Comments | amonitrate: Walking off the chessboard: part 5

amonitrate

Walking off the chessboard: part 5

Jul 28, 2010 22:33

Sorry for the delay in posting. Complicated couple of weeks. Thus ends the main body of this sucker, though I'm noodling with a short conclusion that talks about the traditional/biblical concept of the scapegoat. Sadly I know nothing of the bible, so it will probably be a really shallow isn't this kinda cool thing.

Walking off the chessboard: Sam ( Read more... )

scapegoat, meta:spn, essays

Comments 29

monicawoe August 14 2010, 16:39:31 UTC

Comparing his own relationship to Michael with Sam’s relationship with Dean, Lucifer calls up the conflict between the Winchester brothers in season 4, directly referencing Dean’s labeling Sam a monster in 4.21. And he describes the position both he and Sam fill in their families, complete with some of the typical traits of the Scapegoat.The best part of this is that in the end, Dean did stand by Sam-and in so doing helped Sam defeat Lucifer. The more i rewatch Swan Song, the more I think that Sam breaking through Lucifer's control (after the Impala-induced flashback)' was partially due to Lucifer relinquishing control ( ... )

amonitrate August 21 2010, 16:52:11 UTC

The more i rewatch Swan Song, the more I think that Sam breaking through Lucifer's control (after the Impala-induced flashback)' was partially due to Lucifer relinquishing control.

That's an interesting interpretation. I don't think I see it that way, but it's certainly plausible!

Thanks for reading!

keerawa August 14 2010, 19:51:45 UTC

But what Lucifer can’t do is see his own culpability in the family drama. Instead, he does nothing but blame everyone else for his own actions.
And that's key. That's why, with a universe of possibilities, Lucifer is playing Apocalypse.

amonitrate August 21 2010, 16:51:14 UTC

Yeah, I found Lucifer pretty fascinating, and would have liked to see a bit more of him in the middle of the season. But despite some dropped balls, he was still pretty well fleshed out.

thanks for reading this!

borgmama1of5 August 14 2010, 21:50:08 UTC

Wow, just came across your metas. Fabulous analysis that gives weight to the view that the show, all along, is about family.

Thank you for sharing your research and insights!

amonitrate August 21 2010, 16:50:20 UTC

Thank you! And I appreciate you reading this long thing!

nekosammy August 24 2010, 05:00:21 UTC

Excellent meta! I read all 6 parts and even checked out one of the blogs you referenced, ha ha ( ... )

amonitrate August 24 2010, 13:28:56 UTC

Thanks for reading and commenting!

As for Sam, I think he definitely has played the Scapegoat role in his family, and also on the show in terms of narrative thrust, how the character is angled for the audience to see him that way - as being the 'wrong' one all the time. It actually drives me batty, and I have trouble watching Sam get beaten over the head with his 'wrongness' for a whole 22 episode season. Sam's powers were hot, and I loved them, but the season as a whole was unbearably nasty to me in terms of how Sam's character was framed for the audience. I have to disagree partially. Sam made his own decisions, and they were understandable decisions, and he had to face the consequences of those decisions. They've always written Sam and Dean as very flawed, human characters, and I like that about the show. Sam and Dean would be really boring without those flaws ( ... )

nekosammy August 25 2010, 03:43:04 UTC

"These are patterns that play out in real life in families, and so if you take away the bad decisions Sam makes in season 4, you erase most of the impact of him playing the role of the scapegoat, and from a story standpoint you get rid of any need for a redemption storyline ( ... )

amonitrate August 25 2010, 06:21:47 UTC

I felt it was not done very sympathetically a lot of the time, or it was used more for shock value than solid character work.

It wasn't meant to be sympathetic all of the time. Why should it be? Some of the things Sam chose to do weren't sympathetic, weren't meant to be sympathetic, as Chuck (gently) tries to point out. Again, without the unsympathetic actions, the scapegoat role doesn't play out to its full extent.

This happened as soon as John died - suddenly Sam wants to hunt and tries to think well of dad, which is fine, but his Father Issues seem to get buried while Dean's are still being used throughout the entire series run.I explained how I view Sam's reversal here -- it makes sense that he does this out of unresolved guilt, plus it justifies what he's wanted since Jess died, which is to pursue vengeance, which was John's territory. He's always been more like John than not, and much more like John than Dean. Which is why he and John butted heads, and why he is so quick to turn around after John dies ( ... )