A couple of tiny moments from 8.20

[ash48]

Man, that ep does get in. It's been a while since I've watched an ep 3 times. <3

A couple of little (tiny) reaction moments that had me thinking. (What? Obsessive? Me? Nah...)



Because I've been experimenting with gifs I've been looking extra closely at little moments.

This reaction from Sam made me think about how terrified he must have been after that very heartfelt hug from Dean. Dean's only really hugged Sam like this after one of them have returned from the grave (or elsewhere...). I wondered if Sam was thinking this was Dean acknowledging just how dangerous this is - acknowledging that Sam may well die and Dean was somehow accepting that. Sam might be thinking that Dean was getting a hug in before it's too late. And no, I don't mean that Dean has given up on Sam. This is about what Sam might have read from that hug.



zebra363 pointed this Dean reaction out to me:

This is after Charlie tells Sam that if anyone can do these trials he can. That's an eye roll! What's going on with that? He looks away as though he doesn't want to accept what Charlie's saying. He knows Sam is strong enough - maybe he doesn't want to hear someone else say it. Or something...?



While I'm here...

Awwww.... hand holding. :)

Comments

[galwithglasses.livejournal.com]

I noticed the eye roll too.  Thing is though, Dean makes faces at Sam a couple of other times that are similar.  I think part is the books....yeah, yeah, he's awesome, my little brother, blah, blah, blah, don't let it go to his head.  It's a bit about no chick flick moments in front of Sam..got to maintain that cool.  Part of it is that Dean thought he should have been doing the trials.  But I think a big piece of it is nobody, including Sam, is acknowledging how bad off Sam is and that just because he's a hero, doesn't mean this isn't destroying him and why does it have to be Sam (or Dean) again?  Sam is still saying he's fine and Dean's not buying it and doesn't want anyone else to buy it either.  

Dean's making faces when he comes back with food and realizes Sam is still asleep.



He does the same eye-rolly thing when he walks in on Sam coughing up a lung later.  Yeah right, Sam's fine, uh huh.  Not buying it and getting impatient with it.



A big piece of it is covering up his own fear too, I think.  The djinn said he reeked of it and Sam shows up in the fear-driven dreamscape.  There's this look when Dean sees him in the bed that starts scared and ends up pissed off.  When Dean is scared, he gets sarcastic and puts distance between himself and the fear with a cocky, snarky attitude.



As for Sam's reaction to the hug, to me Dean seems like an elder to both Charlie and Sam.  Some of that parenting that Dean does is coming through with both of them.  Somebody needs to look after them because they aren't doing it themselves.  Sam looked totally thrown after Dean hugged him and like he wasn't sure what tornado hit him.  He expected to get bawled out again and instead he got a hug and a move to get back in the game.  No wonder he looks freaked out.  Dean and his Deanishness are things Sam is really counting on right now.  Sam can take chances with his health  because Dean's been there looking after him even if Sam resisted it and that's predictable behavior.  Sam knows he's not fine and he's really counting on Dean to know that also.  Dean is Sam's series of checks and balances.  What does he do if Dean breaks that pattern?  Sam needs somebody to have faith in him to help him have the courage to finish the trials.  It's a fine line between letting go or accepting something and giving it up for lost.  

Sorry for the long comment...I'm trying to figure out what to make of all that and it just came tumbling out.  I hope it makes sense.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Oh hun, never apologise for a long comment! yay! I love the thinly..

and yes yes to all of those things Dean might be thinking and doing when he turns away. I actually love that we can read so much into it.

And I think you are right about Sam's reaction. I think as long as Dean is either "pretending" to buy that Sam is "fine", then Sam can carry on the act ok. We know that Sam hates to cause Dean extra worry. It's in the very fabric of his nature. Sam knows that Dean has been concerned all through this hunt and has behaved predictably in not wanting Sam to be involved. The hug was unpredictable behavior on Dean's part (and the reason it came as such a lovely surprise to us all) so instead of it providing any sort of comfort it must have totally freaked him out. Though I think Sam is also aware that Dean needs this too. I think it was important that Sm returned the hug, rather than ask Dean what he was doing.

I think they have both accepted that the situation has dire and in doing so can now more forward once again.

Thanks for the caps. Dean seeing Sam on the bed was getting to the heart of his fear and it was great to see how he then went on an addressed it. Hmmm, maybe he did let a little something go by the end. Even though he told Charlie "never".

[maaldas.livejournal.com]

Wow, I agree with all you said. :-D
That's exactly what I thought Dean's reaction was.

[galwithglasses.livejournal.com]

It was a pretty classic Dean reaction given where they've been this season. It was a great episode all in all.