By John Keegan
Yet in other aspects, things have gone wrong. John Winchester is still dead. Dean and Sam are estranged, more than they were when the series began. Dean’s history in his fantasy world is still questionable, which reveals something about Dean’s sense of self-worth. After all, his entire fantasy world is built out of his wishes, hopes, and fears.
It all comes down to the idea of sacrifice. Dean has been struggling with the cost of fighting evil since the beginning of the season. He still doesn’t quite understand how his life was worth the sacrifice made by his father, and the possibility of killing his brother to defeat the demon’s plans is always hanging over his head. The pain and suffering is beginning to take its toll, and even if he eventually does the right thing, that choice is a burden.
The intriguing possibility is that Dean might reach a point where the sacrifice required is too much. This has already been hinted at in “Born Under a Bad Sign”. Dean fought tooth and nail to avoid killing Sam, even when all the evidence pointed to Sam’s guilt. In that case, he was right, but what if there’s little or no hope of innocence? Would Dean be willing to sacrifice Sam, or would he be more likely to sacrifice himself? Even if the result is fairly predictable, the psychology behind that choice is not, and this episode is a sign that the writers will continue to follow that path.