Supernatural Season 9 - Home Base

[colls]

- gif credit
- spoilers contained below
- criticism of show/characters welcome, but please don't be an asshat (ie. no character/actor bashing, no ship wars)
- general thread

- 9.01 I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here
- 9.02 Devil May Care
- 9.03 I'm No Angel
- 9.04 Slumber Party
- 9.05 Dog Dean Afternoon
- 9.06 Heaven Can't Wait
- 9.07 Bad Boys
- 9.08 Rock and a Hard Place
- 9.09 Holy Terror
- 9.10 Road Trip
- 9.11 First Born
- 9.12 Sharp Teeth
- 9.13 The Purge

Coming up:
- Feb. 25 - Captives

Enjoy the show!!! ♥

Comments

Re: 9x13 - The Purge

[kate]

My point is that this isn't new territory

Actually, I think it is.

So, in S1, there's this ep where Dean nearly dies, he's eletrocuted and his heart gives out. And then he's healed by the faith healer - which turns out to have a reaper on a leash. Sam was DEVOTED to finding a way to not let Dean die. And Dean was ready to go! He said as much to Sam, who was absolutely not going to let it happen. Dean also was ready to die at the beginning of S2, with the reaper, Tessa. But John saved his life that time.

End of S2, Dean does the very bad thing of making a deal to save Sam. But at the end of S3, Sam doesn't just "let him go" to hell - he's looking for a deal that whole season, desperate for some way to get Dean out of it. And then when Dean makes him promise not to do that (because it would undo the deal and mean that Sam would die), Sam basically resolves to do whatever it takes to get Dean back from the dead. (And goes on the demon blood path because he's so lost without his brother.)

S4 is hiding Sam's addiction and trying to prevent Lucifer's return; S5 is dealing with Lucifer's return, and yeah, the brothers' codependency really did come out the right way there (Sam's disappointment being the only thing that kept Dean from saying yes to Michael) - BUT! In the end, Sam dies (and he knows he's in for eternal torment, and so does Dean) and DEAN LETS HIM. AND! Right afterward, Dean goes to live a life with Lisa. It seems normal and happy.

Generally, because this is where Kripke's endgame was, I feel like their relationship after this point is all over the place, because it didn't have that overarching plot. But here's how I see the rest of it, anyway:

S6, Sam returns, minus the soul, and Dean doesn't even hesitate to leave Lisa. Clearly Sam trumps everything, even though he feels "off." When Dean realizes Sam's missing his soul, there is nothing that could stop him from getting it back. When Cas releases Sam's crazy, Dean is the thing that grounds him in reality for a long time (and bleeds into S7). When Cas takes over the crazy, mid-season 7, Dean's not happy about leaving him, but he does it. He wouldn't have done that if it'd been Sam.

End of S7 is when Dean goes to purgatory and beginning of S8 is when we find out Sam didn't look for him – which everyone except Jeremy Carver seems to think was out of character. Including Jared, who ostensibly knows Sam better than anyone. Apparently he fought against that decision and lost. So that, in the recent timeline, is the first indication we see of Sam giving up the fight where Dean was concerned.

At the end of S8, Sam doesn't finish the trials – because of Dean. Again, he goes with Dean above all else, when every other instinct in his body is telling him to just finish. And Dean can't let him go this time, not like he did with Lucifer, probably because while all signs pointed to Sam's death, they were completely lying to themselves and assuming he'd be okay. So Dean wasn't able to prepare, not like he was with Lucifer.

That's what I think happened here. I think if they'd taken the signs for what they were, if they'd found out a little earlier that Sam was going to die, they would've been able to come to terms with it, and Sam would've willingly sacrificed himself (and gotten Cas to promise to take care of Dean) and Dean would've (maybe) been able to accept it (with Cas's help).

But it was that unpreparedness (and realizing how he'd fallen down on taking care of Sam in the arena of his emotional and spiritual health, when Sam calls him out on how little Dean thinks of him) that led not only to Dean stopping Sam from completing the trials, but to the desperation to save his life in the beginning of S9 with little regard for the consequences.

Honestly, Sam is being super-extra harsh with Dean. He's telling the truth, which is just not usually the way he deals with Dean, you know? But he's so hurt and angry, he's not willing to pull his punches for Dean any longer, not even though Dean is clearly in a downward spiral that isn't going to end well. Sam'll come around, I have absolute faith. I think he's having a little of Dean's typical "I'm done with living" sort of ennui and when Dean gets in real trouble (presumably the mark of Cain, which Sam will have to subvert, somehow), Sam will come around.

And with any luck, Dean will also learn something – he will grow and realize that he IS selfish about his interactions with Sam, and that he does need something more in his life besides his brother.

Aaaaaaaaaaand, this has taken up too much time on a deadline day already so I will respond to other things tonight, after all my grants are in. :D