Supernatural‘s “Lebanon” WAS the 300th episode that we all deserved! The return of John, something I knew would happen somewhere down the line, was exactly what the Winchesters needed to gain some clarity and understanding of who they are as a family, friends, and hunters in arms.
John’s return was also a lesson in understanding that the pain you have gone through, shapes you into who you are today. Papa Winchester’s death was key to the future of the world, Mary, and these Winchester brothers. And knowing what they know now, the Winchesters wouldn’t change it for anything.
This is who they are. This is their family. And this the life they were meant to live, as protectors of those who need it.
Dean and John
Dean needed this. He needed to talk to his father, he needed his father to apologize, and he needed for John to hear that he had a family. John pulled them into this hunter life because of the pain of Mary’s loss. And yes, they’ve gone through some absolutely mental things because Dean and Sam are the hunter heroes of the world. But they wouldn’t change it. And Dean saying it out loud in an episode where his pops is back, IS HUGE!
John apologizing and telling his son how proud he is of him, it helps sooth the pain of his loss, and everything that came after it. It’s small and it’s a decade overdue, but it’s real and it helps clear out that pain. Also, the Dean we got a the end of this 300th FEELS inducing episode…he was proud of he was, who Sam was. The Winchesters don’t need or want a simple life. Anyway, life isn’t simple anyway, no matter how people try to brand it.
Like John, I’m immensely proud of Dean. This Winchester is a fighter like his dad. But he differs in the fact that he found a home amongst the hopeless of their lives and actually thrived in it. It’s character development at it’s finest and I’m proud that we got to see this Dean on the 300th episode of one of the most epic shows on TV. Especially because Michael thinks he has a chance at defeating these two brothers. He doesn’t. Because the Winchesters lives are THEIR lives!
Sam and John
Sam…I’m just so damn proud of him too. The character development in this episode, people! That’s what we saw in “Lebanon” when it came to the moose, brother, fighter, and friend we all know and love named Sam Winchester.
John has been a point of contention for Sam since day one. They bumped heads and never really saw eye to eye. But this Sam, the one who laid it all out and who understood the pain and hardship that John went through while raising them, he’s done with living in the past. Yes, John wasn’t perfect and Sam knew it. But Sam wants to live, love, and forgive. He doesn’t want to be stuck in the past. And we’re all so fucking proud of him.
Sam needed this. He needed this closure and the opportunity to tell his father how he felt. It doesn’t matter that it’s been a decade or so since John died. Closure happened and now Sam has one less thing to worry about or that is weighing down his heart. And anything that helps Sam, even the tiniest bit, is worth it because Sam is the heart of the Winchester family and of this show we all love.
Mary and John
John and his sons killed me. But John and his wife Mary, well…I wasn’t expecting the torrent of tears that were to come because of these two. It’s been so long since we’ve seen John that honestly, I’ve forgotten all that John had to suffer after Mary’s death. I forgot the pain of seeing Mary on that ceiling, of transforming their lives into a hunters one, and the hardships that he put his sons through.
With all this, comes the pain that Mary has also been through. She made a deal for John’s life and paid for it. And when she came back, not a moment had passed for her but for her children, they were grown men who mourned the death of their father. Mary returned to our world and had to mourn her life, her children, and her husband.
“Lebanon” made that pain raw and brand spanking new. Once more they were losing each other. Yes, they love their boys. And yes, all the people that they have saved along the way and the people that their children are, make it worth while. But John and Mary had to say goodbye to a lover, a friend, and a partner all over again.
Mary will have to work through her pain all over again and I hope that she comes out stronger than ever before because that woman is a fighter! Also, she has her kids and Bobby this time around. She’ll make it through. As for John, it was all a dream for him. A dream that I think he knew was real and not just something that came to him while napping. And if so, he chose to die to protect his children, the future, and Mary.
That right there makes John Winchester a hero.
Favorite Moment from “Lebanon”:
I know that Michael is in Dean’s head and they’ve lost a shit load of people over the years, but THIS IS THE DARKEST TIMELESS! KALE EATING, TURTLE NECK WEARING MOOSE OF A GIANT, IS THE DARKEST TIMELINE!
http://lipglosskaz.tumblr.com/post/182648648632/according-to-the-internet-you-are-a-lawyer-who
Check out the trailer for Supernatural’s return on March 7th:
Supernatural airs Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW.