ash48: (Hot not plot!)
ash48 ([personal profile] ash48) wrote2014-05-25 10:30 am
Entry tags:

Argh! I'm conflicted!

My darling friend [livejournal.com profile] redteekal (who is currently at the JiB con - lucky duck!) tweeted me something about one of Sam's lines in the finale that I'm not entirely sure what to do with.

Because clearly my attempt to not think about the show OR the finale is not working...



So a few days a go I posted some thoughts on tumblr about one major thing that has upset me this season (though why I did on tumblr I have no idea because chatting over there is IMPOSSIBLE!).

Anyway. It's basically came down to Sam saying "I lied" when Dean says he thought Sam was "ok with this".

It seems that there are a few different interpretations (which, hello, of course ;D) and one I was beginning to like was they he was referring to their earlier discussion by the van. Mostly because a) it was obvious that Sam didn't mean he wouldn't save Dean (when he said it earlier in the season) so didn't need to say he lied (though I accept most of the audience and Dean thought it was true) and b) the WHOLE line - INCLUDING "same circumstances", was massively important for (finally) giving Sam some clarity and perspective on the lines the boys cross for each other.

The is big for me. The only squee I've done this season was that episode. Purely because I thought they were beginning to examine the nature of what they do to each other (and other people) when they keep bringing each other back.

BUT! Jared has confirmed that "I lied" wasn't in the original script. Instead it was "I didn't think this was gonna to happen".

Jared changed it. He felt that Sam did lie when he said those lines - because Sam was hurt and wanted to hurt Dean.

Which I TOTALLY get (and got at the time). Sam was angry and lashed out, but I truly believed there was some truth in what he said. I really wanted to believe he said he wouldn't save Dean in the same method that Dean saved him. Appears not after all. :(

Unfortunately this erases ALL thoughts that any of those lines were about any sort of realisation on Sam's part. BOO! It even confirms it's not even part of the story telling (double BOO!).

Though I suppose it does mean I can be happy that fandom has "forgiven Sam* because he admitted he lied. *sigh* (maybe the Sam bashing reached Jared and he felt he had to make amends?)

It does clarify that the original line WAS referring to their earlier conversation by the van. Dean thought that Sam was ok with him using the blade - even though he knew the possible outcome. It's multi-layered though because I think that DEAN fully believed that Sam wouldn't save him - so him coming to his rescue may have been a surprise to him (which I personally struggle to accept, but that's the way they've written it I think). And I think Sam probably didn't think that Dean would lose to Metatron. Having seen Dean in action with the blade made him look like a sure thing. It also confirms that that earlier argument between them was off the writing table. It was only there to drive Dean toward the blade. There were no ramifications for Sam. He just had to say stuff to piss Dean off and walk away. Job done! (oh? You actually had real feelings on being possessed and being trick and lied to? Haha..no you didn't).

At least the "I lied" did bring it back to that moment and I suppose out it gave some sort of closure for Sam. If Jared thinks it brings closure for Sam then I'll have to accept that. But how sad that the writers didn't think of that for Sam. They really don't have an idea about him do they?

Dammit. I ranted on again. I have no idea why this tiny tiny section of dialogue means so much to me. I am going to let it go now. I promise.



In other news fandom seems to have exploded over Jensen saying there's nothing more than friendship between Dean and Cas. I'm not venturing too far out there because, boy, emotions are high. I am, however, proud of Jensen for finally saying something that's clear about the relationship. I'm a little confused how this is any sort of deal breaker though. Nothing has changed. Not a thing. Fans can still read whatever they like in the relationship. Same way they do for Sam/Dean. Dean/Cas has never existed in the text, same way Sam/Dean hasn't. Don't mean you can't ship it! :)

Ooh, conventions do stir things up a bit (mostly by people not actually there it seems). :)

[identity profile] ash48.livejournal.com 2014-05-25 02:55 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't think you have to take Jared's interpretation as authoritative for the text,

Yep. Not going to.

And i can only imagine jared thinking about somehow showing fans that Sam does love his brother etc etc. Other comments from the con have indicated that he didn't like Sam not being there for his brother during the season.

It's worrying that NO ONE from the show has considered how problematic the non con possession is. It's just not on the radar. In any way at all. With the dialogue in the 9.01 it looked like they might talk about that as an issue later on (Dean saying he knows Sam would say no). But nope. Consent is the least of what they are dealing with. Didn't even cross their minds. Argh.

I also think the Js don't think tooooo hard about how S&D's relationship works. It's about the bond and the love - but they rarely talk about those deeper issues (unless we don't see/hear that stuff from cons). Perhaps at the end of the day none of those things ARE really issues. It's just our reading of them. Which I'm believing more and more. ;/

[identity profile] de-nugis.livejournal.com 2014-05-25 03:05 pm (UTC)(link)
I think -- and I'm not excusing Jared or the writers here -- but I think some of this is on the fans. I haven't seen reported a single con question or tweet that pushed on the implications of the noncon possession (though I have seen reported tweets about the consent issues in Cas's sex with the reaper). And I have seen reported many, many questions pushing on whether SAM STILL WUVS HIS BROTHER, OMG, HE WAS SO MEAN.

And, to be fair, I wouldn't walk up to Jensen at a con and say "A lot of people see what Dean did to Sam as uncomfortably analogous to rape; any comment on that?" That would be putting Jensen on the spot for very fraught implications of things his character did and that he didn't write in a way that I would be very uncomfortable seeing. And people don't get much chance at all to interact with the writers, and practically no chance to interact with the showrunner.