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SPN 7.21 Reading is Fundamental
Spike: Look, if cavemen and astronauts got into a fight, who would win?
Wesley: Oh. You've been yelling at each other for forty minutes about this. Do the astronauts have weapons?
Angel & Spike: NO!
-- Angel The Series, A Hole in the World, Episode 5.15
Who would win in a fight? The cavemen or the astronauts?
Or in this case, the Leviathans or the angels? The Leviathans or the humans?
It's a brainteaser of a question because it asks us to inspect our assumptions, and to pick at the details. We've been asking the question all season as it pertains to Leviathans vs humans. Sam and Dean have been working on getting some weapons that would help in their fight.
But what about the angels? How would they stack up against the Leviathans?
Sadly, the question gets a pretty quick answer.
Leviathan!Edgar: Rock beats scissor. Leviathan beats angel.
Castiel: They held on inside me. Dean, they're so strong.
Dean: Who the hell --?
Castiel: Leviathan! I can't fight them. Run! (7.01)
Something about astronauts that I feel is worth pointing out: they work missions. Their goals and agendas are expressed in terms of having and completing missions. The mission is the whole point of their training and knowledge.
This week Dean and Castiel do some opposite mirroring in this regard. Dean is the one with the mission, trying to get the job done.
Dean: I want you to button up your coat and help us take down Leviathans.
Unfortunately, he receives a different response than he expected.
Your influence is poison. Breaking Castiel by teaching him something about freewill.
Hester: The very touch of you corrupts. When Castiel first laid a hand on you in Hell, he was lost!
He couldn't handle it. Not equipped to.
Castiel: I'm doing this for you, Dean. I'm doing this because of you.
Dean: Because of me. Yeah. You got to be kidding me.
Castsiel: You're the one who taught me that freedom and free will --
Dean: You're a freakin' child, you know that? Just because you can do what you want doesn't mean that you get to do whatever you want! (6.20)
Still a child. He's an angel who can make himself *poof* at will. Can't make him step up and do what you think is the right thing.
Castiel: I'm gonna find some way to redeem myself to you. (7.01)
But Castiel promised. He promised Dean he would redeem himself.
The funny thing about promises is... they can't always be kept the way one party thinks they should be kept. And true redemption isn't something that happens overnight or by one big grand gesture. It is something that takes time, and starts with a sorry.
Dean: Do you remember what you did?
Such an easy word to say. Not so easy to actually face. That requires looking in the mirror. It's far easier to look at the bees. Less complicated. Facing a true sorry means facing up to conflict, with all the complications that come with it.
Castiel: Don't like conflict.
Castiel just isn't ready to face up to that yet.
Dean: We're actually trying to clean up one of your angel's messes! You know that.
Castiel: He's right. An angel brought the Leviathan back into this world, and they begged him, begged him not to do it.
Castiel can't make full admission to his own brothers and sisters, speaking of his own actions in the third person. The shame he feels comes through loud and clear. But he is still dodging accountability.
He can't even have a straight conversation with Dean, because that leads to a conflict of agendas.
Castiel: Dean, I know you want different answers.
Dean: Forget the damn game! Forget the game, Cas.
Castiel: I'm sorry Dean.
Dean: No. You're playing sorry.
Dean is trying to reason his way to some understanding of this version of Castiel. He just can't comprehend how someone can walk away from the mission, especially when they played a part in it previously. Actions speak louder than words for Dean. If Castiel is sorry, then he should try to be making it right, not walking away from the mess.
Castiel doesn't see that yet, I don't think. Dean has been shoved into the position of having to accept Castiel's damage while also having to take responsibility for fixing the damage Castiel caused. That is not how trust is rebuilt with Dean. He'll do what needs to be done, because he accepts the mission. Save the world. He'll even accept the need to not expect more from Castiel, to accept Castiel as being incapable of cleaning up his own mess.
Dean: It must be rough - to believe in something so much, and have it disappoint you. (1.12)
There's an extremely short list of people Dean allows himself to believe in, and Castiel used to be on that list.
Castiel isn't going to keep that promise in full, it would seem. He can't handle it right now. So instead of accepting all the responsibility, he accepts none. A child's retreat from reality. Explaining freedom responsibility to angels is a bit like teaching poetry to fish.
Reinforcing Dean's hard lessons learned about angels and how they just aren't human. They aren't wired the same way.
Dean: There's no use asking 'why me?' because the angels -- they don't care. I think maybe they just don't have the equipment to care. It seems like when they try it just... breaks them apart.
Playing sorry, but not really grasping the concept of it.
Castiel: I see inside you. I see your guilt, your anger, confusion. In paradise, all is forgiven. You'll be at peace. Even with Sam.
Dean: You can take your peace... and shove it up your lily-white ass. 'Cause I'll take the pain and the guilt. I'll even take Sam as is. It's a lot better than being some Stepford bitch in paradise. (4.20)
Castiel: I don't fight any more. I watch the bees.
Castiel is back at square one. He chose peace over the pain and guilt. Is he better off in his childlike state of wonder and nonresponsibility?
Somehow, the message seems to be no. He's avoiding reality by avoiding his own pain. How long can that state of being really last?
Sam too found a temporary coping method for dealing with his painful memories and damage from The Pit. It didn't last.
What are you going to do, Cas?
Castiel: I don't know. Isn't that amazing?
Poor Kevin Tran, Advanced Placement. Poor Sam and Dean. They never asked to be some chosen ones by the angels. They never asked to have to save the world, yet again. The real question of the hour seems to be: who can step up and accept the mission, and who can't?
Why me?
Wrong question.
Why? Because... What about the people? (4.22) The face of the monster may change, but the mission doesn't change. Saving people, hunting things. The family business.
Simple enough. The foundation of a cause. The reason Sam and Dean still get up and going in the morning.
Meg: I'm talking Cause, douchebag, as in reason to get up in the morning.
Meg was mostly right. But she missed one vital element. It's not just about the mission. It's about family. Dean and Sam are letting Castiel go despite how useful they think he could be because they recognize how damaged he is right now. Dean especially, feeling the guilt, anger and confusion over Castiel. Choosing that over peace. Not the easier route of glossing over the past and everything that's gone down. Where this is going to lead in terms of their relationship I haven't a clue. Except for one thing -- it's not over. Going their separate ways for the time being doesn't mean staying apart forever. Getting broken doesn't mean staying broken. There's always going to be something to bring the family back together. The family that slays together, stays together.
Still, despite the disappointment that Castiel isn't signing back on to Team Free Will at this time, maybe the Lord does work in mysterious ways. If the Leviathans trump angelic power so easily, as demonstrated by Leviathan!Edgar quickly dispensing two angels without breaking a sweat, it might be for the best after all that Castiel stays out of this fight. Maybe he did his part in restoring Sam's mind, taking on Sam's pain for himself. And if that's what led to his current state of unpredictible, unstable perspective then it isn't really fair to hold that entirely against him. Castiel isn't going to provide the easy 11th hour solution for Sam and Dean. Best to accept it and move on.
Leviathan and his rock beats angels and their scissors swords.
It's going to be up to the humans to stand as the astronauts.
Do the astronauts have a weapon? Or did they just lose one?
Castiel has lost his sense of cause, but Sam and Dean still have a job to do.
Dean: Let's get to work.
Spike: Look, if cavemen and astronauts got into a fight, who would win?
Wesley: Oh. You've been yelling at each other for forty minutes about this. Do the astronauts have weapons?
Angel & Spike: NO!
-- Angel The Series, A Hole in the World, Episode 5.15
Who would win in a fight? The cavemen or the astronauts?
Or in this case, the Leviathans or the angels? The Leviathans or the humans?
It's a brainteaser of a question because it asks us to inspect our assumptions, and to pick at the details. We've been asking the question all season as it pertains to Leviathans vs humans. Sam and Dean have been working on getting some weapons that would help in their fight.
But what about the angels? How would they stack up against the Leviathans?
Sadly, the question gets a pretty quick answer.
Leviathan!Edgar: Rock beats scissor. Leviathan beats angel.
Castiel: They held on inside me. Dean, they're so strong.
Dean: Who the hell --?
Castiel: Leviathan! I can't fight them. Run! (7.01)
Something about astronauts that I feel is worth pointing out: they work missions. Their goals and agendas are expressed in terms of having and completing missions. The mission is the whole point of their training and knowledge.
This week Dean and Castiel do some opposite mirroring in this regard. Dean is the one with the mission, trying to get the job done.
Dean: I want you to button up your coat and help us take down Leviathans.
Unfortunately, he receives a different response than he expected.
Your influence is poison. Breaking Castiel by teaching him something about freewill.
Hester: The very touch of you corrupts. When Castiel first laid a hand on you in Hell, he was lost!
He couldn't handle it. Not equipped to.
Castiel: I'm doing this for you, Dean. I'm doing this because of you.
Dean: Because of me. Yeah. You got to be kidding me.
Castsiel: You're the one who taught me that freedom and free will --
Dean: You're a freakin' child, you know that? Just because you can do what you want doesn't mean that you get to do whatever you want! (6.20)
Still a child. He's an angel who can make himself *poof* at will. Can't make him step up and do what you think is the right thing.
Castiel: I'm gonna find some way to redeem myself to you. (7.01)
But Castiel promised. He promised Dean he would redeem himself.
The funny thing about promises is... they can't always be kept the way one party thinks they should be kept. And true redemption isn't something that happens overnight or by one big grand gesture. It is something that takes time, and starts with a sorry.
Dean: Do you remember what you did?
Such an easy word to say. Not so easy to actually face. That requires looking in the mirror. It's far easier to look at the bees. Less complicated. Facing a true sorry means facing up to conflict, with all the complications that come with it.
Castiel: Don't like conflict.
Castiel just isn't ready to face up to that yet.
Dean: We're actually trying to clean up one of your angel's messes! You know that.
Castiel: He's right. An angel brought the Leviathan back into this world, and they begged him, begged him not to do it.
Castiel can't make full admission to his own brothers and sisters, speaking of his own actions in the third person. The shame he feels comes through loud and clear. But he is still dodging accountability.
He can't even have a straight conversation with Dean, because that leads to a conflict of agendas.
Castiel: Dean, I know you want different answers.
Dean: Forget the damn game! Forget the game, Cas.
Castiel: I'm sorry Dean.
Dean: No. You're playing sorry.
Dean is trying to reason his way to some understanding of this version of Castiel. He just can't comprehend how someone can walk away from the mission, especially when they played a part in it previously. Actions speak louder than words for Dean. If Castiel is sorry, then he should try to be making it right, not walking away from the mess.
Castiel doesn't see that yet, I don't think. Dean has been shoved into the position of having to accept Castiel's damage while also having to take responsibility for fixing the damage Castiel caused. That is not how trust is rebuilt with Dean. He'll do what needs to be done, because he accepts the mission. Save the world. He'll even accept the need to not expect more from Castiel, to accept Castiel as being incapable of cleaning up his own mess.
Dean: It must be rough - to believe in something so much, and have it disappoint you. (1.12)
There's an extremely short list of people Dean allows himself to believe in, and Castiel used to be on that list.
Castiel isn't going to keep that promise in full, it would seem. He can't handle it right now. So instead of accepting all the responsibility, he accepts none. A child's retreat from reality. Explaining freedom responsibility to angels is a bit like teaching poetry to fish.
Reinforcing Dean's hard lessons learned about angels and how they just aren't human. They aren't wired the same way.
Dean: There's no use asking 'why me?' because the angels -- they don't care. I think maybe they just don't have the equipment to care. It seems like when they try it just... breaks them apart.
Playing sorry, but not really grasping the concept of it.
Castiel: I see inside you. I see your guilt, your anger, confusion. In paradise, all is forgiven. You'll be at peace. Even with Sam.
Dean: You can take your peace... and shove it up your lily-white ass. 'Cause I'll take the pain and the guilt. I'll even take Sam as is. It's a lot better than being some Stepford bitch in paradise. (4.20)
Castiel: I don't fight any more. I watch the bees.
Castiel is back at square one. He chose peace over the pain and guilt. Is he better off in his childlike state of wonder and nonresponsibility?
Somehow, the message seems to be no. He's avoiding reality by avoiding his own pain. How long can that state of being really last?
Sam too found a temporary coping method for dealing with his painful memories and damage from The Pit. It didn't last.
What are you going to do, Cas?
Castiel: I don't know. Isn't that amazing?
Poor Kevin Tran, Advanced Placement. Poor Sam and Dean. They never asked to be some chosen ones by the angels. They never asked to have to save the world, yet again. The real question of the hour seems to be: who can step up and accept the mission, and who can't?
Why me?
Wrong question.
Why? Because... What about the people? (4.22) The face of the monster may change, but the mission doesn't change. Saving people, hunting things. The family business.
Simple enough. The foundation of a cause. The reason Sam and Dean still get up and going in the morning.
Meg: I'm talking Cause, douchebag, as in reason to get up in the morning.
Meg was mostly right. But she missed one vital element. It's not just about the mission. It's about family. Dean and Sam are letting Castiel go despite how useful they think he could be because they recognize how damaged he is right now. Dean especially, feeling the guilt, anger and confusion over Castiel. Choosing that over peace. Not the easier route of glossing over the past and everything that's gone down. Where this is going to lead in terms of their relationship I haven't a clue. Except for one thing -- it's not over. Going their separate ways for the time being doesn't mean staying apart forever. Getting broken doesn't mean staying broken. There's always going to be something to bring the family back together. The family that slays together, stays together.
Still, despite the disappointment that Castiel isn't signing back on to Team Free Will at this time, maybe the Lord does work in mysterious ways. If the Leviathans trump angelic power so easily, as demonstrated by Leviathan!Edgar quickly dispensing two angels without breaking a sweat, it might be for the best after all that Castiel stays out of this fight. Maybe he did his part in restoring Sam's mind, taking on Sam's pain for himself. And if that's what led to his current state of unpredictible, unstable perspective then it isn't really fair to hold that entirely against him. Castiel isn't going to provide the easy 11th hour solution for Sam and Dean. Best to accept it and move on.
Leviathan and his rock beats angels and their scissors swords.
It's going to be up to the humans to stand as the astronauts.
Do the astronauts have a weapon? Or did they just lose one?
Castiel has lost his sense of cause, but Sam and Dean still have a job to do.
Dean: Let's get to work.