Therapy for All (spn13.04)

theriverscribe:

Let’s talk about how much I’m loving this season (esp. this episode).
EVERY CHARACTER GOT A SPOTLIGHT.
EVERYONE SORTED THROUGH THEIR SHIT.
This whole episode was beautifully constructed–allowing each character to work on
his issues, yet still be shaped by the others’ unique journeys. 
And because they
*gasp*

openly communicated, they all managed to reach a healthier place.  

SAM
Sam sharing
with Jack how he’d lost his mother, and saying “it’d be great if you
could bring her back, but if you can’t then I’ll still care about you”
was important for both boys.  It keeps Sam honest and open and
communicating (instead of bottling it all up to focus on everyone
else).  And it gave Jack much-needed context and reassurance.  Not to
mention the outburst at the therapist’s office which has been building since s12 (*cough* childhood *cough*).

JACK
Jack
breaks my heart and repairs it from one breath to the next!  He needed
to see Dean outside of his rage-grief, and nothing breaks through Dean’s
walls like LITTLE-BROTHER-SAMMY-IN-DANGER. Dean begging Jack to use his
powers to save the ONE PERSON ALIVE who’s shown Jack affection allowed
the boy to tap into his instincts and save them all.

DEAN
Dean needed to see Jack as being someone independent of Castiel.
Dean needed to hear/see that his grief is hurting those around him–not
bc his grief isn’t important, but bc his way of (not) coping is
unhealthy and destructive for everyone involved.  He needed to see Sam’s
fear and grief to understand (bc Dean’s incapable of analyzing much at
the moment), and snap him back in touch with those around him.  A
reminder that others are hurting too.

BONUS: CASTIEL
Listen…I don’t have enough time or space or words to express how amazing it was to see Cas confront his own “inner empty” (aka depression/traumas/lack-of-self-worth) and come out swinging, determined to fight his way back to his family.  Or pester his way back, in this case…
Also, I’ve decided to call “empty!cas” Big-E, who is clearly a sassy drag queen.  They are now my favorite alt!Cas, and I pray we see them again.

DOUBLE BONUS: DESTIEL
One reason I’m SO glad all these idiots are working through their shit is bc I do not want Dean and Cas’ reunion to be “the thing” that saves Dean from his grief.  I want Dean to grow and mature and reach an acceptance of ALL his feelings.  I want Cas to be whole independent of Dean.  We’ve
had the reunions where the dead one returns to find the other in a
broken state. I want pure love and excitement, not co-dependence.