#15x09 speculation

[winchestersingerautorepair]

A Rift Between

A Brief(-ish) History of Dean, Cas, & Rifts

Let’s talk about rifts for a moment. And when I say rifts, I don’t mean their personal disagreements -- if I were to be discussing that, this post would be less of a brief history and more of a thesis paper. 

No, I’m talking about rift rifts. As in, actual, literal tears in the spacetime continuum. They are littered across the whole run of this show, and we’ve recently had two whole seasons devoted to them. So, the sudden reappearance of rift-adjacent plotlines carries with it a weighty load of textual relevance.

Dean and Castiel’s relationship arc, a fan favorite, began when Leviathans, the notorious fan-unfavorite, came into the picture. 

No, Maeve! Dean and Castiel’s relationship arc began in season 4, not 7! Cas was barely even in season 7! 

Well, let me explain. Season 7, the age of Sera Gamble, was a total show reset. Was it uncomfortable? Yes. Did we all hate it? Yes. But like with muscle, you’ve got to tear through the old before you can develop something new, and Season 7 did this job quite effectively. An identity crisis at that scale means either a massive change of pace or a creative death, and as the show is still on, number one it is. 

So, while we can most reliably chart the beginning of an intentional, substantive romantic undercurrent to Season 8, it is the waiting that allowed it to come to fruition-- Season 7 was a void, an unsustainable period of creative drought, a long cold winter in which seeds fell and laid dormant. And like the winter, it was necessary for rebirth.

This brings me to the first DeanCas rift: 

~~

The Purgatory Spell

Episode: 7x01

This tear in spacetime was the culmination of Castiel’s Season 6 character arc. It was the final, greatest betrayal, the irredeemable course of action which struck his relationship with the Winchesters a fatal blow-- and though his last act was to attempt to right his wrongs, the emergence of this rift meant estrangement and death for the relationship (and for Castiel.)

This incident is established as far more significant for Dean than it is for Sam, so I won’t spend much time justifying my classification of this rift as primarily DeanCas. It’s made pretty damn clear through Dean’s behavior throughout Season 7.

Castiel’s departure catalyzed the emergence of Leviathans. As the lore promised, they brought death and destruction to the whole ecosystem, purging the show and readying it for reincarnation; but I’ve already made this point.

As Destiel 1.0 dies, Destiel 2.0 is born.

~~~

The Purgatory Portal

Episode: 8x07

Let us journey back to "A Little Slice of Kevin"-- the gayest thing to happen to Supernatural up to that point. Suddenly, Dean and Cas’s ambiguity is no longer a joke. It’s no longer flippantly referenced, but Built Into The Narrative In A Noticeable Way. After Season 7, Season 8 shocked the system, earning Purgatory celebrity status as the Destiel fandom exploded back to life. 

But, more important things. The events surrounding this portal not only codified romantic subtext, but reshaped their relationship by putting it in grave peril. Lovers trapped in separate worlds. There’s only like ten thousand examples of this in other fictional, romantic(-ally coded) relationships. Sigh.

As Destiel 2.0 dies, Destiel 3.0 is born.

~~~

Seasons 9, 10, and 11 are filled with near misses. Divisions between worlds/fates test and change their bond -- Heaven and Hell exert tremendous force on both, and the gates of Heaven and the Darkness’s breach of barriers flirt pretty openly with the rift theme -- but there isn’t anything that fits the profile cut and dry, so let us leap to Season 12. Five long years of glacial shifts, five long years of a slow, steady amping up of queer subtext. An argument can be made that it had graduated from subtext in some places, but both fandom and GA were frog-boiled enough in their interpretations for this argument to be an aside.

Destiel 3.0 reaches a transitional stage, and becomes Destiel 3.0+.

Now, It’s season 12. And like goddamned CLOCKWORK, six years after Season 6, another unstable tear in spacetime appears, and terminates Castiel’s character arc.

Rift? Check. Cas dead? Check. We’ve seen this pattern. Time for shit to CHANGE. And boy, did it.

~~~

The Rift

Episode: 12x23

Oh, boy. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. Castiel’s death in the Season 12 finale was a magnum opus of SPN’s romantically coded imagery. I could elaborate, but if you’ve read this far into this post you likely already know what I’m talking about. My point is, a hall of mirrors is the chosen space in which Destiel 3.0+ is killed. 

The relationship death lasts only a short while; their estrangement in separate realms is a five episode-long period of detachment and review. Our characters, as well as the viewers, stride through a hall of mirrors. In solitude, this DeanCas winter becomes a chance to reflect, because there is no better way to get a feel for the importance of something than to eliminate it. The crucial elements of Dean and Cas’s relationship, what they mean to each other, becomes clearer than ever before because, look! This is Dean without Cas! This is the show without Cas! Don’t you hate it?

I mean, guys. Mirrors. Cas spoke to a reflection of himself in the Empty. Literally. He addressed his greatest fears about relationships with himself. He was forced to rewatch his greatest mistakes, and what gets featured? Our first two DeanCas rifts. F*ck this show.

DreamHunter parallel! 13x10 reenacted this scene for us with Claire and Kaia. 

Then, 13x05 changes the whole game once more. You know, the episode titled Thanatology. The study of Death. Fuck this show.

As Destiel 3.0+ dies, Destiel 4.0 is born.

~~~

The intensity of the queer narrative amps up continually. Things are getting harder to write off.

Rifts between worlds, crossover and confinement, and estrangement, and the blurring of lines, and the breaking of old taboos/breach of old barriers dominates the remainder of Season 13 and Season 14. We hold this broad focus for a long time, and Dean and Castiel become the emotional equivalent of the plot arc, always there, brewing, but taking a backseat to the Big Stuff. A wall rises, and solidifies. Silver Pole of Communication Barriers, anyone?

Then? Season 15 kicks us in the Destiel balls.

Full disclosure: I didn’t see this next part coming. I dared not ask season 15 for anything this significant, so the last scene of 15x08 just about took my life. 

~~~

The Purgatory Rift

Episode(s): 15x08, 15x09

Dun dun DUN!!

This twist was my favorite Christmas present, because it communicated to me that the writers have an understanding of Dean and Cas’s history to match our own. Not only are they actively writing them utilizing the Destiel playbook, they obviously care immensely about the destiny of their relationship. I am speaking too soon to say this definitively, but this mission has all the hallmarks of a plot device designed to serve many purposes in respect to Dean and Castiel. They’ve got ALL the ingredients. There are so many things tied in here that it gets pretty damn near fanfiction territory.

Please read my reaction to the purgatory twist if you need context, as I don’t feel much like regurgitating it. This post is long enough, lol. (A bloom that grows only in one place? Fuck you, writers. You’re going to KILL me.)

~~~

So, to recap: In a universe defined by barriers and guidelines, a relationship that refuses to be defined will be under constant siege. Dean and Castiel suffer from the sheer reality of walking lines between two designated states of being-- friends and lovers, angel and human, take your pick. The current order isn’t friendly to beings who don’t fit a category. Until the barriers are stripped away, they cannot exist as they are, and rifts will continue to rip them apart. 

The Purgatory Rift of 15x08 is such a big deal because it fuses themes. The rifts of the Dabb era have merged with the gateways of the Carver era. Not only are our long-standing almost-lovers returning to their relationship’s place of origin, they are doing so by breaching physical barriers designed to keep them apart; and all the while, the most dangerous, important rift is not the one in the fabric of reality, but the one in their relationship. 

I expect this major rift to end no differently than it has in the past. Dean and Cas will be separated, and Cas will be out of reach. And then, they’ll be reunited. But, where will that take us? What will the next reincarnation look like? 

As Destiel 4.0 dies, something will be born.

[dimples-of-discontent]

Dean and Cas got married in purgatory so it really does make sense to send them there to renew their vows and patch things up.

[woulddieforgabriel]

I feel like spn is gonna end with Jack being God and all the casual viewers are gonna be shocked and all the Tumblr users are gonna roll their eyes because everyone's been saying that since 15x09 aired. It's like Michael!Dean all over again

[winchestersingerautorepair]

NO MORE SILVER POLE OF COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

They've fixed it. They've broken down the wall between them. Dean and Cas are finally going to be open with one another :')

Goodbye, Pole

[dimples-of-discontent]

How it ought to go in 15x09:

Dean and Cas go to purgatory (the place where their story became undeniably romantic). They somehow get separated and Dean prays to Cas because (as he knows from last time) Cas will hear him.

Dean explains why he’s been Like That about their relationship (fear)...and says “I love you” then apologizes for being too much of a coward to say it to Cas’s face.

Cas appears in a flap of wings, beaming and says “Dean” very softly, striding towards him. Cas is truly, undeniably happy.

THEN either:

Before he reaches Dean, though, THE EMPTY appears and begins to drag him away. “Dean!” he cries. Dean is bewildered and rushes to try to save him but Cas is yanked away through a portal (like in purgatory before) or a rift (like when he died). Cas is gone.

OR

Dean and Cas embrace (but probably no kissing) and Dean does the thing where he pats the side of Cas’s face. He then says, “let’s go home” because, actually, they’re next to the portal by luck (or there’s a scene break and they find it later). They begin to go through, Dean first, when, suddenly, Cas is jerked away by THE EMPTY. Dean clutches at his hand (just exactly like before) but it’s too late and Cas is gone!

Either way, Dean is left, horrorstruck, and with a quest to retrieve his husband over the rest of the season.

DUN-DUN-DUNNNNNNNN!!!

[winchestersingerautorepair]

Never have I felt anything more than I feel this

[dimples-of-discontent]

Setting “The Trap”

Yo, guys, I’m no spring chicken here and I definitely don’t trust Michael as far as I can throw him, given that the next episode is called “The Trap,” but that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to enjoy the fact that they sent Dean and Cas back to the place that brought them the absolute closest to a textually romantic relationship.

Obviously it’s a trap. Obviously. It has all the hallmarks of a MacGuffin and, like, how freaking convenient is it that he just had the right spell (no specifics) written out to hand over almost right away and they had everything but that one “Leviathan flower”...which just so happens to grow in Purgatory and which conveniently gets Dean and Cas out of the way while Michael gets un-cuffed and walks free to do...whatever he wants?

I know it’s Buckleming so, like, this is within the realm of likelihood/plausibility, but we were also signaled hard by the fact that Sam and Eileen’s plot took a turn into a trap (which, again, it obviously was). And if God can talk to prophets like Donatello he sure as heck can talk to angels like Michael. Who’s to say Michael didn’t have a convo with Chuck who was like, “you take the dumbass married ones and I’ll take the cool kids”? Michael changing his mind so fast and talking about people getting what they deserve (or not)? Major eyebrow raise.

I EXPECT things to go pretty horribly off the rails in purgatory. It’s not like it would be the first time! I EXPECT Dean and Cas to get separated, perhaps with a portal closing and leaving Cas there (exactly like before), perhaps with the deal with the Empty coming back to haunt him. I EXPECT it and these painful tropes are all one thing...goddamn romantic as fuck!!! 

So, yes, I’m celebrating and going “awwww marriage counselor Michael sent the boys off to their second honeymoon!” because it’s fun. But also, like, if there’s a trap...who’s the bait?

[rogueangelshunter]

15x09 Promo photos 🔍

What’s up, nerds? Time for the latest round of spot-the-deets with Rue!  Today, we’re gonna be taking a closer look at the photos that have been released in advance of 15x09′s premiere.

The photos I’m going to be referencing can be found in a set here and also here (for added tasty detail).  Anyway, on to the fun stuff!

Rather than go photo by photo, I’m looking at all of these images as a set to see what pops out.  The first thing that popped out to me is the boys’ clothing.  Cas’s, of course, doesn’t change - but if you take a close look, Sam and Dean both go through three separate wardrobe changes! Something to bear in mind, though, that I feel should be pointed out - as best I can tell, at least according to the promo, is that Chuck’s glimpses of the possible future(s) he’s going to show Sam have this dirty brown filter over all of them.  Also, as we all know, Purgatory is super-saturated in shades of black, gray and silver.  These photos are on-set stills, so they won’t have any of the post-production special purdiness that the actual scenes will have in the episode.  [TL;DR: I took one look at these photos and for a sec, I was like, ‘Ooh, wow! Purgatory looks different! It’s so pretty!’  I’m a dumbass.] So, anyway - back to the shirts!   Let’s start with Dean, since we know for sure when he’s wearing what he’s wearing in two photos (black jacket over lighter denim overshirt and black t-shirt). We know exactly when this is and where it falls in our timeline-o-shirts, thanks to us seeing Dean and Cas as the last shot of 15x08.

So we know for a fact the shots of Dean and Cas are them in Purgatory.  We see separate shots of both Cas and Dean alone but also a shot of the two of them together.  We also got a super quick glimpse of Dean and Cas in the 15x09 promo that shows Dean walking with his flashlight out and Cas following behind with his own flashlight. But then, there’s another shirt.  In the shots of Sam with Chuck - in the errr, Dramatic Confrontation Room? they used this same room to hold Michael/Adam when he was there - we can see Sam’s wearing a white/black/red flannel:

Also, notice the stain on his shirt?  Sam looks completely unharmed.  I hope Eileen’s okay D:  (I was gonna make a joke about what’s black and white and red all over?, but then I remembered the stain :| - also no sign of Eileen ANYWHERE in these photos - so it looks like Cas and Eileen are both in jeopardy, right now.) The next shirt I notice is, again, Sam’s - same room, but a completely different scene from the one with Chuck (as best I can tell, unless they’re doing waking flashforwards or something, which is entirely possible), and this one is with Dean.  Who’s also in a completely new shirt of his own, now - a black-on-dark-blue flannel).

In those shirts, the two of them have some kind of an argument or confrontation - they’re both clearly upset, though it looks like it might not be the same thing (or the same thing, but from different angles - like maybe both of their baes in distress?).  They’re upset in different ways - Dean’s pissed and brooding with his glass of whiskey [has flashbacks to 15x03], while Sam is looking more worried.  

But then we have another image, of the boys in the Impala - it looks like Sam might have changed his shirt to a darker green/brown flannel, while Dean has changed his shirt from black-on-blue to what looks like pink/white/light blue - or maybe faded red, blue and beige? hmm..

So my best guess is that Cas goes missing in Purgatory (however that ultimately winds up happening) and Dean manages to get out (obvs), and Sam also manages to get away from Chuck and by the time they both get back to the bunker, emotions seem to be pretty high on both sides.   Maybe Sam decided to tell Dean about what Chuck showed him?  Told him what they’d have to do in order to avoid that horrible fate?  What kind of order from Chuck would Dean bristle at?  Get that angry about?  Probably one telling him not to go anywhere near the Empty. Hard to say for sure, but that’s the best guess I can make with what I’m seeing here.   In the photo of Sam and Dean in Baby, they’re both sporting some superficial injuries, so it looks like they’ve been in a fight of some sort (maybe trying to escape Chuck and he sics a bunch of mobs on them?) just prior to this moment.  Hard to say for sure, but their expressions look pretty determined/grim.  I have to wonder, though - that shot of Dean in the map room - maybe THAT is the prayer scene we’re waiting for?  There’s no Sam in that photo and no reverse/matching partner photo establishing him as part of the scene being pictured, so hmmm - I wonder.  I don’t know if Dean would do it there, unless he was 10000% sure Sam was gone or asleep but we’ll see! By my count, we’ve got photos from at least seven separate scenes represented by the shots they released.  Anyway, just some random thoughts.  Nothing super groundbreaking here, but at least it gives us a better idea of a rough timeline.