What's Blue and White and Red All Over?
A meta in 3 parts:
First, an exploration of changes in the use of color in Season 4 so far. Then a little theorizing about possible color-theme associations. Thirdly, and lastly, an exploration of other thematic visual elements, integration of visual elements and speculation on their implications.
Warning: very image heavy post
What do all of these have in common with each other:
that makes them different from:
See it? See it?
Hmmm…definitely some lightbulbs going off out there in the Ethernet. Letsee…how to make it even more obvious and see if we can’t take down the whole Western Grid.
AHA! Here we go.
Compare and contrast similar scenes from Season 3 and Season 4:
Bobby's house: Sin City
Bobby's house: Lazarus Rising
Ruby and Sam in the diner: Kids are Alright
Ruby and Sam in the diner: Lazarus Rising
In the Impala: Season 3
In the Impala: Lazarus Rising
Summoning Ruby: No Rest for the Wicked
Summoning Castiel: Lazarus Rising
Regardless whether it's Season 3 and Season 4, Red still makes its presence known, but see how much more Yellow predominates in the scenery and lighting in Season 3 than in Season 4?
Now, not that we’re completely missing Yellow in Lazarus Rising by any means:
(If that last pic wasn’t a tip-off I’ll eat my pig-hat. *g*)
Still, I would argue that Yellow has a much lessened presence in this first episode of Season 4 than it did through the majority of Season 3.
That begs the question, "Why?" Why?why?why?why?
Hmmm…. Need more data.
Okay… watch this:
Not only is Red appearing without Yellow much more frequently, but check out what it’s paired with. Let me repeat some of those more glaring examples from Lazarus Rising.
Well. Huh.
Remember the color anvils from the first couple episodes of Season 2 and Season 3?
In My Time of Dying
The Kids are Alright
Like big ole’ signposts saying: “Pay attention!”
Now look at this, one of the first images from Lazarus Rising where our familiar pantheon of colors makes their appearance.
Red, Yellow, Blue.. yep yep. Annnnnnnd….. *squint* there’s an awful lot of white in that picture, don’t you think? *g*
Okay, you’re right, that’s a bit of a stretch.
I wasn’t really sure until I paid attention to these:
Lots of Red and White together, and so many of the Red/White combos come in the form of signs. Isn’t that interesting?
And not only does White commonly appear with Red, but there are certain incidents of it appearing with a combination of both Red and Blue.
So, at this point, I'm definitely feeling like White has made an entrance into the pantheon of the Supernatural Color Wheel in a new way.
__________________________________________________________________________
Now that we've explored the new patterns in color use that appear in Lazarus Rising, onto the next section of the meta.
What, then, other than Red and thus Danger by association, is White paired with? And what does it thus signify?
One episode does not a pattern make, but I’ve got a hypothesis.
White can be either the absence of color (when working with subtractive color combinations) or it can be the combination of all colors (when working with additive color combinations). It can be pure light.
Hold onto that thought - now look at these:
Light obscured:
Light perceived:
And light reflected:
And the source of that light?
Remember how it's Castiel and Ruby who are the only characters who wear blue in Lazarus Rising?
Although both appear in Blue, one notable difference between Ruby and Castiel is the colors that are used to dress the scenery around them. Ruby is surrounded by Yellow in combination with Red, while Castiel is presented in a field of White in combination with Red.
Does White then signify Angelic Power? And wouldn't it be fun it if did? *g*
__________________________________________________________________________
Okay, ready for more?
Alright! Here we go, on to exploration of other visual themes appearing in Lazarus Rising, integration of themes, and speculation: "Where have we seen White Light before?" "What are the commonalities of Red/White/Blue and what might they imply?" and lastly, "How much is that red rose in the window?"
Where else have we seen this bright, white light?
Just what is the relationship between White - Lillith - Castiel? Is there an association? Instead of Angelic Power does White signify Ancient Power? I have absolutely no idea. (I don’t think it necessarily means that Castiel is actually a higher level demon, cuz I’ve got some more theories about White and Black, Light and Shadow that wouldn’t support that. But that’s a meta yet to come.)
So, that was one attempt at integrating White into the visual thematic SPN-verse.
Here's something else I ran into that made me start wondering about the role White plays in supporting themes and characterization in SPN.
Remember these?
Here White is associated with Red (Danger) and Blue (Good - self-sacrifice in the service of others). That's a compelling mix of thematic elements. Castiel may be an angel. He may be aligned with a Greater Good. But he’s terribly powerful and I have a feeling that there’s a good reason why angels don’t usually mix with us puny mortals and why being called by God is such an awesome thing. Just ask Joan of Arc.
Now look at this, the only other person in Lazarus Rising associated with Red, White and Blue.
...underlining the association between Castiel and Dean.
Another thought occurred to me.
If Castiel is the source of pure, white, bright light and is associated with Red and Blue, then look at this image again.
Now look at another frame of the same scene…
“(Luke 2:9-11 NIV) An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.”
At first I thought Dean was catching glimpses of his terror in Hell and the flashes of light were random demonic power surges or lightning or some such thing, but now I wonder if we (both Dean and the audience) are catching glimpses of the actual act of Dean being pulled from Hell.
No wonder Castiel thought Dean would have been able to perceive his true form, he’s done it before.
And lastly: "How much is that red rose in the window?"
Did you guys see this?
Look at this, it really caught my eye as being kind of, well, oddly placed and, incongruously, always well-lit.
Here’s a close-up:
Red flowers in the window of what surely isn’t the first floor of a hotel? How… odd. Certainly catches the eye, doesn't it?
We've seen red flowers before. They appeared all over the scenery in The Kids are Alright and Bedtime Stories, and even once in Madison's apartment in Heart, where they were all strongly associated with women in danger.
But we've seen red flowers before, sadelyrate in association with Mary and bowtrunckle 's meta on flowers and color use in WiaWSNB.
Mary, Madison, and the women in The Kids are Alright and Bedtime Stories all have the exposure to Danger in common, but there's one difference that intrigues me. Look again at the two different sets of pictures. Do you see it?
Red and pink flowers are pretty ubiquitous in Bedtime Stories and The Kids are Alright, but there's a difference in how they're presented compared to how the flowers around Mary are presented. The red flowers around Mary are paired with either Yellow or White. Red flowers associated with other women are not.
For me, that calls to mind the alternate pairing of Red with either Yellow or White in Lazarus Rising and how they emphasize differences between the demonic and the angelic.
There's another matter, too. When Mary is not dressed in pink she wears:
Yep, Blue.
Red and White versus Red and Yellow, and Blue predominate on and around Mary.
And now for some more speculation:
Interesting, interesting, interesting. I really wonder. We’re told that this will be the season where the mystery of Mary is to be revealed. I wonder if we’re getting a hint of her presence already. Does the combination of Red/White versus Red/Yellow, the wearing of the blue, and red flowers all hint at something?
Mary is the mother of both Dean and Sam. Colors associated with her are being brought into parallel with colors associated with Castiel and Ruby, the angelic and the demonic. Is this deliberate? If it is, then what is the underlying link?
So, sadelyrate , were you right? Is Mary the Angel in the House? *g*
Or, like her namesake and now apparently her son, was she called upon by angels to fulfill God’s will?
She was certainly sure that angels watched over her oldest son. Why? What was he intended for? What did Roy Le Grange, in all his blindness to the superficial, ant-hill of a world, see in Dean? Was something intended for Dean? Instead of being all about Sam, had it started out being all about Dean? Is this how Mary knew who Azazel was?
And did Azazel pick out her youngest son as his extra-special project as an extra-special “F**k you,” or perhaps as a specific tactic to combat God’s design? Is that how the demonic touched Mary's life, or was it something else?
I JUST CAN’T WAIT to find OUT!!! Can you? *g*
Credit goes to: screen-cap paradise, oxonieses,marishna,supernatural tv for their generosity in supplying images and allowing us to glom onto them.
First, an exploration of changes in the use of color in Season 4 so far. Then a little theorizing about possible color-theme associations. Thirdly, and lastly, an exploration of other thematic visual elements, integration of visual elements and speculation on their implications.
Warning: very image heavy post
What do all of these have in common with each other:
that makes them different from:
See it? See it?
Hmmm…definitely some lightbulbs going off out there in the Ethernet. Letsee…how to make it even more obvious and see if we can’t take down the whole Western Grid.
AHA! Here we go.
Compare and contrast similar scenes from Season 3 and Season 4:
Bobby's house: Sin City
Bobby's house: Lazarus Rising
Ruby and Sam in the diner: Kids are Alright
Ruby and Sam in the diner: Lazarus Rising
In the Impala: Season 3
In the Impala: Lazarus Rising
Summoning Ruby: No Rest for the Wicked
Summoning Castiel: Lazarus Rising
Regardless whether it's Season 3 and Season 4, Red still makes its presence known, but see how much more Yellow predominates in the scenery and lighting in Season 3 than in Season 4?
Now, not that we’re completely missing Yellow in Lazarus Rising by any means:
(If that last pic wasn’t a tip-off I’ll eat my pig-hat. *g*)
Still, I would argue that Yellow has a much lessened presence in this first episode of Season 4 than it did through the majority of Season 3.
That begs the question, "Why?" Why?why?why?why?
Hmmm…. Need more data.
Okay… watch this:
Not only is Red appearing without Yellow much more frequently, but check out what it’s paired with. Let me repeat some of those more glaring examples from Lazarus Rising.
Well. Huh.
Remember the color anvils from the first couple episodes of Season 2 and Season 3?
In My Time of Dying
The Kids are Alright
Like big ole’ signposts saying: “Pay attention!”
Now look at this, one of the first images from Lazarus Rising where our familiar pantheon of colors makes their appearance.
Red, Yellow, Blue.. yep yep. Annnnnnnd….. *squint* there’s an awful lot of white in that picture, don’t you think? *g*
Okay, you’re right, that’s a bit of a stretch.
I wasn’t really sure until I paid attention to these:
Lots of Red and White together, and so many of the Red/White combos come in the form of signs. Isn’t that interesting?
And not only does White commonly appear with Red, but there are certain incidents of it appearing with a combination of both Red and Blue.
So, at this point, I'm definitely feeling like White has made an entrance into the pantheon of the Supernatural Color Wheel in a new way.
__________________________________________________________________________
Now that we've explored the new patterns in color use that appear in Lazarus Rising, onto the next section of the meta.
What, then, other than Red and thus Danger by association, is White paired with? And what does it thus signify?
One episode does not a pattern make, but I’ve got a hypothesis.
White can be either the absence of color (when working with subtractive color combinations) or it can be the combination of all colors (when working with additive color combinations). It can be pure light.
Hold onto that thought - now look at these:
Light obscured:
Light perceived:
And light reflected:
And the source of that light?
Remember how it's Castiel and Ruby who are the only characters who wear blue in Lazarus Rising?
Although both appear in Blue, one notable difference between Ruby and Castiel is the colors that are used to dress the scenery around them. Ruby is surrounded by Yellow in combination with Red, while Castiel is presented in a field of White in combination with Red.
Does White then signify Angelic Power? And wouldn't it be fun it if did? *g*
__________________________________________________________________________
Okay, ready for more?
Alright! Here we go, on to exploration of other visual themes appearing in Lazarus Rising, integration of themes, and speculation: "Where have we seen White Light before?" "What are the commonalities of Red/White/Blue and what might they imply?" and lastly, "How much is that red rose in the window?"
Where else have we seen this bright, white light?
Just what is the relationship between White - Lillith - Castiel? Is there an association? Instead of Angelic Power does White signify Ancient Power? I have absolutely no idea. (I don’t think it necessarily means that Castiel is actually a higher level demon, cuz I’ve got some more theories about White and Black, Light and Shadow that wouldn’t support that. But that’s a meta yet to come.)
So, that was one attempt at integrating White into the visual thematic SPN-verse.
Here's something else I ran into that made me start wondering about the role White plays in supporting themes and characterization in SPN.
Remember these?
Here White is associated with Red (Danger) and Blue (Good - self-sacrifice in the service of others). That's a compelling mix of thematic elements. Castiel may be an angel. He may be aligned with a Greater Good. But he’s terribly powerful and I have a feeling that there’s a good reason why angels don’t usually mix with us puny mortals and why being called by God is such an awesome thing. Just ask Joan of Arc.
Now look at this, the only other person in Lazarus Rising associated with Red, White and Blue.
...underlining the association between Castiel and Dean.
Another thought occurred to me.
If Castiel is the source of pure, white, bright light and is associated with Red and Blue, then look at this image again.
Now look at another frame of the same scene…
“(Luke 2:9-11 NIV) An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.”
At first I thought Dean was catching glimpses of his terror in Hell and the flashes of light were random demonic power surges or lightning or some such thing, but now I wonder if we (both Dean and the audience) are catching glimpses of the actual act of Dean being pulled from Hell.
No wonder Castiel thought Dean would have been able to perceive his true form, he’s done it before.
And lastly: "How much is that red rose in the window?"
Did you guys see this?
Look at this, it really caught my eye as being kind of, well, oddly placed and, incongruously, always well-lit.
Here’s a close-up:
Red flowers in the window of what surely isn’t the first floor of a hotel? How… odd. Certainly catches the eye, doesn't it?
We've seen red flowers before. They appeared all over the scenery in The Kids are Alright and Bedtime Stories, and even once in Madison's apartment in Heart, where they were all strongly associated with women in danger.
But we've seen red flowers before, sadelyrate in association with Mary and bowtrunckle 's meta on flowers and color use in WiaWSNB.
Mary, Madison, and the women in The Kids are Alright and Bedtime Stories all have the exposure to Danger in common, but there's one difference that intrigues me. Look again at the two different sets of pictures. Do you see it?
Red and pink flowers are pretty ubiquitous in Bedtime Stories and The Kids are Alright, but there's a difference in how they're presented compared to how the flowers around Mary are presented. The red flowers around Mary are paired with either Yellow or White. Red flowers associated with other women are not.
For me, that calls to mind the alternate pairing of Red with either Yellow or White in Lazarus Rising and how they emphasize differences between the demonic and the angelic.
There's another matter, too. When Mary is not dressed in pink she wears:
Yep, Blue.
Red and White versus Red and Yellow, and Blue predominate on and around Mary.
And now for some more speculation:
Interesting, interesting, interesting. I really wonder. We’re told that this will be the season where the mystery of Mary is to be revealed. I wonder if we’re getting a hint of her presence already. Does the combination of Red/White versus Red/Yellow, the wearing of the blue, and red flowers all hint at something?
Mary is the mother of both Dean and Sam. Colors associated with her are being brought into parallel with colors associated with Castiel and Ruby, the angelic and the demonic. Is this deliberate? If it is, then what is the underlying link?
So, sadelyrate , were you right? Is Mary the Angel in the House? *g*
Or, like her namesake and now apparently her son, was she called upon by angels to fulfill God’s will?
She was certainly sure that angels watched over her oldest son. Why? What was he intended for? What did Roy Le Grange, in all his blindness to the superficial, ant-hill of a world, see in Dean? Was something intended for Dean? Instead of being all about Sam, had it started out being all about Dean? Is this how Mary knew who Azazel was?
And did Azazel pick out her youngest son as his extra-special project as an extra-special “F**k you,” or perhaps as a specific tactic to combat God’s design? Is that how the demonic touched Mary's life, or was it something else?
I JUST CAN’T WAIT to find OUT!!! Can you? *g*
Credit goes to: screen-cap paradise, oxonieses,marishna,supernatural tv for their generosity in supplying images and allowing us to glom onto them.