Yet even here, in the most black and white of moments, fate insists on making Dean see the gray. In full killer mode, he looks up to see a terrified young boy, something which always triggers his protective instincts. Clearly, he can’t protect this child, having just killed his mother. He cannot kill him, either. Dean allows the boy to live, collapsing the black and white world view which he has been clinging to for stability.
This episode caused some upset in the fan community and with some critics, because Dean appeared to be reverting to a black and white insistence on what defines a monster. I think the writers are playing with Dean’s definition of monster quite deliberately. Having collapsed the dichotomy Dean was relying upon to justify his actions to himself, he’s still left with the fact that he killed Amy and lied to Sam. He can’t change what he did and he’s not sure he should even if he could. Does this make him a monster? Dean is very aware of gray areas. He just doesn’t know how to live in them.
And that leads Osiris straight to Dean. Despite Sam’s spirited defence of his brother, he misses the real point. Dean feels responsibility for taking care of anyone he defines as family. Yet the very nature of his job means he puts people in danger every time he interacts with them. Jo and Sam can tell him not to feel guilty until the cows come home. Dean is very aware of the ugly side of his job and he feels he ought to do it alone, so others can be untainted.
That feeling is what led him to lie to Sam and kill Amy on his own. Far from feeling no remorse, he knew this killing would feel awful. He decided he had to do it anyway and chose not to drag Sam into it, as Sam had such a debt to Amy. He allowed Sam to stay untainted—or at least that’s the way he saw it at the time. Now he feels the full weight of how gray that situation really was, which makes him even more reluctant to open up to Sam. The last thing he wants to see is judgement in his brother’s eyes.
Dean’s guilt over Amy is Osiris’s trump card. Sam may be able to argue convincingly that Dean is not responsible for the bad things in his and Jo’s life, but would he even try to do so about Amy’s death? Dean feels the answer is no and he chooses not just to continue lying, but to accept death rather than risk his brother’s love.
Article comments
1 - Amy
Really excellent analysis of Dean. I agree with you that his arc this season is a fascinating set up but I do feel that in the last 2 episodes we have been let down in how it has been translated to the viewer. Dean is a complex human being and you and I both have a deep understanding of who he is and why he reacts the way he does. But if that understanding is lacking, is this truly being communicated? I look forward to finding out! Thank you for sharing your thoughts so eloquently.
2 - Gerry
Thanks so much, Amy, for stopping by and commenting!
I guess time will tell whether Dean suits the kind of character arcs Sam has had over the last six years. Sam has always talked about his feelings, so the audience never has to guess.
Dean is such a different character that I think this kind of "on the nose" writing is not an option if the writers write him truthfully. I guess you can tell that so far, I think Jensen Ackles' non-verbal language has communicated volumes about his state of mind.
I'm really optimistic about the rest of the season.
3 - Shelley & Alison Weaver
Alison giggled, pointed and agreed with everything you said. I don't watch Supernatural but after reading your review I might have to look for it.
4 - Laurie
This is the best analysis of Dean's viewpoint in episodes 3 and 4 I have read! You've answered many of my own doubts and I'm adopting your view as my own. You've helped me see it all in a way that is consistent with Dean's character, and helped my own enjoyment of the rest of the season. Thanks!
5 - Gerry
Laurie, thanks for reading! I'm glad some of what I wrote resonated for you. I'm enjoying this season. I love getting these looks into the boys.