What Is And What Should Never Be

[hells_half_acre]

I just watched What Is And What Should Never Be (2x20) again for timelining reasons.

I only popped it in because I realized I didn't have John and Mary's birthdates on my timeline, and I realized that I could easily get Mary's birthdate by combining the grave stone in Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things (2x04) with the date in WIAWSNB. Also,

Comments

[mymuseandi]

I think that both characters are difficult to play in different circumstances, and that the actors played them brilliantly. However, you had me thinking, that there was never really a time when Dean isn't canon Dean, unless you count 'The End' 2014!Dean, but even then there's still 2009!Dean in the scene. Ditto for S3's DALDOM. However, Sam isn't canon Sam for quite a few of the episodes, like in 'The End', and the above episode. Makes me wonder if there'll come a time when Dean isn't canon Dean. :)

[hells_half_acre]

Yeah, I think you are right. I certainly don't mean to diminish the fine job Jensen does with Dean, that's for sure. I guess I just get kind of tired about everyone going on about Jensen as though Jared is chopped liver. Dude is talented too.

The closest Dean got to not being canon Dean was when he was Shifter!Dean in Skin, way back in S1. Since then, he's ALWAYS been Dean. Even, arguably, 2014!Dean was still canon Dean, and DALDOM!Dean was just another side to Dean's personality giving him the whatfor...

But yeah, Jared has had the opportunity to play non-canon!Sam, Meg!Sam, and Lucifer!Sam...whereas Jensen is always..WAIT!

It's a Terrible Life! Dean was non-canon Dean in that! Ha, can't believe that didn't immediately leap to mind. I was even thinking about it while I watched WIAWSNB.

So there you go, Jensen has had the opportunity to play non-canon!Dean too. As I recall from an interview he had about it, he said it was very hard. I think he did a fine job though. I love that episode.

[mizzykitty]

I don't even remember gravestones! What were their birthdates?

[hells_half_acre]

I don't have a birthdate for John, but he was born in 1954 (according to the gravestone). It doesn't really mesh well with fighting in Vietnam, so we'll have to assume he lied about his age when he enlisted and had a fucked-up teenage experience because of it. :-P

Mary was born on December 4, 1954. December 4th also happens to be the same date that Sam and Dean successfully saved Britannia Flight 424 in 2005.

[mizzykitty]

I'm going on 53-54 for John. I had a reason behind 53 but I can't remember now. In any case, you could enlist when you were 17 as long as you got parental permission. I could just imagine young John getting all patriotic and excited, possibly with the idea that he was going to get to see/experience the world. What a total disappointment it probably turned out to be. Poor thing.

Haha, I like to think that she's slightly older than him.

[hells_half_acre]

Yeah, in my mind '53 makes a bit more sense. Everyone I know that moved to Canada to avoid the draft was born between 1945-1950, so the closer to 1950 the more believable that he would have fought in Vietnam - and fought long enough to move up the ranks a little.

I definitely see John as the type to get all patriotic and excited and enlist at 17. Plus, we never meet John's parents...so there's plenty of room for imagining that they'd be the kind of people to allow a 17 year-old to go to war.

[akadougal]

I've been incredibly impressed with Jared in Season 5. Jensen may cry pretty but Jared really has to pull all sorts of variations on Sam out this season. Blowing me away.

[hells_half_acre]

Yay! I really think people get distracted by the character and the pretty tears - not to say that they SHOULDN'T get distracted, I mean, Jensen is very talented. But yeah, Jared's been blowing me away too. He may have started off the series a little "greener" than Jensen, but I really think they are well matched in abilities.

[trystan830]

i'm totally impressed with both, all the time. :)

[hells_half_acre]

Yay! :)

[trystan830]

:D