The Disappointing Road So Far – Season 6
I remember when it was revealed that Season 6 was a go and that Sera Gamble was taking over and that she had a plan post-apocalypse for smaller, more closed end monster of the week episodes with a mytharc thread weaving in and out but a concentration on the more intimate relationship of the brothers. I was ecstatic. While I have thoroughly enjoyed the angels and demons and apocalypse build and dizzying ride in Seasons 4 and 5 there is a part of me that fondly spends time in Seasons 1, 2 and 3 enjoying the smaller storylines that so often reflect the individual journeys of each brother as well as how they relate to each other.
I’ll note something that should be inherently read into any article I ever write, this is my opinion, my feelings, my thoughts on what is transpiring and how I interpret things and see the plan for the future. Anything I state here is nothing more than how I view things going in the storyline as well as the directions I thus far see and interpret the writers are taking. Since I’ve stated this is my opinion, thoughts etc., I’ll not be writing the constant tag of “In my opinion†or any such variation throughout; by the fact that I’ve written this article you are getting my opinion.
(Note from Alice. I’ll to admit, this is not something we usually post on this site. It is very negative, could be perceived as biased, and definitely treads on Sam vs. Dean territory. However, elle2 has been writing for this site for almost two years and I know anything she writes comes from the heart. So I’m going to allow it. Yesterday I posted a set of rules. One of my rules is no Sam vs. Dean nonsense. That rule will not apply in the discussions over this article since the article itself goes there. I’m also going to give some latitude with rule #5, especially the bitterness part. The article is bitter so the comments by side effect could go there as well. It’s unavoidable. Respect for other posters though is still very important. I won’t budge on that. Thank you and I’m confident you’ll all have an interesting discussion over this.)
The Disappointing Road So Far, Season 6; by Elle2
I remember when it was revealed that Season 6 was a go and that Sera Gamble was taking over and that she had a plan post-apocalypse for smaller, more closed end monster of the week episodes with a mytharc thread weaving in and out but a concentration on the more intimate relationship of the brothers. I was ecstatic. While I have thoroughly enjoyed the angels and demons and apocalypse build and dizzying ride in Seasons 4 and 5 there is a part of me that fondly spends time in Seasons 1, 2 and 3 enjoying the smaller storylines that so often reflect the individual journeys of each brother as well as how they relate to each other.
I’ll note something that should be inherently read into any article I ever write, this is my opinion, my feelings, my thoughts on what is transpiring and how I interpret things and see the plan for the future. Anything I state here is nothing more than how I view things going in the storyline as well as the directions I thus far see and interpret the writers are taking. Since I’ve stated this is my opinion, thoughts etc., I’ll not be writing the constant tag of “In my opinion†or any such variation throughout; by the fact that I’ve written this article you are getting my opinion.
Season 6 has thus far not lived up to any of what Ms. Gamble stated it would, where is the smaller scale, where is the brotherly relationship, where is the plan? We have monsters of all kind working for whatever agenda, hell is in disarray, heaven is bordering on civil war, there are ‘loose nukes’ on earth, Samuel is down from heaven, Sam is up from hell, souls are important, Lisa and Ben are gone, Sam has no soul, Dean is a confusing mixture of a character that often times is unrecognizable; the only bright spot thus far has been the grumpy old men partnership of Rufus and Bobby (a true delight!) and yes, Death has made an awesome although cryptic return that has me both cheering and wondering why Dean needs yet another lecture but I’m getting way ahead of myself.
I’ll give some personal background on me as a viewer, found the show at “Mystery Spot,†saw “Jus In Bello†and then spent the several weeks before “Ghostfacers†aired watching all of Season 1 and 2 as well as catching “Dream a Little Dream of Me†and “Malleus Maleficarum†off the CW website. Whew, in about seven weeks I had almost all of the three seasons under my belt. I had no expectations for how the rest of Season 3 would play out beyond being convinced Dean would, in fact, go to hell. I was glad he did for it made the stakes real and big and yeah, it gutted me for that next 17 weeks until “Lazarus Risingâ€; my first hellatus.
Season 4 swept me along and I was excited about angels and Dean and Sam’s separate agendas, back then the separation of the brothers was new and fairly novel so it didn’t frustrate me like it does now years later. Season 5 was similarly a great ride, not quite as smooth, a few too many lofty ideas that never went anywhere (antichrist) and the loss of Jo and Ellen still guts me today as well as the demise of the beloved Trickster/Gabriel.
I never, until now, spent much time worrying about or being upset over the fact that Dean didn’t have much of a tie into the overall mytharc. I applauded his Han Solo to Sam’s Luke Skywalker for the emotional development of Dean was fascinating. Dean the womanizing hunter who will fight and fight and fight for his family while believing his life has little purpose (Dad looked at me different, Maybe finally my life will have meaning, Your own father didn’t love you, he knew who you really were, daddy’s blunt little instrument). Season 4 however tied Dean into the mytharc, he was brought out from hell for there was a job to be done. He broke the first seal that started the whole setting of Lucifer free. Dean is the Michael Sword, Michael’s true vessel.
Unfortunately something took a turn in “Two Minutes to Midnight,†it was hinted at in “Point of No Return†but it came to reality two episodes later. I’m of the opinion (yep, there it is) that this turn happened because Season 6 became a go. I applaud that Eric Kripke wanted to remain true to his five-year arc and not allow the current story to continue on; it was already a bit ponderous and at times without purpose throughout Season 5 so I was ready for the change up. I also think I would have been absolutely all right with the retconning of Dean’s storyline and his abrupt dismissal from the mytharc had Season 6 shown us something akin to Dean having a purpose here besides what we saw in Seasons 1 and 2. Thus far I am disappointed and with little hope that the writers have any intention of fixing or even having a plan or frankly that they even see the disservice being done to Dean.
Yeah, I’m a Dean girl, never hidden it, never shouted it from the rooftops either. The fact is, I fell in love with a show about two brothers, just so happens I have a preference for one over the other but not at the expense of the other. I have long held the view that the writers have never, ever pitted the brothers against the other; rather we the fans do that. However, as things stand now I change my tune. The way I see things Sera and Co. are making a stance which is Sam is front and center and Dean is just the driver and hand holder. I’ll explain as I go along.
As for Sam and Season 6, I’m similarly unimpressed with what is happening with Sam thus far this season as well. I am at a complete loss why Sam’s soul was allowed to remain in the cage. It makes no sense whatsoever given what Chuck said at the end of Swan Song ‘perhaps it was all a test and he believed that Sam and Dean passed’; well, if both passed, why does Sam remain in the pit, especially since Castiel was restored. Taking it from the point of view that Team Free Will was predominantly Castiel, Dean and Sam why is it that Dean was rewarded with life for saying no to Michael, Castiel defied heaven and was rewarded by God (as I see it) and returned to existence similarly as he was in Sympathy for the Devil, only this time with full angelic powers, he got his reward, yet Sam is consigned to the pit (his soul that is).
My first issue with this is that it diminishes Sam’s sacrifice which was made to save the planet. When Dean went to hell it was to fulfill his deal that was only to bring back Sam and you can have my life; Sam’s back and Dean goes to hell, nice and clean. Dean got what he deserved for it was what he bargained (badly) for. Sam didn’t get what he deserved (in the SPN realm) for he sacrificed himself for the greater good. Everyone else was rewarded with healing and life except Sam.
My second issue – and this gets messy but here I go anyway – is that this time I see the writers as mirroring the experience of one brother but rather than making it unique, they’ve doubled down and made it infinitely worse. Allow me to explain:
Sam left hunting prior to “The Pilot,†he did so by his own choice because he wanted a normal life.
Dean left hunting post-â€Swan Song†because he promised Sam he would. While Dean longed for family (and I see this clearly through the five seasons leading up to this point but won’t elaborate here because my gosh this will be long enough as it is, think to “Shadow,†WIAWSNB, TKAA, DALDOM just for the highlights) he only went to Lisa and Ben because they represented the idea of family and yes, he did/does have feelings for them.
Sam fell in love with Jessica during his four-year shot at a normal life. He planned to marry her and to this day (well, at least as of FTBYAM and “The Devil You Knowâ€) he still has Jessica as a fond and sorrowful and yes, defining memory for him.
Dean loved Lisa and Ben but was not in love with them. He states it clearly in “Exile on Main Street†that he only went to them because Sam made him. He was trying but that episode shows it clearly and loudly that his mind and heart are still on Sam.
Jessica was killed because of Sam’s ‘destiny’.
Lisa and Ben remain alive but are gone because of who Dean is and what he does. (For the record, I hope they remain alive and well; I never, ever want them killed, first because we’ve been there and done that with Mary and Jessica and also because, yes, that is Sam’s sorrow, let it remain his.)
Season 2 showed Sam embracing the life of hunting after John’s death because he felt he had failed his father and later, as the season progressed because it was who he was, what he was supposed to do and he was going to keep doing it.
Season 2 showed Dean tired of hunting, they don’t get paid, they don’t get thanked and he wanted to walk away.
All of these thus far are mirrors of the other but not exact duplicates, leave hunting, fall in love, embrace hunting, stop embracing hunting.
Going to hell…both Dean and Sam have gone to hell. Sure the differences and circumstances surrounding those descents are different; Dean sold his soul to save Sam; Sam dove body and soul into the pit to save the planet. End result both went to hell. The first part, the descent is different, the second part, the torture is the same and yet this time Sam’s is so very much worse.
I have a huge hang up with that, huge.
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I am treating Season6 as season1 . I am one of those fans who started seeing this show from the first ep with my brother and it was really fun to watch this show.Season 1 was really puzzling at times but at the end of it the shows basic characters were well established and we could see a plot forming. Now after Season 5 that mytharch is over so again i think it will require another season to get established. I have patience as for the first four seasons i watched it on tv in one episode per week format. i am from India and came to know we are a whole season then saw season 5 by downloading first half in a cluster and then one episode per week. I am a Sam fan .Sam is my favorite character because of the way his character was portrayed in season1 when i saw it and the story of lucifer and michael was nonexistant. There were times at which issues pertaining to Sam which for me were important but were completely ignored and were frustrating.From the top of my head Castiel’s part in releasing Sam, the altered call from Dean(this is important because for me atleast the biggest +point to their relationship is that they always did not let the other slip or atleast tried.)But then again there are only 22 episodes (even less n season3)per season and i think to make everyone happy in such short time is impossible i stress on to make everyone happy.I wish i knew han solo and luke skywalker to see how they fit Dean and Sam I am dowloading star wars now to see that.
For me Sam saved the world by accepting his part in the war and Dean saved the world by refusing his part in the war.We fans may be thinking the unfairness of Dean not able to be in war or Sam suffering in hell and not rescued but the main thing is they saved the world with lesser number of casualties then was predicted.
(correction)I am from India and came to know we are a whole season behind you people..
I totally agree with most of this article. We all think it but SOMEONE HAD TO SAY IT! So thank you for sharing with us. I wont go as far as say the next episode is the last straw, but I do agree that this season is about Sam (I too am a Dean girl) and has more unanswered questions than anything else! I didn’t watch Lost for a reason! I don’t like being lost and confused! I miss Eric Kripke 🙁
And this my friend, is how I feel/felt about season 5.
I learned to have no expectations, therefore season 6 is so far, good to me.
And I do hope that the writers cook up something good for Dean, cause I’m tired of him being a cheerleader.
That is all. : )
Finally! Someone who feels the way I do. Gee I wish Krippe would come back and save the day.Some of the episodes have been so depressing i miss the brother`s relationship and humour. I`m trying to find faith that they will tie the series together and episodes will get better. At the moment I find most episodes unsatisfying rather like a good book with the last pages ripped out.Sera needs to listen to the fans who have been saying this for a while now.
I am loyal to this show to a fault. I believe that there is a purpose to this season, and I will be patient, as it has always paid off. I have watched since the pilot and have not ever missed one episode. I have questions for sure..”how many times can these boys die?” “why was Ruby so calm when she opened the door to Dean in Lazarus Rising” “was Chuck in fact, God?”..I could go on and on. The negativity in this article hurts. I love these characters, I was a Dean girl from day 1, but I found myself rooting for and loving all the characters after time. My heart belongs to this family. You can dissect the characters actions all you want, but we make bad choices and good choices in reality everyday. Sera Gamble was given big shoes to fill, she wasn’t a newbie, she has been here since day one..and I will not look at her writing this season as a tightening noose, but rather as breath of new air into a show that has continually amazed me, made me laugh, and made me cry. I can find something new every time I watch an old episode. So, I’m not going to bitch and moan about the writing, or how unsympathetic Sam currently is, or how Dean is Sam’s bitch. I’m going to keep watching, and see how it plays out..I owe Supernatural that much.
Honestly I think this is a great article I have been feeling the same way all season so far and thought I was the only one. This is not the same show I fell in love with In Season 1 & 2, you hit every point and feeling I’ve been feeling. Thanks so much for this. 😐
Great stuff Elle2! I have long since felt that this show is on the slide, maybe even as far back as late-season four. It is like the magic has slowly leaked out. As it is now, I don’t even watch it regularly but check in with you guys here and there. Let you filter it, all the while hoping that the tone about the season will change.
I have long been of the opinion that good stories now when to end and good storytellers know when to end them. Kripke was a greater storyteller that way, even if even he tended to drag it along for longer than might have been preferable. I hold high hopes for episode 12, hope it can be the definer of what has become of this series if nothing else.
Thanks elle2 for giving us your perspective. I’m sure this is how some diehard Star Wars fans felt about the second triptych of films. I tend to be more easygoing and I am invested equally in all the characters in this show so I guess the only thing that bothers me about the whole Sam vs Dean thing is that it exists at all.
I’m with anonymousN. When I finished watching “Swan Song”, I couldn’t stop asking myself, “now how in the world are they going to top that or keep this going.” On the one hand, I see some continuity with the apocalypse arc–but mostly I think we need to see this as a NEW season one … because of continuity issues, they can’t wipe the slate clean entirely, but they’re starting over. Clearly that is disconcerting for some folks.
After six seasons of LOST, I’ve learned to be far more patient with writers and creators of TV series. I remember seeing things in that final episode of LOST that were only alluded to during the PILOT. I honestly believe that they sit down during their week long brainstorming retreats and plan in five season metanarratives … at least. Or maybe I’m just naive and giving more credit than they deserve. But I’m willing to give this time to let it jell.
One other note … following season 5, I did read an interview with Jared Padalecki somewhere in which he indicated that he only plans to stay with the series as long as it remains “relevant”. Maybe they’re writing to try to keep him happy. Maybe they’re writing with the endgame of writing him out. They could certainly find a way to bring Adam into the mix and swap him out for Sam … although if they’re going to do that they better do it quick. Imagine if Sam were out and somehow the show became Dean and Adam … or even better (god forbid) Dean somehow was written out, Sam came through to the other side of this whole soul reimplantation thing and the show became SAM as the older brother trying to shepherd Adam … hmm …
Finally, yes, I do believe there is a “plan” … Chuck/God didn’t just disappear into the ether. What appears chaotic and messy to us may just be the laying of groundwork for some really amazing stuff in seasons 7, 8, 9 and beyond (assuming they get that far).
Anyhoo, thanks again for posting.
Thank you so much for saying this.
I have watched this show since the third episode, and had grown to love it over the years. In fact it is the only network show I watch. For me the disappointment started around the middle of season 5.
One of the things I had liked was the great continuity. Then all of a sudden there were so many dropped plot lines and way too much hand waving and rushing from point A to point what the hell ever.
I liked Supernatural because it was about the brothers and family. Now they have shown me that the only person that cares consistently and selflessly about family (Dean), always gets beat down and kicked in the teeth because of that caring. And for some reason Dean must always be taught some kind of lesson. I like both brothers because there is no Dean without Sam or Sam without Dean, but Dean Winchester is the brother I have come to love. But now he has just become a prop. Even one of the writers, Ben Edland I believe, said he would like to see Dean be more than just a glorified chauffeur.
And, for me, they have gone to far with Sam. I don’t care about him any more, soul or no soul. I just don’t think I can dredge up the affection I used to have for him.
I will keep watching, at least for a while, because maybe all the planets will align and it will turn out to be awesome.
I know it’s just a TV show, but no one likes to be disappointed in something they thought was special.
Awesome article! *both thumbs up*
I’m from the other end of the spectrum in that I love Sam and I’m grateful for the attention the character has been getting during the first half of the season. I find it refreshing, especially considering that seasons 4 and 5 were so heavily centered around Dean. In season 4, Dean got most of the mytharc, the emotional exploration, and also most of the screentime. We found out that he had suffered 40 years in Hell while Sam was drinking demon blood. Pretty unequal treatment, right? Especially considering that had the writer’s strike not happened, Sam was supposed to go dark while saving Dean from Hell. Castiel did it instead, proclaimed Dean the righteous man, while Sam, well, Sam was drinking demon blood. How about that for pitting brother against brother? Where was your indignation then, elle2? How could Sam’s pain ever compare to 40 years in Hell, especially when he wasn’t getting much emotional development?
So yes, I’m happy that Sam is finally getting some focus, especially after season 5, where his redemption became secondary to Dean’s crisis of faith. I’m glad, and we haven’t even seen the real Sam yet.
The story might be more centered on Sam right now,but at least Dean is still front and center. About half of the episodes have been Dean-centered, he still has most of the POV, and got to deal with Death himself. It’s clear that Dean will be central to whatever will happen during the rest of the season, as Death’s “intrepid detective”. What more do you want? Season 4 again, when it was Dean, Dean, Dean, all the time, and you thought it was nice and fair and equal? Because it wasn’t.
I realise you have problems with the season in general, but it certainly seems that all you care about is that the show be about Dean, with Sam as a secondary character. That’s not what I want.
I’m enjoying this season. I like the fresh approach, I’m glad the Apocalypse is over, and I think that season 6 is much better than the boring and predictable season 5.
i love season 6 i like how the show has gone forward and grown both Sam and Dean are different people now and i love what Sera has done. I look forward every week to see what happens 🙂 and cant wait to find out what’s in store for the brothers. Thing i never understand if you is a fan of show why moan lol if you dont like dont watch it simple, now me i am a huge fan and love every minute of SPN and i know season 7 is on way (fingers crossed) wooooo Jensenand Jared have outshone themselves this season loody good acting 🙂
Sorry Elle2 but I will not give this post any time or credence.
Again I see Dean fans coming in a moaning that Dean is this or that wow what SHORT MEMORIES we have . Dean ever since Season 2 has had the focus and the attention , he had Season 4 to himself while Sam was pushed into the background and dismissed out of episode. But for once Sam was giving the time and the attention and rightly so he saved the world and lost his soul seriously and you expected what that that was wiped away so we just focus on Dean.I am sick to death of the resentments and nastiness of EDG,S who want it all Dean and Sam gets nothing. You complain about Dean being sidelined but no qualms when it is Sam. FOR ONCE FOR ONCE Sam gets the attention and you and other Dean fans resent it after everythinbg Dean has had . I am sorry Alice I am but no this is unacceptable from any body.
Where was your indignation for Sam in Season 4 Elle2 ? when he was shoved out , where his thoughts , feelings and sl was virtually ignored until the latter half of the Season. Oh I forgot has long has it isnt Dean its ok.
Hey Elle2,
This had to have been a tough one to write. While I don’t support everything you’ve said (though I can see, understand and, yes, agree with some of it) I do grieve with you. You’ve an obvious passion for the show, the brothers, and the mytharc. Whatever our agreements or disagreements over characterizations and plot points, I’m sorry that you are falling out of love with the show. That can’t be easy.
So whether you stay and give it another shot, which I do hope, or go and find another love, I thought I’d take the chance to wish you well. You’ve written some great stuff. Again, not all stuff I agreed with, but it always made my head think thinky thoughts about the show I love.
I’m with the posters who are happy that Sam if finally getting some attention. Thank you Sera Gamble. Sorry Elle, you’re entitled to your opinion and I respect that, but I disagree. First, I find Season 6 refreshing and intriguing, with all the twists and surprises. Second, the show has been centered on Dean since Season 3. Season 4 was Dean’s feast. It was entirely focused on Dean’s post hell trauma, and on how much Dean suffered while Sam was being a bad boy, not to mention that Sam was replaced with Castiel. Now that we have a chance to explore Sam’s experience, people are unhappy because DEAN is sidelined? And how is Dean sidelined, BTW? While the plot has been developing around Sam’s issues (for a change), Dean’a angst is still front and center.
If I am honest I should probably distance myself for a while before writing this, but I cant so hear goes.
I love this show , I have loved every season, each one was different, all had episodes which I favoured less than others but none which I could reallly say I hated, even Bugs had some good lines in there.
I also love this site , because I feel we, in some small way, support and champion our show which really is a hidden gem amidst so much rubbish out there, this is one of the reasons I am so upset that things so negative could be written here.
I know you have been feeling very negative about this season and have concerns about the shows development and I am sorry that you feel the show you loved is slipping away from you, but they are your concerns and while you have every right to such opinions and obviously as you feel so strongly I am sure that nothing anyone says here is going to change how you feel. It also worries me that this will attract posters just looking for an outlet for negativity which we usually manage to avoid on this site.
I have never lost my passion for the show, all through this season I know I have driven some friends slightly mad with what has been called my `Little Miss Mary Sumnshine ` attitude, but I have not lost faith. I believe in the wonderful team that produces it and trust them to weave everything together and cannot wait to be able to watch Season 6 as an entire body of work. I understand the problems people have had with `Sam` but as has been my mantra since EOMS – `This is NOT Sam`. We just got a glimpse of Sam last week , being drawn out of the depths of that Gladstone bag and I for one am excited and anticipating what will happen next. It is no secret that I am a quite the `Dean girl` from the first eposode I saw, IMTOD, I was totally and utterly hooked, I have never felt this site to be Sam biased and love the fact that knocking one brother or playing `my brothers better than yours ` is not allowed here. I dont see there has been any disservice done at all to Deans character and see everything still there which I have always loved, I have heard the ` He`s gone soft` cries all season , but he has always been soft which is exactly why this character is so appealing ,if the soft caring gentle soul was not present under the bad ass tough hunter he would not be `The Dean`. Sure there are questions there and I am still waiting for answers How could he kill Leah? The eyes when he killed Zachariah? But, again I trust the writers to eventually reveal things and I am patient enough to wait. We have seen in the past this pays off , did we not wait 3 seasons for the explanation of Mary`s `I`m sorry` to Sam in `Home`.
Sorry this is becoming a slight rant but just as you feel passionate in your dislike for this season, I feel passionate that everything I love about the show is still there, and as I said it upsets me that such negativity about it is stated here. Where until now I have felt nothing but love and support for it. I know others have been put off from reading or adding to the comments as they have found some of the negativity so upsetting.
As Yvonne says I hope you can find another show you can grow to love as much as you once, and I still do, love this one Ju
Season 3 was about Dean’s deal, season 6, at least the first half of it, is about Sam’s soul. I am not really seeing the difference there. Sam didn’t have a hell of a lot to do in Season 3 other than angst about Dean’s deal, he didn’t even get to save Dean, though Dean gets to save Sam.
So if its ok to have a season focused on Dean’s deal then it seems like it should be ok to have a season focused on Sam’s storyline. Especially coming on the heels of two seasons that were pretty Dean centric. It seems about time in fact for some hardcore Sam focus and I agree with others who have said its a refreshing change. I have really enjoyed the mystery and consistency of this season so far. Every episode has had the main arc threaded through it, every one. Its impressive in fact and I applaud Sera for a job well done. Its not perfect no, there are plotholes at the moment, but they are not anything that can’t be cleared up in the next few episodes.
Sam has his soul back now, and he has no ties to the main alpha/souls storyline that is coming in the second half of the season, but Dean has been labelled the intrepid detective by Death himself, so I am not sure why Dean fans are so sure that there is nothing good coming for Dean in the second half, thats a lot of assumptions being made right there.
As for the Sam vs Dean part of the article, while I do understand the disappointment that Dean fans feel when it comes to Sam suffering more in hell, I would have been equally gutted if Sam was whipped out of hell immediately with no chance of emotional follow up to the sacrifice he made. If God had taken Sam from hell we would also not have gotten the soulless Sam storyline so it would have been a complete reset for Sam, with no follow up at all, after a very lackluster season 5 storyline for Sam right up into the last few episodes. So Dean fans would have been happy but Sam fans likely wouldn’t have been. As I firmly feel its time for Sam to get the kind of focus Dean has long been lucky enough to receive season after season then I am very grateful to Sera that this is the way she chose to go. I find it impossible to believe that Dean will not be front and centre in the second half of the season and I also think its quite likely Sera will find a way to deal with Sam’s follow up to his time in hell in a different way from Dean’s. She has already made their post hell storylines different and unique with roboSam so I have faith she can do the same with Sam’s hell memories.
The last thing I want to say is that it is really surprising to come here and read this article which could have been lifted from the Dean thread at TWOP. This site, which I have mostly just lurked at, has always been really good at loving both characters, to read an article where the author’s dislike of Sam is so hard to ignore is really a shame, its something I find depressing because there is so much hate for Sam out that already, always has been that its very sad to see it in an actual article on this site, rather than the comments.
elle2, you did a great job with this.I read this last night and had to think about it before commenting. My short response is ‘Sing it, Sister!’
I’ve been watching Supernatural since Season 1. I went through the Vile Bela era episode by agonizing episode in strike-ridden Season 3. Even so, there are multiple episodes of Season 3 I still watch.
So far, the only episode in Season 6 that I liked wholeheartedly is ‘Weekend At Bobby’s’. One out of 11. I’ve never been in a situation where I’ve loved a show but the episodes leave me grumpy and sad and I delete them immediately.
I’ve always considered myself bi-bro – that seems like a quaint term these days – but this season hasn’t done either brother any favors. It’s great that Jared can play against type and stretch himself, but we haven’t been watching Sam Winchester. And how much more can Dean suffer with no payback or acknowledgement at all?
Thanks for the heads-up on Episode 12. I will watch it – I had been on the fence about giving up the season and just getting the dvds and finishing up that way. But I will try one more time. Seasons 1-5, as flawed as they could be, still gave me a lot of enjoyment so Season 6 will get one more chance. Sigh.
Hi Elle2
I feel so sorry for you that you don´t enjoy the show as much as I do. (Sorry for my bad english, I´m German).
Like you I´m a Dean-Girl. But the show was about two brothers! Thats right. But I always thought that what puts the show forwards, was the storyline of Sam form Deans Point of view.
I think Deans suffer and griev was always shown. You always knew what Dean thougt or felt. While for Sam you had to guess.
I hope for you that Epi.12 will pull it out. 😀
Very brave article my friend, very brave. Now I don’t agree with everything you said but you have some very valid points. Never apologize for your feelings. Will you catch some flack, sure you will but people will get over it.
Personally, I am along for the ride through the good the bad and the ugly. I may not agree with every plot point and story line but I guess thats part of the suspense. Where do they go from here, I’m gonna stick around to find out. I may love it, I may hate but when they finally sign off, I will be there. I hope you will be too.
Elle2,
I can only imagine how difficult this article was for you to write. I can almost feel your frustration through your words, and I appreciate your frustration. You know, I really enjoy reading your reviews so I was saddened by your disappointment but also totally sympathetic to it. As someone who is new to the show, I have watched this season in oscillating states of confusion and hope. I’ll admit that I have a different take on the season, but I also think it’s informed by my recent introduction to the show and the fact that I haven’t spent as much time with these characters or their relationship.
As I watched the series over the summer (and rewatched many episodes) I found myself examining my reading and experience of the series and realized that I tended to co-opt Dean’s point of view much more often than Sam’s. I’m not sure why that is, but I do have a theory. To my mind, Dean is the lens through which the audience can see the story in a more comprehensive way. He’s involved enough in the initial plot to be essential; he is also the watcher, though, and I think he is us in a way. He’s the regular guy who bears witness, and then all of a sudden finds himself at the center of the storm. While Sam always seemed different and slightly out of the mainstream, Dean was the “reactive†scale against which the plot was measured. But somewhere in Season 4 that changed. He became more a part of the overarching storyline, with his involvement in the apocalypse plot, and this change affected the frame of the plot, the lens if you will.
I think that the show, although it initially placed Sam’s “journey†at the center of the plot, has portrayed Dean as the key to balancing that narrative, which if allowed to go too far, would become overly melodramatic. I do think that, over time, the show shifted to focusing on the brothers’ relationship and hence abandoned that initial set up of Sam as hero, Dean as sidekick. Why? I’m not sure. I would suspect a number of reasons, and by far the first being the chemistry between the two main actors and also the fact that the story took on the components of a love story between two characters (no, not romance) rather than a simple hero’s journey. My first episode was actually All Hell Breaks Loose and I fell in love immediately with the idea of this guy, Dean, who loved his brother so much that he would sacrifice his soul for his brother’s life. That scene of him holding Sam as he died still gets me, as does the monologue before he sells his soul. That act sold me on the show in a way that my former student (who had been campaigning for a year for me to watch) could not. I don’t really consider myself a Dean or Sam girl, but if push comes to shove, I tend to empathize with Dean more than Sam. I state these things to preface the fact that I would like to ask you to not lose hope in the story because I do think there is payoff beyond Sam’s redemption, but that also I do think Sam (more than Dean) needs to be redeemed. Not only for Dean, but for us.
While I think the writing has been choppy, on rewatch (and I have begun to rewatch from “Exileâ€) I can start to see a coherence, a point, to the break between the brothers and I’m not sure it centers on Sam. I think Sam is the vehicle, yes, but I think he’s the vehicle for a much larger payoff, which I hope to explain.
First, I agree that the dynamic of Sam’s hell versus Dean’s hell would not be a good road to pursue for several reasons. First, you are correct in saying that the examination of Dean’s time was cursory, and to me, it seemed incredibly plot-driven. The strength of the show is in its characters, not so much its plot. I think the storylines are fascinating for their intonations of philosophy, but at the end of the day, most fans (I suspect) turn to the show for the brothers and how they cope with the events happening around and to them. Second, it should not be a contest. Both brothers ended up in hell by sacrificing himself for the other. Yes, I think Sam sacrificed himself for Dean, because in the end, Dean was his world or at least encapsulated what the world meant to him. So the sacrifices are equal. I do think Sam will be damaged, but I wouldn’t give up on a future storyline for the sins of a past storyline. In other words, I’d be tempted to trust Sera with this storyline even if Kripke didn’t prove smooth with Dean’s experiences.
That said, I think the reboot has returned us to a critical juncture of the original storyline, and that being the separation of the brothers. I also think that what they (the writers) have done is raised the stakes so high emotionally that it promises a large pay-off and here’s why. Sometime over the summer, the writers stated (I think at Comic-Con, but not sure) that is this season would adopt more of a film noir structure. Film noir, to my mind, is an incredibly pessimistic genre of storytelling, but it also hinges on emotional investment. The heroes are always flawed, almost villains, if cast in a different light. Film noir often highlights the moral ambiguities of the traditional hero narrative, and if that is the case, then the season starts to make sense to me.
These brothers are both heroes, but more importantly, their relationship is the heroic figure. And this season has emphasized the flawed capacity of that relationship. But they are, together, more than the sum of their parts. So why do I have hope? I think that the agony of their separation underscores the vitality and the essentialness of their partnership; right now we are at the lowest point and we must turn upward. But there had to be fallout for Sam. I would argue that his character, beyond Dean’s character, has been in need of redemption. Season 5 short circuited his full redemption since it was consumed with the Lucifer storyline; it also short circuited the redemption of the relationship. I felt myself dissatisfied with the “reunion†toward the end of Season 5, seeing as more necessity than an organic outgrowth of the brothers finding their way back to each other. It was rushed and to me, it’s a balance issue again. If a writer is going to invest a lot of time in separating characters (i.e. Season 4 and most of Season 5) then that writer is obliged (storywise) to spend just as much time bringing those characters together. So, to me, the first half of Season 6 makes sense, IF the second half of the season repairs the damage, which I think it will. And for me, again, the show is about the heroic journey of the relationship, not of either character. To me, the brotherhood is the main character.
That’s my initial reaction, Elle2. Thank you for sharing your feelings about the season. I think they are, as Alice states, from the heart and I also think that they echo many others’ frustrations with this storyline. It’s really hard to be patient when the tease has been for 2 ½ seasons in the making with little hope in sight. But I am confident that the writers see this and to my reading, are attempting to fix it with a high emotional denoument. I could be wrong; I hope I’m not.
I know there are some holes in my initial reactions, but these are incipient thoughts so far.
Thanks again, Elle2, for your considered and substantial article.
Linda
Elle2, your article was so long that by the time I had written out my response I had forgotten what you said on the first page, namely that you love both characters. Because I didn’t recall that and your comments about hating Sam and not caring anymore etc didn’t specify that you were referring to Soulless Sam (if you were) I think I misunderstood you and took your comments to mean you didn’t like Sam at all. When I reread your article after commenting I saw the bit where you state that you do care about both characters so I apologize for the last paragraph of my earlier post.
Bookdal – that was an excellent well thought out comment, I agree with regards to the payoff on the brothers relationship. I do think that Sam’s trauma over hell might be something that brings the brothers together again in a way that have not been since season 3.
I can’t understand why some people have trouble with Dean’s display of love for his brother. He’s a protector by nature and, most importantly, isn’t their mutual love the heart of the show? So maybe Dean will have to hold Sam’s hand when the memories come forth. And what’s wrong with that? Didn’t Sam simbolically hold Dean’s hand and pull him out of his depression in Point of No Return? Isn’t that what the whole story is about?
This was, indeed, a lot to swallow, Elle2 and I know how you have been struggling for quite some time with the show.
I am still very sorry and sad that you came to a point where you have to question it all and, remaining true to your integrity, perhaps eventually say your good-byes. I will miss you here, you know that, should you decide to go, but I will, of course, respect your decision and understand where it comes from.
I think it must have been tough to write this and, moreover, expose your controversial opinion in this manner. Thank you for having the guts to put down and publish what you feel.
I, however, disagree in many points with your thoughts. But, I have to admit, I have also at first noticed a change in passion when it came to watching the show. I said this before – while last season I got up way before going to work to watch the episode, with this season I haven’t found it necessary so far – because it was particularly hard to watch.
For me it’s Saturday, and there are always lots of things, professional and private, to address that I download the episode, do my stuff and watch it then. I have a feeling, though, that this is changing.
This season has been hard to watch. From the get go I had major problems liking this Sam, and it was heartbreaking for me to see him like that. It was also heartbreaking to see how badly Dean was coping with the loss of this brother and that he wasn’t able to let go. This is a huge issue both brothers still have a lot to learn about – how to let the other go. But with their paranormal knowledge they refused to accept something as natural as Death and it’s been a constant cause of misery in their lives.
I second what our two gentlemen here, anonymousN and ChristopherH said, in wondering beforehand how they would top the story we’ve already seen. To my mind they are not trying to top it, but to establish another show. I think it had to be another show, though I would have appreciated it to be less emotionally taxing.
The brotherly relationship is still there, but it has severely changed, and it can’t be the same as in season one. These men are not the same anymore, and hardly anyone could be after everything they have been through. So, from a psychological point of view, I welcome the tension and the conflicts, as they are incredibly real and logical in terms of psychological continuity.
I take issue, however, with this, dear: ‘…. Does that mean that Dean is going to have to revert back to the big brother protector role of Season 1 and 2 where he’s essentially holding Sammy’s hand as the nightmares come? Really? I thought Sam was all grown up.’
If we postulate that Sam has been severely tortured in hell and those memories are starting to leak, he will behave like many real-life severely tortured people do – be in need of help, even of having someone holding their hand, have someone understand why they wake up screaming at night, can’t stand certain noises or have hallucinations.
It’s not a matter of being grown up or not. Both brothers are grown up men. But there are circumstances a grown up man can be just as vulnerable as a child or in need of forgiveness, tenderness, the plain old cuddle by those closest to him. Pain is universal. Such is the terror of torture. It destroyes absolutely.
When I think of how many grown men I’ve seen weeping their eyes out because of what they had experienced, I just couldn’t say: ‘Ah, come on, grow up.’ That’s not what a situation like that is about.
I understand why you are so bitter about the development, and it hurts me to read this, actually. Personally, I don’t see a Dean vs. Sam scenario anywhere and I never have (I know it has been an issue in countless discussion within the fandom for a while)
The way I watch the show I have always seen the stories of two different men, their different reactions to situations, their different approaches to all kinds of questions. I we look at this story from the point of view Kripke declared early on (in terms of a Luke Skywalker/Han Solo allegory), it is the classic mythological tale of the hero’s quest, as Campbell in his books so wonderfully described.
Without Han, Luke would have never achieved what he did. Without Sam Frodo would have never got to Mount Doom to destroy the ring- and wasn’t Samwise the true hero here? The one who stood by Frodo even when the blue eyed hobbit was behaving miserably, aggressively and treacherously under the influence of the ring. A lesser man would not have been able to do that. But that’s just me.
I don’t see a competition here.
I agree that we have a lot of possible storylines and I hope we will get answers, soon, as to where we are heading.
This last episode altered something in my feelings towards the show. I feel the old passion awaken again and the joy I had watching it before. It’s coming back to me, but I can’t even explain why at the moment. I’m sure it will come to me when I least expect it, but I am so very happy that I have the feeling again that this is the show I love, the best show on television at present.
It’s a different one, a show that has grown, also. I have moved on in my life, there have been difficult days I had to overcome since I started watching the show and I, myself, have changed to some extent because of that. This show had to change, too, precisely because the characters have gone through so much unfathomable pain. Both. I think because they were able to change and go with what their lives had in store for them, they will survive and grow, eventually.
Flexibility is by far the healthier approach to life than rigidity, I’d say. The strongest trees are the ones that bend in a storm, the other stiff ones are easily broken.
Thank you, Elle2, again, for giving us your perspective. I still hope you will find what you felt about this show again. I do. It’s not my place to change your opinion though I would welcome to find the right words that might return to you what you lost, as I know how much love you invested in watching this show and writing about it and I imagine that you will miss it, too.
How ever your decision will look like after episode 12, I will support it and your personal views, though not being of the same opinion, and respect that you have to do what a woman’s gotta do sometimes. 😉
Blessed be, Jas
Elle2, I feel such compassion for your frustration. I have some of the same issues with this season, but haven’t reached the level of disillusionment you seem to have reached after ep 11. I’m truly sorry you’re this upset.
I’ve been going back and watching favorite episodes from earlier seasons to kind of “keep hope alive” if you will, and I reached a conclusion. There is something, for me, that just seems to be missing so far in season 6. In season 1 we knew after the first few episodes that we would be searching for John through the whole season. In season 2 we realized right away that we’d be going after the YED. Season 3 was the journey to save Dean from hell right from episode 1. In season 4 we quickly homed in on stopping Lucifer from rising. And, in season 5, we were all about averting the apocolypse right from the beginning. We all knew exactly where we here headed and while some episodes along the way were better than others, it always felt like we were driving forward and anticipating arriving at that end goal. This season I have no freaking clue where all of this is going and I think that is somehow robbing the emotional investment we used to have in the characters.
There are things I like about this season–I’m intrigued about what’s going on in heaven and bringing souls into the spotlight is interesting to me. I also flip flop back and forth about which brother is my favorite at the moment, so I am thankfully spared from having some of those frustrations. I just think that not knowing where we’re going is affecting how much I’m able to invest in each episode this season so far. I still love this show, but it feels very different this season.
As someone who came into this show 1/2 way through season 5 and then picked up the rest of the seasons to play catch up, I’ve always been drawn to Dean. But, in all honesty, I initially thought that the show was centered around Sam.
Yes, there is the relationship between the brothers, but I believed that Sam was always supposed to be the significant one. Until Dean’s deal and the fallout from that. Then, I saw them on equal footing. Two story-lines that came together nicely.
It wasn’t until the end of season five that I ventured into fandom and then ventured right back out. Sam vs. Dean? Dean vs Sam? I never saw it, except when they were pounding on each other in the show.
I don’t see it this season either. The show has given us Dean’s POV about what is happening to Sam. Sometimes to the point where Sam has fallen to the background, but yet I get the feeling that Sam is at the center again, but Dean playing a close second. This season is a mess and has none of the charm of the earlier seasons, but I’ll wait to see how everything unfolds before I pass judgement.
So as someone who came late to the game, I’ve always loved Dean. His broken esteem, beautiful love for family, and dedication to everyone he loves always at the cost of his own self.
I also love Sam. Young and rebellious at first, twisted and verging on evil all while trying to do the right thing, and now …well, we’ll have to wait and see.
Until then, I rarely venture into fandom because of posts like this and much worse ones that litter the internet. I’ll enjoy my show with my husband and continue to watch while I still enjoy.
thanks!
I’m sorry you’re all disgruntled, Elle2, let’s hope 12 proves to be the magic number and wins you back!
I wasn’t too impressed with this season until the last few episodes when it all started to gel for me … Initially the whole Sam’s-gone-wrong-again saga left me thinking ” Oh for f*cks sake, we just left this party!” but now I’m all agog to find out what’s behind Death and the Soul Shenanegans ( sounds like a boy band ) and everything else … I’m going to wait and see if the flapping forest of loose ends get tied up in a satisfying fashion or not … fingers crossed!
I’m not bothered about which brother has center stage, either, in fact I loved the one where they both got binned in favour of Bobby!
Hi Elle2
I’m with you on some of the things you have written.
I can’t say I agree with it all, but I do understand you’re frustration.
I really hope episode 12 bring about what it is you are looking for, as I would hate to see you leave.
I too had high expectations for this season.
After what had transpired in Swan Song, I had expected to see the brothers back as a team, fighting the good fight together again.
I in no way expected to see the same two people from seasons 1- 3.
I really wasn’t expecting rainbows and sunshine and them Tra-la-la-ing together in the Impala, I knew there would be some angst and tense moments between them. But what I was expecting was to see two mature, grown men working as an equal team.
And I have to admit I was very disappointed when it was first hinted that the brother’s relationship was going to be tampered with once again. After the deterioration of the brother’s relationship through season 4 and 5, I really thought this storyline was going to put to rest.
For me this show has always been about the brothers relationship, that is what attracted me to this show in the first place. I like you (I believe you mentioned this in another post) have always found myself attracted to all the Buddy type shows going back as far as Starsky and Hutch and my all time favourite Simon and Simon. Actually it was because of Simon and Simon that I wanted to watch Supernatural, thinking and hoping it would have the same rapport, the same brotherly banter, love and angst, and believe me, it not only delivered, it exceeded my expectations. This is why I was so disappointed in now a third season of the brother’s relationship being almost torn to threads.
However I’m still holding on to hope that things are going to improve now that Sam has been reunited with his soul and that he has become a whole person again. I’m in no way expecting everything to be hunky dory, I know I’m in for some very intense and emotional moments ahead, but I have to believe that the relationship will prevail, otherwise this season has been for nothing. Well at least to me.
I also have found the writing when referring to Sam’s soullessness has had me confused on several occasions.
To me he as displayed a lot of emotions throughout this season. I know they tried to explain that in Clap your Hands, with Sam saying he had to pretend, but to me some scenes his reactions and facial expressions were so immediate that he could not possibly had time to ponder on what emotion he should be showing. I feel that maybe the writers were given full reign to interpret their own opinion of how someone who is soulless should act and that is why there have been some discrepancies. I am more than likely wrong on this but that is how I see it.
As for who has suffered more, I have to admit I don’t see it at this point that the writers have implied Sam’s stay has been worst than Deans. I know in Swan Song, Dean mentioned that Sam going into the pit with Lucifer would be worst than what he experienced, but that was the only an assumption. Yes they have implied that Sam’s soul is suffering, but I don’t see where it was implied that Dean had suffered any less. Until we do hear of Sam’s experience the only thing that can possibly be said at this point is that Sam has endeared a longer stay in hell than Dean.
Now with this Sam vs Dean thing, I truly don’t see where one brother’s storyline, although they are both different, has been portrayed as more relevant or more important than the other. I think the focus on both throughout the 5 ½ years has been quite balanced.
However I have to say I do understand that when someone has a preference or relates to one character over another, they will be more protective and sensitive to that character and will do anything to defend their actions. I think this is normal and I don’t have a problem with it. But with that, one has to remember that what you are feeling, others are feeling the exact same way only with the other character. Both sides are entitled to their opinion and to their feelings, and neither are right nor wrong for feeling the way. But I feel both should also be open-minded and appreciate and respect each other. Do unto others that you would have them do to you.
I believe this season has been one hell of a bumpy ride and at times I thought about getting off, but I love this show too much and so I’m still hanging on with tight fist and will see this ride to the end. I am remaining hopeful and positive.
Just an added note the acting by Jared, Jensen, Jim and even Misha (even though he has not been in too many episodes as yet) this season has been astounding.
It took me a few reads of this article to write this comment because at first I was wondering – Are you arguing a Dean vs Sam thing or are you arguing bad writing this season.
I’m not going to go into a Dean vs Sam thing because IMO – Sam is the fuel for Dean’s character. And to keep Dean burning if they have to beat up Sam then so be it – Hurt!Sam = Heroic!Dean and that makes me warm and fuzzy inside and keeps my TV tuned to the CW on Friday nights.
Now if you want to argue bad writing and failed character arch’s – well there has been so many why get disappointed now? Seriously – I can’t count how many excellent story plots for the characters went to the wayside in just about every season up to this one and I bet this one won’t be any different either.
I was in your shoes too, Elle2, except I felt let down with “Exile on Main Street” and remained angry till “Clap your hands if you believe”. Why did it change there? Because I finally caught on to the fact that I was being selfish. I wanted, despite what I knew it would do to the show, for Sam and Dean to immediately be “brotherly” again. Its taken them 2 years to tear the brother’s relationship, not apart mind you, not even Heaven and Hell combined could do that, but the bond has definitely got some deep gouges in it.
How Sera will pull all of this together who knows – She’s got alot of work to do and with little episodes left to do it in as well, now that we’re up to epi 12 in January. Maybe it will go well and maybe there will be some disappointments, either way I’m betting we’ll all still be watching the show in the end.
So chin up Elle2 and in Dean’s immortal words:
“FIGHT THE FAIRIES!” LMAO … Or in your case the Supernatural Blues
😛
Thank you to all who have taken the time to leave a comment.
For those of you wondering why I chose to go so negative and bitter and frankly against what I hold near and dear here at The Winchester Family Business, well, all I can say is that I trust this site to allow me my many ups and joys and highs and woo-hoos over this show, and in nearly two years of writing here and some 90 plus clickable links to my articles, you’ll see that there has been love, love and unadulterated love. Sure I’ve nitpicked a bit here and there over a plot device or perhaps a character that seemed awry but overall it has been love.
Lately that love has grown cold and this is my one and only time that I’ll be expressing it. There have been hints of it in some of my reviews from this season, notably it started after Live Free or Twi-Hard but there was a rebound until my dismay of Caged Heat. I do not however wish to spread negativity so thus this article is my chance to get it all out at one time, and I have.
I don’t go to LV or TWOP so I know nothing of what is said there. I don’t make a habit of reading negativity and then repeating it elsewhere nor do I intend to start now. This is my final note on negative because I’d rather celebrate the positives.
Anyone new to this site and/or new to my writing need not feel afraid to check out any of my prior articles for they are full of joy and love and looking for the fun and the positives.
Why didn’t I share my dismay over Sam’s dropped storylines or disservices done to the character before, for the same reason I don’t go back as some do to all of those same issues for Dean. As someone else stated above, there are plenty of opportunities to go back and tear the show apart from The Pilot through Appointment in Samarra and I don’t wish to do that.
Why did I decide to do it now? Perhaps because for me a tipping point was reached with respect to Dean’s character, Sam’s character and the heart and soul of the show which has always been what drove me to love it in the first place, the relationship of the brothers. A careful read of my article will show that while I’m disappointed in things done with Dean from Two Minutes to Midnight onward, I’m very disappointed with what has been done to Sam this season and do not so much hope for the future for Sam’s journey as things currently stand.
I’m spending the rest of this winter-hellatus reveling in the first five seasons of the show and trying to let go my expectations going forward. The writers are going to do what they will with the show despite my protests or fears or fondest wishes and I know that; it’s cool as well, their show, their livelihoods, their vision not mine.
Perhaps my fears are misplaced. I hope so. Perhaps I’ve just decided I no longer enjoy the journey and it is time to leave; there will be no hurt feelings from me should I decide to go. I chose to go along on the ride, there was no pressure to force my choice and there will be no pressure to force my departure; simply will be a matter of choice.
Everyone’s comments have been helpful to me and I thank you all, yes, those that disagree vehemently with me as well as those who agree strenuously with me and everyone in between as well as those who have no comment on my position but rather state their own way of viewing the show. It’s all helpful and I appreciate the ‘group therapy’.
As always, thanks for reading.
I will be sorry Elle2 if you leave the show and I don’t get to read any more of your articles, but I will understand completely. I’ve previously agreed almost 98% of the time with your comments about our show.
In a way I understand this article from your point of view as you are ghosting some of my own feelings. I, too, greatly enjoy seasons 1, 2 and 3 way more than 4, 5 and so far 6. The brotherly relationship is what I loved the most about this show and without that, it’s like eating mashed potatoes without butter or gravy. Just not the same at all. 🙁 I was hoping that this season would give us back that relationship we both love and since it hasn’t yet it has been disappointing so far. Not to say I don’t consider the production and the acting anything else but excellent this season. Jensen and Jared have been simply awesome so far. But Dean and Sam are damaged and apart and that is what I can’t like. Hopefully it will be fixed in the second half of the season.
For me, I have never seen Dean as merely a chauffeur or there just to worry about Sam. Dean is the centre of the show for me, and I love him dearly for his devotion and love of his family and his protective fatherly role towards his little brother. He does have a soft centre which showed up as early as the third episode in the series (Dead in the Water) and he hides it so very well under that smartass cocky badass attitude (which, by the way, I also love). And yet, Dean would not be Dean without Sammy, so it is the brothers together which makes this show so very special for me.
The only way (for me) for this show to jump the shark would be if Jared or Jensen quit the show and left it as a one brother show. That would be unacceptable entirely! 👿
I literally hate and detest the Dean vs Sam crap that so many sites seem to encourage. They don’t know how lucky they are to have such a wonderful show to argue about.
I haven’t hated Sam this season as I didn’t believe since the first show that the thing that looks like Sam is Sam at all. I haven’t had a smidgen of sympathy for that sociopathic walking body that will do anything to anybody in order to obtain it’s desires of the moment. My Sam is the soul, wherever it was, that seems to have been ripped from its body. When Dean went to hell, it was his SOUL being tortured and tormented while his body rotted in the ground. Sam’s body was still walking around, just like Pandora posted, zombie/Angela was walking around and not Angela at all. Robo/Sam and zombie/Angela are like two peas in a pod and both were ready to murder to get their way, even the ones who still loved them the most.
So, Elle2, I hope episode 12 will keep you here and give you some hope for the future. I still have hopes that the relationship will be restored and we will again have team Winchester to struggle against the sons of bitches of the world, including angels, demons, alphas and perhaps Grandad. 😉
It wouldnt hurt to remember that Sam didnt ask for body/soul to be seperated and IF you couldnt relate to the body you should of had no problem relating to the situation that Sam is in and how Souless Sam came about.And this is a general statment and observation from the article above and from certain comments I have read .
@Ellie_444. Precisely. Thank you so much for pointing this out. We are not supposed to relate to RoboSam, who is an empty vessel. We’re supposed to care about the REAL Sam, who sacrificed himself and now, as a “reward”, is being tortured in the cage (and being hated by fandom) while his soulless body walks the Earth doing mischiefs. If you look at it, Sam is a VICTIM. It’s a shame that his situation is not relatable to so many.
I haven’t had the time to read the comments yet, so I am replying directly to Elle2’s article.
Thank you, Elle2. You seem to be in the same spot I was in at the end of season 5. Yet I am still watching and not feeling bitter about show any more… 😉 I very much wish episode 12 convinces you to stay. But if it doesn’t, here is a big thank you for all the wonderful articles you’ve given us over the last two years (I’ve lurked far more than I’ve commented)! You will be missed.
Now to answer some of the points you made:
“Sam didn’t get what he deserved (in the SPN realm) for he sacrificed himself for the greater good. Everyone else was rewarded with healing and life except Sam.â€
Yes, I don’t get it either. The logic behind this completely escapes me, as it not only contradicts Chuck’s point about everything having been a test, it also completely pre-empted the advertised direction the show was supposed to take this season – emphasis on the brotherly bond, where are you indeed!
“So, Dean and Sam’s souls both were tortured and tormented in hell and it has been stated time and time and time again that Sam’s is worse.
…
He’ll be mournful and guilt-ridden for all that he did without a soul but since he’s fragile because of how the writers have framed this, Dean will forgive him and tell him not to worry and protect him. Sheesh, again, I thought Sam was all grown up now.â€
I see this as grave disservice to both characters. Sam cannot be the perpetual victim AND a hero. I am still in mourning over the brief glimpse of him as an adult we got in PONR. That is the Sam Winchester I want to see on the screen – I brave, thoughtful, caring, responsible man, who can shoulder the burden of others in their hour of need and inspire them. Why we didn’t get that Sam in season 6 is beyond me. Not only that, we actually haven’t even seen him for 11 episodes!
As you very amply put it:
“…that’s all about the wow factor with very little consistency to the characters.â€
Dean’s character has suffered by proxy. His love for his brother has been cruelly exploited and slammed in his face because… Dean Winchester should not be allowed to experience anything but extreme anguish? I am surprised he hasn’t lost his mind five times already. His character has been in a rut for two full seasons if not more. Dean Winchester cannot be a perpetual angst-fest AND a hero. I for one do not regard people who only care for their family, and only occasionally and almost by accident (see last episode) for others, as heroes. I can fully understand why some fans view Dean as selfish. If he is not let out form under the shadow of his family he’s bound to become the most pathetic excuse for a hero there ever was.
Then there is the issue of “Is Sam Winchester a monster (yet again for the 5th time)?†Why that storyline had to be introduced again is not very clear to me. Admittedly, we’ve never had a doppelganger Sam, but couldn’t it be constrained to five or six episodes?
Now that we’ve spent half a season with him we are so used to him, he could almost pass as the real Sam. Other articles on this very site indicate this. He exhibited enough human traits to be accepted as human by at least part of the viewers.
A very unfortunate consequence of it is this:
“it’s really not Sam’s fault for he has no soul thus he has no compass thus he really doesn’t know or understand what he’s doing, so we have to help him. â€
“I feel like I’m being hit with a blunt instrument telling me I have to care about Sam… and that Dean is the bad guy for wanting to retrieve his soul…â€
We were being shown RoboSam’s actions while being told about real Sam’s suffering. And the border between them has never been explained. I am not surprised at all that the two would seem more or less the same, so the appeal to pity Sam would end up sounding grotesque and cause resentment instead.
“There is no sighting to be had of the brotherly bond, the story has been written in such a way as to prevent a true bond being reestablishedâ€
This is the crux of the matter for me. With both brothers supposed to be heroes, but falling short; supposed to be adults, but still infantile in their inexplicable co-dependence; supposed to have a “bondâ€, but completely unable to communicate, I feel detached from the show. I still watch, but the breathless anticipation is gone, SPN is rather a pleasant background to whatever else I’m doing.
Wow, elle2 do you feel better now that you have gotten that all off your chest. You need a hug, and some chocolate.
Lucky for you, we are all your friends and we support you and will miss you if you feel that you need to say ‘goodbye’. 🙁
But, please give the show some time to win back your love. As you know, you can not really appreciate the episodes until the season is over and you can rewatch earlier episodes knowing how it all works out in May.
I feel that now that Sam has his soul back, he and Dean will reconnect and be brothers again. Dean in the beginning was off his game because he didn’t know how to react to the Soulless One, and Sam was dead inside, so he didn’t give a s@@t about Dean. But that should change now. (fingers and toes are crossed).
I think that the Soulless One finally went to Dean in ‘Exile’ because he may not have had any feelings for his brother, but he did have memories of those feelings and knew that he could not allow Dean to be harmed by the djinn.
I think the Soulless One hunted because that is all he knew and he needed to do something. He couldn’t go back to college because ‘Sam Winchester’ is supposed to be dead (Jus in Bello). So he hunted and worked out. 😀
Just wanted to show my support for you, and to say please give our wonderful show another chance.
Now – the Sam vs. Dean issue…
I myself have fallen victim to it more times than I’m comfortable to admit.
I’ve come to believe the writers did Sam and Dean a disservice by allowing one brother (more often Sam) to mostly carry the plot while the other mostly carries the “bondâ€.
A consequence of the above is that Sam has had to remain enigmatic for large chunks of each season, so that the viewers wouldn’t guess the plot too soon. Thus we were deprived of his POV and forced to imagine what he might think or feel until it was revealed with a spectacular bang around sweeps time.
At the same time Dean has had to carry the emotional core and serve as the viewers’ POV way too long. We know him too well. When there is no mystery left a character might start to get stale. I don’t mean to say that he hasn’t done spectacularly well most of the time – my personal highlight is the beginning of AHBL pt. II. I still regard is as one of the very best scenes I’ve ever watched.
But already in season 4, when Dean had every right to be falling apart after his experience in Hell, I was growing tired of his tearful confessions by the Impala (and hating myself for it, because it felt terribly unfair of me). Yet, it kept happening, until by the time 4.16 rolled around, I concluded that I must be the most horrible and unfeeling cynic on the planet.
At the same time I had to keep guessing how Sam might be feeling and growing mighty annoyed that he acted like he had lockjaw around his brother. The few times we got a glimpse of how he really felt were wonderful. IKWYDLS and WTLB were nothing short of heartrending. We were shown that the stoic exterior was nothing but a brittle shell over someone who felt so intensely he feared he might fall apart if it came to the surface. We were also left in no doubt about Sam’s love for Dean.
Ironically, it were the episodes told from the POV of the brother NOT portraying the bond as a rule that affirmed my belief in said bond and fuelled my passion for the show.
Another example that comes to mind is “Mystery Spotâ€. All was told from Sam’s POV, both brothers came out of it extremely dear to my heart.
Season five marked the beginning of my disenchantment with the show. The writers seemed to not really know what to do with the brothers. For some reason character growth stopped and Sam and Dean started to even regress, at times for no discernible reason (FI comes to mind as the most grotesque example). The only two highlights for me were “The End†and “Point of no Returnâ€, because we got a glimpse of the brothers as adults as opposed to petulant teenagers (or whiny kindergarteners – a behaviour exhibited by their supposed counterparts Lucy and Mickey on a regular basis).
I am still waiting for the adult Sam and Dean to return to my screen. Give them their independence and their humour; make them actually REMEMBER their experiences and the lessons they learned; and THEN let them hunt monsters, be detectives, have other relationships etc. Then I’ll forget to count screen time and to deliberate who wronged whom first and be able to enjoy the show fully. Who would care about Sam vs. Dean if we had a compelling story with great characters to watch?
Thank you, elle2, for having the courage to say what a number of other Dean fans have been feeling about this season, myself included. I’ve come to accept that the mytharc has always been his story from Day 1 so Sam will always be more important in the writers’ eyes. But there’s no need to make Sam’s storyline being so dominant that every other storyline and character, including Dean, end up languishing in the background. I would have loved just a little more balance: not everything this season had to revolve around Sam and his soul.
I really don’t know why Dean is even in the show at this point except to service Sam’s storyline and be Sam’s support system/protector/savior/whatever Sam needs. I did like “Appointment” and I hope Dean being identified as the detective actually means something. The issue for me is that the writers have betrayed my trust before: what happened at the end of S5 with Dean’s storyline being one example. All those early promos/season descriptions implying that Dean would be an important focus this season was another. Now I realize that pre season PR was just Sera’s attempt to keep unhappy Dean fans from bolting and I’m not convinced that Detective Dean isn’t just more of the same. Smoke and mirrors, trying to camoflauge the extreme bias the show has towards Sam and keeping only him front and center.
It’s just baffling to me why the show wouldn’t just go with the easiest solution- feature both brothers equally in the forefront, with arcs that celebrate them as individuals while keeping them connected as brothers. Sam has never been all about Dean; I don’t see why, at this point, Dean has to be all about Sam either. They’re brothers and their relationship is important but they also need to exist as individuals too.
Elle2,
I can only give you a standing ovation for having the courage not only to write, but post for all to read, an opinion I’ve long held about the show.
Jensen’s work has kept me hanging on this long but even he, with his ability to turn lead into gold, may not be able to keep me after 6.12 either.
Again, thankyou so much for stating more succinctly than I ever could, the various problems I’ve had with the show for a couple of seasons now.
Thank you so much for this Elle! THANK YOU! You’ve stated everything I have found wrong with this season and did it perfectly. Everything! I agree, it has become the season of Sam, even after 5 years of SamSamSam this season is the worst. Sera has outdone herself servicing her favorite character and her favorite fandom and I’ve come to realize that she doesn’t care a twit for Dean fans. So unfortunately, I don’t see any changes. For Sera, it’s all about Sam.
Dean who?
I will do what I’ve been doing, recording, reading reviews and maybe watching. I know I haven’t watched all the episodes because this season has been so disappointing it’s heartbreaking.
I can’t believe how much both Sera and Kripke have snubbed not only Jensen, but also Dean and Dean fans. After 5 years of support, this is the thanks the Dean fans get, and what’s more hurtful, is this is the thanks Jensen gets for carrying this show this far. How ungrateful both showrunners have been.
So I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this article. I don’t know if I will be back to check out episode 12. Maybe yes, maybe no. So far, nothing this season has done has led me to believe that anything will change. Dean fans, Dean and Jensen get screwed once again. Yes, I am also very bitter.
i want to thank galina for her insightful and thoughtful comments. i can understand the frustration of dean fans about a lack of mythic arc for his character (altho, i do think the angel vessel qualifies as one). still, overall the mythology has revolved around sam b/c of the demon blood that was introduced into his body as a baby, the ensuing psychic powers, etc. however, dean fans don’t seem to realize how hungry sam fans (yes, i’m one) are for episodes that actually show sam’s point of view, his feelings, his internal landscape. the mythology revolves around sam’s character, but the show revolves around deans’. truly there have been so many times the past 2.5 years i felt sam had disappeared from the show. dean had much more dialogue, screen time, relationship connections with the supporting characters (bobby, cas, even zachariah, and now death) and the episodes are almost exclusively told through his point of view. so it seems some balance for all concerned would be appreciated: more dean-specific story lines and more POV story-telling for sam. i really won’t be surprised if the dean storyline takes off in the 2nd half of the season b/c he has seen behind the curtain of Death, broken the pschic barrier with the vamps and also been plunged into the faerie realm. i also don’t think the lisa/ben story line has been completely dropped and that there’s more coming on that front. i’ve never felt dean’s character has been written soft this season … i don’t get it when fans voice this. dean’s character is intense, irreverent and very cool with a fierce, fierce loyalty to those he loves. jensen ackles is an incredibly creative and nuanced actor whom i have a lot of respect for. (they must have so much fun on set!) so i’m not trying to diss dean or ackles in any way. i’ve just been drawn to sam from the beginning — the intelligence, warmth, and conscience he so sensitively portrayed over the first 3 seasons — and will just say those of us on ‘this side of the fence’ also have our disappointments in how a brother character (sam) has been portrayed or lack there of. i love what galina wrote about wanting to see the more mature side of both brothers that we have glimpsed from time to time. to delve into their relationship at an honest, real and complex level. having said all of this, i still respect the writers and the creative risks they are taking. i will continue to tune in. having such passion for the show and for sam’s character, i understand your deep disappoint elle2 — i think we’re similar, just coming at it from a different brother, so hang in there elle2! let’s see how things develop on the backside of season 6.
p.s. jas — i really appreciate all the honest, based-in-true-life comments you’ve made about trauma and its impact on the psyche and emotions … very spot on.
Elle2, I have a lot to say but no time to say it right now. Maybe I’ll be able to come back later to post in more detail.
What it all comes down to “I totally and completely AGREE!” You are not at all alone in these feelings and I think you’ve laid them out very well.
I’ll also quote this from celinamaya’s post:
“It’s just baffling to me why the show wouldn’t just go with the easiest solution- feature both brothers equally in the forefront, with arcs that celebrate them as individuals while keeping them connected as brothers. Sam has never been all about Dean; I don’t see why, at this point, Dean has to be all about Sam either. They’re brothers and their relationship is important but they also need to exist as individuals too.”
Me too! To me it actually seems like it must be harder to ignore all the potential in Dean’s possible plotlines than to actually use those things to create a role for him as an individual. To further clarify, not just with “arcs that celebrate them as individuals” but in Dean’s case which brings to the forefront his considerable skills, strengths and instincts in the supernatural realm, as a hunter and protector of people(in general). He’s not just Dean the guy about his family. He’s so much more than that and it’s a waste to keep him tethered there – it’s live every time he starts to move forward they(the writers) pull him back in.
Elle2, I have posted here several times about my feelings regarding season 6. By “Family Matters,” I had grown to hate what I was seeing. I so thoroughly and completely understand each and every point you made, and I agree completely.
By the time CYHIFB aired, I was so angry at the writers, the episode just infuriated me. They had decided to take this horrendous plot device of the not!Sam and spin it into comic relief. I was ready to walk away from the show altogether. That, for me, was huge. I have never loved a show so completely as I have Supernatural. I have never been quiet about the flaws I have seen in it, but overall, I loved it best.
To reach the point of abandoning ship was a sign of how bad things have gotten. After CYHIYB, I stepped back, threw out my expectations and tried to enjoy the episode. I did enjoy it. Not as much as pretty much every other humorous episode of the show, but enjoyable. I tried Caged Heat using the same premise, and I enjoyed it as well, but I still didn’t know if I could handle the show anymore on its present trajectory. The news that Sam would get his soul back in Appointment was elating. I was prepared to dismiss the entire first half of Season 6 as the Arc of Suck, and move on.
Now, I look back, and I get an inkling of what the writers are attempting. I think they overextended. What do I mean by that? You have to give your audience hope. You have to give them something to hold onto for them to stay with you for the duration of your “story.” I think Gamble and Co. overestimated the love and goodwill they had. They overestimated the trust and confidence we have in them.
As I have stated on this site more than once, I have HUGE issues with this tampering about with Lucifer’s cage. The idea that Crowley could get in there is ludicrous. Far more powerful demons than he had to jump through the most agonizing set of hoops imaginable to get it open in the first place. The season so far seems determined to erase the last moments of Swan Song completely and retcon it with this “rubbish.”
However, that said, the writers surprised me. Death was the perfect character to get in that cage. I could buy that. Why Sam’s soul was till there? I have no idea, and depending on how they play this out, it could break the mythology for me. If that happens, i will probably have to bid the show adieu.
But I will hang on, and I will watch from episode 12 on. To the end of the season? No idea. But, I realized that item by item, with few exceptions, the problems i had with the show and season 6 were under the category of “as of yet unknown.” I was angry over things that have not been addressed in the story. Appointment gave me enough faith in the writers to see if they can pull this off.
Now, those exceptions. The soulless!Sam story line is in many ways a disaster. They tell us he is incapable of feeling, but he’s feeling all over the place. I don’t fault Jared for that. I fault the writers. If they had explained that he was all id, with no ego or superego, I think it would make more sense. The idea of the sociopath as a human without a soul is a fascinating idea. The problem is once you start mucking about with souls, you enter the nebula of “what is a soul?” And that answer has as many answers as there are people. As their rules were presented, they did not follow them.
This plot needed to wrap up 5 episodes earlier than it did. At least. I am utterly bewildered by people who go on about loving this Sam, when they and the writers have been flashing neon signs over his head to tell us “THIS ISN’T SAM!!!” We watch for the brothers. As much as I love Dean, the show doesn’t work without Sam. I don’t think one is more important than the other, but I agree with you that they are often treated unequally, and more often than not, Dean gets short shrift.
Will the writers be able to pull this off? I honestly don’t know. There are definite moments of creative brilliance in this season. Potentially, if they can deliver the monumentally huge payoff they pretty much have to deliver to keep their fans happy, this could be the best season yet, flaws and all.
I guess I said this with one intention: your list of valid grievances, are they crimes already committed, or are they mostly things that we still just don’t know? Do you have enough faith in the writers to stick it out and see if they can pull it off?
If you can, like me, find that extra bit of hope, lets watch this “chaos” together and see what’s in store. If it’s a wreck? Then I have a convertible Mustang. You, me, a few other angry friends, can all hop in and we will go to Vancouver and pelt Gamble and Co with rotten fruit, as truly “aggressive” angry and disgruntled fans should.
Consider me another frustrated Sam fan whose suffered through too much of Dean everything on SPN to feel that sorry for Dean fans upset with Swan Song or the current season. Sam dies a hero and he is hated and resented for it. Go figure. Soulless Sam gets equal treatment with Dean for 4 episodes and it is like the world coming to an end. How many Dean fans thought it was awesome that Dean’s suffering in Hell for 40 years automatically trumped any pains suffered by Sam or anyone else on the show? How many Dean fans gloated every time Dean was handed an episode practically all to himself, while Sam fans had to stick it with his pointless absence from these same episodes? In the Beginning destroyed the Supernatural concept of brotherhood and family for me, and this show may only now be recovering from that soulless debacle this season. It really depends on how brave and smart Sera Gamble is, if she can stick to her guns and continue treating Sam like a person who matters when his soul is returned. The test for me on this show is whether or not Sam will still be up front and center, talking to everyone like Soulless Sam got to, and being allowed to develop outside relationships the way Dean gets to. Really, Dean has everyone on the show in his corner, he’s their special favorite, no matter what, while Sam only has Dean, but only just barely for the past 3 seasons. Talk about heartless and soulless, try living with that for your favorite character for 4 seasons running. Because that is exactly what Sam fans have been forced to eat if they want to continue watching this show.
It’s been hard, but I’ve continued to watch and hope but really just take each episode as it comes, because I’ve never had an ounce of faith or trust in the writers and producers of Supernatural to do right by Sam and fulfill his character’s massive potential. Because mostly, they simply haven’t. Anything that goes beyond benign neglect, like we are getting now, is an artistic and moral victory for this show and it’s writing staff. So, I would like to compliment Sera and the writers for at least treating Soulless Sam like he is there and actively present so much. Now, if only we get the same equality in the second half of the season, I will count this season as something finally worthy of calling this a show about TWO brothers.
I would also like to compliment Jared Padalecki for not only being so graceful under all manner of working conditions and character changes, but also for really bringing home not only the dry wit of Soulless Sam but also showing us all how Absent the Real Sam has been all this time. He has done brilliant work and has been rightly praised in the press for this. Jared has been playing Not!Sam, whose been playing Sam, while also indicating how off he is from the season premiere onward to the conclusion of this Soulless Arc. It’s like he made Sam a puppet of himself. And it was brilliant and beautiful work. Thank you, Jared.
You are very brave, elle2. IMO, the writing took a drastic downturn after The End, when suddenly Dean had to be schooled in what it means to REALLY love Sam, because according to Kripke at this year’s Comic Con, he never did. I’m sorry, but in my mind, and especially after all that happened in S4, they put too much emphasis on “schooling” the wrong brother in familial love and devotion in S5-so for me, the brother bond was lost in S4 and never truly re-forged in S5. And then to add insult to injury, many in the Dean fandom were crushed by Kripke’s utter and complete removal of Dean(and Jensen)from the myth-arc of the story at the eleventh hour of the finale-and not just any season finale-the finale of the 5 season-long story; and this after he’d made such a big deal of Jensens’s having “earned” being brought into the myth-arc in S4-I guess some would consider being part of a 41 episode “red herring” as still having a role in the myth-arc, but I consider it a manipulation of an entire fandom that lead to a deep sense of betrayal regarding this showrunner that we had come to trust to do right by both his characters. Most of those same fans were still not over this sense of betrayal, when in the pre-season before 6, we were told in interviews and comments from the showrunner, writers, actors and others that Dean’s unique characterization that has been described as iconic to the show and that Jensen had pain-stakingly cultivated from S1 on, was going to go to Sam(and Jared) this season as part of a supposed role reversal that apparently also included Dean’s(and Jensen’s)own unique back from hell storyline(something many in the Dean Fandom saw as akin to Sam’s powers)…while Dean(and Jensen) would be gifted with…domestication….as his part in the role reversal. Nice.
I can only hope that they have something more worthwhile in store for the Dean character and for the actor who portrays him(and who has given his all for this show for 5 and a half seasons) in the second half of the season. My hope is only half-hearted, though, as my trust and respect for the writers of this show has been almost completely lost as a result of what happened in the storyboard and characterization-wise-predominantly to Dean, but really, to all the characters, since mid S5. Sadly, the way they went about trying to “push” the Sam character, has done just the opposite for me and has actually made him unbearable for me to watch anymore.
After watching Appointment in Samarra, I’m going to try and give them the rest of this season to get the show back on track, but much for me will depend on how they handle all the fall-out from Sam’s re-souling and hell experience AND this somewhat promising storyline they alluded to that seemingly has Dean at the center of it as Death’s “intrepid detective” looking for lost souls? Purgatory? Hopefully he will be given his Best DemonHunter on the Planet badge back with it, along with the BADASSITY that only Jensen can bring to the Dean role for me.
Thank you for having the courage to speak up.
I don’t know whether this is important or anyone has commented about this before here in this site or anywhere else.I don’t know if i am wrong but i got an idea so i am putting it out.Out of Dean and Sam ,Dean by refusing to be the michael’s sword is the one who has not been possessed by either an demon or angel and by Demons refusing to bring back Dean and Dean and Chuck interrupting Sam and Lilith deal Sam is the one who has not struck a deal with angel or demon. I have to re-watch to be sure but if this is true i don’t know how but may be this can give them a equal but different parts in the new mytharch…
May be we can include Bobby and Samuel also with Dean and Sam…
Thank you, elle for the article! Your views and concerns are shared by me. This season has been full of plotholes. I too blame the writers for hating the character of Sam. I used to love the show because of the relationship between the brothers. Now I think it is beyond repair.
Why the importance of Dean as a lead or part of the mytharc is dropped/reduced, is quite strange. I feel the more the writers try to make me like Sam, the more they fail. I don`t like being told whom to like or why. Show, not tell!
Sam saying yes to Lucifer was a requisite condition to be possessed and he offered himself to demon and Balthazar but no deal was struck..is it what you meant Leslie.
Sorry Elle2, no dice about me ever loving this article. You just had to bring the whole Dean issue in. Honestly, I respect your opinion as a long-time article writer for this site, but this is one thing I utterly disagree with.
I hear a lot of complaining about how Season 6 has all of this going on and no way will the show be able to tie it all together/make it work/make things better. First of all, I think that is plain pessimism since the season has only just recently reached HALFWAY. And, as many people demanded, Sam has his soul back; in fact, I feel like this is one of the fastest-moving seasons, in terms on continuous revelations and events, like Crowley dying, learning about Sam’s non-soul, etc. Things generally end up being tied together; for instance, when we were all suspicious about Sam acting strange in 6.01, it was explained later to viewers who had a bit of patience and trust.
Then there’s the “one brother is getting more attention” argument. There will be Dean episodes, there will be Sam episodes, but I don’t think you can get away saying that this season has been all about Sam. This season has been all sorts of crazy, but Sam crazy is not one of them; Sam hasn’t even been present for any of this season yet, technically just 2/3 of him. Sometimes it takes rewatching to realize who the show is focusing on, and sometimes its both characters. Just because something is happening TO someone doesn’t make the show completely about them; sometimes it’s how the other person is dealing and a deeper exploration of that. For instance, I first saw Season 5 as a Sam-centric season, focusing on him being the one to hold things together, to want to fight purely for good, to defeat the devil. But upon rewatching, I realized it was equal parts about Dean; Dean’s character and the limits he was tested to, while heartbreaking to watch, made the season about him as much as it was about Sam.
Speaking of Season 5. Sam’s sacrifice was just that — a sacrifice. It was the /sacrifice/ that redeemed him, not the very act of just jumping. It was the fact that he was knowingly and willingly facing down eternity with Lucifer, and that it was reality. Sam has always been a tragic hero, and while I certainly didn’t think it was fair that he fell into the pit I see some at least literary justice in having that happen.
It’s storytelling, and sometimes a riveting story isn’t necessarily what you want to happen to a character but it’s something that drives development, action, and thought. If at least Dean’s decision to keep shoving a soul down a body with his little brother’s voice and face wasn’t enough character revelation and change for you, I honestly don’t know how you’ve lasted this long with Supernatural in the first place.
I just have to ask one thing. Will Alice show this article with some of the Dean fans’ problems with this show like she did for the Sam fans? I don’t think she will. She has shown Sera over and over the Sam fans wish list and Sera has enjoyed over and over taking from Dean to give to Sam so that Sam fans can be happy. Will she also do this for Dean? Highly unlikely. She, like Kripke and some Samfans seen nothing wrong with Dean servicing Sam and being Sam’s doormat. After all, Sam is the hero and Dean is only his brother.
But it was nice to read this and know that there are others who have seen and felt the destruction of Dean and his arc in order to service Sam.
As for the borefest that was Souless Sam, good questions Elle. Now that Sam has his soul back, it’s not likely that he will be charged for any of the wrongs he did to Dean and others. And like other seasons, Sam’s actions toward Dean will be dismissed and Dean will have to treat Sam with kid gloves, making sure that Sam’s wall doesn’t break. In other words, its more servicing the Sam fans and Sam at Dean’s and Dean fans’ expense.
As for those who are still complaining that the show is about Dean, I can’t see what more Sera and Kripke can do for you. They’ve made everything about Sam and you still want more. And of course, Sera, the big Sam girl, will keep complying.
I will be watching Fringe. Supernatural knows how to destroy its best character to build up its favorite one, but Fringe knows how to tell good stories and keep its characters on equal ground.
These aren’t people, they’re tools for telling a story. The writers don’t owe them anything. The dynamic between them is the point of the narrative but arguing about who has the highest place in the foodchain is totally pointless.
To all who have contributed since the last time I thanked everyone I give a huge thank you.
So many well-thought out posts and comments and thoughts that I am already able to put aside the bitterness that sadly I allowed take over my love for this show and color this article.
Again, for those of you who do not agree with me I thank you very much for your thoughtful comments and your reasoning.
As someone asked earlier was my article arguing Sam v Dean or bad writing? Well, ultimately it argued both but to me the bad writing (as I currently see it) is the bigger issue for I allowed that to lead me to a Sam v. Dean.
Now I am busy rereading all my earlier articles and find myself amazed at how breathless and joyous I was with the show and it is a stark comparison to how I was when I wrote this article. I’m taking the many suggestions above from everyone and trying to see things in a different light.
I have a feeling that come the new year I’ll be settling in for a season 6 marathon with all the suggestions that have been offered to see this season in a new light.
Someone asked above, and I didn’t answer it I don’t believe so I’ll do so now, the Sam I indicate I hate this season which is it? It’s soulless Sam I hate this season, sure he’s snarky and fun with a one-liner but I dislike him intensely. Sam’s soul, the real Sam, the one who has been missing all season, I miss him terribly. I grieve for him. I am so glad Dean did what he did to get him out for that is the Sam that makes up the other half of the brotherly whole and him being gone for half the season is part of my problem this season, no Sam = no Sam and Dean = no Supernatural.
I will suggest to Grateful that I never had any qualms that Alice would post my article. It was a huge battle on my part to even ask her to for it flies in the face of what I love about TWFB and its negativity is awful for me. That so many have chosen to share their thoughts and comments and point of view, both agreeing and disagreeing, and have done so for the most part in a thoughtful and constructive manner is overwhelming to me and that in and of itself has helped me find a new outlook.
Your question or query as to whether Alice will show this to Sera for her to see and understand Dean fans’ point of view; I’m not aware that Alice has ever done that at any time over anything.
We’ve enjoyed some interview times with Ms. Gamble over the past few seasons and Alice has gotten questions submitted from the fans at the site and last year from the contributors to Ms. Gamble. Alice has also had a chance to one on one wiht several of the creative minds at the Comic Con but so do dozens and dozens of others. I don’t believe Alice has any access to Ms. Gamble for anything. Whoever led you to think or believe that I fear has given you a misrepresentation.
Again, thank you all for your patience and compassion and yes, at times you tough love, it’s all been very helpful to me and that is beyond what I ever expected.
I hope to see you all in the new year with a new attitude and outlook on my part, I truly do. You have all been helpful.
Dean has had more than his fair share of narrative on the show the problem seems to be he wasnt given the mytharc from the start and Sam was. Sam cant tae from Dean what was already Sams in the first place. I fail to see how focusing on Souless Sam and his soul being in hell , hurts Dean in anyway and considering what Season 4 was for Dean , Season 3 dealing with Deans deal , Season 2 Johns Deal and its affect on Dean , Johns secret aside from Sams destiny pk kides story which got dropped anyway. This Season it isnt has if Dean was in a episode for 40 seconds or pushed into the background he has been upfront and present in every episode he will get episodes in the second half of the Season that somehow because for the first time properly since Season 1 the show is dealing and rightly so something Sam has gone through that it stops Dean dead in his tracks from having a story or pov or attention. The same people complaining that what Sam is given is at Deans expense which it isnt but anyway are the same ones who have no trouble the other way round. The show is about two brothers but it seems to only apply to Dean when it is percieved Dean isnt getting what he is entitled to by some of his fans. Where in this first half of the Season has Dean been damaged or hurt as a character?. Was Sams sacrifice truly supposed to be handwaved away because it causes a affront to some of the fandom. Was Sams soul being in hell supposed to be ignored because it is a insult to some of Deans fandom.
Where is the stone that it is written in that Dean is the only Winchester allowed to suffer or have focus .
What Sam has had in the first half of the Season was needed and now his soul is back where it belongs and Dean has kept on walking and talking and having issues and the world hasnt stopped turning.I am happy that the writers gave this to Sam because it is along time since I felt this , that something Sam went through mattered and it didnt disappear under Deans sl or issues or pain.The show is about the two and the second half of the Season will reflect that as it reflected it in the first half .
AT LAST. WORD TO EVERY WORD OF THIS GREAT POST.
You’ve summed up everything I feel about the retconning of Dean’s role in the mytharc, his demotion back to chauffeur, the trivializing of what he endured in Hell, and the fact his redemption seems to mean nothing to the show’s writers.
This season so far has been a boring plothole-ridden mess, imo, with very little in it for Deangals. I’ll probably give it two or three more episodes to see if it looks like Dean will actually have a role beyond angsting after much-bigger-hero Sammy’s mutilated soul, but if nothing transpires, I’m out. I’m not hanging on for a similar disappointment to what happened at the end of season 5. Fanfic is already doing better than these writers, and I’m happy to get my onscreen SPN fix from seasons 1-4 and a few choice episodes of season 5.
“I guess some would consider being part of a 41 episode “red herring” as still having a role in the myth-arc, but I consider it a manipulation of an entire fandom that lead to a deep sense of betrayal regarding this showrunner that we had come to trust to do right by both his characters.”
This, Shelby. And Eric Kripke’s comments with regard to Dean being the representation of humanity and free will overcoming destiny are laughable given the fact Dean sat on the ground and watched at the end of Swan Song.
Elle2, thanks for the article. You had mentioned earlier that you were disappointed with the way things were panning out in season 6 so it’s good to know the reasons for. There’s so much food for thought on here.
Ok, was Dean’s time in hell downplayed? I honestly don’t think it was, or is going to be. I’m not quite sure what people would have liked to see in relation to this. I doubt the show could give us too much insight into the various ways Dean was tortured (though I’m sure Meg has all 40 years of it on Hell PPV!) so they did the next best thing; they showed the most shocking, brutal, vivid image of Dean on the rack and then left us, the viewers, to think about THAT for 4 months.
Was this way of doing things, to let the audiences imagination take over, better or worse than getting a blow-by-blow? Definitely better for me. When you have Meg, a fairly high up demon saying ‘Hell is hell, even for a demon’ then to think of Dean, at the mercy of an ocean of demons, many of whom he put there….. Jeez, as Crowley said, ‘I can’t imagine what it’s like in there and I can imagine so many things’
I found Dean’s outward response to hell to be very much in line with who he is. There WAS a breakdown. It might not have been the huge, angst-filled one that some people may have hoped for but it was there and I found the unexpected tears and the reveal that no words could describe hell to have a much greater and longer-lasting impact than a rocking, screaming Dean.
Dean is not the kind of guy to bawl cry or hug it out, he never was. He internalises, he gets angry and he gets defensive. That’s what he did here.
I don’t think Dean was ever going to talk to Sam about hell because (a) he’s still the big brother and he would want to shield Sam from the knowledge and (b) to vocalise something like this could be the catalyst for Dean to become incapacitated with emotion and Dean couldn’t afford to let that happen, too much rested on his shoulders.
In relation to the aftermath of hell for Dean, we saw he had horrifically graphic nightmares of hell and even though we only saw the one, I doubt that was the only one. The very fact that he could so impassively tortured Alistair, to me, shows that hell twisted the very essence of who Dean is.
And lest the audience forget, there have been constant reminders throughout the seasons of what Dean suffered in hell, the last being in Caged Heat. Sam mentioned the fact that hell haunted Dean and it still does. Of course it still does, it will affect him forever.
Sure, it’ll happen that Sam’s hell will, for a time, be to the fore but that’s just because it’s newer. I wasn’t here for the articles and comments that undoubtedly arose when Dean went to hell but I imagine they were fairly numerous. The same thing will happen now. There will be a lot written about Sam’s time in hell but that doesn’t mean it will take precedence over Dean’s time in hell.
However, I feel it’s hugely important to remember that just because Dean’s hell didn’t happen recently, doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen.
Elle2, I completely agree with you when you say that Sam shouldn’t have been left in hell. I don’t think redemption comes through suffering. However, in our blood-thirsty, cynical society, it makes us feel safer, more righteous and more civilised to have the punishment fit the crime. Being repentant isn’t enough, Sam had to be taught a lesson, a kind of ‘We know you’re sorry but this is to ensure you’ll never do it again’. Sam committed the most heinous of crimes; he has to be seen to be punished for it.
In relation to comparing Sam and Dean’s deals, Dean, like Sam, made his bargain for altruistic reasons. Should he have been rewarded for that? Dean bargained his life for Sams, and he got it. Sam bargained with Lucifer. If Lucifer won, he’d win it all, if Sam won, he’d win an eternity in the Cage. Both crappy deals but both got what they willingly bargained for. It might suck but such is life.
At the same time, I certainly don’t think Dean has been pushed aside for the progression of Sam this season or that his role in the mytharc was downgraded last year. I feel that Dean, as with Sam, has been part of the storyline from day one. (By virtue of the fact he’s a Winchester, he’s intrinsically part of it.) From the minute he sold his soul to the crossroads demon, he fulfilled each destiny, bar one. He broke the first seal, came back, worked for the angels before being told he’d have to kill his brother; all steps on the road to Michaeldom.
But when it came to the final step, saying ‘yes’, Dean decided ‘screw this arc’, and decided on his own one, one in which neither he nor Sam was going to be manipulated and twisted and groomed any longer. Free will was going to be HIS arc. I don’t think the fact that Dean said no and decided on his own arc diminishes him in any way.
Simultaneously, I don’t think Dean was cast aside. He decided not to play the game and he was far from redundant because of it. I actually feel that Dean saying ‘no’ was a huge step in the development of his character. He’d spent most of his life saying ‘yes’ to everyone who asked. He’s put the needs of others before his own his entire life. He followed John blindly. When he was brought back from hell, he did what Castiel told him to do. He might have bitched and moaned about it, but he still did it. He was going to say yes to Michael and for me that would have shown zero development in Dean’s character. It would have been the same old Dean we’ve seen since day one, doing what other people told him to do regardless of how he feels about it himself.
So by saying ‘no’ to Michael, I feel that WAS part of the storyarc; Deans realisation that he is his own man, worthy of something other than being a nodding dog. He is no longer defined by his role as son, brother, angelic hired gun. Now he’s Dean Winchester, master of his own fate and apart from Oberon, King of the Fairies, he’s not going to be anyone’s bitch.
Sam, by contrast, spent his entire life saying ‘no’. No to John, to Dean, to YED, to Castiel, to Lucifer, to destiny but at the end he choose to say ‘yes’. This was development for Sam, also.
A don’t think a storyarc is just a rainbow. Within it are many different swirls, vortexes and mini arcs. Dean’s self-actualisation is one of those. Sam’s acceptance is another. Castiels humanity another etc etc.
One vibe I’m getting from the article and comments (and I could be wrong) is the feeling that Sam is more ‘important’ because he said yes to Lucifer, he’s more ‘interesting’ because of the powers and he’s more ‘sympathetic’ because he wasn’t able to get off this angel/demon train-ride.
If this is the case, it’s something I can’t agree with. Dean doesn’t need powers etc to make him special. He’s special because of who he is, the choices he makes and of what he’s done.
At the same time, Sam doesn’t need powers to make him special or interesting; he’s special in spite of them.
I really don’t think the suggestion that Sam will be left paralysed and insane from the memories and Deans sole role will be to hold his hand while Sam goes through it alone will pan out. Episodes consisting of Straightjacket Sam will make for damn sucky television!
In relation to Castiels comment about Sam’s possible insanity etc, I would equate the impact of that comment to the impact of the shot of Dean on the rack. It was said/shown to shock the crap out of us and to force us to think ‘Holy fup, what the hell did they go through down there?’
I think the wall is a damn good idea. Its necessity will indicate things were bad but at the same time, its presence will mean that Sam’s hell issues won’t dominate the show.
I think the wall will act as a reprieve in that it will keep things at bay, for a while. In the meantime, the real story, Sam and Deans relationship, will regrow and strengthen, but this time it won’t be built on the shaky foundations of mistrust and dependency. Because there are no more secrets between the boys, because each has experienced what the other has in terms of hell, family, destiny etc, because they finally understand each other, this time, the relationship will be rock solid. This way, when Sam does scratch that itch (and he will, though you’d think after two doses of the Clap he’d be able to avoid the urge at this stage) and the wall comes down, both Sam, Dean and their relationship, will be strong enough to bear it. Maybe this is the brotherly bond to which Sera Gamble is alluding.
Elle2, I’m sorry you’re not enjoying Season 6 but I do genuinely hope you’ll see it through. Not just because I enjoy reading your articles but because I don’t want you to miss out on something that could be amazing.
Thank you for this article. I’ve read gushing articles all season about how wonderful this season of SPN is; yet, I have hated it for all the reasons that you have stated.
It appears to me that Sera has taken simply read too many fanfics, took her Sam infatuation, and ran with it. I hate Sam Winchester now. I can’t even watch him when he’s on-screen without Dean. I am shocked at how this season has so totally taken Dean out of the show as a character to make Sam the end-all to awesome. My Christmas wish this year is that TPTB buy out Jensen’s contract and turn him loose to take on projects that will serve his career well.
My take on the rest of S6 is exactly that Dean will hold Sam’s hand, forgive him, say he’s sorry Sam suffered so much, run to Lisa when Ben calls, and walk away with his tail between his legs when he discovers Lisa has moved on. Oh, and there will be one episode when stupid Adam returns and Dean can say he’s sorry he couldn’t save him as promised. Perhaps Adam will even take on the investigator role that was hinted at for Dean and he and Sam can solve the mystery again and, thus, save Sam’s sanity, stop the Heaven civil war, and put Hell back into line.
No, I can’t stand it and I, too, am giving it one last episode. But, honestly, I don’t see anything changing for the rest of the season. It’s a mess that I can’t see them fixing with any level of satisfaction or redeemability.
Elle2 I think this is a great article. It includes a great deal of valid concerns about what happened with Dean’s role in the mytharc, and the current storyline, observations that have led to a lot of really interesting debate on LJ and elsewhere. I’m glad you wrote it and I agree with every word. But at the same time I can’t help remembering that on a previous article you characterized those of us who had issues with the retconning of Dean’s role in the mytharc and the hints that Sam’s time in Hell would turn out to be worse than Dean’s as the “whines” of “wannabe-troublemakers.” That’s pretty ironic.
But I totally agree with you and I also won’t tune in any more if there is nothing in this for Dean and if he isn’t allowed to express his valid hurt and anger. After all even if Sam’s soul was in the Pit his brain wasn’t, and he knew what he was doing was wrong, and acknowledged as such when he admitted he wasn’t behaving normally and that he needed to be watched.
@Tim The Enchanter–I heart you!
Thanks for the article! You’ve been quite respectful even though it’s been a frustrating season for you so far. I feel that way somewhat, too…but I am far more hopeful that things can get back on course for the second half of the season.
As for the aftermath of Season 5, I don’t think Sam was the only one who got the short end of the stick. Clearly, poor Adam got nothing but agony for those shared strands of DNA. Tragic. Kid didn’t deserve it in the slightest. And Dean? What did he get? As he said in “Swan Song”, “I got my brother in a HOLE.” It can be argued that he got the “Apple Pie Life” he always wanted…if you can call being a functioning alcoholic who’s clearly suffering PTSD living an “Apple Pie Life”. He cares deeply for Lisa and Ben. But happy? No. Did was suffering profoundly (which is why I was so angry with Bobby for not telling him. How cruel!), and no surface “reward” of a family life changes that. In short all three Winchesters got hosed. Sucks.
I agree that the main storyline of Souless Sam has been frustrating, since the foundation of the entire show (for me) is Sam’s and Dean’s relationship. Even when the relationship turned painful (I NEED that freakin’ amulet to return. I can’t STAND that it…and all it represents…is gone) at least there WAS a relationship. As it is right now, there can be no relationship if there is no “Sam”. Very glad that he’ll be back…”wall” or no.
I’m not too picky beyond that, though. Give me the brothers at the very least. I’m not really worried about what Sam will or won’t eventually remember about Hell. It seems pretty certain that he will remember at some point. I’m not sold that it will lead him to being more “tormented” than Dean ever was, though. I’m thinking maybe he’ll be bat-poop-evil as a result of Luci’s mentoring. Then, Dean will finally have to either save him or kill him. Back in Season 2 at the end of BUABS, he said “Dad said I might have to kill you, but that was only if I couldn’t save you. And if it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to save you.” Indeed. I’d buy a ticket for that ride. Let’s see Sam and Dean succeed where Lucifer and Michael failed. The humans will (eventually) get it right where the angels failed. Makes sense, since humans are God’s favorite. Now we’ll know why God has such fondness and faith in us, yeah? Maybe…maybe. We’ll see what happens and what choices the writers make and how the story is ultimately resolved.
So, yeah, for me, sure, the season has been a little frustrating, but I just don’t think the story is near over yet. I’m fully invested. I’m genuinely interested. I’m going to give the show my patience. Sam’s soul is back now. When Death plunked that shiny ball into Sam, I actually grabbed my cat and hugged him and told him happily “Sam’s BACK!”. He seemed to be excited, too. But then again, I may have just squashing him too tight. Heh.
I’m keenly interested in the “It’s all about the Souls” storyline. I’m definitely going to be hanging around to see what happens.
I agree with everything you’ve said here, Elle2. I started out this season thinking that Sera now had the unique opportunity of starting with a fairly clean slate to take the show into a more balanced direction. She knew that Kripke’s decision to close out his five year epic myth arc by making it only about Sam while Dean played the role of cheerleader did not go over universally well with fans. And for a few episodes, it did seem as if things really were going to be different this season. But after the reveal of Sam’s soul, the show went into its usual “Sam front and center” direction after all. Of course the issue of Sam jumping into the cage couldn’t be ignored but to make the entire half season revolve around that was way, way overkill. And we’re not even done with the season- still lots of time to perseverate on Sam being re souled, Sam’s PTSD, the wall in Sam’s head, Sam’s memories of the last year. While Dean? Well, I guess they still need Dean around to hold Sam’s hand through it all. Maybe Sera also thinks Dean needs to learn to love Sam more, who knows?
My cynical prediction? We’ll get a few token references to Dean as a detective as Sera’s way to keep Dean fans hoping and watching for more. We’ll have a return of big brother Dean, who’ll be all about Sam and only Sam, forever and ever and ever, amen. They’ll find out that Sam’s soul is the key to everything and Sam will end up saving the universe in the season finale while Dean stands on the sidelines, watching proudly. While I’d love for a different ending where both brothers do their part, five and a half years of anvils falling on my head about how Sam is the most important character and everything revolves around him makes it hard to believe things will change now.
Kathryn,
Thank you for your most respectful post, as with everyone who has left a comment, it has been helpful.
I do wish to clarify one misperception that you have regarding my comments to an article earlier this year. If you go back and look, you’ll note that my comment was directed at one aspect of that article which was to slam this site for a Sam bias, something I still maintain firmly has no basis in fact.
I do get quite intense when it comes to protecting this site and thus I was more than a little bit harsh those many months ago but just for clarification, it was never directed at anyone other than that individual and those who might come along after who wished to beat up on this site and Alice in particular. I’m a bit OCD on that I’ll admit.
I hope that clarifies things on that particular matter, I thank you for bringing it up. 🙂
Tim the Enchanter – I loved your post and agree entirely
with it.
Dean to me is special just because he is entirely human with no superpowers and has never been anyone’s meatsuit.
If that doesn’t make him special in this Supernatural universe I don’t know what would. Dean’s role has never ever been diminished in any way apparent to me and he continues to be front and centre and important to the plots.
I just don’t get when posters go on about how it is all about Sam or all about Dean. If people are disappointed that Dean did not disappear and become Michael then they seem to be watching a different show with different eyes than mine. All this Dean vs Sam stuff is so very tiresome to read and unpleasant that from now on I am going to skip the post if that crops up. I certainly don’t need that to bring me down. There are enough real life happenings that are entirely depressing.
I don’t subscribe to the idea that Sera Gamble is slanting everything towards Sam either. I’ve never seen it. Perhaps because I was not slanted one way or the other.
Love Dean and love Sam and want the relationship back sooner than later. That is the big issue for me. 😉
I tend to add my comments at the tail end after everything has already been said, so my apologies for that.
I read all the posts with much interest, and I agree with the majority of them. I do get a little annoyed at the ones who have one idea in mind (and it can be “poor Sammy, always having to apologize…” or “poor Dean, always having to apologize…”) without actually listening to and thinking about what the other posts are saying. You’re all right, and all wrong, in many ways. There are no absolutes here. Personally, I’m a Dean girl, and I agree in large part with Elle2, but I can see the other POV, and I’m not ready to give up. Yes, at the end of season 5 I was in complete agreement about Dean’s reduced role, especially after the buildup they did in season 4 about his importance to the Apocalypse (and sorry, though I’ve read a lot of posts about the importance of his role in just being there and offering love and support to allow Sam to prevail, I just don’t feel satisfied at that.) But I was glad that Sam managed to find redemption, and was happy to see a satisfactory (and logical)conclusion to the demon-blood storyline.
However, season 6 is a new beginning. And even though, yes, I do feel it is “slanted” towards Sam (and I do have to point out that, to be the focus of attention doesn’t mean that you have to be front and center on camera at all times: it just means that your story is driving the plot!) I do think that Dean has a valid role in this, and I’m hopeful that all the red herrings and plot anvils will eventually lead to something.
And while I do get annoyed at Sera’s overly-obvious Samgirlishness (how many times have we seen Jared’s naked torso this season so far, compared with the previous *5 seasons*? Worthy of admiration it may be, but in a show that lasts at best 41 minutes, long admiring pauses takes a lot of time away from plot…) I still have faith that the storyline will eventually start to come clear and will be satisfying.
So why am I posting now, when everything has already been said? Just to add one silly thought:
Of all the people worrying about Adam in the cage, has anyone thought that maybe he *isn’t* being tortured? After all, neither Luci nor Mike have any reason to be angry with him: he did what they both wanted. Sam, on the other hand, defied them both, and pissed them both off greatly. Then, there’s the additional thought that Adam was already dead and in Heaven when he was tapped to be Michael; are you sure that they didn’t just need his body (for the bloodline, which should, um, require blood?) and left his soul upstairs? Or turned it loose? I think, at worst, his soul might be cowering in a corner watching Luci and Michael having their way with Sam’s soul, which, while not fun, is not the same as being actively tortured. (However, as a second horrible thought, I wonder if, now that they’ve lost their entertainment, they might turn on Adam?) Never mind. Horrible thought.
I’m one of those who doesn’t believe that having supernatural powers or having been a vessel or having psychic abilities makes anyone less human either. As far as I’m concerned, Sam is 100% human, as are/were Jimmy, Nick, Pamela, Missouri, Andy, Ava, etc. I guess I just don’t understand the logic behind certain posters being so thrilled about Sam’s special abilities who then turn around and adamently say Dean doesn’t need anything because he’s fine the way he is. Dean being able to stare at Zach’s grace or never being possessed or whatever wouldn’t make him less human; it would just add a little more interest to his character on a genre show where unusual things are just part of the norm.
(And just to be clear, I was never invested in Dean being Michael as much as the show sticking with having designated that role for Dean and Dean alone. Not John, not Adam, not the guy next door. If Dean had never said yes, Michael should have been twarted, imo. THAT would have shown the power of free will and humanity, not just Michael moving on to the next available Winchester as if Dean’s refusal didn’t even matter.)
But if Dean is supposed to be the resident human on the show, then I’m surprised it’s not celebrated more. Why does the “human” not have an equal chance to take part in saving the world with his wits and ingenuity as a supernaturally powered Sam? Why does only Sam with his supernatural storyline drive the plot, and not the “human” dude? I agree that being the detective would be something suited for Dean’s abilities but whether that’ll even go anywhere based on the show’s history is far from a sure thing.
Well, while I support the author’s right to her opinion, I couldn’t possibly disagree more. I find this season’s questions fascinating, and I’ve never been worried about keeping score or which brother was more central to the plot. I’m fascinated *by* the characters, but I’m not in love with either one. That seems to make a big difference as to who enjoys the season and who doesn’t, I’m finding. I just can’t take the Sam vs. Dean nonsense. Who cares which one gets more screen time? Sera isn’t out to slight either character. There’s been such a realistic progression to these characters. I’m so impressed by that and can’t wait to see more. Not everyone agrees, but that doesn’t bother me in the slightest.
I agree with all 3 of your ending points. But I agree with other posters that you’re going to be disappointed in that they’re going to take all the abuse and make Dean a rubber doll that bounces back because that’s his role, a horrible worth-negating role that obviously makes nearly being killed/hurt/abused OK and gut him of any further worth.
Also I have to point out that there’s no warning about an article equating Dean to a violating rapist but there’s one for this article. Hmm.
Tim the Enchanter and Galina, I just want to let you know that I particularly enjoyed reading both of your posts.
I agree that giving most of the plot to Sam and most of the emotional exploration to Dean has done a disservice to both characters. And Tim, I agree with just about everything you said.
As to other comments, I don’t understand how people can hate Sam when Sam has been in the Pit all this time. I don’t understand how some think that the writers are trying to make us like Sam or sympathise with the souless version, when they have shown repeatedly that this is NOT Sam and we should want the real Sam back. In case we weren’t sure and were starting to like roboSam, they had him try to kill Bobby!!! How is this supposed to make us like him?
About Sam’s time in Hell diminishing Dean’s, to me it’s like Vietnam vets comparing war injuries. One has an amputated leg at the knee, the other a few inches higher. Which one is worse when they have both lost a leg? I feel the same about the Hell argument, as they have both suffered and maybe they can relate to each other better as a result. It’s not a competition, except for the few who make it so.
If it had been up to me, Sam’s time in Hell would have been completely different from Dean, and maybe it has. We don’t know much about it, so IMO it’s useless to speculate at this point. I’m sure the Cage was different from Alistair and the rack. I would really like it if Sam’s “torture” had been more phychological than physical. I hope that the “wall” cracks and we find out what happened down there, and I’m pretty sure it will be different than what Dean went through.
The souless story worked for me. Why? First, it’s different from Dean’s nightmares, excessive drinking, depression and confessions by the impala. Secondly, in spite of the few comments here saying how much they hate Sam now, there are many more around in fandom saying how much they miss the real Sam and that they can’t wait to see him again. Souless Sam made us miss real Sam, which I think is important, because Sam had pretty much disappeared into the woodwork last season. You might think I’m exaggerating, but many bloggers last season didn’t even mention Sam in their reviews, especially during the middle of the season, because there was nothing to tell. Sam was an enigma wrapped into a taco or something, he was silent, meek, morose and boring. People stopped caring about him. But, after 11 episodes without him, I think that many fans have realised that Sam is a huge part of SamnDean, and that the relationship between the two is truly the heart of the show.
And now, the stage is set for repairing what was broken. I’ve waited half a season, and I’m more than ready.
“Also I have to point out that there’s no warning about an article equating Dean to a violating rapist but there’s one for this article. Hmm.”
Wow. I hadn’t noticed that. IA, it’s pretty telling.
I found the soulless Sam storyline pretty worthless in that it made everything about soulless Sam. Oh, a situation about monster armies! A fight in Heaven with Heavenly loose nukes and a possible jumpstart to the Apocalypse. Oh all that’s got to wait for souless!Sam!
I prefer it when heroes are caring about the impact of a situation on other people or the world and not one of the heroes. A little heart/comfort is dandy but the robo!Sam storyline was like watching a really crappy romance where the hero only cares about the damsel-in-distress episode after episode while ignoring the kingdom/the team/the world/everything else. You make both characters look less heroic and I got to say, the producer incredibly self-indulgent.
Good post and I respect your opinion (despite another Dean vs Sam horse beating). I am loving this season so far. Sam vs Dean is just not going away for anybody so there will just be all these opinions about who has more airtime or importance in the show. I love them both and feel the show just wouldn’t be going very far with just one running solo or hitting the front more than the other. It’s got to be hard work for the writers to come up with a juicy arc while trying to maintain even-ability between two popular characters. Since the beginning of the show the fighting over this has been tossed back and forth right down to the DVD covers.
To me, this season serves as a separate entity with old school undertone. These “guys” have come a long way from the “boys” they once were. Everyone knew what Sera said when this season started and that things have changed/changing and things are not what you thought it would be. It’s a new set of rules (it’s not as if the old were set in stone anyway) and anything can happen!
The show is evolving people! Either watch it or don’t.
I don’t understand any of the Sam vs. Dean stuff. They’re not real people, so I don’t take offense on either one’s behalf. On the other hand, I do think that the dramatic tension this season has been way off, largely because of reasons discussed in this article. As characters, Sam and Dean should surprise, delight, mystify, and entertain me. I’m not seeing it this season at all, despite great acting all around. Plot holes, bad pacing, and, yes, poor characterization are undermining my enjoyment of the show.
Here’s hoping for better in the second half of the season.
Where oh where does the time go when I come to browse this site!?
As someone who has read many of your articles Elle2, I am so disappointed for you in how your interpretation of this season was developing and now having read all the comments I’m very glad to see you are starting to feel there may be the chance of a more positive light looking ahead to the rest of the season.
I have loved Supernatural from the first time I saw the promos on TV, yes even before the first episode aired, it was that instant attraction, love at first sight, and all for a TV show! I have never disliked an episode because as others have said, there is always some positives to be taken from them, be it quirky lines, amazing acting, deeper insights into either plot or characters or just good time memories music. For me, Supernatural is my only must see, cannot miss an episode appointment tv show and while I do enjoy watching a few other shows, none come anywhere near Supernatural for my viewing pleasure. This wonderful show has always been about family and love together with mystery and intrigue. Viewers can choose for themselves how shallow or deep they wish to take their own interpretation of each episode. As I have stated on another thread I firmly believe our own interpretations are extremely coloured by our own life experiences, so some viewers will always see things from opposing viewpoints, others will be more middle of the road and some will completely agree as long as it suits their emotional needs at any given time.
I too, have never felt the Sam v Dean stuff that some viewers find glaringly obvious, I love both brothers with their individual strengths, weaknesses and journey which together make for some fascinating debates and viewing. I guess for me tv is used for entertainment, however light or heavy I choose to make that entertainment is up to me. I choose to watch tv knowing full well I am watching a story put into words by some very creative and talented people, those words are then interpreted and acted out for me by even more creative and talented people before that tv film is then finalised by even more creative and talented people, and then the story is shown for me (and all the other viewers) for my interpretation and entertainment. I choose to celebrate the incredible talent of the writers, cast and crew of Supernatural who are all working so hard to produce this wonderful show.
I’m glad Alice gave you the opportunity to post your thoughts about the season so far Elle2, and although I don’t fully share your opinion, I understand it is your right to your own interpretation. Like many others, I too don’t find this site has any particular Sam bias, just each particular contributor has a brother they openly relate to more, so does that colour their viewpoint and therefore their articles? Probably, however, as a reader of those articles, as I am reading them from my own coloured viewpoint, fairs fair right. (I can highly recommend the rose coloured viewpoint as it enhances your viewing pleasure! ;-))
I am looking forward with great enthusiasm for what the rest of season 6 will bring, and regardless of what happens in the storyline I know there will always be many viewers just like myself who are thoroughly enjoying the ride.
Hey elle2, I am so sorry you are so disheartened with this season. If you call it quits, who will sit next to me on this crazy bus ride we call Supernatural? But in all seriousness, with all the love you have shown in the past, I hope epi 12 changes your mind and makes things better for you. If it’s still really this hard for you when the second half starts, it may be time to just let go. But if you go I (and lots of other people) will really miss ya! And I just want you to know, I will always save you a seat. 🙂
I have never written on a site like this before, however, I have never grown this attached to a show before. I found Supernatural while I was sick and needed something to fill the hours and I ended up watching all six seasons within six weeks. I found myself drawn in and I really began to care about these fictional characters.
It seems to me that this is the overarching debate on this stream. Individually, who do we care about more? I have never thought of myself as either a Sam girl or a Dean girl, I simply lost myself in them both, together. This is what has been missing for me so far this season. In every other season I have found myself in a puddle of tears almost every other episode, while this season I have not cried even once. This story is driven by the relationship and love between the brothers and while it still offers much entertainment, it is a different show without it. Some will enjoy it more and others less.
Now that Sam’s soul has returned home the opportunity to regain some of the human family dynamic is present and I truly hope that is the direction that they are heading because I believe that the relationships that have been built on this show make it an organic thing that can truly be related to. My hope is that in sharing their experiences in Hell (as the wall falls, which seems inevitable) the brothers reconnect and heal their fragmented bond. This will give both brothers experiences validity and importance while (if done well) not making it a competition of whose Hell trip was worse.
Thanks for having me!
To Elle2: thank you for this article. Unfortunately though I don’t think the show will ever not be “all about Sam” in some way. Sam has the special powers. Sam is the chosen one. Dean is the brother of the specially powered, chosen one. The writers may throw him a bone once in a while (i.e. season 4 when he was first part of the mytharc – except as it turned out, he really wasn’t) but Dean’s primary role on the show is to be the supporter of Sam.
Even when Dean did have a distinct storyline (S3 going to hell) or his own role in the mytharc (as Michael’s vessel – until he was replaced by Adam), Sam ALWAYS also had his own storyline. Sam has always had a unique focus of the show because of his powers and his chosen one status. Sam has NEVER been all about Dean as Dean has been about Sam because Sam is the central focus of the mytharc.
So it does seem setup for that role to continue now that Sam has his soul back and Dean’s role will most likely be (once again) to worry about Sam and the breakdown of the wall.
But thanks again elle2 for being so honest about how you feel.
To ALICE: I understand your rules about Sam vs. Dean and appreciate them. However, how in the world is this post NOT breaking the rules?
“Ellie_444:
Sorry Elle2 but I will not give this post any time or credence.
Again I see Dean fans coming in a moaning that Dean is this or that wow what SHORT MEMORIES we have . Dean ever since Season 2 has had the focus and the attention , he had Season 4 to himself while Sam was pushed into the background and dismissed out of episode. But for once Sam was giving the time and the attention and rightly so he saved the world and lost his soul seriously and you expected what that that was wiped away so we just focus on Dean.I am sick to death of the resentments and nastiness of EDG,S who want it all Dean and Sam gets nothing. You complain about Dean being sidelined but no qualms when it is Sam. FOR ONCE FOR ONCE Sam gets the attention and you and other Dean fans resent it after everythinbg Dean has had . I am sorry Alice I am but no this is unacceptable from any body.”
This comment is the very definition of “Sam vs. Dean” to me… “Evil Dean Girls” are “nasty”? Alice, I have to say that I am disappointed that the rules don’t seem to apply when it’s Dean fans being singled out. 😐
Again thank you to everyone for their comments, and for the discussion.
I’ll address a couple of comments that have perhaps (my words) been ‘distressed’ that there was a disclaimer to this article as well as that there have been a few comments that are certainly Sam v Dean. First off, I appreciate the disclaimer to this article for it is a negative article that distressed me to write and distressed many to read. This is a site that is known for its positive outlook on things and we do not usually delve into the negative, so from that standpoint alone a disclaimer is appropriate.
Secondly, we have always had some unofficial rules on this site that have recently been ‘codified’, if you will, and were posted a day or two before this article was posted (and had nothing whatsoever to do with this article, they were prompted regarding a completely different article.)
Alice knows my heart (and my angst) regarding negativity, personal attacks and Sam v Dean and frankly everything the rules discuss for we have discussed that privately in the past. Alice also knows that I respect those rules and I’ll say it here, I applaud them. But, Alice did want to allow me a chance to express my thoughts which are from the heart and in some instances those thoughts tread on the line of the rules and at other times outright cross them. Again, a disclaimer is appropriate for this is not our norm here.
As to why comments that are expressly ‘going there’ (my words) into the Sam v Dean aspect of things, well, this article does go there in parts thus it would be inapprorpriate to not allow the comments to go there as well.
I have had no issues with any of the comments here for all have continued to shape and reshape my thoughts and views thus far this season. Please do not read into anything on this particular article that there is a slight to one side of the fandom for there is not; this is an unusual article for this site and thus it should be treated as such.
I do thank you for translating EDGS for me for I had no idea what that meant. 😀
Someone pointed me to this article, which I have to say, is very refreshing. It’s nice to see somebody with the courage to stand up to the slavish fans of Supernatural and offer some actual criticism of the show.
You will notice that I do not see myself as a fan.
I used to be. Oh, wow, I used to be. A friend got me S1 as a gift. I watched it and fell deeply in love with Dean. Then I caught up on S2, and that’s when I fell just as deeply in love with Sam. In S4, though, I became disenfranchised – both with the show and the fandom. I felt that Sam in S4 was too OOC, that the writers threw out the brothers’ relationship for no reason other than it no longer served their story arc, and the writing was becoming more and more inconsistant.
What really bothered me most though, was the fandom. Somewhere in S4 the fandom decided the only acceptable viewpoints are from those that fawn and gush over the show. I saw others posting opinions similar to mine on the boards and forums, and I was appalled at the reactions of both the fans and the mods to these posts. Well thought out con-crit was attacked for being ‘too negative’, and any attempt to say that Sam of S4 was not a sympathetic/heroic character was put down as ‘oh well, you’re a Dean girl.’ Another favorite ploy seemed to be to answer anybody who tried to offer an honest opinion of their problems with S4 with a ‘If you don’t like it, then don’t watch the show.’
I took that advice to heart. I gave up and moved on. I watch a TV show not just for the show, but I also like to participate on the boards and forums. I like the interactive experience that the internet provides, and I find it makes a show more fun for me. Yes, Supernatural had lost it’s magic, and the writing seemed flat and inconsistent, but mostly, I never gave S5 a chance because the fandom had nothing left to offer me. It was clear that con-crit and honest discussion of the episodes and characters, which I enjoy, were no longer allowable in the fandom.
So yes, I found this review refreshing, and it’s also nice to know I was proven right. When I left, I predicted this show would continue to spiral further and further away from what made it work in the first three seasons. By refusing to allow open dialogue, the fandom has lowered the bar. The writers have no reason to write better stories, or work on creating story arcs that are consistent and believable. The showrunner doesn’t have to focus on keeping the special effects, the editing, and the actors’ chemistry fresh and solid. All they have to do is step over the bar, and the fandom will still cheer and fawn over them.
I will say, in closing, that this article also underscores why I will never again watch this show. Most fandoms would be worried that their show has been steadily losing viewers for three seasons, and would welcome an article that delves into the problem. But this is Supernatural, so this article had to be proceeded by an intro containing a warning that it contained a negative viewpoint. And the writer had to start out by being properly apologetic before she could offer her honest opinion about why she doesn’t like the current season. Most telling, though, is the numerous comments from fans who obviously feel the same dissatisfaction with the show, but have been too intimidated to speak up.
So thanks for the article Elle2. And thanks for reminding me why I stopped watching the show.
“This is a site that is known for its positive outlook on things and we do not usually delve into the negative, so from that standpoint alone a disclaimer is appropriate.”
I see no problem with presenting both the positive AND the negative. After all, without the facts from both POV’s, how can anyone make a completely informed decision about anything?
I don’t see why the disclaimer was necessary beyond the site-runner deliberately distancing herself in order to avoid any nasty fall-out.
It takes courage to buck the popular trend and I’m very glad you had the courage to do it. Don’t let anyone say you were wrong to write this Elle2 because you weren’t, and I feel sorry for anyone who felt threatened by it.
“The issue is I have thousands of regular visitors that come here expecting positive articles. It was a disclaimer, a warning for those out there that don’t want to read negative articles no matter if they are well argued or not.”
I must respectfully disagree, Alice; it was self evident from the title of elle2 article that it wasn’t going to be a happy,go lucky type of article. I think fans could have easily picked up on what the article was going to cover. Or if needed, Elle2 herself could have just added a intro sentence or two. The fact that you yourself did the intro, using somewhat inflammtaroy words like “bitter”, “biased”, “very negative” does seem to indicate an implied disapproval of and distancing from the article. And the fact that you didn’t put up a similar disclaimer about a much more contraversial article which, no matter how it danced around using the actual words, pretty much accused Dean of rape and offended a lot more people than elle’s opinion, did not help this perception.
This is, of course, your site and you can deal with the contents however you decide. But it’s hard sometimes for visitors such as myself to really understand what’s “allowed”, especially when I see even well thought out criticism of the show or disappointment with a storyline being dogpiled by other posters, almost to the point of intimidation. And as much as I dislike the Sam-Dean thing, the fact that a disclaimer went up on one Dean fan’s frustration over one season and not on a Sam fan’s much more offensive article (that’s now being cited and criticized in wider fandom), only feeds the feeling of this site’s inherent bias. That might be the farthest thing from the truth but I am only stating how such percpetion might be formed.
Again, I am saying this with all due respect and not meaning to offend.
“Ellie_444 did go a bit far with disrespect, but I saw that geared toward elle2 and myself, not Dean fans. I have a record of it! It’s been noticed for future reference.â€
Apologies if I have misunderstood you in any way, but how are comments like “Dean fans coming in a moaning†and “I am sick to death of the resentments and nastiness of EDG,S who want it all Dean†that were made by your ellie444 follower (who as you know is a regular here, and as such regularly posts highly negative comments about Dean and the Dean side of fandom) geared at you and elle2 but not Dean fans? Of course they are geared at Dean fans.
I note that you responded to this person several days after she posted, but why is her comment even still there? I have seen you delete much less heated observations from Dean fans in the past.
I don’t understand why it is so important to be a Dean fan or a Sam fan and why it seems to cause to much commotion and sometimes even a fight? I never truly understood why we get into these debates at all, since it is a show about TWO brothers.
Some of us might be fonder of one brother than the other, but none of us would actually want to exclude the other, right?
My wish for Christmas is: let’s go on loving this show as fans of the story, the emotional impact, the great acting, the surprises that sometimes twist our minds, instead of picking at each other because we don’t always agree.
Cheers, Jas
Amen, Sr. Jasminka, AMEN!.
Besides you’re all wrong. John is the bestest of ALL of them. He’s also the sexiest and the tallest and badassiest. Look at it this way, if it wasn’t for John and his baby-making abilities there’d be no Sam and there’d be no Dean so theres be no Sam v Dean argument (of course there’d also be no Apocalypse but we won’t worry about small things like that….)
Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to pass on your appreciation to Daddy Winchester Christmas morning!
Ah, Tim, not the TALLEST. Sorry! JDM is 6.2, meaning that he still has to stand on something to catch up with his youngest son. 😉 🙂
Okay, new rule. No complaining about posts or the moderator on threads. I’ll put that in “the rules.” Take your complaint to “Contact Us” and it will be addressed. All emails are confidential.
From this point forward, any post that does this will be instantly edited and replaced with two words. “Contact Us.” I will work on an area to post complaints at large if you aren’t comfortable sending an email. Everyone will be able to see your complaint though in a common area.
AndreaW, Daddy Winchester is 7ft tall. He kills demons by the hundreds, and if he were here (and not a fecking celestial ball of light) he’d consume Lucifer with fireballs from his eyes and bolts of lightning from his arse.
By God, John was plenty taller than his youngest when he was changing his nappy, so he was. Plus, he probably IS taller but you know the way people shrink a little when they get older. And I’m pretty sure Sam wears platforms. Plus, John always stands in a hole when he’s with Sam and Dean so as to not make them feel intimidated in his presence (he’s so thoughtful like that!)
Ok, I’m never eating sugar again. Ever. Might be a good idea to ignore everything from me until the Christmas chocolates are gone…
“I never truly understood why we get into these debates at all, since it is a show about TWO brothers.
Some of us might be fonder of one brother than the other, but none of us would actually want to exclude the other, right?”
You answered your own question right there Jas- most of us *are* fonder of one brother than the other and IMO the show has done very little recently to alleviate the schism.
I think a truly un-biased bi-bro is as rare as a dodo these days.
@Enchanting Tim, I got your point, but I couldn’t resist to tease a little. 😉 Of course, Daddy Winchester is The Guy. How else he could have had such sons? 🙂
God bless you, EnchantingTim, for your ever hilarious comments. Please, don’t ever refrain from eating sugar, dear Celt.
SlaÃnte! Jas
rock on tim the enchanter and jasminka!!! this poster appreciates your humor, intelligence and warmth!
Wow, just catching up on the comments.
When did it get so violent?
Bottom line, SUPERNATURAL is a story about two brothers that have a strong bond, and the people and things that they interact with on a daily basis.
Just for the record, Tim, my love, a little chocolate a day will always make you happy. 😀
Agree with most of what you said, which is surprising since I’m probably more of a Sam fan (although I love both brothers) and I disagree with one of the bigger points, which is that this season so far has been about Sam and not about Dean. Sam’s been MIA this whole season and we’ve seen less of him than we saw in Born Under a Bad Sign. It’s probably great for Jared in that he gets to play a different character for half a season, but for those of us who liked Sam just the way he was, it’s frustrating that it’s lasted this long.
I agree that if the writers continue down this path – that Sam has been abused by Lucifer and Michael all of this time – then they’ve written themselves into a corner as far as the character goes. I can see a few possible ways out, but there are probably a lot more that I haven’t thought of. One is that this soul turns out to be Adam, and that Sam used his demon power to book it out Hell a long time ago – maybe to go to purgatory where he’s be out of range of both Heaven and Hell. Second is that maybe this experience opened Michael’s eyes towards humans and he grew fond of Sam and protected him. It wouldn’t be the first time angels changed their minds about humans once they got to know them. Third is that Sam’s demon power made him much harder to hurt and maybe he was ok. But I certainly don’t want a weak Sam who needs to protected by his brother. Sam always had a different kind of strength, and he doesn’t need Hell on his resume to make his character interesting.
I still feel like we’ve gotten a lot of half-answers to questions such as why Samuel is back and what he’s really trying to do, or whether Crowley in fact pulled Sam’s body out (why would he??). So I’m not ready to give up yet or blame it on weak writing. At the end of the season, we might be calling the writing brilliant. It depends on where they go from here.
“Bottom line, SUPERNATURAL is a story about two brothers that have a strong bond, and the people and things that they interact with on a daily basis.”
When can we expect to see that again? It’s been MIA for a very long time now.
I have watched all the shows and even introduced and watched every episode in order to a group of family and friends since June. THAT’S ALL episodes from the beginning in five months we watched. We were in marathon mode many weekends and managed to watch 5 years in five months as a group.
You all need to chill out. For real. I mean for real.
Understand this: it is a great show. We all love it. It ended last May.
All else is bonus.
Buffy died. All else was bonus.
Stop expecting too much even if it was promised.
And don’t throw out proclamations that you will stop watching it. Why did you just take hours of your life writing the manifesto of disappointment if you are just on the verge of stopping? I don’t buy that whine.
A lot of what is being said here and in the original post is spot on even if all over the place and long-winded. Just like with Star Wars though, this is not OUR story to tell. It is just our story to watch, enjoy, and critique. Let’s hope they get it right more than not and let us quit acting like our own souls are being crushed by the direction of the story or side swiping of characters.
There are hits and misses. Some episodes have Death chomping up scenes and some are just a bunch of bugs that Sam and Dean have to survive til morning dawn. There are excellent and horrible episodes. There is good overall writing and there is disappointment. Still, a bad story with Sam and Dean is typically better than any other story elsewhere.
So chill everyone and quit obsessing over a show. Putting as many hours into it as we do just watching re-runs and first runs is quite enough obsessing for us all. Any thing more, is detrimental to your lives.
I do agree with you on a lot of points and I feel horrible and guilty inside for having these feelings…
But I want SO FREAKING MUCH FOR SAM AND DEAN’S BOND TO COME BACK!!!!!!!!!!!! When I heard it was meant to this season i was like Thank God! But then Sam had no soul…The show was always about their bond, them working together, sticking together and then from half way through s4 to now it just keeps getting worse. They get better a little (like the end s5) and the bang just when you think it can’t get any worse it does. The WHOLE reason I fell in LOVE with Supernatural was the brotherly LOVE. The bond. Them. And I feel as if this has been ripped away from me…us over and over. I keep waiting for it to get better and I am at the point now that I think maybe I should just give up…I don’t want to, but the only thing hurting worse then the fact that it isn’t getting better is the hoping it will and being disappointed every time.
They say it over and over and then it never happens…I’m losing faith and I hate it.
Also I keep thinking the same thing about Sam’s soul (first I hate that they did that to him) and second why take his soul away, do all this and then have it so he’ll end up being an emotional wreck…have him destroyed. Wouldn’t it have been better to have him come back and the brothers start fighting monsters together like they use to. There are so many story lines going on. I’m so confused.
And I HATE Samuel. I don’t understand why he’s here and I really am dreading finding it out. There’s no point.
Honestly I spend a lot of time worrying about s6, where it’s going. If they’ll ever get back to the bond they once had. What damage they’re doing to characters I love as if they were my own family. I’m starting to feel as if I might just pretend there was no s6.
What was the point of having Sam and Dean the way they were to stat with to go along like this ALL the time. It’s like you think they’ve hit rock bottom and it opens up and they fall a little more over and over again. Just GAH!
Talking about the bond, brotherly love etc (which I’ll say again is the whole reason I became a HUGE fan) what about the amulet…why make it such a big part of the boys relationship history to have it thrown away forever. It has to come back because if it doesn’t I will be devastated.
I just won’t ever be able to except the fact that it won’t come back because:
1. Why make such a big issue about Sam giving it to Dean in that lovely brotherly moment when they were kids in A Very Supernatural Christmas, if they can just throw it away and go on like it doesn’t matter. Why make a deal about it at all.
2. Even when Sam left for college. Leaving Dean and John behind Dean still wore the amulet.
3. Even after all the crap they went through in s1-4 Dean STILL wore the amulet.
5. Sam took the amulet from Dean’s body and wore it until Dean came back from Hell in Lazarus Rising. He wore it. Keeping it close to him. And then in another brotherly moment gave it back.
6. The only reason Dean took it off is because Cas needed it in Good God Yáll. And Dean didn’t want to give it to Cas. Even though he was angry and hurt by Sam then, he didn‘t want to. And he did ask for it back in Free To Be You and Me. He wanted it back.
I mean it obviously meant a LOT to Dean.
And then for him to throw it away in Dark Side of The Moon. It broke my heart. It was like Dean threw Sam in the bin. And Yeah I know he was upset and yeah he did have a right to be. But does that mean he should never get it back.
What I PRAY is that Sam has it. That he got it out of the bin. And that one day will give it back to Dean.
They love each other and that’s all there is to it. THEY HAVE TO. So I just hope that Sera will bring the amulet back. I’m not going to be able to cope if she doesn’t.
Because how can they ever heal (and I pray they do) if something so important in their history is gone.
I know their are people out there that will think what are you going on about. And honestly I can’t explain how I feel better then this.
It’s just I know when Dean was laying in bed with Lisa thinking about Sam (who as far as he knew was in the cage) in Exile on Main street. Missing him. How could he not want it back. I would.
I guess it just worries me that if they could get rid of something that symbolises the brotherly love between Sam and Dean for good so easy…what else will be taken away between them for good. I don’t trust that the writers, that Sera and even Kripke really care about the brotherly bond the way I do and a LOT of other fans.
Sorry this comment is so long. I just have sooooooo many feeling inside me over this season. I can’t even fully begin to explain it all properly. But you touched on a lot of it in your article.
I just feel like season 6 is killing me slowly to the point I agree having no soul would be nice (couldn’t feel it then).
I’m very confused in this season, I do wonder what the hell has happened to the show.
Where’s all the classic, or as Sam calls it – mullet- rock? What’s this horror movie style omnious tones which the show had before, but never this over powering. The show has also adapted a more horror movie style. Even though I can’t watch horror movies without having nightmares for a month, I can watch Supernatural because the “horror” is pretty mild, I mean you see the ghost and you never have that shocking “HOLY F***!” heart attack moment like in this season. Not that I’m complaining, I’m just stating how this season differs from the others.
The gore and the amount they actually show in this seasons has been picked up a notch, previous seasons showed us a little bit of blood and left the rest to our imagination, seasons 6 is a gore-fest.
The humour is stretched thin as well.
So am I the only one that’s noticed these subtle changes? Has someone came along and trying to “improve” an already great franchise, or is this their way of trying to make the series more mature?
I don’t know, Season 6 is just very … different from the previous seasons, the style of show has changed alot.
Great article – i totally agree.
Edited. Hey Suzi, we do have strict posted rules. Don’t come back until you follow! The rules are here. https://www.thewinchesterfamilybusiness.com/news-and-announcements/64-rules/14338-we-are-a-happy-site-but-there-are-rules.html. Keep your article comments to the article itself.
If you have an issue with the administrator, there is a complaint thread. https://www.thewinchesterfamilybusiness.com/news-and-announcements/64-rules/14709-got-a-complaint-for-the-site-administrator.html
Why did you allow this exception? I loved the non-hate site while it lasted. More “love Dean; hate Sam” Oh well, send me somewhere else, please. Thank you. Lawyer lady signing off.
Besides the fact this is a pretty old article and past history, okay. You’re missing out! It’s all sunshine everywhere else. 🙂