Supernatural rant: the first
Mar. 23rd, 2006 01:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
astri13So, to christen this spanking new LJ, I would like to talk about a subject that`s very near and dear to my heart... Leadership.
Well, actually I wanna rant a little about Dean and Sam Winchester of Supernatural fame. (But whoever gets the above reference, gets a virtual cookie.)
In the last weeks I`ve found that Supernatural and especially the relationship between the Brothers Winchester lends itself to some fascinating discussions. So here are my two cents.
And even though I`m, what is known as a Dean-girl, this is in no way supposed to be a Sammy-bashing. Even when I wanna hit Sam over the head, I can still see where he is coming from. I might not agree with him sometimes, but I can understand him.
It`s actually what makes a good character for me in general, I don`t really get your favourite character can do no wrong: "Oh, but he/she is totally right there..." "But he/she was sooo justified...." Congratulations, you just Mary-Sued your darling.
I can love my faves just fine without the need to see them as perfect at every turn, in fact then I`d hate them. So yes, occasionally I wanna knock some sense into Dean too. And then cuddle him afterwards and kiss to make it all better, ahem.
Oh, and since I`m a chatterbox when it comes to my shows and their characters, expect totally uncoherent and all-over-the-place ramblings.
One central question that seems to be going around is: Is Sam selfish for wanting a normal life instead of hunting ?
I always felt the answer to that is pretty simple: yes. Think about it, he knows about the dangers lurking in the dark that most people are ignorant of. And lately he even developed visions and telekinesis.
So you may say he has a gift or special powers that would enable him to help people. And what does he wanna do, have a nice little cozy life for himself. People, there was a movie about that called "Spiderman 2." Or pretty much every other Superhero story for that matter.
He has the means to help people, that others don`t and he wants to pursue his dreams instead.
Is it understandable ? Hell yes. 99 out of 100 people would chose to life the happy, normal life. I would be the whiniest cry-bitch on the planet if I was supposed to be all Superhero. Does it make him a bad person ? No again. Does he even need to apologize for
it ? No. He is human and it is a perfectly human and understandable wish. It is still selfish, though. The two are not mutually exclusive.
Is Dean by comparism an altruistic saint ?
Well, I`d say, he hunts for nobler motives than his brother and father. As shown by his desire to keep at it, even after they find the Celine Demon, because there are still other monsters out there and still a lot of Canadian extras in peril, he is really in it to help people.
BUT hunting is also his security blanket. He basically knows no other life than this and he seems to reasonably enjoy it. So, there are pretty much equal parts convenience, fear and nobility there. No sainthood for Dean, either. And really, who`d want that ?
Is Dean is too codependent on his family and has an unhealthy attachment to them ?
What show have you been watching ? I don`t think anybody in their right mind can argue about that. However there are reasons IMO why he is that way.
Just think about it, at four years old he lost his mother and basically the world he`d known until then. So, quite naturally he clings to the family he has left. Now normally a child would get over that in time, but I imagine in the special Winchester family situation he took on a quasi-paternal role for Sam (I swear he sometimes acts more father than brother) and later acted as a buffer zone between John and Sam who I think are too much alike not to come to blows. And John would have allowed that to happen because it would have made his life a little bit easier to have this obedient son who always Yes-Sir-ed and whom he could count on.
And as soon as Sam grew up and started to really rebel, Dean probably felt an even greater need to be the dependable one (and no, that`s not Sam`s fault, he had every right to hate his childhood).
I think however Dean being the good little soldier allowed Sam to become as independent as he is to some degree. If he was an only child him and John would have probably killed each other.
So, in some way both John and Sam used Dean`s emotional neediness to their advantage.
I don`t say they did it conciously or that it was even their fault, well not Sam`s anyway, he was a kid. Now John is another matter (and a topic for another rant).
However it would be really good for Dean to be on his own for a while to figure out who he is as person without being good son, good soldier, big protective brother, etc.
Was Sam too mean to Dean in "Shadow" ?
Well, not in expressing his desire to leave once they find the Celine Demon. I found it a good thing that he was honest there and didn`t create false hope for Dean, but I felt like Sam was his typical insensitive self in that scene.
I know, I know, Sam is supposed to be the sweet, sensitive one, and he is - to others. To his brother, not so much. Because he doesn`t really get him, IMO. (And on a positive Sammy-note, I blame the lack of really earnest conversations mostly on Dean. Yeah, he really opened up here, but normally it`s Sam who tries to reach out and you`re only gonna get shot down so much before you give up. So there.)
Even I couldn`t really tell if by: "You have to let me go my own way." he meant for things to be like they used to be with him at Stanford aka no contact at all, cutting off all family ties. I mean, I don`t really believe that, but he was acting so flip.
With Dean Mr.Abandonement Issue Winchester he should have taken the time to reassure his brother that, yes, he still wanted to have him in his life, just not 24/7 straight. And that he would at least accept Dean`s choice as well, like the hunt not being a big no-no to talk about when Dean would come visit or something like that. Yes, Dean needs to hear all these things. He can`t read Sam`s mind.
And way to make Dean feel good about himself with the "be a person again"-comment. What exactly are you now, Sam ? And what is Dean if he want`s to continue this life ? Chopped liver ? I get what he wanted to express but Sam sometimes has a way of finding the most horrible wording possible. (Scarecrow: "How old where you when Mom died ?"-conversation I`m looking at you.)
Funny thing is, I always get the impression that Sam, apart from really not being able to comprehend how Dean or anyone would choose this hunting life, is both angry FOR his brother and AT him for not being angry enough or at all. In all Sam`s rants about their screwed up childhood he always includes Dean. So, I`m always getting this: "Oh Dad, I could smack you. Look how you screwed up my poor brother, he doesn`t even see it. And now he doesn`t even want something else. No way, he must want other things. And somehow I will get him to see the light"-vibe. It`s kind of sweet actually, him being protective of Dean.
I don`t doubt he really loves him and wants what`s best for him (and I can understand him being not happy that his brother wants to live a life with that kind of mortality rate) but he can`t force his dreams or his kind of happiness on Dean (and vice versa). And they both need to understand that.
But then again, that`s what the next five seasons are for. :)
And the last but most important question, are these too getting it on ?
DUH !!!
Since I spent virtually all my time dissecting the relationship of fictional characters and if I get to think about Dean, I get to picture Jensen, I`m sure more rants will follow soon.
Yes, Missouri, tremble before my wrath.
Well, actually I wanna rant a little about Dean and Sam Winchester of Supernatural fame. (But whoever gets the above reference, gets a virtual cookie.)
In the last weeks I`ve found that Supernatural and especially the relationship between the Brothers Winchester lends itself to some fascinating discussions. So here are my two cents.
And even though I`m, what is known as a Dean-girl, this is in no way supposed to be a Sammy-bashing. Even when I wanna hit Sam over the head, I can still see where he is coming from. I might not agree with him sometimes, but I can understand him.
It`s actually what makes a good character for me in general, I don`t really get your favourite character can do no wrong: "Oh, but he/she is totally right there..." "But he/she was sooo justified...." Congratulations, you just Mary-Sued your darling.
I can love my faves just fine without the need to see them as perfect at every turn, in fact then I`d hate them. So yes, occasionally I wanna knock some sense into Dean too. And then cuddle him afterwards and kiss to make it all better, ahem.
Oh, and since I`m a chatterbox when it comes to my shows and their characters, expect totally uncoherent and all-over-the-place ramblings.
One central question that seems to be going around is: Is Sam selfish for wanting a normal life instead of hunting ?
I always felt the answer to that is pretty simple: yes. Think about it, he knows about the dangers lurking in the dark that most people are ignorant of. And lately he even developed visions and telekinesis.
So you may say he has a gift or special powers that would enable him to help people. And what does he wanna do, have a nice little cozy life for himself. People, there was a movie about that called "Spiderman 2." Or pretty much every other Superhero story for that matter.
He has the means to help people, that others don`t and he wants to pursue his dreams instead.
Is it understandable ? Hell yes. 99 out of 100 people would chose to life the happy, normal life. I would be the whiniest cry-bitch on the planet if I was supposed to be all Superhero. Does it make him a bad person ? No again. Does he even need to apologize for
it ? No. He is human and it is a perfectly human and understandable wish. It is still selfish, though. The two are not mutually exclusive.
Is Dean by comparism an altruistic saint ?
Well, I`d say, he hunts for nobler motives than his brother and father. As shown by his desire to keep at it, even after they find the Celine Demon, because there are still other monsters out there and still a lot of Canadian extras in peril, he is really in it to help people.
BUT hunting is also his security blanket. He basically knows no other life than this and he seems to reasonably enjoy it. So, there are pretty much equal parts convenience, fear and nobility there. No sainthood for Dean, either. And really, who`d want that ?
Is Dean is too codependent on his family and has an unhealthy attachment to them ?
What show have you been watching ? I don`t think anybody in their right mind can argue about that. However there are reasons IMO why he is that way.
Just think about it, at four years old he lost his mother and basically the world he`d known until then. So, quite naturally he clings to the family he has left. Now normally a child would get over that in time, but I imagine in the special Winchester family situation he took on a quasi-paternal role for Sam (I swear he sometimes acts more father than brother) and later acted as a buffer zone between John and Sam who I think are too much alike not to come to blows. And John would have allowed that to happen because it would have made his life a little bit easier to have this obedient son who always Yes-Sir-ed and whom he could count on.
And as soon as Sam grew up and started to really rebel, Dean probably felt an even greater need to be the dependable one (and no, that`s not Sam`s fault, he had every right to hate his childhood).
I think however Dean being the good little soldier allowed Sam to become as independent as he is to some degree. If he was an only child him and John would have probably killed each other.
So, in some way both John and Sam used Dean`s emotional neediness to their advantage.
I don`t say they did it conciously or that it was even their fault, well not Sam`s anyway, he was a kid. Now John is another matter (and a topic for another rant).
However it would be really good for Dean to be on his own for a while to figure out who he is as person without being good son, good soldier, big protective brother, etc.
Was Sam too mean to Dean in "Shadow" ?
Well, not in expressing his desire to leave once they find the Celine Demon. I found it a good thing that he was honest there and didn`t create false hope for Dean, but I felt like Sam was his typical insensitive self in that scene.
I know, I know, Sam is supposed to be the sweet, sensitive one, and he is - to others. To his brother, not so much. Because he doesn`t really get him, IMO. (And on a positive Sammy-note, I blame the lack of really earnest conversations mostly on Dean. Yeah, he really opened up here, but normally it`s Sam who tries to reach out and you`re only gonna get shot down so much before you give up. So there.)
Even I couldn`t really tell if by: "You have to let me go my own way." he meant for things to be like they used to be with him at Stanford aka no contact at all, cutting off all family ties. I mean, I don`t really believe that, but he was acting so flip.
With Dean Mr.Abandonement Issue Winchester he should have taken the time to reassure his brother that, yes, he still wanted to have him in his life, just not 24/7 straight. And that he would at least accept Dean`s choice as well, like the hunt not being a big no-no to talk about when Dean would come visit or something like that. Yes, Dean needs to hear all these things. He can`t read Sam`s mind.
And way to make Dean feel good about himself with the "be a person again"-comment. What exactly are you now, Sam ? And what is Dean if he want`s to continue this life ? Chopped liver ? I get what he wanted to express but Sam sometimes has a way of finding the most horrible wording possible. (Scarecrow: "How old where you when Mom died ?"-conversation I`m looking at you.)
Funny thing is, I always get the impression that Sam, apart from really not being able to comprehend how Dean or anyone would choose this hunting life, is both angry FOR his brother and AT him for not being angry enough or at all. In all Sam`s rants about their screwed up childhood he always includes Dean. So, I`m always getting this: "Oh Dad, I could smack you. Look how you screwed up my poor brother, he doesn`t even see it. And now he doesn`t even want something else. No way, he must want other things. And somehow I will get him to see the light"-vibe. It`s kind of sweet actually, him being protective of Dean.
I don`t doubt he really loves him and wants what`s best for him (and I can understand him being not happy that his brother wants to live a life with that kind of mortality rate) but he can`t force his dreams or his kind of happiness on Dean (and vice versa). And they both need to understand that.
But then again, that`s what the next five seasons are for. :)
And the last but most important question, are these too getting it on ?
DUH !!!
Since I spent virtually all my time dissecting the relationship of fictional characters and if I get to think about Dean, I get to picture Jensen, I`m sure more rants will follow soon.
Yes, Missouri, tremble before my wrath.
