Frank would be a great counter-point (or additional point) to Sam's storyline, if they had written this season a touch better. A large part of this season is about mental-illness and being functionally, or not functionally, "crazy." But I think that point gets lost somewhere somehow. Maybe because we just don't see Sam struggling. Is Frank supposed to be a source of hope for Sam or a source of worry? Are we supposed to think that Sam has a future as a Hunter because Frank can do it? I think this would have been a really interesting point to explore, but yet they don't really do it. They bring him in, and they MENTION the crazy, but they've dropped the other thread that they're supposed to be tying this one to.
This would have been great, but the show was entrenched in new characters interact with Dean not Sam. So Frank talking to Sam about being dealing with mental illness and even possibly medication was not likely to happen. I was also really miffed that after Sam saved Lee's life by offering his own and Crissy doesn't even think to say thanks to him.
And here we come to the different ways of grieving for Sam and Dean. Dean is focusing on revenge, whereas Sam is focusing on the idea that maybe he'll feel better if he saves someone else - he couldn't save Bobby, but he can save someone else.
Well since I can discuss season 8 in the comments, I agree that Sam seems to have settled on this coping mechanism. He started in season 2 when he was trying to do enough good to offset whatever (at that time unknown) evil destiny that John had predicted. It was part of how Ruby manipulated him after Dean died, by telling him that he could exorcise demons and leave the hosts alive. It fits season 5 of Sam continuing to try and fight evil after he was sure his addiction wasn't a handicap. It even fit with the idea that even while soulless, Sam keeps hunting. All this makes season 8's "I've dumped hunting forever" more odd. I hope they will explain this whole change in reaction to stress. Until now, Sam deals with stress by hunting and trying to save people and now he suddenly doesn't care? It bugs me right now.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2012-10-13 03:31 pm (UTC)This would have been great, but the show was entrenched in new characters interact with Dean not Sam. So Frank talking to Sam about being dealing with mental illness and even possibly medication was not likely to happen. I was also really miffed that after Sam saved Lee's life by offering his own and Crissy doesn't even think to say thanks to him.
And here we come to the different ways of grieving for Sam and Dean. Dean is focusing on revenge, whereas Sam is focusing on the idea that maybe he'll feel better if he saves someone else - he couldn't save Bobby, but he can save someone else.
Well since I can discuss season 8 in the comments, I agree that Sam seems to have settled on this coping mechanism. He started in season 2 when he was trying to do enough good to offset whatever (at that time unknown) evil destiny that John had predicted. It was part of how Ruby manipulated him after Dean died, by telling him that he could exorcise demons and leave the hosts alive. It fits season 5 of Sam continuing to try and fight evil after he was sure his addiction wasn't a handicap. It even fit with the idea that even while soulless, Sam keeps hunting. All this makes season 8's "I've dumped hunting forever" more odd. I hope they will explain this whole change in reaction to stress. Until now, Sam deals with stress by hunting and trying to save people and now he suddenly doesn't care? It bugs me right now.