Carver Era: unraveling the Destiel bond while pretending to care about it
Warning: This post isn't very nice to seasons 8 to 11, so fans of Carver Era should look away.
Starting this by saying the Carver Era knows about Destiel and is loud about acknowledging it, notably through Metatron and the 10x05 episode, but
most of the arcs of the Carver Era are framed to keep Dean and Cas away from each other
Cas stays in Purgatory ; Cas leaves with the Angel tablet ; Gadreel demands that Cas won't stay in the bunker or he'll get Sam dead ; Sam kicks Dean out of the bunker and works with Cas after the Gadreel episode ; Cas leaves to work with the shady angel cult ; Dean is turned into a demon and leaves ; Cas leaves to work with Hannah ; Cas stays away to work with Sam on a "cure" ; Cas says yes to Lucifer.
Adding insult to injury: those arcs are glaringly obvious about making Dean and Cas team up with any one but each other (like Benny and disgustingly Crowley for Dean, Hannah and Sam for Cas).
Contrary to the previous seasons, anyone can do anything to Dean without Cas doing so much as batting an eyelid (or Dean being allowed to defend himself - see Carver Era and classism). Cas utters a quote or two in the best-case scenario (like Metatron meeting Cas after killing Dean in 10x18: Metatron: Can’t we be besties? / Cas: No. Because you killed my friend. / Metatron: Oh pfhht. Dean is fine, mostly. Can’t you get past that? / Cas: Never. [proceeds to get past that]) and immediately moves on. As if it doesn't matter. The same guy who couldn't involve Dean in the Heaven Civil War until he was too deep in it to see a way out. The angel who felt for the first time because Dean has been harmed under his watch, and who only needed so as an incentive to start acting on his doubts.
4x16 – On the Head of a Pin // 9x22 – Stairway to Heaven
4x16 – On the Head of a Pin // 9x22 – Stairway to Heaven
Actually, the Carver Era decides to rewrite the story and backtracks about Cas feeling for the first time in 4x16. His slow delusion about Heaven and God in seasons 4 and 5 doesn't mean much anymore because Naomi implies it already happened and will happen again regardless of Dean's presence in his life.
The profound bond? Re-used for Amara's rapey vibes towards Dean
Cas doesn't seem to care so much about Dean bearing the MoC or being turned into a demon and rather leaves for sidequests no one really cares about.
Sorry for Claire, but her return in the show is an out-of-the-blue kind of thing, used against Dean's and Cas' characterization. In the order: Cas has more important matters than Dean—MoC!curse and at risk to turn into a demon again—, Cas never committed a crime in his life BUT Dean is a monster for killing traffickers and traumatizing Claire—unlike the angel who destroyed her family and is wearing her dad's corpse as a suit.
I don't care much about 10x22 – The Prisoner, and whenever I see or read the quote
"They could be long dead. Everyone except me. I'm the one who will have to watch you murder the world. So if there's even a small chance that we can save you, I won't let you walk out of this room."
I'm like, Paroles, paroles, paroles 🎵 Because last season? Cas doesn't try to save Dean (or at least avenge him) from what his fellow angels (his soldiers) do. Next season? Cas doesn't fight the plan to use Dean being a bait for Amara and killing himself to take her out. Words that aren't followed by actions fall flat.
