Did they actually show him off his game, though?

I remember--and I may have been reading in--some hesitation, some delay put down to tiredness, Sam questioning Dean's lack of energy, investment, eagerness, and Dean putting it down to "just tired." Dean's been tired for a while. But the drinking, while keeping him functional, after a fashion, also slowed his reactions to a degree, and depressed his responses.

Maybe, as I say, I'm reading in. But certainly JA has been reading tired and reluctant.

Other D/C recs to follow.

Wheeee!!

Have you read this one, ita? [link] Not only does it adhere perfectly to your wish list of a D/C fic, but the commentary was interesting and the bloopers were so hysterical as to sort of ruin the rereading of the actual story.

But as I track back, it's starting to look like there's more to Dean's choseness than simply as a meat-suit.

All of those instances have come since he met Michael face-to-face. It could be that Michael has done some behind-the-scenes prep work to alter him along the lines of what YED and Ruby did to Sam.

Of course, since we know God has directly intervened on at least one occasion (and left instructions for Joshua to do so on another), pretty much anything unusual can be chalked up to that as well.

But the drinking, while keeping him functional, after a fashion, also slowed his reactions to a degree, and depressed his responses.

I don't see any clear indication that it's the drinking that did that, and not the PTSD of which the drinking was another symptom. He's drinking massively now, and there's no indication that he's impaired because of it. What would have changed?

All of those instances have come since he met Michael face-to-face

His resistance to Lust was pre-Michael.

I haven't read that, Julie. Will check it out!

It could be that Michael has done some behind-the-scenes prep work to alter him along the lines of what YED and Ruby did to Sam.

So he's drinking some kind of angelic fluid? O . . . K.

Come now. We know that Dean has been set up to be an amalgam of Michael the archangel fighting Lucifer, Jesus in all his martyrdom, and Jim Morrison with his sexual magnetism wrapped in leather. There's nothing he won't be able to do, after sufficient angsting, manpain and crystalline teardrops. All beginning in just over 24 hours.

Isn't just over 24 hours the next to last where they complete their secret decoder ring collection? And a week from over 24 hours is what you said.

True, true. I just kind of expected the end of the season the be a 2-hour episode, spread out over 2 weeks. Maybe I'm wrong.

Right now I think that Dean's resistances aren't signs of anything magical, and some of them may just be writerly overlooking. However, the calling out of him staring at Zachariah's grace seemed very pointed, so either the FX guy was getting his rocks off, or there was a point there.

But, just like he's as dumb as the joke requires, there's only so tightly the characters can be held to consistency.

I don't see any reason to think that the next two episodes are any more a two hour unit. In fact, I'd been thinking of last week through to the end as a three hour unit, since that's the point at which they actually had a plan. This week, I guess they hit up the Horsemen, and next week they find Lucifer and try and do the whatever. Well, and at some point they find out what the whatever is.

Hmm. I'm diligently rereading D/C to make sure I have the right recs. Just in case. Turns out I hadn't marked as many of the fun Sam POV ones as I'd liked.

Just in case.

I'm sure that's the reason.