[Fandom: SPN stuffs]
Really interesting and SPOILERY (duh) discussion of a particular part of last night's episode going on here.
That is a really fascinating relationship and I like what they're saying about Dean having known Alastair longer than he'd known either Sam or his dad. Dean somehow always manages to find a father figure; he really just wants a daddy, or at least some kind of older male figure in power who approves of him. Who thinks he's...special.
I have been trying since last night to write some meta on Sam and Dean's take on specialness but I may just give it up until I've had a chance to watch it again. All in all, I liked last night's episode. Especially Tessa, and not just because she was anti-angel but because she was so unexpected. I mean, Dean pours out his tale of woe to anyone else and he gets sympathy; from the reaper he got a mocking smile (I LUV U TESSA! Just don't come near me any time soon...).
And it's kind of understandable because Dean so badly wants to special and be a hero but at the same time kind of can't say it, if that makes any sense. I mean, I think he's just kind of waiting around for someone to validate his awesomeness; it's why he said to Tessa that he didn't know what to think *HACKCOUGH* maybe you do. If Sam thinks he's super human, Dean thinks he's sub-human but, strangely enough it ends up amounting to about the same thing. Sam may have sounded arrogant in the graveyard, but his actions were actually right; you can't have a town where no one dies, no matter what kind of special circumstances you're working under, that's just not your call to make. Dean's desire to let the people who were supposed to die live comes from the fact that he got a second chance and if the two events are paralleled like that, Dean takes the place of God for the townspeople. He's done it before in Faith when Sam said, "you can't play God," literally right before Dean decided to do just that by letting the reaper get him instead of Layla. And, of course, he did the same thing at the end of season two when he brought Sam back to life. And this season in episode 3 he tried to do basically the same thing by attempting to prevent their mother's death. "What's dead should stay dead"...unless it's precious to Dean Winchester. Then it gets a free pass if Dean can manage it.
It's another instance kind of like SaV, where what Dean's saying sounds right but it's either wrong or a lie in action and Sam may sound wrong but his actions are somewhat justified. Which may be foreshadowing for the end, I don't know. It just seems like more and more this season we're hearing Dean say, 'Why us? Why do our live have to suck?' or asking why things can't kind of be like the movies where the 'heroes' ride off into the sunset and Sam's answer's tend to be, 'well...that's life.' Probably because Sam feels more in control than ever and Dean's more lost than ever. I get the feeling that Sam's gonna hit rock bottom at some point, but that he may very well end up being the hero of this story anyway when he sees though that mirror clearly. If there are any heroes. Knowing SPN, there very well may not be. There may just be the bad guy and the guy who does bad to do good and ends up with several casualties as a result and also a drinking problem (never change, show, never change). But don't forget, in the Halloween episode, Sam's powers were used for good and Sam's ability to see the greater good there was pretty legit, I thought. And like Kripke said, the real angels have always been the hunters, that hard, embittered group of people willing to do whatever it takes to save others for no pay and no thanks. Always the hunters no matter what may come down from heaven.
That is a really fascinating relationship and I like what they're saying about Dean having known Alastair longer than he'd known either Sam or his dad. Dean somehow always manages to find a father figure; he really just wants a daddy, or at least some kind of older male figure in power who approves of him. Who thinks he's...special.
I have been trying since last night to write some meta on Sam and Dean's take on specialness but I may just give it up until I've had a chance to watch it again. All in all, I liked last night's episode. Especially Tessa, and not just because she was anti-angel but because she was so unexpected. I mean, Dean pours out his tale of woe to anyone else and he gets sympathy; from the reaper he got a mocking smile (I LUV U TESSA! Just don't come near me any time soon...).
And it's kind of understandable because Dean so badly wants to special and be a hero but at the same time kind of can't say it, if that makes any sense. I mean, I think he's just kind of waiting around for someone to validate his awesomeness; it's why he said to Tessa that he didn't know what to think *HACKCOUGH* maybe you do. If Sam thinks he's super human, Dean thinks he's sub-human but, strangely enough it ends up amounting to about the same thing. Sam may have sounded arrogant in the graveyard, but his actions were actually right; you can't have a town where no one dies, no matter what kind of special circumstances you're working under, that's just not your call to make. Dean's desire to let the people who were supposed to die live comes from the fact that he got a second chance and if the two events are paralleled like that, Dean takes the place of God for the townspeople. He's done it before in Faith when Sam said, "you can't play God," literally right before Dean decided to do just that by letting the reaper get him instead of Layla. And, of course, he did the same thing at the end of season two when he brought Sam back to life. And this season in episode 3 he tried to do basically the same thing by attempting to prevent their mother's death. "What's dead should stay dead"...unless it's precious to Dean Winchester. Then it gets a free pass if Dean can manage it.
It's another instance kind of like SaV, where what Dean's saying sounds right but it's either wrong or a lie in action and Sam may sound wrong but his actions are somewhat justified. Which may be foreshadowing for the end, I don't know. It just seems like more and more this season we're hearing Dean say, 'Why us? Why do our live have to suck?' or asking why things can't kind of be like the movies where the 'heroes' ride off into the sunset and Sam's answer's tend to be, 'well...that's life.' Probably because Sam feels more in control than ever and Dean's more lost than ever. I get the feeling that Sam's gonna hit rock bottom at some point, but that he may very well end up being the hero of this story anyway when he sees though that mirror clearly. If there are any heroes. Knowing SPN, there very well may not be. There may just be the bad guy and the guy who does bad to do good and ends up with several casualties as a result and also a drinking problem (never change, show, never change). But don't forget, in the Halloween episode, Sam's powers were used for good and Sam's ability to see the greater good there was pretty legit, I thought. And like Kripke said, the real angels have always been the hunters, that hard, embittered group of people willing to do whatever it takes to save others for no pay and no thanks. Always the hunters no matter what may come down from heaven.