Tension, Conflict, Motivation, and Plot: Why the Story is About Dean and We Do Know Sam

[bowtrunckle]

I wrote a meta thingy! :)

There’s been avid discussion about Sam and Dean and which of them, if either, seems to be favored by Kripke as well as debate about “who is the story really about”. I’ve noticed there’s been a propensity for some self-proclaimed “Dean girls” and “Sam girls” to run circles around each other, trying to prove their points.

Comments

[bowtrunckle]

I deleted my original comment because of typos

Oh, no problem. Typos are the bane of my existence. When LJ actived their "edit comments" function it was like the heavens opened up and angels started singing. ;)

Both are still in motion, however.

Yes, for sure. Stuff is always happening to both brothers even if we're only watching one of them. I think I said in another comment that Sam and Dean are the ultimate fake-out team: one distracts while the other quietly lays the groundwork for the future plot.

the point of Mystery Spot was about trying to get Sam to recognize that the codependant and claustrophobic nature of the time between the brothers can indeed hurt more than it helps.

Yes, I agree. Although I'm still fuzzy about the trickster's motives, I think his message held some truth. What Sam and Dean are willing to do for each other, the lengths to which they'll go to "preserve" their relationship will destroy them.

I love the irony that the show is about brother's hunting the supernatural (i.e. the "un-natural"), but they themselves defy the natural order of things/nature with Sam being half-human/half-demon as well as both brothers having cheated death and essentially living a preternatural existence. I think Dean's words in "CSPWDT" "What dead should stay dead" will come back to kick him in the mouth in S4.

But it seems to be setting up an organic shakeup in characters, motivations and plots.

I look forward to seeing where we end up at the end of S3 and then the flurry of meta and fic that'll follow. :)