Quick question re 8.19

[ash48]

This is geeky curiosity really.

Time is different in hell. 1 month = 10 years. So...Sam was down there for what? Um..2 hours, 12 hours? I suppose all we know is from the time he was dropped into Purgatory and the time he came out of hell it was 24 hours.

So. I wonder how many hell hours he would have been down there? (what's an hour in hell equivalent to?) If it equates to a few days it'd make more sense in the time it took to find Bobby.

Just saying.

Also...that episode was successful in one respect. I don't think I've ever seen by flist make so many reaction posts. Looks like it stirred up all sorts of feelings! Oh show. The things to (continue!) to do to us.

*hugs* Day off today. After the obligatory jobs I have to do it's fannish time! \o/

Comments

[elliemurasaki.livejournal.com]

~30 days = ~10 years. ~3 days = ~1 year. ~3 days = ~360 days. ~1 day = ~120 days.

However, you say purgatory was part of the 24 hrs (I have not seen the ep, or indeed anything subsequent to the first few minutes of 8x11, I'll catch up eventually), and to the best of my knowledge we never heard how purgatory time compares to earth time.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

So that's 24 hours in a day so 5 days per hour?

We don't ever find out exactly how long Sam's down there for. But we can say at least 2 hours - so 10 days.

The time of either hell or purgatory was never acknowledged so this is more an exercise in trying to make sense of how quickly it took Sam to find Bobby. (though, eek. You haven't seen it yet. I'm assuming you don't mind spoilers as you've clicked here...;D)

Thanks!

[elliemurasaki.livejournal.com]

That sounds right.

I do not mind spoilers.

[monicawoe.livejournal.com]

1 day Earth time is equivalent to 121 days in Hell
I loved this algorithm and I hate that they didn't stick with it (officially anyway)

Here's my old post on the math:
http://monicawoe.livejournal.com/24710.html

I agree - 121 days is much more reasonable for a journey to Hell. And yeah we don't know the purgatory / earth time differential either.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Oh COOL! That's awesome. So I figured that's around 5 days per hour. Even if he was only in there for 2 hours that's still 10 days. Plenty of time to find Bobby.

Though the show never acknowledges that - which is a pity, because they could have used that to explain why it seemed like it didn't take Sam long, but in fact it really did.

Though I think these things only matter when they want them to. Sadly.

Thanks! Algorithm! <333

[galwithglasses.livejournal.com]

No clue but I've been trying to figure out how long Bobby was there. Longer than Dean and John. Probably longer than Sam's soul was in the cage. The guys melted the flask pretty close to when Dean went to Purgatory and then he was there for a year. Plus however long into this year we are. Bobby seemed pretty undamaged for being there that long. I'm thinking it's some sort of special relativity involving wormholes, quarks, Ash's computer and a TARDIS (and a lot of handwaving).

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking it's some sort of special relativity involving wormholes, quarks, Ash's computer and a TARDIS (and a lot of handwaving).

It is exactly this! Especially the handwaving. I think I'm going to go with - we can't think too hard because the Show hasn't. It all just IS for the sake of storytelling.

(I read somewhere that they decided to make Dean's time in hell 40 years so it didn't make it look like he broke easily. I would have through making it past 3 months of hell tortue pretty good going).

Also...time clearly means noting as it's 2013 in the show at the moment, which means both Sam's "year" in the cage and Dean's "year" in purgatory never really existed. Except it did...*hands*

[katwoman76.livejournal.com]

Bobby seemed pretty sane and ok for that long time. Not sure about it being longer than Sam's time in the cage. There was one year with Dean in the suburbs and after that half a season until death got him out. Obviously we never know how many months that were but I guess the earth time that passed would've been similar to the time now with Bobby.
And there is the theory that time in the cage is a lot longer than it is in hell already.

[missyjack.livejournal.com]

Actually i think time and space work differently in hell (and possibly purgatory). I don't think the time ratio is fixed either - i don't think you can take what Dean said either as a strict formula (I mean how would he kept track of the passage of time?), but also suspect it varies for individuals.

Also, we don't know how "long" it took Sam, Bobby and Benny to get to the earth portal from where the hell portal was.

The distance from where Dean killed Benny to the wood in Maine was 1600 miles, so thats a couple of days drive even for Dean!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I think you're right. I figure in the show's universe time is rather arbitrary. We're in 2013 and yet there's been two "One Year Later"s - which would make it around 2015.

I like the idea that time is fluid and when in certain realms it's not fixed. I think it can help us make sense of how it all works in the SPN 'verse. I'd love to know their thinking on it. Though I suspect that it isn't thought about too much - time is used when it's needed for the story. I know the 40 years was used to give more weight to Dean breaking. And certainly the Year Laters are used in a similar way.

I think it's a matter of accepting it for the sake of the story telling.

[runedgirl.livejournal.com]

I suck at math, but your reminder that time works differently in hell has made me feel nominally better that Sam seemed to find Bobby so ridiculously quickly. Also, you're right - any discussion of Show is good discussion I guess!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I suck at maths too! I'm glad someone else could work it out...;) I think, as usual, we can fill in the gaps or make the inconsistencies work. We're good at that...;)

xx

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

But maybe you have to be in Hell dead for time to pass like that? Maybe entering 'unrightfully', ie, when you're still alive, no one knows you're there, and you stay 'alive' down there makes it different?? I always Sam assumed Sam died the moment he leapt into the pit, that he was sacrficing his life when he did that.

And yes, 8 seasons in, and I do find it cool that Show still has the ability to light us all up..*g*

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Ah yes. That could be so. I have no idea what "state" Sam was in went he entered hell. His body turned into..something else, I'd say. I think time is very arbitrary in the SPN universe. Looks like for this ep we can satisfy this conundrum in a number of ways... ;)

Hee..this one sure did light us up! :))