Maybe I’m overthinking this but I’m thinking about the religious weight of genuflection. Dean got on one knee in his prayer to Castiel, overwhelmed with emotion... He later tried to punch God in the face. Words are hard for me in this moment but there’s something there!
oh my. you’ve made words hard for me by putting these words together in this order :’D
The last time we saw Dean on his knees, praying to Cas (after specifically seeking out a chapel in which to pray), was in 9.01. When the angels were falling, and he didn’t know if Cas was among them, if Cas was even alive... He didn’t have a “proper chapel” in Purgatory, but he had one hand on that tree as if that alone could ground him, could become his chapel in that moment.
And boy did he ever punch God in the face. Heck. That had such “Mary punching Lucifer in the face” vibes for me, my first thought was “he’s his mother’s son.” But heck, I love Dean making a stand for himself against Chuck, after feeling manipulated and hopeless all season, wondering what was even real. And his turning point happened in Purgatory, in finally being able to get the right words out and begin to have that real conversation with Cas. Purgatory was always pure like that.
Is there something more there to talk about? I’m going with yes. But I’m gonna bask in this for a while before trying to lump more words on it. :’D