General Sam meta and thoughts on S4

[ginzai]

So I think I need to rewatch S4. As in, all of it. From Lazarus to Lucifer and yes, that unfortunately includes Yellow Fever and ASS and CAIADB. There are just so many interesting themes and nuances that keep getting brought up and even each of the MOTW throwaway episodes does something to refer to the overall mytharc in some way or another,

Comments

[blahbaby]

When I think about it, I think Sam's story wasn't told. Sam sort of comes across as a plot device this season. We don't get his motivations and we don't really get his story, but his actions or kind of what drives the plot forward this season, because you have the angels, who start Dean on the path telling Dean that he has to stop Sam, and then they have Ruby like you said, smirking towards the end, and we get none of the middle. I know you say there's a reflection of Sam's story of the MotW of the week, and possibly that's true, but even then I am not sure that comes across in all of the MotW, just the eps where Sam had a little more to do. IMO it doesn't matter if Sam's story is partially reflected in the MotW because aside from Metamorphasis which sticks out to me, we get none of Sam's story. No MotW even comes close to the scenario of what Sam actually went through while Dean was dead. They waited like more than a quarter episodes in before they even touched on Sam's feelings and showed what happen, and even then there was only like Sam trying to bargain his soul for the first ten minutes. Then Ruby shows up, and there's more drinking and then he decides to use his powers. And that's disappointing when they had Sam say in the first ep this season what he tried to do, and how he even tried to open the devil's gate again. But they didn't even mention that again.

Now I don't think Sam is wrong because he's tainted with demon blood. But his powers come from demons and there doesn't seem to be shades of gray where demons are concerned on the show like there are with the angels. I could see some demons not wanting Lucifer free. They try so hard to get out of hell to come to Earth, why would they want to bring hell here when they try to escape it?

Okay, I'll stop. I think I can go on forever about this season, hee and Sam. I think my other disappointment is that I really liked this season and that finale just felt like we came to a middle. I hate finales like that.

[ginzai]

I think I can appreciate the way Sam's story was told easier because I'm not a Sam!girl, so it's not as frustrating to me for it to be partially cloaked and hidden away. The way they told Dean's story in turn was somewhat frustrating for me because it left him just as objectified as Sam was in a lot of ways (the dropping of the PTSD, that he "got over" Hell thanks to Zachariah's speech, et cetera).

I think part of the issue with Sam's story is that they really couldn't tell it straight out. Others before me have noted that had they done so, Sam either would have come across as a dupe and a chump or as having gone dark side already, neither of which is quite true. If Sam were the only main character or if the apocalypse storyline had been brought up earlier, they probably could have told Sam's story from a different perspective, one that would have offered more insight to his character. As is though, they were pretty limited in terms of how much time could be devoted to Sam and his struggle. Overall, I think they achieved a pretty fair balance.

As for the demons, you raise a very good point about how the majority of them escape Hell for a damned good reason. Of all of the demons we've met, only one seems to actually enjoy Hell. I'd love to see a demon a la S2!Spike come along - amoral but not particularly wanting the world to end. I know some people were hoping Ruby would take on that role, but I could never fit her into that line. (I'll admit, that was partially because I was quite pleased with her as the evil mentor figure.)

I think my other disappointment is that I really liked this season and that finale just felt like we came to a middle. I hate finales like that.

THIS! So very much this! 4x22 felt like the first half of a two parter, not an actual finale. I think it was all the exposition in the first half and even the climax didn't particularly feel all that, well, climatic. Drove me crazy.