The Road So Far: 1.02, Wendigo
The Road So Far
1.02 Wendigo
SPNWiki entry for synopsis, trivia, etc.
Wherein the boys get on with saving people, hunting things. Wherein Sam wrestles with the conflicting demands of the hunt and finding Dad, and Dean doesn’t do shorts. And wherein I abuse italics and occasionally employ lolspeak.
(Possible spoilers for all aired episodes.)
( 1.02 Wendigo )
1.02 Wendigo
SPNWiki entry for synopsis, trivia, etc.
Wherein the boys get on with saving people, hunting things. Wherein Sam wrestles with the conflicting demands of the hunt and finding Dad, and Dean doesn’t do shorts. And wherein I abuse italics and occasionally employ lolspeak.
(Possible spoilers for all aired episodes.)
( 1.02 Wendigo )
Comments 8
I maintain that Dean's raising of Sam with the attributes you cite gave Sam the strength to strike out on his own for Stanford. Dean ended up with the same result as most 'successful' parents--a kid who can go out in the world on his own. The 'reward' for a job well done is to be left. Some parents cope better with that than others.
The complete confidence in each other's competency hooked me on the boys from the beginning. On the job they are equals and treat each other as such. I absolutely loved that facet of their relationship.
Of course now there are five years of story to hook back into, so rewatching these episodes, the elements are much clearer as to how various actions and remarks can be interpreted. I love what you're doing! Thank you for adding this depth to my enjoyment of show!
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Oh, absolutely. There's no doubt that in spite of all the obstacles, Dean raised Sam well. Sam's reactions to people, relationships, society, authority, trauma and loss, ambition, and so on, tend to be those of a healthy, well-adjusted adult.
The 'reward' for a job well done is to be left. Some parents cope better with that than others.
Very true, and Sam being raised well inevitably brings that "reward". The problem for Dean, of course, being that he's not a parent. He has no perspective from which to interpret the leaving in a healthy way, because he is only four years older than Sam, working everything out as he goes, and lacks the previous evolution of the cycle (growing up and leaving himself) to inform this evolution of the cycle. To his credit, he does partially figure it out when Sam leaves, and copes well enough to call him to say goodbye properly, in Scarecrow. (Not that that's the end of it, but I can't brain right now to think of other examples.)
five years ( ... )
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And yay for snark and capital abuse:
This opens Sam’s personal five-season quest (transformation arc) of Who The Hell Am I (Also, Am I Evil)?
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And, yes, snark, capitals, capslock, lolspeak, italics ... I abuse a lot of things.... :D
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The "most honest I've ever been with a woman" line--argh, why did I never notice how flatly that contradicts the story with Cassie? I agree that it's not a very Dean line--it's such an obvious shorthand for the uncomplicated character type that he's supposed to be, at this point. I can rationalize a lot of how Dean comes across in the earliest episodes as a persona that he's putting on for Sam, this brash older brother who can do no wrong. (I think that's probably how he's always acted with Sam, which is why Sam is so surprised when Dean starts revealing chinks in the armor.) But that doesn't help much with this particular line. Maybe he doesn't include Cassie with all the other women in his life, because she was more important? Or something. Or he's temporarily blocked her from his memory because their relationship was so painful. /desperate fanwank.
"[Sam] is fine with being emotionally vulnerable with Dean - but hates being intellectually vulnerable, with Dean being the exact opposite"--ooh, this is such a neat ( ... )
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Nice way to put it! That's exactly what it was. And it is a persona, but Dean's persona is ... complicated. It's for Sam, it's for Dad, it's for himself, and for whoever else is wandering across his field of vision. What complicates it is it's an honest persona. He's not pretending to be other than he is, he's ... limiting what is seen. Because he really is brash, and when you evaluate his success rate, he rarely fails to achieve what he's aiming for. So his persona is very much who he is - just not ALL he is. And he lets people draw their own conclusions. (Not that I think you were arguing anything else; just going on a little muse there. :))
But that doesn't help much with this particular line.True, and I know not everyone watches it this way, but I like the organicness of Show; I like the lumps and bumps and inconsistencies that are marks ( ... )
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All the foreshadowing is part of what makes this show so much fun to rewatch.
I'd forgotten that line until 5.11. It's fun to compare and contrast. Here, Sam's anger is destructive, and Dean is proposing a healthier alternative; Saving People. Seems perfectly reasonable. Who doesn't agree with Dean here? (It's almost selflessness vs selfishness) In 5.11 we see that Saving People (being the Hero) is as destructive to Dean as Sam's anger is to Sam. Sneaky writers.
Your Metas = Me \o/
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Oh, totally. I just like to snark sometimes :)
In 5.11 we see that Saving People (being the Hero) is as destructive to Dean as Sam's anger is to Sam.
Very good point. I hadn't made that connection, but Show does take pains to point out that any cause, no matter how worthy (even saving family or the angels' aim of achieving paradise) can be perverted into something destructive and tyrannical if you can't keep it in perspective, or recognise that your methods are becoming incompatible with the initial ideal. One of the most pervasive themes of Show is the ways (mostly bad) people deal with loss. The fear of losing your goal or self-appointed mission/identity (ie, being a hero) can completely enslave you.
Your comments = Me :):):)
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