Last night on Supernatural, one of the longest-lasting gay ships of all time was canonically confirmed.
Dean and Castiel, widely known by their ship name "Destiel," have been shipped by fans for over a decade. The sweet, sweet angel and demon-fighting badass have had undeniable chemistry since Cass raised Dean from perdition in season four but most fans ever thought the two would be anything more than speculation, or something to scream about on Tumblr.
The third-to-last episode of the entire series aired last night, and unsuspecting fans finally received what they'd been praying for.
Like The Mary Sue points out, Castiel has expressed some of his feelings for Dean in the past, but his final words have elevated their relationship from just guys being dudes to something more intimate. It's impossible to understand the weight of this scene without spoilers, but we'll try to keep them to a minimum.
To keep a long-story short, Castiel made a deal that if he experienced a moment of true happiness, an entity called The Empty would take him to his final resting place. In order to save Dean from certain Death, Castiel realizes what would finally make him happy.
"The one thing I want is something I know I can't have," Cass tearily tells Dean, expressing some suppressed desire. "Happiness isn't in the having, it's in the being. It's in just saying it."
Tears rolling down his face, he finally confesses what fans have been screaming at their TVs for years.
"Knowing you has changed me," he knowingly continues. "Because you cared, I cared. I cared about you, I cared about Sam, I cared about Jack. But I cared about the whole world because of you. You changed me, Dean."
Dean asks why it sounds like Castiel's speech feels like a goodbye. "Because it is," Cass replies. "I love you. Goodbye, Dean."
Overtaking the agony of the current election, "Destiel" became the number one trend on Twitter last night after the episode aired. But not all fans were happy with the one-sided confession of love. Dean remained rather stoic throughout the scene and fans couldn't help but wonder why there seems to be hesitance between showing a real connection between the two. That, combined with Castiel dying immediately after his confession, has viewers wondering if the decade-long wait was worth the payoff.
Check out reactions and memes below:
\u201cThis destiel stuff is literally the funniest thing to happen this year I have been in a state of complete disbelief all afternoon\u201d— Arthur (@Arthur) 1604653504
\u201cWhy is this so funny to me rn I'm absolutely hysterical #destiel\u201d— JuKO1911 // \ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9b // ofmd\ud83c\udff4\u200d\u2620\ufe0f // GISH2022 (@JuKO1911 // \ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9b // ofmd\ud83c\udff4\u200d\u2620\ufe0f // GISH2022) 1604634443
\u201cthis is what that \u201ccanon destiel\u201d scene looked like to me lmfao\u201d— \ud83e\udd80 friend \u2661 (blorbeaux hell) (@\ud83e\udd80 friend \u2661 (blorbeaux hell)) 1604636209
\u201cwhy is this exactly the destiel confession https://t.co/6m32razGYN\u201d— chuulover69 (@chuulover69) 1604687056
\u201cdestiel becoming canon after a decade and then cas dying right after\u2026\u201d— kendall \u2077 (they/them) (@kendall \u2077 (they/them)) 1604633785
\u201cJust putting my thoughts out on the #destiel situation\u201d— ExperimentalBun (@ExperimentalBun) 1604676310
\u201ccanon destiel was the most gay no homo ive ever seen\u201d— cary @ brainrot \ud83e\udd87 (@cary @ brainrot \ud83e\udd87) 1604633879
\u201cspn stans after destiel went canon\u201d— lynxie (@lynxie) 1604663934
\u201cspn writers making destiel canon\u201d— kill commander (@kill commander) 1604637555
\u201closing my mind over these destiel tumblr posts instead of paying attention in math rn\u201d— lucy reporting live from adx montrose (@lucy reporting live from adx montrose) 1604683552
\u201cjust watched that whole destiel scene and i couldn\u2019t stop laughing they really haven\u2019t changed clothes in like 15 years\n\nalso here\u2019s a compilation of my favourite comments\u201d— Ashley Goh \ud83d\udc38 (@Ashley Goh \ud83d\udc38) 1604687883
\u201cMe trying to explain the #destiel situation to my family who has never watched #Supernatural\u201d— Alli D (@Alli D) 1604677513
None— Aditi Datha (@Aditi Datha) 1604690234
\u201cso destiel huh\u201d— \u3002\uff65 gabi \uff65 \u3002 (@\u3002\uff65 gabi \uff65 \u3002) 1604649643
So is this just another example of the Bury Your Gays television trope? It's not over 'till it's over. We'll see what comes of Destiel on the final two episodes of Supernatural, beginning next Thursday on the CW.
\u201cQUICK PASSING AROUND THE CONFESSION SCENE AND PASS AROUND THIS ONE \u2755 THIS MAN IS GONNA HURT FOR THE LAST EPISODES ALL BECAUSE HES GONNA REGRET NOT SAYING ANYTHING BACK\ud83d\ude2d\u2755\u2755#destiel\u201d— lupe\ud83c\udf31\ud83e\udd0f \u2074\u2074\u2074 (@lupe\ud83c\udf31\ud83e\udd0f \u2074\u2074\u2074) 1604679019
\u201ci\u2019m sick of yall mfs saying Jensen is homophobic or acted poorly \n#Supernatural #destiel\u201d— Caer (@Caer) 1604681375
