Salvation. Good Lord.

[dangermousie]

"Salvation" is an excellent ep, but I first want to talk about something tangential. Namely how Dean, after his time with Sam, is now standing up to Daddy Dearest. And John is taken aback, while he percieves it as a lot more normal when Sam does it. I think John has assigned roles to his kids (Dean is the good soldier, Sam is the rebel) so when the lines get blurred, he is a bit thrown. For a supernatural hunter, he doesn't deal that well with the unexpected, does he? And I also find it interesting that Dean first stands up to John to either back up Sam. It's not that he is incapable to stand up for solely himself (get to it later) but I think, in a way, it would be much harder. It has to do with his placing all his value into his family and none really in himself. So he would argue on Sam's bahalf and knuckle down on his own. Dean needs Sam to allow him to express himself. Of course, that is not the only time he argues. He blows up at John when John yells at them for not telling him Sam has visions. But I think even that is partly motivated by a desire to protect Sam. Of course, part of it is his imbibing Sam's ideas of independence and part resentment: when he mentions that John didn't respond when they called him from home or when Dean was dying, you can see how much it bothers 'repress everything' Dean, for him to burst out with it. I wonder if he feels valueless to his father? And of course, once he starts arguing, it becomes easier and easier each next time.

Dean doesn't deal well with emotion, does he? When Sam tries to thank him for always having his back, Dean just deflects. He always deflects whenever things get too personal. I think it's growing up with no mother figures or really good caretakers.

But then, we get to the end of the ep. And Sam loses it, he wants to go after the demon so badly. He almost runs into that fire and I love that he is willing to die to kill the thing but Dean, the consummate hunter, would rather let the demon go, then have Sam die. OMG. Brotherly love. And they end up in a mirror reversal of the scenario from pilot, with Dean being the one saying even with killing the demon, Mom and Jess aren't coming back, and Sam being the one to completely explode and fall apart at that. And when Dean says "The three of us. That's all we have. That's all I have. Sometimes I feel like I am barely holding it together" my heart just breaks for him. Stick a fork in him, he's done. Boy needs a long vacation in a sanatorium with a shrink.

Of course, instead of that, he gets Meg, telling him that 'you boys' really screwed up and that they will never see their father again. And coming on the heels of Dean's admission that family is most important to him? Talk about a solar plexus punch. (Interesting that yet again, Sam and John are similar in their driving vengeance need for the demon over everything. But not for Dean).

Also, I know manly men and all that, but when you first meet your kids after a long time, shouldn't you be a bit less gruff than "You should have taken care of the car. Never should have given it to you blah blah." Nope, can't warm up to John.

Comments

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

Dean is now far more aligned with Sam than he is with John. Dean and Sam have reached an understanding that John has never had with his sons because he always treated them as soldiers. While Dean might love his father a great deal that doesn't mean he understands him that well. Dean and Sam are starting to understand each other.

And Dean's admission that he's barely holding it together is foreshadowing for what I think we're going to see in later seasons. Dean is a lot closer to flying apart than Sam is. Sam is more singleminded, Dean is carrying far too much on himself. I love that scene since you see how much the two have changed. Dean is now the tired, quiet one and Sam the overtly aggressive.

And I think Dean is the easiest one for John to lash out at. When he snaps at Dean about the car, Dean just takes it. Sam wouldn't have and you see Sam even rankle for his brother when it happens. There are some massive daddy issues there and John is just now beginning to realize that Dean is his own man too. I think he realized that Sam was because of his rebellion, but it's new for John to have his subordinant suddenly standing up to him. It's almost like a family mutiny.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Dean is now far more aligned with Sam than he is with John.

Understandably so. Sam is more of an equal and less a distant boss. Idolizing someone doesn't make for a good relationship on either side. Sam, after all, actually sees Dean as a person, not something I think John does.

Sam is more singleminded, Dean is carrying far too much on himself

Exactly. Sam is turning into a nicer version of John: singleminded and with dead more important than the living.

When he snaps at Dean about the car, Dean just takes it.

Which is why I hate it. Picking on someone just because you know they'll take it is horrible, horrible, horrible. I think Dean is desperate for Dad approval (and I think it only partially has to do with the striga thing). And John is incredulous when Dean stands up to him. In fact, even with all the fighting, I get the feeling that Sam and John are closer and more on the same wavelength than Dean and John. Maybe John is one of those people who doesn't respect people he can boss. Ugh, either way.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

Maybe John is one of those people who doesn't respect people he can boss.

I'm under the belief that John sees it as sort of a weakness in Dean. He knows he can walk all over Dean and Dean has never really touched on that level of respect that Sam has by standing up to him. John admits he doesn't like it when Dean stands up to him, but it's more the grumpy complaining of someone who's been called out than righteous indignation.

Dean LETS himself be a second in command, therefore John treats him as such. Sam has gone out of his way to assert that he's his own man. In a lot of ways Dean has inadvertantly made some of his own issues with John.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

But it strikes me as a huge flaw in John that he'd pick on the 'weakest' as opposed to someone who'd give him as good as it gets. If John was always about "Dean, being obedient is good. Dean should help his father," he shouldn't take it on Dean that being brought up by a nutter like John would result in Dean obeying.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

Which is why I don't think John even really knows what he wants. He says one thing but acts another.