Further Evidence That It Really is “All About Sam”
A "seriously" evil meta. ;) Santa made me do it.
Repetition is an effective way to emphasize key plot points. We’ve seen Kripke employ this on a subconscious level with the consistent and redundant use of symbols and color. But it seems that he’s also uses dialogue to slam home his take home points in a more overt manner. For example, we’ve heard virtually the same line of dialogue from three separate characters on three different occasions, once every season.
The now dearly departed YED tells Sam in “AHBL-1” (2x21): “It’s all about you. It’s always been about you.”
Ketchup-demon girl in “TKAA” (3x02) repeats the YED’s words: “Don’t you get it, Sam? It’s all about you. What happened to your mom. What happened to her friends…”
Even Sam in “Salvation” (1x21) verbalizes this thought: “So Mom’s death, Jessica … it’s all ‘cause of me?”
But what “it” exactly is has yet to be defined. It’s clear that Sam is an important player. As demonstrated by his unmatched, skillful lying abilities, the way he woos women with his velvet tongue, and his ability to fake gurgle which tricks the bad guys into thinking they’re actually strangling him, Sam is clearly a triple threat to humans, angry and lobotomizing psychiatrist spirits, lamp cords, shapeshifters impersonating his brother, vampires, djinns, and demons alike. Based on the number of spirits, mythical figures, creatures, and inanimate objects pursuing him, I wondered if the roots of this plot go deeper than what Kripke has revealed. Then while watching “TKAA”, I noticed a curious figure that kept reappearing in the background of Sam’s scenes; a man that looked strangely familiar.
So for your consideration, here’s further proof that, as Kripke suggests, everything is, in fact, ALL ABOUT SAM and that the back story connecting Mary’s mysterious past and the YED’s plans could have roots in early Christian myths and Germanic and Dutch folklore.
Evil Incognito?
In Dutch folklore, Sinterklaas--a old man with a beard, hat, and spear--kidnaps naughty children and carries them away in a large cloth bag. He closely resembles the Norse god, Odin (Wodan), who, in Germanic folklore, would each year, at Yule, set out to hunt with his fellow gods and the fallen warriors residing in his realm. Interestingly, Odin is the Norse god of war and is also associated with trickery, cunning, and deception (recall this is also one of the meanings of the color yellow, one of the colors Kripke uses to symbolize all things demonic). Most sagas have tales of Odin using his cleverness to overcome adversaries and achieve his goals. Therefore, it’s no real surprise that Odin a.k.a. Sinterklaas a.k.a. Saint Nicholas a.k.a. Santa Claus is commonly associated with yellow objects (stars), is backed by yellow flame and sometimes lit by yellow light, and also wears red (recall red is the other half of Kripke’s demonic color combination).
SPN caps from
leggyslove. The rest were indiscriminately stolen from the internet without remorse.
Sinterklaas has been said to have magical powers that include time manipulation (which the YED also displayed) and squeezing into small spaces like chimneys and, in the case of homes without chimneys, under the cracks of doors and windowsills (not unlike demon smoke). He’s depicted below magicking a train, a seemingly harmless object. But I imagine that it’s not a short leap for him to, say, possess a lamp cord, cause knives to hurtle through the air, or pin middle-aged psychics against a wall with large objects as seen in “Home” (1x09). And once that far, it’s probably feasible he could cause massive internal hemorrhaging with his brain while simultaneously levitating a 6’4” 180 pound eating machine against a wall and mentally stave off twenty-two years of bitter frustration and unresolved feelings of rage from the man he was possessing (“Devil’s Trap” (1x22)). Santa is clearly a master at multi-tasking.
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Furthermore, Sinterklaas has been documented in the presence of other conspicuously yellow, arguably evil creatures.
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Efforts by the airline industry to thwart Sinterklaas have failed despite their attempts to convince the general population otherwise.
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Through the popular media, we’ve been lead to believe that Sinterklaas is relatively harmless, yet some of the more astute--such as Billie Bob Thorton, Bernie Mac, cherub-like preteens, and overly caffeinated elves--have long contradicted this.
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Based on color associations and the undisputable evidence outline above, it’s clear that Santa Claus is a demon incognito. However, it has yet to be determined the exact nature of his demon status. Is he a BED, a RED, a YED, or perhaps a new, yet-to-be disclosed demon underling or overlord? Compelling, you might say, but what does demonic Sinterklaas have to do with Sam? As Kripke has driven home multiple times, it really is ALL ABOUT SAM, even Christmas.
Stalker Demon!Sinterklaas
There’s much evidence in “TKAA” that suggests demon!Sinterklaas is, like ketchup-demon girl, stalking Sam. In the establishing shot of the Cicero Pines Motel, the bright yellow arrow pointing down and to the left draws our eye to the rotund and stout figure of a white-bearded man whose appearance is strikingly similar to Santa Claus. Note how he has poorly disguised himself as a cowboy. This is a subtle characterization clue that shows this man is not a local and is probably not well versed in the relationship between North American culture and geography (because we all know how prolific cowboys are in Indiana). Likely your first thought was, “Is this man Dutch or German?” followed by, “He has alarmingly short legs.” But really you should stop with the internal monologues and pay more attention to the visual language of the show because this is our first clue that not all is what it seems.
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This old man seems rather innocuous; however, note his suspicious behavior when Sam arrives. See him hiding behind the red and yellow (demonic) sign? Only his cowboy hat is visible as if he’s purposefully concealing his face. This scene reminded me of ketchup-demon girl's stalking scene in “TMS” (3x01) where she was also behind Sam and vanished behind a man with a box. In both cases, the stalkers hid behind something square, which seems rather significant. Apparently, Sinterklaas has not yet fully mastered his demonic vanishing abilities, but it could be that his binging on cookies and milk makes it difficult for him to fit behind things. This is good for Sam, but unfortunately he’s too busy angsting to notice voyeur demonic!Santa.
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Then Sinterklaas simply watches Sam as the Impala drives off. Why he doesn’t shift his gaze to the shiny car or Dean, who has very naughty intentions, is worrisome. It’s clear that Santa has got his demonic brainpowers preoccupied with Sam and is totally slacking on his naughty and nice monitoring. Looks like Dean might just luck out this Christmas.
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In this scene, there’s the conspicuous pairing of red and yellow (the signs and flowers) that indicates a malicious demonic presence. But even more disturbing is when Sam is gone, so is Sinterklaas. Coincidence? You could argue that Old St. Nick made a pit stop in the bathroom or felt like grabbing a ruben and fries, but could he also be stalking Sam? Compelling evidence suggest “YES”. Read on.
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In the café scene with ketchup-demon girl, demonic!Santa appears yet again. Even without his cowboy disguise his ruddy cheeks makes him easily recognizable. See how Sinterklaas is once again positioned behind Sam and how the director, Phil Sgriccia, purposefully included the top of his head in this shot as if to remind the viewer of his presence. The fact that Santa lingers over Sam’s shoulder and is out of focus lends to a foreboding and slightly ominous feel, perhaps another visual clue to his true intentions. Yet, once again, Sam is too busy trying to save Dean’s life and ignoring his food to notice voyeur demonic!Santa.
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But more telling is that as the camera switches to a mid/long shot we get a glimpse of Santa mimicking ketchup-demon girl’s gestures--as she raises a sample of “deep-fried crack” to her mouth so does he. It’s as if they’re communicating via secret stalker demonic hand signals. It appears that this man is also a multi-tasker like Sinterklass as he’s able to eat fries and spy covertly at the same time, a very dangerous combination. Clearly great pains were taken to choreograph this scene, likely prompting viewers to unconsciously link ketchup-demon girl and Santa through their identical hand motions. We should be on guard for any choreographed movement between the ketchup demon and men lingering behind Sam in the future.
This exchange also demonstrates that Katie Cassidy’s acting talents extend beyond selectively moving in slow motion and keeping her hair from sticking to lip gloss when thrashing about. Also, ketchup demon is apparently a multi-tasker and is also very dangerous. Of course, Sam is too busy clenching his jaw and flaring his nostrils for his low angle close-up shots to notice this. Sam is obviously not a multi-tasker.
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As Sam examines his violated, graffiti-ed hand, Sinterklaas looks on with a curious expression. Could it be careful indifference or barely concealed curiosity or even malice? Is he concerned for Sam? Where do demon!Santa's loyalties lie? What is his part in this demon war? Did he know Mary? Only time will tell as Kripke feeds us more visual clues.
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Based on Sam’s propensity for being abducted (or Dean’s tendency to lose him) and his naughty behavior (shooting and punching isn’t nice even if "they" started it), it seems that our boy wonder should take extra special care this Christmas because stalker demon!Sinterklaas is watching (although stuffing Sam into a cloth sack may be challenging). And based on “TKAA”, we should keep our eyes peeled for poorly disguised, multi-tasking old men staring at Sam from behind because Sam will be too busy saving Dean and flaring his nostrils at ketchup-demon girl to notice. Go stalker demon!Santa! Go show.
This meta was born out of the very serious and thoughtful conversations at
spnematography. Blame them.
ETA: Upon rewatching 3x02 I realized (to my horror) that ketchup-demon girl's name was not mentioned. My sincere apologies to anyone who I might've spoiled by mentioning it in this meta. It was unintentional and I'm sorry. I've removed all mention of her name. Uh ... hopefully because this is a crack!meta nobody took me seriously to begin with.