I do wish I wasn’t so afraid of being spoiled and knew where to go speculate with a larger community. If you’re reading this and know where that is happening, I’d appreciate a link! I don’t know what’s coming after 4.10 Heaven and Hell and want to keep it that way.

Because, man, there is an entire warren of rabbit holes once you go with the speculation that S4 is a filtered and/or created reality. Possible ways to take this include:

A) Dean is comatose and dreaming – with or without Sam’s influence. Rabbit hole #1: If Sam is involved (as I think he obviously is), what force(s) is he playing with? Rabbit hole #2: We need to find out more about the time Sam spent dead between 2.21-2.22 All Hell Breaks Loose Parts 1 and 2.
B) Dean is going to be portrayed as mentally ill. Or, Sam is. Rabbit hole #1: We’ll to be asked to accept that the the official legal take on the boys as dangerously disturbed is also medically correct.  Rabbit hole #2: How far back would something like that go? The stereotypical causes for traumatic onset don’t bear thinking about.
C) Dean is a spirit bound to return again and again. This is a loop that’s been repeating for years already. Dean is invincible because he’s already dead! Or, conceivably though much less likely in my view, Sam is the spirit – perhaps going back to the original fire? Rabbit hole #1: Who understands what of the situation? Is there any awareness on either boy’s part? What happened to set the boys on their years long separation when Sam went away to school?  Rabbit hole #2: Sam’s death in 2.21-2.22 All Hell Breaks Loose Parts 1and 2 means ? ? ? Is there any reason to believe they are both spirits or alternating in that role?  Rabbit hole #3: How does something like this kind of idea get resolved?  See 2.11 Playthings, 2.16 Roadkill, 3.06 Red Sky at Morning, etc.

See what I mean? It would be a lot less headachy if the show’s reality would turn out to be exactly what it says it is. Just for the record, my current wildest speculations are that we’re seeing A now and will detour (hopefully very briefly) through B on the way to an ultimate resolution under the C umbrella. As often as my theory evolves, I don’t think I’ll be disappointed if it turns out something completely different is going on. I am really ready for things to make sense again, though.

Another idea still tickling at my brain is regarding necklaces. Besides noticing Layla’s in 1.12 Faith, there was also the one Sue Ann used to control the reaper until it was smashed. This got me to remembering Laurie’s in 1.07 Hookman and that it needed to be destroyed. I’m already wanting to rewatch 2.18 Hollywood Babylon to see if that spirit controller – also destroyed – was worn as a necklace. (I don’t think so.) Uriel’s vial of Anna’s grace feels like a clue to pay attention to these others as well as to Dean’s amulet.

Also, I’m wondering about Bobby’s panic room (or 4.01 Lazarus Rising and 4.09 I Know What You Did Last Summer and how that solid protective setting compares to the open and overgrown shacks of 4.09 and 4.10 Heaven and Hell. Speaking of overgrown, 2.13 Houses of the Holy introduced some vine (wormwood? ironwood?) that indicated the presence of a restless spirit…. so that just made the rewatch list. Supernatural trees don’t only come in the glowing, grace-filled division. They’ve been pivotal in 1.09 Home, 1.11 Scarecrow, and 2.04 Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things. If you stretch the point, 1.19 Something Wicked has a monster reaching for victims with branch-like arms while 3.08 A Very Supernatural Christmas puts evergreen trees to traditional and non-traditional uses.

Along with the necklaces and increasingly open sets, I am noticing eyes and (not) seeing. I’m hearing “not alone” and “stop it” in every other episode I rewatch.

And… (if the speculation before this didn’t count as wild, then this surely should) more and more as I look at and think about episodes from early in the series, I am switching my point of view. Instead of lining the boys up exclusively with the victims in S1, I’m seeing the parallels they have with the spirits and creatures. That was tempting to do with many paired supernatural entities in S2 and S3, but maybe it goes all the way back to S1? Thinking again about the very first restless spirit we met, the Woman in White, is giving me shivers. There have been some bizarre gender issues (rehymenation, Dean?) in S4, but maybe that’s to get us to look back much further to an underlying situation.

One more stupid rabbit hole? Now I’m considering going to see some horror movie called The Unborn. The commercial I just saw makes it look like it’s about a twin who died in utero?  Maybe I can find some spoiler filled reviews?  That will be my warm up for My Bloody Valentine 3D.  While I’m at it, I’ll mention that I’m looking forward to seeing Jensen Ackles appear on Jimmy Kimmel Thursday night and Bonnie Hunt on Friday – though I’ll have to hope that one gets posted on the web.  Every distraction waiting for new episodes of Supernatural (9 more days!) is so very welcome.

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