SPN 6x20
Some thoughts on morality, if anyone is interested.
And by that I mean seeing things so black and white all the time.
Back in Season 4 I completely understood why Sam chose to drink demon blood, and follow Ruby, and do all the things that everyone else hated him for, because he (and I) believed he was doing it for the greater good. He told himself Dean wasn't strong enough to fight off the apocalypse, and so took it upon himself to use the powers he was given to alter the course of events.
And Dean judged him for it, because despite good intentions, Sam's teaming up with a demon and walking a dark path in the hopes that there was a light at the end still meant betrayal and loss of trust for Dean. The tension between Sam and Dean stemmed from the fact that Dean couldn't possibly understand why Sam would choose to do what he did. Why choose a demon over your own brother? Why didn't he listen?
Because everyone else around him sees the world in shades of gray.
Dean (surprisingly) becomes the moral center of the family here, since he is adamant about right and wrong and good and evil. There is no gray for him anymore. He's dealt with those gray areas before: torture, selling his soul, making deals with demons, and he knows no good can come out of it. He's done with it. He'd rather die than allow himself or his family to once more be compromised by questionable ideals.
So here Dean is again, seeing another "brother" of his going down a dark road because Cas has powers and is an angel and full of pride (sinner!) and is doing what he thinks is right. Sam also was full of pride and righteousness but couldn't really see it, blinded as he was to the larger picture. Castiel is the same way; he's doing everything in his power to save his human family from Raphael's armageddon.
What choice does Castiel have, really? Does he team up with a demon and be corrupted in order to save humanity and the men he now considers family? Or does he bow down, abandon Free Will, and become a warrior drone like his brothers and sisters under Raphael's boot, and then wipe out the planet? What choice did Sam have? Corrupt himself with demon blood in order to focus his powers to kill Lilith and prevent the apocalypse? Allow Dean to say yes to Michael despite knowing the angels weren't being honest and hope the odds would turn in humanity's favor?
Dean's unwavering morality (when it comes to right and wrong; he's no saint) is what causes conflict with the other members of his family (Bobby, Sam, and Cas), because they can't understand it. Bobby is willing to torture to get information. Sam is willing to drink demon blood to save the world. And Cas is willing to lose everything -- his human family, the Host of Heaven, his bond to both Winchesters, perhaps his life -- because he's doing what he thinks is right.
Both Sam and Cas were/are suffering from pride and thinking themselves better than everyone else to make the right decisions. Dean was/is the one trying to convince them that any compromise of morals is wrong. Sam had to suffer to learn it, and chances are Castiel will too.
And by that I mean seeing things so black and white all the time.
Back in Season 4 I completely understood why Sam chose to drink demon blood, and follow Ruby, and do all the things that everyone else hated him for, because he (and I) believed he was doing it for the greater good. He told himself Dean wasn't strong enough to fight off the apocalypse, and so took it upon himself to use the powers he was given to alter the course of events.
And Dean judged him for it, because despite good intentions, Sam's teaming up with a demon and walking a dark path in the hopes that there was a light at the end still meant betrayal and loss of trust for Dean. The tension between Sam and Dean stemmed from the fact that Dean couldn't possibly understand why Sam would choose to do what he did. Why choose a demon over your own brother? Why didn't he listen?
Because everyone else around him sees the world in shades of gray.
Dean (surprisingly) becomes the moral center of the family here, since he is adamant about right and wrong and good and evil. There is no gray for him anymore. He's dealt with those gray areas before: torture, selling his soul, making deals with demons, and he knows no good can come out of it. He's done with it. He'd rather die than allow himself or his family to once more be compromised by questionable ideals.
So here Dean is again, seeing another "brother" of his going down a dark road because Cas has powers and is an angel and full of pride (sinner!) and is doing what he thinks is right. Sam also was full of pride and righteousness but couldn't really see it, blinded as he was to the larger picture. Castiel is the same way; he's doing everything in his power to save his human family from Raphael's armageddon.
What choice does Castiel have, really? Does he team up with a demon and be corrupted in order to save humanity and the men he now considers family? Or does he bow down, abandon Free Will, and become a warrior drone like his brothers and sisters under Raphael's boot, and then wipe out the planet? What choice did Sam have? Corrupt himself with demon blood in order to focus his powers to kill Lilith and prevent the apocalypse? Allow Dean to say yes to Michael despite knowing the angels weren't being honest and hope the odds would turn in humanity's favor?
Dean's unwavering morality (when it comes to right and wrong; he's no saint) is what causes conflict with the other members of his family (Bobby, Sam, and Cas), because they can't understand it. Bobby is willing to torture to get information. Sam is willing to drink demon blood to save the world. And Cas is willing to lose everything -- his human family, the Host of Heaven, his bond to both Winchesters, perhaps his life -- because he's doing what he thinks is right.
Both Sam and Cas were/are suffering from pride and thinking themselves better than everyone else to make the right decisions. Dean was/is the one trying to convince them that any compromise of morals is wrong. Sam had to suffer to learn it, and chances are Castiel will too.