Warning: This post contains spoilers for the Supernatural season 12 episode, “Regarding Dean.” If you haven’t watched it yet, jump into the Impala and drive away.

Dean. Winchester. Montage.

Those three words are enough to throw a large portion of the Supernatural fandom into a frenzy. The newest episode, “Regarding Dean,” is worthy of such a frenzy. A hex from a witch took away Dean’s memory, and though it’s a terrifying prospect, the temporary forgetfulness (spoilers: Rowena stopped in to help and gets Dean back on his feet) came with some laughs.

Before moving onto the meat of the episode and the upside of Dean forgetting who he is, let’s go down a very important list of adorable Dean moments. ADMs, if you will, because who doesn’t appreciate an acronym?

• Dean and a bunny: yes, Dean Winchester picking up a rabbit and talking to it. Come on.
• Dean and waffles: Dean saying, “What psycho doesn’t love waffles?” I wholeheartedly agree, Dean.
• Dean and Dory: Dean realizing he’s gone all “Dory” and not apologizing for loving that movie—he could mean Finding Nemo or Finding Dory, but really, either option is cute.
• Dean and Rowena: Dean complimenting Rowena’s “bouncy” hair and telling her, “I think you have plenty of snuff.”
• Dean and the voodoo doll: Rowena giving Dean a voodoo doll to distract him was priceless. Who do you think felt that head jab?
• Dean montage: Remember the Dean montage? How could you forget. Dean riding Larry the bull was at least as rad as the time Dean lip-synched “Eye of the Tiger.”

The number of GIF-able scenes in this episode are probably overloading Tumblr right now.

At first, Dean’s memory problems didn’t seem serious. He forgot the occasional word. He couldn’t ID his car key. Because it’s Dean we’re talking about, he assumed he got drunk and blacked out—it’s not an uncommon occurrence, apparently. Or at least not out of the realm of possibility. Since Dean wasn’t worried, it was initially amusing. It continued to be until he went to get ice and Sam freaked out. That’s when it flipped for me. I mean, I still had laughs ahead, but it was a frightening thought to think about our capable Dean confused and lost.

Sam had to give Dean the talk. No, it wasn’t about the birds and the bees, it was about monsters. You know, the talk they’ve had to give to civilians dozens of times over the years. We got a chance to see how Dean would react to learning the world isn’t all it seems, and he rolled with it. In typical Dean fashion, he thought it was cool.

Then Dean couldn’t remember who he was. He faced himself in the mirror and lost his grip. Jensen Ackles acted the hell out of Dean’s epiphany. The moment combined Dean desperately trying to make himself remember with the realization that basic information about himself and his friends was all slipping past him. It was a gut punch—no small feat considering the scene was bookended with Dean watching Scooby-Doo and listening to story time with Rowena.

Damn.

Rowena’s mad witchy skills, which I admit that she has even if I’ve never been the character’s biggest fan, won the day. But finding the witches and stopping them was secondary. As in, I didn’t care about much in the episode outside Dean’s problem. I knew the hex was going to be reversed, so I wasn’t overly worried, and I could focus on what it meant. Like Sam pointed out, Dean got to briefly live without carrying around the weight of the world. Rowena reminded Dean he was a killer, but Dean didn’t have to feel everything he’s done. His actions have been for the greater good, but it’s a heavy, weight-of-the-world kind of burden.

Dean got to lay his weary head to rest for a moment. It wasn’t for natural reasons. It wasn’t ideal, because he didn’t recall the positive aspects of his existence. But he got to take a break. If I were Sam, I’d be a little envious too.

What did you think about “Regarding Dean?” Tell me in the comments. If you have Dean gifs, share them with me on Twitter. For science.

Images: The CW