In the space of two episodes, Supernatural has all but repaired the damage done by the ninth season’s lackluster direction.  Demon Dean is a compelling character in his own right, and the fact that Crowley can’t even get him under control is telling, to say the least.  Nothing seems certain right now, other than the promise that Demon Dean is going to cause serious problems as long as he has the Mark of Cain.

 

This episode helps to clarify the situation where Dean is concerned.  Technically, he’s not a demon yet.  He’s just well on his way.  What keeps that transition at bay is the Mark of Cain.  So long as Dean feeds that desire to kill and use the First Blade, his demonic side is under control.  But that doesn’t mean that he can’t let out the demon on his own, and while some part of the old Dean remains in the mix, it’s not the part in control.

 

There’s every reason to think that Sam and Castiel can find a way to bring Dean back.  If nothing else, the parallel between Dean and Castiel this season is an indication on its own.  If Castiel’s Grace, supposedly gone for good, is still able to be returned to its rightful owner, then why couldn’t Dean be restored as well?  It’s just not going to be easy.  Removing the Mark of Cain may simply remove the barrier to the demon taking over.

 

As with the season premiere, this is a powerful follow-up to all of Dean’s fears in the fourth season, which was arguably the best of the series to date.   It also follows on all the of broken dynamics between the Brothers Winchester since the initiation of Jeremy Carver’s tenure.  For the brothers to be reborn into something better, they have to be completely broken down.  That’s essentially where they stand now.

 

One of the best things about Demon Dean is that the mythology of Supernatural has long established that demons are human beings who have been warped by their own worst impulses into demonic form.  And that’s what we see happening with Dean.  None of what he does or says is external to him; these are desires, feelings, and thoughts that he’s harbored the entire time.  It’s just that he, like most people, kept things in perspective or chose not to let that negativity rule him.

 

If there’s one downside to how off the rails Demon Dean has gone, it’s that we didn’t get to see a little more of him working with Crowley.  I liked the idea of Crowley thinking that he was leading Dean down the garden path, only to discover too late that Dean was establishing his own bid for dominance.  Besides, who wouldn’t want to see Dean play at killing those who arguably deserve it, and Sam’s struggle with those actions?  That said, it’s not like the current uncertainty isn’t just as compelling.  Supernatural feels more like itself than it’s been in a long time.