It's Not Easy Being Green
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves.
When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold.
It's not easy being green.
It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things
And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're
Not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water
Or stars in the sky
(lyrics by Joe Raposo, sung by Kermit)
Sign. Sign. Everywhere a Sign.
Blocking out the scenery. Breaking my mind.
Do this. Don't do that. Everywhere a sign.
You see it? You see it? Yeah? Yeah? …. No?
Okay. Hmm. Remember this scene?
EMS loading one of the Winchesters into the MedEvac, IMToD
It's scenes like this one that seem to me to leap from the screen, tap me on the forehead and say, "Pay attention. This is IMPORTANT." Big bright colors in an otherwise neutral and heavily shadowed palette. In this instance, The Holy Color Trinity of red, yellow and blue.
And now, here we are given another sign. Let me repeat it again just for effect.
See it now? Well. Helllllooooo ANVIL. Big fat and centered between red/yellow/blue and it is GuhREEN! *g* Seems that Season 3 is more colorful in more ways than one.
At that point I figured I was supposed to be paying attention to green, but it didn't really smack me across the face until I saw this:
Wayne and Grossman's kitchen, Bad Day at Blackrock
Wellll well well. Gee… kitchens. That color looks awfully like Madison's kitchen from Heart, doesn't it?
Especially if you take into account the greater color saturation in Season 3 compared with Season 2. And
hugemind gives us proof of that. Given that vegetation is generally green, the color of grass and leaves isn't particularly optional, I'm going to focus on uses of green that were optional, that had to have been made by choice. So, although the vegetation is much greener and there seems, somehow, to be more of it everywhere (even the diners have tons of potted plants in them now), I'm going to have to pass those by in this analysis to keep it as clean as possible.
Still not enough to go on. Lots of ideas swirling around in my head, but nothing coalescing. But then came THESE:
Outside Trotter's office, Sin City
Inside Trotter's office, Sin City
The Frog, Bedtime Stories
Little Straw Piggy's demise, Bedtime Stories
Cinderella's House, Bedtime Stories
Little Red Riding Hood's House, Bedtime Stories
Gingerbread House, Bedtime Stories: note green behind Ken's back - tile on the fireplace
So, after that, I went back and found:
Possessed by Envy, Magnificent Seven
Given over to Wrath, Magnificent Seven
And then went back even further and found:
Simon Says: note green wall behind Weber
Huh.
The green color is new, I think, vibrant to the point of almost glowing. But is it really a Green with a capital "G"? As opposed to the old green, that familiar army green splashed over everyone's wardrobe and walls from Season 1 on?
I *think* so.
When is Green GREEN and not green?
In order to control for the influence of extraneous variables, I decided to compare compare/contrast scenes that were otherwise similar but differed in terms of the quality of green accesorizing the place. First set of comparisons I chose were Trotter's bar in Sin City versus the Demon bar in Magnificent Seven, two scenes similar in many respects (a bar, lots of bad stuff happening, and both hunter and demon presence), but differing the quality of the green:
Demon Bar
Trotter's Bar:
Tamara in an army green jacket
Sam in army green jacket & green boar's head
Demon!Envy in an army green jacket, green wall
Sam in army green jacket, reflection of green boar's head in the yellow art glass.
Tamara's army green jacket
Sam's army green jacket, and the Evil Celery between him and Dean
Lots of red, yellow and blue accents, and that bluish Green, though relatively subdued.
Lot of red, yellow, blue, orange and VIVID, GLOWING Green accents.
Okay, so there does seem to be an increase in the intensity of color and frequency of use of this vivid green, while the use of army-green seems to be a relative constant.
Just in case, I found another example: The hospital in IMToD versus in Bedtime Stories.
IMToD
Bedtime Stories
Dean's vitals monitor
Callie's vitals monitor
Army green signage
Orange, red, blue and green signage
White and red bins/accessories
Yeah, there are the green plastic bins. See them? There they are. Really. Okay, yeah, me neither.
Let's try a different shot. Green and blue bins
Dark army greens. Accessories in white and red. (Not pictured: Yellow valves and red emergency electrical plugs at the head of the hospital beds.)
Brightly colored red, blue, orange and green signage. Accessories in blues and greens. (Not pictured: Red, yellow and blue EMS guys. Yellow valves and red emergency electrical plugs at the head of the hospital beds.)
In this case, an overall increase in a range of colors accessorizing the hospital, most particularly orange and a strong Green. Again, an increase in frequency and intensity. Something's going on here.
Okay, so. If it's true, if we're being told that this Green with a capital "G" has now been entered into the Supernatural Color Wheel, what does it symbolize?
Commonalities:
Have you noticed the differences in what's happening with the lights shining in the car when Sam and Dean are driving at night?
Sam and Dean argue over Ruby's proposal, Bad Day at Blackrock
Sam makes a pitch to confront RED and Dean shuts him down, Bedtime Stories
Howabout when the Demon!Priest drives Sam to Demon!Casey's haunts in Sin City?
Lots of green and yellow lights blinking in an out, aren't there, along with that red filtered light.
It seems to me that the commonality between all these scenes in the cars is the 1) the occupants are trapped in a small space together and forced to listen to each other and 2) the conversations/arguments are all about Sam having one opinion and someone trying to influence him into changing his mind. Options. Choices.
With that in mind. Look back over all those other screencaps.
Green Item(s):
Theme:
Weber's wall
Weber, unlike Andy his twin, chooses to use his psychic abilities to harm others.
Maddie's kitchen
Sam must choose whether or not to shoot Madison. Madison must choose what to do now that she knows her nature. Sam has a choice over the violence he commits. Madison does not
Green shoes
Once touched by Envy, the blonde woman was compelled to kill.
Art glass by Tamara's head
Tamara being tempted by Wrath. She has a choice in her actions, whereas Isaac, when touched by Gluttony, did not.
Wayne and Grossman's kitchen
They had a choice about whether or not they opened the curse box and it was in that kitchen that Wayne paid the price of that choice.
Accents in Trotter's bar and office
The big reveal is that everyone there was there by choice. Demon possession and the subversion of free-will wasn't a necessary condition to get humans to do things they may not have otherwise initially chosen to do. Temptation was enough.
Green accessories and walls in Bedtime Stories
The perpetrators (Old woman in the woods, the Wolf and Cinderlla's stepmother) in Bedtime Stories had no choice in their actions. That was taken away from them by Callie and their bodies were forced to her will.
Green accessories in the hospital
Unlike the perpetrators in Bedtime Stories, Sam and Dean are making highly consequential decisions of their own free-will.
It's not easy being Green
The theme these all have in common? Temptation? Consequences? Choice or the lack thereof under external pressures?
Free-will.
Now look at this picture. It's the first instance of bright glowing GREEN after it was introduced as a member of the Supernatural Color Wheel.
Ruby and Sam's chat #1, The Kids Are Alright
Feeling uneasy? I know I am.
~*~
This meta is brought to you by color Green, Marishna of Summerskin and Oxienesis of Oxienesis Art for the screencaps, and
blackcat333_99 for her insightful observations about Sam and Trotter that threw the spark that set this meta afire.
When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold.
It's not easy being green.
It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things
And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're
Not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water
Or stars in the sky
(lyrics by Joe Raposo, sung by Kermit)
Sign. Sign. Everywhere a Sign.
Blocking out the scenery. Breaking my mind.
Do this. Don't do that. Everywhere a sign.
You see it? You see it? Yeah? Yeah? …. No?
Okay. Hmm. Remember this scene?
EMS loading one of the Winchesters into the MedEvac, IMToD
It's scenes like this one that seem to me to leap from the screen, tap me on the forehead and say, "Pay attention. This is IMPORTANT." Big bright colors in an otherwise neutral and heavily shadowed palette. In this instance, The Holy Color Trinity of red, yellow and blue.
And now, here we are given another sign. Let me repeat it again just for effect.
See it now? Well. Helllllooooo ANVIL. Big fat and centered between red/yellow/blue and it is GuhREEN! *g* Seems that Season 3 is more colorful in more ways than one.
At that point I figured I was supposed to be paying attention to green, but it didn't really smack me across the face until I saw this:
Wayne and Grossman's kitchen, Bad Day at Blackrock
Wellll well well. Gee… kitchens. That color looks awfully like Madison's kitchen from Heart, doesn't it?
Especially if you take into account the greater color saturation in Season 3 compared with Season 2. And
hugemind gives us proof of that. Given that vegetation is generally green, the color of grass and leaves isn't particularly optional, I'm going to focus on uses of green that were optional, that had to have been made by choice. So, although the vegetation is much greener and there seems, somehow, to be more of it everywhere (even the diners have tons of potted plants in them now), I'm going to have to pass those by in this analysis to keep it as clean as possible.
Still not enough to go on. Lots of ideas swirling around in my head, but nothing coalescing. But then came THESE:
Outside Trotter's office, Sin City
Inside Trotter's office, Sin City
The Frog, Bedtime Stories
Little Straw Piggy's demise, Bedtime Stories
Cinderella's House, Bedtime Stories
Little Red Riding Hood's House, Bedtime Stories
Gingerbread House, Bedtime Stories: note green behind Ken's back - tile on the fireplace
So, after that, I went back and found:
Possessed by Envy, Magnificent Seven
Given over to Wrath, Magnificent Seven
And then went back even further and found:
Simon Says: note green wall behind Weber
Huh.
The green color is new, I think, vibrant to the point of almost glowing. But is it really a Green with a capital "G"? As opposed to the old green, that familiar army green splashed over everyone's wardrobe and walls from Season 1 on?
I *think* so.
When is Green GREEN and not green?
In order to control for the influence of extraneous variables, I decided to compare compare/contrast scenes that were otherwise similar but differed in terms of the quality of green accesorizing the place. First set of comparisons I chose were Trotter's bar in Sin City versus the Demon bar in Magnificent Seven, two scenes similar in many respects (a bar, lots of bad stuff happening, and both hunter and demon presence), but differing the quality of the green:
Demon Bar
Trotter's Bar:
Tamara in an army green jacket
Sam in army green jacket & green boar's head
Demon!Envy in an army green jacket, green wall
Sam in army green jacket, reflection of green boar's head in the yellow art glass.
Tamara's army green jacket
Sam's army green jacket, and the Evil Celery between him and Dean
Lots of red, yellow and blue accents, and that bluish Green, though relatively subdued.
Lot of red, yellow, blue, orange and VIVID, GLOWING Green accents.
Okay, so there does seem to be an increase in the intensity of color and frequency of use of this vivid green, while the use of army-green seems to be a relative constant.
Just in case, I found another example: The hospital in IMToD versus in Bedtime Stories.
IMToD
Bedtime Stories
Dean's vitals monitor
Callie's vitals monitor
Army green signage
Orange, red, blue and green signage
White and red bins/accessories
Yeah, there are the green plastic bins. See them? There they are. Really. Okay, yeah, me neither.
Let's try a different shot. Green and blue bins
Dark army greens. Accessories in white and red. (Not pictured: Yellow valves and red emergency electrical plugs at the head of the hospital beds.)
Brightly colored red, blue, orange and green signage. Accessories in blues and greens. (Not pictured: Red, yellow and blue EMS guys. Yellow valves and red emergency electrical plugs at the head of the hospital beds.)
In this case, an overall increase in a range of colors accessorizing the hospital, most particularly orange and a strong Green. Again, an increase in frequency and intensity. Something's going on here.
Okay, so. If it's true, if we're being told that this Green with a capital "G" has now been entered into the Supernatural Color Wheel, what does it symbolize?
Commonalities:
Have you noticed the differences in what's happening with the lights shining in the car when Sam and Dean are driving at night?
Sam and Dean argue over Ruby's proposal, Bad Day at Blackrock
Sam makes a pitch to confront RED and Dean shuts him down, Bedtime Stories
Howabout when the Demon!Priest drives Sam to Demon!Casey's haunts in Sin City?
Lots of green and yellow lights blinking in an out, aren't there, along with that red filtered light.
It seems to me that the commonality between all these scenes in the cars is the 1) the occupants are trapped in a small space together and forced to listen to each other and 2) the conversations/arguments are all about Sam having one opinion and someone trying to influence him into changing his mind. Options. Choices.
With that in mind. Look back over all those other screencaps.
Green Item(s):
Theme:
Weber's wall
Weber, unlike Andy his twin, chooses to use his psychic abilities to harm others.
Maddie's kitchen
Sam must choose whether or not to shoot Madison. Madison must choose what to do now that she knows her nature. Sam has a choice over the violence he commits. Madison does not
Green shoes
Once touched by Envy, the blonde woman was compelled to kill.
Art glass by Tamara's head
Tamara being tempted by Wrath. She has a choice in her actions, whereas Isaac, when touched by Gluttony, did not.
Wayne and Grossman's kitchen
They had a choice about whether or not they opened the curse box and it was in that kitchen that Wayne paid the price of that choice.
Accents in Trotter's bar and office
The big reveal is that everyone there was there by choice. Demon possession and the subversion of free-will wasn't a necessary condition to get humans to do things they may not have otherwise initially chosen to do. Temptation was enough.
Green accessories and walls in Bedtime Stories
The perpetrators (Old woman in the woods, the Wolf and Cinderlla's stepmother) in Bedtime Stories had no choice in their actions. That was taken away from them by Callie and their bodies were forced to her will.
Green accessories in the hospital
Unlike the perpetrators in Bedtime Stories, Sam and Dean are making highly consequential decisions of their own free-will.
It's not easy being Green
The theme these all have in common? Temptation? Consequences? Choice or the lack thereof under external pressures?
Free-will.
Now look at this picture. It's the first instance of bright glowing GREEN after it was introduced as a member of the Supernatural Color Wheel.
Ruby and Sam's chat #1, The Kids Are Alright
Feeling uneasy? I know I am.
~*~
This meta is brought to you by color Green, Marishna of Summerskin and Oxienesis of Oxienesis Art for the screencaps, and
blackcat333_99 for her insightful observations about Sam and Trotter that threw the spark that set this meta afire.