I think this essay is very smart and very well-put. You should definitely cross post at spn heavy meta if you haven't already. :D
My reactions to the first half of the season are very different and so I think I have a meta of my own to write! I really appreciate your clear headedness in laying all of this out. It makes perfect sense and helps to illustrate to me why fandom has reacted as it has.
I would argue that SPOILERS are also to blame. I think a lot of people went into the season with Jared's words about Sam not bothering to look for Dean ringing in their ears. Taking Jared's words with a grain of salt (because I am vehemently opposed to SPOILERS, which are called that for a reason!) led to my really identifying with Sam and feeling with him for the long half season. I believe that it's true that Sam didn't look for Dean -- but I do not believe it's because he stopped caring. I think Dean's loss shattered him -- and I absolutely ached for him when Dean (and fandom) couldn't see that. (I think Jared does a stellar job getting inside Sam's head emotionally and conveying what he's feeling when Sam hasn't got any words or lines to say -- the play of expression on Sam's face mean everything.) Sam's inability/refusal to make any excuses for his inactivity blindsided everyone. But I also think that Dean's experience of purgatory did change something fundamental in his character-- something that he was unable to communicate with Sam, even though he did try. And even I myself, as a longtime Dean Girl, had a really hard time understanding. Which is why I need to write that meta!
Anyhow, I am really glad that Show has emerged from the morass of s7, which, for me, was an astonishing emotional drain, as more and more of Sam and Dean's support system was ripped away from them. This new mythos has a lot of problems of its own, but I am so grateful for Sam and Dean having friends and contacts and a homebase again. Huge sigh of relief!
I just have to say, I hope they don't let Dean just sit back and take this label that he is the "Brawn" of the family. I am really really happy for Sam that he has this mantle to draw around his huge librarian shoulders. (I am sitting around thinking about Bobby's books all in boxes and just itching for Sam to cross catalog them. I am literally picturing the satisfaction of slotting Bobby's book in amongst the Letters collection.) I want Dean to have his Legacy in Letters too though!! Is that too greedy? The very first meta I ever posted was about Dean's giftedness. I don't want him shoved over as Brawn.... Yes, I am a greedy fangirl.
You should definitely cross post at spn heavy meta
I was thinking of it, but wasn't sure if that comm was relevant anymore *remembers its glory in S2 and its many posts*. I suppose it can't hurt, though. :)
I think I have a meta of my own to write ... Dean's experience of purgatory did change something fundamental in his character
That's a meta I'd be interested in reading!
I would argue that SPOILERS are also to blame.
For sure. Were you involved in this fandom during the summer before S3 (sorry I can't remember off hand)? If not or if you don't recall, there was a HUGE fandom freak-out as a result of Ruby and Bela sides being leaked with people rallying against potential love interests and the new girls causing Sam and Dean to be apart more than they were together etc. This stemmed from the sides being a scene of Sam and Ruby and then of Dean and Bela, and at least Sam and Ruby's scene (if not both) was hypersexualized. Anyway, I feel like those spoilers caused a portion of fandom to make up their minds about Ruby and Bela before they even stepped off the page and played into the developing idea at the time that women on SPN shouldn't last long. So, yes, spoilers create buzz and cause people to draw inferences and connect the dots as they see fit if they turn out to be accurate or not, and those preconceived notions can influence the perception of what actually happens.
I believe that it's true that Sam didn't look for Dean -- but I do not believe it's because he stopped caring. I think Dean's loss shattered him
I agree.
Sam's inability/refusal to make any excuses for his inactivity blindsided everyone.
I was surprised by this, but not because it didn't fit with Sam's personality (I feel like he's not one to make excuses really, but to internalize everything and sort of take it on the chin), but bec. SPN has always had a "twist" (except for maybe S7?), a sort of master plan operating in the background, something pulling the strings regardless if we were privy to it or not. There's a twist this season with Naomi, but I was originally expecting it to be with Sam, maybe having to do with the dark figure watching him in 8x01.
I am so grateful for Sam and Dean having friends and contacts and a homebase again.
Garth is growing on me. :) He's certainly enduring and a great change of pace from the usual flavor of alcoholic, mentally unstable hunters. I'm loving the Men of Letters idea so much! Ahhhhh, the potential!!!! And their headquarters is gorgeous to look at. OMG, there could be so many cool things hiding in there!
Oops, I wrote too much so I had to cut it into two replies! *faceplam*
I hope they don't let Dean just sit back and take this label that he is the "Brawn" of the family.
Dean is smart clearly just as Sam is a brawny hunter (but you know that). I think it's human nature to want to slot things/people into clear-cut categories and to say what it is or they are or what it isn't or they aren't. It's harder to think of things/people in terms of sitting somewhere on a spectrum because it isn't tidy and can't easily be labeled. And I think Sam and Dean get slotted into categories a lot and defined by what they are or aren't in relation to each other regardless if it's accurate or not. For example: Sam is smart, so Dean isn't. Dean is sex on wheels so Sam can't be.
I also think that some of this is a hold over from the early seasons where Sam and Dean's contrasting qualities were played up and made to be purposely different. As Sam and Dean grew as characters they become more complex and we saw that there was more overlap between them. That being said I'm sort of in love with Sam having Letters tendencies and Dean marching along in the Campbell's footsteps. They're the perfect team and duality of it all is satisfying in a weird way.
Is that too greedy? The very first meta I ever posted was about Dean's giftedness.
Whoo, greed! :D Just kidding. That's a nice piece, thanks for the link. Dean is so much his father's son, I feel like that's a big part of the Letters Legacy. It's beautiful how Sam and Dean are blends of both sides of their families and their parents' temperaments and tendencies (duh, of course): Sam and Mary and their refusal to want to be hunters, Sam and John's stubbornness and scary revenge issues, Sam the smartypants Letters Legacy, Sam and John's looks. Dean and John's "marriage" to saving people, hunting things, Dean and the brawny Campbell Legacy, Dean and Mary's looks. I could go on, but I'll spare you.
This is probably the longest reply I've ever typed. O_o
i think you should go ahead and post at heavy meta. I know there are still people watching because there were a couple of great posts earlier this season.
I feel the urge to fic about how Dean will find his own ways into the Men of Letters schema. I adored that moment, which was very small, when Sam was studying and Dean said "good". HEARTS EVERYWHERE!!! It was a wonderful moment for things between them to kick into place. I remember, back in the day, there was fic where they got old and ran a Hunting School or some such. Wouldn't it be grand if this could be the start of it?
I also think there is Angelic influence at work with the men of Letters. I'm eager to see how that plays out. :)
I adored that moment, which was very small, when Sam was studying and Dean said "good".
So much rolled into that one little word! I love that Show still has the capacity to do that. :)
Wouldn't it be grand if this could be the start of it?
*hearts* I still want Sam and Dean to have a happily ever after ending somehow.
I also think there is Angelic influence at work with the men of Letters.
As soon as Henry started talking about the generations of Winchester men in the MoL, I immediately started hyperventilating while thinking about vessels and the Winchester blood line and all the blabber seasons ago about how it John had to have something special going on in his back story to be a vessel for Michael in "TSRTS" (not to mention Sam and Dean being angelic vessels themselves). It would be interesting to see in future seasons if the angels have some sort of "plan" having to do with the Winchester Legacy and the fact Sam and Dean don't have anyone to continue their blood line.
"I just have to say, I hope they don't let Dean just sit back and take this label that he is the "Brawn" of the family. I am really really happy for Sam that he has this mantle to draw around his huge librarian shoulders. (I am sitting around thinking about Bobby's books all in boxes and just itching for Sam to cross catalog them. I am literally picturing the satisfaction of slotting Bobby's book in amongst the Letters collection.) I want Dean to have his Legacy in Letters too though!! Is that too greedy? The very first meta I ever posted was about Dean's giftedness. I don't want him shoved over as Brawn.... Yes, I am a greedy fangirl. "
YES YES YES! I hate when they make Dean into the butt of the joke instead of just intuitively funny. Like when the demon trapped Dean with her before he went to hell and said everyone knows Sam is the "brains of the outfit". Ugh. What about the Dean who made the EMF way back in s1? Or the electromagnet that erased the Ghostfacers' computers? Or the guy who admitted to reading Vonnegut? This dude made his own sawed-off in sixth grade according to the one they found in John's locker. I really hope they show more of that. I enjoy smart!Dean so much. Sure he can be cute and funny and a total fanboy, but please writers don't make him purposely stupid. A recent comment in a Robert Singer interview doesn't leave me much hope though.
well I really liked season 6 and I think season 7 was good, it wasn't the wonderful 1-5 season's, that Eric created, but at least Sam and Dean weren't so out of character (like 8x12 As time goes by" , that Sam and Dean were going to left their grandpa alone with a powerful demon; since when Sam and Dean just leave the hostages?)
and in season 6 & 7 the essential of the story was there, Sam and Dean against the world, not the disaster Jeremy created; I still don't know how the writers are going to explain Why the man that stop the devil and the Apocalypse, got sad when his brother got lost (and is not like the first time Dean goes missing), and he just didn't look for Dean.
My reactions to the first half of the season are very different and so I think I have a meta of my own to write! I really appreciate your clear headedness in laying all of this out. It makes perfect sense and helps to illustrate to me why fandom has reacted as it has.
I would argue that SPOILERS are also to blame. I think a lot of people went into the season with Jared's words about Sam not bothering to look for Dean ringing in their ears. Taking Jared's words with a grain of salt (because I am vehemently opposed to SPOILERS, which are called that for a reason!) led to my really identifying with Sam and feeling with him for the long half season. I believe that it's true that Sam didn't look for Dean -- but I do not believe it's because he stopped caring. I think Dean's loss shattered him -- and I absolutely ached for him when Dean (and fandom) couldn't see that. (I think Jared does a stellar job getting inside Sam's head emotionally and conveying what he's feeling when Sam hasn't got any words or lines to say -- the play of expression on Sam's face mean everything.) Sam's inability/refusal to make any excuses for his inactivity blindsided everyone. But I also think that Dean's experience of purgatory did change something fundamental in his character-- something that he was unable to communicate with Sam, even though he did try. And even I myself, as a longtime Dean Girl, had a really hard time understanding. Which is why I need to write that meta!
Anyhow, I am really glad that Show has emerged from the morass of s7, which, for me, was an astonishing emotional drain, as more and more of Sam and Dean's support system was ripped away from them. This new mythos has a lot of problems of its own, but I am so grateful for Sam and Dean having friends and contacts and a homebase again. Huge sigh of relief!
I just have to say, I hope they don't let Dean just sit back and take this label that he is the "Brawn" of the family. I am really really happy for Sam that he has this mantle to draw around his huge librarian shoulders. (I am sitting around thinking about Bobby's books all in boxes and just itching for Sam to cross catalog them. I am literally picturing the satisfaction of slotting Bobby's book in amongst the Letters collection.) I want Dean to have his Legacy in Letters too though!! Is that too greedy? The very first meta I ever posted was about Dean's giftedness. I don't want him shoved over as Brawn.... Yes, I am a greedy fangirl.
Reply
I was thinking of it, but wasn't sure if that comm was relevant anymore *remembers its glory in S2 and its many posts*. I suppose it can't hurt, though. :)
I think I have a meta of my own to write ... Dean's experience of purgatory did change something fundamental in his character
That's a meta I'd be interested in reading!
I would argue that SPOILERS are also to blame.
For sure. Were you involved in this fandom during the summer before S3 (sorry I can't remember off hand)? If not or if you don't recall, there was a HUGE fandom freak-out as a result of Ruby and Bela sides being leaked with people rallying against potential love interests and the new girls causing Sam and Dean to be apart more than they were together etc. This stemmed from the sides being a scene of Sam and Ruby and then of Dean and Bela, and at least Sam and Ruby's scene (if not both) was hypersexualized. Anyway, I feel like those spoilers caused a portion of fandom to make up their minds about Ruby and Bela before they even stepped off the page and played into the developing idea at the time that women on SPN shouldn't last long. So, yes, spoilers create buzz and cause people to draw inferences and connect the dots as they see fit if they turn out to be accurate or not, and those preconceived notions can influence the perception of what actually happens.
I believe that it's true that Sam didn't look for Dean -- but I do not believe it's because he stopped caring. I think Dean's loss shattered him
I agree.
Sam's inability/refusal to make any excuses for his inactivity blindsided everyone.
I was surprised by this, but not because it didn't fit with Sam's personality (I feel like he's not one to make excuses really, but to internalize everything and sort of take it on the chin), but bec. SPN has always had a "twist" (except for maybe S7?), a sort of master plan operating in the background, something pulling the strings regardless if we were privy to it or not. There's a twist this season with Naomi, but I was originally expecting it to be with Sam, maybe having to do with the dark figure watching him in 8x01.
I am so grateful for Sam and Dean having friends and contacts and a homebase again.
Garth is growing on me. :) He's certainly enduring and a great change of pace from the usual flavor of alcoholic, mentally unstable hunters. I'm loving the Men of Letters idea so much! Ahhhhh, the potential!!!! And their headquarters is gorgeous to look at. OMG, there could be so many cool things hiding in there!
Reply
I hope they don't let Dean just sit back and take this label that he is the "Brawn" of the family.
Dean is smart clearly just as Sam is a brawny hunter (but you know that). I think it's human nature to want to slot things/people into clear-cut categories and to say what it is or they are or what it isn't or they aren't. It's harder to think of things/people in terms of sitting somewhere on a spectrum because it isn't tidy and can't easily be labeled. And I think Sam and Dean get slotted into categories a lot and defined by what they are or aren't in relation to each other regardless if it's accurate or not. For example: Sam is smart, so Dean isn't. Dean is sex on wheels so Sam can't be.
I also think that some of this is a hold over from the early seasons where Sam and Dean's contrasting qualities were played up and made to be purposely different. As Sam and Dean grew as characters they become more complex and we saw that there was more overlap between them. That being said I'm sort of in love with Sam having Letters tendencies and Dean marching along in the Campbell's footsteps. They're the perfect team and duality of it all is satisfying in a weird way.
Is that too greedy? The very first meta I ever posted was about Dean's giftedness.
Whoo, greed! :D Just kidding. That's a nice piece, thanks for the link. Dean is so much his father's son, I feel like that's a big part of the Letters Legacy. It's beautiful how Sam and Dean are blends of both sides of their families and their parents' temperaments and tendencies (duh, of course): Sam and Mary and their refusal to want to be hunters, Sam and John's stubbornness and scary revenge issues, Sam the smartypants Letters Legacy, Sam and John's looks. Dean and John's "marriage" to saving people, hunting things, Dean and the brawny Campbell Legacy, Dean and Mary's looks. I could go on, but I'll spare you.
This is probably the longest reply I've ever typed. O_o
Reply
i think you should go ahead and post at heavy meta. I know there are still people watching because there were a couple of great posts earlier this season.
I feel the urge to fic about how Dean will find his own ways into the Men of Letters schema. I adored that moment, which was very small, when Sam was studying and Dean said "good". HEARTS EVERYWHERE!!! It was a wonderful moment for things between them to kick into place. I remember, back in the day, there was fic where they got old and ran a Hunting School or some such. Wouldn't it be grand if this could be the start of it?
I also think there is Angelic influence at work with the men of Letters. I'm eager to see how that plays out. :)
Reply
So much rolled into that one little word! I love that Show still has the capacity to do that. :)
Wouldn't it be grand if this could be the start of it?
*hearts* I still want Sam and Dean to have a happily ever after ending somehow.
I also think there is Angelic influence at work with the men of Letters.
As soon as Henry started talking about the generations of Winchester men in the MoL, I immediately started hyperventilating while thinking about vessels and the Winchester blood line and all the blabber seasons ago about how it John had to have something special going on in his back story to be a vessel for Michael in "TSRTS" (not to mention Sam and Dean being angelic vessels themselves). It would be interesting to see in future seasons if the angels have some sort of "plan" having to do with the Winchester Legacy and the fact Sam and Dean don't have anyone to continue their blood line.
Reply
YES YES YES! I hate when they make Dean into the butt of the joke instead of just intuitively funny. Like when the demon trapped Dean with her before he went to hell and said everyone knows Sam is the "brains of the outfit". Ugh. What about the Dean who made the EMF way back in s1? Or the electromagnet that erased the Ghostfacers' computers? Or the guy who admitted to reading Vonnegut? This dude made his own sawed-off in sixth grade according to the one they found in John's locker. I really hope they show more of that. I enjoy smart!Dean so much. Sure he can be cute and funny and a total fanboy, but please writers don't make him purposely stupid. A recent comment in a Robert Singer interview doesn't leave me much hope though.
end rant. XD
Reply
and in season 6 & 7 the essential of the story was there, Sam and Dean against the world, not the disaster Jeremy created; I still don't know how the writers are going to explain Why the man that stop the devil and the Apocalypse, got sad when his brother got lost (and is not like the first time Dean goes missing), and he just didn't look for Dean.
Reply
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