Supernatural review: 02.13 - "Houses of the Holy"

[littlewings04]

Fair warning: This is religion-major heavy. In fact, I think we might be able to properly call this a Supernatural exegesis. Thank you, Chaplain, see how I use what you taught me?

As always, in perpetuam:

Comments

[littlewings04]

I don't think Sam's Christian, though. I could argue that the boys espouse some sort of weird Judaism, actually, because of how they see themselves as agents of change outside of the Divine's actions within the world. Christianity says it's all in G-d's hands, sit back and trust in Him. Judaism says that it's all in our hands, and the duty to repair the world is our own. The boys live and breathe that ethos.

I think we've been seeing Sam as a believer beforehand, though. Faith, what did he do? Dragged Dean off to a faith healer because he believed that there was a power in the universe that could give his brother back to him. Sam has always had faith, and his faith has always centered around Dean. I think Dean getting rattled has been shorter in coming, though. We'll see where Kripke goes.

Dean's alcoholism doesn't bother me. It's a sign of just how far down the rope he is. He's breaking, week by week. Vide the flask.

[crazywritinfool]

This was a really interesting review. I wonder, though, if they deliberately went ahead and used the term Last Rites because people would recognize it immediately for what they were trying to convey, whereas the proper term would be unfamiliar to a lot of folks. Sometimes clarity outweighs accuracy... just the way it goes... lol.

[littlewings04]

But it would've taken a two second edification by the priest to say "it's not Last Rites anymore, we call it Annointing of the Sick" and bam, things would've been on track. Plus, that still would not negate that they used the sacrament incorrectly throughout the episode, nor would it explain where the weird-ass words came from at the end of the episode when the priest banished the ghost. I stick to my guns. It could've been better.

[ant3ka]

"Dean was given faith by his mother, and when he lost her, he couldn't hold on to the faith she tried to instill in him. "

You're gonna make me cry, are you happy now?

I just...I had a really tough night and this episode just emotionally drained me and you said all these beautiful words and I can't string two sentences together.

So, yes. Everything you said more eloquently then I ever could. YES.

[littlewings04]

*hugs* Love you, darlin', it's okay. This is the stuff I was always meant to talk about. You're responsible for the Impala as Dean's armour stuff, anyway, so claim that. :)

[ant3ka]

Just so you know - I'm pimping you something fierce in my review because you're just...you're amazing this week and I feel I should leave this to the experts. :)

[littlewings04]

*blushes* I feel totally loved right now.

[trinity_clare]

(here via anteka)

It took me five minutes on Wikipedia to refresh my memory on Anointing of the Sick and to doublecheck that the priest's words weren't actually part of it (because I could tell). GAH. And I was just raised Catholic, I don't have a degree or anything. Although I can fanwank that they needed something that wasn't a salt-and-burn fix, and they couldn't do Anointing because there was no body, never mind that that's NOT WHAT IT'S FOR...whatever, Supernatural. At least they got some of it right.

And a big fat ditto on the Impala meta. He LOCKED SAM OUT. How much clearer can you get?

[littlewings04]

I noticed those words, they aren't part of the pre-Vatican II rites, nor are they part of the modern rites. They conjured some of that out of the ether tonight, and it bugged me. They got some things right, they conferred on Catholicism a status of being one of the good guys, but they couldn't double check a damn sacrament. Not cool, y'all, not cool.

[dotfic]

This is a beautiful meta.

Dean prefers the profane, arcane, the things that most ordinary people cannot understand. He wants his covert world of darkness, not a world wherein something as easy to understand as a unicorn might be real. Because what he does is harder, it has more validity to him than easy faith in beautiful, good things.

I think that's exactly where he is on that. I commented somewhere else this evening that we don't have evidence of *good* supernatural beings (only rituals and materials). An angel would be one such being and Dean can't accept it.

And Dean turns out to be right; it was a ghost.

Dean was given faith by his mother, and when he lost her, he couldn't hold on to the faith she tried to instill in him.His bitter rejection of that faith was, I think, because it was such a betrayal. He's not capable of seeing it that Mary *lied* to him. But her faith is a safe target and I think he rejects that faith all the harder since it was first offered to him by someone he loved and trusted that much

[littlewings04]

Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. I don't know that I have authority so much as an education that comes in handy, and I'm reluctant to claim any such thing. But it does make me warm and fuzzy to be called knowledgeable.

I think Dean is having trouble dealing with the amount of death he's caused. Croatoan, Devil's Trap, all of it. Dean has been dropping people all over the place, and tonight, he was face-to-face with what he wrought. That's the Gethsemane moment. Realising what you've done, what you have to do, and experiencing the anguish that comes with knowledge. Knowledge was gained in the Garden of Eden and redeemed in Garden of Gethsemane.

[sepiastars]

Hi! ::waves:: I just wanted to commend you on your beautiful review, and let you know that I friended you to keep up with your reviews in the future - hope that's okay ^.^

One thing that really jumped out at me was the look on Dean's face when Sam told him that he prayed every day. He looked... Betrayed? Not sure. But I thought it worth noting.

[littlewings04]

No problem, thanks for letting me know where you came from!

I caught that look as well, I'm not sure what to make of it. Disbelief is my current opinion, but we'll see.