The Shipper’s Guide to 9x06 or, How to Watch This Episode Without Getting Your Heart Unnecessarily Broken

Or, My God, I Write Presumptuous Titles.

So basically, Heaven Can’t Wait is going to rock. There are two reasons: Sam/Crowley/Kevin (so much fun/potential!) and Dean/Cas.

When was the last time Dean and Cas went on adventures together? 8x10. Before that, and I mean properly? 5x03?

I love it because Dean is just so happy. Pure and simple, Dean + Cas = happiness, and already that means I’m going to love 9x06.

This episode is actually going to be the first time we have seen Dean and Cas alone together this season, with the debatable exception of Dean’s unheard, heartfelt prayer to Cas in 9x01. And that’s important. Dean acts differently with Cas when Sam isn’t around, and that became especially evident in season eight.

Key things to look for, to know if Dean’s behaviour around Cas is consistent with the pattern established last year:

Less teasing - or I should say, different teasing. Think about 8x08 - Dean played up his exasperation with Cas’ attempts at “helping” when Sam was around (“Cas, stop smelling the dead guy”), while when they’re alone it’s got a hint of fondness to it (“Gee, Cas, I thought you were a hunter now” in 8x10).

More touching - Dean is always touching Cas’ arm when they’re alone, omg. See 8x07, 8x10, 8x17, 8x23… now with 9x03 we can add face and thigh(!) touching, hehehe (notice that Dean only pulled away when Sam woke up).

FEELINGS - Listen, it’s not the time and place for some huge confession here, but I’d be surprised if we don’t get one quiet, heartfelt scene, probably in the Impala, where someone talks about feelings of some sort - they know we love that stuff. Think 8x02 (Purgatory!reunion), 8x07 (I did not leave you/you can’t save everyone my friend), 8x08 (talk to me), 8x23 (E.T. goes home)… I expect, this time around, the heart will come largely from Cas’ loneliness/his struggle to become human.

Now, some things not to look for:

Dean to tell Cas about Ezekiel. Yes, we all want him to. But this arc is about isolating Dean, and Dean pushing away everyone who could help him. It’s not time, yet, for him to have an ally. (This is likely to change midseason, when Cas most likely will be returning to the bunker on a more permanent basis.) We may get an excruciating moment where Dean considers it. He may actually prepare to, only to be superseded by some other interruption. But I don’t think he’s going to get the words out by the end of the episode.

Dean to get super!jealous over Nora. Whether Nora is just Cas’ boss, his potential love interest, a fling, a date, or if Cas becomes her unintentional babysitter as some grain-of-salt “spoilers” would have it, Dean Winchester is not going to pitch a hissy fit. If Cas tells Dean he has a date, Dean is going to be slightly surprised, then go-get-‘er-tiger-here’s-a-condom-this-time, in line with his actual delight over Cas sleeping with Reaper!April. Dean knows that a date is just a date, however, we might be lucky enough to get a moment of Jensen’s sure-to-be-perfect reaction face when he drops Cas at her door. And that look could hold a whole world of possibilities. (Brought to you by the man who single-handedly gave us the Actually Perfect Aaron Scene in 8x13.)

Other possibilities to look out for (and look forward to):

We’ve already been told by Misha that Cas is acting like a “jilted lover” toward Dean over being thrown out of the bunker, and I’m hoping that means we’ll get to watch Dean squirm a little. When Cas is in the doghouse, he buys porn and pie… I wonder what Dean would do?

What are the “things” Dean sent Cas off with? I would argue for the practical: fake IDs (hello Steve), rock salt, guns, but maybe there’ll be something a little more entertaining/mother hen in there for us to enjoy.

We know Cas gets attacked from the promo. How about some Dean! to the rescue? Or maybe they’ll turn it around and it’ll be Cas! to the rescue? At any rate, DeanandCas! make one hell of a team and that leaves lots of potential for kicking ass/working together/worrying about each other/being adorable as hell and there’s no way that’s not going to be awesome.

So, in sum:

This is NOT going to be the episode that establishes Dean/Cas as an undeniably romantic pairing. Okay? It’s just not the time, not in the context of this season so far. We’re not going to get any big confessions, romantic sunsets (thanks, S.E. Hilton, for the visual), or game-changing jealousy. Please, please, please don’t go in expecting these things to happen, if only to save yourself from disappointment.

Because unless I am way over in left field with the butterflies here, we should get a whole lot in this episode to love. We can look forward to a happier, more relaxed Dean (away from Zeke and with Cas again), confirmed “jilted lover” Cas, and precious time for these two best friends to be, well - best friends.

Anything on top of that, at this stage of the game, is cake (and yup, I’ll eat that too).

:)