"I have a kind of belief in a Winchester when there is any trouble of that sort around" Bram Stoker
I confess I don’t read a lot of character meta because I rarely find any that I can agree with more than I disagree with, which I find interesting since the source material is the same, but these characters just beg to be analyzed regardless of how you see them. And since I’m in a listy mood again, I thought I’d put a few things together.
Opposites attract - Winchester style:
For as much as he lacks basic social skills, Dean is a people person, he is not a loner. And for all Sam’s longings to be normal and for all his ability to act normal around normal people and blend in, he’s not anywhere near as comfortable around people as Dean is.
Dean is a joker, Sam is a brooder…. which is not to say Dean can’t be broody and Sam can’t be a joker because they totally can. But as a general trend, this is how they fall out and this is also part of the reason they are good for each other.
Dean reads people very, very well. He can tell what they are not saying, reading body language and attitude, but he can’t pick up logic flaws the way that Sam can. Sam depends on what people say, and whether or not what they say makes logical sense. If he sees a flaw in the logic, he’s all over it but he can’t pick up clues in body language or attitude the way that Dean can (which is why Dean reads Sam far better than Sam reads Dean and why Dean can manipulate Sam so much easier).
Dean couldn’t do non-threatening if his life depended on it…. whereas Sam could have a “straight” (tm Dr. Venkman) eating out of his hand inside of 5 minutes. Dean can scam, and he can charm, but there is always an element of danger to him that precludes unconditional trust. Sam is the black lab puppy that people just want to cuddle and feed cookies to. Once the shit hits the fan though, and people realize they are in the middle of some dangerous shit, Dean’s deadly competence trumps Sam’s earnestness, but you would still want either one around in a fight.
Dean is more creative, Sam is more methodical.
Dean is a net-worker, Sam is a researcher.
Dean’s first priority is how, Sam’s first priority is why.
Dean wants possibilities, Sam wants facts.
Dean deals in results, Sam’s goal is permanence.
Seriously, I love these boys.
Two Peas in a Pod:
I’ve seen much discussion on this, but I really think their hunting skill set is pretty even. I might give a slight edge in hand-to-hand fighting skills to Dean simply because - when the game was truly on - I think he would be a bit more creative and quicker than Sam would be. But otherwise, I think they are pretty even here. We’ve also seen both of them handle a multitude of weapons, locks, alarms, etc. so I don’t see much to differentiate either of them in any of these categories either.
They are both compassionate. They may show it in different ways and have different things that bring it out more strongly, but they both have the capacity in abundance.
Courage, guts, determination, etc… they both have these qualities coming out of their ears too, because they are both Big Damn Heroes. And as much as I love the tandem fence jumping, I’d also like to see the slo-mo walk down a dark alley, weapons drawn, stalking their prey. **shiver**
They are both competitive, seriously two words: “Hell House”.
They have both been damaged more than any two people should ever be damaged. No, that damage isn’t the same, but within the context of the show, it is absolutely analogous (whether Kripke realizes that or not).
Cracks in the Mirror:
I don’t know this, but I strongly suspect that “New Orleans” was the first time Dean had ever hunted alone. And I believe John sent him there purposely because he wanted to ‘check something out’ on his own without Dean around and things got… out of hand. And thus, a show was born.
What I think that means for Dean is that he has never had to rely solely on himself for anything. Even when he was left alone to care for Sam, he always had his dad around to be the final word (and it must have been absolute torture for him every time John walked out that door). That is not to say he doesn’t have leadership qualities, because I think he does in spades, but he doesn’t have any confidence in them or in himself and I think it’s part of the reason he doesn’t slap Sam silly when Sam gives him shit about things like not reading a book or for the Deanamajig in “Phantom Traveler”.
It was tremendously gratifying to see him stand up to John towards the end of the season, but that was just a small first step. I want to see him start standing up to Sam, and getting respect from Sam. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Sam loves his brother, but I really don’t get the sense that Sam respects him.
As for Sam, yes, I know a lot of people disagree with this, but I think the show has consistently shown that Sam has a strong tendency to be self-involved and a bit on the arrogant side. I don’t for a minute think he’s selfish - that to me implies malicious intent - but he doesn’t have much of a sense of how his actions or words affect other people and he has a hard time with the idea that his opinion might not necessarily be the ‘correct’ one. Which is part of the reason he and John butted heads so much.
I think this partly goes along with the fact that he really doesn’t read people well, and also the fact that he is the baby of the family and has always been the center of Dean and John’s attention. He’s simply not familiar with being anything else. But like Dean with the confidence issue, he was getting a more rounded view of things and a slightly clearer perspective as the season wore on. Still though, just like Dean’s neediness, the tendencies are still very much there and I expect to see more growth here in season 2… hopefully. ;-D
And I really wish the season would start so I could stop feeling compelled to make lists!!!
Thanks to liviapenn for the Bram Stoker quote in the subject.
Opposites attract - Winchester style:
For as much as he lacks basic social skills, Dean is a people person, he is not a loner. And for all Sam’s longings to be normal and for all his ability to act normal around normal people and blend in, he’s not anywhere near as comfortable around people as Dean is.
Dean is a joker, Sam is a brooder…. which is not to say Dean can’t be broody and Sam can’t be a joker because they totally can. But as a general trend, this is how they fall out and this is also part of the reason they are good for each other.
Dean reads people very, very well. He can tell what they are not saying, reading body language and attitude, but he can’t pick up logic flaws the way that Sam can. Sam depends on what people say, and whether or not what they say makes logical sense. If he sees a flaw in the logic, he’s all over it but he can’t pick up clues in body language or attitude the way that Dean can (which is why Dean reads Sam far better than Sam reads Dean and why Dean can manipulate Sam so much easier).
Dean couldn’t do non-threatening if his life depended on it…. whereas Sam could have a “straight” (tm Dr. Venkman) eating out of his hand inside of 5 minutes. Dean can scam, and he can charm, but there is always an element of danger to him that precludes unconditional trust. Sam is the black lab puppy that people just want to cuddle and feed cookies to. Once the shit hits the fan though, and people realize they are in the middle of some dangerous shit, Dean’s deadly competence trumps Sam’s earnestness, but you would still want either one around in a fight.
Dean is more creative, Sam is more methodical.
Dean is a net-worker, Sam is a researcher.
Dean’s first priority is how, Sam’s first priority is why.
Dean wants possibilities, Sam wants facts.
Dean deals in results, Sam’s goal is permanence.
Seriously, I love these boys.
Two Peas in a Pod:
I’ve seen much discussion on this, but I really think their hunting skill set is pretty even. I might give a slight edge in hand-to-hand fighting skills to Dean simply because - when the game was truly on - I think he would be a bit more creative and quicker than Sam would be. But otherwise, I think they are pretty even here. We’ve also seen both of them handle a multitude of weapons, locks, alarms, etc. so I don’t see much to differentiate either of them in any of these categories either.
They are both compassionate. They may show it in different ways and have different things that bring it out more strongly, but they both have the capacity in abundance.
Courage, guts, determination, etc… they both have these qualities coming out of their ears too, because they are both Big Damn Heroes. And as much as I love the tandem fence jumping, I’d also like to see the slo-mo walk down a dark alley, weapons drawn, stalking their prey. **shiver**
They are both competitive, seriously two words: “Hell House”.
They have both been damaged more than any two people should ever be damaged. No, that damage isn’t the same, but within the context of the show, it is absolutely analogous (whether Kripke realizes that or not).
Cracks in the Mirror:
I don’t know this, but I strongly suspect that “New Orleans” was the first time Dean had ever hunted alone. And I believe John sent him there purposely because he wanted to ‘check something out’ on his own without Dean around and things got… out of hand. And thus, a show was born.
What I think that means for Dean is that he has never had to rely solely on himself for anything. Even when he was left alone to care for Sam, he always had his dad around to be the final word (and it must have been absolute torture for him every time John walked out that door). That is not to say he doesn’t have leadership qualities, because I think he does in spades, but he doesn’t have any confidence in them or in himself and I think it’s part of the reason he doesn’t slap Sam silly when Sam gives him shit about things like not reading a book or for the Deanamajig in “Phantom Traveler”.
It was tremendously gratifying to see him stand up to John towards the end of the season, but that was just a small first step. I want to see him start standing up to Sam, and getting respect from Sam. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Sam loves his brother, but I really don’t get the sense that Sam respects him.
As for Sam, yes, I know a lot of people disagree with this, but I think the show has consistently shown that Sam has a strong tendency to be self-involved and a bit on the arrogant side. I don’t for a minute think he’s selfish - that to me implies malicious intent - but he doesn’t have much of a sense of how his actions or words affect other people and he has a hard time with the idea that his opinion might not necessarily be the ‘correct’ one. Which is part of the reason he and John butted heads so much.
I think this partly goes along with the fact that he really doesn’t read people well, and also the fact that he is the baby of the family and has always been the center of Dean and John’s attention. He’s simply not familiar with being anything else. But like Dean with the confidence issue, he was getting a more rounded view of things and a slightly clearer perspective as the season wore on. Still though, just like Dean’s neediness, the tendencies are still very much there and I expect to see more growth here in season 2… hopefully. ;-D
And I really wish the season would start so I could stop feeling compelled to make lists!!!
Thanks to liviapenn for the Bram Stoker quote in the subject.