Supernatural Season 9: Here We Go Again!
A week before we were utterly stunned by the emotional mayhem that was “Sacrifice”, I posted an open letter to Jeremy Carver expressing my bewilderment about the primary story line of season 8. I began the letter with the following confession:
“Dear Jeremy, I am confused. It is only 4 days until Supernatural’s Season 8 finale airs in the U.S., but with so many plots and sub-plots still fluidly intertwining, I have no idea where this story is headed! I have totally given up on speculating, predicting or theorizing what is happening this season! I am intellectually baffled and emotionally exhausted.”
My letter went on to list all of the plot fragments that had been introduced during the season, and my personal theory on what we would see…
in the season’s climactic last episode:
“I believe that you are setting up an immensely intricate myth arc that will take at least 3 years (and hopefully more than that!) to unravel and explain. I believe you have a plan. I want you to have a plan. Originally I had hoped to get Sam’s lost year, not looking for Dean, Naomi’s agenda, Cas’ manipulation, closing whatever gates…all resolved this season. I had hoped that by Episode 23, I would have a lot of answers. I have given up on that!! There’s less than a week left, and Cas is heading in some new, crazy, misguided direction; a Knight of Hell is released again (ineptly by the brothers); Sam is being attacked both emotionally and physically, and may be losing his resolve to complete the trials; Dean is alone in supporting both his brother and their quest; and Crowley, Naomi and Metatron are still mysteries….I promise I will write to you again this summer, after I have seen the finale and know all that you have to share with us this season. For now, though, I have to marvel at the amount of faith you have in fandom! You are either giving us the most complex season of all time (a judgment only hindsight can deliver once all is revealed), or are baiting us with clues and multi-year story set-ups that we have to absorb and just hold on to patiently for years. Or…are we, as fans, seeing way too many things that just aren’t there?”
I think answering that last question is crucial to understanding our expectations for season 9, both individually and as a worldwide fandom. Are Jeremy and his staff of writers working through a complex multi-year myth arc that involves more than just angel and demon tablets, or are fans seeing story lines that just don’t exist? We are holding our breath during the last two weeks of Hellatus, anxious to be liberated from the dramatic cliffhanger we were subjected to at the end of last season. Where exactly did the story leave us, though? We really have to understand season 8 before we can know what to expect from season 9.
Stepping back from the many, many distractions that kept us all guessing what direction we were headed last season, season 8 was ultimately about two main plot lines: finding and using the angel and demon tablets to accomplish a mission. Of course, everyone wanted the tablets for different reasons, so the race was on. The last image seared into our brains was the spectacular, convergent ending to the quests for those two tablets. Sam did not close the Gates of Hell, even though we watched the brothers devote a year to finding the prophet, losing him, finding him again, hiding him, losing him again, being reunited at last, then depositing him in their bunker, all while they followed step-by-step instructions through the trials given to them by the demon tablet’s translation. We also watched Castiel spend a year (here we go again…) searching for, finding, protecting, losing, regaining then finally delivering the angel tablet to the prophet so that it could be deciphered. Yet Castiel did not wait for the tablet’s translation and ultimately did not close the Gates of Heaven. So all that work to find the two tablets yet neither goal was accomplished! At the end of the season, our heroes have both the tablets and the prophet in their possession, yet the path forward has never been more unclear. Angels have been cast out of heaven, Cas has lost his grace, and Sam is mentally and physically broken.
A lot more happened in season 8 than just following that winding road to disaster, though. As part of my recap earlier this year, I listed all the other season 8 plot lines that were baiting us with their possibilities. If my theory is correct, and there is more afoot than just chasing the fallout from the two tablets, these other plots should eventually reemerge. How about if we revisit season 8’s sub-plots and predict where they will all lead? I’ll go first: (spoilers possible from this point forward!)
1. Purgatory – NO. A fabulous, permanent addition to the mythology, but I don’t think it will play a big part in the Heaven/Hell saga currently facing the brothers. It can always be revisited briefly for, say, finding a best friend who got marooned there? Which brings us to …
2. Benny – YES. If I’m not mistaken, spoilers have already leaked that we will be seeing more of Benny. Misdirection and teasing aside, I do believe his role in the brothers’ maturing relationship and his tremendous popularity as a good/bad guy will bring him back to us as a recurring character.
3. Naomi (the mysterious CIAngels, her control over Castiel, her history with Crowley and her relationship to heaven) – NO. I think this whole plot line played itself out. It added to the angels’ backstory and explained a lot of Castiel’s history, but I don’t think it will be a focus in the future. Partially, I think Amanda Tapping is too established an actor to sign up for a multi-year supporting role, and partially because you can only hate a nemesis-turned-ally for one season before they get tiresome…and she looked really and truly dead.
4. Metatron and Abaddon – YES. Oh, they’ll be back. Somehow either Castiel or Sam and Dean have to exact revenge on Metatron when they “fix” Heaven and restore the angels (which I have to believe is going to happen!). It’s no secret that Abaddon was primed for a power battle with a now-captured Crowley, so there will also be a lot of drama there, too.
5. Charlie, Garth and Bobby – YES. Again, no secret that they’ll be back too. Great supporting characters for a few fill-in episodes.
6. Aaron, the Golem and the Judah Initiative – NOT YET. This is a good sidebar story supported by solid, interesting, believable characters. With so many major story lines already on deck, though, (Sam, Cas, Dean’s secret, Heaven and Hell), and so many supporting characters with active story lines in play (see list of names above), I don’t think this could be explored in enough detail this season to do it justice. Plus we lost their creator, Ben Edlund, to a competing apocalyptic series. Let’s hold onto this one for the future.
7. The Men of Letters Legacy and Henry – YES and NOT YET. Obviously, the MOL bunker is a now a cornerstone of the series. I think we will see Henry again, but not until later. I wouldn’t object if he reappeared in the back half of season 9, but I believe it is more likely that he will be saved for subsequent seasons. I believe I am still on safe ground with what I predicted in May: “this whole new history has a profound impact on the myth arc. Introduction of Henry and his life’s story, the boys’ legacy as Winchesters, volumes of priceless information for the boys to use as hunters; in other words, a whole new world of stories to explore!”
8. The Brothers’ Maturing Relationship – YES. “The first half of the season was torture as we watched two brothers who barely recognized each other, fought all the time, said things that were deeply hurtful, and stayed together only to hunt, find Kevin, or survive. The second half of the season (especially the last few episodes) did a complete turnabout with hugs, mutual understanding, support, tolerance and honesty… everything I could hope for between the brothers!” That was how I described Sam and Dean’s relationship in Jeremy’s letter. As of now, I really believe we are in for a great season between the brothers. I don’t mean to imply that they will get along seamlessly or that there will be no rifts between them. We already know that Dean starts off the year keeping a big secret from Sam. I do believe, though, that we are through with contrived arguments for the sake of drama, or the wallowing in self-pity, alcoholism or self-imposed emotional isolation as season-long characters traits we have had to endure in the past. I believe Jeremy and the writers understand we want to see real, meaningful emotional angst and reconciliation that develops plot, not heartache.
9. Sam’s “lost” year trying to build a normal life (Sam didn’t look for Dean, found a new life with Amelia, lost it all again but hopes to find normalcy at the end of the trials) – NO. There were so many hints and soooo much speculation that Sam did not really build a new life with Amelia. There were several possible tangents suggested to account for the unfortunate allegation that Sam didn’t look for Dean:
o The attempted-suicide theory (Sam, worn down by remembering Hell and his Lucifer hallucinations, became despondent after losing Dean. His attempt to kill himself in the Impala was side-tracked when he hit a dog. This suicide theme was reinforced by “Heartache” when it was revealed that Brick drove his car off a bridge when faced with the prospect of living alone without his life partner.)
o The “dream” theory (The idealized quality of Sam’s memories of Amelia and the super bright lighting of his flashbacks suggested something other than reality. Then Sam’s revealing monologue to Fred Jones in “Hunteri Heroici” that you can’t live in a dream world because reality will always find you.)
o Sam’s memories were altered by Naomi (Naomi manipulated the minds of Samandriel, Ion, and perhaps many other angels over the millennia. The faulty memory theme was reinforced when Castiel corrected Dean’s memory of his escape from Purgatory, when Sam remembered intricate details of his life that Dean had long since forgotten, and when they found that Fred Jones’ memories were his salvation from a withering mind. Sam’s activities in his missing year could have been wiped away and new memories implanted, explaining how Sam suddenly knew how to reverse an exorcism, for example.)
After all our speculating, I now believe that Sam’s year was simply as it was presented, i.e. he didn’t know what else to do so he drove around, hit a dog, met a girl, fell in love, had his heart broken then rejoined his brother hunting. Do I think Don’s resurrection was a coincidence? No. I still believe there is a good chance that Don was revived by angels to push Sam back to hunting for the tablets. Unfortunately, there is an equally good chance that Don was revived by the writers to get them out of the corner they had painted themselves into with Amelia. I’m torn on this one. I’m not ready to admit defeat quite yet on the angel manipulation idea. I honestly think we’ve seen the last of Amelia, though, mostly because of the rather universal dislike of the character (I have one caveat to this, which I’ll get into later). As far as Sam’s pursuit of a normal life, that will always be a part of his character. I don’t, however, expect it to be foremost on his mind in S9.
Then there are the few, smaller theories or events left dangling:
10. Dean’s advice to Sam to “never take a joint from a guy named Don”, before knowing that Amelia’s husband’s name was Don – NO. I think this was a weird blip in the writing. Fans pay attention to the smallest details, but I think this one got past the writers.
11. The mysterious figure watching Sam’s Kermit, Tx house – NO. This one is weird, too. Jeremy stated in a video interview that they were going to fully and completely reveal the identity of that figure. That never happened. Did that 30 seconds of tape end up on the cutting room floor? Did they change their minds and decide to leave it open? Were we supposed to infer it was Dean because he knew Amelia’s number when he placed that phantom call to Sam? This one bugs me. I really don’t know if this detail is something we should remember, or something we should let go. As multiple-year arcs go, this could be a clue, but that seems inconsistent with Jeremy’s prediction. I won’t forget it, but I guess if forced to make a choice, I will let this one slide.
12. The repeated theme of fathers making sacrifices for their children (“As Time Goes By”, “Freaks and Geeks”, “Everybody Hates Hitler” and “Remember the Titans” all scared us with their ominous exploration of legacies and impossible choices fathers had to make to save their children – NOT YET. Was this introduced only to support the history of Henry’s loss of John or to promote the legacy notion? Probably, but there was that last evening between Sam and Amelia after all. I would let this one go, except that Jared said something happens this year that he can’t wait to explore. Something that has him more excited than anything in the past 3 to 4 years. I have a few theories about what that might be. The craziest theory is that he becomes a father. We know Jared would love acting the part of a father, but would the story really go there? I don’t believe it will in season 9, partially because of the unfortunate way that Amelia’s character was developed and received. I would like that door to stay closed. This one is stored in the back of my mind, though, afraid to even be spoken in the light of day because of how it would sidetrack the story. It totally fits in with the season 8’s emphasis on Sam wanting to have a normal life, but I think it is too soon.
Honestly, I see this as the way the series ends. I am a sucker for happy endings. I have never subscribed to the “Butch Cassidy”, guns blazing ending that Jared and Jensen promote. Instead, I foresee them being successful at fixing Heaven (together with Castiel), closing Hell’s gates forever and retiring from actively hunting in the field. I envision them both having families, teaching their children and the next generation of hunters how to protect the world (“Charmed” anyone?), that is if they don’t eliminate supernatural forces from the world completely. That would give incredible meaning to their lives and their saga, their multiple deaths and resurrections, Sam’s journey and Dean’s determination. In any case, I don’t believe all the fatherhood, legacy and family references that were introduced this year were an accident. It’s an option for the writers. One possible ending, depending on the way the story develops over the next several years. (There is also the complication of the spin-off being launched this year. It is dependent on supernatural forces still being active in our universe so that will be a factor also). If forced to make a yes/no choice, do I believe this will happen? Not in season 9, but I can’t seem to forget it.
Those are the threads that were introduced but not resolved in season 8. If we are dealing with a myth arc that is broader than the tablets, some of them are destined to reappear. The real burning question as we go into 9.01, though is ….How is Sam healed?? Season 8 left him near death, yet we know he gets better in the first episode. What is it that has Jared so excited for this year? He has repeatedly said that his favorite season was season 4, because Sam was powerful and strong, and Jared loved how that made him feel as an actor. So I believe Sam’s cure will give him power and strength, and allow Jared to play a new version of Sam. Most popular theory in my mind? Angel’s grace somehow infused into Sam. Sam as an angel, possessed by an angel, a vessel for an angel…. He always admired angels and what an ironic reversal: the boy with demon blood who was Lucifer’s vessel (the most powerful fallen angel) ends up with the grace of an angel. Sam was being purified after all. That would certainly get Jared excited and be a big secret for Dean! Angel!Sam. Too much? Another possibility: We know Death is involved, and he can do just about as much as God. He cures Sam and then Dean owes Death a favor? That wouldn’t get Jared jazzed, though. A third possibility was Bobby reanimated in Sam. Bobby!Sam? No, that doesn’t do it for me. So you tell me. What do you think cures our boy?
I didn’t write to Jeremy in the Hellatus months as I had promised because honestly, I was still shell-shocked from the finale. It may sound trite, but I really didn’t have the emotional resilience to speculate what would happen next. I just wanted to leave it all alone and see where the writers would take us. Was I the only one who felt like that? With only 2 weeks left, though, it’s probably time to take a deep breath and dust off the notes from last season. After all, that’s what we hope the writers did before they put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboards), isn’t it?
So do you think season 8’s breadcrumbs will be carried over into Season 9? We know Hell has to get a new (or reinstated) “King”, Heaven’s angels have to find a new (or old) home, and Castiel has to find a new (or old) life. But what else might happen? Let’s Discuss!
Hi Nightsky,
I decided a couple seasons ago to just go with the flow, cause SPN always surprises me. Then again, I don’t mind a bit of speculation, either.
I really can’t see how they might bring a baby into the show, so I also don’t see that happening. It might be an idea for the big old end (I still can’t say-or type- that without cringing) since I know lots of people would like to see Sam and Dean settled down with kids and stuff (I myself would be content for them to drive off into the sunset)
No clue how Sammy gets healed but I must admit I hesitate at the idea of him gaining some powers or anything like that because of it. I guess that might make him not quite human and I’m not sure I would like that. I’ve always loved the human side of the story, but I can’t think of anything else right now that might have Jared so excited. I do wonder if Dean does make a deal with Death for Sam, but that would also mean he hasn’t actually learned his lesson about making deals 😕
Maybe Death will be all accommodating and tell Dean since he kept his word and let Sam jump into the pit, he’ll do him a favour. Then again, they did bind him at the beginning of season 7 so he might still be a little ticked at that?
Maybe they’re still planning on revealing who was outside Sam’s house? Maybe it was Death? Dum, Dum, dum.
Okay, I’ll shut up now before I go too crazy… :-*
Thanks for the article Nightsky. I agree with PaintedWolf and am pretty much going with the flow. I have no idea where JC is taking us but it feels new and exciting to me. I do hope that Sam will not have some special powers. No demon blood, no angel power and I definitely don’t want him possessed in any way by another character. Normal Sam would be a true novelty. It’s been a long hellatus and I can’t wait for next Tuesday!
Hi Nightsky.
Nice article. I was with you after the finale. Needing a lot of time to reflect…
I hope they really move forward from that church scene between the brothers, because I feel like that was only the beginning of things that need to be said and understood between them… but I’m not really expecting anything more.
I REALLY hope they’re not going with angel!Sam. My understanding was that Carver felt the Sam storyline was already too complicated. Giving him an angels grace sure won’t solve that issue! I’m trying really hard not to speculate on it, though, and go with the flow this year…. Just about anything will be better, imo, than the contrived-and-never-fully-explained ‘not looking’ sl.
One comment…. it’s been tweeted a few times (by Jim Michaels, and (I think) Kevin Parks) that the guy outside Sam and Amelia’s house was Don. They seem to have assumed that was shown at some point. I’m guessing the big reveal was filmed, and didn’t make the cut, for whatever reason. If they’d decided to leave it unresolved, wouldn’t JM and KP know that? Again, until and unless it’s revisited (and I doubt it will be) I’m going with Don.
[quote]Hi Nightsky.
One comment…. it’s been tweeted a few times (by Jim Michaels, and (I think) Kevin Parks) that the guy outside Sam and Amelia’s house was Don. They seem to have assumed that was shown at some point. I’m guessing the big reveal was filmed, and didn’t make the cut, for whatever reason. If they’d decided to leave it unresolved, wouldn’t JM and KP know that? Again, until and unless it’s revisited (and I doubt it will be) I’m going with Don.[/quote]
#3 st50: Thank you for the insight into the figure outside Sam’s house! With all the reading I do to try to hear [i]everything[/i], I didn’t remember that one! I am just as happy that it was Don so that piece of the mystery is resolved. It was just another part of an annoying side-story.
Your response is exactly why I tried to list all the dangling threads. I imagine there are other details that people have heard and together we can assemble the best info available going into S9!
I had thought of the Angel Grace given to Sam to heal him idea as well. I think that if this happens it could be very interesting. I know many people would like to see ‘normal’ Sam, but I haven’t got any problem with a Powers!Sam. I thought that his powers storyline from both seasons 2 and 4 were summarily dropped without being logically finished and would love to see it revived and settled more completely and satisfactorily.
Of all the loose ends from season 8 the only one that really bugs me now is actually the Don thing. The whole set up of the shadow figure was far too ominous to be just dumb old Don back from the dead. The fact that TPTB A. think that this has been adequately explained is pretty sloppy IMO, and B. if they intended to go elsewhere with the story and then back tracked it to be Don is equally bad.
The ‘not looking’ storyline still bugs me some, and I would LOVE to have some more information on Sam’s missing year that fleshes out more of the missing “WHY”!!!! But, as it stands now, its somehow sorta completish…. kinda sorta…… maybe. No, no.. not bitter at all… really not.
Thank you Nightsky, you seem to have covered it all!
Agree with E – I, too, don’t mind Powers!Sam. Jared looked (and sounded) so excited by his character’s prospects in the season to come – let him fly!
What worries me a bit is that there are going to be so many new recurring characters and new plot-lines. I hope, the boys won’t get lost in all these stratagems. I’m not that much of a fan of Game of Thrones, too many people and events – you are getting attracted to a character, next minute he is either killed or disappeared, and reappeared when you’ve almost forgotten his face.
[quote]
What worries me a bit is that there are going to be so many new recurring characters and new plot-lines. I hope, the boys won’t get lost in all these stratagems. I’m not that much of a fan of Game of Thrones, too many people and events – you are getting attracted to a character, next minute he is either killed or disappeared, and reappeared when you’ve almost forgotten his face.[/quote]
This worries me too, novi.
I AM a fan of Game of Thrones. But this is not that show. This is a show about the brothers, and – apologies to Jared and Jensen – I don’t want it to increase the focus on other characters, even if it gives the guys more (much needed) time off.
But – I’m not going to get upset about what hasn’t happened yet. I’m going to give the season a chance. Crossing fingers that I enjoy it more than S8.
St50 – yes! I am willing to give Show as many chances as they need plus all my trust and devotion in case they need them too. Can’t really imagine what could loose me from SPN now – a crowbar? Hardly.
I am curious…how many of you feel a little worn down by Season 8? The first half of the season was such a roller coaster of negative emotions, then the second half gutted us with what was happening to Sam, Cas, Dean’s worry, etc. I know no one could breathe after “Sacrifice”! So, what emotion describes how you feel [i]right now[/i] about our show? And what emotion describes your feelings toward s9 (Excited? Anxious? )
I’m far more than worn down. I will probably watch episode one live, maybe. I suspect that I will be DVRing the show, waiting for reviews so I know what is happening and then watching or discarding episodes based on what happens in them.
I know that you and others have said rewatching season 8 helped it come together for you. I’m really glad, but I found season 8 to be painfully bad. From my POV, the writers have been crystal clear that they have no intention whatsoever of allowing us a clear look into Sam’s mindset, POV, or any part of him. I have no desire to see another season of how Dean feels about Sam’s actions while Sam is kept mute and in the background forbidden to actually talk to ANYONE about how he feels about his actions and his life. The announcement that [hide]we will have 2 different Sams this year (I tried to put this in spoiler bars, I don’t know if they work)[/hide] has me convinced that the writers have just plain decided that they don’t really want the character of Sam in the show at all. Since I like Sam and he is my entry character, this leaves me very upset. I’m willing to see where they go with this, but I’m honestly half way out the door already.
nightsky, what do you mean by “worn down”? Do you mean a) in a good way, like, “I’m an emotional mess because the show still knows exactly how to shake me and put me in a roller coaster of mixed feelings. It still surprises me and makes me feel everything at the same time and I love it” (yes, for me, this a definition of ‘good’. I’m a masochist. 😳 :-* ) or b) in a bad way, like, “I’m disapointed with the show. The story past its prime and now tires me. I wish it had ended a long time ago”?
At first, I thought you meant it in a good way (as described above), but then I got even more confused after reading percysowner’s answer, since for what I understood from her/his comment, he/she is not pleased with the show right now. I apologize in advance to both of you – it is most probably my fault not understanding your comments. English is not my first language. I get by, but sometimes nuance escapes me.
Thank you!
Oh, and for me, it is letter a). I’m still in love with the show, so although it makes me mad sometimes, my relationship with it is still positive (it makes me more happy than annoyed most of the time).
Not prepared to let it go, yet! Very exited for S09!
Thank you for the article!
Nice article, Nightsky. Thank you.
Count me in with those who like Powers! Sam. I would be happy to see him back. What I absolutely do not want is for Sam to be possessed. I want Sam to be just Sam. I am very much looking forward to s9 although I am anxious too. I am hoping that I enjoy it more than I enjoyed s8.
As for being worn down, last season Show and I almost parted company for good. I only came back when the Henry/MOL episode aired. I (mostly) enjoyed the second half of the season – and I adored Sacrifice -but alot of S8 still gets me stressed when I think about it. So I guess I am mostly excited about s9 but with quite a few twitchy nerves too.
I too am not going to judge the season before I see any of the episodes. I am nervous as well. The first part of S8 with both the brother and fan conflict WAS very draining Nightsky. I enjoyed the last half much better but if this year repeats some of the things that made me cringe last year I will be concerned the show has lost it’s way. Right now I am optimistic and am very much looking forward to the premiere. I do love this show.
As for speculation I am the worst. I just want the brothers to work on their communication and be supportive of each other. Bickering will happen. I expect that, but not a lot of contrived conflict.
Thanks Nightsky!
well i’m one of those who saw perfect logic in the storyline where sam didn’t look, especially after just rewatching s6 and s7. sometimes one forgets what happens or what is said in a given eppy. in watching the slice girls, sam at the end was very upset with dean because he couldn’t kill his monster spawn. sam pleaded with dean in a frantic way, “don’t get killed, just don’t get killed”. given the eps that followed which included sam nearly dying from his hellucinations, electroshock, bobby dying again & then dean, the one person who gave sam his strength “dying” and noone to convince sam otherwise, sam’s final break seemed imminent to me and the next logical step. sam bouncing back from all of that would’ve been ridiculous. he is after all human. we’ve been told and i’ve posted where i’ve given proof in six different episodes, by sam, meg, garth and bobby that something was seriously wrong with sam. sorry nightsky, but i have to disagree that sam fell in love as there was not a single fb that indicated that to be so. i do agree that he cared for amelia. it’s like the meatloaf song, he wanted her and needed her, but there was no way he was ever going to love her. she was his focus. she helped him heal emotionally. i do believe he loved the normalcy that came with being with her. but in the end it wasn’t about loving her, it was about hiding from his pain. when he was ready mentally and emotionally, he left and he didn’t need a convenient returning dead don to do it. just needed to clear that up for my own sake.
as for never dealing with sam’s time…i don’t really know. the first ep is described as sam facing some familiar demons of his own. i don’t think lucifer is on. so what are his demons that we don’t know of? we never got to “see” what he went through those three months before he hit the dog. just saying it’s not out of the realm of possibility that there be some closure in regards to that. i think jared/sam and the fans deserve that much. there’s always a grain of hope.
i’m of the camp not buying into the coincidence of benny receiving the exact location of the portal at the very time sam decided it was time to get back to his real life. are we all really supposed to believe it took the exact amount of time for benny to suddenly receive the location of the window that it took for sam to realize the life he was living wasn’t his real life? just not buying the timing and it’s too big to hand wave away.
still think whoever put that dog in front of sam’s car was the one who leaked info to benny regarding dean being his human ticket out. the way i see it, someone wanted to keep dean safe, while sam had time to heal. then when sam was ready, who hoo benny miraculously receives the exact location of the portal and sam and dean meet up at the same time…..me thinks perhaps metatron had a hand in all of this…that he wasn’t the hibernating angel he led everyone to believe and that he long ago read chucks books on the winchesters….
i’m not much on speculation either, but i think there’s too big a story to just handwave away. i’m of the belief that one day we will get answers. 😆
Hey nappi,
I don’t want to start ANOTHER discussion of why season 8 didn’t work for me, :-* but I just wanted to say that I’d have bought the whole “it was the final straw for Sam, and he ran” argument if we hadn’t had the episode Time After Time in Season 7. Bobby had JUST died, the boys were reeling… Sam had just recovered from having his skull bashed by Edgar, and was dealing with Lucifer 24/7 (according to Levia!Sam)… and then Dean disappeared in a puff of red light. What did Sam do?
Sam [i]didn’t[/i] run. He [i]didn’t[/i] give up. He worked the case and found a way to bring Dean back. Let’s face it.. the writers have made Sam “bounce back” time and again – yes, somewhat ridiculously, but he’s always done it. It would take a bit of exposition to show that this time it was too much.
A few clues here and there [i]hinting[/i] than Sam couldn’t cope just didn’t cut it for me.
So, getting back to Nightsky’s question. Yes, I’m worn down, a little leery of where they’re going this season. I’m cheered by how happy the Js seem, and by the fact that the “party line” in all the interviews for s9 seems to be about the brothers back together.
Put me down as CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC.
St50, I’m not trying to change anyones pov by any means. I didn’t imagine the EPs where we were told Sam broke. I know the exact EPs and by whom we were told. I am totally satisfied with sams human story and how it played out. Just to set record straight because Sam,Jared deserve that much..there is a significant difference between tatat & sotf. Firstly, tatat happened before repo man, owto ,and tbai so Sam was emotionally and mentally battered by the time we get to sotf. In tatat Sam witnessed dean disappear into a red light. He panicked but they were already into the case. Sam saw his brother vanish. He never saw his brother die. But tatat did damage Sam imo. In sotf it was totally different circumstance. Dean didn’t simply vanish. The room began to shake. There was a force before the blast. Dick literally exploded. There was no explosion in tatat. Everything was covered in goo and everyone within a foot of dick disappeared. No cas. No dean. No dick. If a suicide bomber blew himself up..then most likely anyone near him would blow too. I saw no difference. Dean died in aftermath of killing a Levi..cas too. Crowley confirmed it. Sam was in shock…he had noone to talk him down. He was utterly alone & lost the only person who gave him strength to cope with all crap he’s been thru.. Sorry, but I will never fault Sam for his inability to deal with what he truly believed to be his brothers death…
#16 Nappi
I hear you. 🙂
We’ve all been arguing this same point on the site for the last 5+ months. Let’s just leave it as….it worked for some, it didn’t work for others….
I mean no disrespect, but I think it’s time to move along. 🙂
None meant or taken 😉
In love with season 8, excited for 9, and i believe jeremy has at least a 3-season arc in mind so i am watching and enjoying like that is indeed the case. And in the end, i am thinking the Winchester legacy will live on since we’ve heard more than once, “As long as there are Winchesters, there is always hope.” My guess there is that Dean probably does have a kid out there – most likely a girl with all this fabulous testosterone we’ve been enjoying for so long – and I am thinking Sam gets a daughter too; kinda a way to make up for all his bad luck with females all this time.
Can’t wait!