He exclaims, “This isn’t Wall Street! This is Hell! We have a little something called integrity.” Also prominent are the notion of megalomania and the hypocrisy in politics. Castiel commits mass murder in the name of religion in episode 1. In episode 8, a news reporter remarks that Dick Roman's financial success makes him valid for political office, suggesting that to succeed in politics, one must only be successful in business, even if they have no other qualifications. Even the awful “Time for a Wedding Episode” is a critic upon that aspect of American society: that of fandom and the extent of obsession regarding celebrities.

However, the most pervasive and striking cultural critique of the season is that of American eating habits. The Leviathan capitalize on the copious amounts of unhealthy food eaten by Americans who are uncaring of nutrition and its relationship with their health. The introduction of the Leviathan foreshadows this focus on consumption. In episode 1, Castiel has “consumed” the Purgatory souls. He exemplifies the adage “you are what you eat” by becoming possessed by the Leviathan. Likewise, in the season finale entitled, “Survival of the Fittest,” in which even in the episode’s title is a play upon the theme of health, Dick Roman states that the Leviathans focus upon Americans for their take over because they are “so fat.” The turducken burger in episode 9, combined with episode 23’s creamer that Dick describes as, “The slickest little genocide in history,” are part of a larger discourse regarding nutrition habits and chemical additives poisoning the United States.

            Additionally, the season plays with a clash of reality and fiction, as well as the importance of the relationship of the two brothers. In one example, Crowley tells the boys that he made a deal with Dick to give the brothers the wrong blood needed for the spell to kill the Leviathan. He states, "It's demon, but is it mine?" It is a game of chance and deceptions. However, Sam’s visions of Lucifer are the most apparent examples of the lack of certainty. His visions play with the idea that reality is the fiction. Sam is unsure of whether he is still trapped in the cage and is only envisioning reality. In episode 2, the only way in which Sam overcomes the worst of his psychotic break is by relying on and believing in Dean. His recovery is only made possible by putting his faith in his brother. This heightened importance of the brothers’ relationship only makes season 8 feel more out of place, when Dean feels that Sam abandoned him by not trying to find or save him from Purgatory. Overall, the season’s plot and underlying themes, especially the introduction of the Leviathan and the focus upon Dean’s changing mentality, are well written, but do straddle a fine line between ridiculous and serious within the show’s craft and use of humor, with which it never quite come to terms.

Supernatural Season in Review: Season 6

Supernatural: Season 6 in Review 

Season Recap

The season begins one year after Sam’s leap into Lucifer’s Cage. The audience is immediately aligned with Dean, following how he slowly uncovers everything that has been going on for the entire year he was coping with the loss of his brother and living “the apple pie life” he promised Sam he would. The audience feels each betrayal that Dean does. Sam is back and is without his soul for most of the season. Once he is reunited with his soul that has been trapped in The Cage with Lucifer for over a year, it is a struggle for him to keep from remembering all the terrible things that Lucifer did to him. Castiel has been covertly teamed up with Crowley to get the power of the souls in Purgatory so that he can win the heavenly battle against the archangel Raphael. In the midst of all these struggles, all monster activity has been increasingly unpredictable leading to the appearance of the supposed season “Big Bad”, Eve – The Mother of All. The real reveal is that Castiel is the season Big Bad and the Winchesters find out as the audience does. 

This is a season of lies, betrayal, and loss for all characters, but most especially, for Dean. With previous seasons, the audience has been privy to Sam’s feelings and perspective, but this season, the audience does not get that alliance until Sam gets his soul back. Because of this perspective, we can then conclude, the audience functions as part of the souls of Sam and Dean. The overall message of this season is given to us in the form of a human existential question - what is the value and purpose of a soul?   

What Worked

Every character is fully engaged in and important to the overall story arc. With many seasons, Sam and Dean are the central characters and all other characters are satellite characters- meaning they are only there to interact with Sam and Dean but do not exist outside the Winchesters’ world. This season, every significant character, not just Sam and Dean, has a life and story that continues even when the viewer is not immediately aware of it. This makes for a deeper, richer experience for the audience as it makes all the characters more substantial.  

The season follows what happened in the previous season well and flowed into the Big Bad for season 7 just as smoothly. The first episode being written by Sera Gamble and the finale being written by Eric Kripke illustrates the cohesive transitioning partnership between Kripke as showrunner for the previous seasons and Sera Gamble as the new showrunner. 

There were only two episodes where the MOTW (Monster of the Week) narrative were weak or not focused on the overall myth arc. However, in both episodes, the sub stories made them important and not “throwaway” episodes. For example, if we look at the current season, season 11 has at this time only shown sixteen episodes and seven of them are MOTW with no real subplots or tie-ins to the overall myth-arc. While many MOTW episodes are fan favorites, there are MOTW episodes that weave the story in such a way as to allude to something pertaining to the myth arc or subtext to character growth, as we have in the previous seasons with Sam struggling with the monster within him. At most, the later seasons MOTW episodes have a short conversation between Sam and Dean that somehow refers to the current “Big Bad” situation, usually as bookends to the episode. In season six, all of the episodes pertain to the overall myth arc or character growth. Not one episode is wasted.

What Didn’t Work

The two episodes that were weak were, 6x09 “Clap Your Hands If You Believe” and 6x14 “Mannequin 3: The Reckoning”. I hesitate to say they “didn’t work” because they did, but they were weaker in myth arc than other episodes so I will include them here for exploratory purposes only. 

Although 6x09 is a funny and entertaining episode, the only pertinent information to the overall story arc is when a Leprechaun, Wayne Whittaker, tells Sam he can get Sam’s soul back for him and Sam refuses the offer. Sam tells Dean he refused it because, “It was a deal. When’s a deal ever been a good thing?” but perhaps Sam was having second thoughts about getting his soul back. Just as Dean has questioned Sam repeatedly over several episodes although Sam doesn’t seem to be showing any thoughts or real resistance against getting his soul back until 6x10 “Caged Heat”. However, 6x09 does consistently build, throughout the entire episode, on Sam’s lack of conscience or ability to empathize because of his lack of a soul. 

     

And 6x14 was weak because it added nothing to the overall story arc in the way of insight or subtext, but it did some character building with the Dean, Lisa and Ben storyline. Ben calls Dean, lying, saying that something is wrong with Lisa so that Dean would come running back. When the lie is revealed, Dean has a heart-to-heart with Ben in which Ben angrily tells Dean, “You know you're walking out on your family, right?” Considering how important family is to Dean, Ben couldn’t have found a better way to hurt him. Kicking Dean in the crotch would have been kinder. 

The only other thing that didn’t quite work this season, is the noticeable lack of classic rock music. There was a record setting seven episodes that had no music at all! That is more than any other season to date. Season 7 had six episodes with no classic rock music. All other seasons range from 2-4 episodes without a classic rock song.

Final Thoughts and Observations

This season has four narratives going on at once but they are woven together so that by the end, everything is cohesive.

Dean:

The first scenes, there is a compare/contrast of Dean then and now set to the Bob Seger tune “Beautiful Loser”. This song sums up what Dean is this season, “Beautiful loser/Where you gonna fall/When you realize/you just can't have it all”. He lost everything the end of season 5 and started over with Lisa and Ben. Now Sam is back but Dean can’t have it all. It’s either hunting with Sam or the apple pie life with Lisa and Ben.  Being in his perspective also sets exactly who the audience is going to be focused on for the majority of the season. The viewers are aligned to have the same revelations as Dean about what has been going on for the year since the Apocalypse was averted. The audience feels each betrayal as Dean feels it. 

This is a season of betrayal for Dean from everyone he loves and cares about. Sam lies to him about being alive, and although not having a soul is not Sam’s fault, he lied about so many other things including how different he was since he got back. Bobby lied to Dean for a year about Sam being alive. Yes, his intentions may have been good but it was still a betrayal to Dean. Castiel lied about everything. This is the betrayal that hurt Dean the most. He never saw it coming. 

Grandpa Campbell also betrayed him by teaming up with Crowley and letting Crowley feed him and Sam to ghouls. Family is the one thing Dean has always put the most important value and loyalty on and Grampa let him down. Which is why Ben telling Dean that he was walking out on his family hurt Dean so much. Even Lisa betrayed Dean, in a way. She’s the one who encouraged Dean to go back to hunting, telling him they could make it work - giving him hope. She wouldn’t commit to his hunting life. The first time things got rough, she bailed on him. She let him down too.

Sam:

Sam begins the season soulless and ends it with his mind broken. His storyline is all about the importance and value of a soul. Jared’s acting of the two separate Sam’s is subtle but altered enough that the viewer knows something is definitely different between the two. Until Sam gets his soul back, we have no idea how rough Sam had it in hell with Lucifer because Soulless!Sam refuses to talk about it and the audience is never given Sam’s perspective until his soul is returned to him.

Castiel:

Castiel, The Betrayer, is the surprise villain of the season. The lengths he will go to for the power to defeat Raphael are not completely revealed until episode 20 “The Man Who Would Be King”. Until then, there were subtle clues that were played off as part of the heavenly battle. Cas betrayed Dean, Sam, Bobby, Crowley, Balthazar, and the angel Rachel. As an angel, he was taught that the ends justify the means. Achieve your goal no matter what and deal with the consequences later. Interestingly enough, this seems to be the Winchesters way of doing things in later seasons. 

Crowley:

Crowley appears in eight episodes this season, which is more than either season 5 or season 7. Crowley has become the King of Hell but wants to increase his power by securing the souls from purgatory which will strengthen him. His torture and killing of Alphas is what stirs Eve and all the monsters to fight back. Crowley’s development this season seems to be as the new antagonist but as we discover in episode 20 “The Man Who Would Be King” he is more of a foil for Castiel as he is betrayed by Castiel as well. In both season 5 and season 7 (and other seasons as well), Crowley is an antihero working sometimes with and sometimes against the hero brothers.  

Eve/Monsters:

Some seasons seam to clarify the Big Bad right away. Season 5, it was Lucifer and the Apocalypse. Season 7, it’s the Leviathans.  Season 6 doesn’t make clear about Eve “The Mother of All” until episode 12 “Like a Virgin”. Until then, all monsters are behaving unusually and seem to be building an army. However once Eve is revealed, she is killed in episode 19 “Mommy Dearest”. It is highly unusual, in fact, it has never happened that a Big Bad is killed before the finale. This makes her more of a Red Herring or decoy to the true Big Bad which is Castiel.

There are undeniable similarities in the overall crafting of the season story arc and the way Ben Edlund crafts some of his stories. As an example, “The Man Who Would Be King” drops the viewer in at what seems to be the beginning but then rewinds to slowly unfurl what has actually been going on from the start until the viewer is back where the episode began, with Castiel in the garden, and then it pushes forward to a finish. “Repo Man” and even “The End” are done in this similar style.   

Season 6 is designed in a similar fashion. The viewer is dropped in with Dean a year after Sam jumped in the hole and then the story slowly unwinds as to what has been happening with everyone else during the last year until you reach the dramatic reveal in episode 20 “The Man Who Would Be King” and realize everything that has been going on and going wrong over the last year and a half can be laid at the feet of Castiel; then the story pushes forward two more episodes to the big finish.

No other season has created such a complete world where each character has a life outside the other characters but still entwined and integral to each other. If season 6 were a novel and each episode a chapter, this would be a beautifully woven tale of deceit, betrayal, power, love, loss and existential crisis. It would be a novel whose rich, well-developed characters would haunt you and one you would return to read again and again.