meta: supernatural
Mar. 12th, 2008 07:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wellownedbkupDisclaimer: I'm a horrible, horrible fangirl. I'm not rewatching any of the episodes to put out this discussion of the characters of Sam and Dean Winchester, from the show Supernatural. I've never been to a con. I'm bi-bro (hahah). This is just some ramblings--my take on the characters. Feel free to discuss and whatnot below.
For future reference, I do ship J2 and Sam/Dean. But that's not what this is about.
Most of my insight here is coming from comparing and contrasting Faith, All Hell Breaks Loose 1 & 2, What Is And What Should Never Be and Mystery Spot. If you've yet to see these episodes... well, consider this full of spoilers.
Dean Winchester: Woobie... or Dean is more vulnerable than he lets on
Meet Dean Winchester: ladies' man, man's man, man on the prowl. He's good at pretty much everything he does. He can rig up a sophisticated EMF meter from a busted up Walkman. He can keep a '67 Chevy Impala in top condition. He hunts demons and other supernatural creatures that threaten the safety of mankind. He's a smooth talker--able to talk his way into your pants and out of trouble (generally speaking). He's the joking type, the big brother, the soldier.
What we don't always see is how very vulnerable he really is. When we first meet him, we have no idea how often Dean has had to work alone to save the world. Only that John (their dad, for you fresh folks out there.... sheesh) had been gone several days. Presumed KIA, or worse. And we see Dean asking Sam for help for the first time in 2 years of separation. Throughout season 1, we see the cameraderie of brothers that were, generally speaking, estranged. It's rough. Dean has to reconcile the boy he took care of for years after their mother's death with the man he's become.
It's not an easy partnership.
Although Dean is about as badass as they come, he does have his weakness-- his duty, his loyalty, his love for his family. Especially Sam. Time and again, Dean finds himself jumping into the line of fire for Sam. Getting caught by various incarnations of the evil they fight (demon-possessed people, crazies, etc) is basically run-of-the-mill for Dean. At times, he's even been at the mercy of a possessed Sam (ref: 110 Asylum, 214 Born Under a Bad Sign). Dean is always willing to think the best of Sam, and cannot find it in himself to hurt him, despite all evidence to the negative.
What's most compelling about Dean's loyalty is the depths of his vulnerability, seen in the 2 part season 2 finale (ref: 221/222 All Hell Breaks Loose). At the end of part 1, Dean sees Sam die. A knife in his back. Dean. breaks. down. completely. Absolutely broken; nothing to lose. We see his descent into depression and madness. He knows that it's his duty to protect Sam, and he's failed at that in the most final way. There's no comfort for him, and he's wrecked completely. Knowing that it's condemning himself to Hell (literally), he makes a deal with a demon--his soul for Sam to be alive again. He has one year of life in the bargain before the demon will come collecting.
And he makes the deal. He gives his life, despite knowing what awaits him at the other end, just so Sam can live.
Looking at this in comparison with Sam is the most telling.
Sam Winchester: Emo Superhero, or Sam is a lot stronger than he seems
Now, meet Sam Winchester: Sasquatch with a heart of gold. He's lost so much in his life: (1) his mother, 6 months after he was born; (2) his girlfriend Jess, in the first episode; (3) his father, in a deal to save Dean's life; and now he's about to lose Dean. Even being raised the same, Sam wanted a normal life. He went to Stanford for law. He's one smart cookie, the researcher of the pair. He's gotta be the hottest geek ever. Given how much has been taken away from him, and how young he is (generally speaking, he's only 23, whereas Dean is closer to 27), he should be in the midst of a nervous breakdown.
He's anything but weak, though. He's got an entirely different strength than Dean.
Let's count the number of times Sam has had to watch Dean die/almost die.
-111 Scarecrow: Dean nearly gets killed by a scarecrow god.
-112 Faith: Dean is electrocuted and his heart is damaged.
-201 In My Time of Dying: Dean is in a coma after a car accident caused by a demon.
-207 Crossroad Blues: Dean is nearly seduced into trading his soul for John's.
-214 Born Under a Bad Sign: possessed!Sam nearly does Dean in.
-218 Hollywood Babylon: A vengeful spirit goes on a rampage.
-220 What Is and What Should Never Be: Dean is nearly sucked dry by a Djinn.
-309 Malleus Maleficarum: Dean gets cursed by witches.
-311 Mystery Spot: Dean dies. In various ways. Like a Groundhog Day time loop. Hundreds of times.
That last one is the thing that shows me how very strong Sam is emotionally than Dean. Sam sees Dean die over and over, in ways both comical and grotesque. I'm willing to bet that Sam saw himself killing Dean more than once. Granted, time loop. But, the time loop ended. He saw Dean get gunned down. It felt final. It looked final. But instead of searching out a way to bring Dean back from the dead, instead of spiraling into a depression, Sam becomes a harder man than ever. He goes after bigger and badder evils than every before. He becomes a survivor. He goes to get his vengeance against the Trickster because he's lost his brother.
Sam has that same love and loyalty Dean has. It's been ingrained in them from the moment the YED killed their mother. Dean protects Sam. Sam protects Dean. They're one unit, unified against everything and everyone else. Even when we first meet Sam, he's going with Dean to find their father, even though they're estranged. Even though he's made a life for himself. Was he just waiting for Dean to come back for him? Was he tired of normalcy? I don't know.
But it's amazing to note the way the boys, given their upbringing, face death in distinctly different ways. Dean is completely broken when Sam dies. He doesn't remake himself. He doesn't cope with Sam's death at all. Sam, on the other hand, grows. Granted, he grows harder, calloused. He becomes what he sees Dean to be.
I think that's what makes this one of my favorite shows. Because even though the characters fit stereotypes (Dean is hot and people smart, Sam is geeky and book smart), they still have major gaping flaws in their character that make their downfall. Dean would do anything for his brother; and has, to the point of sacrificing his life so his brother could live again. Sam is your anti-typical prodigal son; he left the fold, but came back and can do the job better and harder than was thought. It's absolutely heartrending to see the boys lose so much and still go on fighting. I wonder sometimes if, given how often they have to save each other, that they're not saving the world for themselves alone.
(On that note, the dialogue at the end of What Is and What Should Never Be has me thinking that even harder. Sam tries to comfort Dean, saying that although the wish he'd made wasn't real, he was saving lots of lives. I can hear the weary tone in Dean's voice when he tries to tell Sam that he'd finally found a place where, even if he wasn't entirely happy, everyone he loved was happy. Sam was happy. It's like it didn't matter whether Dean was happy, so long as Sam had it good. And, when they weren't friends, he realized it was wrong. The whole world was wrong because he didn't have Sam.)
Tell me what you think.
For future reference, I do ship J2 and Sam/Dean. But that's not what this is about.
Most of my insight here is coming from comparing and contrasting Faith, All Hell Breaks Loose 1 & 2, What Is And What Should Never Be and Mystery Spot. If you've yet to see these episodes... well, consider this full of spoilers.
Dean Winchester: Woobie... or Dean is more vulnerable than he lets on
Meet Dean Winchester: ladies' man, man's man, man on the prowl. He's good at pretty much everything he does. He can rig up a sophisticated EMF meter from a busted up Walkman. He can keep a '67 Chevy Impala in top condition. He hunts demons and other supernatural creatures that threaten the safety of mankind. He's a smooth talker--able to talk his way into your pants and out of trouble (generally speaking). He's the joking type, the big brother, the soldier.
What we don't always see is how very vulnerable he really is. When we first meet him, we have no idea how often Dean has had to work alone to save the world. Only that John (their dad, for you fresh folks out there.... sheesh) had been gone several days. Presumed KIA, or worse. And we see Dean asking Sam for help for the first time in 2 years of separation. Throughout season 1, we see the cameraderie of brothers that were, generally speaking, estranged. It's rough. Dean has to reconcile the boy he took care of for years after their mother's death with the man he's become.
It's not an easy partnership.
Although Dean is about as badass as they come, he does have his weakness-- his duty, his loyalty, his love for his family. Especially Sam. Time and again, Dean finds himself jumping into the line of fire for Sam. Getting caught by various incarnations of the evil they fight (demon-possessed people, crazies, etc) is basically run-of-the-mill for Dean. At times, he's even been at the mercy of a possessed Sam (ref: 110 Asylum, 214 Born Under a Bad Sign). Dean is always willing to think the best of Sam, and cannot find it in himself to hurt him, despite all evidence to the negative.
What's most compelling about Dean's loyalty is the depths of his vulnerability, seen in the 2 part season 2 finale (ref: 221/222 All Hell Breaks Loose). At the end of part 1, Dean sees Sam die. A knife in his back. Dean. breaks. down. completely. Absolutely broken; nothing to lose. We see his descent into depression and madness. He knows that it's his duty to protect Sam, and he's failed at that in the most final way. There's no comfort for him, and he's wrecked completely. Knowing that it's condemning himself to Hell (literally), he makes a deal with a demon--his soul for Sam to be alive again. He has one year of life in the bargain before the demon will come collecting.
And he makes the deal. He gives his life, despite knowing what awaits him at the other end, just so Sam can live.
Looking at this in comparison with Sam is the most telling.
Sam Winchester: Emo Superhero, or Sam is a lot stronger than he seems
Now, meet Sam Winchester: Sasquatch with a heart of gold. He's lost so much in his life: (1) his mother, 6 months after he was born; (2) his girlfriend Jess, in the first episode; (3) his father, in a deal to save Dean's life; and now he's about to lose Dean. Even being raised the same, Sam wanted a normal life. He went to Stanford for law. He's one smart cookie, the researcher of the pair. He's gotta be the hottest geek ever. Given how much has been taken away from him, and how young he is (generally speaking, he's only 23, whereas Dean is closer to 27), he should be in the midst of a nervous breakdown.
He's anything but weak, though. He's got an entirely different strength than Dean.
Let's count the number of times Sam has had to watch Dean die/almost die.
-111 Scarecrow: Dean nearly gets killed by a scarecrow god.
-112 Faith: Dean is electrocuted and his heart is damaged.
-201 In My Time of Dying: Dean is in a coma after a car accident caused by a demon.
-207 Crossroad Blues: Dean is nearly seduced into trading his soul for John's.
-214 Born Under a Bad Sign: possessed!Sam nearly does Dean in.
-218 Hollywood Babylon: A vengeful spirit goes on a rampage.
-220 What Is and What Should Never Be: Dean is nearly sucked dry by a Djinn.
-309 Malleus Maleficarum: Dean gets cursed by witches.
-311 Mystery Spot: Dean dies. In various ways. Like a Groundhog Day time loop. Hundreds of times.
That last one is the thing that shows me how very strong Sam is emotionally than Dean. Sam sees Dean die over and over, in ways both comical and grotesque. I'm willing to bet that Sam saw himself killing Dean more than once. Granted, time loop. But, the time loop ended. He saw Dean get gunned down. It felt final. It looked final. But instead of searching out a way to bring Dean back from the dead, instead of spiraling into a depression, Sam becomes a harder man than ever. He goes after bigger and badder evils than every before. He becomes a survivor. He goes to get his vengeance against the Trickster because he's lost his brother.
Sam has that same love and loyalty Dean has. It's been ingrained in them from the moment the YED killed their mother. Dean protects Sam. Sam protects Dean. They're one unit, unified against everything and everyone else. Even when we first meet Sam, he's going with Dean to find their father, even though they're estranged. Even though he's made a life for himself. Was he just waiting for Dean to come back for him? Was he tired of normalcy? I don't know.
But it's amazing to note the way the boys, given their upbringing, face death in distinctly different ways. Dean is completely broken when Sam dies. He doesn't remake himself. He doesn't cope with Sam's death at all. Sam, on the other hand, grows. Granted, he grows harder, calloused. He becomes what he sees Dean to be.
I think that's what makes this one of my favorite shows. Because even though the characters fit stereotypes (Dean is hot and people smart, Sam is geeky and book smart), they still have major gaping flaws in their character that make their downfall. Dean would do anything for his brother; and has, to the point of sacrificing his life so his brother could live again. Sam is your anti-typical prodigal son; he left the fold, but came back and can do the job better and harder than was thought. It's absolutely heartrending to see the boys lose so much and still go on fighting. I wonder sometimes if, given how often they have to save each other, that they're not saving the world for themselves alone.
(On that note, the dialogue at the end of What Is and What Should Never Be has me thinking that even harder. Sam tries to comfort Dean, saying that although the wish he'd made wasn't real, he was saving lots of lives. I can hear the weary tone in Dean's voice when he tries to tell Sam that he'd finally found a place where, even if he wasn't entirely happy, everyone he loved was happy. Sam was happy. It's like it didn't matter whether Dean was happy, so long as Sam had it good. And, when they weren't friends, he realized it was wrong. The whole world was wrong because he didn't have Sam.)
Tell me what you think.
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no subject
Date: 2008-03-13 04:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-13 01:03 pm (UTC)that's the thing. the whole catalyst, for me anyway. because you always hear about WIAWSNB and AHBL and you're like... "Oh Dean!" because he just doesn't cope well with losing sam.
but then you get sam and he doesn't cope well with losing dean either. but he goes polar opposite from dean. so i'm like... wow. ok. so the boys have like... the same upbringing, but they don't react the same to death? and, hey, maybe i should've realized it before because, i mean... sam was still functioning really really well, even after losing jess and his dad. but dean goes nearly all nervous breakdown and stuff (post-IMTOD), whaling on the impala.
so.
heh. yeah.
talk about your signs i should've been an english major--- yesterday, i had an internal conflict as to whether to say moniker or apellation in regards to what basically was: jared is just as hot as jensen.
*facepalm*