Devil's Trap: die, John, die

[dangermousie]

OK, pardon me for a second while I vent. I. Hate. John. Hatehatehatehate.

When you have one of your sons literally bleeding to death in the backseat (and it's your fault), as a concerned father, should you:

a. Show that your primary attention and/or concern is on that kid?
b. Bitch at your other son for not shooting you, paying no attention to the other kid. because hey, disobedience is the most pressing issue here. Even though any normal person would hesitate to shoot one's own father.

Geeee, let me think.

The first words out of your mouth should be:

a. Dean, are you OK? We'll get you to the hospital soon, boy.
b. Sam, are you OK? Let's deal with all of our medical issues here first, then we can go after the demon.
c. *groan*
d. "I am disappointed in you, Sam." It's totally dreadful of him not to shoot his own father. Adding that nothing is as important as killing the demon. While your sliced up son looks at you from the backseat.

Gee, let me think again.

If a train ran over John, I won't feel sorry.

There is also the heart-breaking fact that Dean realizes that John is possessed by the fact that John says he is proud of him. It's something real John would never do and that is mindboggling (and how indicative that Dean buys it for a bit because he wants to hear something like that so badly). Also mindboggling that real John would yell at Dean for wasting a bullet though it saved Sam's life. John is a sick puppy. I get the feeling Dean is so desperate about his family because it's the only family he's got. Because in abstract? John is a crappy crappy dad.

And I love demon in John's body pointing out Dean's inner insecurity (and I do think it's true) when he says that he needs the family more than they need him (it's true in John's case, I don't think in Sam's). And adds that Sam is clearly John's favorite. Because I agree, the fighting is still more attention than Dean gets. And I love Dean trying to snark about offing the demon's children and then getting slashed up and begging for John to stop it. The writers know how to make me happy.

Also, the bit where Dean is terrified that he killed people to protect his family and didn't even pause? Yay. He knows (some of) his issues.

Comments

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

John's reaction at the end of DT is the reason I haven't forgiven him yet. Dean looks absolutely pitiful in the back seat, but John seems to be too busy ripping Sam a new one to notice. Understandable that Dean would have a lot of issues over his place in the family.

There is also the heart-breaking fact that Dean realizes that John is possessed by the fact that John says he is proud of him.

That and Dean begging John not to kill him got me in that episode. There's such a little boyishness to Dean that it's painful to watch him really being hurt. You just hurt all over for Dean in this ep. He really is the brother that needs protecting, not Sam. His psyche is so fragile that you know he has to have some kind of will power to hold it together as it is.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I was reading your posts on SPN and you analogized John to an addict and I think it's a perfect comparison. No matter how much John loves his kids, he will always need his 'fix' more. It makes him blind to everything else and an atrocious father. And utter lack of concern for Dean coming on the heels of the demon's speech must be making Dean feel just peachy. Not.

He really is the brother that needs protecting, not Sam.

Exactly. Because he never got a proper childhood, in some ways, he never got a chance to emotionally grow up. (I think his mother's death, actually remembering before and after, has something to do with it too.0

[podgie.livejournal.com]

I get the feeling Dean is so desperate about his family because it's the only family he's got.

The more I think of it, the more I realize that Dean doesn't actually want the demon dead. The only reason that he really wants it dead is because of the pain that it caused his dad and Sam. The only reason that he hunts it is because it's what his family wants. Everything that he's based his life around he only does because he wants to please his family, ultimately to please his father.

Sam and John want the demon dead because it killed their loved ones but Dean wants it dead just to make them happy. He'd sacrifice anything but his family to kill the demon, but the real reason that he wants to kill the demon so bad is because he wants his father to love him. His whole life revolves around doing anything and everything just to get his dad to love him. It's so depressing :( :(

Grr, I used to be a John fan but now you've made me hate him! Congrats? :P

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Sam and John want the demon dead because it killed their loved ones but Dean wants it dead just to make them happy.

Exactly. He doesn't have a burning need to off it. It's only slightly more than his general dislike for evil beasties. The number one reason for him is John and Sam and unlike the two of them, he will give it up in a moment to save them. For John and Sam, the greatest need is to kill the demon. For Dean? It's keeping his family safe and happy.

His whole life revolves around doing anything and everything just to get his dad to love him.

And the depressing thing is, he shouldn't have to. No kid should. And certainly, Dean is a good son and a guy who most parents would be proud to have in the family. Sam is much more successful in detaching and moving past all that. Which is just as well, as getting affirmation from John would be like getting water from a stone.

Grr, I used to be a John fan but now you've made me hate him! Congrats? :P

Heeeeee.

[bigboobedcanuck.livejournal.com]

I've never been a big John fan, and you are reminding me why. (Well, the other reason is because I hated JDM's storyline on GA, and I don't really get his appeal, so he kind of leaves me cold all the way around.)

He really is a terrible father. I know he hasn't had it easy either, but damn.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Seriously, issues are all and fine, but stop force-feeding them to your kids. Ugh.

[ewanspotter.livejournal.com]

If I can ask, where are you seeing these episodes at?

[ewanspotter.livejournal.com]

And better yet... which episode is this? Dean is bleeding to death?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

They are all at youtube (here they are in correct order).

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F63D64F75C2F8DE1

Dean is bleeding to death in the season finale (he really gets battered) and he also almost dies in the angstfest that is Faith.

[ewanspotter.livejournal.com]

So, I'm such a dork. As soon as I posted that question, I was like, "I bet YouTube has something." So of course I looked. And watched the last part of the season finale. OMGWTF?!! Deannnnnnnnnn! You're all angsty, and pretty, and bleeding!

I've been meaning to tell you, I'm getting into Supernatural too. I caught a few episodes this season and have decided to watch the rest of the summer and next season. I'd love to watch all these videos now, but at home I only have dialup. I'll have to wait until I go back to school. Or just get the DVDs this fall.

Tell me... any other good episodes full of lovely Dean whumping?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

SQUEE! Another person who likes SPN!

There are many many episodes full of Dean whumping. The show seems to have a Dean-whumping fetish, emotionally and physically.

Let me see (I am going from the latest ep to the earliest):

Salvation has a lot of Dean angst near the end.
Something Wicked is just Dean angst party.
Shadow got both emotional and physical whumping.
Benders: glorious amounts of physical and emotional angst: Dean torture! Dean looking everywhere for his brother. Bonus: Sam in a cage.
Nightmare: a bit of Dean angst at the end, but it's Sam angst all the way in that ep.
FAITH: This is like the KING of angst episode, and Dean is all s pretty dying.
Scarecrow: uber angsty and tied up Dean.
Home: Dean is falling apart and there is crying on the phone (and fighting with nasties, but I don't remember severe damage :P)
Sin: whumping and well...skin. Known as the 'Ep of Shirtlessness' around here.
Dead in the Water: aaaaaangst.

[ewanspotter.livejournal.com]

Oh man, you are so obsessed.

I love it.

So who is your favorite? Sam or Dean? Dean for me, for all the angsty reasons, and I just like Jensen. I seems he just appears on a lot of shows I've watched over the years.

Watching old DA episodes, I realized that Dean is like a toned down version of Alec. :)