Question about the last couple of SPN episodes

[moonshayde]

I know I haven't posted any thoughts on Smallville and Supernatural last week. Did I? I don't even remember anymore. Anyway...

I do have a question about the episode of Supernatural, though. Spoilers, obviously.



Does Dean remember Hell?

I ask because I'm not sure what we're supposed to think. That might be the point. In Yellow Fever, hallucination!Lilith said that he remembered ever bit of it. In It's the Great Punpkin, Sam Winchester Uriel tells Sam to ask Dean what he remembers of Hell.

We've seen flashes of Dean remembering something in several episodes. (Btw, kudos for making the flashbacks weird and abstract and creepy without revealing anything. The screams last episode were a nice touch.)

But if Dean truly remembers everything, how can he act so much like Dean? Even if he's acting the part, wouldn't we seem him off in his private moments? I haven't picked up anything overly weird about Dean this season, except maybe a couple of brief debatable moments, but I could be missing something. I am not always that observant.

Or does he subconsciously remember Hell and only fragments are coming through. I always thought it was this option, but based on the above episodes, I am not so sure.

What are your thoughts? Am I failing to make a connection?

Comments

[lizardbeth-j.livejournal.com]

I agree with the above. Remember when Castiel asked Dean what he was dreaming about? It sounded simply curious to me at the time, but now I wonder if Castiel was sort of checking how his work was holding. Like maybe he knows it's only temporary? Uriel implied Dean would remember if Sam asks, so I suspect that block isn't very strong.

Which in turn makes me wonder if there's something that happened to Dean there that he's going to NEED? Because it seems fairly obvious to me that Castiel could've made Dean forget. So there should be a reason he didn't. It could be as simple as free will, or showing Dean exactly what Hell on Earth would be like for extra motivation, but it also could give him powers or something necessary for the war.

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

Interesting speculation. See, I have this feeling that Hell wanted to hold onto him for a reason and we don't know why yet. Now angels are involved. Something is going on even if it's as simple as needed something to check Sam and his power. So very interesting.

I don't think he really knows yet, but when the memories come back, ouch.

[lizardbeth-j.livejournal.com]

yes, definitley. And I think the idea that Dean is repressing it all himself works too. Probably doesn't really matter either way. Though I think Castiel knows Dean is holding it back.

But there's one thing that nags at me - the way that Uriel said that Dean should get off his high-horse, as if he'd done something awful in hell. maybe he'd been the victimizer, not the victim. And I wonder whether Dean DOES remember that. It's probably connected with how hell/Lillith wanted Dean in hell, and why the angels pulled him out, but we don't have much to go on yet.

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

About the Uriel thing, I agree. I have this feeling that Dean did something in Hell. he might had to have made alliances to survive or even became a torturer himself. I don't know if that is the case, but it's a possibility.

Also, I don't know. Seems like both heaven and hell have an interest in him.