I saw nothing to suggest Dean thought Ben was his. I was surprised to read Mo Ryan believed so emphatically he was.

The show went to pretty great lengths to show Ben as a mini Dean. I honestly at the time thought that it was so over the top that Ben couldn't be Dean's son. That was going to be the twist. They even named him Ben. [link]

The only thing that we have to dispute that Ben isn't Dean's is Lisa's word.

I will believe show either way it is determined, but I honestly think it the seeds are there for it to go either way.

But in the first one, did anyone notice

I didn't but that is typically how detailed Show can be and I LOVE that.

Ugh. Great. I went and watched the clips again. Clip 2 is the one that gutted me the most. Then 3. 1 gets my wondering juices flowing, as well as my Oh, BOYS. But the other two gut me on behalf of Bobby and Cas respectively. They've both put so much on Dean, and that's part of his problem. And his gift. I'm just more used to Sam feeling that way.

Frankly, I don't even know how Sam fixes this. But I'm still rooting for him.

Frankly, I don't even know how Sam fixes this. But I'm still rooting for him.

Me too!

Theresa, I read your link but I may be thick as I don't get the significance of Ben's name.

He has to, ita. DO YOU HEAR US, KRIPKE?

Dean thought he as Ben's dad and Lisa told him he wasn't. But the bio-father wasn't in the picture either. I could see Dean wanting Ben to have a father even if it wasn't his bio-dad.

Until he met Ben, Lisa was just a good time. After meeting Ben, he discovered his white picket fence fantasy. Could he really live that life - heck no. But I don't think that is an image you let go of easily, even if you don't voice it out loud.

Theresa, I read your link but I may be thick as I don't get the significance of Ben's name.

Benjamin means "son of the right hand; son of the south; son of my old age". The boy's name Ben ben is pronounced ben. It is of Hebrew origin, and its meaning is "son".

I took son of the right hand to mean the son of the favored one, the right hand of God. I think Dean's happy place could be Ben as the "son of my old age." I don't have any meaning read into "son of the south." But as invested as the show is in Biblical icons, myths, legend, whatever, I have a hard time seeing the name as coincidence.

I could see Dean wanting Ben to have a father even if it wasn't his bio-dad.

And that's as far as I can comfortably go, really. Surrogate dad, and pretty damned good at it. If he's had a bigger weight on his mind this whole time I would want to have known about it.

After watching the clips from next week, this montage made me feel a little bit better. funny moments

Of course, maybe Lisa is in a relationship, and the whole thing is moot. That will be my fanon.

Oh, and in reference to clip #1: Sammy! You did not make a mistake leaving for Stanford! But I get why you said it.