Oh brothers, just when I was already emotionally spent over everything I’ve witnessed, you had to pull out yet another classic Winchester moment. Sam wasn’t convincing when he said “we’ll find a way to save you,” and Dean knew it. We rarely see so much delivered in a simple two-word reply like Dean’s “okay good.” It showed Dean was scared, willing to trust his brother, not at all believing it would work but willing to try. But then we were given the Dream!Dean ending, which tells us that in the back of Dean’s mind, he knows all isn’t well. He wants to live, but doesn’t think he can be saved. One wonders if Dean finally admitting to himself that he doesn’t deserve to die will result in him taking control and making the most of the time he has left, or wallowing in misery over his destiny. Judging by what we saw in “Jus In Bello,” so far it’s the former.

Too bad Sam is stuck in the latter.

Best Delightfully Tacky Motel Room

There was a “best of” the season in this episode. While last week highlighted the much loved Impala, this week showcased the most outrageous motel room we’ve seen in season three. Sure, one would expect a pink flamingo-themed room in Florida, a nightmarish Thomas Kinkade room at Christmas time, or mirrors on the ceiling or wall in Ohio and Indiana (okay, I’m not sure who came up with that one. Anyone ever been to Cicero, Indiana?), but I would have never expected so many peacocks on walls in Pittsburgh. I have relatives near Pittsburgh and trust me, that town ain’t that colorful.

Given this week’s focus on dreams, I questioned whether the room décor of peacocks was no accident. A Google search revealed that peacocks symbolize endless love and eternal life. After some careful analysis, I concluded the brilliant blue peacocks against the bright green background were just there to burn sharp images into our retinas and get us talking about how great lame vacations are in Pittsburgh.

Seriously though, just as we can’t imagine an episode without Sam, Dean, or the Impala, we also can’t fathom a Supernatural adventure without the tacky motel room. Would the comical scene in “Bad Day at Black Rock” have been as good without the room decorated with large white flowers on blue wallpaper, and a giant red circle on the wall among several other small black ones? An absurd scene deserves an absurd room. How about that giant pink flamingo behind Sam the countless times he woke up in “Mystery Spot”? I noticed in going through the various episodes past that there is almost always a hotel room, no matter what the episode's story is. Episodes like “The Magnificent Seven,” “Bedtime Stories,” and “Jus in Bello” had brief scenes of a room even though the stories didn’t need them. That shows how important a role the set decorators play in each episode, and that the show wouldn’t be close to the same without them.