#dean x garth

by s15 garth is one of dean's only friends that he feels no real obligation to as a protector

which allows him to be more open and honest bc he doesn't have to "protect" him from his identity or his real emotions that he tries so hard w/ everyone else to repress bc he doesn't feel the need to project a certain strongman macho image w/ garth

and garth, who is comfortable with himself and loves himself and everyone around him, meets dean where he is with patience and empathy but also makes it clear he won't allow dean to belittle his sexuality or identity bc that's something they have in common and it's something garth loves about himself! and it's something he loves about dean, too!

The subtext of this ep is a coming out in a major way—I think maybe even more than the subtextual homoeroticism in Last Call. It ups the subtext, I think, to a homoromanticism that’s very different from the standard homo subtext we usually see. Let me explain:

The first thing that struck me as odd is the dentist scene. (Anybody else associate dentists on spn with, you know, drilling?) I’m not even going to get into the dream sequence yet, I’m just talking about the frankly weird vibes I picked up on first watch between dean and Garth. Garth leads dean into the basement, saying “come on” and sort of physically (a little forcefully but not violently) guiding him down. Dean has what I guess is an expected reaction for someone who’s never “been to the dentist” before—he’s scared at first. But Garth relaxes him (you know, physically) and then he enjoys it. It didn’t hit me until I saw the little look of pleasure that slips onto Dean’s face when he loses his inhibitions, but that look really did something. Dean has this oddly transformative physical experience with Garth that involves drilling and is essentially euphemised with dancing.. and then after he’s sore but happy, a little embarrassed, but better off. ?!?!?!

Ok before I get into the dancing meta, I also want to mention that this transformative physical experience in the basement is followed by well, some butt references (I didn’t want to go here but I just have to mention it, because WHY) Not only is Dean penetrated by Garth’s dental equipment, he’s also called out specifically by these butt references: Garth tells Dean specifically “You need to get a colonoscopy stat,” and then Dean himself uses the colorful phrase “god yanked the magic horseshoe out of our ass.” Honorable mention, later on Dean goes right for the grenade launcher of bisexuality, tho he doesn’t get to use it. (But he does call it sweetheart and take it to the bathroom with him soooo).

Okay back to the Dean x Garth subtext: Dean’s little pseudo crush on Garth maintains through the ep: At first meeting they hug, Garth comments that dean smells good, dean steps back, a little discomposed. (Remember this is before the *experience*). When Garth takes dean down to the.. uh.. *white* room, dean comments on Garth’s strength, albeit he sounds a little intimidated by it, like he’s worried it might hurt him a bit (not enough for him to want to stop even if he’s performatively declining, uhuh, you know what I’m saying). After the drilling experience, at the warehouse, dean comments on Garth’s strength again, but this time his voice is full of admiration, appreciation, and yes, it sounds an awful lot like attraction. He even repeats “he’s so strong” to himself, soft and breathless. And the ep rounds out with another dean/Garth hug where this time dean leans into the hug, telling Garth that HE smells good before glancing down at Garth’s lips and then licking his own lips. This boy, I swear.

Ok now let’s go back to the dentist experience bc I think it’s sort of the key to this whole thing and is where the homoromanticism v. Homoeroticism ties in: There’s something very important about Dean’s dream dance sequence. I mean, on the surface, he’s dancing with another man, to a song that’s undeniably about sex (“They say the Spring Means just one thing To little lovebirds; We're not above birds, Let's misbehave!”) by a man that was widely believed to be bisexual (Cole Porter, thank you @wigglebox for pointing this out on my dash). Most importantly, midway through the song, Garth conspicuously disappears and is replaced by... a lamp. At first I thought this was odd. The disappearance was so conspicuous and I couldn’t place what it meant. I was like why can’t he dance with Garth 😭 just bc they’re two men? That’s not fair? If it was, like, Charlie, we would have seen it?

But then I realized that they couldn’t have them literally dance together (in a traditional slow dance hold) when that type of dance is shown to be explicitly romantic later in the ep. because that would impart romance here retroactively, and dean is not *actually* romantically interested in Garth. Garth is married (and, well, maybe in a way, Dean is too..) so if the show is pushing dean toward Garth, but Garth isn’t the actual destination, what is? Well, it’s gotta be the “lamp.” And the kicker is, dean didn’t have to slow dance with a lamp. There didn’t have to be slow dancing at all. But Dabb chose to make a real thing out of it, with the dream + the end. Why?

Alright, I’ll “come out” with it: it’s symbolic. Garth (and therefore Dean’s queer ROMANTIC subtext aimed at him) is a stand in for someone who isn’t there. Someone associated with light. Someone dean could dance happily with. Because in the end, as dean says “I could be a dancer”, we’re left with the impression that, like Garth and Bess, dean wants to dance with somebody (somebody who loves him). But whoever could it be????????? Who else is a man, that’s strong, that has saved dean, that has hugged him, that comforts him and impresses him and sometimes frustrates him, tries to sacrifice himself for him, is a little socially awkward, has a history with Dean, and is also such a strong part of the narrative that he’s being literally lampshaded with an actual lamp. Whoever could it be? We just don’t know.

Dean: 11

Garth: You in the market for men's heelys?