The Winchester Family Business

This time last year, rumblings in the fandom over Dean's supposed lack of character development got me in a tizzy, so I wrote an article, "A Deeper Look at Season Three Dean Winchester" for blogcritics in response to that misconception.  I eventually followed it up with one about Sam and they got some discussion going.  This year, all the rumblings seem to be over Sam's character, so I've decided to do a similiar analysis for season four and start with Sam.  There's a lot more to look at this year.  I guess a full 22 episode season will do that! 

So, get your meta hats on everyone and enjoy (or feel compelled to totally rip apart) "A Deeper Look At Season Four Sam Winchester." 


No doubt, in terms of the calendar frame for season four, Sam Winchester had one really bad year. His brother dies, he tries to unsuccessfully get him back while taking up a bad drinking habit, he starts down a dark road he fought all those years to avoid, his brother miraculously comes back but they fight, he carries on his pursuit of revenge behind his brother's back and gets hooked on demon blood in the process, he spirals out of control and turns into the monster he never wanted to be, he tries to kill said brother after a forced detox goes wrong, and...oh yeah, he inadvertently starts the apocalypse. Not good.
 
I really don't understand the complaints about Sam's lack of character development in season four. He had TONS of character development. Sure, he nosedived into something unrecognizable by the end, but I believe that is the point. While it's sad, ultimately all heroes have to face bitter lows before they reach new highs. Anyone who watches TV, films and/or reads comics knows those are the rules.
 
Let's go through a few of the key Sam episodes and take a good honest look at just how much his character did change. It's massive and quite compelling when looking at it through a microscope.
 
Metamorphosis
 
There's way more to this episode than meets the eye. As we learn from "Lazarus Rising," Sam has been honing in on his pulling-demons-from-humans-with-his-mind trick.   Obviously in the back of his mind, there's that little fear that he's going to lose control and go dark. And get caught by Dean. Which he totally does in this episode.  At this stage, he's lying to himself, mostly to quell that nagging voice within that's telling him what he's doing is wrong. Statements like "I won't let it get too far" and "You have a choice" support that.
 
So, what happens when that nagging voice becomes your absolutely livid brother yelling at you? And tossing lamps across the room? Treating you like that freak you don't want to be? Sam withdraws, but Dean's constant belittling pushes him into a long overdue outburst. He comes clean with Dean. “I’ve got demon blood in me Dean! This disease pumping through my veins and I can’t ever rip it out and scrub it clean. I’m a whole new level of freak! And I’m just trying to take this curse and make something good out of it, because I have to.”
 
Dean settles down and agrees to try Sam's way, probably because he knows when he gets an outburst like that from Sam, he means it. Sam so wants Jack to overcome his natural tendency to change into something non-human. Just with previous episodes like "Heart," saving the monster of the week means there's hope for him. Just like with "Heart" though, it ends badly and Sam's hope is crushed. He can't share his burden with Dean though, for Dean would never understand. Only someone with a monster inside would. Like the monster he just killed.
 
The ending scene shows a departure for Sam from the past. Sam has let Dean always call the shots and his big brother's approval meant more to him than anything. Here, he decides to stop using his abilities for his reasons. “Don’t thank me. I’m not doing this for you. Or for the angels. This is my choice.” That's something he's only mildly proclaimed before this, like in "Time Is On My Side." He's clearly learned to get on without Dean, while Dean wants to go back to the way things were. 
 

 
This is also the early sign of an issue that gradually builds over the season. Sam desperately wishes Dean would trust him and let him follow his own path. When Dean doesn't give him that show of faith, Sam withdraws and becomes closer to Ruby, who gives him that desperate desire for approval. No wonder she's able to manipulate Sam, she gives him the one thing he never got from anyone else in his life. Acceptance for what he is.
 
It's The Great Pumpkin Sam Winchester
 
This episode broke my heart for poor Sam. Despite all the horrors in his life, he still had a shred of faith. One has to wonder if that shred was what kept him going all this time. His first encounter with angels, especially the brutal Uriel, all but decimated that remaining shred. Also, the reality hit that he couldn't stop using his powers if he needed them to save himself, Dean, and the world. He goes against Dean's and the angels' wishes because there is a bigger picture involved. The sad truth now is there's no going back.


 
This episode knocked him down enough where from this point forward, he became prone to doing exactly what he didn't want to do for the sake of the greater good. He couldn't rely anyone or anything anymore, even Dean. He could only follow his path based on his instincts and his good intentions.
 
Wishful Thinking
 
I bring up this one for only that one scene at the wishing well. When presented the opportunity to wish the life he always wanted, Sam admits "I'm not that guy anymore." His deepest desire is one of single focus, "Lilith's head on a plate, bloody." That obssessive mindset wreaks of John Winchester, and accents for us the very wrong path Sam is headed.
 

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