If it had a more natural genesis - hunting still, but pulling back enough maybe by starting with an actual home base, then non-Sam, non-hunting relationships with actual people and the hunting became less a mission and more an avocation as other priorities were allowed to take hold?

Yes. This. I see it as a transition rather than a firm departure. I would also see Dean trying to leave the hunting life more than once before settling into a sort of coexistence with it. I could see him ending up in a similar situation to Bobby's--running a legitimate business of some sort while still hunting as occasion demanded. Heck, I could even see him finding his own version of a Sheriff Mills, in terms of an authority figure who would drag him in if something got a bit weirder than normal protocol could handle.

OMG I WANT DEAN ON THE ROAD FOREVER SHUT UP YOU GUYS.

THERE WILL BE NO REST.

THEY WILL NEVER BE DONE.

WAYWARD 4 LYFE!!!!

YES, to both brenda and Anne.

Also, Dean's relationship with Lisa was so tangled. It was lust and fond memories of bendiness, not love, until he saw Ben. And from there it became sort of symbolic, I think, no matter how much he genuinely cared for both of them.

Falling in love with someone *now* and starting a life together would be a whole other thing.

THERE WILL BE NO REST.

What about rest between occasional long and exceedingly dangerous road trips? Kinda like those Alaska crab boat fishermen.

(Edit: Amy, something you said in passing gave me exactly what I needed to fix a small but significant plot hole in my BB, so thanks!)

I'm glad they never said Dean was in love with Lisa and I hope they never do. It was too random for me to accept love on top of those expectations. In love with Cassie I always bought. Just...Lisa? Why? I was probably taking it too personally, but no.

What about rest between occasional long and exceedingly dangerous road trips?

They can't be too occasional.

Glad to help, Anne. Whatever it was I said!

I think Dean came to love Lisa, but wasn't *in love* with her. And wow, that sounds totally high school, but I do think there's a difference.

I think Dean came to love Lisa, but wasn't *in love* with her. And wow, that sounds totally high school, but I do think there's a difference.

As do I. If Dean could have been *in* love to any degree in that relationship, it would have been with the ideal that Ben and Lisa represented. It would have been something abstract, too tied up in his own daydreams and trying to live the life Sam wanted him to have.

I think Dean loved Lisa in general at the start of things, because that's who I think of him as. A guy who loves people who haven't done anything wrong to him yet, because he is a nice guy. I mean, she hit only positive criteria when you're going down the checkboxes.

Not in a soul-sharing bondy sort of way, or anything. And the fact that he didn't interact with her on an extended basis made it easy. Then she just kept being cool, and then he actually got to know the Lisaness of her, and he could grow to love that. But the bing bang boom love stuff I read stories of? Nah, just don't buy that, and I'm glad they never tried to sell it.

Watch them do it in the three remaining episodes!

You know what? It was like an arranged marriage and they kind of grew to love each other. . . but with reservations.

OMG, I am so close to loving this, but why would they write that under Gabe? Makes NO SENSE. My finger hovers over the favourite button...

Still, the execution is awesome.