SPN Meta: Adversarial Methodology in 5.15
And here, have a little extra meta-type thing with a pretentious title to go with the 5.15 reaction. Also posting in a rush, also may be edited later.
A Brief Analysis of Adversarial Methodology in 5.15
(AKA When trying to kill Bobby, why did Death use sleeper-mode zombie assassins instead of oh, say, heart attack?)
Why did Death send zombies? Aside from the obvious answers of "because Bobby is way too awesome for a simple death", and "because Death can" (If you had been out of the world for hundreds of years and had to waste someone, would you just point your bony finger and make him die, or would you invoke a whackload of zombies and have a party?)
By including Bobby's wife in a complex emotional Rube Goldbergesque attempt to kill or dishearten him, it might put a crack in the resolve of one Sam Winchester, tailored vessel of Lucifer. Seriously, if the goal of all that had been to kill Bobby, Bobby would be dead. And Sam and Dean would NEVER stop fighting what killed him, that being Lucifer's plans, etc.
Bobby dead would remove him as a support, but make him way more of a sticking point for the Winchesters. Bobby alive, doubting himself, willing to let zombies roam free so he can have his wife back, then emotionally shattered and beaten when he a) has to kill and burn his wife again, b) realizes he has endangered an entire town and contributed to the deaths of a few citizens by not sticking to the "zombies=bad" concept c) has his nose rubbed in the fact that any ally of the Winchesters has a target on them and anyone near them etc etc. that shakes Bobby's resolve and subsequently weakens him as part of the Winchester support network.
Maybe his resolve is shaken, and maybe his soul is re-crushed, and maybe he has doubts, but the net effect is that all that echoes back into Sam and Dean. Regardless of how Bobby takes this and what he does as a result, the boys have to see that Bobby being part of their family is putting him in danger. Remember 'Shadow'? They distanced themselves from John after finding him again because they figured being together was making John vulnerable. If they follow the same logic, they'll distance themselves from Bobby, regardless of his choices. They'll feel guilt, they'll think they're doing it to help him stay safe, but they're really playing right into Big L's hands. As their minimal support network dwindles, they will become that much more alone in their resistance.
It's an awesome and insidious thing. Bobby's death would never have accomplished something so destabilizing for Sam and Dean. Very strategically sound.
Also, as I said in the reaction post, Death gets massive points for style. Zombie-assassins FTW. *snaps fingers or something*
(PLEASE, NO SPOILERS OR REFERENCES TO SPOILERY MATERIAL IN COMMENTS! The definition of spoiler for this journal is located in left hand sidebar and includes references to promo material as spoilers. Theory and speculation based on aired episodes only.)
A Brief Analysis of Adversarial Methodology in 5.15
(AKA When trying to kill Bobby, why did Death use sleeper-mode zombie assassins instead of oh, say, heart attack?)
Why did Death send zombies? Aside from the obvious answers of "because Bobby is way too awesome for a simple death", and "because Death can" (If you had been out of the world for hundreds of years and had to waste someone, would you just point your bony finger and make him die, or would you invoke a whackload of zombies and have a party?)
By including Bobby's wife in a complex emotional Rube Goldbergesque attempt to kill or dishearten him, it might put a crack in the resolve of one Sam Winchester, tailored vessel of Lucifer. Seriously, if the goal of all that had been to kill Bobby, Bobby would be dead. And Sam and Dean would NEVER stop fighting what killed him, that being Lucifer's plans, etc.
Bobby dead would remove him as a support, but make him way more of a sticking point for the Winchesters. Bobby alive, doubting himself, willing to let zombies roam free so he can have his wife back, then emotionally shattered and beaten when he a) has to kill and burn his wife again, b) realizes he has endangered an entire town and contributed to the deaths of a few citizens by not sticking to the "zombies=bad" concept c) has his nose rubbed in the fact that any ally of the Winchesters has a target on them and anyone near them etc etc. that shakes Bobby's resolve and subsequently weakens him as part of the Winchester support network.
Maybe his resolve is shaken, and maybe his soul is re-crushed, and maybe he has doubts, but the net effect is that all that echoes back into Sam and Dean. Regardless of how Bobby takes this and what he does as a result, the boys have to see that Bobby being part of their family is putting him in danger. Remember 'Shadow'? They distanced themselves from John after finding him again because they figured being together was making John vulnerable. If they follow the same logic, they'll distance themselves from Bobby, regardless of his choices. They'll feel guilt, they'll think they're doing it to help him stay safe, but they're really playing right into Big L's hands. As their minimal support network dwindles, they will become that much more alone in their resistance.
It's an awesome and insidious thing. Bobby's death would never have accomplished something so destabilizing for Sam and Dean. Very strategically sound.
Also, as I said in the reaction post, Death gets massive points for style. Zombie-assassins FTW. *snaps fingers or something*
(PLEASE, NO SPOILERS OR REFERENCES TO SPOILERY MATERIAL IN COMMENTS! The definition of spoiler for this journal is located in left hand sidebar and includes references to promo material as spoilers. Theory and speculation based on aired episodes only.)