The first episode back after the winter break gave us a very different view of the brothers than we’re used to. Each had to come to grips with the demons (pardon the pun) they face, in his own way.
I think what I liked best about this episode was that just when we thought we knew what it was about, we were wrong. More than once.
Sure, in the end, the identity of the wraith was obvious, but what’s that they say about hindsight being 20/20? I’m consistently impressed by how original the show manages to be.
First, I want to say this about the episode’s final scene: I loved how it made Dean FINALLY forgive Sam, even though that’s not what it was about on the surface. Dean’s entreaty to Sam, “Are you WITH me?” wasn’t simply a question. It was a question, an invitation, a plea.
Those four words were Dean’s way of saying, “You’re my brother. What’s past is past. We have a world to save and the only way we can do it is together. I love you.” Well, that’s what it meant to me, anyway.
The show has spent so much time with Dean making cracks about Sam sucking down demon blood and trusting Ruby more than him, Dean took a real step here. And maybe part of it was that he gave himself a little therapy in the form of his imaginary (hot) doctor. Have to admit, we should have realized the second his doctor introduced herself that she was a figment of his insanity – she was way too attractive to have been the doctor. Not that psychiatrists can’t be attractive, but I even thought to myself, “Figures Dean would get a hottie for a doctor.”
In the end, though, the wraith was right: She ramps up the crazy in her victims, but the special brand of crazy that exhibits itself is all theirs. Dean is frakkin’ ANGRY. And I don’t think it’s because of what he’s done or that Lucifer is waiting to use him as his vessel.
He was born to be Lucifer’s vessel. Or, at least, after the demon blood was dripped onto him. Just like Dean is the vessel for the archangel Michael, and so no matter what he thinks he wants to do, he does the Right Thing, so Sam is the vessel for Lucifer and he bears this extreme rage inside him – the rage that Lucifer has felt against God since his fall.
Wow. Just got really philosophical there for a moment.
Think about it, though. Dean pretty much always tries to be bad, but he just always does the right thing and has dedicated his life to hunting demons and protecting people. Sam is always mad and when he didn’t have his brother around to watch over him, he crossed a line and drank demon blood.
Sure, in a way you can’t really blame Sam. He believed Ruby and thought he was doing the right thing. And I don’t mean it as a slam against Sam. But he was the reluctant hunter. I can’t help but think that the part of him that is Lucifer’s vessel made it so that he would be the one to spring Lucifer from hell, that didn’t really want to go around killing demons. It wasn’t really that he wanted to be “normal,” it was that he was the vessel for the greatest Demon of all.
I’d love to hear what others think. I basically came up with everything I wrote here as I was writing it and haven’t thought this through AT ALL. So please feel free to dispute what I’ve said.
2 Comments
Okay, you are a week behind, so I had to get back into this episode frame of mind… Someone somewhere else complained about that last scene between Sam and Dean as a chick flick moment, but it was soooooo important, as you pointed out, for the bond between the two. Dean prefers to not talk about all their ‘stuff’, but that was totally him pleading for his brother. As much as they are two very different people, they are stronger together. Does that mean that Lucifer and Michael would be stronger together?? I am admittedly deficient in Bible knowledge, so that seems wrong, but maybe Sam and Dean are the vessels who will bring Lucifer and Michael back together? In a good way, not in a evil, evil kinda way.
Yes, alas, I am a week behind. I’m behind in ALL my TV watching. Though I suppose that’s not REALLY an alas.
I got distracted, though, and without the DVR, forgot Supernatural had come back. The winter schedule is so wacky.
I’m glad you agree with the last scene. I didn’t find it chick-flicky at all. I started writing this post the moment the credits rolled for that very reason. It was so powerful to me.
Damn, this show is good.
I like your thoughts about Lucifer and Michael. I know very little New Testament at all, so I don’t know what their relationship (if any) was before The Fall. Any Biblical scholars out there? Maybe I’ll Google it.