I'm not so sure about the "boo-hoo" thing. Maybe it's like someone said, above, that Dean's time in hell has become such a *present* thing, (and we see Dean hitting the whiskey flask again, which can't be an accident) that perhaps it *has* become a form of torment for them both, rather than the catharsis Sam originally expected. If that was the story's intent, then maybe it's just a slip of writing in the past few episodes that's failed to make *clear* how Dean's confessions are tearing Sam apart.
But ... I guess I took the "boo-hoo" thing in stride, simply because Sam's last revelation about Dean's time in Hell was pretty damn apalling, and sometimes people - especially guys - react to guilt and horror by turning it into anger. A time or two I've seen my own husband turn an overload of angst or fear into misplaced anger, and though he didn't really mean it ... it came off pretty ugly.
Maybe. Dunno. Still pondering. ;-)
But as for "slowing me down" - oh, that's totally spot on, for Sam! Of COURSE Dean is slowing him down! Dean made his thoughts about Sam's powers plain on several occasions, and drove it brutally home with "if I didn't know you, I'd hunt you." The best weapon Sam has, that anybody KNOWS of, to stop Lilith and end all the horror ... Sam has been told can't use. He's not been given any concrete reason why not, he's just been told he can't.
So his frustration must be rising with each passing week because they are apparently doing NOTHING to stop the Apocalypse, plus he's forced to sit on the only weapon that may actually work - and he's finally hit the point of saying, "Screw it. I'm done waiting around, I'm going to END this. I'm not going to grow old hunting. I'm not going to wait passively for my brother to be killed and sent back to Hell by some damn ghost or monster. I'm gonna take charge of my own destiny and kick some demon ass."
That's the rub. Sam is done waiting. He's now getting pro-active. But he can't do that in Dean's view, so in the back of Sam's mind, he'd be that much further along in the hunt for Lilith, in strengthening his powers, in turning off the friggin' end of the world ... if Dean's fear and mistrust weren't blocking his way.
I'm not saying it's right, but in Sam's mind, Dean is in fact obstructing Sam saving Dean's life and preventing Armageddon!
Or so I imagine the logic somewhere deep in the back of Sam's mind, that only the Siren's toxin brought out to light. There IS a certain resentment in Sam, now.
Anywho, them's my thoughts. Your mileage may vary. :-) Thanks for sharing your thinky thoughts!
maybe it's just a slip of writing in the past few episodes that's failed to make *clear* how Dean's confessions are tearing Sam apart.
That's probably why the scene didn't work for me so well. I agree with just about everything you said, and I do understand the motivation behind Sam's words, but to me it seems weird that the writers didn't make Sam say anything about Dean not trusting him etc. I mean, Dean said he wanted them to be in this together and Sam not to lie to him all the time and then Sam just goes "You're slowing me down". Sam's reasons to be angry at Dean at first seem less justified but when you start thinking about it, there actually is logic behind them and he has a solid reason for saying that stuff. In my opinion Sam was portrayed in a more negative light on that scene than Dean, so I guess that's what bugs me. I do understand that the characters have their flaws and I've got no problem with that, but in my opinion the scene would've been better if both of the brother's flaws had been brought up more clearly. Now the scene, to me atleast, makes Dean look like a saint that wants nothing but his brother back and Sam just looks like an a-hole who just wants his brother out of his way. Sam's reasons and motivations would've probably come out more clearly if he had said something about just wanting Dean to trust him and that he can take out Lilith with his powers and that Dean shouldn't try to stop him. So I guess deep down I'm just worried about all the Sam hate that this might cause, since there's already been a lot of that going on in the fandom.
I'm not sure if I'm making any sense anymore, but thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
And I agree, the writing could have, should have supported Sam's outrage better, and giving voice to Dean's lack of trust in *him* - ("If I didn't know you, I'd HUNT you") - would have been better placed. Gotta wonder if some stuff ended up on the cutting room floor, that would have otherwise made the brothers' abuse of each other more even-handed ...
I'm not so sure about the "boo-hoo" thing. Maybe it's like someone said, above, that Dean's time in hell has become such a *present* thing, (and we see Dean hitting the whiskey flask again, which can't be an accident) that perhaps it *has* become a form of torment for them both, rather than the catharsis Sam originally expected. If that was the story's intent, then maybe it's just a slip of writing in the past few episodes that's failed to make *clear* how Dean's confessions are tearing Sam apart.
But ... I guess I took the "boo-hoo" thing in stride, simply because Sam's last revelation about Dean's time in Hell was pretty damn apalling, and sometimes people - especially guys - react to guilt and horror by turning it into anger. A time or two I've seen my own husband turn an overload of angst or fear into misplaced anger, and though he didn't really mean it ... it came off pretty ugly.
Maybe. Dunno. Still pondering. ;-)
But as for "slowing me down" - oh, that's totally spot on, for Sam! Of COURSE Dean is slowing him down! Dean made his thoughts about Sam's powers plain on several occasions, and drove it brutally home with "if I didn't know you, I'd hunt you." The best weapon Sam has, that anybody KNOWS of, to stop Lilith and end all the horror ... Sam has been told can't use. He's not been given any concrete reason why not, he's just been told he can't.
So his frustration must be rising with each passing week because they are apparently doing NOTHING to stop the Apocalypse, plus he's forced to sit on the only weapon that may actually work - and he's finally hit the point of saying, "Screw it. I'm done waiting around, I'm going to END this. I'm not going to grow old hunting. I'm not going to wait passively for my brother to be killed and sent back to Hell by some damn ghost or monster. I'm gonna take charge of my own destiny and kick some demon ass."
That's the rub. Sam is done waiting. He's now getting pro-active. But he can't do that in Dean's view, so in the back of Sam's mind, he'd be that much further along in the hunt for Lilith, in strengthening his powers, in turning off the friggin' end of the world ... if Dean's fear and mistrust weren't blocking his way.
I'm not saying it's right, but in Sam's mind, Dean is in fact obstructing Sam saving Dean's life and preventing Armageddon!
Or so I imagine the logic somewhere deep in the back of Sam's mind, that only the Siren's toxin brought out to light. There IS a certain resentment in Sam, now.
Anywho, them's my thoughts. Your mileage may vary. :-) Thanks for sharing your thinky thoughts!
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That's probably why the scene didn't work for me so well. I agree with just about everything you said, and I do understand the motivation behind Sam's words, but to me it seems weird that the writers didn't make Sam say anything about Dean not trusting him etc. I mean, Dean said he wanted them to be in this together and Sam not to lie to him all the time and then Sam just goes "You're slowing me down". Sam's reasons to be angry at Dean at first seem less justified but when you start thinking about it, there actually is logic behind them and he has a solid reason for saying that stuff. In my opinion Sam was portrayed in a more negative light on that scene than Dean, so I guess that's what bugs me. I do understand that the characters have their flaws and I've got no problem with that, but in my opinion the scene would've been better if both of the brother's flaws had been brought up more clearly. Now the scene, to me atleast, makes Dean look like a saint that wants nothing but his brother back and Sam just looks like an a-hole who just wants his brother out of his way. Sam's reasons and motivations would've probably come out more clearly if he had said something about just wanting Dean to trust him and that he can take out Lilith with his powers and that Dean shouldn't try to stop him. So I guess deep down I'm just worried about all the Sam hate that this might cause, since there's already been a lot of that going on in the fandom.
I'm not sure if I'm making any sense anymore, but thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
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And I agree, the writing could have, should have supported Sam's outrage better, and giving voice to Dean's lack of trust in *him* - ("If I didn't know you, I'd HUNT you") - would have been better placed. Gotta wonder if some stuff ended up on the cutting room floor, that would have otherwise made the brothers' abuse of each other more even-handed ...
:-)
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