Hi Alice,
This is my first day at work after 2 weeks of holiday and I got so bored... I surfed the net for new infos about the boys and just like you I read about the comic con and even saw the videos...And then I cecked this page and was so happy to see you did a Dean analyse:)
Man i can't wait for season 4...
About Dean Winchester, what can I say? I love him. He's my favorite character ever. I watched him evolve from season 1 till the end of 3rd season and he never ceased to amaze me. He's so complexe and so deep(although he never show that, you have to dig real deep to see the real D.W).
He's an awsome guy, a beloved son and brother and I think he can be a very good father one day. For him family cames first and he's willing to do everything for his beloved ones. Even sell his soul.
I totally agree with you on this one.
Looking forward on Sam 's analyse, and even I am a Dean fan I love Sammy too(If Dean loves his little brother how could I not?)
If I am not wrong I think you like Sam more so it will be interesting to see your point of view.

Nice analysis and I couldn't agree more! Dean's character development over the last 2 seasons is amazing and psychologically rich and layered. I know that some fans of Dean's lucky-go-happy persona from S1 struggle with the direction Dean's character took in the later seasons, but I for one think it is for the better and created a deep and complex character, certainly one of the most fascinating I have ever seen on tv. Close analysis shows that the character is steadily in development and in forward movement, even if he has set-backs from time to time. Same goes for Sam, IMO.

I have to say as a Sam fan I struggled with sections of Deans behaviour in season 3..also dont like his morally better than Sam stuff that goes on..
He is complex but its been overplayed , same with his self worth issues to the deteriment of Sam,s character growth..I feel he is what the shows become about rather than 2 brothers .. sorry Ihave issues with the way the 2 boys have been written and presented

Your analysis of Dean is sheer perfection here. I bow to your mastery and look forward eagerly to reading your discussion of Sam's descent. All the best, Robin

See, I didn't view Dean making the deal as a way to consciously follow in his father's footsteps but to make sure that he didn't have to live without Sam. Dean isn't capable of being the last Winchester and so he made sure he wasn't. I love your idea of self-actualization though because I'd never thought of it like that (plus that fact that I know what self-actualization and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs are makes me feel intelligent. lol). So, good meta. Your reviews and rants and whatever else you come out with make this hiatus easier to bare.

I'm not saying that isn't what they were going for but I don't feel the execution(in the writing) was often successful. I definitely think Dean was still quite a bit dumber than he needed to be, mostly as Jeremy Carver's hands.

"That blows any esteem complexes he’s had to bits. "

I don't think it did. His "complexes" are way too complex that one bad dream is really going to blow them to bits. It was a step but a step on a very long road he didn't even really have a chance to begin to walk before he went to Hell. What I thought didn't work in LDC wasn't that it was a backslide but that it was written too simplistically, given that complexity, and most of all, Sam acted like an insensitive jack@$$.

"Jus In Bello

Here he is, the new and improved Dean Winchester, and man, does he look great. Let’s look at some of the traits of a self-actualized person. Clearer perception of reality (the world’s going to end bloody, and he’s going out swinging). Check. Acceptance of self and others (honest and open, laying it all on the line, sugarcoating nothing, but still being supportive). Check. Spontaneous and creative (coming up with the entire demon showdown, mass exorcism thing, thinking fast on his feet, managing a crisis with cool head). Check. Ethical (A clear definition of right and wrong, distinguishes between means and ends, aka, “If that’s how you win wars, I don’t want to win”). Check. Philosophical and unhostile sense of humor. Okay, he’s always had that, but he still had it here. I could go on and on, but there is only so much space on this blog."

Gotta be honest here, I think Dean Winchester Season 1 would have said and done the exact same things Dean Winchester in Jus in Bello did. Dean was the one who believed in saving people, more than he believed in revenge.

He's the one who believed that even if they got the thing that killed mom(before they knew what it was), there would still always be something to hunt. He never believed it was a battle that would be "won" like with a victory parade and retirement but that it was something that would never really end and would probably only end for him when he got killed on the job. He did it because it was the right thing to do, not because of some reward he'd get. Never in a million years do I believe the Dean Winchester of any season would not have reacted to the idea of killing Nancy to save themselves in exactly the same way he did in JIB.

Dean always(when the writers didn't need him to turn into a dunce to make the plot work or to play up how Sam was the smart one, because apparntly going to college means you know everything about everything, even if your brother is the one who actually took the training seriously for years long and has done it for years longer.) was clever, quick and imaginative. Definitely able to think on his feet. So I'm not exactly sure why you'd say he was new and improved?

The Dean you've described in Jus in Bello is, to me, classic Dean Winchester. But yes I was glad they finally remembered who he was and that he was back. :)

Heather, I must disagree about your view of why Dean sold his soul. Dean didn't sell his soul to follow his father's footsteps, he's much more complicated than that. Nor did he do it because he couldn't live without Sam. He'd have eaten a bullet instead of selling his soul if it was that simple of an explanation.

The reason Dean sold his soul was as he said it, to right a wrong. He was supposed to be dead, twice over and both times someone lost their life because of him. Marshall Hall (Faith) was one, and John Winchester was the other.

Also, a sense of failure. Failure to save his brother after he promised Sam nothing bad would happen to him as long as he was around, and failing his father when he promised to look out for Sam and keep him safe.

There is more to Dean than just Sam and to simplify him as his brother's keeper not only takes away from both characters, but also from the rich story that's being told.

EM, good post. I think you have Dean figured out clearer and I have to agree. Dean has always been about saving people and hunting evil. What's changed is his outlook about himself, not about his job.

Great analysis, Alice.

I think a main reason Dean sold his soul for Sam was because in the Supernatural world, he could. It is actually a good thing in our real world that we can't, because how many of us, in our grief and fear at losing a loved one, would try to bargain with God or the Devil to have a loved one not die? I think a lot of us would. Maybe not to the point of trading our immortal soul, but yes to offering up years of our own life so that someone we love wouldn't die. We saw in AHBL Part 2 just how grief-stricken and torn Dean was at the loss of Sam. Dean wasn't thinking straight when he made a deal with the RED; he was only thinking about the years he was giving up, not his soul.

Then Dean had a year to start thinking straight, and by the end of that year, after acting with flippancy, anger, and denial, he was thinking straight. It was a satisfying process to see his internal growth.

Dean came to understand that even though he loved his Dad, his Dad was far from a perfect father. Dean came to understand that he wasn't his brother's keeper, that Sam was a man and would ultimately make his own choices, whether choosing to stay to hunt Doc Benton or to summon Ruby. Dean could only hope that by being an example to Sam, Sam would make the right choices in life. That is why at the end, he told Sam to remember what he (Dean)taught him (Sam).

And I like how Dean grew as a person, realizing that his bravado in Fresh Blood was hurting Sam, and getting to the point where he could admit to Sam that he didn't want to die or go to hell. By the finale, Dean was as brave as ever, but he was also able to share his feelings and thoughts with Sam in a way he wouldn't have been able to a year before.

Heh, nothing like a bit of character motivation analysis to stir debate. Very interesting and sharp perspective on the season arc as far as Dean's character development goes (will we see a similar one for Sam). Lots of stuff I hadn't thought about.

(Em, better watch out above, Dean might hit you on his way down after falling off the pedestal you have him on.)

Wow, so many great comments to absorb. This is my first meta, so I was hoping to get some interesting debate.

Dean made the deal for many reasons, and the primary reason was, his dad did it for him. He wasn't supposed to be alive, so Sam gets his chance. Of course, that's just my opinion, and I think all viewpoints expressed here are good.

Vichi - I'm going to really have to watch the "Sam bias" that others have accused me of. I usually focus on Sam harder because I find his character more mysterious and darker, thus giving me more to explore, but I swear I don't understand him any better. I honestly think of myself as adoring both Sam and Dean equally. However, I think my love of "Mystery Spot" and Jeremy Carver's writing style has taken me out of favor with the Dean fans.

Em - I do love your understanding of Dean. I don't always agree, but your points are very valid and I love reading them. When I came up with that "Jus In Bello" analysis, I was more comparing Dean in "Nightshifter" to anything. In that episode, Dean took charge, was quick on his feet, but the difference there is he seemed to be barely holding it together, lacking some of the confidence he had in "Jus In Bello". That's where the "new and improved" came from. Sure, morally he would have never let the virgin thing happen in any season, but the difference here was Sam actually considered it, so he was forced to pull Sam into his corner. That was a first, and he did great doing it.

I definitely agree that Dean hunts for the good of humanity, and not for reward. He only ever needed one reward, respect from his Dad. When that was no longer possible, he learned he should respect himself instead.

I can agree whole-heartedly on one thing! Sam was acting like an insentive jack@$$ in LDC. If anything, I think it made Dean look more sympathetic. I'm also giving a pass on nitpicking execution of the writing as a whole in season three, since the best laid plans were blown because of the strike. Plans for seasons are done way in advance, and it seemed choppy because they were forced to write that way. I think overall it turned out well despite the circumstances. Now, if the same thing happens in season four, we have the right to be more critical.

Eglora - You are dead on, what changed was Dean's outlook about himself, not his job. If I gave a different impression, then the writing in my analysis failed. I was trying to lay out by example his decisions in that episode, to prove my point of self-actualization, but somehow maybe the message came across that he never acted that way before. That isn't true. He just did it here with more conviction and confidence.

Hi,
Alice, thanks for your reply:)
I really liked the way you describe Dean and I agree with a lot of stuff about him that you and others have already said here.
It's really interesting how fans of this show have the tendency to fight about who's better, Sam or Dean.
They are both great, that's why we watch the show in first place. That brotherly bond they have it's the sparkle on this extraordinary show. Without Dean, Sam wouldn't have the same impact and vice-versa.
Yes, we can love one more than other, we can't all love the same person (it will be war outhere if we all have the same tastes:)) and I love more Dean but that don't make me feel that Sam is not ok.Hell, I love him too and sometimes I feel like punching Dean in the face for making Sam feel so incorfortable.But, I got to say it's funny:). I can relate more with Dean, I like his style and I kinda have the same way of behavior(I have a lot of problems because of that:)even if I'm the baby of my family, like Sam.
About Sammy, you said " I find his character more mysterious and darker, thus giving me more to explore, but I swear I don't understand him any better".
Well, I think not even Sam understand himself.But that's his charm, otherwise he wouldn't be so dark and mysterious.I agree with you here, he's all that and he deserve to be at the same level with his brother, cause, boy, those Winchesters boys are like leaving dream.
Sorry everyone for my eventual errors, but english is not my language:(((

Hi Alice,
What can I say besides another amazing analysis. I might have been able to disagree with previous analysis but not with this character analysis. I was never dissappointed with Dean's character development in this amazing season. I was impressed!! The stupid thing about agreeing with your analysis so completely is the lack of words to comment but I will try!
In Mag.7 Dean showed his usual "I enjoy my life and when I go to hell, I enjoy it even more". He has been reckless before but now it's like he is a dead man walking and everybody is more worth than himself. No demon deal breaks the Dean-shell in just one episode. Throughout the season you could see his shell getting cracks.
Crack 1: the possibility of having a son
Crack 2: Casey showing him the "real" consequences of his hell (a demon hell report & Sammy being alone)
Crack 3: Dean seeeing himself in the crying vampire guy
Crack 4: Sam forcing Dean to drop his rackless attitude
Crack 5: Dean craving to have a "last" Christmas with Sam
Crack 6: Dean worrying about Sam not being himself or listening to Ruby
Crack 7: Ruby describing his worst nightmare and finally coming apart with the discussion between Dean and his Demon-self.
In Jus in Bello Dean was finished with facing his inner demon and was ready to fight for his life and for keeping his Sammy and not letting him become the evil boy king. In LDC Dean falls back into his blind-father belief and talks about his feelings. And in TIOMS we saw Sam and Dean following their own ways in accomplishing the same goal, saving Dean. He meet with his possible future if he should survive (Rufus) and realized Bela mirrored his possible death. It also showed a confident Dean that didn't fall into the trap of saving his life with becoming a monster. In NRFTW you could feel that Dean was proud of himself and how he raised Sam.
The previous Dean (season 1 and 2) had: his blind faith for his father, enjoyed his life as a hunter,followed John's orders and life style without questioning or doubts and craved for his father's approval.
PS: Sam was an insentive jerk this season, sometimes you just wanted to punch him and say "Cut your brother some slack, he's going to hell".

You know, when the season started, I remember a lot of complaints (mostly from hardcore Dean fans, of which I am one, by the way) about how Dean was being written. Some seemed to think the writers weren't taking him seriously. They were clowning him up, turning him into comic relief, etc. And I remember wanting to scream the fandom, "This is the start of a character arc, people! You know, that thing where a character starts at one (possibly unattractive) place, then works through their issues so they'll arrive at a new, more satisfying place. And isn't that why we watch shows like this? To watch the characters change, evolve, and grow."

The way Dean was acting at the start of the season was so in character for him. Some people would've gotten depressed. Some would've gotten all chick-flicky. Dean Winchester went into deep denial, convincing himself and everyone else he was perfectly fine with going to hell, and was determined to have as much fun as possible before that happened. Those who only want Dean to be portrayed in a flattering way at all times didn't find his behavior attractive. But human beings (and good characters) often react in unattractive ways to the big stuff. And going to hell is some pretty big stuff.

But I knew Dean's devil-may-care/reckless/hound-dog behavior wouldn't last. It was just the first, extreme reaction to an extreme situation.

I wasn't surprised that early season three Dean was just the start of a character arc that would show cracks starting to appear in Dean's armor of denial, and that's he'd eventually be forced to deal with what was about to happen to him and reevaluate his life. If anything, I'm surprised so many thought early season three Dean was how he was going to be written all season long.

Hi Alice!

I will keep it short and simple since most folks have written novels.

I simply want to thank you for promoting Supernatural with your excellent, thought-provoking blogs. Once again, you've done a fabulous job analyzing the very best program on television today.

I believe that Dean selling his soul was a selfish act, not purely selfish as he was motivated by wanting to save sam as well, but even he says himself that he couldn't live without sam, just couldn't do it. It was selfish because he disregarded what sam would have wanted, and did not stop to think about the tragic results for sam. His actions lead directly to how broken Sam is now. Now I know that for the sake of the story he had to bring sam back but fans have never allowed that kind of reasoning to forgive sam his transgressions so I won't either.

Gosh that came off really aggressive - more so than I meant, there is so much sam vs dean around the net at the moment that I let it get to me. Sorry! But I do stand by what I said - there was alot of selfishness behind Dean's decision to bring sam back and Sam has paid a huge price, as has Dean.

Awesome analysis, Alice! I agree with almost everything, and gosh, was it good to see a healthy, strong Dean in Jus in Bello and beyond. I do agree with Em's comment, that this was more like his season one persona prior to the widening of the cracks in his confidence in season 2, but that's kind of great... because it means who he was in season one wasn't a facade, but his true self when he could patch the broken bits up enough to function.

I truly hope we'll continue to see this strength remain with him throughout the next season, even as he struggles with what happened to him in Hell. He's wonderful to watch either way, but this is a nice change.

Alice,

Great meta about Dean!

One last thing, though, I think all the negative feelings of season 3 would've been washed away if for one thing that left us tragically short of several episodes: the writer's strike.

I think it all would've made more sense, been more cohesive, developed more clearly had we gotten the full picture of what they were attempting to achieve.

You're mete, however, really brought it into sharp focus for those lacking the insight, and thank you for that!

spnfan, I have to disagree with the selfishness part because Dean did not intend to let Sam know about his deal. He was also hoping to get ten years, not just one as it turned out. I do believe that he told Sam that he could not live without him only to protect Sam. We saw Dean right before he decided to make the deal, and not once in his ramblings and reasoning did he mention not living without Sam. In his speech to a dead Sam, he told he remembered promising his father that he would protect Sam, vowing that nothing would ever harm Sam. He talked about letting Sam down, letting John down. I think Dean made that deal because he blamed himself for Sam's death. He blamed himself for not being there to save Sam. He blamed himself for failing Sam, failing John, failing his family. He blamed himself for his dad's death, and my understanding was that he let the guilt get the better of him. Right before he leaves to make his deal he says "... and now I'm just gonna let you down too?" (Paraphrased) and then "what am I suppossed to do?(x2))". IMO, he made that decision sorely to change what he felt was his fault. That is why I really loved

ALICE's analysis of Dean. I agree that the character development was spectacular every step of the way. The boys had some strong defining moments, some of them subtle, some not so subtle. I loved the boys even more in season 3, and I can't wait for season 4! Thank you for a wonderful spot-on analysis.

From my point of view, 3nd season Dean could be seen in three different successive phases: 1st phase, in the episode "The Magnificent Seven": Dean is completely out of control regarding pleasures (sex, food). Sam turns a blank eye on his brother behaviour, but not for too long.
2nd phase, from ep. "The Kinds Are Alright" to ep. "Malleus Maleficarum": Dean adopts a reckless attitude towards his life. He feels like "Batman, like a ninja" as he admits to Sam, because he knows he is dead anyway, so what's the point of protecting himself, what's the point of surviving in a battle? Sam keeps trying to pull his brother together, to make Dean care about his life, to fight together for breaking this demonic pact. Dean rejects his brother's advises. He doesn't want to break his agreement, Sam's life is too precious and Dean wants Sam alive at any cost. Besides, he doesn't think too much of his own life! It is not the life he has chosen, he only wanted a normal life, a family and he can't have it. He's scared though (he tries to find out what Hell looks like) but he doesn't admit it.
3nd phase, from ep. "Dream a Little Dream of Me" to ep. "No Rest for the Wicked": Dean admits, first and foremost, to himself and later to his brother, that he doesn't want to die, he doesn't want to go to Hell, besides he doesn't deserve it. He confesses to Sam that he's scared. Also, he admits, but only to himself, that he has neither chosen nor he likes his way of life. What we realize is that Dean is very different that what he lets other people see! Now, Dean is free from his internal nightmares, he accepted and spoke the truth to Sam, so he can go back to his happy-go-lucky self and at the same time he can feel the desperation of his imminent death! At this phase, he feels like a cowboy, "wanted dead or alive". He has changed his mind about what he did. Not because he's less devoted to his brother, nor because he believes he's made a mistake to bring Sam back (Sam is far too precious for Dean, Dean is sure for one thing: He can't live without his brother), but because he has what he wants, Sam, and he wants to live his life with his brother, protecting him, as he has done from the very beginning, and preventing him from playing the demons' game by sacrificing his soul for his weakness, i.e. for Dean! He's very young, he doesn't want to go to Hell, he knows he doesn't deserve it.
The backbone of all three phases is Dean's concern about Sam. He realizes Sam is changing, he remembers what Azazel told him, he knows Sam's desperation about Dean's agreement with the Crossroad Demon and how far Sam can go for saving his brother and he's overwhelmed by his anxiety. The fact that Dean and Sam are keeping secrets from each other doesn't mean that the relation of the two brothers is broken or destroyed. They do it just to protect each other from even more pain and fear. For example, what's the point of Dean saying to Sam that Ruby lied to him and she can't save Dean, when he knows that Sam's only purpose is to save Dean and Ruby is Sam's only hope! When he realizes that he can't hide that from his brother, because Sam is moving to close to the dark side, he tells him the truth (but not earlier). However, when the very final moment comes, Dean is ready to face the consequences of his decision. He fought together with Sam (sometimes in different ways) until the end, but they failed! So, he goes to Hell only to face his greatest fear: to spend the eternity without his brother!! Well, after all, Hell is a pit of despair as Casey told him ("Sin City").
Finally, I believe that Dean has indeed moved closer into what Sam was during the first two seasons and Sam is closer to Dean's personality. There is one more change we see in Dean: in 2nd Season, ep. "Houses of the Holly", he clearly claims there isn't God, he doesn't believe in Him [even though, sometimes he uses expressions like "Oh, my God" (ep. "Born Under a Bad Sign"), "So help me God" (ep. "The Magnificent Seven"]. However, in ep."Sin City", when a surprised Casey asks him: "Do you believe in God, Dean?, Dean replies to her: "I don't know. I'd like to". He has second thoughts about his lack of faith. At the end of the ep. "Houses of the Holly", he thinks that he might saw God's will. The agreement he made and his one-way ticket to Hell have added much fear and despair to his heart, so may be if there is God, just may be, He is the only one who can save Dean! Who's the man who has not turned to God (even if he never believed before) in moments of great despair and pain? Actually, that's a part (Dean's religious views) I would like to see a reference to in the 4th season, in accordance with what has been said in these two episodes ("Houses of the Holly", "Sin City").