Dean's Emotional State and The Condition of the Impala - Season Two, Episodes 1 - Current
gigglecat wanted to know when I was going to do a S2 meta on Dean and the Impala and I never walk away from a challenge. I ended up stretching the metaphor even further than I did the first time around, looking at not just the cleanliness of the Impala, but it's position in a scene. Some of it was pretty cool - although let me say right up front that this is strictly my interpretation. Sometimes a car is just a car. ;)

This PicSpam would be chock full of S2 spoilers and is in no way, shape or form dial-up friendly. Also, in case you missed it, catch up on Season One, the Impala, and Dean's Crumbling Emotional State.

And now, here we go again. A Season Two Meta/PicSpam on Dean and the Impala. All caps from marishna.

Dean's Emotional State and The Condition of the Impala - Season Two, Episodes 1 - Current

So, we start off where we left off in Season One.

02.01 In My Time of Dying

Impala, meet semi. Semi says, "Nice to meet you, Impala."


So, we've got the Impala pretty much wrecked, and Dean? Dean is not fairing much better. But Sam fends off the demon truck driver guy, and Dean gets to the hospital, and the Impala goes to the car hospital. (aka Bobby's junkyard).


Dean? He's had better days. In fact, the doctors don't think he will ever wake up. There is nothing salvageable here - he's broken and it looks like he'll never be fixed.


And the Impala? Scrap metal, according to Bobby. It isn't even worth trying to fix in his opinion.


But Sam? Sam's not going to give up. He tells Bobby that they'll fix the Impala, because if there is even one working part -- that's enough to give him hope. This episode contains the most straight forward metaphor of Dean and the Impala being connected to one another. Right now, Sam is equating Dean to the Impala. If he can fix the Impala, if he doesn't give up hope that the Impala isn't salvageable, then there is still hope for Dean.


02.02 Everybody Loves a Clown

The Impala is being put back together, piece by piece. There is a lot of work to be done (I want you to notice at the start of the episode the trunk isn't on - this will be important later) but Dean's trying. In this instance, think of the assembly of the Impala as Dean's emotional armor. His life is shattered right now - he just lost his father, he now knows the Big Damn Secret, and he suspects that his father may have traded his life for Dean's. He is in a bunch of emotional pieces. So right here we have Dean trying to put himself back together. To build up his walls until he can lock down all the emotion he's feeling.


Sorry. Gratuitous Sammy!Ass shot. Dean's putting the parts back together, he's being methodical and he's plodding forward. He's keeping to himself and he isn't letting Sam help. This mess is Dean's to fix because he is the Impala, no one can fix it/him but Dean. He refuses to let Sam help him -- Dean believes that all of this is his burden, no one else's.

That Dean is without the car for the entire episode fits too. Although he is physically in the hunt, mentally he is all over the place. He doesn't have his bearings and he's drifting. Or rather, he would be drifting if he didn't have Sam. For as much as Dean professes that he's dealing with John's death - he really isn't. He is holding everything inside and he's trying to deal with things the way he always does. He represses, he moves forward and he doesn't really deal with the problem. He's pushing Sam away because he doesn't know how to deal with him right now. He has so much of his own shit happening that he can't take the weight of Sam's guilt or pain on top of his own.


And then we reach the end of the episode. The trunk has been put on sometime between when we started and where we are now. Think of it like this, if the Imapala is Dean's emotions, then the trunk is a representation of hunting. Hunting is just one part of his pyche, and this was the first episode where Dean went back to the hunt after being broken. The symmetry here is lovely - Dean is goes on his first hunt since the accident and the trunk magically appears.

Also notice how Sam is touching the car. He's grounding himself for what he's about to accuse Dean of. He's making the car his touchstone, maybe even remembering his own words from In My Time of Dying. If the Impala can be fixed, so can Dean. If they can get the Impala back on the road and running, then maybe he might be able to get his brother back.

All right. Brace yourselves.












Sam calls Dean on his inability to deal with John's death and then he walks away. Dean looses his shit and starts to beat on the car.

Stop.

Pause.

Think about that.

The Impala is Dean's home, his emotional mirror. Dean is destroying it as he is internally destroying himself. I don't know if beating on the trunk is as symbolic as I'm about to make it, but stick with me. What is the trunk but a representation of Dean's life? The trunk is where his arsenal is, the trunk is where his life is. The weapons and the tools he needs to be who he is, a hunter, all of it lies in that trunk. He is beating against a symbol of who he is. If Dean is his car then the trunk is his job, his ability to hunt. In this moment he doesn't want it. He doesn't want any of it.


02.03 Bloodlust

Bloodlust opens with the Impala looking perfect. Flawless, even. But do we really believe that?





Yeah, not for a second. Because it's all gloss and shine, folks. The Impala isn't as good as new, despite what Dean may crow about. Sure, the exterior is fixed, but that's just hiding what lies beneath. It's just a mask to distract you from the inner workings. Dean, he has his surface game face back on, as he later confesses to Gordon, but underneath it, he's just barely holding it together.


Late in the episode Dean has to hotwire the car after Gordon swipes the keys. Let's think about that stunning bit of logic for a moment. The Impala only has one set of keys? Cripes, I have a set of keys to my best friends car and she lives three hours away. Think about that. One set of keys = one owner. For whatever reason, Dean has chosen not to give Sam his own set of keys. The Impala is still "his" in that sense. The Impala is Dean's emotions, it's his heart, it's the core of who he is, and he isn't willing to share that, even with Sam. No one is allowed into that inner room - Sam is the only one who is a current visitor on a regular basis but even he isn't welcome to also make it his home.


I'm not kidding, the amount of time the boys spend leaning on the hood of the car this season is impressive. I'm not sure what that means. That the weight of Dean's secret is constantly on his shoulders (the roof?) Have I finally stretched this metaphor too far? *L*


02.04 Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things

I wasn't kidding about the leaning. Did you think I was? Again, notice how shiny and pretty the Impala looks. Dean's could see his own reflection in it if he wanted too.


Just a gratuitous Impala shot. Move it along.


And now we come to the scene of Dean's emotional vomiting. First, I think it's important to point out that he waited awhile, thought it over, and made the decision that he had to talk to Sam RIGHT NOW. This couldn't wait until they were in the next town, or at the hotel.


What is also interesting is that although Dean chooses to have this conversation outside of the car, he doesn't leave the car. He sits on the hood and waits for Sam to join him. It's almost as if the interior is too small to hold the weight of what he's about to say, so he goes into the open air to breathe, but he can't leave his heart behind. Dean is dealing with his emotions here - his guilt over still being alive when he knows, he knows that he should be dead. He's beginning to suspect the part he may have played in John's death and he's trying to make Sam understand that he can't help him. Dean can't handle being inside the car to have this conversation, he needs to detach himself from his emotions. So, he distances himself a little, but still grounds himself to the car.


I never found a great cap of this, but Sam understands that this is very thin ice he's on. He doesn't get too close to Dean and he makes sure there is space between them. He's in unchartered territory here - Dean is letting him see a little bit of what's broken on the inside. Dean isn't giving Sam permission to help him, he's just laying out how the field looks so Sam knows where he is and is not allowed to play. Sam is close here - as close as he's been in a long time to seeing the inner workings of Dean.


02.05 Simon Said

Gratuitous shot of the Impala. Try not to lick the screen.


Alright, let's get into it, shall we? The Impala has some rough moments in this episode, but first, let's appreciate this arty shot. Ahhh, Dean. The Impala is you and you are the Impala.


Alright, here is where it starts. Andy Jedi-mind sweeps Dean into handing over the Impala to him. Dean does so (with a smile even) and it isn't until the mind control wears off that he realizes what he's done. But wait, this is good. Dean has put a lot of his faith in Andy. Dean wants Andy, a fellow Superpower Kid, to be "okay" (read: not an evil, murdering psycho) because he wants Sam to be okay. Andy taking the Impala for a spin? Is literally Andy driving Dean's hope right here.


Dean gets his car back and is understandably relieved. But what happens just a little while later?


Nice, Dean. *eye roll* Try chewing with your mouth closed once and awhile. I couldn't find an actually cap of this, but the next second, Dean chucks the wrapper over his shoulder into the backseat. I saw some fuss when this first aired about his action here - but really, is this OOC? Yes, S1 Dean was anal about his car, but S2 Dean? Ahhhh, here we go. On the outside, the car is still shiny and perfect, but on the inside? On the inside, it's a mess. Because Dean is a mess. Dean has his game face firmly planted on his face. But it's just a façade. On the inside, things aren't okay - they're messy and they're complicated and nothing is where it's supposed to be.


Just another shot of the boys framing the car. They do this a LOT. Dean's emotions are always between them.


02.06 No Exit

Awww, Smiling!Sammy. Once again, the car is back to it's pristine façade.


Once more, with feeling. The boys framing the car. Even though this episode doesn't deal a whole lot with Dean and the Big Damn Secret, it does let us in on how tired of his life Dean is becoming. So in a way, the Big Damn Secret is always on his mind.


Best. Car. Ride. EVER. Ellen won't let Dean listen to music, which is one of the ways he expresses himself. He is stuck inside his own mind right here with nothing to entertain him but his own thoughts.


02.07 The Usual Suspects
What's that sound, you ask? That is the sound of my heart breaking a little as the streak comes to an end. There is no Impala in this episode. None. Not one frame of film. That makes me so unbearably sad. And I almost don't want to spin why that is because I'm still so fricking PISSED that they broke the streak. But whatever. I could say that it was supposed to show Dean taking a break from his emotions because although he was dealing with a lot of stuff, none of it had anything to do with the Big Damn Secret. But I won't because I'm still so MAD.


02.08 Crossroad Blues

Dean is using the car as a trap - the demon wants Dean's soul in exchange for John's resurrection and Dean is playing her. He's using his emotions (everyone in the demon world knows he'd give anything to get his father back) to try to trap her and eventually destroy her. He's counting on the fact that she's going to believe the façade and not look any deeper. He lures her with his emotions, lets her think she's figured him out, and then turns around and traps her somewhere else. When he's dealing with her then, it's an act, he's playing it like he'd make the deal. And away from his car, away from his emotions, he can sell it. Because although might have thought about taking the deal for a split second, it was never really an option. If he could have trapped her inside the car, though...hmmm.


02.09 Croatoan

The Impala starts the episode out just fine.


No, really, it's okay.


Until, you know, crazy demon-infected people start shooting at it.


And trying to hitch a ride.


But the real moment? The real moment is here, when Dean gives the Impala away. Right here - Dean's done. With the information they have, they know Sam has about four or so hours to live. And Dean? Is going to spend those with his brother. For this whole season, Sam has been Dean's fuel. Sam has pushed them forward and kept them moving. Without the fuel, the car doesn't run.


Does everyone remember this shot from Home? I see two levels of symbolism here. First, look how the shot is framed with the Impala almost protectively looming over Dean as he makes his tearful phone call to his Father asking for help. It is guarding him, shielding him from outsiders and keeping him safe. Second - here is another example of Dean needing to detach from his emotions in order to talk about something difficult.


See? Almost a mirror of that scene. Dean's about to spill his guts again, and the Impala watches on - protecting them, watching out for them. Dean needs to detach from his emotions a little because what he's about to do is hard, so hard in fact, that he can't even be touching the car, like he did in Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things. I think right now Dean knows this conversation only ends one way - with him spilling the Big Damn Secret to Sam and finally letting Sam share the load a little.


02.10 Hunted

Poor Impala, Sam choose to hotwire a crappy blue Dodge instead of taking her for a spin. Don't take it personally, Impala, Sam understands the rules. Not only is Sam pissed at Dean and would probably not want to ride around in Dean's emotions, but I don't think Sam would ever want to leave Dean stranded. I mean, obviously Dean could have hotwired a car too, but that would be a whole other meta.


Ahhh, my favorite shot of the episode. Dean calls Ellen from outside the car, yelling at her about what almost happened to Sam. But Sam is safe now - he's with Dean and he's home. This is a nice mirror shot to the opening of the episode, with the Impala standing guard over Sam and Dean by the water. Now we have Dean standing guard over the Impala and Sam. Dean is going to watch out for his brother, he's going to watch out for his emotions, and he has finally let Sam in all the way. Sam now knows the Big Damn Secret and Dean isn't hiding anything anymore.

My guess is that Sam will start driving the Impala again soon, after not driving it on-screen for all of Season Two. Dean hasn't been able to let him in, hasn't been able to let Sam have even a little bit of control over that inner room. But now that Sam know everything, I think Dean will be able to let him drive again.


02.11 Playthings





I don't really have a lot to say about this episode.


Oh, except for right here where Dean was supposed to FLIP SAM THE GODDAMN KEYS SO HE COULD DRIVE.


02.12 Nightshifter
After getting my ass kicked last week with all the betting and the losing; then the defending of my choices and the payback; and then deciding not to bet for this week – I'm back and ready to rock again.



We start off the episode with a wet car. And honestly, I'm going to break the fourth wall here for a moment. In reality, Supernatural films in Vancouver where it is not uncommon to have 20 consecutive days with some amount of rain. So I'm going to make the general assumption that if it's raining and the car is wet, it isn't significant. Dean's heart isn't crying or anything - it just means the weather wasn't cooperating on that day of filming. So anytime the car is wet from rain, I'm going to have to assume that it's cleanliness has no real impact unless the rain is an intregal part of the story. (The rain at the end of Faith, for instance, is very cleansing.)

For this scene, the rain has no real importance, so we'll just take the car for what it is. Not filthy (that comes later) but not the high gloss of early S2. And really, that fits. Dean's shiny façade of the beginning of the season is gone - he's confessed the Big Damn Secret to Sam and he's dealing with his father's death. He is starting to get a little bit of the old Dean back.






And now we come to the end of the episode. Somewhere between the rain of the beginning of the episode and parking the car in the parking ramp (for that is what we call them in Milwaukee, Wisconsin), the car has gotten filthy. Now, practically, that works because if the rain stopped and the boys drove over some dust, the car would pick up a lot of dirt. However, it also neatly conveys what Dean is feeling right at the moment.


Remember back when the car first started to look like shit in S1, around Provenance? Back then what was happening? Everything was starting to spin out of Dean's control. His Dad comes back, they're closing in on The Demon that destroyed their family, and it's up to Dean to hold everyone together. And right now? Dean's busy protecting Sam from his Destiny, outrunning the feds, and understanding the deal his father made in exchange for his life. So it's the same idea - everything is spinning out of Dean's control.

Dean handled the situation in the bank to the best of his ability. He did his job, he saved as many lives as possible and he and Sam got out of there in one piece. And yet, for all the good they did, all they got for their trouble is...more trouble. The FBI is starting to build an actual case against not just Dean, but Sam too. So in addition to dealing with spirits and monsters and The Demon and Sam's Destiny and Dean's Angst and EVERYTHING that the boys have been dealing with all season - they now have to look over their shoulders to watch for the authorities. Not that they didn't always do that, but now the FBI is taking a serious interest in them. Part of what allows them to do what they do is their ability to fly below the radar. With the FBI tracking them it is going to make their job – not easy to begin with – that much harder.










But this last shot give me a little hope. Stop sign, meet Dean Winchester. I love that he just barrels on through without even slowing down. Can the law stop him? Absolutely not. The boys are going to live by their own rules, not societies, and they're going to see if they can outrun the long arm of the law.

But the hangman is coming down from the gallows and they don't have very long.


02.13 Houses of the Holy

Blah, blah, the car.


Blah, blah, the car some more.


Seriously, folks, I'm just wasting time until THE MOMENT.


Ahhh, here we are.


"Dean, let me in!"


"I'm sorry, Sammy, but I am just not emotionally ready for that right now!"


"Dean, PLEASE!"


"Sorry, Sam, it's my damn life car and I'm the only one driving it."


"Son of a bitch! Why won't he just HUG me?!?"

But, seriously, this episode was so hard for Dean. He was fighting his own faith, struggling to reconcile the evil he faces with the good he wants to believe is out there. And then there are the repercussions of the Big Damn Secret - they think Sam will become a killer and it is up to Dean to stop him. In this episode, everything was spinning out of Dean's control and the only way he could steady himself was to lock Sam out. Dean can't risk Sam killing a human and fulfilling whatever destiny the Demon has in store for him, and the only way to do that is to take the burden upon himself. Sam is the one who has the faith in this episode, not Dean, and Sam's faith is startling to rattle Dean's own convictions. The only way for Dean to get the job done is to push Sam as far out of his inner room as possible. He locks him out of the car and keeps a physical distance between them.


This is one of my favorite moments that I didn't even catch until littlewings04 pointed it out to me. When Dean sees the evil!guy impaled, he can't watch from the car. He has to get away from his emotions, his inner room, to start questioning his faith. In the same way Dean puts physical distance between himself and the car when dealing with emotional moments (Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things, Croatoan) he needs to do the same thing here. He wants to believe so badly, but he needs to get a little distance to do so.


02.14 Born Under a Bad Sign

Dean is WORRIED. He wakes up, Sam's gone, and he can't find him. We first see Dean frantically talking to Ellen while trying to figure out where Sam could be. This moment is too intense to experience inside the car. Dean had to step outside (while still keeping the car close) to deal with the panic he's facing.


Let's back up for a moment. This shot? Is not from Born Under a Bad Sign. It's from Phantom Traveler.


They recycled the shot here and I don't think it was just lazy production values. There are some very subtle signs throughout this episode that Sam is possessed. Phantom Traveler? Was the first episode we ever dealt directly with possession and exorcisms.


What, I have to come up with a pithy comment for each picture?


What's interesting is that when Dean gets back together with Possessed!Sammy, it's Possessed!Sammy that's leading Dean around. Go here, turn there, follow me - Dean isn't the one leading this, Possessed!Sam is totally controling Dean. I half expected Possessed!Sam to start driving the car.


Oh, wait, that happens later.


There isn't a shot of it but Possessed!Sam steals the car. And true to form, he doesn't drive it on-screen and he still drives it by himself. What I love about this though, is that Possessed!Sam shows how well the demon knows Dean. He (she? Wow, that was confusing) now has the two things Dean loves most - Sam and the Impala. Possessed!Sam doesn't even NEED Jo as bait, he already has the two things Dean would destroy the world to get back.


No matter how many times I watch this last scene in the car, it never makes any sense to me. Yeah, it wasn't actually Sam doing all those horrible things, but he admits he was awake for some of it and saw the things the demon did. But instead of angsting about it, they both sort of brush it off and don't really talk about it.


And then bizarrely, the last moment we have in the car is Sam and Dean laughing. I don't even know what to say about that. Besides the obvious that Sam is relieved to be the only one in his body, and that they're both just happy that they're alive and together and that they were able to save the day one more time. I do like that they're in the car when Dean swears if it's the last thing he'll do, he will save Sam. And Sam's very quiet, "Thanks." that he says with a little smile. That will break my heart every time. Oh, BOYS.


02.15 Tall Tales





I love Dean's, "I'm going to KILL Sam" face. It's so CUTE.

Of COURSE the trickster messed with Dean's car. The thing that I find sort of interesting is how Dean is allowed to do things to the car that aren't exactly good. He lets it get filthy, he throws trash in the backseat, he beats on it with a crowbar. But because it's DEAN'S car, he can always explain it away as being his property and therefore he can do whatever he wants to it. As a symbol, it shows that Dean is allowed to mess around with his life, but no one else is. So the thought that Sam of all people was messing with his car? Sam, who he won't let drive and who he has already locked out once this season? That made him furious. Dean isn't ready to let Sam back into his heart all the way, so having Sam mess with the only other thing he loves, that kicked him right where it was going to hurt the most. That trickster knew what he was doing.


Okay, first? Look at how they're running down the stairs. Sam and Dean on one side of the banister, Bobby on the other. Those two are like peas and carrots, and they're always going to go together. :)


"Man, Dean might think I'm actually mad at him! I can't let him think I don't love him! I have to tell him that I would never really mess with his emotions the car! But how? HOW?!?"


"Dude, Sam might think I'm actually mad at him! But I love him more than the sun, the moon, and the stars! How do I tell him without creating a chick-flick moment? HOW?!?"


"OMG, will you two girls please get in the car? You love him and he loves you and now that we've all emotionally hugged our inner 13-year-old girl can we please get in the damn car and get the hell out of Dodge?!?!"


"Oh, that Bobby. He understands our love."

Once again, emotional discussion over the hood of the car. It's a freaking theme this season, I swear.


02.16 Road Kill



See how she's pounding on the glass? Two seasons of this and I still don't think spirits should be able to touch stuff. Therefore the ending? Surprised me.




To me, nothing is weirder than seeing someone in the backseat of the Impala.


And that right there? One of my favorite shots from S2. It feels so warm and inviting, like it's home.


02.17 Heart

The boys are standing and talking over the hood of the car! That never happens! /sarcasm.


Madison says, "Dean, can Sam come upstairs and have sex with me?"


"Yeah, Dean! Can I go upstairs and have sex with Madison?"


"Dude, whatever. Me and the Impala need a little alone time if you know what I mean and I think you do. Hey, do you think I need to trim my nose hairs?"


02.18 Hollywood Babylon
Honestly? I was totally okay with there being no Impala in this episode. This episode celebrated all things Hollywood. And the Impala? Is not Hollywood. She's a timeless classic.


02.19 Folsom Prison Blues

I'll admit, I thought we wouldn't see the car in this episode.


But, hurray! She gets to role play as the get-away car!





I love how literal the show is here. The Impala can normally be seen as a symbol of freedom but also of home. Here they are breaking out of prison and where is the first place they go? To their home. Which immediately grants them their freedom to escape.


"Dean, we're having another conversation over the hood of the car."


"Yeah, Sammy, I know. You see, I'm a little scared right now because of how screwed we are with the law, so I can't have this conversation in the car, it'll suffocate me. That's why we need to stay outside for a minute and talk it out."


*are getting into the car after they've aired their emotional baggage*


"Do you ever think Andie over-thinks this stuff, Dean?"


"All the time, Sammy. All the time." *sigh*


02.20 What Is and What Should Never Be

And my heart breaks. A new license plate!! Why, Kripke, why? So far I've not heard of what this one could symbolize, but I think we can all agree it must mean SOMETHING.






I love this bit. In Everyone Loves a Clown Dean beats the trunk when he can't find another outlet for his pain over his father's death and the Big Damn Secret. Back then he was beating against his life and how much he had lost and would probably still lose. Here in this reality, there is no trunk filled with weapons or anything having to do with hunting. The trunk is just a trunk. Although Dean still talks to the car like it is his old friend, this is not the same car. She's never had a rough day trying to rush a dying Winchester to the hospital or outrun a band of zombies. She's lost a bit of her charm, her character when she becomes just another vehicle. A means to get from Point A to Point B. Now, Dean doesn't see her as such, because he's still viewing things from his AU perspective, but for everyone else in that world, that car is just a car. It isn't Sam and Dean's home or as connected to them.






"Dean, I know this is your dream world and all, but don't think I can't still pull the bitchface on you!"


"Cripes, I should have been more specific when I made my wish. I wanted a Sammy without a giant stick up his ass."


And my heart CONTINUES to weep. Why, Kripke, why? I can't take it!!!


It's situation normal, even though it's not. Although considering this is an alternative reality, you'd think Kripke would have let Sam drive just to rub it in.


02.21 All Hell Breaks Loose - Part One



"Bring me some pie, bitch!"


"Get your own pie, you jerk."


I absolutely LOVE the desperation to this scene. Dean is so frantic that he and Bobby just drove towards each other until they met up on some random road. It is so subtle in the way they blocked the shot, but it has a meaning underneath it.






Check out the body language here. Dean is right up on the car. He leans on it, he takes strength from it.


Now look at Bobby. He's standing back and not touching the car, letting Dean have the personal space he needs to think this out.


I LOVE THIS SHOW. When Sam has Andy send Dean the vision, Dean doesn't fall to his knees or down away from the car. He crumples up over the car while holding onto it.


When Sam has his visions, he reaches for Dean. Now it's Dean's turn and Sam isn't there to catch him. So in this moment, Dean is Sam and the Impala is Dean. The car catches him, supports him, Dean rides the vision out while holding onto the one constant in his life. The symmetry to this is just lovely.




We don't get to see the inside of the trunk enough, in my opinion. I just love looking around at all the neat toys.


02.22 All Hell Breaks Loose - Part Two

When the Impala goes screaming out onto the road to make the deal with the crossroads demon, I love the image of desperation it creates. Dean isn't the only one racing to get Sam back, Sam is the Impala's family too. She's going to push herself to the limit to get Dean to where he needs to be to put their family back together.


And now, the payoff. No, Sam doesn't drive, but something equally amazing happens.


There isn't really a fabulous screencap of this, but Sam and Dean stand side by side while leaning against the car to talk about their feelings. For the first time ALL SEASON LONG, they did not have a car separating them as they worked through their issues. After making huge gains in their relationship during S1, S2 knocked them back and tried to tear them apart. It took nearly all season for them to put themselves back together again, but they've finally come to a place where they can stand side by side as equals. That ending scene is getting one thing straight - Dean doesn't love Sam more than Sam loves Dean. They've been moving towards this moment for two seasons. They'll never reach full equality (Dean will always have the big brother responsibility, and Sam will always turn to him as someone to lean on) but in this moment they've gone farther than they ever have.

And right there you also have the resolution of Sam's arc. In S1 Dean was so desperate to get his brother back that he let him drive his car. Repeatedly. (If I ever have time this summer, I want to go back and examine the different times Sam drove and how there is always a purpose when showing us Sam driving) This season isn't about Dean's desire to put his family back together - John's death killed any hope of that dream. Instead Dean is fighting to regain control of his life in every way he knows how. He is dealing (quite poorly at times) but he is the only one in control. He is the only one driving.

Sam is shut out for so much of the season. Their roles are neatly reversed from S1. Now it's Dean's turn to keep a lot to himself and carry the burden of the secret (and later his promise to Sam). Dean has been saying it all along - it's his job to take care of Sam. Sam's choice in the matter has all been excluded from the equation. Every decision Dean made was about what's best for Sam. Sam is just along for the ride, hanging on as Dean takes the corners at breakneck speeds.

Is Sam going to drive next season? Absolutely. Dean needed to hear Sam's words by the car at the end of the episode. Sam showed a tremendous amount of maturity and stubbornness this season. Dean pushed him away and Sam hung on. Sam didn't leave and he's not going to give up. The road stretches before them with nothing holding them back - no demon, no Dad, no normal life. After all they've lost this season they still managed to hold onto the most important thing - each other. Dean acknowledges that with the next scene.




They're in it together now. The Winchester boys, fully united, side by side - evil, rest uneasy.

They've got work to do. But I'm done for now. See you all back here for Season Three.