Apr 13, 2007 00:25
The further Supernatural has progressed, the more pronounced the continued threat to the Winchesters (and humanity in general, apparently) has become. But when did it begin? Has the first blow already been dealt, or is the official commencement still a thing of the future? What's it about? What are the sides and who stand together? Is there even such a thing as 'war' in the picture yet?
Spoilers up to 2x17, Heart. Because of spoilerphobic tendencies, all speculation within is completely likely to be void by the end of next month. I'd appreciate to be kept in the dark. :)
My deepest apologies if this comes across as messy and rambling. I'm new to meta, and famous for my lacking concentration skills IRL.
First I will attempt to present all the canon instances the War has been referred in, chronologically (up to 2x17, Heart), and thinky thoughts directly referring to the specific quotes. Second will be a look at the apparent sides to this 'war', the players. Third will be my feelings on where this war is at the moment, what will happen next, where I believe we'll be once the Third Season rolls around.
Canon References
So let us begin at the very beginning, for even if it may be earlier than some may think, the very first mention of something 'big' about to come around is in the Pilot (1x01).
John (voice message from 'yesterday'):
"(Static) Dean, something is starting to happen, I think it’s serious. I need to try to figure out what’s going on (Distortions, static) Be very careful Dean, we’re all in danger."
What I find interesting is that among the many papers and clippings and pieces of information within John's abandoned motel room, there's a section of the wall with a slip of paper with 'Devil + demons' stuck above it, and next to that, one with 'Sirens, witches, the possessed'. Thank you for the anvil that early in the series, dear Mr Kripke! :)
After that, the First Season begins, John is MIA while we get to know the boys. Curiously, though otherwise still being the most heavy-handed with information concerning the demons, Phantom Traveller (1x04), barely had a half a word to say on the larger picture.
ETA:
While they're meeting Missouri, Sam comments thusly in Home (1x09): "I don't know... But Dad going missing, and Jessica dying, and...now this house. And all happening at once. It-it just feels like...something's starting."
The boy really has a knack for the apparent, doesn't he? ;)
And, at the end of Home (1x09), we learn that John knows something, or hankers to know something that keeps him away from his kids:
"You have no idea how much I want to see them. But I can't. Not yet. Not until I know the Truth."
(Sorry, but I hear that capitalized 'T' ;))
That comment remains to trouble me, initially kept me from wondering too much about Mary's "I'm sorry" to Sam. (And that, in the light of apparently the Supernatural-ghosts possessing a certain level of omniscience, is a cause for a meta I'd love to read. Anyone written it?)
One can't help but ponder now, in the light of what we've so far learned during the Second Season, what is the 'Truth' John alludes to? The reason he told Dean to either save Sam or, failing that, kill him? That seems likely. But we still don't know what it is about Sam, not for sure.
Not long after Home, at the end of Asylum (1x10), beginning of Scarecrow (1x11), we receive another indication to the 'Big Bang', for John decides to call his boys. On top of everything else he says, there's this:
"Look, we don't have time for this. This is bigger than you think, they're everywhere. Even us talking right now, it's not safe."
That underlined part also makes appearance in the recap for Nightmare (1x14), Shadow (1x16) and Dead Man's Blood (1x20), overlaid on the scene from Asylum (1x10) of the boys entering the boiler room together.
Even though 'assume' makes an ass out of you and me, it seems safe to say that 'they' John refers to are demons, people they're possessing. Considering that Sam's under the influence of dear Dr Ellicott in that scene from Asylum (1x10), though it also shows Dean, it's certainly an interesting juxtaposition. In the light of what appears to be the Truth, of Sam possibly going Dark Side, that makes me wonder just how much John knew by then.
Though if there's some truth to the PsyKids being a danger to humanity, 'they' might refer to such children as well. The footage from Asylum (1x10) would still be appropriate. And like we have learned during the Second Season, it's possible that the Fantastic Four (Max Miller, Andrew Gallagher, Scott Carey, Sam Winchester) are more of an exception among the PsyKids rather than a rule. And thus, to quote Dean in Simon Said (2x05), "who knows how many of 'em are really out there?"
After Asylum (1x10), we're introduced to Meg, get the gist that she and her 'Daddy' have an itch to get their hands on the Winchesters. No one throws around terms like 'something big' or 'war', though. All of it sounds rather 'innocent': just some antagonist after the protagonists' blood. Isn't that just par for the course in any work of fiction?
And thus, everything's quiet in the horizon. Even Shadow (1x16), which otherwise is rather important episode (damn it, the boys see John for the first time since before the series began!) is pretty tight-lipped about it. The only hint to the larger scheme of things comes from John practically at the very end: "Sammy, this fight is just starting. And we are all gonna have a part to play."
He's not lying, you know. On either account. But that heartfelt comment makes me wonder if John was still in the dark about why Sam might have to be put down somewhere in the future...
And just what changes, what does John learn while the boys are off dealing with a tulpa, a shtriga and a deadly painting. Why, here, he thinks joining forces would be a mistake, but later, he's not nearly as adamantly opposed to that idea?
With Dead Man's Blood (1x20) the season finale-trilogy begins, and appropriately enough, all those episodes have at least one allusion to the future clash.
In the first of the three, it's by Sam: "Last time we saw you, you said it was too dangerous to be together. Now, out of the blue, you need our help. Now, obviously something big is going down and we want to know what!"
Sam's not the only one. By this time, I think, the fans were alternating between killing John on sight and having a friendly little interrogation with Supernatural's very own Obi-Wan. I know I were.
In Salvation (1x21) we have Meg, chatting on the phone with John: "So, as far as we're concerned, you just declared war. And this is what war looks like. It has casualties."
That, incidentally, is the first time the 'Big Thing' is called for what it is: War.
That fact surprised me the first time I realized it. And even later, that specific term is used rather sparingly. It's not the only thing Kripke and co. seem to hold the purse strings tight about, though. Sam's visions are another similar detail, as are hugs. And I applaud them for that restrain. (Inside I'm flailing.)
After Salvation (1x21), there's Devil's Trap (1x22) and Bobby: "No, but I know it's something big. The storm's coming, and you boys, your Daddy... you are smack in the middle of it."
We could also argue that the Demon!John's words to Sam are as good of an indication as any other: "My plans for you, Sammy. You... and all the children like you."
With what Scott Carey and Gordon Walker told us in Hunted (2x10), I guess it's not too far off the mark to say that the YED's plans are part of the massive storm cloud in the skyline, closer with each passing day. War may be something necessary for the plans' outcome, but I don't think we can say war = plans = war. The other's part of the other, but they may overlap more or less than we think.
The First Season ends with a literal bang, without further details given on the impending upheaval.
To sum it up: lots of promises and hints for the future, but beyond the Colt, nothing concrete.
With the premier of the Second Season, In My Time of Dying (2x01) literally picks up where Devil's Trap (1x22) left off. This episode concentrates on a different kind of struggle, though there are references a plenty to the Demon's plans. Sam questions ("Hey, Dad? You know, the Demon, he said he had plans for me, and children like me. Do you have any idea what he meant by that?"), John denies, Spirit!Dean thinks the old man's not telling everything ("Well, you sure know something.")
Then there's the whole boiler-room scene with the YED ("You know the truth, right? About Sammy? And the other children?"), and the whisper near the end we all assumed was the Big Damn Secret about Sam.
Let's not forget poor Dean though.
"I'm serious. My family's in danger. See, we're kind of in the middle of this, um, war, and they need me."
He's not sure about it, not yet, but he seems to go with the gut-feeling Dean's manifested before. Far as he is concerned, it's the Winchesters against the Demons, and both sides have opened fire. He's a man who probably could empathize with Kyle Reese's world, the future of the Terminator-movies. To Dean, it's always been the Winchesters and the World of Darkness, but this seems to be the first instance that Evil has lashed against them specifically, not by random accident or as simply a reaction to something they've done.
In My Time of Dying (2x01) is otherwise curiously quiet on the subject, though. I don't blame them. I don't think I could've taken any more. :)
This trend continues, because it isn't really until Simon Said (2x05) that we get another reference to the Big Things and I think Kripke and company felt they'd forgotten something, because comments concerning either of those (Plans, War) amount to three.
First one comes from Dean, under the influence of Andy's Dominate suggestive powers:
"...He's psychic. Kind of like you. Well, not really like you, but see, he thinks you're a murderer, and he's afraid that he's going to become one himself, 'cause you're all part of something that's terrible. And I hope to hell that he's wrong, but I'm starting to get a little scared that he might be right."
Let's not forget about Andy's brother, Ansem Weems/Weber, either, for the second mention is his:
"The man with the yellow eyes. --- He came to me. In my dream. He said I was special. He told me he's got big plans for me. Wait 'till you see what's in store, Andy, for both of us!"
And, surprisingly or not, Ellen:
"This isn't just your war, this is war. Now, something big and bad's coming and it's coming fast, and their side holds all the cards. Now, at best all we got is us. Together."
As a side note, I'd like to point out that at this point, only three people have used the term 'war': Meg, Spirit!Dean and Ellen. And Dean claimed to have no recollection whatsoever of his out of body experience. Two of those have been women, though one's blonde, the other has light brown hair. One was an antagonist without a doubt, the other seems to be an ally. One's possessed, another isn't, far as we know.
After Simon Said (2x05), though, the War and the Secret are barely mentioned, and the show concentrates on character development with a side order of Jo's father-issues and the trouble with mere mortals while Sam lugs around a broken arm.
Then we get Croatoan (2x09), and despite the 'End of the World'-vibe, we get really only one reference to the Plans or the War, and even that's offhanded.
Sam, while Dean and he are talking about what's going on:
"Yeah, more like demonic germ warfare. At least it explains why I've been having visions."
Of course, Croatoan (2x09) ends with the biggest cliffhanger ever, and a great cry of anguish was heard all over the world as the scene cut off too soon, and the (end of year celebration of your choice) was soured by the greatest temptation to go read spoilers.
As if to make up for all that, Hunted (2x10) iss chockfull of references to the War and the Plans.
There's the whole thing with Scott Carey and his psychiatrist, Dr. George Waxler:
"The yellow-eyed man. He comes to me in my dreams. Tells me to do things, awful things. But I tell him no, no, I don't want to!
---
He...he has plans for me.
---
He has plans for me. He says there's a war coming. That people like me, we're going to be the soldiers. Everything's about to change."
This is by far the straightest Kripke and company have been with us. Considering that the information comes straight from the YED, filtered via only a single person (Scott), it's probably the closest to truth (for a given value of truth) we can hope to get.
There's Sam questioning John and Dean:
"I mean, he must have had some kind of reason for saying it, right? Did he know the Demon's plans for me? Am I supposed to go Darkside or something?"
And there's Sam chatting with Ava:
"Because there's something going on here, Ava. With you, with me. I mean, there are others like us out there. And we're all a part of something, and I've got to figure out what."
And let's not forget everyone's favourite vampire-hunter, Gordon:
"See, I was doing an exorcism down in Louisiana. Teenage girl, same routine, some low-level demon. But between all the jabbering and the head-spinning, the damn thing muttered something. About a coming war. And I don't think it meant to, it just kind of slipped out. But it was too late. Peaked my interest.
And you can really make a demon talk, you got the right tools. --- Anyway. This demon tells me there are soldiers to fight in this coming war. Humans, fighting on hell's side. You believe that? I mean, they're psychics, so they're not exactly pure humans, but still. What kind of worthless scumbag have you got to be to turn against your own race? But you know the biggest kick in the ass? This demon said I knew one of them.
Our very own Sammy Winchester."
So this episode should have dispelled all the doubts, right? Answered so many questions plaguing our minds? Sam's in danger of becoming something to which death would be preferable, the YED's plans involve a war in which the PsyKids are soldiers, fighting not on the side of angels. And there's at least one hunter conspiring to get rid of the lot.
Also, only four of the PsyKids had house fires on the night of their 6th month birthday. And two of those are dead (Max Miller, Scott Carey) and two are 'good' (Andrew Gallagher, Sam).
There is also this girl who's a PsyKid, but, just like Weber in Simon Said (2x05), doesn't fit into the house fire pattern, her mother living in Palm Beach.
However...I don't think things are that clear cut.
The demon accidentally mentioning something about a war? (Fourth time, by the way. Again, from a female mouth, relayed by a man.)
Gordon, honey, I think you underestimated your opponent. So very, very greatly. For all we know, the demons can be centuries old, if not millennia. Yes, even the 'low-level' ones. And letting something highly important just 'slip out'? Yeah, right.
There is this thing called 'information warfare'. In some aspects, it can be deadlier than any bomb or blade or bullet.
And wouldn't it be just sweet, planting these tidbits of misinformation, get the great Hunters to believe the humanity's ace in the whole damn war is really a threat to the humanity itself?
Get the Hunters to go after the PsyKids, kill them themselves?
Talk about irony, rubbing salt into wounds once the final showdown comes around.
Mix it all with enough truth to make it believable (soldiers in the war), then twist it just a tiny little bit, change the place of the comma, one homonym for another, screw up the translation just a touch. The demons are master liars, shameless about using anything they can to further their own goals. They also seem to prefer psychological scars to physical.
I'm not saying it's better to be afraid of the demons, doubt one's abilities against them, like Dean seems to do in Phantom Traveller (1x04, "I don't know, man. This isn't our normal gig. I mean, demons...They don't want anything, just death and destruction for its own sake. This is big. I wish Dad was here..."), but the blatant belittling Gordon displays in Hunted (2x10) sets my teeth on the edge. We know preciously little about demons, but if the Winchesters know to mind their steps around them, one would think someone who's been hunting for at least a decade now (Jo's blog mentions Gordon for the first time on January 17, 1998) would know never to underestimate one's opponent. But I digress.
Playthings (2x11), Nightshifter (2x12) and Houses of the Holy (2x13) concentrated mostly on other issues, which, though likely to have an effect on the stormcloud, and certainly not seemingly making the Winchesters' lives any easier or their futures any brighter, have no mention of it.
Born Under A Bad Sign (2x14) is rather heavy-handed with the references, though, or at least the boys' fears personified.
There's Sam at the beginning with:
"What if this is what Dad warned you about?"
That's a valid thought, and coming from the mouth of a possessed person, brings to my mind the tales of the offspring of incubi and succubi, for such children were said to be more susceptible to the demonic influence and powers. We don't know the whole Truth of the matter as of yet (mid-April 2007). It's still possible that there's something curious at least with Sam's genetic make-up. And Sam's as ignorant of it as we are. Maybe Dean, too. But what about the YED's daughter? Does she know it?
Let's not forget about Sam playing the exposition boy, either:
"Dean, the yellow-eyed demon, you know he has plans for me. And we both know that he's turned other children into killers before, too."
But that doesn't reveal anything we didn't already know. There is, however, one curiosity concerning the War/Plans in this episode: the exchange between Dean and Possessed!Sam.
Dean:
"See, whatever bitch-boy master plan you demons are cooking up? You're not getting Sam. You understand me? Because I'm gonna kill every one of you first."
Possessed!Sam:
"You really think that's what this is about? The master plan? I don't give a rat's ass about the master plan."
It's a tantalizing thought, isn't it? The YED's daughter, who in the First Season dutifully obeyed her father, now has apparently renounced him. The repercussions of such action remain to be seen, but it's curious to note that she spent her time in Sam's body trying to get Dean to kill Sam. I can't help but wonder why that's so important. Because if someone else did the deed, or Sam committed an apparent suicide, the effect on Dean wouldn't be as great?
I wish these issues will resurface.
In this episode, one can easily hear the difference between the boys.
For Sam, his 'destiny' comes attached to the word 'when'. There isn't much doubt in his head and heart that he's already on the downward spiral; no matter how many lives he may save, all the ones he fails with will outweigh them once his heart's put on the scales. It's very possible that thinking like this will be Sam's downfall. The hope is naught but a candle in the storm the eye of which he may be.
For Dean, whenever the Dark Side is brought up, it's attached with the word 'if'. Nothing's certain, one can try and control or prevent, change anything. There is no 'Higher Power' hand-picking fates, dealing out cards.
As may be expected, the following episodes, Tall Tales (2x15) and Roadkill (2x16) are quiet on the matter of the Plans and the War. Even Heart (2x17) begins without any apparent ties to the greater plot. The shot at the end, however, ends more than just Madison's life. To me, it signals Sam stepping up, out of the shadow of his father and brother, finally starting to take charge of his own fate. Granted, he arguably did so when he left for college, but I believe his past was still heavy on him, weighed him down. Now, though, he has matured enough to be okay with his past, and fear the future.
Players
The War, so far, seems to feature the Demons/Hell as the aggressor. John Winchester merely reacted to the demise of his mate, and 22 years later, his son, Sam, follows in his footsteps.
As an opposing force, there are the hunters. The whole network of them, all sharing, if nothing else, at least the desire to destroy supernatural beings.
In the middle, as always, the innocent civilians, which include the humanity in general and all its factions, mostly apparently oblivious to the things that go bump in the night.
One must also note the PsyKids, whose loyalties are still, at best, hazy. One must consider the four whose mothers (and houses) burnt down on the night of their sixth month birthday. And the ones whose infancy was fire-free.
What do Max Miller, Andrew Gallagher, Scott Carey and Sam Winchester share?
One a telekinetic, one mind-controller, one electrocuter, one precog. With the exception of Sam, all those powers may be used offensively. Two of this foursome are dead, two appear to be 'good'. Without Gordon, that number might be three, for Scott seemed to be willing to fight the YED rather than join him.
And then there are Ansem Weems and Ava Wilson. They don't fit the pattern of the house fires, even though they were, apparently, born in 1983. They share initials. They 'share' powers with another PsyKid: Ansem with his twin-brother Andrew, Ava with Sam. Another one's dead, another's missing.
There is also Rosie Holt, from Salvation (1x21), whose mother Monica is still alive, thanks to Sam and Dean. And if anything can be deduced from what John says near the beginning of Salvation (1x21), there are other houses that burnt down on the night of an infant's sixth month birthday.
The biggest question with this 'War', I think, is how will the PsyKids feature in it? What's their role?
There seems to be a school of thought that thinks Sam's supposed to turn Dark Side, change drastically and start working to further the YED's goal(s).
There seems to also be a school of thought that thinks Sam's supposed to be a force for good, and all the talk about his demonic connections is naught but smoke and mirrors.
I'd like to refrain from discussions concerning Dean, for my own opinions are not yet clear on that matter.
What if, however, things are not as clear cut as that? What if instead of Good and Evil, White and Black, there's Grey?
What if Sam can be both? That it's not a thing of destiny, something set in stone, but of free will, choosing his side? Or, as the canon seems to go, being 'pushed' into one direction, and allowing himself to fall that way?
In the last century, I fell in love with a game called Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. Some years later, it beget a game series called Legacy of Kain, containing titles such as Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2, Blood Omen 2 and Defiance.
Whereas the Blood Omen-titles featured Kain as the protagonist, Soul Reavers the players walked through as Raziel, Kain's vampiric son. And Defiance featured both. Within the Soul Reavers, the ongoing discussion concerned the distinction between destiny and free will. A scene was supposed to play out in one of two ways...but the proverbial coin landed on its edge, and the future was one unforeseen.
It's not the only time I've thought of LoK while watching/reading/thinking about Supernatural. But I wouldn't put it past Kripke and co. to pull such a stunt.
And that's all the players, then?
Not quite. If there is truth to what the YED's daughter said in Born Under A Bad Sign (2x14), we have at least one rogue demon on board. And what she may do is anyone's guess. One loose thread may destroy the whole tapestry.
As it is, though, I'm not ready to yet accept her words at face value. They may be a red herring.
War: Now?
Though I have a feeling it was relatively early in the Fall of 2006, during the first five episodes of the Second Season, I can't pinpoint the day or the episode after which, whenever the Second Season finale is brought up in discussions, the only thing I can think of is Yoda at the end of The Attack of The Clones: "Begun, the Clone War has."
Because that's how I feel the Second Season will end.
During the First Season, Kripke and company laid the foundation, introduced the players, set the board and the pawns.
With the Second Season, they trust themselves, the show and the fans enough to really start bringing down the house. This is the middle part of a trilogy. This is where the participants amass their armies, pick their sides, gather their strength. This is the calm before the storm. This is the reason I'm fearful of the finale, why I've tried not to grow too attached to the Roadhouse, its crew or Bobby (failing miserably with that latter, though). Because I believe that the first real blow of the War will be dealt at the end of this season. And the house coming down is the Roadhouse. The Hunter Rendezvous Extraordinaire. For what better place to morally shake the staunchest opponents than by taking away their safe haven and home on the road?
Sure, the mothers of some of the PsyKids have been killed.
A slew of hunters and innocents, William Anthony Harvelle, Jessica, Daniel Elkins, Pastor Jim, Caleb, John have all perished already. And, agreed, those last three because John getting his hands on the Colt was, according to Meg, a declaration of war.
But if the war's on full swing already, why is it so quiet?
Why are the demons still testing their strategies (2x09, Croatoan) and apparently withholding their power? Why is the humanity at large still in the dark about it all? There has been a drastic growth in the amount of possessions (according to Bobby in Devil's Trap, 1x22, from 3, 4 tops, to almost 30), but is that enough to say the invasion is in force?
And why now?
Only Kripke and his cohorts know.
Thank You for having the patience and the time to wander through this.
I would love to hear what you thought of this. :)
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