dissolving-worlds:

The TPTB focused so much on glorifying “Sam F*cking Winchester” ™ that they once again destroyed any significant meaning of Dean’s mytharc.

He has a bond with the Darkness? Oh, so what does it do except mentally manipulate him to kiss her? Their bond does nothing to prevent Dean from having a negative opinion of Amara, from trying to fight against her, from killing her. And apparently it doesn’t have the power either to communicate that the partner on the other end of the phone-line is dying. What does this bond even do?!

I get that this was a fault on a film-technical level (they can hire Emily Swallow only for a certain number of episodes), but what’s even the point anymore of having a magical bond to a god-equivalent force when that force doesn’t even realize or give a damn when their fancy, new acquirement is dying? Even those random laborers in 11×01 had a more meaningful relationship with the darkness.

Dean can resist Amara, Amara can resist Dean. And wearing friendship-bracelets is still a more visible and meaningful bond than theirs.