Q: Why didn’t Sam come clean long before this? How hard was it for him to admit to Dean he couldn’t feel anything?
A: That is a most interesting question and one that can only truly come from the younger Samuel, but let’s have a go at it anyway. I think it’s the same reason why Sam hasn’t wanted to find out what brought him back. It goes along with what he said about remembering the cage in “Exile On Main Street.” He didn’t want to talk about it. Of course we know now that talking about it wasn’t exactly going to evoke a teary recollection, but Sam wants it behind him. He wants it all behind him, everything. No feelings not only makes him a better hunter, but it makes his life so much better. He doesn’t have to relive the terror of that nightmare with Lucifer, the pain of losing all those that he loved, the constant fear he lived with. He saw how much feelings about Hell ripped Dean apart. Sam doesn’t want to go there. After getting back into his life, he probably saw no feelings are a real advantage. He’s back, he’s hunting and doing so better than ever, he’s breathing, he gets to hunt with his family, why rock the boat? He finally feels good about himself, er, kind of.
Q: So, does that make Sam sincere in telling Dean he needed help?
A: That is really tough to tell, isn’t it? No feelings (aka no soul) makes it tough for anyone to take what he says seriously. Imagine, ever since he got back, he’s been acting (an reacting) by giving what he thinks should be the proper response. Nothing he’s done is truly genuine. Dean didn’t believe him when he did have a soul, so this makes it far worse. I think Sam was open and honest until he told Dean he needed help. I don’t think he meant that. I don’t think Sam knows what to do or what is best. This is likely why he kept Dean away for so long. Dean would want to fix what’s wrong. Sam probably doesn’t.
Q: Will Dean stand by Sam?
A: Ooh, you would think so. However, there’s a lot of bad blood in between them the last three seasons. Still, he was in uber Sammy protective mode all the way until Sam did that triple lindy into the hole. It’s hard to shake a lifetime of instinct. Dean’s got his own problems right now though, so much so where he might not have enough to help carry Sammy this time.
Even when he was with Lisa, something didn’t feel right (her comment about the drinking being some profound proof). He can’t bridge the gap between what he was meant to do and what he wants to do. Does Dean go on in Terminator mode, eager to kill whatever needs killing, his only mechanism in dealing with the big losses in his life with Lisa, Ben, and the Sam that he knew? We know that violence is one of his coping strategies. Or does Dean embrace the hunting life, trying to make the most of it, determined to fix his brother and maybe the world in the process. I don’t think he’s there for the latter yet. He needs more healing first.
I’ve read some great theories that Dean beat the crap out of the Impala and rebuilt her, so he’ll do the same for Sam. Maybe, but is this the same situation? What happens when Sam does get his soul back? Then the very issues Sam’s been fighting to avoid all this time surface. The trauma of Hell will be hard. There’s a lot to fix and Dean isn’t exactly a solid, stable rock to be that foundation. It could be where Sam needs to stand by Dean too, and do so not because he thinks he should but because he wants to. They need to completely rely on each other for support rather than completely fixing each other.
Q: “You two have the most unhealthy, tangled up, crazy thing you’ve ever seen. And as long as he’s in your life you’re never going to be happy.” Is Lisa right?
A: I don’t know, was Dean happy when Sam wasn’t in his life? There is some truth to that statement (the unhealthy part), but one does have to wonder if Lisa said that a bit out of jealousy too. It’s very possible Lisa said that because it was fostered out of anger over what happened with Ben. She believed it to be true. Dean was still downing whiskey like it was water when he was with her so how was he happy? How does Dean find happiness? Will it ever be possible? He’s definitely “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” right now. Where does a hero find his place in this world? Clark Kent is still trying to figure that out let alone Dean Winchester.
Also, Dean never told Lisa (in front of us anyway) he loved her. He stuck with her and Ben because they gave him a life he always wished he had. The elusive life on the other side that he thought would be nice. It wasn’t just a woman but a family. He in a sense fell in love with an idea. I don’t think she’s the one. Maybe the life is the one. Maybe Sam is the one. Still, it was hard for Dean to let go what he had. He likes Lisa, respects her, and wanted to do good by her. It’s his nature to protect those he cares about.
On a tangent, I actually think Sam is the happiest he’s ever been right now, and that’s because he can’t feel happiness. He can’t feel all that fear either, the one thing that has worn him down his entire life. He no longer has to live in fear. He no longer has to feel like a freak, an outsider, a rageaholic, a failure, or anything. That’s pretty liberating.
Q: Why couldn’t Dean be honest with Lisa? Tell her that he had been turned into a vampire, that’s why he was acting that way?
A: At the time it happened, it was an out. He says goodbye, he dies, she doesn’t have to know about the horrible way he died. If he knew there was a chance he’d live, he probably wouldn’t have seen her until it was over. So why didn’t he come clean this week? Because, the reason shouldn’t matter. It all boils down to the speech he gave Veritas.
“As of yesterday I wanted to kill him in his sleep. I thought he was a monster. But now I think…he’s just acting like me. It’s the gig. You’re covered in blood until you’re covered in your own blood. Half the time you’re about to die like right now. I told myself I wanted out, that I wanted a family…But what I’m good at is slicing throats. I’m not a Father. I’m a killer. And there’s no changing that, I know that now.”
Dean, as much as it hurts, thinks Lisa believing he’s a monster is for the best. It’s really not far from the truth in his eyes. It doesn’t matter if he’s a vampire or a hunter, he’s evil and that won’t change. It’s really quite sad. It’s all that low self-esteem rearing its ugly head again.
Q: Who owns Sam’s soul? Is this a story line that will drag out all season?
A: I have no idea if it’ll drag out all season. The idea of an emotionless Sam both fascinates me and scares me at the same time. Especially since I believe Sam thinks he’s doing fine without it. I’m hoping next week he’ll learn how inhuman a soulless man is. How he needs to fight to get it back. I trust that the writers will know when something drags on too long. They have a great track record in that regards.
Okay, here’s my crazy theory about who owns Sam’s soul. I’m throwing it out there, knowing that my “out on a limb” theories usually haven’t panned out. There are only two creatures that have plausibility in my mind to be powerful enough to rescue Sam from the box. God and Death. Notice how Death was so eager for Dean last season to let Sam jump into the box? Maybe by Dean accepting that ring, he was selling Sam’s soul as well? Yeah it’s a stretch, but why not? What does Death want with souls? Um, hello…Death. He reaps em. What happens if he decides to keep a few for leverage in a universal power struggle. Yeah, I know, it’s got holes.
I got tired satisfying the belligerent part of me after a while, so I cut off the questioning. Instead, I decided to go through all the other stuff that made me enjoy this episode in random order. I’m cheeky like that.
Welcome Jan Eliasburg, the first ever female director for a “Supernatural” episode. I’ll do a far more revealing look at the directing in my full recap, but I must say at first glance it was a good job.
Castiel pouring a drink for a distressed Dean. Nice touch. I loved seeing Cas and hope we learn more about his big struggles in Heaven. He needs help too! I vote for “getting the band back together.”
Bobby was in the episode too! While the truth or truth segment with Dean was funny (Tori and Dean?) it was his honesty in regards with Sam that really got me. “There’s a worst case scenario…Maybe it’s just Sam.”
It’s nice to see Sam and Dean working together without apprehension after Dean thinks he got the truth from Sam, even though it was short. It hope it’s a teaser for things to come.
Way to prey on another institution that makes us squeamish, the Dentist. Did they not learn from the tooth fairy?
Interesting how Biggersons always equates with “freak show.” That will never get old for me.
“I’ve seen liars before, but you two? Gold standard.” You are so right there babe!
“Mallory to your Mickey.” A Natural Born Killers reference? How nice. That was one of the most F-ed up movies I’ve ever seen.
I give “You Can’t Handle The Truth” a B+. The lower grade comes from the slow and somewhat choppy plotting of the Monster of The Week story. The monster herself, Veritas, was quite wonderful and enjoyed her opportunity to mess with Sam and Dean’s minds, so that was good enough for me. Brotherly moments though get an A+ and the developments again open up an exciting world of possibilities. We know from the preview Dean isn’t giving up on Sam because he takes him back to the motel room and calls Cas. Sure it looks like he keeps him tied up in the process, but hey, baby steps with these two.
From my very limited viewing of “You Can’t Handle the Truth” – I caught like 3 snippets on Youtube – Dean’s telephone call with Lisa, the Goddess interrogating Sam and Dean, and the final minutes of the episode between Sam and Dean.
I didn’t watch the whole episode (and won’t be able to do so for the next 2 weeks – just my luck when things get really interesting !), so I probably didn’t get the whole context.
But the way Dean wailed on Sam, even after Sam was unconcious … wow. I totally agree with your description, Alice.
“Dean did far more than punch Sam. He took his defenseless brother and brutally and unmercifully pounded him into unconsciousness and then some. Dean is lucky he stopped himself for he would have killed Sam.”
I’m not sure who’s more wrong or who’s more right, but it was definitely painful – and sad – to watch that scene. (Perhaps a role reversal of “When the Levee Breaks”).
Your Q&A is, for me, spot on, and I don’t really have anything useful to add (particularly since I didn’t see the whole episode :P).
Alice, at the beginning of your review, you said ‘defensless brother’ when referring to Sam’s beating. I’m sure what you meant but there’s a difference between Sam being defensless and him not defending himself against Dean. Sorry to split hairs there.
I agree that, so far this season, the MOTW have been created to better tell the story of Sam and Dean’s issues (‘issues’ seems such a small word to describe it) and have, therefore, lacked a little something in the scare/gross-factor (unless, of course, Ben Edlund is writing it).
I loved the scene where Bobby was telling Dean about his guilty pleasures, and Dean hanging up on him, saying “No no no no”. I’m a big fan of a spark of humour in a dramatic episode.
As you mentioned in your first question, I think a part of Sam likes not being able to feel because it makes him a more efficient hunter, and we all know he’s been somewhat obsessed with being a better hunter. I don’t know if he wants to be the best or just better than Dean. Having said that, I don’t necessarily think that having zero compassion IS better for a hunter. I always liked that Sam was Dean’s conscience (although, we have to go back at least three seasons to see that).
Cas pouring Dean a drink puzzled me. I’m not sure exactly why. Maybe it just seemed out of character for him.
My question, in response to you as much as the episode: does the fact that Sam can’t feel mean he is soulless?
Loved your review…this episode certainly left me seriously conflicted. Sam wants/ed to make amends for being a freak…killing monsters etc. He had luci IN him…the whole soul thing makes sense.I had to keep saying “FICTION” but still have issues with the bashing…But I will be back…and enjoy all the FAIR debates…not any nasty stuff though….Thanx::-))))
The final scene of “You Can’t Handle the Truth” may have been the single most disturbing thing I’ve ever seen on a television show. I literally couldn’t sleep that night. And it wasn’t any easier on a second viewing. But what you said is exactly what I was thinking; to whit, when in my life have I ever been so emotionally invested in a tv drama that it can actually wreck me to such an extent? The answer is: never. It may be painful, but it is also the pinnacle of dramatic storytelling. It is genius.
It’s too bad they had to go with the bro vs bro route again this year. So many people were hoping to end all that sh*t. And they have made it SO much worse than before. I just don’t see why?
When would you ever have thought Dean would even think about killing his brother? When would you ever have thought Sam would deliberately lie to Dean, deliberately put his brother in danger for ANY reason? These two used to live and die for each other. The whole series has been so damaged I don’t see how it can be put back together.
Alice,
Your analysis and Q&A shook me to the core. I never saw the big deal in Dean’s lashing out on Sam – it just seemed like any other time, albeit a little worse. (In hind sight, perhaps I needed to think this way because I needed to believe that there is hope for them just yet).
But after having read your comments, I am beginning to rethink that maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s not just a little worst, but a whole different ball game. And yes, that is enough to shake up even the most devoted fan.
But if that was the last straw, the point where their relationship becomes so damaged that it’s irrepairable, I’m just going to break down crying – it gets so deep under my skin and gives me this unsettling feeling that I absolutely hate! Guess I’ll have to wait and find out.
In the mean time, thank you for your insights. Your Q&A session was staggering – so many layers to be uncovered and you are doing a wonderful job pulling them to the forefront. So thank you! I’ve truly enjoyed this post.
Alice, what can I say? after finally finishing my own article I was able to read this one – and I am still and equally shaken.
I still can’t believe where they are going with this show, making it so much worse before it can get better. I live in hope, I do, but it’s so damn hard to watch the writers dismantle the relationship of two brothers we’ve grown so fond of.
I agree with your assessment that the damage now might be beyond repair. I hope, though, that you are wrong.
Thanks for yet another amazing review, Alice! Jas
Agree with most of your article Alice. So unsettling to see the brothers as they are right now. I’m wondering if Dean is perhaps flashing back to what his dad told him back in the hospital and thinking perhaps he should have killed Sam as he hasn’t managed to save him. I can imagine how feeling this way would bring him to this lowest point and actually almost kill his brother.
Mind you, I for one was not feeling any sympathy for Sam at all, after the many many times Sam has let Dean down with his secrets and his lying to his face. We’ve had two years and some of that behaviour and certainly was the straw that broke Dean’s back finally, letting the vamp turn Dean and smirking as he took in the scene. After that all my feelings for Sam were gone. I was so shocked and disappointed in him I actually couldn’t wait for Dean to beat the crap out of him.
I so very much want to love Sam again, but how can I ever forget that horrific scene? I still haven’t forgotten the “boo hoo” and the choking incidents from season 4, and this was way way worse.
Dean is so very alone right now it is breaking my heart for him. Hope Cas and Bobby come through for him soon.
He wants his brother back the way he was before. Can that even be possible now? I really want Dean and Bobby discussing the past year and why Bobby didn’t tell Dean Sam was alive. Also, whatever contact the two of them had during that time. Especially after what we know now.
I hope what made Sam Sam before can be recovered, whether it is his soul that is missing or some entity occupying or wearing Sam’s shape.
I’m so bent out of shape over this I have to keep repeating – fictional. characters. fictional. characters.
🙁
Hi Alice
I was wondering if maybe Dean was so brutal in his beating of Sam, because he still wasn’t 100% sure it was Sam. It may of been a combination of his venting on being lied to and still believing this couldn’t be Sam. Especially after the Veritas saying he wasn’t human. He put the knife down just in case it was Sam, but he still needed to subdue him, because he really couldn’t be sure with what he was dealing with.
Just a thought.
Great review! Thanks Alice
Did you noticed that Sam said I THINK I need help, he said: I think.. maybe he isn’t sure if he wants that help.
I also think that maybe Sam didn’t want to defend himself when Dean was hitting him, poor Sam, but what was suppose to do Dean? I mean if at first that person that looks like Sam was lying to Dean why Dean was going to belive him now, Dean isn’t sure that he is really Sam.
haha Love the part where Bobby is saying Dean he is his favorite and Dean is smiling and Dean’s face when Bobby said Sam was better hunter than him 😀
Please people VOTE for SUPERNATURAL to the cover poll tvguide, it ends today. (yesterday we were in 2nd place, today I don’t know)
I really cannot understand how some think that Dean believes this “Sam” to actually be his brother? When Dean spoke of Sam being a killer – like Dean – he was being affected by the Veritas’ curse. He was feeling the worst of *himself* because that’s what the curse does to it’s victims.
But Dean already suspected this “Sam” was a monster and then after the Goddess of TRUTH told him that “Sam” wasn’t human, this was confirmed for Dean.
At that point Dean knew that this “thing” – who only looks like his brother – was not actually his brother. Nope. Dean was beating on a monster in his eyes. A monster who has repeatedly lied to his face and who smiled as he was being turned into a vampire.
Dean could not fathom that someone who could do this to him could possibly be his brother. But he didn’t kill him because he may be useful in finding “his” Sam.
This was a horrifying and yet, excellent, episode. This entire season has been quite exciting and I can’t wait to see what happens next week.
Hi Alice,
Your review is as thought provoking as ever. I’d like to take a stab at answering your questions from another point of view.
I think that Sam has acknowledged something’s wrong since Exile. He said he wanted his brother with him because Dean cares. In Two and Half Men he told Samuel that he’s not sure what’s wrong with him either and in the Third Man although he says he’s okay after being in hell he knows immediately why Dean has issues with what happened to Aaron and says that he’s grown rough around the edges from hunting for so long. I just wonder if he thinks it’s for the best because you are so right about his desire to be a better hunter. It’s one of the first things he says to Dean when he comes clean. “I’m a better hunter than I’ve ever been.”
In answer to your second question, I don’t think it was hard for him. I just don’t think he ever would have come clean if he had seen another option. He knows Dean would want to fix him and I really don’t think he wants to be fixed. I guess that means, no, I don’t think he was sincere in asking for help.
I agree with you that the beat-down that Dean gave Sam was about so much more than just “he lied to me”. It was “I wrecked my life with Lisa for you”, “if what you just said is true, I don’t know how to save you, or if you can be saved” and a little bit of “you represent everything I don’t like about myself”. I also think that last moment of the episode was a “What have I just done?” There is no doubt in my mind that Dean will stand by Sam and I think once Sam has his soul they will be able to rebuild their relationship. I just wonder if this will be solved soon, which I hope, or whether this will be a season long arc.
I think Lisa’s comments were dead on but I don’t think that’s all there is. He does drink too much. I don’t think their relationship was healthy and there was no way Dean would have stayed a construction worker once he knew Sam was alive. I agree with you. Dean isn’t happy anywhere. True to the season opener, he wants it all and it isn’t going to happen.
Regarding your other Lisa question, as I commented on in Elle2’s Review Dean has a track record of not being honest or coming clean to Lisa. He lied about the setting up a poker match with Sid. He was going to lie about thinking there was a hunt but she nailed him about almost shooting a yorkie and he didn’t tell her about Ben and the shotgun. I tend to think he told her that absolute minimum he needed to in the interest of “protecting her”. I think not telling her about being turned is therefore in character.
Last but not least I don’t have any idea who has Sam’s soul. I tend to think it’s a character we haven’t met yet and only because I think it is wrapped up in the main arc of the season. However, Death is a great idea!
Enjoyed the review and all the discussion of the Episode. The Death holding Sam’s soul theory is interesting, and the more I think on it the more I like it.
YCHTT didn’t upset me as much as last weeks Twihard. Despite all the excellent points and questions you raised, my pulse remains steady. Why? I’ve no answers or new/good theories; but I do think that this is rock bottom for the Winchesters relationship. There is no where to go but up. And since the writers know this shows’ engine runs off the relationship between these two, I have faith things will (as slowly as the writers room can make it)get better.
Thanks for the review. My brain juices are flowin like crazy after reading.
Great review, thanks Alice. During the speech Dean gave to Veritas, she asked if he was lying when he told himself he wanted a family and he said no he wasn’t lying. So he really does want a family but he knows that can’t happen and he was forced to admit that to himself since he was under the truth spell. I don’t think Dean will ever be happy as long as Sam is the only relationship he has in his life because what they have IS so unhealthy and tangled up. Like Lisa said…if her sister ever died she would not try to bring her back. I liked Lisa and Dean together. Maybe she isn’t the one, but I am for the idea of both Sam and Dean moving past this tangled up relationship they have and having lives outside of each other.
I just realized why Veritas looked so familiar — she was the receptionist Dean flirted with in Salvation.
Alice, I give you a quote from way back in ‘Hunted’,
‘He just said that I had to save you, that nothing else mattered; and that if I couldn’t, I’d . . . that I’d have to kill you. He said that I might have to kill you, Sammy.’
Then Sam made Dean promise to carry out their father’s last wish in ‘Playthings’.
Maybe Dean thought that moment had just arrived, and he lost control. I don’t think that Dean wanted to kill Sam, I think that he started punching and just couldn’t stop. :cry::
Regarding Lisa, I don’t think Dean ‘loves’ Lisa, not like he loves (loved) Sam, or his father, or even Bobby.
He ‘loves’ the idea of ‘being in love’. Their relationship is (was) based on a hot passion that may or may not have resulted in a child. In ‘Dream’, Dean saw her as an ideal love figure. He was supposed to be in love with Cassie and even told her the truth about what he did, but she dumped him.
I am sure that Lisa resented the fact that once Sam walked back into their lives, Dean dumped her at Bobby’s and left with Sam. She may not have told Dean how she felt about this without the truth spell, but she gave him permission to leave, and return when he could. She knew that Dean wouldn’t leave without her ok, but that he would not be happy staying away from Sam, now that he knew that Sam was back.
We saw in ‘Exile’, that Dean was not comfortable in the ‘normal’ life. He may of gone through the motions, but he was still a hunter(salt on the windowsill, the devil trap under the rug). He kept the ‘tools of the trade’ under the bed, he still kept the Impala nearby with all his weapons loaded and ready for action. When he heard the first noise, he was in full hunter mode and on alert.
I think that the scenes with Bobby were there for comic relief against the high drama still to come between Sam and Dean.
I think that Sam didn’t give up his soul, it was taken from him as a bargaining chip for his return to Earth. Sam knew that he came back ‘wrong’, that is why he kept away from Dean. Dean would have known that something was wrong, and would have dropped everything to ‘fix’ Sam. I think that is now Dean’s number one mission, he wants his baby brother back whole.
I hope that Sam gets it back before the hiatus gets here, or there is going to be a lot of crazy fans out there tearing out their hair and screaming at the heavens. 😀
Nice review, Alice. Your first Q&A was spot on. I think Sam is afraid of dealing with all the feelings that will come washing over him when he gets his soul back. And we all know that he will get it back. The question is will he get his soul back and lose his mind? Never fear, Dean will be there for him. After all, these two are “soul mates.” 🙂
ALice, maybe Sam has the same reason for doing to Dean what Dean did to Lisa (when he was a vampire)?
YOu wrote “Dean, as much as it hurts, thinks Lisa believing he’s a monster is for the best. It’s really not far from the truth in his eyes. It doesn’t matter if he’s a vampire or a hunter, he’s evil and that won’t change.” Maybe Sam is trying to free Dean from his love and loyalty to him so that he can have a better life?
But, then, what about the “soul mate” thing Ash said in Season 5 about Sam and Dean? From what I’ve read about soul mates from Jess Stern’s book of the same title, soul mates–not necessarily the romantic kind– remain together on earth for as long as they have a joint destiny to fulfill. Since SPN is still on-going, that joint destiny is still on.
I forgot to add, that it is possible to ask for help for healing even when you feel dead or nothing inside after an emotional trauma. I’ve gone through it.
As for Sam not having a soul–sorry, I can’t see it. Who’ll be animating him? You’ll need an OverSoul for that. However, Season 6 Sam could make decisions, show humor, tease his brother. But not show anger or hatred. I am sold on the idea of Sam being emotionally dead as things can feel much calmer w/o emotions. But that idea of your about Death being a soul owner—intriguing.
Thank you so much for the reviews here!
Ouch, that’s going to sting. Much as I liked Sam before they started turning him evil every five minutes, I thought he had that coming. I don’t blame Dean for losing it … He’s f*cked coming and going at the moment, Lisa’s chucked him, Sam’s gone all weird again and Cas is about as much use as a chocolate teapot. Thank God for Bobby and his well-tended little toes. I could have stood some more of his dirty secrets … His first girlfriend was a what … Morman? Transvestite? Cardboard cut-out? Underground thimble fetishist? What? I need to know, if only to take my mind off this sodding storyline which I’m not liking at all. Sablegreen’s right. Stop mucking about with the main attraction!
Well, I hope that those who hoped that Sam would get an ass kicking for coming back from Hell wrong, after saving the world no less, are happy.
I’ve never been ashamed of being in this fandom until now. That beating was the worst thing I’ve ever seen on that show and Sam “had it coming”? I don’t think so. I know that Dean has a lot of rage bottled up, etc., but so. does. Sam. They both have suffered greatly and often because of the actions of the other. Sam doesn’t deserve this any more than Dean would.
I feel sorry for Sam. He sacrificed everything and thought he would spend an eternity in Lucifer’s cage. He didn’t think he’d be back, but yet he is. And he’s so obviously damaged from whatever he went through. I hope someone helps him.
I can’t even comment on the rest of the episode which is pretty much a blur to me. All I can think about is that beating. I know that the brothers will eventually fix their relationship, but I’m not sure I’ll care when it happens. I’d rather see Sam away from Dean at this point.
I hope I wasn’t too harsh. I came here after the vamp episode specifically because I thought this would be the last place where people would cheer for Dean to beat up Sam, and it was here too, and even from you, Alice. I’m glad you at least seem to feel bad about it. I don’t know why it affected me so much. Maybe it’s too close to the headlines we read all the time where the “victim” is blamed instead of the “abuser”. It just left a really bad taste in my mouth.
I really have to remember that this is just a show and that Sam and Dean are just fictional characters, lol.
Has everybody forgotten that Sam choked Dean in ‘When the Levees Break’. So, maybe this beating was a long time coming. (ducking the tomatoes coming at my head).
I’d like to second Alice here, Julia M. Many of us feel very bad about that brutal beating Sam got in the end of that episode.
I myself said he deserved a good slap for letting Dean get turned by that vamp, but this vicious beating was uncalled for. That was just too much. I could hardly breathe watching that scene and I felt a strong urge to get into that damn tv set and stop Dean.
I know many in the fandom cheered at that, but let me, too, assure you that it’s not happening here in the manner you might have come across elsewhere.
Please keep coming back, Jas
Er … Before you all start having a go at me … Fictional characters, remember? In real life I’m extremely soft and fuzzy but I don’t mind drama being, well, dramatic … I don’t like this storyline, I’d much rather they were back on the same page and hunting Alphas. I thought Sam wiped out his previous mistakes in stellar fashion when he took that swan dive into hell and if I’d been writing it he would have come back a bit bent round the edges but basically Sam Of Old with all things forgiven.
Thing is, though, if the writers want to show how badly Dean’s cage is shaking loose I can’t think of a better way to demonstrate that than the way they ended that last episode, with him totally losing control and pulverising the one person he has spent his life trying to protect. So yes, I did enjoy it. It was dramatic and shocking and left me dying for the next episode to see what the fallout was going to be. This is why I like this show, it generally leaves you going AAARGH! or AWWW! but rarely HUH …
Lovely thought to have a go at you, Suze… I could think of a special kind of torture.
Poke you with the soft cushions! Or I could fetch the comfy chair! And if you still don’t comply, I will get a warm and cosy blanket! that will teach you, woman! 😀
looking very much forward to torturing you,hargh,hargh, Jas
Don’t get me wrong, I HATED that ending. I thought nothing would ever surpass When The Levee Breaks. Well, it did. But oddly enough it was kind of a relief to know that Dean isn’t perfect after all. All that saintness about him was starting to get on my nerves.Thank goodness the guy has flaws like every human being. That makes him much more interesting as a character.(ducking the tomatoes with you nancyL) 😉
But Sam stopped punching Dean when Dean could no longer fight . I saw a fight coming but that was not what i had expected because earlier whenever physical confrontations happened it was kind of to get through to the other, but this…. I hope the next episode sheds light on Dean’s state of mind.
No! No! Not the comfy chair! Bad, ruthless Jas, I bet you’d even stoop to bed socks and a nice hot water bottle … OK, I give in! 😆
Just to clarify for the sake of Julia M.’s wounded sensibilities, I didn’t mean that I thought Dean was justified in what he did, rather that the nature of the curse as we had seen it play out with the previous victims seemed to go along the lines of demand truth- get truth-fail to handle truth-explode messily and as Dean was obviously about to go off bang in a big way there were no prizes for guessing who was going to cop it in no uncertain terms when he did.
For what it’s worth I think Dean’s ferocious over-reaction to Sam’s confession was as much to do with fustration and self-hatred over his own ” truths ” as with what Sam had just told him. Truth, lies, dirty limerick, whatever Sam came out with he was going to get a punch in the mouth. When someone is that worked up whatever you say’s going to be wrong …
Ha! Ha! Haaaaaaaaaaa! Suze, you’re giving me very creative idea for unusual torture devices… who would have thought of bed socks and a nice hot water bottle! I’ve got you, woman!
smiling maliciously… Jas 😀
I am in the group that thinks Sam had it coming and that he deserved it. I’m sorry but harsh language and a beating are *no way* as bad as letting Dean be vamped. I cheered Dean on. And I hope to see Dean’s anger and distrust continue because he is entitled to feel that way.
“But Sam stopped punching Dean when Dean could no longer fight”
You’re absolutely right, anonymous. 🙂 He stopped punching and started *choking*. Much, much better, clearly.
Anyway, Dean’s method of knocking Sam out was harsh, absolutely. It was a game-changer. You know what else was a game-changer? When Sam let Dean get vamped and refused to tell him about the cure. This was the harshest beatdown one has ever given the other, in response to the harshest betrayal one has ever delivered to the other. Sam’s not a defenseless woobie. Dean’s not a cruel abuser. Sam’s a guy who’s seriously, seriously messed up in ways that make him harm other people without caring about it. Dean’s been lied to so much that he can’t possibly trust anything Sam says right now, even when/if Sam is telling the truth. So he gives up his weapon, allowing for the possibility that this time it might not be a lie, and takes Sam down with nonlethal force so that he can get some answers.
This is basic, understandable stuff, in my opinion.
I too was on the “Sam needs his ass kicked bus”. And Deans’ beat down was harsh. But this is the Supernatural Universe. Where angels are dicks, crossroads demons can be altruists(albeit with a agenda), graves are always dug with perfect angles, and grown brothers beat the crap out of each other on occasion. But somehow family, blood and otherwise, always come through in the end.
I watch because of and sometimes in spite of all these things. These are the things that keep me totally invested. I have never watched a TV show going into the 6th season, let alone, have been so excited every week to see what is gonna happen next. I have never watched a show that has made me run the gambit of emotions that this one does. I laugh, I cry, I yell at the television, I contemplate and ruminate. Then I get to come here and get all kinds of different opinions and theories and points of view. And get to share my thoughts as well. What a wonderful place our Supernatural Universe is.
Amelia,
Well thought out comments that frankly sum up my feelings on the subject. Both brothers crossed a line, both did while rationalizing, Sam saw it as an opportunity to get into the vampire lair, Dean took a long time (yeah, it was seconds but he was processing just as hard as Sam was in episode 5) and then took the first swing (and second and all the way up to fourteen (that’s my count at least)
I’m looking forward to some growth going forward for both.