Supernatural Round Table: "Defending Your Life"

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Welcome to the latest edition of the Supernatural Round Table!

Following an episode that placed Dean on trial for his sins, panelists Carissa Pavlica, Kate Moon and Sean McKenna have gathered below for a dissection of "Defending Your Life." As always, reader feedback is greatly encouraged. Let's get right to it, shall?

Does it feel weird that the brothers are back to working cases?
Carissa: No. I've always loved their case of the week episodes. Some of them were my favorites. It's time for them to regroup a little, deal with their magnificent issues and kick some supernatural ass.

Kate: Actually, it feels pretty natural. This season's been all about returning to basics and the brothers are going back to their roots. I also like that it's interspersed with the larger Big Bad Leviathan of the season so that there's still an arc.

Sean: I agree with both of you. Working cases was how it all started and stepping back to explore what gave the show that initial life while combining it with a major long story arc is certainly keeping me interested.

Did you enjoy the return of Jo?
Carissa: No. She had a horrific death but she keeps being resurrected. I just want her to rest. Or come back for good. Their choice.

Kate: I don't think Jo was used in a way that was entirely effective. Was it to try to make Dean feel guiltier or alleviate his guilt? Although Jo's ghost told Dean that she didn't blame him for anything, I didn't get a sense of resolution. But I guess that means the door's open for us to see more of Jo!

Sean: I didn’t hate her return, but it was certainly underused. It’s too bad she didn’t come back from the dead because even in her few short scenes with Dean, I was noticing sparks between them. Can ghosts give off sparks? There were sparks.

Do you think the third witness would have actually been Amy?
Carissa: With all of the casualties in his line of business, his latest hardly seems to be one of the most important. It would have been silly for it to have been Amy.

Kate: Osiris certainly seemed to imply that it would be Amy. I think for Dean, Sam is always the biggest priority, so the third witness would be someone he feels a large amount of guilt towards with a strong connection to Sam. At the moment it makes sense that it would be Amy; Dean feels guilty about killing her and lying to Sam.

Sean: I think because his most recent guilt involved killing Amy and betraying his brother, it seems easy that Amy would be the third witness. However, he was rather surprised by the first two, so that third could be any guess. In the end it didn’t matter, because Dean held a lot of guilt and that was Osiris’ point.

Is Dean still sentenced to death when Osiris returns?
Carissa: I really didn't like Osiris at all. I found him annoying and their attempt to make him amusing failed. All I know is that Dean has already died multiple times, and if Osiris carries out Dean's death sentence, it won't be permanent unless it's the last episode. Even then...I think the Winchesters will live forever in some way or another.

Kate: Probably, as long as Dean carries all that guilt on his shoulder. But when Osiris returns, won't Dean be dead by then anyway? Let the space cowboy hunters deal with it!

Sean: You mean if Osiris returns, because frankly, he could become a dropped plot point. Plus, I’d hate to think that that’s how Dean dies. Kind of a lame way to kick the bucket.

Will Dean’s guilt continue to hang over him for the rest of the season?
Carissa: I think it will hang over him for the rest of his life. He's always hated the possibility of hurting innocents, and he's getting confused between good and evil since the Winchesters spend so much time walking the line. I need to jump into the TV and take care of him. Be back...or not!

Kate: I agree with Carissa. Dean will continue to feel guilty and responsible until the end of the show. Although he's constantly saving the world, he just has a chip on his shoulder; it wouldn't be Dean without the denial. Can you even imagine a chipper, happy Dean?

Sean: Probably, but I’m interested to see how much it will grow once Sam finds out that he killed Amy. Is another Winchester brother separation on the way?

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