Last week, I wrote an article stating that Dean Winchester needs to die at the end of Supernatural‘s third season. I didn’t write this because I dislike Dean, but simply because I can see no other way for the writers to rescue him from the deal he made to save Sam. After repeatedly being told that Dean is doomed, it seems like the only satisfying conclusion to this arc is for him to kick the bucket for a short period of time.
Though BuddyTV readers understood my thought process, most of them disagreed with me. Over 5000 people voted in our poll regarding Dean’s fate, and over 85 percent of them think that Sam (Jared Padalecki) needs to find a way to save his brother before Hell comes calling. If Dean is to be saved from ending up six feet under, how should it happen? Will Lilith or Bela (Lauren Cohan) play a part, or is the rescue mission completely up to Sam?
coltshot1 states that, “Personally, I hope there is a last minute save. I do NOT want a cliffhanger dragging this out any longer. Kill the demon who holds the contract — make him an offer he can’t refuse — kill the hell hounds when they come to collect — just finish it. And if Sam has to go dark side — good, fine, whatever — just do it already! I know we’re dealing w/ the supernatural here, but the more they go to this well of cheating death the more comic-bookish the story lines become.”
While coltshot1 thinks that some demon killing can save the day, TroyV believes that a child may be the key to keeping Dean alive. “Considering the fact that Sam died and came back, I really don’t think it would add any spice to the show if they did the same to Dean,” he notes. “I kind of have a feeling that this little brat Lilith is gonna have something to do with Dean’s Fate.”
lizard971 is afraid that the writers will have to pull a last minute save if they decide not to kill Dean (Jensen Ackles). “I’m really afraid of a deus ex machina myself. I’m really scared that somehow Bela might end up playing a part in that. I believe that this thing needs to stay in family: Dean, Sam, eventually Bobby, or Ellen if they had found an agreement with Sam Ferris, but no one else. I’ve been enjoying this arc so much that it would suck out loud to see it ruined at the last moment.”
AcklesFan isn’t worried about the ending being a letdown, writing that “it doesn’t have to be cheesy if they play it right. I think killing and resurrecting the characters has been done enough already, and far too soon after Sam died and Dean was as good as dead. As much as I would enjoy seeing Dean ‘die’ and the angsty goodness that would come with it, I think perhaps it’d seem a little redundant to have him ‘climb out of hell’ (like John) and have a ‘dark side’ (like Sam). And, if he does die, I’m completely opposed to having him come back part demon. Haven’t we had enough of that with Sam’s storyline? It’d be lame to have Dean be going through the same thing.”
ElizabethParkes2 has an interesting idea on how to wrap up the storyline, but it may cause just as much controversy as my suggestion. “I think SAM should [die],” she writes. “If he dies then the deal is off, and if Sam has indeed got a bit of demon in him already then going to hell would be different for him. Of course he needs to come back, but the girls do love a bit of evil Sam so that would tie up that storyline nicely. The twist would be jaw dropping!”
Another interesting suggestion came from katrinvanhelsing, who points out that Dean may have already fulfilled his deal in a previous episode. “Remember in ‘Mystery Spot’ – Dean dies over and over again and Sam turned into the terminator. I mean, he even killed Bobby. Now, listen up: the deal has been fulfilled, and that is the joke the Trickster is playing on Sam. I mean, Dean went to hell how many times in ‘Mystery Spot’ and he remained there for 3 months while Sam flew solo.”
Now that I think about it, there are many different ways that Dean could be saved at the end of the season that would still provide satisfying closure to this story arc. Perhaps it’s best for Dean to live, otherwise many fans may be too upset to make it through the summer. As dallal puts it, “I think I’d need a stiff drink and a therapist with me if he had to die. ‘Mystery Spot’ was tough enough to watch!”
– Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of the CW)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
