A Deeper Look at Season Six Sam Winchester
There’s the brotherly hug! Sam has returned, or has he?
Sam doesn’t remember anything that happened to him after “Swan Song.” So, he likely doesn’t remember the instructions by Death not to scratch that wall in his head, right? Sam’s got some pretty keen instincts and instantly knows something isn’t right. You think he’s not scratching that wall? Did we ever think differently?
Despite the fact he’s loose and just thrilled to be back with Dean again, it doesn’t take Sam long to figure things out. He even tricks Castiel to tell him the truth. He was soulless for the last year, doing who knows what. Sam wants to make things right. “I kind of feel like I got slipped the worst mickey of all time and woke up to find out that I had burnt the whole city down. You can say it isn’t me, but I’m the one with the zippo in my pocket so I’m not sure it’s so cut and dried.”
So here’s an interesting debate. Is this Sam with his sense of redemption in overdrive after coming off of his massive sacrifice, or it this an unbalanced Sam that’s missing the soulless part of himself? The part that hardens him a little, makes him more accepting of such acts. Could be both, but I’m leaning toward the latter.
Of course all of this was interrupted by the Mother of All drama, so it goes to the next episode. Boy, does it.
Unforgiven
Wow, wow, wow. Talk about getting your lesson learned with a sledgehammer to the skull.
Sam and his aching soul needs to set things right. When a mysterious text takes him and Dean to Rhode Island, where Sam and Samuel worked a case within the last year, memories come flashing back as soon Sam reaches the city limits. He should have turned back, but a wall was itching like crazy.
Sam doesn’t get much time to enjoy his freedom from Hell, for this little adventure triggers the memories of the evil sociopath know as his soulless self. The debate begins, is it really Sam? Dean doesn’t think so, but Sam makes it clear without a doubt it was him. Bobby even echoed the same point in “Like A Virgin.” It may not have been all Sam, but it was Sam. It’s an interesting dilemma, what happens when you run amok with only a part of you in control, the part without the moral compass or regard for humanity? As Sam unfortunately finds out, some really bad things.
Each triggered memory shakes Sam harder to the core, messing with that wall. He responds like a trauma victim, and despite his good intentions, there is no redemption. It’s a parallel to him taking down Lucifer. He did that and now monsters are running amok. Whether on purpose or not, what he did ruined lives and he can’t fix it now. The most powerful line to come out of this, “You killed one monster, you made so many more.” Good intentions are failing Sam.
Sam gets to see first hand what pure evil he’s capable of and it frightens him. No, it devastates him. For remember, this isn’t a complete version of Sam either. He doesn’t have a lot of those hard memories of recent times, especially of Hell. This is the empathetic, feeling, caring side and he can’t relate to the hardness of his counterpart. Tragedies, death, heartache, it affects him a lot worse.
Because of all this, Sam goes and scratches that wall. He learns first hand what happens with he does that – A massive seizure and a flood of memories of burning alive in Hell. Granted that seizure freaks out Dean more than Sam, but it still wasn’t pleasant.
Mannequin 3: The Reckoning
No more scratching the wall. Dean’s orders. Sam reluctantly agrees. So it’s time to back his brother. Be supportive, help big brother straighten out some of the issues in his life. Just like old times.
The French Mistake
Just like Dean with “Frontierland,” when was the last time you saw a goofy smile on Sam’s face? The alternate reality may have been disturbing, but at least he had one fun night in a mansion, spending his money, and going to bed with his hot wife. Oh, Sam so needs more of these moments in his life.
And Then There Were None
Sam gets to confront Samuel, who isn’t exactly won over that Sam has his soul back and can’t remember what he did. Samuel still remembers and it sickens him. What’s interesting is the intense remorse Sam feels when he kills Samuel, who was infected by the Khan worm. He doesn’t remember anything pleasant about the man, but he was family, and can’t help but wonder what his mother would think. Lucky for Sam, Dean is around to give the pep talk. Blood doesn’t make you real family. Dean later gives forgiveness for all things past and present. Sam is surprised to hear Dean say that and appreciates the words. He really needed to hear this, especially with all his lingering guilt of late.
You know what got me the most about Sam though in this episode? When they were interrogating possessed Bobby. They make the decision to kill the worm by electrocuting Bobby, because that’s the way he would want it. Sam is so distraught over seeing Bobby suffer, he turns away. Soulless Sam would have probably smirked in fascination. It’s so wonderful to see this side of Sam, even if it was happening during a very upsetting moment. You do have to wonder though, would he have reacted so emotionally if it had been all him? He would have had some reaction, but I’m not sure if he would have turned away.
Frontierland
Sam plays his part while humoring big brother, but I only mention this episode for one reason. Sam on a horse.
That poor horse indeed.
Mommy Dearest
Again, it’s sympathetic Sammy being there for his brother. He like Dean felt the impact of the orphaned boys, and it took him back to his own losses. Like those boys, they’re left with each other.
You know, at this point, I’m waiting for the shoe to drop for poor Sammy. This supportive, overly sensitive, caring side, it’s the Sam of old, seasons one and two, but he’s been through too much since then. His dark side has been missing. By this episode, that’s very obvious, to me anyway.
My favorite bit though, I love how Sam let the others know that they were not being arrested by cops but being taken by monsters by adopting Dean’s pet name. “Jefferson Starships!”
The Man Who Would Be King
Sam learns the truth. It’s Castiel that pulled him from Hell, without a soul. Castiel obviously didn’t do that on purpose, but the hurt and betrayal is too raw for Sam. He accuses Cass of doing that. Sure he doesn’t take Castiel’s lies with the same offense as Dean, but it stings nonetheless. Like he told Cass, he doesn’t know what to think.
Let It Bleed
It’s very hard for Sam to see Dean struggle over Ben and Lisa’s disappearance. He tries to calm Dean down, but Dean is too over the edge. He goes to Castiel behind Dean’s back but that doesn’t help Dean much either. Sam even gets desperate and pours himself a glass of whiskey, the first time that’s happened all season. But its the end, that’s what hurts him the worst. He could have tried to be supportive of Dean’s decision to wipe Ben and Lisa’s memories, but instead it hits a sore spot. “Dean, you have pulled some shady crap before, but this has got to be the worst. Whitewashing their memories, take it from somebody who knows-” Dean cuts him off. “You ever mention Lisa and Ben to me again I’ll break your nose.” Another brotherly issue swept under the rug. Unfortunately for them, bigger fish are coming!
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Once again, poor, poor, Sam Winchester can’t catch a break. Nothing stays good for long, does it? Neither Dean nor Castiel will back down in their battle of wills, so Castiel goes for Dean’s weakness, Sam. He removes the Hell wall in Sam’s mind purely to distract Dean and get him to back off. Sam instantly falls into a coma, technically breaks into pieces and has to figure everything out on his own in his head. It ain’t pretty.
Talk about a character test. What do you do when three separate parts of your existence, kept apart by a barrier of well being, all fight each other in a battle of survival when it falls? There’s sympathetic Sam, the current version resurrected by Death without any of his memories, there’s soulless Sam, who thinks souls are weak and would rather be a predator than prey, and then Hell Sam, the broken, crushed, skinned alive piece that keeps the memories of that horror away from the pure soul out of protection.
Sam’s mind has other built in protections too, including the bartender that tries to keep him away from the truth. Sam’s determined though, because Dean needs him and the clues are there to what his real state is. He kills soulless Sam and takes in his memories. It’s at that moment that we see the real Sam again, at least the Sam that fell into Hell. His dangerous, not so pleasant side is reunited with his sympathetic soul. The pain, the sorrow over what he’s done, it’s all too real, but it’s not overwhelming him. “I’m so sorry,” he tells Robin, the innocent bartender that soulless Sam killed. “Not as sorry as you’re going to be.” Foreshadowing a bit much, are we?
Sam can’t wake up from his coma until the third piece, the Hell Sam, is part of him too. He has to know that pain, that unspeakable horror, in order to exist. “Humpty dumpty has to put himself back together again.” Sam is terrified but he agrees, because “I’m not leaving my brother alone out there.”
When Sam arrives to save Dean from Castiel, he can barely stand. Those raw memories, just as was warned earlier, are ripping Sam apart. He musters enough strength to stab Castiel, but as he, Dean and Bobby learn, Castiel is too powerful for that now. They have bigger problems.
Sam is going into season seven finally whole, but with a tainted soul now that has been “skinned alive” in Hell and the full memories and guilt of his soulless atrocities. This is worse than last year. He may have fallen into Hell, but he was on the front end of that worst nightmare after earning his long desired redemption. I’m extremely curious how Sam will pull himself together and whether Dean will be able to help. Maybe both of them can draw from their past experiences and help each other through their lingering PTSD. In the meantime, Sam’s internal struggle is just beginning. I don’t believe Hell Sam though. I think Sam is strong enough. Only time will tell I guess.
Read the other “Deeper Look” articles from previous seasons:
A Deeper Look at Season Five Sam Winchester
A Deeper Look at Season Four Sam Winchester
A Deeper Look at Season Three Sam Winchester
Alice Jester is the founder, editor-in-chief, head writer, programmer, web designer, site administrator, marketer, and moderator for The Winchester Family Business. She is a 30 year IT applications and database expert with a penchant for creative and freelance writing in her spare (ha!!) time. That’s on top of being a wife, mother of two active kids, and four loving (aka needy) pets.
Resouled Sam was off to me, there was something missing. He was bland and wussy. I look forward to the integrations of all parts Sam.
God I love Sam, every single form of him and i am so impressed with the writers giving him all these nuances to play, Jared has really stepped up and owned them all.
I am really intrigued to see where he goes in Season 7 and am excited for the fallout. I too think Sam’s stronger than people give him credit for but 150 years in hell is going to wreck anybody. I can’t wait to see how it all goes down.
Lovely article on Sam, thank you.
m being seen has strong and he will be alright is the problem that has bugged Sams storytelling . Dean is all ”how much more can he take” Sam is strong and will get over it. I do not want to see that again . I want a genuine showing over exactly what this has done to Sam from Sams pov .
I know we need a Sam functiong but no reducing or hand waving away of the real impact on Sam physically, emotionally, mentially . Dealing with this on Sams level has been along time coming .Lets for once let people see Sam is not unbreakable that he cant just get up and dust himself off .
I enjoyed Souless Sam but the integration had to happen now lets see the consquences.
Brilliantly done, Alice.
Sam was put through a lot this season and you captured all of it.
Jared’s acting was amazing this season, and he sold us each character–Soulless Sam, Reinsouled but not whole Sam, Hell!Sam, Whole Sam, all while only really given his body movements and facial expressions as tools to do it. It’s really amazing to see how well he pulled that off in retrospect. Having finally gone to a Con and met him, I still can’t figure out how he turned his eyes off to that dead, cold look for Soulless Sam. It’s amazing work, really.
As for the upcoming season, I think Hell!Sam said to Sam that he didn’t think he was strong enough to take it because he knew it’d be a button. Push that button and you’ll ignite the Sam Winchester Stubbornness. What’s the worst thing anyone, including Dean, can ever tell Sam? “You can’t.” It makes Sam say “Oh YEAH? I’ll show you!” and then proceed to do it.
I’m thinking Sam will more than likely struggle. He’ll have issues and times where he can’t handle it, but over all I think Sam will prove his Hell self wrong. He CAN and WILL be stronger than those memories.
I also hope that both brothers open up a little about this, both of them have now experienced and remember Hell, not to mention other things they’ve swept under the rug Winchester style. I hope they learn that doing that is how the bad guys really win—not using their love for one another against them. If they are truly as equal as Dean implied with that gun and note, then Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory help whomever is foolish enough to stand in their way.
An excellent look at S6 Sam, Alice. I didn’t catch the subtle distinctions between Soulless Sam/WholeSam/HalfSam/RoboSam while watching the season. It just seemed the character was all over the place, so now I have a better understanding of what was going on.
In reading through your review, it dawned on me why I did not like the Soulless Sam/RoboSam story. I just never bought into it for some of the reasons you mention (going on too long for one, and Sam’s actions being so despicable for another, and no clear definition for what a soul means to a person).
I know I am probably a lone voice in not liking Sam’s storyline this season. Your article made me realize that I didn’t like it because it screamed to me that Sam is a passive victim whose life circumstance is solely dependent on the actions of others; be that the YED, Dean, the angels, Lucifer, and now Cas. Of course, what’s going on then drives what actions Dean takes, and in a circle they go.
I don’t think there is any question that Sam will put himself back together again, but my hope is that both brothers are a little more proactive this season than they have been the last couple of years.
Great analysis of Sam Winchester, Alice!
Season 6 Sam wasn’t easy to capture and required multiple viewings and a deeper look. You beautifully summarized the character of the last season and I’ve enjoyed reading the article. Thank you!
I’m really intrigued by Hell Sam, who seemed to have something more than meets the eye. Having been tortured, broken and suffered horribly in Hell, he still showed a genuine sympathy and understanding to Sam. That means Hell Sam maintained his humanity even after 150 years in Hell.  Hell Sam had such strength without really noticing.
IÂ believe the strength is an integral part of Real Sam.
Once again, great essay on season 6 Sam.
I did like the way the character was drawn up this past season, though I do agree it was a little bit too long. By the time “Appointment in Samarra” came along, I was more than ready to say farethewell and good riddance to Soulless Sam. But man, oh man, did Jared ever play him well. The guy deserves some sort of award for that. If was so full of subtlety and nuance, I could rhapsodize on his performance for hours, except you’re the only people you’ll listen!!
Now that Dean has given everyone “carte blanche” over any wrong committed (wonder if that’ll include Castiel) I hope that he and Sam will finally stop keeping freaking secrets from each other.
I enjoyed your essay very much, Alice and agree to it in almost every part.
I may be one of the few people who actually enjoyed soulless Sam. I was more irritated with Cas this season (even more so in retrospect-but that’s a discussion for another forum). Why did I enjoy it? Well, for once Sam was snarky – sure a jerk to no end, but funny: “Go to hell!” – “Been there, didn’t agree with me!”- Bwah!!! Also after five seasons of seeing Sam devastated, guilty and torn it was like a fresh wave. Of course I cringed when he told Dean that he doesn’t care about him but at least he wasn’t lying this one time. It was nice to see Sam not doubting himself but doing what needs to be done. Of course without a soul that went completely overboard. Like Dean put it so correctly: Sam was the T1000. Purely living for self-preservation and doing the job he was “programmed†for from his childhood.
And here’s where our opinion slightly part. I still believe at that moment RoboSam truly wanted his soul back. Maybe because he saw that without it he made errors in judgment or because he thought that with a soul – and his return of his “instincts†– he would be an even better hunter. This changed two episodes later, but why? In “clap your hands†Dean tells him that to have a soul means to suffer. Not the best sales argument for someone who thinks that emotions hinder you, makes you a weaker hunter. So everything Dean tells him about a soul in this episode is from a negative point. You suffer, you can’t have sex with a hippie chick…so RoboSam wavers. He’s completely turned down the idea, when angel and demons agree that getting that soul back into him will cripple him, maybe even kill him. Sam clearly told Dean he doesn’t want it back. Of course Dean wouldn’t leave it at that – and we the audience who knew Sammy, know why – but RoboSam’s self-preservation instinct kicked in and he did everything he could to prevent Dean from going through with his plan. Poor Bobby is the fallout of that. But for me RoboSam’s action made sense. Did I like them? Nope! Killing Bobby is just a no-go. But I thought the continuity was preserved.
The only time I thought it was broken, was when Sam showed emotions that I couldn’t count as played (over his car, over getting his soul shoved back in).
OH GOD, this got so much longer than I intended and I apologize for boring you! I’ll try to keep it short next time. This said: I am looking forward to Season 7 like no one’s business :D.
Hey airbat, thank you so much for voicing what I have been thinking and feeling for so long. I too am one of the few who actually enjoyed soulless Sam. The flashbacks are terrifying though. I truly believe that in the beginning Sam wanted his soul back. It irritated me that the writers had Dean continuously questioning him, perhaps that is what planted the seeds of doubt. And his remarks in Clap Your Hands didn’t help things either. At the end of All Dogs go to Heaven Sam said there were things he remembered about being that “other Sam” and it would be best if he went back to being him. I believed him there and I hope we get to know what those things are. I think it may have a lot to do with his memories of being a brother to Dean and what they had together. At the end of Clap Your Hands Sam turned down the offer from the leprachan to get his soul back because it was a deal, “since when has a deal ever been good”. Sam was soulless, not stupid, so once again I believed him there, but it is very obvious he was having second thoughts. Every time he said he wanted his soul back I believed him, even as his doubts grew stronger. If the opportunity presented itself sooner and he was faced with actually making the choice for himself perhaps he wouldn’t have gone thru with it. Of course we will never know, fortunately all of that is in the past and we now have Sammy with his soul. I am so looking forward to the brothers being together as one, taking care of each other. Sept 23rd cannot get here soon enough. Thanks for letting me ramble. None of the people I see on a regular basis watch the show so I have no one to talk with about it.
Hey Lindab30,
I have the same problem with my friends and Supernatural. I suspect by now, they think I’m crazy. But thank god, there are great, sensible (mostly brother war free) sites like this one which wonderful articles about everything Supernatural. Also found a lot of new people to chat to on twitter and facebook. Try it out. New Supernatural fans are always welcomed.
Don’t get me wrong, I totally enjoyed Soulless Sam for his “badassness” and yes, his sick sense of humour. But I’m looking forward to the next season to see how Sam will do having all parts of his soul restored to him, won’t be easy I’m thinking.
And I definitely agree with both of you about having a place to discuss our favourite obsession without people rolling their eyes. I don’t dare talk about it anymore with my friend, she just thinks “Oh, dear God, there she goes again”.
[quote] I agree that the Soulless One could have gone a little sooner, but I think the main problem was not knowing what the issue was for so long. I enjoyed the whole thing a lot more after “Family Matters.” I also agree that Sam is strong enough to handle this. Hell (pun intended), that boy can take anything.
However, I have to disagree with the view that Sam, once resouled, is not really Sam. To me, he’s definitely Sam. For one, all his pieces are there–it does make a difference that they’re repressed, but nevertheless they’re not [i]missing[/i]. He’s as much the real Sam as the Sam of every season, despite the fact that the character keeps evolving. This is merely Sam surviving in a particular mode for a while, another step in his character development.
In my mind, the other two pieces of him that he reintegrated were memories. Nasty ones. So Sam needed this respite, in order to face the fight ahead of him. And I believe he’ll come out even stronger for it.
I think it comes down to the fact that, for me, “not whole” means something very different than “not real.” “Real,” I feel, is a very loaded word.[/quote]
Good article Alice, but I have to disagree with you, and agree with Grammarella. The real Sam came back 100% in Like a Virgin. All he was missing were memories of a bad period. He wasn’t missing any part of the real Sam that jumped into the pit in Swan Song. I don’t think soulless Sam was the edgy part of Sam split off. I don’t think the wall split Sam’s personality in any way. I just think it walled off psychologically damaging memories.
I also believe that Soulless Sam was nothing like the real Sam, and it irritated me that the real Sam was determined to accept responsibility, and guilt, for what his soulless self did.
Personally I hated the soulless Sam story with a passion. That, combined with the time jump, which I also think was a huge mistake, sucked all the enjoyment out of the 1st half of s6. I watch the show for 3 things; Dean, Sam and Sam and Dean’s relationship. For [i]11 episodes[/i] 2 of those 3 elements were missing. Much as I love Dean he isn’t enough on his own to preserve my interest. I have never loved a show like I love SPN, but even I came close to running out of patience as they dragged out this terrible idea WAY beyond its sell-by date.
However, from LaV onwards I really enjoyed s6, so definitely a mixed bag for me. I can’t wait for s7.
Thanks for the article.
I was actually more sympathetic to Soulless Sam than Dean in the first half of this season. I never bought that Lisa/Ben thing as a real relationship but more as a fantasy family that symbolized something Dean felt he wanted to complete his life. Or something. I felt the Soulless Sam arc was more emotionally honest by comparison.
I think the main problem was not revealing Soulless Sam’s lack of soul sooner. As soon as they were open about what kind of Sam we were dealing with, it was better, and we got more from RoboSam’s point of view, too. This show destroys more potential for drama and sympathy by hiding things for some stupid reveal down the line than any other show I’ve watched. I do love SPN, but never have the writing for the series as a whole.
I think the real tragedy of Soulless Sam and Hell Sam both is that neither one had to exist that long. Castiel should have said something by the 3rd episode of the season. Or done his own checking on Sam if he didn’t want to admit he’d brought him up from hell wrong. What’s even sadder is that Cas didn’t even stick around long enough to see how Sam was doing after he brought him up from hell, not even to say hello and glad you’re back. Nothing. Castiel didn’t admit to bringing Sam up until he thought it might get him out of that fire ring. And then Castiel tore Sam’s Wall down on purpose. As much as Castiel’s betrayal hurt Dean, it’s truly Sam he hurt the most here. Sam is going to have dual memories, and both of them are horrifying.
I’m very excited to see how Sam’s integration will be handled in the new season. How will they deal with something this devastating? I hope it is personal and I hope it is about how this makes Sam feel rather than only getting it from Dean’s POV. I have waited so long to hear from Sam on this show. To have his reactions matter in a big, central way.