Review | 8x06 | Southern Comfort
Southern Comfort by Adam Glass delves right into the heart of the current conflict between Sam and Dean - and it is not pretty, to say the least. Southern Comfort is one of those episodes that I love for its intense focus on the brotherly relationship - which is especially appreciated since the last two episodes had little to offer in terms of interaction between Sam and Dean - even though I find it incredibly hard to watch because of its painful content. Luckily, the appearance of Garth brings some levity into the episode, so it is not quite as bleak as it could be, and I am grateful for that. I just hope that the writers are going to build on the exploration of the brothers’ issues in this episode instead of directing their attention elsewhere for another extended period of time.
A possession or a spell is a fairly common plot device in Supernatural to force a truthful conversation between the brothers and thus allow them to confront the issues between them - Asylum, Sex and Violence or You Can’t Handle The Truth come to mind, for example. Of course, the root causes for arguments between the brothers are well-known by now, namely Dean’s abandonment and self-worth issues and Sam’s need to be in control of his life, to make his own choices and be acknowledged as his brother’s equal. The fact that those deep-seated personal issues have never been truly resolved - usually Sam and Dean make peace without actually addressing the underlying causes for their conflict - results in a frequent resurfacing of old arguments in new contexts, and it saddens me that, even though Sam and Dean have learned over the years to be more honest and open with each other, they still cannot talk about the things that matter the most. To be honest, after eight years I am growing tired of the lack of development in that regard, and I hope that this time around the writers will actually resolve some of the underlying problems, because otherwise the current conflict between the brothers would simply be a rehash of worn-out issues just for the sake of creating conflict. Now, I know that it is tempting to sympathise with one of the brothers in these kinds of conflict and condemn the other, but it is important to keep in mind that there is no right or wrong here. Both Sam and Dean have rightful grievances; they are both hurt and angry and anything but objective. However, we as an audience are in the unique position to be able to judge their conflict from a (relatively) objective outsider perspective, and that allows us to understand the characters better than they understand themselves.
Sam: "What do you want me to say? That I made mistakes? I’ve made mistakes, Dean."
Dean: "Mistakes? Well let’s go through some of Sammy’s greatest hits. Drinking demon blood. Check. Being in cahoots with Ruby. Not telling me that you lost your soul. Or how about, running around with Samuel for a whole year, letting me think that you were dead while you were doing all kinds of crazy. Those aren’t mistakes, Sam. Those are choices."
Sam: "Alright. You said it. We both played a little fast and loose."
Dean: "Yeah, I might have lied, but I never once betrayed you. I never once left you to die. And for what? A girl? You left me to die for a girl?"
Ever since the brothers reunited in the season premiere, their relationship has been tense and strained, and all that tension had to release at some point, so I am relieved that it happened sooner rather than later. Throughout the episode, the brothers have a row of arguments in which they air their personal grievances and even though it leaves them in a raw place, emotionally, I think it is the first necessary step towards a mutual understanding. Now, Sam and Dean’s first argument takes place at the beginning of the episode and picks up from where last week’s episode left off, as Sam confronts Dean about his relationship with Benny. I am actually glad that Sam brings up Amy again in this context, because I always felt that he backed down way too quickly back in The Mentalists, and it never sat right with me that he never really addressed the main issue between them, namely trust. The question of whether or not killing Amy is morally justified was only ever secondary to the question if Dean trusts Sam's judgment. After all, in The Girl Next Door Sam did not ask Dean to trust Amy, he asked Dean to trust him. He asked Dean to respect his friendship with Amy and trust his judgment of her, but instead Dean chose to place his own judgment over Sam’s and then lie about it. At present, Dean asks the same of Sam, namely to respect his friendship with Benny and trust Dean when he tells him that the vampire does not feed on humans - and he clearly expects Sam to accept that as a sufficient reason to let Benny live, even though he was unable to show his brother the same courtesy. Unsurprisingly, Sam does not take kindly to Dean’s double standards in the matter. From Sam’s perspective, Dean’s argument has to smack of his old 'I am the big brother and I am always right' attitude and Sam has always resented being treated as anything less than an equal.
The brothers’ second argument is triggered when Dean accidentally gets himself possessed by the spectre and subsequently feels compelled to tell Sam the truth about his feelings. Now, I think it is important to keep in mind that part of the spectre’s modus operandi is to dredge up slights and hurts from the past, regardless of their actual present-day relevance, because it at least partly explains why Dean’s angry tirade is so full of misdirected reproach. For example, Dean’s accusation that Sam blames him for pulling him out of Stanford and back into hunting has no foundation in reality. He knows for a fact that that is not true, as Sam explicitly told him otherwise during his trial in Defending Your Life. Dean also reproaches Sam for his alliance with Ruby and his blood addiction, which, fair enough, have been real transgressions on Sam’s part. However, Dean has not only long forgiven Sam for those transgressions, he is also well aware that Sam more than atoned for his poor choices. Dean’s lowest blow though is to hold Sam’s actions whilst being soulless against him, even though he knows that Sam cannot be held responsible for those actions. Sam did not know that he was soulless, so he could not have told Dean even if he had wanted to, and joining Samuel was a choice souled Sam would never have made and Dean knows that. So, why does he hurtle all those unfair accusations towards Sam? I think the answer to that question lies in Dean’s final reproach, namely that Sam left him to die for a girl, and this most recent (seemingly) betrayal dredges up those of Sam’s actions Dean perceived as similar 'betrayals' in the past - like Sam leaving him in order to go to Stanford, or Sam choosing to trust Ruby over him, or Sam ditching Dean to hunt with Samuel. In short, Dean’s sense of abandonment is the common denominator in all of his accusations.
Of course, Dean’s perception that Sam left him to die in purgatory because he met a girl is just as inaccurate as his perception that Sam betrayed him by going to Stanford or that Sam chose Samuel over him. In We Need To Talk About Kevin Sam explicitly told Dean that Amelia had nothing to do with his decision not to look for Dean, and from the flashbacks we know that Sam is truthful about this particular point; he had already given up his search for Dean when he met Amelia. However, Dean’s abandonment and self-worth issues are not rational, and they often lead him to subconsciously substitute the truth with his own misperceptions. It rarely matters if Sam’s actions are actually motivated by Dean or not, Dean will relate them to himself anyway and, if at all possible, put a negative spin on them. I think part of the problem is that Dean never really believed that Sam loves him as much as he loves Sam - not because he doesn’t want to, but because he can’t; his own damaged psyche stands in the way of that. Naturally, it does not help that, whenever Sam goes above and beyond to prove his deep and abiding love for Dean, his brother has no knowledge of it. For example, Dean has no idea that Sam was willing to sacrifice innocent lives in order to get Dean back in Mystery Spot; he does not know that it was Sam’s love for him that allowed his brother to take control back from Lucifer in Swan Song, and he was not present when Sam accepted the burden of his hell memories for Dean’s sake in The Man Who Knew Too Much. So Dean is left with those of Sam’s choices that seem to indicate a lack of love and loyalty to him - like Sam collaborating with Ruby, for example. I really hope that Dean will get a chance this season to finally overcome his misperceptions; he needs to learn that sometimes Sam’s choices are independent from his love for him and that Sam can want different things but still love Dean and need him in his life.
In the brothers’ third argument Sam angrily confronts Dean about his hostile behaviour, and I think it is interesting to note that the flashback of Sam telling Amelia about how lost he was when Dean disappeared is placed right before this final fight. The stark contrast between Sam lovingly talking about his brother with Amelia and Sam coming down hard on Dean for his behaviour these last couple of weeks really highlights the fact that, from Sam’s point of view, the present does not quite live up to the memories he nurtured while his brother was gone - and I think that disappointment, too, plays into Sam’s anger here. Now, it is understandable that Sam is hurt and resentful considering that Dean has been putting him down and dismissing his choices at every opportunity ever since he came back. And while Dean’s current attitude is obviously rooted in his own hurt over Sam’s seeming betrayal, I think it is completely justified on Sam’s part to issue an ultimatum - either Dean moves on or Sam will. It is a low blow, of course, because Sam knows how much Dean struggles with his abandonment issues, and I think it would have been a lot more effective if Sam had been able to reassure his brother instead, i.e. to tell Dean what he told Amelia, namely how his world fell apart when Dean vanished, but I daresay that Sam does not feel particularly reconciliatory with all of Dean’s hurtful accusations still ringing in his ears. That said, I believe Sam’s anger also clouds his judgment. I think Sam is wrong when he claims that Dean does not need to be possessed to say all those hurtful things to him, because as I have stated before, most of the Dean’s accusations have been misdirected and irrational, and if Sam was more composed, he would realise that. Not to mention that Dean’s changed demeanour during their conversation is proof of that as well. However, I think it is really unfortunate that Dean has no recollection of what he said whilst under the spectre's influence. As it is, it will be difficult for Sam and Dean to confront the issues that have been brought on by Dean's possession.
One last thought: I think it is worth noting that Sam and Dean’s various arguments throughout the episode are essentially about one single topic, namely about the feeling that they have been replaced in their brother’s life. Dean may keep harping on about Sam’s retirement from the hunt, but in the end it all comes down to one point: "You left me to die for a girl." Similarly, Sam may complain about Dean criticizing his choices, but ultimately his hurt is all about Dean trusting someone else over him: "You had secrets. You had Benny." Sam and Dean do not often make new friends. In fact, usually they only form new relationships when they are not with each other - either literally or figuratively - probably because when they are together, their respective brother encompasses family, partner and friend in one person for them. Moreover, the brothers spent most of their lives exclusively with each other; they grew up with only each other as a constant, and I think they do not feel the urgent need for other people in their lives as long as they have one another. That is not to say that they do not value the friendships they forge outside their brotherly relationship or that they are unable to accept other people in their respective brother’s life, but they sure are resentful if someone seems to threaten their place. Now, episodes like Southern Comfort may give the impression that Sam and Dean’s relationship is a burden to them rather than a source of love and happiness, but I think the opposite is true. They fight so viciously exactly because of their depth of feeling for each other. After all, people who do not care, do not fight like this, they simply walk away. However, Garth is right, they need to let go of the past and learn to appreciate the present, and they not only need to talk, but to listen to each other as well. I just hope that Sam and Dean will heed Garth’s advice in their future interaction.
Sam: "Look, I lost my brother Dean a few months ago. It felt like my world imploded and came raining down on me and I ran. Just like you."
Amelia: "Is that supposed to be a pep talk?"
The episode gives us a lot of new insight into the relationship between Sam and Amelia, and I have to admit that my initial dislike of Amelia’s character has long faded by now. In fact, I find her character and the relationship she has with Sam more interesting than Benny and the relationship he has with Dean, mainly because I feel that Dean and Benny have a pretty straightforward 'comrades in arms' relationship, while the relationship between Sam and Amelia feels psychologically complicated and fragile in comparison. Anyway, I guess it comes as no surprise that there are a lot of parallels between Sam and Amelia’s stories. They both lost the most important person in their life and since they have been unable to deal with that loss, they both dropped off the grid. Amelia’s decision to leave her old life behind because everything in it was a constant reminder of Don is mirrored in Sam’s decision to leave the life of a hunter behind. It is not difficult to imagine that hunting reminded him of Dean and that he felt he was unable to escape the grief and hopelessness if he stayed on the job. Furthermore, Amelia admits that she was unable to bear the constant pity and judgment from the people in her life, like her husband’s death was somehow her fault, and I think that also applies to Sam. He clearly did not tell anyone about Dean’s disappearance - like Garth or Jody, for example - and he made sure that no one from his old life would be able to contact him. I think that is not only owed to the fact that he wanted to quit hunting, but also to the fact that he had no desire to explain himself to other people, to face their pity, or worse, to admit to them that he had failed his brother, again.
However, there are also overtones of betrayal in Amelia’s story, which nicely resonates with the general theme of the episode. Amelia clearly loved her husband, but she also felt betrayed when he enlisted for military service without asking her first and thus disregarded their partnership. Moreover, he left her in order to work in a war zone and then got himself killed, leaving her behind to deal with the aftermath of his decisions. I think part of her felt abandoned by Don, and I think that is something Sam relates to as well. Of course, leaving Sam was not a choice on Dean’s part - he did not volunteer for purgatory, after all - but living his life as a hunter was, and ultimately hunting was what lead to his disappearance (from Sam’s life). All in all, it is not surprising that Sam decided to retire from hunting. As he said in the season premiere, hunting took everyone he ever loved from him, so the massive resentment he harbours against the lifestyle at the moment is more than understandable. On a more positive note, my favourite moment between Sam and Amelia is the one where Sam tells her about losing Dean. It is the first time that we get at least a glimpse into Sam’s state of mind immediately after Dean’s disappearance, and the grief is still tangible in his demeanour. Sam’s admission that his world imploded and came raining down on him after Dean vanished ties in well with Sam’s apparent distress at the end of Survival of the Fittest, and I really want to know more about that period of time in between Dean’s disappearance and Sam hitting the dog; his 'I ran' is just way too vague for my liking. Anyway, I love that Sam and Amelia bonded over their love for those they lost, and the fact that they tried to keep the memories of their loved ones alive by sharing them with each other warms my heart. ♥ I am really looking forward to seeing more of this couple.
Dean: "You’re not Bobby. Okay? You’re never gonna be Bobby. So stop."
Garth: "Bobby belonged to all of us, Dean. Not just you and Sam. Now, I’m just taking what he showed me and trying to do something with it, and that’s all."
Southern Comfort reunites Sam and Dean with the dorky hunter Garth, and I for one was happy to see the character again. I have always liked Garth’s optimism, as well as his open and affectionate nature, and I think that his dynamic with the brothers is very enjoyable to watch, especially since he is one of the few characters who interacts with Sam and Dean in equal measure. My favourite aspect of Garth’s appearance in the episode is the way it ties in with Bobby’s death and how it affected the hunter’s community. It has been well established over the years that Bobby was a pillar of the community and the go-to guy for all things supernatural for many hunters, so his loss had to impact the flow of information considerably. It stands to reason that someone had to pick up the slack and, as it turns out, that someone was Garth! Now, on first glance Garth may be an unlikely candidate for the position as Bobby’s successor - actually it has always been my hope that Sam and Dean will follow in Bobby’s footsteps one day - but I think his outgoing nature and emotional stability may actually work in his favour. Obviously, he is not the most experienced or knowledgeable hunter, and his rather unconventional demeanour may not sit well with his older, more hardened colleagues, but I do not find it all too difficult to imagine that, with a little perseverance and time, he will grow into the role and garner respect in the community. So far, Garth has mostly been played for laughs, but in Southern Comfort we already see a more mature Garth - the scene where he tells Dean that Bobby did not only belong to him and Sam is particularly touching - and I think Bobby would have liked the thought that he had such a profound influence on the young man. Granted, Garth may try a little too hard to emulate Bobby, but I have no doubt that he will grow out of that, once he feels more confident in his role.
In conclusion: Despite its title, Southern Comfort is anything but a comforting episode; I felt rather depressed after watching it, actually. I admit, I find the discordance between Sam and Dean very hard to watch, especially since they talk at cross purposes and seem to have difficulties to address the real underlying issues in their relationship. However, I think it was necessary for the brothers to air their grievances at this point in the season, and I have some hope that their arguments in this episode build the starting point for a journey towards mutual understanding and acceptance. I am pretty unspoiled for the next couple of episodes, but I actually look forward to seeing what will happen next. These last two episodes have been solid enough to spark my interest for this season. Let’s just hope it remains that way.
A possession or a spell is a fairly common plot device in Supernatural to force a truthful conversation between the brothers and thus allow them to confront the issues between them - Asylum, Sex and Violence or You Can’t Handle The Truth come to mind, for example. Of course, the root causes for arguments between the brothers are well-known by now, namely Dean’s abandonment and self-worth issues and Sam’s need to be in control of his life, to make his own choices and be acknowledged as his brother’s equal. The fact that those deep-seated personal issues have never been truly resolved - usually Sam and Dean make peace without actually addressing the underlying causes for their conflict - results in a frequent resurfacing of old arguments in new contexts, and it saddens me that, even though Sam and Dean have learned over the years to be more honest and open with each other, they still cannot talk about the things that matter the most. To be honest, after eight years I am growing tired of the lack of development in that regard, and I hope that this time around the writers will actually resolve some of the underlying problems, because otherwise the current conflict between the brothers would simply be a rehash of worn-out issues just for the sake of creating conflict. Now, I know that it is tempting to sympathise with one of the brothers in these kinds of conflict and condemn the other, but it is important to keep in mind that there is no right or wrong here. Both Sam and Dean have rightful grievances; they are both hurt and angry and anything but objective. However, we as an audience are in the unique position to be able to judge their conflict from a (relatively) objective outsider perspective, and that allows us to understand the characters better than they understand themselves.
Sam: "What do you want me to say? That I made mistakes? I’ve made mistakes, Dean."
Dean: "Mistakes? Well let’s go through some of Sammy’s greatest hits. Drinking demon blood. Check. Being in cahoots with Ruby. Not telling me that you lost your soul. Or how about, running around with Samuel for a whole year, letting me think that you were dead while you were doing all kinds of crazy. Those aren’t mistakes, Sam. Those are choices."
Sam: "Alright. You said it. We both played a little fast and loose."
Dean: "Yeah, I might have lied, but I never once betrayed you. I never once left you to die. And for what? A girl? You left me to die for a girl?"
Ever since the brothers reunited in the season premiere, their relationship has been tense and strained, and all that tension had to release at some point, so I am relieved that it happened sooner rather than later. Throughout the episode, the brothers have a row of arguments in which they air their personal grievances and even though it leaves them in a raw place, emotionally, I think it is the first necessary step towards a mutual understanding. Now, Sam and Dean’s first argument takes place at the beginning of the episode and picks up from where last week’s episode left off, as Sam confronts Dean about his relationship with Benny. I am actually glad that Sam brings up Amy again in this context, because I always felt that he backed down way too quickly back in The Mentalists, and it never sat right with me that he never really addressed the main issue between them, namely trust. The question of whether or not killing Amy is morally justified was only ever secondary to the question if Dean trusts Sam's judgment. After all, in The Girl Next Door Sam did not ask Dean to trust Amy, he asked Dean to trust him. He asked Dean to respect his friendship with Amy and trust his judgment of her, but instead Dean chose to place his own judgment over Sam’s and then lie about it. At present, Dean asks the same of Sam, namely to respect his friendship with Benny and trust Dean when he tells him that the vampire does not feed on humans - and he clearly expects Sam to accept that as a sufficient reason to let Benny live, even though he was unable to show his brother the same courtesy. Unsurprisingly, Sam does not take kindly to Dean’s double standards in the matter. From Sam’s perspective, Dean’s argument has to smack of his old 'I am the big brother and I am always right' attitude and Sam has always resented being treated as anything less than an equal.
The brothers’ second argument is triggered when Dean accidentally gets himself possessed by the spectre and subsequently feels compelled to tell Sam the truth about his feelings. Now, I think it is important to keep in mind that part of the spectre’s modus operandi is to dredge up slights and hurts from the past, regardless of their actual present-day relevance, because it at least partly explains why Dean’s angry tirade is so full of misdirected reproach. For example, Dean’s accusation that Sam blames him for pulling him out of Stanford and back into hunting has no foundation in reality. He knows for a fact that that is not true, as Sam explicitly told him otherwise during his trial in Defending Your Life. Dean also reproaches Sam for his alliance with Ruby and his blood addiction, which, fair enough, have been real transgressions on Sam’s part. However, Dean has not only long forgiven Sam for those transgressions, he is also well aware that Sam more than atoned for his poor choices. Dean’s lowest blow though is to hold Sam’s actions whilst being soulless against him, even though he knows that Sam cannot be held responsible for those actions. Sam did not know that he was soulless, so he could not have told Dean even if he had wanted to, and joining Samuel was a choice souled Sam would never have made and Dean knows that. So, why does he hurtle all those unfair accusations towards Sam? I think the answer to that question lies in Dean’s final reproach, namely that Sam left him to die for a girl, and this most recent (seemingly) betrayal dredges up those of Sam’s actions Dean perceived as similar 'betrayals' in the past - like Sam leaving him in order to go to Stanford, or Sam choosing to trust Ruby over him, or Sam ditching Dean to hunt with Samuel. In short, Dean’s sense of abandonment is the common denominator in all of his accusations.
Of course, Dean’s perception that Sam left him to die in purgatory because he met a girl is just as inaccurate as his perception that Sam betrayed him by going to Stanford or that Sam chose Samuel over him. In We Need To Talk About Kevin Sam explicitly told Dean that Amelia had nothing to do with his decision not to look for Dean, and from the flashbacks we know that Sam is truthful about this particular point; he had already given up his search for Dean when he met Amelia. However, Dean’s abandonment and self-worth issues are not rational, and they often lead him to subconsciously substitute the truth with his own misperceptions. It rarely matters if Sam’s actions are actually motivated by Dean or not, Dean will relate them to himself anyway and, if at all possible, put a negative spin on them. I think part of the problem is that Dean never really believed that Sam loves him as much as he loves Sam - not because he doesn’t want to, but because he can’t; his own damaged psyche stands in the way of that. Naturally, it does not help that, whenever Sam goes above and beyond to prove his deep and abiding love for Dean, his brother has no knowledge of it. For example, Dean has no idea that Sam was willing to sacrifice innocent lives in order to get Dean back in Mystery Spot; he does not know that it was Sam’s love for him that allowed his brother to take control back from Lucifer in Swan Song, and he was not present when Sam accepted the burden of his hell memories for Dean’s sake in The Man Who Knew Too Much. So Dean is left with those of Sam’s choices that seem to indicate a lack of love and loyalty to him - like Sam collaborating with Ruby, for example. I really hope that Dean will get a chance this season to finally overcome his misperceptions; he needs to learn that sometimes Sam’s choices are independent from his love for him and that Sam can want different things but still love Dean and need him in his life.
In the brothers’ third argument Sam angrily confronts Dean about his hostile behaviour, and I think it is interesting to note that the flashback of Sam telling Amelia about how lost he was when Dean disappeared is placed right before this final fight. The stark contrast between Sam lovingly talking about his brother with Amelia and Sam coming down hard on Dean for his behaviour these last couple of weeks really highlights the fact that, from Sam’s point of view, the present does not quite live up to the memories he nurtured while his brother was gone - and I think that disappointment, too, plays into Sam’s anger here. Now, it is understandable that Sam is hurt and resentful considering that Dean has been putting him down and dismissing his choices at every opportunity ever since he came back. And while Dean’s current attitude is obviously rooted in his own hurt over Sam’s seeming betrayal, I think it is completely justified on Sam’s part to issue an ultimatum - either Dean moves on or Sam will. It is a low blow, of course, because Sam knows how much Dean struggles with his abandonment issues, and I think it would have been a lot more effective if Sam had been able to reassure his brother instead, i.e. to tell Dean what he told Amelia, namely how his world fell apart when Dean vanished, but I daresay that Sam does not feel particularly reconciliatory with all of Dean’s hurtful accusations still ringing in his ears. That said, I believe Sam’s anger also clouds his judgment. I think Sam is wrong when he claims that Dean does not need to be possessed to say all those hurtful things to him, because as I have stated before, most of the Dean’s accusations have been misdirected and irrational, and if Sam was more composed, he would realise that. Not to mention that Dean’s changed demeanour during their conversation is proof of that as well. However, I think it is really unfortunate that Dean has no recollection of what he said whilst under the spectre's influence. As it is, it will be difficult for Sam and Dean to confront the issues that have been brought on by Dean's possession.
One last thought: I think it is worth noting that Sam and Dean’s various arguments throughout the episode are essentially about one single topic, namely about the feeling that they have been replaced in their brother’s life. Dean may keep harping on about Sam’s retirement from the hunt, but in the end it all comes down to one point: "You left me to die for a girl." Similarly, Sam may complain about Dean criticizing his choices, but ultimately his hurt is all about Dean trusting someone else over him: "You had secrets. You had Benny." Sam and Dean do not often make new friends. In fact, usually they only form new relationships when they are not with each other - either literally or figuratively - probably because when they are together, their respective brother encompasses family, partner and friend in one person for them. Moreover, the brothers spent most of their lives exclusively with each other; they grew up with only each other as a constant, and I think they do not feel the urgent need for other people in their lives as long as they have one another. That is not to say that they do not value the friendships they forge outside their brotherly relationship or that they are unable to accept other people in their respective brother’s life, but they sure are resentful if someone seems to threaten their place. Now, episodes like Southern Comfort may give the impression that Sam and Dean’s relationship is a burden to them rather than a source of love and happiness, but I think the opposite is true. They fight so viciously exactly because of their depth of feeling for each other. After all, people who do not care, do not fight like this, they simply walk away. However, Garth is right, they need to let go of the past and learn to appreciate the present, and they not only need to talk, but to listen to each other as well. I just hope that Sam and Dean will heed Garth’s advice in their future interaction.
Sam: "Look, I lost my brother Dean a few months ago. It felt like my world imploded and came raining down on me and I ran. Just like you."
Amelia: "Is that supposed to be a pep talk?"
The episode gives us a lot of new insight into the relationship between Sam and Amelia, and I have to admit that my initial dislike of Amelia’s character has long faded by now. In fact, I find her character and the relationship she has with Sam more interesting than Benny and the relationship he has with Dean, mainly because I feel that Dean and Benny have a pretty straightforward 'comrades in arms' relationship, while the relationship between Sam and Amelia feels psychologically complicated and fragile in comparison. Anyway, I guess it comes as no surprise that there are a lot of parallels between Sam and Amelia’s stories. They both lost the most important person in their life and since they have been unable to deal with that loss, they both dropped off the grid. Amelia’s decision to leave her old life behind because everything in it was a constant reminder of Don is mirrored in Sam’s decision to leave the life of a hunter behind. It is not difficult to imagine that hunting reminded him of Dean and that he felt he was unable to escape the grief and hopelessness if he stayed on the job. Furthermore, Amelia admits that she was unable to bear the constant pity and judgment from the people in her life, like her husband’s death was somehow her fault, and I think that also applies to Sam. He clearly did not tell anyone about Dean’s disappearance - like Garth or Jody, for example - and he made sure that no one from his old life would be able to contact him. I think that is not only owed to the fact that he wanted to quit hunting, but also to the fact that he had no desire to explain himself to other people, to face their pity, or worse, to admit to them that he had failed his brother, again.
However, there are also overtones of betrayal in Amelia’s story, which nicely resonates with the general theme of the episode. Amelia clearly loved her husband, but she also felt betrayed when he enlisted for military service without asking her first and thus disregarded their partnership. Moreover, he left her in order to work in a war zone and then got himself killed, leaving her behind to deal with the aftermath of his decisions. I think part of her felt abandoned by Don, and I think that is something Sam relates to as well. Of course, leaving Sam was not a choice on Dean’s part - he did not volunteer for purgatory, after all - but living his life as a hunter was, and ultimately hunting was what lead to his disappearance (from Sam’s life). All in all, it is not surprising that Sam decided to retire from hunting. As he said in the season premiere, hunting took everyone he ever loved from him, so the massive resentment he harbours against the lifestyle at the moment is more than understandable. On a more positive note, my favourite moment between Sam and Amelia is the one where Sam tells her about losing Dean. It is the first time that we get at least a glimpse into Sam’s state of mind immediately after Dean’s disappearance, and the grief is still tangible in his demeanour. Sam’s admission that his world imploded and came raining down on him after Dean vanished ties in well with Sam’s apparent distress at the end of Survival of the Fittest, and I really want to know more about that period of time in between Dean’s disappearance and Sam hitting the dog; his 'I ran' is just way too vague for my liking. Anyway, I love that Sam and Amelia bonded over their love for those they lost, and the fact that they tried to keep the memories of their loved ones alive by sharing them with each other warms my heart. ♥ I am really looking forward to seeing more of this couple.
Dean: "You’re not Bobby. Okay? You’re never gonna be Bobby. So stop."
Garth: "Bobby belonged to all of us, Dean. Not just you and Sam. Now, I’m just taking what he showed me and trying to do something with it, and that’s all."
Southern Comfort reunites Sam and Dean with the dorky hunter Garth, and I for one was happy to see the character again. I have always liked Garth’s optimism, as well as his open and affectionate nature, and I think that his dynamic with the brothers is very enjoyable to watch, especially since he is one of the few characters who interacts with Sam and Dean in equal measure. My favourite aspect of Garth’s appearance in the episode is the way it ties in with Bobby’s death and how it affected the hunter’s community. It has been well established over the years that Bobby was a pillar of the community and the go-to guy for all things supernatural for many hunters, so his loss had to impact the flow of information considerably. It stands to reason that someone had to pick up the slack and, as it turns out, that someone was Garth! Now, on first glance Garth may be an unlikely candidate for the position as Bobby’s successor - actually it has always been my hope that Sam and Dean will follow in Bobby’s footsteps one day - but I think his outgoing nature and emotional stability may actually work in his favour. Obviously, he is not the most experienced or knowledgeable hunter, and his rather unconventional demeanour may not sit well with his older, more hardened colleagues, but I do not find it all too difficult to imagine that, with a little perseverance and time, he will grow into the role and garner respect in the community. So far, Garth has mostly been played for laughs, but in Southern Comfort we already see a more mature Garth - the scene where he tells Dean that Bobby did not only belong to him and Sam is particularly touching - and I think Bobby would have liked the thought that he had such a profound influence on the young man. Granted, Garth may try a little too hard to emulate Bobby, but I have no doubt that he will grow out of that, once he feels more confident in his role.
In conclusion: Despite its title, Southern Comfort is anything but a comforting episode; I felt rather depressed after watching it, actually. I admit, I find the discordance between Sam and Dean very hard to watch, especially since they talk at cross purposes and seem to have difficulties to address the real underlying issues in their relationship. However, I think it was necessary for the brothers to air their grievances at this point in the season, and I have some hope that their arguments in this episode build the starting point for a journey towards mutual understanding and acceptance. I am pretty unspoiled for the next couple of episodes, but I actually look forward to seeing what will happen next. These last two episodes have been solid enough to spark my interest for this season. Let’s just hope it remains that way.