Things I Love About SPN Season 1: Faith #2
Supernatural, Season 1
Episode 12, “Faith”
Written by Sera Gamble and Raelle Tucker
Directed by Allan Kroeker
Warning: image heavy post.
(Continued from #1)
The next scene opens with a panning shot over Sam’s research: chakra maps, medical journals, diagrams and photos of hearts and cardiac anatomy. Again, I’m reminded of John’s motel wall. Now, more than ever, we see John’s obsessive search for answers after Mary’s death reflected in his son’s behaviour now that Dean’s life is on the line.
It's significant that Dean has suffered a heart attack. As we’ve seen before, the attacks and injuries the brothers receive tend to reflect the body/heart vs mind/soul dichotomy they respectively represent. In “Home”, for example, the poltergeist attacked Sam’s throat, cutting off his breath (a traditional symbol for the soul), and in “Asylum” the spirit attacked his brain. Dean typically takes the brunt of physical attacks to his body and now he has sustained major damage to his heart, and does again in “Devil’s Trap”.
As the camera scans the medical imagery, John’s outgoing cellphone message can be heard playing over the scene: “if this is an emergency, call my son Dean . . . he can help.” It’s deeply ironic since Dean’s the one who needs help and Sam strongly doubts any will be forthcoming; “you probably won’t even get this,” he says, but he leaves a message anyway: “it's Dean. He's sick, and . . . the doctors say there's nothing they can do . . . . but they don't know the things we know, right? So, don't worry, cause I'm . . . gonna do whatever it takes to get him better. All right . . . just wanted you to know.”
It's clear to the viewers that Sam is struggling with this call; the pain is readily apparent on his face:
But from the point of view of someone listening to an oral message, it might be argued that Sam has downplayed the situation; he doesn’t actually say that Dean’s dying, nor does he specifically ask for his father’s help, which could perhaps mitigate to some degree why he never receives any . . . apparently . . . or does he?
As the call concludes there’s a knock at the door and as Sam looks up, we can’t help but notice the tears standing in his eyes.
I also can’t help noticing the colour of the walls: hospital green, similar colour to Dean’s robe in the previous scene. That may be mere accident, but maybe not. The set crew tend to have an eye for detail. The wallpaper is decidedly funereal too: black with lilies. And wardrobe have dressed Dean in Sam’s hoodie, which is too big for him and makes him look especially small and vulnerable in this scene. (Caranfindel has supplied a lovely backstory for this and other items of Winchester wardrobe in her fic “A Life in Hoodies”. Well worth a read at: https://caranfindel.livejournal.com/238995.html).
Dean brushes off Sam’s concerns with a typical quip, “I’m not gonna die in a hospital where the nurses aren’t even hot,” and comes back with “have you even slept? You look worse than me.” It’s an exaggeration, but Sam does look suspiciously baggy and shadowy round the eyes, so all departments of the crew are doing a great job telling the story here.
Sam’s been scouring the internet and canvassing John’s friends for ways to help Dean, and he’s had a call back about a “specialist” in Nebraska.
Now, I recall in “Asylum”, right after Sam called Caleb hoping for news of their father, Dean immediately got a text from John heading the boys off and sending them to Illinois. It occurs to me that John’s friends may once again be keeping him apprised of his sons’ movements, and the news related by Joshua may covertly have originated from John. Later in the episode it becomes a running theme that “God works in mysterious ways”. Maybe John does too.
It’s interesting how John’s friends tend to have Biblical names. His ministering angels perhaps? Almost certainly his spies: scripturally, Joshua and Caleb were two of twelve spies that Moses sent out to scout the land of Canaan and, incidentally, the only two that had faith in God’s promise to help the Israelites. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Spies
“You’re not going to let me die in peace, are you?” says Dean.
And we recall Sam’s earlier comment to John that he’s going to do “whatever it takes”. The Winchester Waltz begins.
The next scene opens in a rainy, boggy field where we can see people, many visibly sick and injured, making their way toward a large tent. Dean isn’t best impressed that the “specialist” Sam promised to bring has turned out to be a faith healer. It prompts an exchange that establishes the roles that will become familiar to us in the coming seasons, with Sam as the spiritual one of the partnership and Dean as the materialist.
SAM
Maybe it's time to have a little faith, Dean.
DEAN
You know what I've got faith in? Reality. Knowing what's really going on.
SAM
How can you be a skeptic? With the things we see every day?
DEAN
Exactly. We see them, we know there real.
SAM
But if you know evil's out there, how can you not believe good's out there, too?
DEAN
Because I've seen what evil does to good people.
http://www.supernaturalwiki.com/1.12_Faith_(transcript)
It’s interesting because it reverses the positions that we’ve seen them adopt in relation to their father, where Sam has been the skeptic while Dean has been operating on “blind faith”. Perhaps this is related to the Mind/Soul vs Body/Heart dichotomy the brothers represent, suggesting that while Sam’s mind operates critically, his soul longs for spiritual purpose and Dean, as a deeply physical being, is naturally materialistic but his heart still needs an idol to follow and believe in. It will be interesting to see whether the damage Dean has taken to his heart foreshadows a change in attitude toward his father. We will soon see, of course, that Sam’s initial faith in the healing powers of Reverend Le Grange is ultimately misplaced. It won’t be the last time that faith ends in disillusionment for Sam.
The conversation also includes the important comment “I’ve seen what evil does to good people”. In my remarks on “Scarecrow”, I suggested this line would become something of a manifesto for the whole of Kriphe’s story since we see it dramatized over the coming seasons. Sam and Dean are good people, but we witness a gradual shift in their moral centres as they are forced to make increasingly dubious choices in their perpetual fight against evil.
Importantly, though, the brothers are interrupted by the introduction of a new character, Layla, who counters Dean’s observation with the old aphorism:
As I mentioned before, this becomes a recurring theme in the episode, but it eventually becomes a more enduring companion theme to Dean’s credo, in season 5 when we discover that the brothers have been pawns of a Grand Divine Plan from their conception. But we can also infer from the season 5 finale that, behind it all, there has been an Ineffable Plan, and God has indeed been working in mysterious ways to help free humanity after all from the prison of predestination.
Still, as I suggested at the end of my last review, the apple pie left a sour taste in the mouth and the sense that it wasn’t worth the price paid for it. In the end, I couldn’t help feeling that the Divine Plan itself, both effable and ineffable, was the evil that had effed the Winchesters.
But, to return to “Faith”, when Dean sees Layla, he does a quick 180. “Maybe he does,” he agrees, smiling. “I think you just turned me around on the subject.”
At death’s door, Dean’s still hound dogging, earning the usual eye roll from Sam but this time with an added fond smile. It seems, when Dean’s in peril, Sam finds these traits endearing rather than annoying. Layla also smiles but she isn’t taken in. “Yeah, I’m sure,” she says affably.
Inside the tent, Sam is showing care and concern for his brother’s welfare, but Dean bats him away, characteristically refusing to show any signs of weakness.
Again, I love the set detail; the Bible verses on the walls of the tent are a nice touch, and it’s worth keeping an eye on them as the plot progresses as care is taken to make sure they always reflect the content of the scene, almost like a textual Greek chorus.
Kevin McNulty is great in the role of Roy Le Grange. His understated performance lends the role a tone of sincerity. It’s a revivalist style mission, but Roy’s no bible thumping preacher.
While Roy is speaking, the camera picks out an unusual feature: a Coptic cross.
Sam notices, and we can see him pondering the oddness of it. Even in these unique circumstances, it seems the analytical brain is never turned off.
Meanwhile, in response to Roy’s sermon, Dean is moved to express his skepticism, and is embarrassed when the reverend calls him out for it, but Roy handles the interruption nicely, and with humour:
ROY
It is the Lord who does the healing here friends.
The Lord who guides me in choosing who to heal by helping me see into people's hearts.
CROWD continues murmuring.
DEAN
(quietly, to SAM) Yeah, and into their wallets.
ROY
You think so, young man?
The crowd immediately falls silent.
DEAN
Sorry.
ROY
No, no. Don't be. Just watch what you say around a blind man, we've got real sharp ears.
CROWD Laughs.
(Ibid.)
It’s a nice directorial touch that Layla and her mother are front and centre throughout the whole exchange, foreshadowing their importance in the story.
Now that Roy and Dean have each other’s attention, the reverend invites the young man to join him on stage. Dean is unwilling: “maybe you should just pick someone else”. It’s interesting to speculate what might be going through his mind at this juncture. Certainly, he’s embarrassed and discomfited. Perhaps he’s convinced it won’t work and wishes to avoid being put in the position of disappointing the crowd (and himself?) Or is it possible, even at this stage, that he simply doesn’t believe he deserves to be healed? If so, why would he feel that way?
Layla and her mother also make interesting viewing at this moment, out of sync with their surroundings, silent and unmoving while, around them, the crowd are cheering and clapping.
Roy insists, “I didn't pick you, Dean, the Lord did.”
“Look, no disrespect, but I'm not exactly a believer,” Dean asserts as he reluctantly takes the stage. Again, we have the ironic tension between Dean being depicted as the non-believer while at the same time he has exhibited absolute faith in his father and the need to do his father’s will.
“You will be, son.” Roy assures him. “You will be.” Roy smiles as he says it, but it’s been suggested that the line echoes Yoda’s more ominous response to Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. If so, it portends that Dean’s imminent experience may not be an altogether positive one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUoBkhTFdWA
And, indeed, as Roy lays on his hand, Dean looks more like he’s being killed than healed. He seems in pain, and it’s as if what little life he has left is being sucked out of him.
He collapses and passes out, prompting Sam to dive onto the stage in a high state of anxiety. Nevertheless, when Dean recovers, we can see instantly that his colour has returned and his eyes have cleared. He does look healed. But, while he’s coming round, he sees something very disturbing behind Roy.
Lovely camera angle
The DVD features include a deleted scene where we see the healing sequence intercut with shots at a swimming pool where the same menacing figure pursues a terrified young man until he dies of heart failure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_igL5Lbn2AM
Personally, I’m glad they cut this from the aired episode. It makes it more suspenseful at this stage that we can tell Dean has been healed by shady means, but we don’t find out - until Dean does - the full horror of what it has cost.
I hope you've enjoyed the rewatch of these scenes. As always, I look forward to hearing all your own thoughts and impressions. To continue to the next slice of the pie , please click here.
.
.