SPN: Brotherly Manlove by Winchesters (20)
Chapter "Dead Man's Blood" 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. Nightmare. The Benders.
Shadow. Hell House. Something Wicked. Provenance.
It was extremely hard not to skip ahead. You must understand. I've been waiting to do a certain episode for... well, I can't remember. Since I capped the pilot. My god, when was that? Anyway. Watching Dead Man's Blood turned out to be a nice distraction, but not for the brotherly manlove. For the John/Dean manlove. It flowed. No, really. Well, mostly. But I'm saving those thoughts for the 1x20 Dean meta for spn_heavymeta. Maybe for the Bible Entry, too. And certainly for the John manlove meta. Which I am determined to do, for whatever it's worth, because I think that having it all laid bare for folks to judge with their own eyes will help to clarify things a little.
Anyway. Topic? Brotherly manlove.
*fidgets*
My attempt to concentrate wasn't helped by the fact that the touching was yet again next to nil. Dean touches Sam three times. Sam doesn't touch Dean at all. There is no tangible manlove to and fro that is in any way comparable to the manlove that has flowed between them before. If Provenance was the plateau, then this is the next step. Not complacency; it's not lazy enough for that. And not faith; it's not sweet enough for that. Assertion. Because there is an intrusive presence, perceived or real, thrusting into their painstakingly achieved unity, and that brings out the pitt bull in both. But not entirely on the same wavelength or at the same time. They've never been so demonstrative about their manlove in such harsh, unloving touches. How they both defend their unity is a study as much of their relationship with John as with each other, so I won't go into the full picture now.
Natter: I realize that it's a plot requirement to facilitate his rebellion later on, but why is Sam driving?
20.0
Type of Contact: Referee
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: No
Note: This scene was really painful to watch. I'm sorry, but as good as he is with the quieter moments of the episode (the scene with John, especially), Jared Padalecki just sucks with the loud emoting. I had thought, until watching this episode, that he was better at it than Jensen Ackles, but whoa, Jared. I now conclude that they both suck at loud emoting, because JA was no better in TB. I love and appreciate them, but I've gotta admit it when they set my teeth on edge.
Part A
There's not too much on the brotherly touching side of things to meta on. But it's interesting to note how Dean reacts here. He didn't step in between them until after John gave the order for Sam to get back into the car. I'm pretty sure but not positive that he would have stepped in, anyway, but the first time he referees is a pretty direct back-up of John's order. He doesn't confront them both; he's focusing on Sam. So I don't see that he's playing peacekeeper here. He's falling into line, being the good son. Sam is crossing that line, and Dean is trying to nudge/force him back over.
Sam and John butt heads, almost literally. (Rams! Sheep!! I'm... I'm just... sayin'. Okay.)
Meanwhile: Dean tries to remind Sam of childhood lessons. I before WE, except after HE. This is a sneaky mnemonic, because in Deanverse, everything begins with HE. Did I mention Border Collies are very smart? Of course, Sam being all grown up now, and a BRAIN besides, this puts a crimp in Dean's brainwashing. And seeing this Sheep confront his Master directly is sort of a discombobulating experience for a Sheep Dog. Not only is his almighty Master losing, but this all makes the Sheep Dog rather superfluous. To both. He must restore order.
(I'm having so much fun writing that Dog & Sheep fic. I realize it's silly and simple, but who cares? It's fun! And I'm a silly and simple sort of person.)
Anyway, back to human meta:
It's interesting because they were both trying to force each other to acknowledge their unity, on different fronts. They're taking their individual response to John, and snapping at the leash for the other one to follow, because, hey, all that stuff that came before? Here's the moment of truth, kiddo. Sam, earlier in the car. Dean, here. See, John is their common ground; they thought they'd reached a truce about him. But he's also, by all indications, the source of their deepest rift. They showed an arrogance in assuming they would fall into (each the other's) step without a problem. And while I don't believe there's any grand meaning to it in this sense, it's still a "neato!" moment for me to see that Sam tries his forced unity thing with words, while Dean does it physically.
Part B
Then Sam and John confront each other again over Sam's "why I left" comment, and John either pushes or pokes at Sam roughly. That's when Dean says, "Stop it, both of you." And I can't help but feel that they've done this before. Not just arguing, but getting physically rough with each other, father to son and son to father. It's not so much of a stretch, witnessing John's behavior here, to see him laying his hand on Sam in anger at some point in their past; not necessarily a punch but he's got his hands on Sam's jacket and has already poked/pushed Sam once. (I won't go into that any more, though, because that's approaching John manlove category.) And although we have no idea what his hands are doing in this scene, we see in the very next episode (!!!) that Sam is capable of being quite rough physically when he's angry. He's no pacifist, despite some talk to the contrary. When push comes to karmic shove, he doesn't back down, this boy. It's not usually physical, but it doesn't stop at the door, either.
That said, I don't believe he's pushing against John here. I think he's being grabbed by John, and Dean pushes John back. It's very difficult to make out in the dark and with how close the shot is, but two things are clear: 1) John's hands are on Sam's jacket in a confrontational way, and 2) Dean breaks it up. This is based on the sound, the angle and the positioning of everyone's hands, but it seems as if Dean is thrusting John away from Sam, more so than he is thrusting Sam away from John. He's probably got a hand on Sam for balance, but when Dean first steps in here, the clap of a hand hitting a body is followed by John's body being nudged backwards, which is followed by a wave motion as Sam is pulled forward. This steadies as John regains his ground, but Dean keeps pushing and eventually breaks John's hold. Is how it seems to me.
Random: Dean is so... tiny. And has Sheppard hair. *pets* (Click for mini dork attack.)
Is that Sam's arm? The angle is all wrong, unless Sam has really short arms randomly growing out of his chest. Which is possible, this being a supernatural show and he being a supernatural kinda guy. But we have evidence to the contrary. See: below. Also: Hell House (definitive).
Dean wears his watch on his left wrist and the bracelet on his right (eg), which would work for this scene if that arm is crossing over and through John's arms to push against John's chest; we can't see enough of the hand to tell if it has a ring. ...But this angle would mean that he's got his own arms crossed or is either pushing against John from one side with both hands, which makes for an awkward stance either way. I haven't had to break up too many fights, myself, but it seems awkward and limiting to the power of your thrust to cross your arms like that. Still, it's more likely than Sam having a third arm.
Um, not that any of this is remotely important. I am just a dork and find it fascinating to see how all of their touching happens, down to the lamest detail. And, really, Dean thrusting John away is a slight revision of his stance just seconds ago. Going with my favorite analogy, this is a different type of Sheep Dog he's being. Less herding breed, more flock guardian. John's become the Wolf. Once he backs down, Dean does, too. But he showing an intelligent disobedience, if you will, standing in between the threat and his charge. ...John trained him well, all things considered.
(Intelligent disobedience is my theme for Dean in this ep, and since I'll meta about it later on for the official spn_heavymeta entry, I'll just leave it here for now. It's getting OT, anyway.)
Meanwhile: Sam gives John the look of He's My Bitch Dog, Now. Ha!
20.1
Type of Contact: Tuck
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: No
Note: Sam gets taken down (you get the urge to stick him in Star Trek, because if anyone ever put the short-lived redshirts to shame, it's him; he'd teach them how to be a survivor), put into a choke-hold, generally threatened and held for ransom, then rescued again. (This happens after Papa draws attention to the fact that he has the Colt, because Big Damns have to make these grandiose, inane statements before doing something WOW. It's the pause between the drumroll and the reveal, and it seems to be Rule #1 of The Big Damn Code. Unfortunately, those rules aren't just guidelines.) And while I appreciate Sam's argument earlier that he's not a child any more, the episode really isn't allowing him any dignity in that regard.
In other news: Dean truly freaks me out with this demented *GRR!* face below. Not quite Cujo, but close. It totally ruins my image of him as a fluffly, sane Border Collie.
Not to beat a dead horse, but how many different ways can you take this scene? Sam is standing on his own; Dean clings. Sam relies on Dean to catch him; Dean (always) does. It amazes me how adamantly fans can view this single, specific dynamic. Whether it's to view Sam as a victim of Dean's clinging, or to view Sam as taking advantage of Dean's giving nature. It's just a touch here, support in the field of battle, but the general concept seems to spark the most heated debate between the two viewpoints. But that's for another meta.
Well, that's it. That's all. I want so badly to meta on the stand they make together with John, but that is really veering far too widely off the topic and into the manlove involving John. I will say that it was the final assertion of their unity, that last scene, and it's not something to dismiss that Sam sidled up next to Dean. My problem with applying it to brotherly manlove is that I see it too much as a shift in their relationship with John, Dean especially. Somewhere along the line, the assertion of their unity blends into Sam stepping into John's territory and Dean being the guardian at the gate, so to speak. They lose focus on the manlove. Both of them. This episode is far more definitive of Sam = John on the one hand, and John / Dean on the other. This "catalogue of touches" thing would become even more watered down than it is right now, so I'm going to cut it off here. Will meta in depth in the future, I promise.
But don't feel let down. Because you know what's coming up next??
*is boingy* (Not that way, silly!)
I'll try to have it up at least by next Thursday, but I don't want to rush it. It must be good. It must be! Arrows and text and animated pictures and diagrams and... and...! Wah! I am going slightly mad! Someone catch meeeee!
*bounces off* to the tune of:
Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation.
Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation.
Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation.
Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation.
Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation.
Catchy, ain't it? Oh, god, okay, I'll shut up now.
Will die of *SQUEE* and never be heard from again.
(Is anyone else excited? Salvation...!! Is it just me??)
Pilot. Wendigo. Dead In The Water. Phantom Traveler.
Bloody Mary. Skin. Hook Man. Bugs. Home. Asylum.
Scarecrow. Faith. Route 666. Nightmare. The Benders.
Shadow. Hell House. Something Wicked. Provenance.
It was extremely hard not to skip ahead. You must understand. I've been waiting to do a certain episode for... well, I can't remember. Since I capped the pilot. My god, when was that? Anyway. Watching Dead Man's Blood turned out to be a nice distraction, but not for the brotherly manlove. For the John/Dean manlove. It flowed. No, really. Well, mostly. But I'm saving those thoughts for the 1x20 Dean meta for spn_heavymeta. Maybe for the Bible Entry, too. And certainly for the John manlove meta. Which I am determined to do, for whatever it's worth, because I think that having it all laid bare for folks to judge with their own eyes will help to clarify things a little.
Anyway. Topic? Brotherly manlove.
*fidgets*
My attempt to concentrate wasn't helped by the fact that the touching was yet again next to nil. Dean touches Sam three times. Sam doesn't touch Dean at all. There is no tangible manlove to and fro that is in any way comparable to the manlove that has flowed between them before. If Provenance was the plateau, then this is the next step. Not complacency; it's not lazy enough for that. And not faith; it's not sweet enough for that. Assertion. Because there is an intrusive presence, perceived or real, thrusting into their painstakingly achieved unity, and that brings out the pitt bull in both. But not entirely on the same wavelength or at the same time. They've never been so demonstrative about their manlove in such harsh, unloving touches. How they both defend their unity is a study as much of their relationship with John as with each other, so I won't go into the full picture now.
Natter: I realize that it's a plot requirement to facilitate his rebellion later on, but why is Sam driving?
20.0
Type of Contact: Referee
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: No
Note: This scene was really painful to watch. I'm sorry, but as good as he is with the quieter moments of the episode (the scene with John, especially), Jared Padalecki just sucks with the loud emoting. I had thought, until watching this episode, that he was better at it than Jensen Ackles, but whoa, Jared. I now conclude that they both suck at loud emoting, because JA was no better in TB. I love and appreciate them, but I've gotta admit it when they set my teeth on edge.
Part A
There's not too much on the brotherly touching side of things to meta on. But it's interesting to note how Dean reacts here. He didn't step in between them until after John gave the order for Sam to get back into the car. I'm pretty sure but not positive that he would have stepped in, anyway, but the first time he referees is a pretty direct back-up of John's order. He doesn't confront them both; he's focusing on Sam. So I don't see that he's playing peacekeeper here. He's falling into line, being the good son. Sam is crossing that line, and Dean is trying to nudge/force him back over.
Sam and John butt heads, almost literally. (Rams! Sheep!! I'm... I'm just... sayin'. Okay.)
Meanwhile: Dean tries to remind Sam of childhood lessons. I before WE, except after HE. This is a sneaky mnemonic, because in Deanverse, everything begins with HE. Did I mention Border Collies are very smart? Of course, Sam being all grown up now, and a BRAIN besides, this puts a crimp in Dean's brainwashing. And seeing this Sheep confront his Master directly is sort of a discombobulating experience for a Sheep Dog. Not only is his almighty Master losing, but this all makes the Sheep Dog rather superfluous. To both. He must restore order.
(I'm having so much fun writing that Dog & Sheep fic. I realize it's silly and simple, but who cares? It's fun! And I'm a silly and simple sort of person.)
Anyway, back to human meta:
It's interesting because they were both trying to force each other to acknowledge their unity, on different fronts. They're taking their individual response to John, and snapping at the leash for the other one to follow, because, hey, all that stuff that came before? Here's the moment of truth, kiddo. Sam, earlier in the car. Dean, here. See, John is their common ground; they thought they'd reached a truce about him. But he's also, by all indications, the source of their deepest rift. They showed an arrogance in assuming they would fall into (each the other's) step without a problem. And while I don't believe there's any grand meaning to it in this sense, it's still a "neato!" moment for me to see that Sam tries his forced unity thing with words, while Dean does it physically.
Part B
Then Sam and John confront each other again over Sam's "why I left" comment, and John either pushes or pokes at Sam roughly. That's when Dean says, "Stop it, both of you." And I can't help but feel that they've done this before. Not just arguing, but getting physically rough with each other, father to son and son to father. It's not so much of a stretch, witnessing John's behavior here, to see him laying his hand on Sam in anger at some point in their past; not necessarily a punch but he's got his hands on Sam's jacket and has already poked/pushed Sam once. (I won't go into that any more, though, because that's approaching John manlove category.) And although we have no idea what his hands are doing in this scene, we see in the very next episode (!!!) that Sam is capable of being quite rough physically when he's angry. He's no pacifist, despite some talk to the contrary. When push comes to karmic shove, he doesn't back down, this boy. It's not usually physical, but it doesn't stop at the door, either.
That said, I don't believe he's pushing against John here. I think he's being grabbed by John, and Dean pushes John back. It's very difficult to make out in the dark and with how close the shot is, but two things are clear: 1) John's hands are on Sam's jacket in a confrontational way, and 2) Dean breaks it up. This is based on the sound, the angle and the positioning of everyone's hands, but it seems as if Dean is thrusting John away from Sam, more so than he is thrusting Sam away from John. He's probably got a hand on Sam for balance, but when Dean first steps in here, the clap of a hand hitting a body is followed by John's body being nudged backwards, which is followed by a wave motion as Sam is pulled forward. This steadies as John regains his ground, but Dean keeps pushing and eventually breaks John's hold. Is how it seems to me.
Random: Dean is so... tiny. And has Sheppard hair. *pets* (Click for mini dork attack.)
Is that Sam's arm? The angle is all wrong, unless Sam has really short arms randomly growing out of his chest. Which is possible, this being a supernatural show and he being a supernatural kinda guy. But we have evidence to the contrary. See: below. Also: Hell House (definitive).
Dean wears his watch on his left wrist and the bracelet on his right (eg), which would work for this scene if that arm is crossing over and through John's arms to push against John's chest; we can't see enough of the hand to tell if it has a ring. ...But this angle would mean that he's got his own arms crossed or is either pushing against John from one side with both hands, which makes for an awkward stance either way. I haven't had to break up too many fights, myself, but it seems awkward and limiting to the power of your thrust to cross your arms like that. Still, it's more likely than Sam having a third arm.
Um, not that any of this is remotely important. I am just a dork and find it fascinating to see how all of their touching happens, down to the lamest detail. And, really, Dean thrusting John away is a slight revision of his stance just seconds ago. Going with my favorite analogy, this is a different type of Sheep Dog he's being. Less herding breed, more flock guardian. John's become the Wolf. Once he backs down, Dean does, too. But he showing an intelligent disobedience, if you will, standing in between the threat and his charge. ...John trained him well, all things considered.
(Intelligent disobedience is my theme for Dean in this ep, and since I'll meta about it later on for the official spn_heavymeta entry, I'll just leave it here for now. It's getting OT, anyway.)
Meanwhile: Sam gives John the look of He's My Bitch Dog, Now. Ha!
20.1
Type of Contact: Tuck
Deliberate?: Yes
Chick Flick?: No
Note: Sam gets taken down (you get the urge to stick him in Star Trek, because if anyone ever put the short-lived redshirts to shame, it's him; he'd teach them how to be a survivor), put into a choke-hold, generally threatened and held for ransom, then rescued again. (This happens after Papa draws attention to the fact that he has the Colt, because Big Damns have to make these grandiose, inane statements before doing something WOW. It's the pause between the drumroll and the reveal, and it seems to be Rule #1 of The Big Damn Code. Unfortunately, those rules aren't just guidelines.) And while I appreciate Sam's argument earlier that he's not a child any more, the episode really isn't allowing him any dignity in that regard.
In other news: Dean truly freaks me out with this demented *GRR!* face below. Not quite Cujo, but close. It totally ruins my image of him as a fluffly, sane Border Collie.
Not to beat a dead horse, but how many different ways can you take this scene? Sam is standing on his own; Dean clings. Sam relies on Dean to catch him; Dean (always) does. It amazes me how adamantly fans can view this single, specific dynamic. Whether it's to view Sam as a victim of Dean's clinging, or to view Sam as taking advantage of Dean's giving nature. It's just a touch here, support in the field of battle, but the general concept seems to spark the most heated debate between the two viewpoints. But that's for another meta.
Well, that's it. That's all. I want so badly to meta on the stand they make together with John, but that is really veering far too widely off the topic and into the manlove involving John. I will say that it was the final assertion of their unity, that last scene, and it's not something to dismiss that Sam sidled up next to Dean. My problem with applying it to brotherly manlove is that I see it too much as a shift in their relationship with John, Dean especially. Somewhere along the line, the assertion of their unity blends into Sam stepping into John's territory and Dean being the guardian at the gate, so to speak. They lose focus on the manlove. Both of them. This episode is far more definitive of Sam = John on the one hand, and John / Dean on the other. This "catalogue of touches" thing would become even more watered down than it is right now, so I'm going to cut it off here. Will meta in depth in the future, I promise.
But don't feel let down. Because you know what's coming up next??
*is boingy* (Not that way, silly!)
I'll try to have it up at least by next Thursday, but I don't want to rush it. It must be good. It must be! Arrows and text and animated pictures and diagrams and... and...! Wah! I am going slightly mad! Someone catch meeeee!
*bounces off* to the tune of:
Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation.
Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation.
Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation.
Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation.
Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation. Salvation.
Catchy, ain't it? Oh, god, okay, I'll shut up now.
Will die of *SQUEE* and never be heard from again.
(Is anyone else excited? Salvation...!! Is it just me??)