I have to ask - what is Kate doing this whole time? Is she uncomfortable at the ranch? Or is she just a hands-off mom? I would have thought she’d try to help Adam get comfortable. I just feel like the only person not failing Adam is Dean. We know Sam is being Sam and avoiding the kid.
she's trying to be comfortable at the ranch but she feels out of her depth at the same time. since our focus is Dean, we see his share of these moments, but, for instance, Kate would've been watching the entire time Adam was riding because a) he's her whole world and b) Adam would've very much wanted his mom to see & praise him because he's 5 and "look Mommy!" is the catchphrase of many a 5-year-old. there is also an element of this where John is doing a courting dance, right? so he wants to show off his abundant land and livestock and how well he takes care of his farm and business with the possible endgame of bringing Kate out for good. and to show he's a good parent... he basically leaves it to Dean. I don't even think he realises but he defaults to parenting-by-proxy and Kate might be able to put her finger on it by the end of the visit but I think she's a little overwhelmed at first. and then there's the fact that Dean really has made a much more successful testimony for John than he means to. she looks at Dean and thinks that John must be a good father if he raised one boy who is some super genius and another who is so personable and charming and kind to her kid. but there are also things we don't see directly that might've been just John, Kate, and Adam. like that baseball game, there was probably another afternoon activity one of these two days where John is putting on his "Great Dad/Husband Material" persona, because I always imagine he can be very winning when he wants to be. all that to say, Kate's a bit of a mystery to me sometimes. she's thinking a lot and she's trying to make the right decisions for her and her son, but she's got the wrong information. she's being fed one version of reality that isn't entirely true, and I think she suspects or fears that everything is not as rosy as it looks. there's some tension during this visit that she doesn't know how to reconcile. and again, Dean does so well compensating for it because that's what he's always done that he sustains the myth that this is a happy household, nothing to see here
john: *puffs out chest* ah, yes this is going great! i'm doing such a great job impressing my lady and kid!
meanwhile, dean: quietly mending everything in john's wake, brushing away every mess both literal and figurative, all while actually forming genuine bonds with adam and kate.
I have to ask - what is Kate doing this whole time? Is she uncomfortable at the ranch? Or is she just a hands-off mom? I would have thought she’d try to help Adam get comfortable. I just feel like the only person not failing Adam is Dean. We know Sam is being Sam and avoiding the kid.
she's trying to be comfortable at the ranch but she feels out of her depth at the same time. since our focus is Dean, we see his share of these moments, but, for instance, Kate would've been watching the entire time Adam was riding because a) he's her whole world and b) Adam would've very much wanted his mom to see & praise him because he's 5 and "look Mommy!" is the catchphrase of many a 5-year-old. there is also an element of this where John is doing a courting dance, right? so he wants to show off his abundant land and livestock and how well he takes care of his farm and business with the possible endgame of bringing Kate out for good. and to show he's a good parent... he basically leaves it to Dean. I don't even think he realises but he defaults to parenting-by-proxy and Kate might be able to put her finger on it by the end of the visit but I think she's a little overwhelmed at first. and then there's the fact that Dean really has made a much more successful testimony for John than he means to. she looks at Dean and thinks that John must be a good father if he raised one boy who is some super genius and another who is so personable and charming and kind to her kid. but there are also things we don't see directly that might've been just John, Kate, and Adam. like that baseball game, there was probably another afternoon activity one of these two days where John is putting on his "Great Dad/Husband Material" persona, because I always imagine he can be very winning when he wants to be. all that to say, Kate's a bit of a mystery to me sometimes. she's thinking a lot and she's trying to make the right decisions for her and her son, but she's got the wrong information. she's being fed one version of reality that isn't entirely true, and I think she suspects or fears that everything is not as rosy as it looks. there's some tension during this visit that she doesn't know how to reconcile. and again, Dean does so well compensating for it because that's what he's always done that he sustains the myth that this is a happy household, nothing to see here
Dean is such a sweet bean 🥰
he issss
john: *puffs out chest* ah, yes this is going great! i'm doing such a great job impressing my lady and kid!
meanwhile, dean: quietly mending everything in john's wake, brushing away every mess both literal and figurative, all while actually forming genuine bonds with adam and kate.
Dean has the advantage of having more in common with her because he too knows what it's like being a single mother. somehow