Like two facing mirrors reflecting an image to infinity, the consequences of Sam and Dean’s actions bounce off of both brothers over and over again. They’re foils for each other. We understand the story better through their combined reactions.
I think this summarises their relationship beautifully. Until 'Mystery Spot' I don't think I realised how damaging their dependence on each other could actually be (Sam's spiral into depression after Dean's death, his obsession to change the past, his willingness to kill Bobby despite not being one-hundred-percent certain it wasn't him). I think I knew it, underneath, subconsciously, just the way most fans know that Sam and Dean need each other to the point of obsession. But I think this episode really slapped us in the face and showed us that, no matter how endearing their loyalty to each other, it could one day do more damage than good.
You've articulated beautifully what I've always believed -- that Sam and Dean are both hybrid tigers. I know Sam through Dean and vice versa, and I know about each through their actions, their motivations, the way they approach the plot. Despite my fannish love for Jensen Ackles/Dean, this show cannot exist without Sam. It's almost as if I adore Sam because Dean does and because Sam loves him back. Even if Kripke insinuated now that the show would soon become the Dean-show, without Sam present, I'd know instinctively that it wouldn't work, because as brilliant as Dean is, it is through Sam that he's allowed to be this reckless, this snarky, this heroic. His relationship with Sam is one of the fundamental things that makes his character so interesting -- the conflict it causes him, the choices he makes me because of it, his self-sacrificing nature.
I don't get weepy watching this show because Dean happens to be crying man-tears or beating the crap out of cars. I get weepy because I understand why he gets upset. I understand how his displaced identity, his choice to give up everything he was and could be for Sam and John, damaged something in him. The fact that he is a motivation tiger seems a little more devastating than being a plot tiger. Because once the plot is finished that tiger can go off and make his own territory. But Dean's motivation, his love for his family, will always tie him to them. It will never end. Even if Sam dies, he won't be free. His need for vengeance will motivate him. And once he's fulfilled that he will have nothing.
I think that's why I'm enjoying season three, because now Dean isn't the only motivation tiger. Sam is, too. I sympathise with his terror of losing his brother because I have an emotional investment in Dean just like he does. And that allows me to jump into his shoes and really get to know the character that he is.
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I think this summarises their relationship beautifully. Until 'Mystery Spot' I don't think I realised how damaging their dependence on each other could actually be (Sam's spiral into depression after Dean's death, his obsession to change the past, his willingness to kill Bobby despite not being one-hundred-percent certain it wasn't him). I think I knew it, underneath, subconsciously, just the way most fans know that Sam and Dean need each other to the point of obsession. But I think this episode really slapped us in the face and showed us that, no matter how endearing their loyalty to each other, it could one day do more damage than good.
You've articulated beautifully what I've always believed -- that Sam and Dean are both hybrid tigers. I know Sam through Dean and vice versa, and I know about each through their actions, their motivations, the way they approach the plot. Despite my fannish love for Jensen Ackles/Dean, this show cannot exist without Sam. It's almost as if I adore Sam because Dean does and because Sam loves him back. Even if Kripke insinuated now that the show would soon become the Dean-show, without Sam present, I'd know instinctively that it wouldn't work, because as brilliant as Dean is, it is through Sam that he's allowed to be this reckless, this snarky, this heroic. His relationship with Sam is one of the fundamental things that makes his character so interesting -- the conflict it causes him, the choices he makes me because of it, his self-sacrificing nature.
I don't get weepy watching this show because Dean happens to be crying man-tears or beating the crap out of cars. I get weepy because I understand why he gets upset. I understand how his displaced identity, his choice to give up everything he was and could be for Sam and John, damaged something in him. The fact that he is a motivation tiger seems a little more devastating than being a plot tiger. Because once the plot is finished that tiger can go off and make his own territory. But Dean's motivation, his love for his family, will always tie him to them. It will never end. Even if Sam dies, he won't be free. His need for vengeance will motivate him. And once he's fulfilled that he will have nothing.
I think that's why I'm enjoying season three, because now Dean isn't the only motivation tiger. Sam is, too. I sympathise with his terror of losing his brother because I have an emotional investment in Dean just like he does. And that allows me to jump into his shoes and really get to know the character that he is.