SPN: Brotherly Manlove by Winchesters (14)
Chapter "Nightmare" in the Catalogue of Touches between the Brothers Winchester. And in case you missed the previous installments:
Pilot. Wendigo. Dead In The Water. Phantom Traveler.
Bloody Mary. Skin. Hook Man. Bugs. Home. Asylum.
Scarecrow. Faith. Route 666.
Oh, did this ever make up for the dearth of touching in Route 666. :)
14.0
Type of Contact: Sunshine
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: No
Note: How JP plays this is cute, as if Sam is snapping the reins lightly to rouse a dozing horse. His touch is not awkward or rough, indicating: 1) post- Faith, he is more comfortable with direct man-on-man touching, and 2) also post- Faith, he is no longer merely a herdee. In other news: Dean has either allowed himself to become quite a bit more relaxed since Phantom Traveler, or he started to take sleeping pills as of Asylum. Or perhaps the manlovin' is getting a little too exhausting, post- Route 666. Whatever the case, Sam can no longer wake him with the power of a lackadaisical "morning, sunshine" and must resort to physical force. (John also has to take this measure, in DMB. So the question begs to be asked: what happened to Dean's reflexes?)
14.1
Type of Contact: Self-Help
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: No
Note: This is the first time Sam has done the arm-along-the-seat thing for his own comfort. Very interesting. It's still his own brand of physical manlove, but he's grown comfortable enough, both with Dean and with physical affection between men, to apply it now when he needs a bit of support. (Well, to be fair, there is a slight possibility that Dean is afraid here and Sam is trying to comfort him. NOT.) What's interesting on Dean's side is that even as Sam has become more comfortable with touching, Dean has grown more receptive. This is worlds different from the forceful herding in Faith; he can accept this not only for his own sake, but for Sam's. The beauty of this Sam manlove and how it applies to Dean, is that it is non-intrusive. Dean can allow it and take a certain warmth from it, without feeling threatened or controlled. And Sam, on his end, can offer it without feeling tied down. It's a perfect translation from one language to the other.
(I first thought I was seeing things, because I wanted to see it. Click for dorky details.)
(But no...! He's definitely got his arm along Dean's back. Click for a slightly larger view.)
Random: OMG!! *faints*
Whew. ...Sorry about that. Bad Deangirl!
Okay, um... damn, where was I...?
14.2
Type of Contact: Half-Snuggle
Deliberate?: Nah
Chick Flick?: No
Note: Mark this. It's the first time since Home that they did the side-by-side sitting thing without any hint of shyness (see: Route 666). They don't actively touch, but this brand of contact had been somewhat of a standard prior to Asylum, and it's taken them this long to get it back.
14.3
Type of Contact: Damage Control
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: No
Note: This sequence doesn't really require much of an analysis. I started to question Dean's distance here, so unlike Bloody Mary and Home, but I realize he's just trying to see Sam's face, to read his expression and find out what's wrong. Also, Sam is all tense and not receptive to cuddling. The other times, he has been. This perhaps is not merely due to his enormous pain but also his stint as herder in Faith. He's the vulnerable one here, Sam is, but he now knows that is not always the case, and he has grown to be a mature equal in the protective role. So he's slightly less receptive of instinctive cuddling. (Makes me wonder how he's react to Ms. Moseley now, post- Asylum/ Scarecrow/ Faith.) Ironic how that happens. It's the flip side of what I mentioned above, with the arm along the seat. The easier giving physical affection becomes, the harder it is to receive. Anyway, Dean is being practical, reading all the physical signs and reacting accordingly. I still wanted a hug. Nice to see Sam reach back and touch him on the chest, though, even if it was just one of those unthinking gestures people seem to make whenever they're having an Intense Vision TM.
14.4
Type of Contact: (Botched) Herding
Deliberate?: Instinctive
Chick Flick?: No
Note: Dean is back to herding people. There ya go! (Too bad Sam has already arrived at their destination...) In other news: Sam always outruns Dean. That's gotta smart. But hey, no wonder Dean developed a herding instinct. That gives him a (false) sense of control over a flock that is continuously leaving him behind. Hee... but aww. (Or is that "ow"?)
(This cap doesn't show it, but if you watch it, he runs up and places his hand on Sam's back. Sheepdog.)
14.5
Type of Contact: Traffic Signal
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: No
Note: Dean is touching Sam with conviction now that he's gotten his herding spirit back. However true or flimsy his control over Sam actually is, going through the motions is visibly restoring his self-confidence. And Sam, on his end, is pretty much relying on Dean's sense of direction (management and course). This is Hook Man redux.
14.6
Type of Contact: Sin
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: No
Note: It happens below the camera, but JA's motion here makes it look as if Dean taps Sam on the thigh or arm to indicate it's time to leave. Completely inappropriate for a man of the cloth. ;)
14.7
Type of Contact: Crutch
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: Nah... but it's such a classic.
Note: Do I need to say anything? :)
(Click for mini dork attack, highlighting Dean's hand.)
<- *loves*
Something I do want to point out is that Sam's willingness to be touched here coincides directly with his ability to function. In the previous scene, he was already on the floor by the time Dean got there; here, he is probably feeling as if he's about to pass out from the pain. Certainly he is almost completely disoriented. It's this level of debilitating agony which would have perhaps allowed Dean to accept Sam's manhandling in Faith. Perhaps Dean is trying to repay him for that pampering, in his own way, with how careful and thorough he's being here. Or, more likely, it's just Dean's MO, and for once post- Home, Sam is unable to offer much in the way of resistance. Still, the cap above, as much as I love it, is an anomaly in this sequence. Sam actually throws up his arm more in a gesture to shrug off Dean's hold than to embrace it, and in the very next shot (below), we see that Dean is the only one holding on. ...Sam's like the sheep in Babe. Sheepdog's gotta learn the new rules, once the sheep start talking back.
ETA: Yes, I realize this is merely a continuity error. You people are no fun. *pouts*
You know, I haven't always been the biggest fan of JP's "vision!" acting, mostly because it looks as if he's pretending to have swallowed a lemon whole minus the peel. Still, I think he did a nice job on this expression here. Also, notice how Dean's hand tightens on his collar. Aww, boys.
14.8
Type of Contact: Muzzle
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: No
Note: Dean is not happy. Deans are generally miffed when the herdees herd back, and even more so when the herdees are protecting them from the big bad wolf. It's not supposed to work this way. Sam's not supposed to outgrow him. As has been written in some beautiful fics: what else can he offer? His wisdom delivers a message Sam is philosophically opposed to, and his companionship is something Sam dreams of leaving. What else can his strength offer Sam, but protection? That's not supposed to be taken away from him. Perhaps that's why they wrapped up this theme for the episode with that line of his. As long as I'm around, nothing bad is gonna happen to you. Sam's verbal vulnerability gave him a foot in Sam's door, for a change. If Sam will believe that line, believe at least that Dean means it, then perhaps he'll stay. And that will give Dean's strength an active sense of purpose. I'm not trying to say that Dean was being manipulative there, because I don't read it that way. Simply that he saw there was, perhaps, still some part of Sam that wanted to lean on a big brother's strength. That's food for his soul, and after what they've been through, it's probably a message he never expected to hear again. ...And as OOC as the Talk is, perhaps the Nightmare plea-&-promise is why it might be conceivable for Dean to have opened up, to have such expectations of Sam, the way he does in Shadow.
14.9 Questionable
Type of Contact: Psychic Manlove or Supernatural Samfu?
Deliberate?: Instinctive(!)
Chick Flick?: It all depends, don't it?
Note: I'm not going to go into it here, because I'm a bit shy about revealing my thoughts on psychic manlove. *ducks* Sorry, longsunday. Another day, I promise!
Poll
14.10
Type of Contact: Covert Ops
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: Kinda
Note: I actually consider this a half-snuggle more than covert herding, given the softness of Dean's touch and the fact that he isn't moving Sam. (Okay, maybe it's failed herding, requiring that Border Collie Eye to get Sam in motion. Hmm. Must review.) Something completely unrelated is the change of expression on Dean's face, from gentle in the first picture to firm in the last. Perhaps he's putting on a front for Sam, a "Don't worry, we're not outta control (yet)" look of reassurance. More likely, he's trying to reassert his own sense of power to the proceedings. They've both gotten out of this by the grace of god in more ways than one, and I can't help but sense how deep a sense of powerlessness they must each be feeling. It's something I wish they'd touched upon a little less vaguely, and something I hope comes into play in S2. Not that I want heroes who constantly need saving or get out of sticky situations on dumb luck alone. But when they are impotent like this, I'd like to see what effect that has on them. Sam, for all his supernatural powers, being unable to stop Max from killing himself. Dean, for all his physical strength, being totally helpless against this smaller damaged human victim. It feeds into their attitudes smoothly: Sam depressed and withdrawn, Dean defiantly lifting his chin. Since powerlessness is such a huge issue for both of them, though, I wish Kripke would allow his characters a moment or two to reflect on that. On the fact that they failed, not because they chose wrongly, per se, but because they had no power to stop the course Max had set for himself.
14.11
Type of Contact: Truth or Dare
Deliberate?: N/A
Chick Flick?: ...Depends
Note: Okay, so this isn't a touch. But as the issue of Psychic Manlove was raised in this episode, the "test" must also be pointed out. :O)
(Spoons have a variety of uses in the SPN universe... Click for a mini-dork attack.)
Poor Sam flunks the test. He doesn't know the truth, and he can't do the dare.
Dean is left disillusioned by Psychic Manlove and in denial of its existence.
I can't wait to see where they take the whole Psychic Manlove concept in S2. We saw a glimpse of it in Devil's Trap, as Sam freed himself to save Dean. While I'm not so sure that there's something supernatural about Dean himself that sets off Sam's powers, I do find it intriguing for Sam's part and the manlove aspect of it very rewarding to watch. And potentially disturbing to both brothers, for fanwanking reasons I'll just keep to myself for now. *hides*
Next up is The Benders. Can't say I'm excited about that (it's one of the two episodes I hate, as a matter of fact), although from a manlove study POV, it should be very sweet. And also, it was the first episode I ever saw, so it'll be nostalgic to revisit it. Who knows? Perhaps manlove will work its magic once again and transform the episode into something worth watching. :)
Pilot. Wendigo. Dead In The Water. Phantom Traveler.
Bloody Mary. Skin. Hook Man. Bugs. Home. Asylum.
Scarecrow. Faith. Route 666.
Oh, did this ever make up for the dearth of touching in Route 666. :)
14.0
Type of Contact: Sunshine
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: No
Note: How JP plays this is cute, as if Sam is snapping the reins lightly to rouse a dozing horse. His touch is not awkward or rough, indicating: 1) post- Faith, he is more comfortable with direct man-on-man touching, and 2) also post- Faith, he is no longer merely a herdee. In other news: Dean has either allowed himself to become quite a bit more relaxed since Phantom Traveler, or he started to take sleeping pills as of Asylum. Or perhaps the manlovin' is getting a little too exhausting, post- Route 666. Whatever the case, Sam can no longer wake him with the power of a lackadaisical "morning, sunshine" and must resort to physical force. (John also has to take this measure, in DMB. So the question begs to be asked: what happened to Dean's reflexes?)
14.1
Type of Contact: Self-Help
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: No
Note: This is the first time Sam has done the arm-along-the-seat thing for his own comfort. Very interesting. It's still his own brand of physical manlove, but he's grown comfortable enough, both with Dean and with physical affection between men, to apply it now when he needs a bit of support. (Well, to be fair, there is a slight possibility that Dean is afraid here and Sam is trying to comfort him. NOT.) What's interesting on Dean's side is that even as Sam has become more comfortable with touching, Dean has grown more receptive. This is worlds different from the forceful herding in Faith; he can accept this not only for his own sake, but for Sam's. The beauty of this Sam manlove and how it applies to Dean, is that it is non-intrusive. Dean can allow it and take a certain warmth from it, without feeling threatened or controlled. And Sam, on his end, can offer it without feeling tied down. It's a perfect translation from one language to the other.
(I first thought I was seeing things, because I wanted to see it. Click for dorky details.)
(But no...! He's definitely got his arm along Dean's back. Click for a slightly larger view.)
Random: OMG!! *faints*
Whew. ...Sorry about that. Bad Deangirl!
Okay, um... damn, where was I...?
14.2
Type of Contact: Half-Snuggle
Deliberate?: Nah
Chick Flick?: No
Note: Mark this. It's the first time since Home that they did the side-by-side sitting thing without any hint of shyness (see: Route 666). They don't actively touch, but this brand of contact had been somewhat of a standard prior to Asylum, and it's taken them this long to get it back.
14.3
Type of Contact: Damage Control
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: No
Note: This sequence doesn't really require much of an analysis. I started to question Dean's distance here, so unlike Bloody Mary and Home, but I realize he's just trying to see Sam's face, to read his expression and find out what's wrong. Also, Sam is all tense and not receptive to cuddling. The other times, he has been. This perhaps is not merely due to his enormous pain but also his stint as herder in Faith. He's the vulnerable one here, Sam is, but he now knows that is not always the case, and he has grown to be a mature equal in the protective role. So he's slightly less receptive of instinctive cuddling. (Makes me wonder how he's react to Ms. Moseley now, post- Asylum/ Scarecrow/ Faith.) Ironic how that happens. It's the flip side of what I mentioned above, with the arm along the seat. The easier giving physical affection becomes, the harder it is to receive. Anyway, Dean is being practical, reading all the physical signs and reacting accordingly. I still wanted a hug. Nice to see Sam reach back and touch him on the chest, though, even if it was just one of those unthinking gestures people seem to make whenever they're having an Intense Vision TM.
14.4
Type of Contact: (Botched) Herding
Deliberate?: Instinctive
Chick Flick?: No
Note: Dean is back to herding people. There ya go! (Too bad Sam has already arrived at their destination...) In other news: Sam always outruns Dean. That's gotta smart. But hey, no wonder Dean developed a herding instinct. That gives him a (false) sense of control over a flock that is continuously leaving him behind. Hee... but aww. (Or is that "ow"?)
(This cap doesn't show it, but if you watch it, he runs up and places his hand on Sam's back. Sheepdog.)
14.5
Type of Contact: Traffic Signal
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: No
Note: Dean is touching Sam with conviction now that he's gotten his herding spirit back. However true or flimsy his control over Sam actually is, going through the motions is visibly restoring his self-confidence. And Sam, on his end, is pretty much relying on Dean's sense of direction (management and course). This is Hook Man redux.
14.6
Type of Contact: Sin
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: No
Note: It happens below the camera, but JA's motion here makes it look as if Dean taps Sam on the thigh or arm to indicate it's time to leave. Completely inappropriate for a man of the cloth. ;)
14.7
Type of Contact: Crutch
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: Nah... but it's such a classic.
Note: Do I need to say anything? :)
(Click for mini dork attack, highlighting Dean's hand.)
<- *loves*
Something I do want to point out is that Sam's willingness to be touched here coincides directly with his ability to function. In the previous scene, he was already on the floor by the time Dean got there; here, he is probably feeling as if he's about to pass out from the pain. Certainly he is almost completely disoriented. It's this level of debilitating agony which would have perhaps allowed Dean to accept Sam's manhandling in Faith. Perhaps Dean is trying to repay him for that pampering, in his own way, with how careful and thorough he's being here. Or, more likely, it's just Dean's MO, and for once post- Home, Sam is unable to offer much in the way of resistance. Still, the cap above, as much as I love it, is an anomaly in this sequence. Sam actually throws up his arm more in a gesture to shrug off Dean's hold than to embrace it, and in the very next shot (below), we see that Dean is the only one holding on. ...Sam's like the sheep in Babe. Sheepdog's gotta learn the new rules, once the sheep start talking back.
ETA: Yes, I realize this is merely a continuity error. You people are no fun. *pouts*
You know, I haven't always been the biggest fan of JP's "vision!" acting, mostly because it looks as if he's pretending to have swallowed a lemon whole minus the peel. Still, I think he did a nice job on this expression here. Also, notice how Dean's hand tightens on his collar. Aww, boys.
14.8
Type of Contact: Muzzle
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: No
Note: Dean is not happy. Deans are generally miffed when the herdees herd back, and even more so when the herdees are protecting them from the big bad wolf. It's not supposed to work this way. Sam's not supposed to outgrow him. As has been written in some beautiful fics: what else can he offer? His wisdom delivers a message Sam is philosophically opposed to, and his companionship is something Sam dreams of leaving. What else can his strength offer Sam, but protection? That's not supposed to be taken away from him. Perhaps that's why they wrapped up this theme for the episode with that line of his. As long as I'm around, nothing bad is gonna happen to you. Sam's verbal vulnerability gave him a foot in Sam's door, for a change. If Sam will believe that line, believe at least that Dean means it, then perhaps he'll stay. And that will give Dean's strength an active sense of purpose. I'm not trying to say that Dean was being manipulative there, because I don't read it that way. Simply that he saw there was, perhaps, still some part of Sam that wanted to lean on a big brother's strength. That's food for his soul, and after what they've been through, it's probably a message he never expected to hear again. ...And as OOC as the Talk is, perhaps the Nightmare plea-&-promise is why it might be conceivable for Dean to have opened up, to have such expectations of Sam, the way he does in Shadow.
14.9 Questionable
Type of Contact: Psychic Manlove or Supernatural Samfu?
Deliberate?: Instinctive(!)
Chick Flick?: It all depends, don't it?
Note: I'm not going to go into it here, because I'm a bit shy about revealing my thoughts on psychic manlove. *ducks* Sorry, longsunday. Another day, I promise!
Poll
14.10
Type of Contact: Covert Ops
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: Kinda
Note: I actually consider this a half-snuggle more than covert herding, given the softness of Dean's touch and the fact that he isn't moving Sam. (Okay, maybe it's failed herding, requiring that Border Collie Eye to get Sam in motion. Hmm. Must review.) Something completely unrelated is the change of expression on Dean's face, from gentle in the first picture to firm in the last. Perhaps he's putting on a front for Sam, a "Don't worry, we're not outta control (yet)" look of reassurance. More likely, he's trying to reassert his own sense of power to the proceedings. They've both gotten out of this by the grace of god in more ways than one, and I can't help but sense how deep a sense of powerlessness they must each be feeling. It's something I wish they'd touched upon a little less vaguely, and something I hope comes into play in S2. Not that I want heroes who constantly need saving or get out of sticky situations on dumb luck alone. But when they are impotent like this, I'd like to see what effect that has on them. Sam, for all his supernatural powers, being unable to stop Max from killing himself. Dean, for all his physical strength, being totally helpless against this smaller damaged human victim. It feeds into their attitudes smoothly: Sam depressed and withdrawn, Dean defiantly lifting his chin. Since powerlessness is such a huge issue for both of them, though, I wish Kripke would allow his characters a moment or two to reflect on that. On the fact that they failed, not because they chose wrongly, per se, but because they had no power to stop the course Max had set for himself.
14.11
Type of Contact: Truth or Dare
Deliberate?: N/A
Chick Flick?: ...Depends
Note: Okay, so this isn't a touch. But as the issue of Psychic Manlove was raised in this episode, the "test" must also be pointed out. :O)
(Spoons have a variety of uses in the SPN universe... Click for a mini-dork attack.)
Poor Sam flunks the test. He doesn't know the truth, and he can't do the dare.
Dean is left disillusioned by Psychic Manlove and in denial of its existence.
I can't wait to see where they take the whole Psychic Manlove concept in S2. We saw a glimpse of it in Devil's Trap, as Sam freed himself to save Dean. While I'm not so sure that there's something supernatural about Dean himself that sets off Sam's powers, I do find it intriguing for Sam's part and the manlove aspect of it very rewarding to watch. And potentially disturbing to both brothers, for fanwanking reasons I'll just keep to myself for now. *hides*
Next up is The Benders. Can't say I'm excited about that (it's one of the two episodes I hate, as a matter of fact), although from a manlove study POV, it should be very sweet. And also, it was the first episode I ever saw, so it'll be nostalgic to revisit it. Who knows? Perhaps manlove will work its magic once again and transform the episode into something worth watching. :)