There was some hate towards Gwen back in 6x01, but to be fair, she wasn't written terribly sympathetically that episode. Fan reaction towards her seemed to warm considerably as the season progressed, though there still aren't really Gwen stans out there or hardcore Gwen/Dean or Sam/Gwen pairing shippers. Overall though, fandom seemed to like her. Or if they disliked her, it was part of disliking the Campbells all together, not because of Gwen herself.
I think Dean was doing fairly well at the start of the season, all things considered. He hadn't given up on freeing Sam and was obviously still drinking too much and was depressed, but he slept under the blankets in jimjams, nonnie! That's such progress compared to how he's been since the start of S4! He seemed to gain honest comfort from being around Lisa and Ben and there was a look of defensive panic on his face when he thought Lisa was breaking up with him in 6x02. He'd cut off a major part of himself re: hunting but Dean seems to have this mentality that he can only have one or the other.
It's just as unhealthy for him to cut out the chance for a domestic life as it is for him to cut out hunting. Maybe more, since he associates hunting with the parts of himself that he loathes.
I'd love to see Dean have a revelation about hunting in general, actually. Something to remind him that there's value and worth in what he does that goes with all the suffering and pain. Make it something he wants to do and voluntarily chooses instead of it being the last resort, the one thing left to him that he has no choice but to accept. It's possible for that to still happen, I think; I mean, that's how he viewed his relationship with Sam in early S5, right? But things have improved there by leaps and bounds since Sam got his soul back.
I'm trying to think, but I definitely can't remember anything disparaging in S4. Maybe in S5? But in S4, Castiel's reaction was one of shock and surprise that Dean didn't think he was worthy of being saved and that was right after he'd pulled Dean from Hell to begin with. He demanded respect but he didn't treat Dean as any worse for what he'd done in Hell. I can't remember Castiel ever holding that against Dean. I think having a partner who knew everything, who had seen the worst of Dean, but who still accepted him and still loved him would be a very powerful healing experience for Dean. I know true healing needs to come from within, but Dean's self loathing is just so strong that an outside catalyst might be helpful to get things started.
There's a reason I'm the nonnie with the kink for Dean/Cas dubcon validation porn, where Castiel is telling Dean all the reasons he's worthy while Dean is all "JUST SHUT UP AND FUCK ME ALREADY" but can't get away from it. Con for the sex, noncon for the validation. Mm.
I never really saw Dean/Jo until S5 and then of course we got so little of Jo before her death. S2!Jo reminded me (and I think Dean as well) of a younger version of Dean himself. The only difference is that Jo seemed to have a stronger calling to the hunt. But she was inexperienced (not bad, just inexperienced. S1!boys were pretty damned inexperienced as well, ffs) and that seemed to cause Dean to view her more as a junior partner than an equal. I could see S5!Jo and Dean falling into that sort of pattern some day though, with their own Roadhouse. I'd see Jo as doing more active hunts than Dean, too.
I'd agree with your final point only Dean's always had more faith in Sam's slate being able to be wiped clean instead of his own. He thought Sam could get out in S1, he refused to assign Sam the blame for his actions in S4 until Sam himself denied him that choice, he refused to blame Sam for what RoboSam did even as Sam himself took on that guilt. Dean's view of Sam is that of a much better person than Dean's view of himself, just like Sam seems to view Dean as a better person than he sees himself as well. These Winchesters kill me, I swear.
I wish they'd introduced someone for Dean earlier. For Dean to get another love interest at this point, I'm just not sure it would work for me. But that's because I'm bitter about loving Dean/Lisa and Dean/Gwen and having both of those pairings cruelly denied to me so recently. I could get into Dean/Tessa, though.
Hm, that might work. As a reaper, she doesn't have clean hands either and she knows what he did in Hell. And yet she still seems to like him! And he likes and respects her as well. There's potential here!
Re: 6.19 Official Description
I think Dean was doing fairly well at the start of the season, all things considered. He hadn't given up on freeing Sam and was obviously still drinking too much and was depressed, but he slept under the blankets in jimjams, nonnie! That's such progress compared to how he's been since the start of S4! He seemed to gain honest comfort from being around Lisa and Ben and there was a look of defensive panic on his face when he thought Lisa was breaking up with him in 6x02. He'd cut off a major part of himself re: hunting but Dean seems to have this mentality that he can only have one or the other.
It's just as unhealthy for him to cut out the chance for a domestic life as it is for him to cut out hunting. Maybe more, since he associates hunting with the parts of himself that he loathes.
I'd love to see Dean have a revelation about hunting in general, actually. Something to remind him that there's value and worth in what he does that goes with all the suffering and pain. Make it something he wants to do and voluntarily chooses instead of it being the last resort, the one thing left to him that he has no choice but to accept. It's possible for that to still happen, I think; I mean, that's how he viewed his relationship with Sam in early S5, right? But things have improved there by leaps and bounds since Sam got his soul back.
I'm trying to think, but I definitely can't remember anything disparaging in S4. Maybe in S5? But in S4, Castiel's reaction was one of shock and surprise that Dean didn't think he was worthy of being saved and that was right after he'd pulled Dean from Hell to begin with. He demanded respect but he didn't treat Dean as any worse for what he'd done in Hell. I can't remember Castiel ever holding that against Dean. I think having a partner who knew everything, who had seen the worst of Dean, but who still accepted him and still loved him would be a very powerful healing experience for Dean. I know true healing needs to come from within, but Dean's self loathing is just so strong that an outside catalyst might be helpful to get things started.
There's a reason I'm the nonnie with the kink for Dean/Cas dubcon validation porn, where Castiel is telling Dean all the reasons he's worthy while Dean is all "JUST SHUT UP AND FUCK ME ALREADY" but can't get away from it. Con for the sex, noncon for the validation. Mm.
I never really saw Dean/Jo until S5 and then of course we got so little of Jo before her death. S2!Jo reminded me (and I think Dean as well) of a younger version of Dean himself. The only difference is that Jo seemed to have a stronger calling to the hunt. But she was inexperienced (not bad, just inexperienced. S1!boys were pretty damned inexperienced as well, ffs) and that seemed to cause Dean to view her more as a junior partner than an equal. I could see S5!Jo and Dean falling into that sort of pattern some day though, with their own Roadhouse. I'd see Jo as doing more active hunts than Dean, too.
I'd agree with your final point only Dean's always had more faith in Sam's slate being able to be wiped clean instead of his own. He thought Sam could get out in S1, he refused to assign Sam the blame for his actions in S4 until Sam himself denied him that choice, he refused to blame Sam for what RoboSam did even as Sam himself took on that guilt. Dean's view of Sam is that of a much better person than Dean's view of himself, just like Sam seems to view Dean as a better person than he sees himself as well. These Winchesters kill me, I swear.
I wish they'd introduced someone for Dean earlier. For Dean to get another love interest at this point, I'm just not sure it would work for me. But that's because I'm bitter about loving Dean/Lisa and Dean/Gwen and having both of those pairings cruelly denied to me so recently. I could get into Dean/Tessa, though.
Hm, that might work. As a reaper, she doesn't have clean hands either and she knows what he did in Hell. And yet she still seems to like him! And he likes and respects her as well. There's potential here!