Meta on Last Night's Supernatural
Okay, so I finally saw the few important minutes that I missed from Last night's spn.
I liked the episode. Yes, it was another "sam wants to save the monster so that he can save himself'" metaphor. But overall, I like the theme.
Last week, the question was about Destiny. Could Dean stop the YED and save his parents? Ultamately not, because their destiny was set, according to Castiel.
This week the question seemed to revolve around temptation, free will and personal responsiblity. Adam has free will. Adam has a choice. He can take the forbidden fruit, but the choice and the knowledge gained will change him. Then there is lack of personal responsiblity (the woman you gave me took the fruit. The snake led me astray)
Jack has free will. He has a choice. He can eat human flesh, but the choice and the knowledge will change him. Again we see the lack of personal responsiblity. (It's your fault. You sent your friend after me).
Sam has free will. Sam has made a series of choices, and rationalized them. Can he go back? Can he put the genie back in the bottle? Or is he too dark. (He looked like such a kicked puppy when Dean told him that the god he loves and cares so much for dosen't want him to do this.)
It's so interesting to me the differences in the two boys. Sam's view of God is a thoroughly modern view. God is love. God is that grandfatherly figure who sits up in heaven and loves us all in a vague way. God is a crutch. Something to lean on.
For Dean, God is the disapproving father figure who smites us when we're bad. It's much more in line with the medievel, plague-sending god. God is a Cudgel. Something to smite the unholy with. And that's how Dean uses God against Sam in the story, as a weapon. "God dosen't want you doing this."
But back to choices. Demons start out as human, but they forget what it's like. (Does that make Ruby a demon in the traditional sense? Since she presumably remembers what it's like to be human) They don't have to become demons, even in hell. They can remain tortured souls. It's the choice they make. To take the easy road and forget what it's like to be human.
The point of the story, it seemed to me is that Sam may have demon blood in him, but Castiel hasn't unleashed the flaming sword yet. Sam can still make the choice to not be a monster.
Perhaps doing it for himself was the right reason. Because his own faith in God is shaky, sunday school faith that he can rationalize (although I would make the point that the angels are still trying to save him, so obviously God believes in him). And Dean's brand of faith is the variety that leads a man to resent God.
A lot of folks have commented on the scene at the end. Where sam looked at his reflection while talking to Dean. This was a theme throughout the show. There used to be a belief that your reflection was actually a part of your soul. That's why (remember bloody mary) mirrors were covered at the time of death. To keep from trapping the soul. So Reflection=reflecting on your inner self. Jack looked at his reflection when he made the choice not to attack the half-naked woman. Sam made the choice not to use his powers while looking at his reflection.
It's not enough to change for others. The only time you can affect real change is if you want it for yourself. If Sam had wanted to stop using his powers for Dean or God or even Lucifer, the change wouldn't have stuck. He promised Dean on his death bed not to use his powers. But that wasn't a choice made for Sam. That was a choice made for Dean. Now Sam wants to do it for himself. Which tells me that it's going to stick. Because Sam is nothing if not stubborn.
Enough of that. I'm off to the hospital.