Uuuh...weekend SPN meta?
I know that a lot of people are upset with how distant the boys seem to be this season because we love our boys and they break our hearts when they aren't together and happy. But I was reading a fic last night that was set...early season two and it made me realize something: in EVERY SEASON the boys start off not being close.
Every season so far has a same parallel arc: the boys start off not being close due to some emotional trauma, then get closer throughout the season, building their relationship until they even off and become the close brothers that we know they are. Then, at the finale/premiere, something happens to rip them apart again, rinse and repeat.
I think that the reason we don't really see this when we start a new season is that, generally, the last episodes we saw were at the end of the previous season where the boys were close and working together and it comes as a shock to us that they're hurting. Factor in hiatus fic with happy ending and the eternal wish that Kripke will stop hurting the boys and making them fall on pie and our feelings are understandable. But I think that if we look at previous seasons, it could help us feel better at what we have to experience this season.
Season One: On the odds because of Stanford, obviously. In my opinion, the boys don't really become solid until Scarecrow/Faith, episodes 11-12. Halfway through the season, and then they still have arguments about John for the rest of the season, though you can definitely see how far they've come. The meeting with the YED and the car crash set the events of season two in motion.
Season Two: Dad's death and The Secret are pulling them apart. The hurting really didn't stop till around Tall Tales, as they argued and had issues through Croatoan, Hunted, Playthings, and Born Under A Bad Sign. As of episode 15, Tall Tales, they seem to be more in sync as brothers and really arguing like an old married couple, not two people who are hurt and offended by previous actions. However, Dean's underlying issues are still there and resurface again as of What Is And What Should Never Be. Sam's death, his personal meeting, and the deal set the events of season three in motion.
Season Three: Season three is odd because of the shortened time, but you could even say that there really isn't a time that the boys are totally together. Dean's issues come to a head and are at least openly recognized, if not resolved, in Dream A Little Dream of Me, episode 10. However, in the episode that aired directly after that, Mystery Spot, the Trickster creates a lot of problems for Sam that continue throughout the rest of the season as he gets more and more desperate to save his brother. Ruby's claim that Sam still has powers, and Dean's death set the events of season four in motion.
Season Four: Season four is also a rather different because, due to the fact that the brothers have been separated for four months and have each accumulated more issues than Rolling Stone. The gap is larger, deeper, and more painful this time with outside forces at work to exacerbate the wounds that they've collected. Luckily, if you compare the episodes here to ones of past season, the boys have grown over time. They know each other and know that it's difficult to bullshit around each other. While they may not be open to talking about their problems now, they are at least acknowledging that said problems exist and need to be dealt with at a later date.
We've only just finished episode nine and we're already getting into some of the big problems that the boys have. That's progress. We know that Kripke is going to make us wait for something over the hiatus. Just think, by the end of the season, we'll have our boys being close and loving again only for him to rip them apart and cause us massive emotional trauma. Lather, rinse, and repeat.
Note: Episode numbers for the boys getting back together from previous seasons are my personal opinions and are up for debate. Please feel free to debate me on them. :)
Every season so far has a same parallel arc: the boys start off not being close due to some emotional trauma, then get closer throughout the season, building their relationship until they even off and become the close brothers that we know they are. Then, at the finale/premiere, something happens to rip them apart again, rinse and repeat.
I think that the reason we don't really see this when we start a new season is that, generally, the last episodes we saw were at the end of the previous season where the boys were close and working together and it comes as a shock to us that they're hurting. Factor in hiatus fic with happy ending and the eternal wish that Kripke will stop hurting the boys and making them fall on pie and our feelings are understandable. But I think that if we look at previous seasons, it could help us feel better at what we have to experience this season.
Season One: On the odds because of Stanford, obviously. In my opinion, the boys don't really become solid until Scarecrow/Faith, episodes 11-12. Halfway through the season, and then they still have arguments about John for the rest of the season, though you can definitely see how far they've come. The meeting with the YED and the car crash set the events of season two in motion.
Season Two: Dad's death and The Secret are pulling them apart. The hurting really didn't stop till around Tall Tales, as they argued and had issues through Croatoan, Hunted, Playthings, and Born Under A Bad Sign. As of episode 15, Tall Tales, they seem to be more in sync as brothers and really arguing like an old married couple, not two people who are hurt and offended by previous actions. However, Dean's underlying issues are still there and resurface again as of What Is And What Should Never Be. Sam's death, his personal meeting, and the deal set the events of season three in motion.
Season Three: Season three is odd because of the shortened time, but you could even say that there really isn't a time that the boys are totally together. Dean's issues come to a head and are at least openly recognized, if not resolved, in Dream A Little Dream of Me, episode 10. However, in the episode that aired directly after that, Mystery Spot, the Trickster creates a lot of problems for Sam that continue throughout the rest of the season as he gets more and more desperate to save his brother. Ruby's claim that Sam still has powers, and Dean's death set the events of season four in motion.
Season Four: Season four is also a rather different because, due to the fact that the brothers have been separated for four months and have each accumulated more issues than Rolling Stone. The gap is larger, deeper, and more painful this time with outside forces at work to exacerbate the wounds that they've collected. Luckily, if you compare the episodes here to ones of past season, the boys have grown over time. They know each other and know that it's difficult to bullshit around each other. While they may not be open to talking about their problems now, they are at least acknowledging that said problems exist and need to be dealt with at a later date.
We've only just finished episode nine and we're already getting into some of the big problems that the boys have. That's progress. We know that Kripke is going to make us wait for something over the hiatus. Just think, by the end of the season, we'll have our boys being close and loving again only for him to rip them apart and cause us massive emotional trauma. Lather, rinse, and repeat.
Note: Episode numbers for the boys getting back together from previous seasons are my personal opinions and are up for debate. Please feel free to debate me on them. :)