I think the people saying Cas should be killed off are a very small minority of the fandom. Castiel has become such a mainstay character that I don't see the writers ever getting rid of him. Nor do I think they are paying attention to any of those fan opinions.
Also, there's the fact that I have a distinct memory of Jensen saying once that just like there's no SPN without Sam and Dean, there's also no SPN without Cas.
I think the writers are using Cas as they would a third brother - each season since S2 is always set up with one "brother" in peril and the other trying to save them OR it's a season about the brother's being mad at each other. S2 Sam peril - S3 Dean peril - S4 mad and Sam peril - S5 still a little mad and both in peril - S6 Sam peril -S7 Sam peril - S8 Mad and then Sam peril - S9 Mad and then Dean peril - S10 Dean peril.
What I see them doing this season is realizing that people are getting a little tired of this sort of back and forth between Sam and Dean and they want the brothers to be a united front again, where neither is mad and neither is in peril... but, they also have this tradition of nearly ALWAYS having a family member in peril in order to drive the emotional plot (I mean, you could argue in S1 it was John who was in peril), so they're using Castiel this year, because that leaves Sam and Dean able to be a united front, while also having someone in peril.
I mean, really, they've been treating Castiel as a third brother since S6, when the brothers were mad at Cas, S7 Cas was barely in the show, but when he was they were annoyed because he was unreliable at best, so that could count as a "mad at" sub-plot, S8 had sub-plot Cas peril, S9 had subplot Cas peril, S10 had Cas largely as a united front with Sam while Dean was in peril... and now in S11, they're bringing Cas peril to the main-plot rather than having it as a subplot, because they want the brothers to be the united front.
That's the way I see it anyway - I could be wrong. *shrug*
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2016-01-22 12:19 am (UTC)Also, there's the fact that I have a distinct memory of Jensen saying once that just like there's no SPN without Sam and Dean, there's also no SPN without Cas.
I think the writers are using Cas as they would a third brother - each season since S2 is always set up with one "brother" in peril and the other trying to save them OR it's a season about the brother's being mad at each other. S2 Sam peril - S3 Dean peril - S4 mad and Sam peril - S5 still a little mad and both in peril - S6 Sam peril -S7 Sam peril - S8 Mad and then Sam peril - S9 Mad and then Dean peril - S10 Dean peril.
What I see them doing this season is realizing that people are getting a little tired of this sort of back and forth between Sam and Dean and they want the brothers to be a united front again, where neither is mad and neither is in peril... but, they also have this tradition of nearly ALWAYS having a family member in peril in order to drive the emotional plot (I mean, you could argue in S1 it was John who was in peril), so they're using Castiel this year, because that leaves Sam and Dean able to be a united front, while also having someone in peril.
I mean, really, they've been treating Castiel as a third brother since S6, when the brothers were mad at Cas, S7 Cas was barely in the show, but when he was they were annoyed because he was unreliable at best, so that could count as a "mad at" sub-plot, S8 had sub-plot Cas peril, S9 had subplot Cas peril, S10 had Cas largely as a united front with Sam while Dean was in peril... and now in S11, they're bringing Cas peril to the main-plot rather than having it as a subplot, because they want the brothers to be the united front.
That's the way I see it anyway - I could be wrong. *shrug*