The Enigma and Cruelty of Sam Winchester’s Powers, Part Two
The moment Sam realized that there was not much help to expect from heaven more bricks were added to the load he was already carrying. Even though he had tried to stay away (and had been ordered so by the angels) from using his powers, he was forced back into it. He had to take out Samhain to save himself and his brother and the whole town.
Several breaking points for Sam followed a siren played mind games with the brothers and influenced Sam to mouth, in a cruel way, his suspicions of Dean being incapable to complete the job. He almost lost his brother again after Dean was beaten up by Alistair, and he had not been able to protect Dean from having to return to his torture experience. Then they met Chuck who confirmed Sam’s fears: “It must be terrible to know that it all rests on your shoulders.”
As it was all resting on him a thought Sam was convinced to be true he became more practical than ever, changing a part of his nature: had he once been the one going on about morality and humanity, right and wrong he now hardly hesitated to use whatever was necessary he wanted to train their new found brother Adam, killed a demon recklessly with that hell knife to get to its blood (and not caring about the host this time, as he believed he needed the blood to exorcise the demon that had taken the body of Jimmy”s wife), and, much later, he even considered forming a pact with the Trickster to get an ally.
There was so much going on amidst the angelic schemes that Sam did not have the time to think something he always used to do. He was so consumed by Ruby”s plot, since he believed her and needed her that he forgot the man he had always been an analytic mind, of immense intelligence, out-foxed by the deeply seated belief that he needed demon blood to fight.
We all know that faith can move mountains If despair leads you to believe that you need demon blood to save the world and those you love what would you do?
If we look at Sam”s state of mind, we can rest assured he was just as shattered and wounded as Dean, with guilt and the conviction to be a demonic freak eating away at him. From Sam”s point of view, he was responsible for a huge part of the tragedy that followed their family because of him (being a chosen child for demonic warfare) his mother had died, his father had become a hunter, he had tried to get away from all that and lost Jessica, not to mention the countless lifeanddeath situations the brothers had been drawn into since they had set out to find John. Dean had sold his soul for him to live. And despite whatever powers had been dormant, only waiting to be awakened, Sam had hesitated too long (listening to his brother”s pleas), not unlike Hamlet and not managed to save Dean.
He was a freak, a strange creature not entirely human, and still he had been unsuccessful at saving those he loved most. He needed to do that now. He needed to save Dean now from a most certain death as Sam assumed Dean would not survive this battle, because he felt, quite correctly, that Dean was weakened. So Sam had to be strong for him, put away the remarks of his conscience and do what was a necessity.
“When The Levee Breaks” shows in a nutshell Sam”s inner conflict. Guilt sliced through his soul like Alastair’s scalpel did. He still missed Jessica and had not overcome her death and his weight in it. He missed his mother and conjured her up as a soothing person in his illusion, a mother to console him and to tell him that he was right doing what he did. He knew that Dean had begun to look at him like he looked at those monsters they had hunted. Dean had not actually addressed Sam with that word so far, but would do so soon. And this is what Sam himself feared to be a freak, a monster, a vampire.
In addition to that another aspect fuelled his need for following the path he had begun to walk: he was powerful. More than he had ever been. As he grasped Alistair with his telekinetic force to smite him like he was “swatting a fly” he smiled, “now I can kill”. Yes, he was powerful. He was calling the shots. And a part of his enjoyed it.
This was what distinguished him from the little brother, a role Dean still wanted him to assume. Honing his demonic skills was his field of expertise now. Dean could not teach him anything here. This was all Sam”s forte.
“The problem”s not the demon blood. Not really. The problem’s me, how far I’ll go. There’s something in me that scares the hell out of me, Dean.” (Sam, “GoodGod,Y’All”)
My hypothesis is that Sam, after having been through his demon cold turkey thing, still felt an echo of his powers, albeit he did not dare to look closer into it. This resonance within himself was awakened whenever he got confronted with demon blood issues.
It works like this we carry vivid memories with us that are linked in our cortex with associations and triggers. If you were in love and your partner used to wear a certain perfume the moment you notice that scent anywhere, the memory of that love will return with a bang, as the neuronal link of important aspects in your memory and external reminders is as short as a nanosecond – which forms another connection with the emotional meaning a memory carries for you.
The demon blood, I believe, served and still does serve as a form of trigger, a catalyst to remind Sam of powers he controlled once. Powers he longs to control again, but fears. If he needs blood to awaken that power, it”s not entirely him, not his own dark mark. Subconsciously he clings to the blood to prevent realizing that he, in fact, is a paranormal powerhouse.
“I think underneath I just miss the feeling. I know how messed up that sounds, which means how messed up I am.”
However, it all went south by killing Lilith Sam eventually opened the last door to the Apocalypse. He had trusted the powers he had honed under Ruby’s guidance but he had been mislead and made mistakes. The mistake.
In “Free To Be You and Me” we are shown a glimpse of the weight he wasn’t able to shed, enforced by the heavy blows the relationship with Dean had taken. Lucifer tricked him with Illusion-Jessica, but spoke what Sam believed to be true:
J: “You can’t run from yourself. Sooner or later the past is gonna catch up with you, as it always does. You know what happens then? People die. Baby, the people closest to you die.”
S: “Don’t worry, because I won”t make that mistake again.”
J: “Same song, different verse. Things are never gonna change with you. Never.”
And later: J: “So this is your life now? Think you can just live forever with your head buried in the sand?”
S: “I love you, Jess. God knows how much I miss you, too. But you’re wrong. People can change. There is reason for hope.”
J: “No, there isn’t.”
S: “How can you be so sure?”
Jessica morphs into Lucifer: “Because you freed me. () You’re my vessel, my true vessel.”
S: “No, that’ll never happen.”
L: “I’m sorry, but it will. I will find you, and when I do, you will let me in.”
S: “You need my consent?”
L: “Of course, I’m an angel.”
S: “I will kill myself before letting you in.” (this moment of triumph was unfortunately short-lived)
L: “I’d only bring you back. Sam, my heart breaks for you. The weight on your shoulders. What you’ve done. What you still have to do. It is more than anyone could bear. If there was some other way but there isn’t.”
Sam is afraid of that more than he probably would admit to anyone, it seems. He does not trust himself any longer. He used to be sure to do what was right, and it turned out to be catastrophic, because he still relied to some extent to an external guide, as far as the blood issue was concerned, on Ruby to tell him how to use it, when to take it, etc. (and, let”s not forget, there probably was a not unimportant sexual aspect to it that strengthened their blood bond).
Now he is all alone with it. He has only himself to rely upon (in regard to the powers issue) and that scares him. Sam dares not to look into the kind of power he might possess. And yet he hungers for it. We have seen that in “My Bloody Valentine.” The moment he found his capabilities again, he became an almost cosmic force, pulling about a dozen demons at once. What else was he able to do? He had once moved a cabinet with his mind and was afraid (logically) that he might end up a killer, like Max or the other bad psychic boy, Webber. If he really had it in him, what would that mean for him, what would that make him?
For a man who always used to cling hard to his humanity and conscience, the mere idea of being something else, must be utterly disturbing. Even now. If he tells himself that he needs the demon blood to become that other creature, it is not of his doing and thereby his being human is safe.
Even though Sam has given in to the temptation the demon blood woke in him again, at his core he still craves forgiveness. Redemption. The love of his brother. The safety of their family which has already been reduced to a small circle in the course of this war.
He does not see, yet, that he carries a powerful torch within him with those powers, because, as Shakespeare once strikingly pointed out, “there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” So far Sam has understood his powers as a dark tool, since they were hell-given, but has not yet thought of them as powers of light which they would become, if he chose so.
By now, Sam’s hope is faltering. He is beginning to believe that plan apocalypse will work out and that the angels involved will get the brothers to say yes. So, albeit differently, Sam is captured by a similar state of mind as Dean. His doubts and fears growing, he can barely hold on.
So far, he has used his Jedi tricks to save others, knowing that Dean would not understand. But Sam did it anyway. All the time Sam had had the immense courage to be loyal which for him meant to do whatever necessary to help the ones nearest to his heart. He chose the harsh path, sprinkled with the painful stones and blades of being misunderstood, of being rejected, imprisoned, forced into a drug intervention, of being hunted by demons and humans alike, in short of being in the loneliest place possible.
I, and, I think, most of the fandom are hoping that Sam will come out of this ordeal with new strength and trust in his powers even though they were given by a demon, they are now at his disposal. They are his. He needs to believe that something so deeply rooted in his being will not hurt him or others he loves, but only those he chooses to target.
For me, the Winchesters are strong forces of light in a world infected with demons, no matter how dark their actions and attitudes appear at times and Sam has always been, yes, my weak spot. I never stopped rooting for him so, who will join me in hoping that Sam will find peace, redemption and – most importantly – hope?
Beautiful piece, Jas, as always 🙂
When you look at Sam, and Dean for that matter, too, the state they are in, the things they have been going through, one has to wonder what will come out of it. The fate of the world and over 6 billion people lie on the shoulders of two broken men. One wonders whether the goal (to save the world, in this case) justifies the means. I’m torn between Sam using his powers and not using them. He did save people by pulling demons out without hurting the host. But he was using a demonic power to do so, jeopardizing his own humanity.
I loved what Dean said to Sam: “We are keeping each other human”, which might be the key to survival. I also believe that love conquers all, and that might be the key to the brother’s healing.
YES!! A big YES to everything you say.
I love this, a very fascinating look on our Sammy.
Too thrilled by this awesomeness to give any sane, intelligent response 🙂
Thank you Jas.
Sam is favorite of mine too! I love the thought you put into your essay, lovely!
Sam is both terrified and ashamed of his abilities. He’s felt this way from the get-go because it was so ingrained in him to loath and hold suspicious anything supernatural. I had hoped Sam would come to accept himself, but I think the high point of his acceptance came under Ruby’s tutelage and that has peaked already. Now he is ashamed of himself and convinced he is evil.
I very much agree with your assessment that Sam has distanced himself from others for fear he is a curse to them. And of your assessment that Dean was incredibly freaked out because he was in over his head with something he could not explain that involved the closest person to him.
You wrote: “So far Sam has understood his powers as a dark tool, since they were hell-given, but has not yet thought of them as powers of light – which they would become, if he chose so.” ***
YES! As Jedi can choose to use the Force either dark or light, why can’t Sam use his powers for good? Of course it’s not that simple because when he does use them, he appears to get a high from it and a sense of smugness and pride that seems unhealthy.
But I’d like to ponder, what if his powers were angelic and not demonic? Would he be wrong then? What if his powers are left over from Lucifer’s grace? What if he is carrying Lucifer’s grace? Would the powers be angelic, would they be dark or light?
And how will Sam feel if he discovers he never had demonic powers to begin win? Well, that’s just a crazy idea of mine, but when I read your title I was thinking how much a cruel irony that would be.
Hi Jasminka
Great article. Once again you’ve got the old brain cell working in overdrive.
So many questions and so many directions one can go.
What did Ruby mean?
Was Sam born with these special gifts or is it from when Azazel fed Sam the demon blood.
If Sam was born with these powers, would these powers not of shown up at any point of Sam’s life prior to when he turned 22.
Why did these powers only come to light when it was involving Azazel or the other special kids?
Why did the premonitions and powers disappear or go dormant after Azazel was killed?
Back in Devils Trap, when Azazel was possessing John, he taunted Sam to use his powers, being so smug like he knew Sam wouldn’t be able to use them.
Is it because he some how had the control over them, being from his blood?
Or was Sam simply suppressing his inner powers because in his mind they could only be related to something evil and with that he would have to be destroyed.
After all he was raised to hate and kill everything supernatural, and seeing this hate so prominent in his Dad and Dean, I could see why Sam would subconsciously not want any part of these gifts, fearing them.
To release Sam from his inner conflict, is this why Ruby used the demon blood as a vise, so in Sam mind it was something outside of himself he could blame for the powers and not something that was within him.
On that note how could Sam have ever told Dean what he had been doing with the demon blood. To Sam, Dean would never of understood and would of thought him as a monster. Look at Metamorphosis “If I didn’t know you, I would want to hunt you…â€
You can’t blame Dean either after all drinking demon blood isn’t exactly your normal power drink.
Ok I’ve got to stop, my brains hurting. I feel like Jim Carrey’s Riddler with his mind melting over ‘too many questions’. 😯
Jas, you hit a grand slam with this two-parter, though I’m sorry Deutschland doesn’t have a baseball team. 😀
I, too, think that Sam being away while dead is more than just a plot detail. Since he was presumably not in hell, but a limbo type place, how is time measured? If at the same rate, then each hour equals a shade over 5 days (the ten years in hell is one month up here gig).
The key is going to be what you say towards the end: that Sam realizes that these powers are *his*, not Azazel’s, not Lucifer’s, not hell’s. His. Period. End of discussion. And that his brother will come to understand this as well, that because we are what we do, if they are used in helping to save the world, then they’re pretty goddamn human.
Now, off to contemplate Canada’s 752 questions.
A surgeon can save a life with his knife, or end it. It’s his choice though, the knife’s just a tool. Same goes for Sam’s powers. Ultimately he has to claim them and use them just like the salt or the holy water or whatever and sod what anyone else thinks about it. Or not … You know, a stiff letter of protest might do the trick …
Dear Lucifer,
I was very annoyed to notice … 😆
Freebird, Supernarttu, alysha, Karen, Randal and Suze – thank you so much for your generous comments!
Lara, I agree that keeping their humanity will probably play a crucial role in their healing. Frankly, I don’t believe that Sam will ever be able to really jeopardize his humanity. He has always tried to hold on to that, it was a part of his character. I don’t believe this powers-thing will change his personality. I don’t want to believe it, you know.
Supernarttu – 😆
Alysha, thanks – what a great idea that Sam might be carrying Lucifer’s grace! This is a unique thought, well done! Now I’m even more curious to see what the writers will come up with – this idea of yours seems very logical… I hope any of them read this and give it a good thought!
Karen, I love to put your brain to work, you know that – it always comes up with interesting thoughts…
You just give it back, eh? As I said – interesting thoughs, ahm ,questions… Perhaps Sam need to come of age to feel the existence of his powers (there’s a movie, The Covenant, where this is played out). Maybe Sam was born with it, but Azazels presence served as a catalyst (as his blood might have done to spur on the development?)
I can imagine Sam shying away from anything supernatural and perhaps he was suppressing it…Fear might do that easily. That’s what I meant, you know – if he can blame the demon blood then it’ not from within him. I’m sorry if that didn’t come across more clearly.
Randal, I guess I should at least watch a baseball game while I’m in the States, eh?
Agree wholeheartedly – our actions define us, it’s what we make of the traits within us that make us a good person. Or not.
Suze – oh yes, just a tool! I’m ready to sign that letter to old buddy Lu when you got it…
Thanks, y’all! Love, Jas
Hi Jasminka
I do love the issues/articles that get your mind working and give you much to contemplate and question. Your article was excellent and you made your points very clear.
I’m afraid it was me that was a little off that day. I had no intentions of coming across like a person who either fell off their meds or had way too many cocktails. I do apologize for that. Lets just say I was not having a very good week.
Leslie92708 and Karen, thanks, ladies!
Leslie, I’m moved that you enjoy yourself here so much – it’s great to hear. We’ll do our best to keep it that way. 😉
Karen, dear, please don’t worry – I never had the impression of you coming across as either, no need to apologize, really! I loved your questions. They raised some in my head, too.
I do hope, though, that you are better and more relaxed. Best wishes from all across the Atlantic…. They’ve come a long way, but are most heartfelt…
Love Jas
Jas, like I said in Part One, Sam is MY weak spot too. 😉 I’m hopeful that the writers will give him the peace and redemption he so sorely needs.
Suze’s comment about the surgeon and his tools reminds me of Changing Channels. Sam had to act as a surgeon in order to save his brother. He didn’t want to because, according to Dr. Ellen Picollo, he was afraid to use his skills because some girl had died in his operating table. Such girl might mean Jessica or, by extension, all people affected somehow by his “freakness”. Anyways, he used his medical skills (powers??) and did save his brother. Just thinking… I don’t know what the writers have in store, but my guess is that Sammy will master the forces within him and ultimately put them to a good use when time comes.
Jas, this was beautiful, and fascinating. read it a while back, but I was thinking (warning: :geek:-), this is power that does kind of have a profane origin in demon blood, unlike the Force which has this holistic Taoist yin-yang quality to it… Could that perhaps cause the use of his power to have a corrupting influence a la Baron Acton? You know, the “real magic is a lot like crack” angle…
I’m basically playing Devil’s Advocate here, though, because personally I’m inclined to agree with you, and would love to see Sam own his power!
AndreaW and ElenaM, thank you for your comments!
Andrea, I would love to see Sam master his force and grow confident there…. I guess he’d be an even weaker spot for me…. Muah
ElenaM, I know ‘power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely’ – it’s a universal truth, we’ve seen it through the centuries. But since this is a tv show, I hope that they will get Sam to overcome the lure of corruption and take his power into his own hands and, according to his still present, good nature, use it to change the course of this war for the better… (although I love to watch Jared play Dark Sam…)
Love Jas
Wonderful analysis here. I think you really captured Sam’s character, especially where his powers are concerned (and when you can capture that theme properly, you have most of his character in a nutshell). I think that this was well-paced and accurate, and the use of quotes to show your point was very convincing. I’ve always felt that Sam – despite being the “sensitive” one – is also the most misunderstood Winchester of the bunch. Considering all the behavior-changes and ups and downs of the character it is very hard to get a grasp on his persona and motives, but I think you did a great job. I’ve always had a soft spot for Sam, and seeing someone take the time to do this is really nice. Thanks for this!