No Chick Flick Moments…But We Can Still Talk, Right?
Two things prompted this article, Aliceโs recent top ten wish list for Season 10, and this YouTube video that was posted on the WFB Twitter account.
The video especially reminded me just how much the brothers mean to each other, and just how utterly desolate their relationship has been, really since Season 4.ย Kripke said in an interview after “No Rest for the Wicked” that Sam and Deanโs relationship would be radically changed, and it truly has never recaptured the glory of seasonsโ past.ย There have been moments, and there were moments in “Do You Believe in Miracles?” โ mostly because Jared absolutely sold Samโs horror and loss, and all that it meant.ย But, my one wish for the writers is that they go back and rewatch the earlier seasons, notably 1 โ 3, and see that you can stay with the premise of no chick flick moments, and still have the brothers talk.
It was in “Wendigo” when Dean, trying to help Sam cope with the loss of Jessica and the frustration of not knowing where dad was, told Sam that hunting things, saving people was the family businessโฆhey, that would be a good name for an SPN website.ย ๐
It was in “Phantom Traveler” that Sam admitted to Dean that the job took a toll.ย Dean tried to brush it off, telling Sam he had to just not take it โhomeโ with him.ย Sam called Dean out because Dean kept a very large knife under his pillow โ these days itโs a gun.
“Scarecrow” contained the wonderful phone call where Dean told Sam he was proud of him, for always knowing what he wanted and standing up to dad.ย Dean admitted he wished he could be more like that.ย It caused Sam to rethink a few things, and to return when he couldnโt get Dean on the phone.ย Why did he even call Dean that final time?ย Well, I think simply because the two brothers had reached such a good place, and Sam wanted yet another contact with his brother.
There were moments in “Bugs” when Dean told Sam that dad would make a point to travel through Stanford simply to check up on Sam.ย And Sam learned a bit about Dean in “Route 666,” that he had loved a girl and gotten dumped by her because of the family business.
One of my favorites is in “Something Wicked” after Dean confesses what happened 16 or 17 years earlier when they first encountered a shtriga.ย Sam listens as Dean tells him the burden he carries, absorbing everything Dean says.ย It isnโt until a few hours later, when theyโve set the trap for the shtriga, that Sam tells Dean that heโs sorry.ย Heโs sorry for being hard on Dean for always being the good soldier, always doing everything dad tells them.ย Sam has learned something about Dean:ย Dean follows dadโs orders without question because at a critical age, and a critical moment, Dean didnโt and Sam almost died.ย Itโs a huge eye opening moment for Sam into his brotherโs mindset.ย It is also a great moment between the brothers.
There were apologies over Deanโs life being saved by a reaper, at the expense of someone else, and confessions by Dean that his life is empty without dad and Sam and that he, Dean, is almost afraid of just how far heโll go to save either one of them.ย Well, thatโs a trend that carries on throughout the series โ and throughout all the lives of the Winchesters, Campbells too.
Season 2 didnโt lack for these simply moments either. ย “Everybody Loves a Clown” has two with the brothers having a row on a dusty back road about how the brothers are dealing with the death of their dad, and at the end Sam comes to Dean and tells him how he isnโt doing well, he isnโt handling dadโs death well โ but neither is Dean.ย Sam openly calls Dean on his own grief and then leaves him to ponder it all.ย Deanโs actions show how poorly he is handling their dadโs death โ sorry, Metallicar.
The writers didnโt leave it there though, this theme of dadโs death and how it affected the brothers carried on further into Season 2 as Dean struggled with the realization that their dad died in order to save him and Sam commits himself to being a hunter because that is what dad would want and despite it being too little, too late, itโs the best Sam has to offer, and he offers it fully.ย We have great moments, in “Children Shouldnโt Play With Dead Things” when Sam calls Dean out for spiraling and at the end of the episode Dean confesses that he knows Dad died because of him, and he apologizes for acting the way heโs been acting.ย In “Crossroads Blues” Sam tells Dean straight out he doesnโt like where Deanโs head it, and doesnโt want him to meet with the Crossroads Demon.ย Dean at the end tells Sam everything he learned, although he does not answer Samโs question regarding whether he, Dean, would make a deal, Sam knows by Deanโs non-answer.
Further on into Season 2 the burdens Sam carries get heavier as he adjusts to them more and he struggles deeply, so much so that he gets drunk in “Playthings” and begs Dean to kill him if it comes to it, and in “Houses of the Holy” he confesses that even as he knows Dean will always be there for him, it isnโt enough.ย He needs to know there is some higher powerโฆthis is echoed a season later in “Long Distance Call” as Dean, staring into the abyss of hell, needed to believe that somehow there was something out there that could save him, something/someone besides Sam.
And lest we forget, Season 2 ends with Sam telling Dean he shouldnโt have made the deal to bring him back to life.ย Dean tells Sam that he had to make the deal, heโs the big brother, and itโs his job to look out for Sam.ย Sam comes right back and asks the rhetorical questions: ย “Then what do you think my job is? You sacrifice everything for me; donโt you think Iโd do the same thing for you?ย Youโre my big brother; thereโs nothing I wouldnโt do for you.” ย Itโs a great moment โ ruined only by the placement of that final scene with Bobby and Ellen coming to say something about how many demons got outโฆshould have cut that moment, just saying.
Season 3 has some of the most heartfelt, and doggone close to chick flick, moments as the brothers reveal tiny bits of themselves to the other in moments of vulnerability, which result later in a change in the otherโs behavior. ย “Fresh Blood” has one of my favorite brother moments as Sam calls Dean on his reckless behavior and tells him to knock it off.ย That he (Sam) has been following his big brother around all their lives, watching him, trying to be like him, and that he knows Dean is scared.ย All Sam wants is for Dean to knock off the stupidity and simply be his big brother againโฆjust โcause: ย just โcause in a few months youโll be dead, Dean, and Iโll be alone. ย Just โcause in a few months, I wonโt be able to have any big brother to watch or follow.ย Just โcause Iโm not ready to lose you yet, but I know Iโm going to and I want a few more good memories.ย Just โcauseโฆ (yeah, thatโs tears in my eyesโฆIโll not try to fool you and say itโs allergies.)ย What results from that moment is brotherly bonding of the best sort, no chick flick moment, no tears, no heavy emotions, just two brothers working on their car, the older brother teaching the younger brother a thing or two about mechanics.
“A Very Supernatural Christmas” also brings some of the best brotherly bonding, past and present.ย Sam, in the present, doesnโt want anything to do with Christmas because he knows Dean will be dead for the next one, and he just canโt take on that emotional baggage, no matter what.ย But, over the course of the episode Sam remembers just how hard young Dean worked to keep it light and innocent for young Sam and suddenly present-day Sam canโt hold back.ย He has to offer something to Dean for all he did when they were kidsโฆso he offers him a Christmas, complete with decorations, eggnog, and personalized presents.ย He never answers Deanโs question about what changed his mind, but that wasnโt really important.ย What was important is the two shared a beautiful memory of that Christmas holiday together.
And “No Rest for the Wicked” has some beautiful moments as Sam and Dean race futilely against the clock and in the end Dean tells Sam to remember what dad taught him, and to remember what he (Dean) taught him.ย The brothers bonded over singing a Bon Jovi song, as good a moment as โbitchโ and โjerkโ back in Season 2, and oh, how I long for those days.
There have been other moments since these, but they have been fewer and farther between, sadly.ย There were moments in Season 4 when Sam tells Dean a bit about the affect the demon blood has on him, knowing itโs in his system and how he feels carrying that his whole life.ย We see moments where Dean opens up about hell and what breaking there and torturing souls has done to him emotionally.ย Season 5 gives us a great moment in “The End” when Dean confesses to Sam that they need to be together because they keep each other human.
I think much of the threads in the later part of Season 9 were supposed to show us how badly the brothers do need each other as Sam withdrew from Dean emotionally and Dean sunk deeper and deeper into the grip of the Mark of Cain.ย In the finale it does wrap it all together how badly the separation has affected each of them.ย As Dean is dying he confesses to Sam that he knew the Mark was making him something he didnโt want to be, and that dying was better.ย Sam, for his part, shows in his expressions and desperation how much he hated keeping Dean at such a length, and now that Dean has died in his arms (again) it is clear that Sam regrets every moment of his anger at Dean โ even as it was deserved.
This isnโt an article to hash out whether one brother deserved the anger of the other.ย Itโs purely meant to reflect upon how much I wish the writers would rewatch some of the earlier seasons and learn afresh how to have the brothers communicate.ย Too often there is the beginning of a conversation only for a phone call to interrupt or some other such distraction.ย They donโt have to have chick flick moments, but they can talk.ย They used to talk.ย The moments when one brother tells the other something that is heavy on his heart and mind has an effect, weโve seen it.ย I miss those days when they would share something and later on have that sharing change the behavior of the other.ย Those were beautiful moments that I miss dearly.ย The video someone made, that Iโve embedded herein via Alice, is what brought all these thoughts out, and now you are the beneficiaries โ or not, of my thinking.
As always, thanks for reading.ย Elle2
For those of you that don’t know, Elle2 was my first writer at the WFB. We practically built this site together, taking it from my crazy little blog to something very extraordinary. She bailed on the show in season seven (and regular reviewing in season six), and has been doing amazing work on reviews and articles for Person of Interest over at TV For The Rest of Us. She’s gained quite a reputation for that show! If anyone watches POI, I implore you check out her reviews. She focuses heavily on the characters and it’s brilliant.
Elle2, this is brilliant, and again you’ve captured something I haven’t been able to articulate well. I’ve spent all of season nine trying to figure out what’s really been missing for me this season, and whoa did you nail it! Season Nine didn’t have these genuine nuggets from past seasons. Even season seven with “Meet The New Boss” and “Hello, Cruel World” showed how these brothers could have genuine concern for one another but it not go into overwrought drama. Dean’s “Stone Number one” speech managed to ground Sam during a time of extreme despair, but there was no hugging or tears. Just one brother pulling the other from a dangerous brink. Exactly the way it should be. Sadly, Ben Edlund isn’t around to do this anymore. It shows so much. All the hugging in season eight, while fans loved it, pushed the show way to much into that “chick flick” territory. And don’t get me started on all the trailed off conversations and interruptions via phone. When did basic character conversation stop being an art? When did brotherly drama have to be manufactured?
I’m so thrilled you decided to send us a Supernatural article after all this time. This couldn’t be more inspired, more perfect.
Wow, Alice, just wow…your words brought tears to my eyes (Yes, I am a chick and thus can have chick flick moments!)
I do miss all our work and the fun that it used to be. I still watch the show, much like Smallville, I’m in it to the end. I just wish I enjoyed it more. It’s the brotherly moments that always draw me in — bromance, if you will. (I actually have something written on bromance and how it draws me to certain shows. If I get it done, you’ll get that for TVFTROU as it encompasses a variety of shows.)
I’m glad I was able to articulate something that struck a chord with you. I read everything you write (and am guilty of not commenting…) because you usually nail what bugs me or what causes me great joy. I hope, hope, hope for something better in Season 10. Some more of that stone number one type moments that then carry on consistently and build. I live with that hope…gotta have hope, right?
Thank you so much for all you do, Alice, and all that you’ve allowed me to do here or on TVFTROU!
Amen!
๐
I second that Grace232!:) Thank you Elle2, these are some of my most cherished moments of the series also. Far too few of those lovely moments in recent years.
Hi, Leah! ๐ I DVR some episodes now off TNT just to fastforward to those ‘cherished moments” Keeps me happy, somewhat!
an amen from me as well. i only hope your words reach the right ears. ๐
Hi, nappi815,
Wish upon a star, Nappi815, and perhaps. I have no pull with TPTB, but I live in hope they’ll ‘hear’ us!
YES! A super emphatic nod of agreement from me.
Thanks, Elle2.
๐ st50! Thank you!
Thank you for this Elle2, you hit the nail right on the head. I miss the bromance moments so much, after watching an episode from season 9, I would go back to seasons 1, 2 and 3 and pick one of my favourites from them! ๐ I miss the great women writers from yore, Sera Gamble, Kathryn Humphries, Julie Siege, they wrote some of the episodes with the most heartfelt brotherly conversations. And now that “Revolution” has been cancelled, maybe we could get Ben Edlund back? Just saying. By the way, I love your reviews of PoI on TVTROU. I don’t often comment, but I read them all. Have a great summer. ๐
Hi, Sylvie! I’m guilty often of reading something and not commenting, so no worries there. I always know you’re out there, somewhere, reading! ๐ I do miss the ‘essence’ of the earlier seasons. Glad you like what I wrote.
Well we have had brother conversations just not the ones everyone wants to hear. We’ve heard how Dean feels about saving Sam and we’ve heard how Sam feels about being saved. We heard them react in hurt and anger this season…but we’ve also seen that no matter what when one of them is in trouble the other comes running. The way the story was told this season there just wasn’t much of an opportunity for the huge brother reconciliation moment except at the very end. But no matter what I always felt the bond between them was just as strong as it ever was. But I know I’m in the minority so just my opinion.
I also loved all of those early seasons and the tender brother moments. Jared mentioned at the last convention his favorite brother moment was “just cause”. He also wants to see that type of relationship between Sam and Dean. I’ll bet he has a little bit of pull with TPTB so crossed fingers and toes they listen.
Hi Cheryl42,
I would say yes, they are talking – occasionally even in complete sentences ;). And yes, they both still love each other and drop everything to protect the other.
But they’re not communicating. Sometimes they’re talking AT each other, but neither one is listening to or responding to what the other says.
As Elle2 has said: in previous seasons, even when they were fighting, they were absorbing what the other said, and reacting to it. Something would change to show that they heard, and understood the others point.
In my opinion, talking is not communicating. And through season 9 (and probably even 8), the boys were hardly even talking.
BTW – those are nice videos you guys have linked below. But they’re still not talking! LOL
Ah the music is too loud….:)
LOL!
“In my opinion, talking is not communicating.” True ST and they haven’t been doing much of either have they?:)
Cheryl142,
Thanks for the comments — hey, I was in the minority when I bailed on the show…no worries here! ๐
Glad to hear Jared’s favorite brother moment was “just ’cause” Hopefully he does have some pull with the writers. I’d love to see more of that. Great comments!
Elle2 welcome back even if its just this one article. I agree wholeheartedly with everything youve said. I really miss when Sam and Dean talked to each other as brothers. Though i dont call them chick flicks…but human moments through dialogue. Maybe if they (the writersz) allowed the brothers to have conversations instead of one word sentences thgat could be interpreted in a multitude of ways there would be less deception, lies and munipluation….and far less episodes of misunderstandings of what their brother said, means and is.
I miss with all my heart and soul the talks between the brothers; the genuine honesty, the love in every word they spoke. Tragically Sam and Dean feel – at least to me – while related by blood, they are far from family. I know the writers are capable of writing these scenes….cause Dean has them with everyother person in a ten mile radius who isn’t Sam… Charlie, Garth, Crolwy, Benny, a random bartender (if its a woman)…but mostly with Castiel.
So why not Sam and Dean? If they truely beleive the other is the most important person in to them then why wouldn’t they want to talk to each other? Why would they want their relationship to be only obligation and burdon, guilt, despair and constant conflict…except int eh two minutes preceeding one of their deaths?
Hi, Amyh, you bring up excellent points in your comment on all fronts. They could talk, for some reason the writers just don’t seem to give it the effort they used to. I think earlier seasons should be required reading to recharge everyone on what the heart and soul of the show is — something they endlessly say the know about, but don’t seem interested in writing for.
This. This is what I try to convey when I post that my favourite seasons are 1, 2 and 3. But you have done it beautifully and I agree with every single word you wrote. Thank you so much!
How I have wished the current writers could be tied down and forced to watch seasons 1 to 3 until they GET IT!
I can never understand why polls always state season four as the fans’ favourite season. What are they watching for? Not what I watch for. The brothers are this show and tearing them apart does the series no favours. I’m still watching because of those first 3 seasons that crept into my heart and will never leave it.
The very first episode of season 4 had Sam, when he should have been over the moon he had his brother back, lied to his face as soon as he saw him and sneaked out on him at night, even though he had no idea how Dean had returned or what might be lurking about.
Besides Kripke, Edlund, Carver, Shiban and others, they had some great women writers, Cathryn Humphries, Raelle Tucker, Sara Gamble etc. Carver himself wrote two of the best brotherly episodes, “Supernatural Chrismas” with the amulet, and “Mystery Spot”. He can’t have forgotten how to write those wonderful moments I love so much.
Thank you Elle2!
Hi Bevie! Season 4 used to be my favorite season as each episode built upon the one before driving it all they way to the finale. It was extremely well-crafted. However, my view has changed and now my favorite seasons are all 1 – 3 with the others being ones I don’t spend much time in. I would love it to simply cut each and every brotherly moment from Lazarus Rising until Do You Believe in Miracles and simply have a montage of those moments. All told, it might reach 2 or 3 hours of viewing…and I would have that which drew me to the show. However, I have neither the skills or the time to do such a monumental task, so instead, as I said above, I simply dvr the shows I want to catch from TNT and watch those moments. Still get my SPN fix. ๐
Like you said, the show has crept into my heart, and it will never leave until it’s done, it’s just not as thrilling as it used to be.
Is this what you guys want http://youtu.be/-_wQrkR2dyQ because I can’t argue with that. ๐
and this…… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agBGdtS5_EE&feature=youtu.be This strikes all my brother feels:)
Great now I’m Sam crying.
Girls, happy videos, H-A-P-P-Y videos. ๐
LOL We aren’t lightening the mood any are we. ๐
The one I posted is, though sad, soothing to me, it reminds me of who they are.
Learn it from the boys. Hope I can make people smile. ๐
I guess we all at least a little want the brothers to be more brothers in our different ways.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHPDWcPKsc0
(I’m leaving this reply in this chain too so you all see it) Hey guys, this page is still a WIP but I’m revamping the Video Page. I have comments on there now and a display of videos and categories in a gallery (a lot more to come). If you have videos you want to share, go to this page and leave the links in the comments. https://www.thewinchesterfamilybusiness.com/video-page. You can also get to the Video Page from the menu on the top left of the front page.
Sorry for getting a little goofy on this thread Alice and Elle2. So I guess we really do need a fan made video thread.
Hi, Leah and Cheryl142!
I love the videos. Keep posting them. I’m currently od’ing on videos! Great hellatus assistance!
Thanks. My favorite pass time….
Hey Elle,
from me too sorry for the goofiness. The videos are really great and the talent that is behind them is really phenomenal. The fan videos especially has been in great enjoyment to few of us. Leah suggested me to post the two links to the ones I had made.
These two are made by me and they are the first I have made. Watching Supernatural actually pulled me to learn about the editing program that I would have never done otherwise. So slight introduction for you.
First one is the season 9 MoC story music video. This was my first one and pretty long. (I found out I am bad with cutting stuff out)
Second is the first part of Gadreel that focuses mostly to Jared playing Zeke/Gadreel. I think both actors did a phenomenal job on portraying the character so both deserve the spotlight.
Oh and, music videos still don’t have lot of talking between the brothers in them! So sorry beforehand! ๐
Mark of Cain – Dean Winchester / Supernatural: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsWdiIetVSs
Gadreel – Ezekiel / Supernatural: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6R9SQhxeXKA
Hope you like them… I guess I am bad on surviving hellatus.
– Lilah
Lilah Kane, nice job on your first videos.
Thank you Mae D. ๐
– Lilah
Hey guys, this page is still a WIP but I’m revamping the Video Page. I have comments on there now and a display of videos and categories in a gallery (a lot more to come). If you have videos you want to share, go to this page and leave the links in the comments. https://www.thewinchesterfamilybusiness.com/video-page. You can also get to the Video Page from the menu on the top left of the front page.
Amen Padaleskiโฆ to everything that you said elle2. Not only is the show missing the bromance moments like they used to have, they are also missing those great, tense, throw your bother against the wall arguments that they used to have also. I liked those nearly as much as the heartfelt broments like you’ve described. Those wonderful arguments like in Metamorphosis in their fight over Sam’s powers, and the Pilot in the “mom’s dead and she isn’t coming back” fight, or season 2’s “too little, too late” conversation. The writers lately have begun to confuse the brother’s having a talk with the brothers solving all of their conflict with one another. In seasons past a conversation was a conversation; it could further the issues or release a little bit of tension between them, but it almost never solved everything all at once. Now it seems that the writers think that if the brothers even begin to discuss their issues that everything will be magically cured leaving us without any story, so, better to not have them talk at all. Booo! In season 9 in particular the plot seemed to hinge on the boys NOT having any kind of meaningful conversation with one another, hence half a conversation here another half there, where nothing of consequence is said and is then interrupted by a phone call or someone entering the room. Or they had one brother speaking in half sentences (almost always Sam) then stomping off leaving everyone confused about his POV because he never did complete a sentence. Or one of them running off so that they CAN’T talk (this season it was Dean but it has been Sam in the past). Then in the 11th hour a single (and completely trite) sentence is uttered by one of them (the dreadful “I’m proud of us” this time around) is supposed to serve as some kind of resolution to a YEAR’S worth of brotherly turmoil and lack of communication. They spent the whole season not talking only to have all of their issues “resolved” in a single sentence. Even when it was finally time for the brothers to talk to one another, they didn’t! Totally and completely UNSATISFYING. I really wish that the writers would realize that having the brothers talk to one another does not have to mean that there is resolutionโฆ a conversation can add nuance, detail, insight can make the conflict a little less intense or turn the heat up to scorching levels. And with Sam so incredibly isolated, with him having only Dean to talk to, when the brother’s aren’t talking, then Sam in particular is rendered mute. Thanks again for your lovely reminder of what once was.
Hi, E, Sorry it took so long to reply. Been busy. I agree that the whole “I’m proud of us” is trite and unsatisfying. What is Dean proud of? Is he proud that they fight and don’t talk? Is he proud that he blocks Sam from know what’s going on? Is he proud that Sam stomps off and doesn’t talk to him (very unSam-like behavior as he has always had a voice)? So I don’t know what he’s so proud of. And yes, Sam is very isolated. Even Sheriff Mills is the closest person he talks to and he barely does that. I think the writers have drunk their own Kool-Aid and have lost perspective. the whole, the fandom loves us and will never leave us (while true) shouldn’t be the reason they churn out the drivel they are churning out.
Someone please send this article to Jeremy Carver. Hell, send it to every writer on staff. I think it should be mandatory for them to rewatch 1-3 in their entirety, multiple times, because everyone involved in the writing of the show seems to have forgotten what made it great.
I officially bailed midway through season 9. I don’t regret it at all. The slide in quality post-Kripke (though admittedly I didn’t mind parts of 6 and 7) has retroactively ruined my enjoyment of… well, pretty much anything from season 4 and on.
I’ll sit seasons 1 to 3 on my shelf and that will be that. It’ll take a miracle to get me watching anything new. Like, say, the writers remembering who these characters are and what the show’s supposed to be about.
Yes Pls- if somebody knows some one from production pls do share this great piece so it reaches to those who make/break the show. SPN is far too precious to be run like some procedural cops show with disjointed set of 23 episodes
Hi, Wendigo,
I can only hope that things will pick up. Perhaps they’ll hire a writer who cares about characters and not just fun, clever quips. either way, I’ll be dvr’ing it and skimming through each week — I’m an addict like that. Gotta have a few minutes of SPN fix. But my joy is in Season 1 – 3 and that joy doesn’t dissipate no matter what the seven seasons later have brought or bring. ๐
WOW great writing Elle2 and thank you! I’ve been doing a complete rewatch of all seasons to get through this hellatus and I found myself thinking exactly this. I actually think I said it out loud once or twice in watching. I get that Jensen and Jared are very capable in saying so much without saying any words at all but I am one who actually like hearing the words. They are capable of handling much more dialog than what they have been given in the past 4-5 seasons so I for one really would love to hear them say these words. What really annoys me is when one of them just makes a half statement and then the other one answers with body and facial movements and expressions. Or even worse, one of them says or does really nothing at all and it is like the conversation is just hanging in mid air for someone to come along and snatch it up and complete it, which never happens of course. I really hope those working on Season 10 right now go back and review the seasons that made this show stand out enough to draw us in and keep us here and bring some of that brotherly time back. Fingers crossed here.;)
Thanks, Trucklady. I do enjoy the rewatch that I do each year. Heck,. at the winter hiatus I pack in my absolute favorite episodes, Devils Trap, IMTOD, BUABS, AVSC, MS, JIB and a few others. We’ll keep our hopes up and fingers and toes crossed for a change come the new season. ๐
You really wrote what a lot of us feel, Elle. I think the one of the differences (among many) between the first seasons and the rest is that the drama and conflict felt organic, you know? It felt natural and came from a real place. Now it just feels contrived. It’s a plot device. I think one of the only times I felt like they were truly talking to each other in the last few years, was in Sacrifice when Sam finally told Dean how he felt. It wasn’t just Jared’s delivery, it was that it was finally honesty coming from a real place that had been building up over the whole season. Sam at the end of his rope, and letting his walls down because he just couldn’t keep them up anymore.
Honestly, I don’t really watch the old seasons too much. Once in a while when I catch them on TV, but it sort of hurts too much. Those two relatively innocent boys have no clue what is coming for them and where they’re going to end up. It’s like they’re not the same people. And I used to re-watch my favorite episodes and skip to the parts when the boys were together. Now I sometimes find myself happy when Sam has a scene with someone besides Dean so we can see the real Sam. Someone who talks and has real emotion and is a person.
I’m still holding out hope for Season 10 that there is a reason for all of this build up and that they manage to make it feel real and give both of them a story. And who knows, since their two hundredth episode is coming up, maybe they actually have a plan. Fingers and toes crossed.
Sylvia37,
Organic drama — you’ve hit the nail on the head. These days it is all contrived. It really did start to be particularly contrived post-Kripke but there were some hints towards the end of Kripke’s reign as well. Like you, I hold out hope. ๐
Sylvia37, you bring up a great point about the conflict seeming organic in earlier seasons and how it now it seems contrived. I heartily agree with you. For me this became a serious problem at the start of season 8 with the whole (awful) Sam Not Looking For Dean, plot line that just rang so completely false to me. It was not within Sam’s established character traits to be so passive or to so easily give up; even if he’d felt Dean was dead, the REAL Sam would have still researched what had actually happened and in the absence of a body, confirmed for himself where Dean had gone. He may have come to the conclusion that Dean was dead and decided to not bring him back, but he would NEVER have not looked IMO. And Kevin as well, the Sam I know would never have abandoned that innocent boy to his fate at Crowley’s hands, never, never, never. So, the fight that the boys went through based on Sam’s Not Looking was contrived, made no sense, and made Sam look bad because it wasn’t true to his character. Contrived, artificial and unsatisfying.
I made a similar comment on Alice’s Article, A Closer Look At Sam Winchester about this year’s contrived and artificial conflict between the boys. The whole reason for them not talking to one another was illogical and didn’t track. For some reason, Sam’s (completely justifiable) anger over the possession became the reason that Dean took on the MoC, and the brother’s refusal to hash out their differences with one another also was shown (by the writers in a completely fabricated and illogical way) to hinge on Dean’s descent into the Mark’s madness. Those two completely separate plot points somehow become linked together, when in fact they had absolutely nothing to do with one another. Dean had already taken on the Mark and was essentially doomed to his fate by the time Sam said anything about his upset over the possession, but each andy and unfeeling statement Sam made was shown to somehow push Dean further into the effects of the Mark, when in fact Dean was already doomed; in other words they didn’t need to do that, use Sam to “motivate” Dean, Dean was already gone by that time. By linking those two stories it caused the possession and its affects to get white washed. IMO the whole possession story should have been used to get the boys TO talk rather than use it to have them NOT talk. It could have been a great excuse to give us all of those fabulous broments that we’ve been missing lately, and the MoC issue would still have ended up exactly where it did with Dean becoming a demon, as his fate was sealed the moment the mark was transferred in First Born. Then the second half of the season could have been about the brother’s working out their issues, talking, fighting, resolving in a meaningful way instead of through the insipid, trite “I’m proud of us” that we got in 9×23. Then the brothers, in their new found understanding of each other could have tried to take on the issue of the MoC together (shades of season 3). Sam could actually have had a POV about the possession and then later been shown to CARE about Dean and the MoC, instead of having his thought and emotions be un-shown and his words come across as unsympathetic and uncaring. The MoC and the conflict over the possession were two separate things, but the writers decided to link them together in a way that was contrived and not organic, so the resulting conflict felt stilted and unrealistic.
E,
I guess I’d be driving everyone insane to go over it again, but…. I absolutely agree with you about the contrived not!Sam plot in season 8.
And I know I’d much rather have watched your version of season 9! Even Dean became not!Dean this year. ๐
Can we call for a do-over? ๐
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Thanks Elle2 for such a great piece…swelled me with reverence for Sam and Dean again- I admit i also like S-3 more than anything else on SPN which was changed after that. Amen to all what you wished for and God bless you for putting up such a beautiful article on the lost bond of S&D
Hi, Reetu,
Glad you liked the article. Really glad it brought out some love for the boys again. This is the main reason I stopped writing about the show: I feared my negativity would cause someone else to lose their positiveness. I don’t want to do that. So I am especially glad that I wrote something that was able to convey my disappointment while at the same time reminding someone else of the really good qualities that were once in the forefront. ๐