Through the Looking Glass. SPN 6.15 The French Mistake. Part 2

[water_fowl182]

Part 1


Dean and Sam

I have to say I was really left gratified with the characterization spins on both Dean and Sam and their interaction this

episode. And I'm not talking about the comedic aspects here. The episode relied heavily on those, sure enough. But what was

left outside the framework of  comedy, was intricately in keeping with the characterization itineraries and interaction

dynamics outlined the prior ep. And those itineraries, true to fact, still don't lead neither to automagic solutions or

brotherly  insta-fixes, but rather to places more ruminative and yet more poignant (especially as far as Dean's stance on the

brotherhood is concerned). Which I'm immensely glad the show keeps adhering to, mindful of the existential crisis Dean's

plunged into previously (or maybe, the one he never quite left through the span of the show).

That said, there's also one more preliminary note I'd like to make before casting a closer look at the brotherly interaction

this episode. I do believe the experiences and epiphanies the Winchesters underwent in the AU, as well as information

tit-bits pertaining to au!Jensen and au!Jared are to be viewed as Dean's and Sam's characterization tools primarily. Since

'Jensen' and 'Jared' are hardly to reenter the SPN 'verse in any foreseeable future, if ever again, all those experiences can

only be viably appropriated by the SPN narrative as a parcel of protagonists' characterization. I.e. Dean and Sam proper.

The opening scene at Bobby's.

I'm going to dwell on this one, primarily, 'cause it exploits one of my private fondest fanon kinks: Dean and Sam staying at

Bobby's in between hunts. Possibly, for some extended period of time. Doing research. Healing some wounds (on the outside as

much as on the inside). The closest to home it gets. [And yeah, my individual 'shippy mind's eye does keep in sight the fact

that Bobby's place appeared spacious enough in 6.01 to accomodate Lisa and Ben, so that could still be an option. If the

Campbells can have a family stronghold, why can't the Winchesters?].

I do believe the opening scene showcased two things:
a) Dean is nowhere over his doubts, heartache and other issues, depicted in the previous episode. He's drinking (that

simmering alcoholism is really bothering me - someone needs to address the matter, the sooner the better) and Dean's known to

drink hard liquor when dejected. Last episode left him plenty of reasons for feeling dejected anew, and, as it pans out,

Sam's declaration of loyalty served to fix matters up only so much, if at all. Which is an important point to keep in mind

looking into Dean's motives and reactions through the rest of the episode. A rather exquisite foreshadowing here.

b) Bobby and Sam are still not quite on speaking terms. Guess, Bobby is far less inclined to  issue an instant credit of

trust to Sam's professed eagerness to redeem himself. It's a non-issue through the episode, but a nice touch.

'At least they're talking to each other'.

The statement is threadneedled through the episode, presenting first an ironic and ultimately a rather poignant undertone to

the whole of the Winchesters' current, retrospective and, quite probably, prospective dynamics (both as au!J2 and their

'real' Dean and Sam installations).

Pretty much this mantra, to my mind, sets up a clue to appropriating au!J2 experiences into Dean's and Sam's

characterization. Since we know next to nothing of au!J2 joint history, but  the Winchesters we *do* know are just recently

out of an extended bout of Sam's desoulment,  back on track to an allegedly more 'familiar' and 'comfortable' mode of

brotherly communication.
Retrospectively, this leut-motiff ties in with the issues raised in the previous episode (and still obviously contemplated by

Dean) - costs and effects ratio. Precisely through the prysm of weighing personal effects (gains) against professional

(and/or vaster scope of personal) costs.
What I particularly like about the implications of this repeated mantra through the episode is that a conceptual opposition

of ENOUGH vs. NOT ENOUGH is being explicated with the ball infallibly landing in the NOT ENOUGH and AT LEAST (as opposed to

THE UTMOST) field where the framework of brotherly interaction is concerned, much to my satisfaction. For it is consistent

with the moral and existential dilemmas Dean has been exposed to and Sam is yet to catch up on.

Let's see: au!J2 are reported to at least be talking to each other by everyone and their driver (and for the record, I did

get a strong ironic vibe directed at the particularly squeeful factions of  the fandom, cheering at the brothers being 'back

together' through the latter 3 episodes).  But this 'basic' personal gain doesn't tantamount to professional success: Dean

and Sam, aka au!J2 fail dramatically to fulfill their professional duties, ascribed to them in this alternate reality. Their

'acting' is horrendouos and out of synch. Their social duties outside the filming set are also severely compromised, despite

or even due to the fact that 'they're talking'. As true!Dean and true!Sam they do manage to overpower Virgil and get the

key... which is a fake and a ploy to begin with, and lands in Raphael's hands anyway, whether it could open any weaponry or

not. A dubious 'win' at best in the hunting department as well.
So, 6.14 anyone? An innocent life lost in the line of duty, one brand of personal happiness abandonded to be substituted by

rather elusive brotherly 'togetherness'...
Sometimes, it's NOT ENOUGH to be 'talking' to  be a functional team. Sometimes, it's NOT ENOUGH to be 'talking' to be

brothers. And quite probably, this late into everything and this deep into personal and professional losses, it's NOT ENOUGH

to be brothers, to be exhaustively gratified and appeased with who and what you are. At least, it's consistently transcribed

to be not enough for Dean, lately. For which this individual viewer here is grateful.

I'm definetely going to have a closer look at the ultimate scene, but for now am going to say that I'm glad the show is

pursuing this path of brotherly dynamics exploration, especially on Dean's part: not as all there is to desire, but barely

enough to keep going by now. It's sad, but necessary to do realistic justice to this character's previous build up and

postulated identity pursuit.
That Sam should adhere to a more 'optimistic' view on the matter is also in keeping with the  cognitive dissonance, to my

mind, still highlighting brotherly interaction.

You heard my brother. That's right, I said "brother."  'cause you know what, bob? We're not actors.  We're hunters.We're the winchesters. Always have been, and always will be.  And where we're from, people don't know who we are. But you know what?We mattered in that world. In fact, we even saved a son of a bitch once or twice.

I have to admit to having had a bit of a hard time intitially assessing this little soliloquy of Dean's. Precisely for the

fact of it being so straight forward and all but out of the blue 'Winchester-affirmative', to the point of being cliche.

Exactly a kind of speech Dean might be *expected* to give on the hunt and brotherhood, having presumably taken a schematic

page out of Sam's book from the end of last episode. The key word here being - 'schematic'. For the statement is, seemingly,

effectively eschewing most of the conflicting build up that leads to the renewed bout of Dean's identity crisis wrt his

appointed roles of a hunter and a brother. Explicit markers of that crisis are highlighted through the end of the previous

ep, pin-dotted at the very beginning of this one and finally confirmed by Dean's demeanor and stance through the rest of this

episode.
So, this impassioned monologue appeared an odd man out. Until it didn't anymore. Here's my take:

As it usually is with Dean, it's all about identity, fair enough. Up to that point in the episode Dean is literally and

figuratively out of his element. Dean has no idea who he is in this strange new world, and what he does know doesn't bode

well with him. At all.  However, arrival of Virgil-the-angel-hitman, readjusts the pattern somewhat back into a semblance of

recognizable 'normal'. Dean gets angel douchebags being after him and Sam for whatever reason. Magic mojo or not, it's

something Dean has a grasp on. A situation he knows how to operate within (as opposed to all the 'acting-cum-celebrity'

stuff). Hence, this little soliloguy, to my mind is a way to vocally (in a bit of grotesque manner, in  keeping with the

slant of te episode) for Dean to gear up into the premise of some of his core identity elements. Which are, yes, still,

saving people, hunting things, being a Winchester (btw, mind how the verbal focus is swiftly shifted away from the notion of

Dean's brotherhood per se onto the wider notion of familial affiliation, which is not necessarily a downright positive aspect

within the narrative so far ['he's a Winchester, that mean's he's already cursed' springs to mind]; this speech is an

implicit characterization gem, come to think of it). 
The wording of the speech is quite peculiar too. No mention of an Apocalypse averted, no mention of the world as a whole

saved, just random lives every once in a while. No big declarations nor blanket corollaries on Dean's part. For all of the

passion, there's humility and a faint tinge of doubt. The discernible echo of costs and effects ratio Dean was brought back

to pondering the previous ep. Being a Winchester and a hunter means you matter, alright (this episode, among other things is

soaked into the contrast of false and true problems and occupations: as far as Dean's concerned, saving a SOB every now and

then sure counts for more than championing otter adoption, methinks). But it doesn't make you a hero, nor recognizable as

such, even in your own mind's eye. It helps save lives, but it also works into loosing them, whence you screw up.

What is even more important, to my mind, about this little monologue in the macro context of the episode, is that having

recommitted to the Winchester party-line, so to say, Dean is almost immediately BACK to doubts, indecision, nursing deep

seated issues and weighing the costs of his vocation and family standing over the alleged effects and perks (being Sam's

brother, for one). Which renders this particular speech not so much a gung-ho affirmation of Dean's identity, but a necessary

transient stage for him to step up to in order to shift from the floundering state of having been devested of identity in the

AU through recapturing the gist of who he believes he is (hunter and Winchester) into the established framework of identity,

and vaster existential crisis.
Which in and of itself is a sideways confirmation to an assumption I do believed I managed to voice in the previous overview:

identifying himself as a Winchester with all the ensuing aspects (hunt, duty, brotherhood) for Dean now, this late into the

story, is enough to keep him going in the short-term, but not nearly enough to make him feel exhaustively fulfilled. Not any

more, it would appear.

You know that if we drop virgil, get the key, Then this might be it. We might be stuck here.  No, we'll figure out a way back. - Yeah, you wouldn't be that broken up if we didn't, though. - What? Don't be stupid. - Well, I'm just saying.  No hell below us, above us only sky.- Dean, our friends are back there. - Yeah, but here, you got a pretty good life.  I mean, back home, the hits have been coming  Since you were 6 months old. You got to admit, being a-a bazillionare,  Married to ruby, the whole package. It's no contest. - No, you know, you were right.  We just don't mean the same thing here. I mean, we're not  even brothers here, man. - All right, then. Let's get our crazy show back home.

AS it at times goes with the comedy episodes, my heart is usually with pivotal scenes, switching comedy back to drama. This

here exchange is, hence, by far *the* key interaction within the whole episode, from where I'm standing. For, together with

the very last mini-dialogue, works to convey the implications of both Dean's and Sam's respective headspaces, respective

stances wrt their brotherhood and professional prospects. And yet again, I'm more than excited that the show narrative

resorts to explanatory verbalization as much as to rueful subtlety, especially where Dean's standing on the matters is

concerned. For his is currently a far more complicated and ambiguous mindset, molded heavily both by the prior years of

painful experiences and bitter frustrations, fuelling the simmering depression, and the notorious half a year of Sam's

desoulment Sam proper has no functional memory of to appropriate into motives, having inflicted some seriously raw wounds

onto Dean's far from intact heart.

Foremost, I have to say that Dean broke my heart in this. Again. Precisely, 'cause his is ever the stance of self-negation

where Sam is concerned. Through this particular soliloquy Dean's primary and only focus is Sam's well-being. Sam's

prospective framework of au!Jared's lifestyle is the only objective upside deductible for Dean: a family, wealth, a home, a

measure of fame. I might even go on a limb and suggest au!Jared being married to au!'Ruby' may have been perceived as an omen

of sorts by Dean. Dean's not into fate or soulmates, or anything, sure enough. But having lost Sam to real!Ruby once and

having learned that alliance with real!Ruby fueled Sam's sense of independence (from Dean, primarily) and maturity back in

the day, seeing an opening for them to be 'reunited' in this bizzarro reality, sans au!'Ruby' being a demon, could have

factored heavily into Dean's interpretation of Sam's inevitable happiness in this world. According to Dean's estimations Sam

would be able to finally have all he's ever deeply craved. Which is an incentive enough for Dean to advocate they stayed.

Wouldn't be the first time Dean is eager to perceive and actively implement Sam's idea of happiness as separate from or

contradictory to that of his own (Cf. What Is and What Should Never Be).

What Dean, by extension, confines himself to, via au!Jensen's assumed life is far less luring, come to think of it: there's

no indication of au!Jensen's familial affiliations (no pictures, no personal mementoes, nothing); no indication of au!Jensen

being in possession of a home - there's a trailer, on the filming set, but not a permanent abode. So what Dean is basically

signing up for is an alternate lifetime of appointed loneliness and 'living on the job' he's not even particularly  good at

(given he still even has one, after the stand-off with au!Bob Singer). All in all - nothing too dramatically different, let

alone better, from what Dean left behind in their inherent universe, as of his most recent failure to reconcile personal and

professional costs and effects, losses and gains. Given the most recent civillian life they lost back home, the hurt he's

aware to have inflicted upon Lisa and Ben, Dean seems all but sure their real!SPN!verse is better off without him (and Sam)

around.

What struck my attention, however, is how readily Dean eliminates his own self from the framework of au!celebrity perks and

benefits, concentrating on what Sam was deprived since six months old and what this new world can make him up for. Dean was

deprived of the very same things, through no fault of his own, since he was four - an age no less tender and vulnerable than

that of his brother's. And yet Dean, consciously or not, doesn't place himself in a position to be made up for those losses.

Which, to my mind, is quite in keeping with his postulated conviction of being undeserving of and unentitled to anything

good, fulfilling or normal, confirmed through the previous episode. It's nowhere near the way to climb into a more positive

self-image for Dean, but it's woefully in character, nonetheless. What can I say? Oh, Dean...

There's one more aspect, to my mind, factoring implicitly into Dean's pleas with Sam to stay 'behind the looking glass'. For

those  are desperate pleas, for the most part. There's rue and heartache, not mirth nor excitement within Dean's haunted gaze

all the way through that exchange. The world they might be stuck in for good is devoid of supernatural magic. Which means one

crucial thing Sam, unfortunately, failed to deduce, waxing indignant in reaction to Dean's claims: there's no danger of Sam's

Wall to crumble down (cf. absense of supernatural magic). Besides, within this AU there's next to no chance for anything to

trigger a flashback, should the Wall still be present within Sam's mind.
Ergo, although this world was not about to provide Dean much by way of individual happiness and/or gratification, at the very

least it bore the potential to chalk off that one Sword of Damocles, hanging overhead ever since Sam's resoulment, to offer a

modicum of peace on the one culprit of Dean's ever brewing fright. By way of a paradox, Dean's suggestion to stay behind -

strangers in a strange universe - was his ultimate way to try and carry out the primary brotherly directive: 'Keep Sammy

safe'.

Much to my ongoing dismay (but yet again, consistently in keeping with the prior characterization set up) Sam is yet to catch

up on all the hidden and more hurtful angles of Dean's current and ever evolving awareness of their mutual standing and

situation.

"We just don't mean the same thing here."

just about covers it, methinks. I all but cheered the show spelled the cognive dissonance I've been postulating ever since

Sam's resoulment, out loud. Sam, indeed, is perceiving their  brotherhood a lot differently nowadays. For Sam, due to Dean's

ministrations, for the most part, and amnesia, to a great extend, the framework of brotherhood is mostly equivalent to

comfort and 'home' currently. He's still indulging into bouts of sporadic rebellion, but that too is in keeping with their

familiar, well-practiced MO, as far as Sam is concerned. Sam can defy Dean's hovering, follow or reject Dean's lead, concede

to or ignore Dean's worry over the Wall, but there's one thing Sam has no doubt of - that his brother is infallibly there to

catch him, should he fall. If anything, the Stull Cemetery should've sealed that conviction and the recent events in Bristol

got it revalidated. For Sam, it's enough to feel envigorated about the premise of brotherhood.
What Sam is still effectively overlooking, however, is the toll many of the brotherly and non-brotherly experiences are

taking on Dean lately. Half a year of RoboSamness and costs paid to it in Dean's newly shattered heart and trust, the

mono-responsibility for Sam's resoulment and costs paid for it in the Natural Order twists and turns, the self-apppointed

duty of safeguarding Sam's sanity, ever fading grasp on Dean's sense of self. Ironic as it is, Sam's proclaimed choice of

'brotherhood' in a dangerous, supernatural-ridden world over 'foreignness' in the magic-proof AU, rings more selfish, in this

respect, than it rings an intended affirmation of kinship (which I'm, nonetheless, sure it was meant to be).

Now, don't get me wrong, please. I don't doubt Sam was sincere in his outburst that this AU renders them *not* brothers

whereas back home they are. Sam's nowadays, the way I see it, is indeed the path of intensifying familial bonds within the

structure of his otherwise tending on the side of isolationism self. But like I've mentioned before and keep saying, Sam is

yet to catch up on many wounds barely scabbed within Dean's soul both before and after Sam's leap into the Cage and

subsequent ressurrection. Yet still, Sam is to incorporate that knowledge into assessment of his brother's currently changing

urges, motives and needs.
What Sam is offering Dean now by way of a benefit of their interaction - brotherhood - is a role Dean is increasingly aware

to be both hurtful and damaging to himself, alongside and/or despite being gratifying at it's core.

Dean's reaction to Sam's declaration - "I mean, we're not even brothers here, man. " - to my mind, is extremely tell-tale in

it's intrcate poignancy. It's not remotely about excitement and/or relief on Dean's part. It's about resignation, primarily.

Dean's stifles a sigh, resigned to grant Sammy what he wishes for - yet again - the familiar framework of brotherhood. The

promise of which is not enough for Dean to whole-heartedly look forward to carrying out the feat of breaking through the

'verses. From where I'm standing, many a retrospective factor came to a crux in that moment: Dean's well aware of the most

recent times Sam and he were brothers in name only. Those scars are still sore, hands down. There were other woefully similar

times, scattered through their joint lifespan, when their postulated 'biological' brotherhood didn't shelter Dean from loss,

hurt, devastation, abandonment or betrayal: Flagstaff, Stanford, all of s4, RoboSam. As I believe I've mentioned above,

'Ruby''s reemergence into the picture might've hit a bit too close to home within Dean, bringing him to remember that Sam

used to be quite well off consciously tilting on the side of defying their brotherhood back in the day. That fundamental

breach of trust might have been glossed over by the more recent dramatic-cum-cosmic events, but never truly healed. And it

looks like Dean is set up to revisit most of his deeper seated issues lately: self-worth, self-respect, identity AND

redefinition of himself within Winchesterdom as well as brotherhood.
Besides, Dean now has the reference pattern of TWO separately explored alternate universes under his belt to feature Sam

fairly okay (according to Dean) WITHOUT being too closely affiliated with his older (non)brother. Three such universes, if to

count Zach's customized world of 'It's a Terrible Life'. Four 'verses, if to count Sam's personal idea of Heaven.

My point is, that Dean, apparently, is depicted to be steadily moving into a place of a more wholistic, well-rounded

awareness of all the aspects of his and Sam's tangled kinship - both positive and negative. The latter being, alas, no less

prominent than the former. As opposed to a largely delusionary, one-sided 'we're brothers, that's all there is to matter'

stance he used to preach earlier in the show, precisely the kind Sam tends to adhere to lately. And that escalating awareness

now prevents Dean from weighing the gains (or the very fact/promise of brotherly affiliation, as the case is in this scene)

firmly and eagerly over the accumulated losses, costs, alleged or actual personal failures and frustrations. Dean can

comprehend all to well now, that being brothers by default is not tantamount to automagic satisfaction and/or exhaustive

happiness. May very well never be anymore.

Ergo, the slant of Dean's reply ('All right, then. Let's get our crazy show back home.') is more stoic than it is hopeful or

even within the vicinity of joyous.

My take is, Dean's stance is ahead of Sam's in this respect, for Dean has already passed the stage of accepting brotherhood

as possibly confining and limiting to the vaster scope of Sam's identity (back in s5). Guess, now it's Sam's turn to

recognize the same about Dean and to commence perceiving Dean OUTSIDE the outline of 'my big brother' pattern. And THEN they

might eventually tread the grounds of equal footing and pronouncedly mature, healthier, mutually fulfilling interaction.

One more possible interpretative angle to consider in this respect, before we move on. Through the first half of season 6 a

conceptual opposition of family by default (blood) vs. family by choice (regardless of blood-line) has been dwelt upon wrt

Dean's characterization. Sure enough, Sam's amnesia renders him still clueless in this respect. But from where Dean currently

is, mindset-wise, Sam's claim that they're are not brothers in the AU may ring ironic: as in, it only takes  blood connection

for Dean to be perceived as viable family. Given how well that went with Gramps Samuel and RoboSam, Dean's little bitter

smirk upon hearing Sam's declaration might be tell-tale i this respect too. In order to move on from the nastier and more

catchy self-worth issues, Dean really needs to be let known he's welcome into the lives of those he holds dearest regardless

of who he is - blood relative or not - but, on the contrary, due to what kind of a person (friend, partner, loved one -

loyal, caring, daring, protective) he is. And to my mind, that's yet another premise of footing for Dean and Sam to gain.

Yeah, real, moldy, termite-eaten home sweet home.  Chock full of crap that want to skin you. Oh, and, We're broke again. - Yeah. But, hey... At least we're talking.

The way I see it, the very last brotherly exchange is tied firmly and symmetrically to the previously spotlighted dialogue,

sealing the heretofore spelled out conceptual message of 'AT LEAST' and 'NOT ENOUGH' wrt the brothers' current mutual

standing. Trinscribed first within the AU ambient and within the home!reality the second time - the message is implicitly

(and deliberately) transcending the boundaries of the two worlds, effectively dowing away with the confines of heretofore

functional True vs. False interpretative equation. Dedutcible within the two settings to the matching end the message is

therefore confirmed as 'true'. Well, that's the reading I'm firmly going to adhere to, anyway.

But a nitpicky gripe first: where did all that dragon gold go? Did Dean spend all of it on Imapala already or on pills for

Sam's hellish migraine? Or endowed Bobby with as a downpayment for extended lodging?  I'm just puzzled...: End of nitpicky

gripe.

However, Dean's mini-rant, to my mind, is not so much about monetary delights, left behind in the strange universe. But yet

again, more about the ever elaborated costs and effects ratio. In the costs column there is the notion of reward for what

they do for a living, for how they *have to* live - be it financial and/or emotional. So far:  more civillian lives are lost,

they're are back amidst some dubious, potentially cosmically devastating angel shenanigans (and that never ended well to

begin with), they've been consciously set up by the only ally and one of the few friends they have left (Cas), they are drawn

forcefully into a war without a first clue what for and in whose name it's being waged. Again. Last time that happened -

Lucifer was set free and Sam had to leap into the Cage. In this respect, Dean's bitterness is apparently justified.
Moreover, given what transpired the previous ep, Dean moving into a position to balance personal and professional activity -

I wouldn't put it past him to actually wonder how it is he's ever going to provide for a family (if he's to ever consider

himself deserving of one again) being a full-time hunter, provided he's not about to abandon the line of duty. Which he's

not. So Dean's underlying financial grumbles ring oddly realistic too, come to think of it, and heartbreaking in par.

In the effects column is Sam's meager offering of them 'at least talking'. Which against the backdrop of all the bulk of

other issues Dean is confronting now, measured against the vast range of less amiable brotherhood perceptive angles, exposed

through RoboSamness and through the prior years, Dean is acutely aware of now, is unfortunately far from an insta-fix for

Dean's aching heart and feverish mind. Or to make up to, let alone overbalance the ever expanding void of worry and

desolation within Dean's gut. Bottomline - the brothers are indeed talking, true to form, but it's nowhere nearly enough to

mend what's intricately broken, twisted and compromised so far between them, from where Dean's standing. Not currenty and

might be, not ever.  In a way, this scene validates what the previous grand brotherly exchange of the episode highlighted

quite efficiently through the same technique - Dean's pronounced lack of enthusiasm and/or response: what Sam is offering him

by way of a communicative olive branch is a yesterday's remedy to a last year's  malady at best. Or at least. It's all Sam

can think of, but it's not all that Dean currently needs to feel appeased and gratified to the utmost.

May be (I do hope, trust my word on this one) it'll be enough to build up something anew, some time into the future. But for

now,  Dean's reply to a professed confirmation of brotherhood is yet again a silent, mirthless inward smirk and deliberately

broken eye-contact. Dean summoned it within himself to humor Sam and concede to a plan of AU-break for the brotherhood sake,

but he's too weary and too aware the second time around to go ahead and make believe the alleged brotherhood sake can humor

his own self.

Part 3