Upending the Hunter’s Ethos: Reversed and Upside Down Shots in “Sin City” (3x04)
A little post-turkey meta.
This is late. Sorry. Meta hasn’t been coming so easily lately, which is strange because I thought writer’s block was reserved for fiction. *doublepalmface* But because we don’t have an episode prompt entry for 3x04, I thought I should do one, and this was such a mytharc-juicy episode that it deserves to be talked about ( Read more... )
*nods* I was suprised that Dean did that, but I liked it nonetheless. I can't think of another instance where Dean was the one to hestitate on a hunt like that (is there one?). It'll be interesting to see if this hunting role reversal will play out again and how Dean takes it. Will he think he's lost is hunting edge? Will he think Sam's lost a little of his humanity?
Love the camera work in Our Show.
Ditto!
It seems as if we the audience are being hand-held into a Future Episode where Sammy is to be Evil
*shivers in anticipation* I love your brain. :) You know, Sam really is the perfect example of the two sides of Krikpe's single good demon/evil human coin. Sam's got both sides in him, and depending on which way you look at it is he a good demon or an evil/tainted human? And thanks to "Sin City" both those options are now possibilities. :)
And will.
Eee. When we get Our Show back after the strike and this happens, you know I'm going to spamming your LJ with incoherent comments, right?
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The only situation of any possible relevance I could possibly think of - which, tellingly, is an action which also made me just as disturbed - is in "Croatoan," when Dean goes into the storage room to shoot the infected mother. He doesn't so much as hesitate as ask Sam if he was sure. And then he just pulls the trigger. *shivers*
Sam's got both sides in him, and depending on which way you look at it is he a good demon or an evil/tainted human?
Or is he Just Human? Remember in "Sin City," Casey!Demon did say that all the terrible, demonlike actions people were committing were just demons nudging full humans the right way. Perhaps the demon blood was just for the connection to "'Ol Yellow Eyes" (so the YED could mess with the Psykids, "find ways to break us"), as Sam is referred to as not 100% only AFTER he is resurrected. We still don't know what the whole "100%" means (I have my theory which is a little Buckets of Crazy but still ties into the show's mythos and Rules of the Verse). But we DO know that humans are capable of committing terrible acts that could be mistaken as demonic.
And wouldn't that be creepier? That Sam was Just Human?
When we get Our Show back after the strike and this happens, you know I'm going to spamming your LJ with incoherent comments, right?
Don't forget we get the Christmas episode! Squeedom to the MAX!
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Oh, and the other day I was thinking, (since I have a Religious Studies class on Jesus), about in the gospel of John, when Jesus uses the phrase "I AM." This is taken by scholars as a Jesus using a direct allusion to Moses and the burning bush, when Moses asks who is speaking to him, and God announces himself as "I AM." Jesus uses it to establish his identity with God. (There's iffy-ness with the truthfullness of the Gospel of John, but the space is too small here to elaborate on it.)
Ready for the crack!cheese! part?
I was watching the deleted scenes from "Hunted" last night (I have to have one SPN episode a day or I get withdrawl) and I noticed with a dropped-jaw-giggle
oh-they-didn't-really-mean-that-but-I-know-Our-Show-and-maybe-they-did:
That Ash called our youngest Winchester "Sam-I-Am."
Foreshadowing Sam's role as Antichrist!Sam? Or mere allusion to a Dr. Seuss book?
I think time has already told.
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We still don't know what the whole "100%" means (I have my theory which is a little Buckets of Crazy but still ties into the show's mythos and Rules of the Verse). But we DO know that humans are capable of committing terrible acts that could be mistaken as demonic.
Buckets-o-crazy seem to be in abundance around here. *grabs own bucket and grins*
You're right, it would be more chilling if Sam got a little dark and it was just him making the decision to do so. But, to be honest, I would prefer that to happen. It seems to me that free will and personal choice are such important themes in this show (and in much contemporary fiction writing/story telling in general) that it would be terribly unsatisfying if Sam just went dark because of external factors out of his control. I think doing that for an episode (his possession in BUaBS) is fine, but for a good portion of the mytharc? :(
But I don't think Sam having demon blood or PsyKid powers are all that bad, nor do they predestine him for bad demonhood necessarily. I think they could be used to his advantage (*coughCroatoancough* ... I don't think that's the last time we're going to hear about that demonic virus), a way to level the playing field and fight fire with fire so to speak, IF Sam so chooses. But he's got to choose to assume his role in this mess (hello, "Hero's Journey").
Here's a peek into my bucket-0-crazy: Who's to say that a legion of demons under Sam's control would do BAD things? Maybe Sam's meant to be the leader of a demon army to defeat another legion of uber-bad demons (Who is the RED's boss holding Dean's life contract anyway?)? Demons are technically fallen angels after all, and we know demons have the capability of positive human emotion (perhaps are able to do "good"?). With parallels between hunters and avenging angels suggested in "HotH", it would be a poetic end being that Sam is both. Wouldn't it be ironic if our forces of good have been hiding in plain sight all this time and it was just a matter of Sam getting over his issues and choosing to embrace his inner "demon"? *snortlaugh*
What I'm trying to say (not very well) is in my mind the loss of free will/Sam "loosing" his humanity isn't bound to the "100% pure Sam" line or him having demon blood. I think he can have demon blood and maybe have been slightly changed by his death experience but he'll still be able to make choices and retain his humanity, therefore preserving himself, the real Sam. And any darkside tendancies or otherwise *grins* will be of his own choosing.
Foreshadowing Sam's role as Antichrist!Sam? Or mere allusion to a Dr. Seuss book?
Bwah! Or ... heh ... maybe Sam isn't really the Antichrist but the antiantichrist in the "fallen angel" sense. ;) Your brain kills me in the best ways. *hugs*
I hope I didn't scare you with the sample of my bucket-o-crazy.
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I've been pushing this on forums, because I, too, felt that it would be (1) cheap way to make Sam evil,(2) not fair to Sam's character development, and (3) an very unwelcome "tricked ya!" to fandom when the "real" Sam came back. So, yes, it would be terribly unsatisfying to have Sam turn evil JUST FOR external factors.
I think they could be used to his advantage (*coughCroatoancough* ... I don't think that's the last time we're going to hear about that demonic virus), a way to level the playing field and fight fire with fire so to speak, IF Sam so chooses.
Perhaps his role as demon!leader is something Sam would twist to Good. I had that idea on a brainvomit at a forum once: Sam would seem to go evil, but it's him tricking his demon legion to do Good. But it be so much interesting, like you suggest later in the "Buckets-o-crazy" section, that Sam would head a demon legion in order to fight another faction of demons. (Perhaps those who killed Mary's friends?) It's true, as you point out, that we're seeing that demons are not All Evil:
1. Demon!Meg expresses love and loyalty in "Shadow."
2. Demon!Casey shows love and loyalty in "Sin City."
...aaaand for a stretch:
3. Azazel sure does have some weird twisted pride in "his kids." Sure, it's deadly and self-serving, etc., but it was rather paternal. *gives self weird look*
And I have a feeling, just as in your "lists of personal canon," that Ruby may not be All Evil. Perhaps she is the fourth piece of this puzzle. Perhaps she is the demon to finally show that yes, there are factions (she even reveals this in "The Kids Are Alright") and yes, demons are Just Fallen Angels.
Are demons DESTINED to be evil? If so, there is no hope for Sam. Destiny becomes stronger than free will in the Supernatural 'Verse, and the outcome is written.
So it is about demons in Season Three (*points to title card*). It is through demons that we will understand Sam and his place and fate in the world.
*waaaay too emo*
So, no, you didn't scare me with your buckets-o-crazy. *grin*
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Sam would seem to go evil, but it's him tricking his demon legion to do Good.
Have you read this fic? *grins*
http://pheebs1.livejournal.com/129047.html
You're right about Azazel having a paternal "twisted pride" in his crazy kids. He also seemed a little perturbed at John in "IMToD" that Dean took out his two kids (namelessbrother!demon and Meg!demon), which could be interpreted as he might've cared about them a tiny bit or he was just peeved because some of his underlings were indisposed. Which makes me wonder how the heck demons have/create kids.
I would love it if Ruby wasn't all bad. In fact, I would love it if she's human *somewhere* in there (even if she was an "evil" human). Humanity in a demon would freak Sam out (I love Sam angst) and just make the whole two sides of the human/demon coin just that much more awesome. But I get carried away with my wishful thinking sometimes...
Are demons DESTINED to be evil?
I hope not. :(
So it is about demons in Season Three (*points to title card*). It is through demons that we will understand Sam and his place and fate in the world.
So it is! Let's hope we get a second half of S3 to see how all of this plays out. *crosses fingers and toes*
So, no, you didn't scare me with your buckets-o-crazy. *grin*
*grins back* Mini-meta is fun.
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