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hells_half_acre) wrote2016-12-11 09:53 pm
hells_half_acre) wrote2016-12-11 09:53 pm
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Rewatch S11: The Devil in the Details (11x10)
Returning to our regularly scheduled rewatches...
When we last left, we were talking about a lot of ideas about consumption, the theology and humanism of SPN, and many such things. I should probably have reread my old rewatch so that I could remember it all, but I didn't... so here's hoping that I'm somewhere in the vicinity of intelligent about this episode...
The Devil in the Details
We start, after the Then, with Rowena's weird Christmas dream.
Lucifer: "Really Rowena, this is what you dream about?"
Rowena: "More of recurring nightmare really. These don't come off. I've been having this dream for months, but you, who are you?"
Lucifer: "Sorry, my manners are a bit rusty..."
- So, dream analysis is actually a thing I do. I'm kinda cynical about this one though, as I think it was more about the visuals/comedy, and not so much about any series character explorations.
- I will say though that probably, the only character thought that went into it was Rowena's fear of domesticity and her idea that Crowley is obsessed with the Winchesters.
- Lucifer of course, come in an shows her that he's someone who has her best interests at heart, since he will vanquish the thing she fears (her son.)
Sam: "Yeah, you'll taunt me, and you're torture me, and I'll say no. And eventually, sooner than you think, my brother's going to walk through that door and kick your ass."
Lucifer: *laughs* "Dean, you're betting on Dean?"
Sam: "I always have."
- So, part of me is like "is this what Sam told himself last time too?" but then I remembered that Sam made Dean promise not to rescue him last time, and, if we go by his behaviour in S8, it's a promise that Sam expected him to keep. Which means that last time, Sam didn't have the idea of rescue to cling to.
- You can't really compare tragedies... Is it better to cling to hope or to know that this is your fate for all time? Is it worse the second time around? These are things that don't really have answers. I do like the fact that at least this time, Sam's trapped in a peripheral cage and he DOES have hope to keep him at least relatively stable while being once again trapped with his torturer/rapist for an indefinite period of time.
Lucifer: "...I mean, I could, I could inflict pain like you can't even imagine. I could inflict such delicious perfect pain. But that was so five years ago. No, I'm not going to harm a glorious little hair on that glorius little head."
Sam: "Then what do you want?"
Lucifer: "To make you an offer you can't refuse. You see, Sam, you need me. And I'm going to prove it to you."
- Jared does such a good job here, and really this entire episode, of showing Sam's fear, and psychological scars, when it comes to Lucifer.
- Mark P. does a good job too. As much as I loath his personal world-view and lack of empathy, Mark P. has been the best Lucifer when it comes to threatening violence, because he always has that edge of sexualization to it that makes it 100x worse, and 100x more threatening. I'll talk about Misha's Lucifer probably in other episodes... but, while I think he does a phenomenal job too, he separates the sex and the violence as two separate tools in his arsenal. Mark P. always blends them, and that's, I think, what makes him the most menancing of Lucifer's vessels that we've seen. I should say that Jared's Lucifer, back in S5, was menacing in his own way - because he used the possession as the menacing factor, the not-Sam/not-Human as a jarring experience that heightened the threat. Since we have very little context for Nick, outside of the one episode, Mark P. can't use that tactic anyway, since he essentially IS Lucifer and Nick was the abberation. Anyway, I'm getting really off track.
I mainly just want to say that just the way Sam LOOKS at Lucifer communicates so much, and that's all down to Jared really knowing what he's doing every second the camera is on.
Lucifer: "By the way, I thought I had daddy issues, but you- anyway..."
- This is the thing, after approx. 18 months (which would have been like 180 years, or possibly 1800+ years to Sam in the cage) and being in his head, Lucifer DOES know every single thing there is to know about Sam. And that's frightening in and of itself too.
- Anyway, this line just stood out because of S12. It's obviously something Lucifer then forgets, since it doesn't stop him from having a pity party about how horrible his daddy-issues are. But then again, I've never been one to believe that your pain is less important just because someone else is in more pain then you are. I mean, if we all thought that, no problems would ever get solved unless we spent 1000x years arguing about which problem was the worst one and should therefore be solved first. FYI: This is a great thing to bring up when you're trying to talk about an issue, and someone else is like "ugh, we've got bigger problems that X - what about Y?! Why aren't we talking about that instead?" - that's just a tactic to not talk about X, because they don't want to. I mean, "forgot about your house being on fire, what about the Syrian refugee crisis?!" sounds ridiculous, but that's honestly what people are doing. "Hey, maybe we can both put out the fire in my house, and ALSO help the Syrian refugees! There's an idea."
Colin Ford! I didn't even recognize him the first time we saw the episode. He's hit his lanky teenage years and is hardly the baby-faced Sam we knew once upon a time. He's still awesome though, and my favourite little Sam. Soon they're going to be able to use him for flashbacks to Stanford. ;)
Crowley: "You're dead."
Rowena: "Please, Fergus, enough with idle threats."
Crowley: "You betrayed me. In my Kingdom."
Rowena: "Not yours, his. Hell is his. I'm his. So hurt me, and what do you think he'll do to you?"
Crowley: "Lucifer will never get out of that cell."
Rowena: "You're willing to stake your life on that? On Sam Winchester?"
- So, much like Crowley has always done. Rowena has alligned herself with someone she believes is the most powerful person in the room. It saves her here, because Crowley now must also make a decision - who is the most powerful person in the room?
- I've spoken previously about the fault that comes with this stratedy - that both Crowley and Rowena CONSTANTLY make the same mistake in this tactic. It's the tactic Crowley tried to make with Amara, Rowena makes with Lucifer... and then Amara. It always blows up in their faces. Every single time. And I'll tell you why! It's because when asking yourself the question "Who is the most powerful person?" the answer should always be "I am." Crowley and Rowena always measure power incorrectly. Power comes from action, not ability. As this season shows us, God might have all the power in the universe, but if he doesn't act, how powerful is he?
Crowley: "He's the devil."
Rowena: "You say that like it's a bad thing."
Crowely: "Oh, I'm a bad thing. He's a worse thing."
- It's times like these when I love Crowley as a character. Crowley is great when he's paired with Lucifer, because from the jump, that was a line Crowley wouldn't cross. It was a brilliant layer to his character - the fact that every other demon we saw was a minion of Lucifer, and yet Crowley worked with the Winchester's to defeat him. It made him interesting.
Sam's voicemail - Dean: "Sam can't come to the phone right now, because he's waxing, like everything-
Sam: "Dean! What are you doing with my phone!?"
- Awww
Crowley is in Dean's phone as "666"
Castiel: "The closer you get to the blast sight, the worse it will become."
Dean: "How worse?"
Castiel: "Well, last time there was a smiting of this magnitude, Lot's wife turned to salt."
- So, this runs a LITTLE counter to our previous mention of Lot and Salt, which came in S6, when there was an OBJECT that turned you into salt. Mind you, Balthazar never said that she was turned BY the object, just that the same thing happened to her (ie: turned to salt). So, it's not actually a continuity error.
Castiel totally touches Dean's face when it has vomit on it, and it really grosses me out. On the other hand, I like it because it's very much in character for Castiel not to care about something like that.
How did Dean even know where the smiting site was? Amara flashed him there and back out again, and he didn't have very much context. Unless he went on google maps afterwards and figured the exact scenary of the mountains and water... but geez, with Amara's power, she could have taken him anywhere on earth.
Dean: "Hey Cas, if it did work, and she is dead, bring her body out."
Cas: "And if she's not?"
Dean: "Run."
- Awww...
Back with little Sam...
Teen Sam: "...so they built all these temples. The most amazing ones are in Mexico City."
Girl: "Have you seen them?"
Teen Sam: "Last year my Dad took me and my brother on a trip to Mexico."
Girl: "On a vacation?"
Teen Sam: "Kind of a working vacation. Have you ever heard of a chupacabra?"
Girl: "No."
Teen Sam: "Okay, good."
- Awww, so heartwarming.
- I love this because although we've ever seen chupacabras on SPN, they're constantly referenced in a way that suggests they're an easy hunt. And so THIS as a reference to a pre-series hunt works brilliantly, because based on dialogue in the early seasons, Sam and Dean had never hunted anything more complicated than a werewolf before S1. (Ghosts, chupacabras, werewolves, possibly black dogs.... those were their main hunts.) It always annoys me when they reference vampires or rugarus as pre-series hunts, because a)vampires were thought extinct until S1, and b)rugaru's were so rare that although John may have come across them, Sam and Dean didn't even know what they were in S4.
- Also, this finds a way to get Sam and Dean a trip to Mexico, without destorying the continuity of continuous hunting and a lack of quality family time outside of hunting. Sam got to see the temples in Mexico City, but only because they were there hunting a chupacabra.
- Though to me, Mexico City is far too vast a city to even ATTEMPT to picture the Winchesters in. I'm pretty sure it's the largest city in North America.
Lucifer: "Look - a simple girl from a one-stop-light town, and you, the worldly handsome-ish, Sam Winchester. She didn't stand a chance, you remember?"
Sam: "Yeah."
Lucifer: "Shh - this is the best part."
- The "she didn't stand a chance" becomes pretty ominous when it comes to Sam's past love interests. I wonder if she died a horrible death. :P
- I also love how Sam's "worldly" - mainly because he IS. It's part of what makes Sam feel like a continual outsider. You can be "worldly" without ever having to leave your country, but you DO have to talk to a lot of different people from a place of empathy and understanding, which is basically Sam's MO.
Girl: "You know I didn't ask you here to study, right?"
Teen Sam: "You didn't?"
Girl: "No, I mean - I just think that you're smart and funny and cute, so, I mean, if you want to make out-"
*kisses*
- Awww, cute. Sam gets the ladies.
- Also, Sam is me. I never clue in when people are being subtle about wanting to get with me... I ALWAYS need them to spell it out. On top of that, if they don't spell it out right away, then I get supper annoyed and I hate them... but that's more about being led to believe I'm participating in friendship when really someone only wants to sleep with me. That's a good way not to get to sleep with me. Whereas, if people walked up and said, "I'd like to sleep with you." I'd be like "Cool, let's discuss this further" or, "No thanks, pal, not right now. But would you like a little friendship? If not, then we will both carry on our separate ways content in this fine example of good communication."
Lucifer: "Boom! That's it. That's what I'm talking about right there, man."
Sam: "Kissing?"
- So, I know some people don't like the fact that I harp on the sexual assault aspect of Lucifer and Sam's dynamic. So, my apologies, but I'm not going to stop now... because part of me really thinks Sam is wondering if Lucifer lured him into a trap because he wants to kiss him. :P
Lucifer: "Nah, Sam, this is the Sam Winchester that I remember. Bold, decisive, solid B on the tongue action."
Sam: "What is this about?"
Lucifer: "You used to be a hero, Sam. Hell, you beat me. Now. I don't know, I look at you, I don't even recognize you anymore."
- Again, "solid B on the tongue action" - comes from experience, people. (I am always arguing with this one person who once disagreed with my Lucifer=rapist claim... but really, they've probably moved on to other meaningless arguments, meanwhile I'm still riled up that someone could blatently ignore 5 seasons of sex references.)
- Anyway, on a more important note, Lucifer beings his campaign of wearing Sam down psychologically. Again, it's about who the most powerful person in the room is - it's to Lucifer's benefit if Sam believes it's Lucifer... if Sam HIMSELF feels powerless. There's a reason why Lucifer came to Rowena in a recurring nightmate. Recurring nightmares are usually ALWAYS about being powerless. Lucifer presents himself as the white night, the way to REGAIN power, and bammo, you have someone willingly saying yes to him - in order, they believe, to use his power to restore their own. It's a lie, of course, because that power REMAINS Lucifer's power, not the person's. They remain powerless, but now even more so, because they've willingly submitted what power they had to Lucifer in order for his power to shine.
- This, strategy of Lucifer's won't ulitmately work on Sam, who knows that no matter how powerless he feels, the answer never lies with submission to Lucifer. Cas, on the other hand, hasn't had nearly as much experience in life as Sam has. despite being older.
Dean: "You son of a bitch."
Crowley: "Miss you too, puddin'"
Dean: "Where are you. Where's Sam?"
Crowley: "Ah, there's a bit of a hiccup. You're brother's in hell. With Lucifer."
- And that's not great news to receive, that's for sure.
- So, just to put on my critic hat here for a moment - I think a mistake Supernatural has made in these later seasons, is diminishing the gravity of situations. If, in S1-S5, Dean had received that call, that's a cliffhanger and at LEAST a half-season arc right there. Not even about geting Sam out, but about the repurcussions to Sam of the event. Now, I KNOW that they've been through way more, and it's like... what's a fourth tour of afghanistan when you've already done three? But, that's the wrong mindset, because that fourth tour is still war. It's still not pleasant. It's still scarring and horrible and has unlimited potential to fuck you up even more. Perhaps the innocence and idealism you had before the first tour has long since died, but knowing what's coming doesn't make it any less horrible to be in a war zone. So... I'm making my point poorly, I know... but basically, in favour of plot, SPN has forgotten to build in realistic gravity and menace into events, and in doing so, makes the show ultimately less compelling than it could be. It also means it burns through plot way faster than it needs to...which I suppose is good when the plots suck, but it's a shame when there's a lot of potential that is completely missed out on entirely.
Lucifer: "Assbutt - I still don't get that."
- Heheh
Lucifer: "Sam, I've never told you how much I respect you."
Sam: "What?"
Lucifer: "Oh, don't get me wrong, I don't like you - never liked you. You're sort of prissy. But in this moment, when you stood toe to toe with me and one. I gotta say, you had balls kid."
...
Lucifer: "You were willing to do the hard thing, if it meant saving the world."
...
Lucifer: "That's not you anymore. You've gone soft, Sammy."
- So, 1)Lucifer's re-iteration that he doesn't like Sam. 2)Calling him "prissy" when he grew up in a family of rough hunters. 3)Doing all this while Sam relives possibly the worst, yet most necessary, moment of his life, 4)suggesting that a fundamental part of Sam has changed and he would not be able to save the world again.... all these things are designed to break Sam down psycologically in a pretty brilliant way.
Ambriel: "And you're Castiel. I've heard stories about you."
...
Ambriel: "Are you going to kill me?"
Castiel: "Is that what they say? That I kill angels?"
Ambriel: "Well, that's the nicest thing they say. Maybe we can work together, so no one murders anyone."
Castiel: "Right, fine."
- Cas, maybe you shouldn't be brandishing a weapon while you talk... I mean, just a tip, if you want to stop the myth that you're a dangerous individual.
Billie: "Not a demon. Name's Billie."
Dean: "The Reaper Billie. My brother says you want to kill us."
Billie: "No, I'm just going to make sure that when you die, you stay dead - subtle difference."
Dean: "So, you work for Crowley?"
Billie: "With, not for. Strange days, Winchester. Times like this, doesn't hurt to have the King on your favour."
- So, here's another weird alliance. Billie though, doesn't need power, she's a reaper and can't be killed, and is only interested in the natural order. So, why does it help to have a favourable relationship with the King of Hell? My guess is that it's for information... but who knows. We never revisit this. So it's really just an abberation and a chance for the writer's to remind us that death is a genuine threat.
And again, it's a credit to Jensen's acting here, and the camera work, that this moment where Dean re-enters Hell has any gravity at all. The writer's miss a huge opportunity in not exploring this moment, or making it a multi-episode arc. Usually, it's Sam's scars that the writer's forget about, but here, I feel like they've forgotten that Sam isn't the only one that has a bad history with being trapped in Hell. Sam being re-trapped with Lucifer is one thing, but Dean also has to return to a place where he was tortured 30 years, and torturer for 10 - in what is, I'm sure, his greatest shame to date - and that includes factoring in his betrayal of Sam's trust and the MoC storyline. And yet do we get any exploration of that? Nope. Just go to hell and rescue your brother. I'd say in general, that's always been Carver's greatest weakness is forgetting character explorations in favour of a fast-paced plot. Really, despite the crappy episodes here and there, no one has been able to perfectly pace this series the way that Kripke did.
Lucifer: "This is where it's all changed, Sammy. This is the worst thing you've ever done."
Sam: "Really."
Lucifer: "After the Leviathans when your brother was trapped in purgatory. You were here - with a girl and a dog. You didn't even bother trying to find him."
Sam: "You know what - not that I have to defend myself to you - but Dean and I promised that we wouldn't look for each other."
Lucifer: "Right, and if he never came back you'd be fine, but he did. So you're not. Whatever happened to the Sam Winchester who was bold, decisive, and ready to sacrifice for the greater good?"
Sam: "Right here."
Lucifer: "So, why did you let Dean talk you out of closing the gates of Hell - because the old Sam wouldn't have done that, not ever."
Sam: "I didn't-"
Lucifer: "And here's my personal favourite - it's you doing every stupid thing you could to cure the Mark, after you knew it'd go bad."
Sam: "My brother was dying!"
Lucifer: "Yes! And you'd do anything to save him, and he'd do anything to save you - and that is the problem. Because THIS. You're so overcome with guilt that you can't stand to lose Dean again, and he could never lose you - so instead of chosing the world, you chose each other, no matter how many innocent people die!"
- So, Lucifer brings up the dreaded S8, which putting aside my psychotic-break theory since that's never been obliquely canon, IS the result of Sam fulfilling the promise - just as Dean did in S5. And really, Sam shouldn't be given a hard time about that at all, the way Dean and therefore fandom gave him a hard time. It's true, even Jared thinks it was OOC, which is why he worked in hints when he could that it was a psychotic break, BUT... Sam never gave Dean a hard time for not being able to save him from the cage, or for only working on that problem part-time while he also fulfilled the promise to live a domestic life. So, there was no reason for Sam to feel guilt when he shacked up with Amelia... like Lucifer suggests, it only became a problem once Dean came back and suggested that Sam could have saved him sooner than he saved himself, if he hadn't tried to fulfil the promise at all.
- Now, we know from trying to close the gates of Hell, that Sam DOES feel guilt about it - but not that he did it, but that Dean BLAMES him.. that from Sam's point of view, Dean felt that he couldn't depend on Sam anymore, and so turned to others... namely Benny. Sam, in his depression at the time, didn't really comprehend the fact that Dean thrice sacrificed Benny FOR Sam, clearly demonstrating that Sam remained his most beloved. But that all comes down to the common problem between Sam and Dean, which is that Dean demonstrates his feelings through actions, yet Sam uses words, and therfore is more apt to require words.
- Off track again though, back to this current conversation - Lucifer states that the reason Sam went so full-throttle on the horrible MoC cure was because he feels guilty still, for this seeming betrayal of Dean (which wasn't one), and that he did so at the EXPENSE of the innocent people in the world. Of course, we went over this with my rewatch of s10, in that either way, Sam WAS saving the world. He either cured Dean, or watched Dean kill the world, after all. The only time that he was presented with another solution was when the ball was already rolling... and EVEN THEN, Sam argued but then acquised to Dean's alternative solution of KILLING HIM. So, Lucifer is ENTIRELY in the wrong here, since Sam WAS saving the world (from Dean) with the cure-plan AND he was also willing to sacrifice himself (at Dean's hands) in order to save the world. Let's not forget that even if Dean HAD killed Sam, the cure still would have been unleashed, and then Dean would have been cured, possible on another planet, Sam would be dead, and the Darkness would still be released. The only thing that could have prevented everything is if Death (or God) had intervened before he was summoned, but he didn't (it's not in his nature). Or, arguably, if Sam had decided to just let Dean go full MoC and start killing people... which again, would be seen as shamefully NOT saving innocent people, which goes against everything Sam believes in.
- Anyway, the reason Lucifer is making all these false arguments, of course, is to gaslight Sam into believing they're all true - that Sam SHOULD feel guilty and that he SHOULD sacrifice to save the world.
Lucifer: "And I know that if you're going to beat the Darkness, you have to be ready to die. You have to be ready to watch the people you love die. A long time ago you could have fought the good fight kid, but not anymore. You can't win this one Sam, you're just not strong enough."
Sam: "And you are?"
Lucifer: "Snapping necks and cashing cheques, it's what I do."
- See, it's about convincing Sam that any power he had in this past has somehow left him. He is no longer the most powerful person in the room - Lucifer is. As soon as you stop believing that you, alone, are powerful, you leave yourself open to be subjegated.
Ambriel: "Oh no, I don't hate you Castiel.I mean, we have a lot in common. Our names rhyme - that's a big one. I look good in a trenchcoat too - and we're both expendable."
Castiel: "Excuse me?"
Ambriel: "Well, that's why we're here, right? I'm a number cruncher and you - like I said I hear the stories - you help, but Sam and Dean Winchester are the real heroes. So, if the Darkness is still alive and she's pissed, and she kills us - no big loss! So, sure, maybe we're not super important, but we do the job - you know, I think there's nobility in that."
- So here, Castiel doesn't even NEED Lucifer to start convincing him that he has no power in his own right. Ambriel does a fine job by misunderstanding the situtation. Castiel is there, not because he's expendable, but because Dean physically wasn't able to go - because CAS told Dean not to go and Dean listened. But, more than that, Ambriel misunderstands what it means to be a hero. "Well sure, you help, but Sam and Dean are the real heroes." Okay, so what is it called when you help someone? If Superman is trapped in a cage of kryptonite, and I see this, and let him out, and he goes and saves the world - yes, Superman is a hero to the world... but who's Superman's hero? Probably the person who let him out of that krytonite cage. And it doesn't even have to be as big as that. Dean Winchester needs two seconds alone with his possessed brother to try to get through to him - you lob holy fire at Micheael in order to get him those seconds - and it works, and you die, but Dean and Sam are able to defeat Lucifer and save the world... that's not someone who is expendable, that's someone who is invaluable. Or, let's say the neo-nazi party wants to march through town, you and 100s of other people clog the streets, make it impossible for them to leave the train station - you're just one of many people "helping" but if you and everyone in the streets, is invaluable to the effort to stop hatred and xenophobia.
Crowley: "Welcome to Hell"
Dean: "Where's Sam?"
Crowley: "Don't worry about Sam."
Dean: "Oh, I'm sorry, have you met me?"
- *snicker* I love that line. At least he's self-aware.
And Ambriel bites it.
Amara: "Castiel."
Castiel: "Amara - what did you do to her?"
Amara: "I consumed her - her grace, her spark, her memories - everything."
- So, here's a reference to something that might be considered an angel soul - "her spark" - The thing about SPN is that it's always simulataneously claimed that angels don't have souls, but then demonstrated that they DO have them... since Anna was able to cut out her grace and be bone as a human, and Castiel was able to lose his grace and remain as a human... so they have something that RESEMBLES a soul, but cannot be sold as one. "Spark" is as good a word as any, if it's what gives them their unique personalities.
Castiel: "You think I'm afraid to die."
Amara: "I know you are. You reek of fear and self-loathing. Oh scary. She's right you know. You are expendable and weak. And why God took a special interest in you, I'll never understand - my brother always did have horrible taste in men."
- So, here we get the further erosion of Cas' self-esteem. But the really interesting thing here, which is a neat demonstration of psychology and the way negativity affects us stronger than positivity, is that buried in here is actually a HUGE EGO BOOST, but Cas completely ignores it, because he's already got it in his head that he's worthless, so things that suggest otherwise aren't even comprehensible to him. But Amara clearly states "God took a special interest in you" - which, if we isolated that sentence alone and told it to Cas in S4, that would have him joyful and pumped up for WEEKS. And the fact that Amara disagrees that Cas is WORTH special interest, does nothing to change the fact that God thought/thinks otherwise... and yet, that's what Cas probably hears. It'd be the same as if someone came up to you on a really bad depressing day, and was like "Why you're partner married you, I have no clue - you're not worth it." And you'd probably go home, look at the person who loves you more than anything, and think "man, that stranger was right - why the heck does my wonderful partner even put up with me... they probably regret the entire relationship." And meanwhile you're partner is like "La la la, life is grand, I'm so happy to be married to such a wonderful person!" none the wiser that you're sitting over there thinking that they probably resent you, all because SOMEONE ELSE would resent you if they'd married you.
- Also, we get a really weird reference to God dating men... even though Amara only knew God before Creation... which means that one of God's previous creations also had Men-like people that he dated, before Amara consumed them. :P
Lucifer: "But Gabriel and Raphael are dead. God went out for a pack of smokes and never came back. And Michael? Well, let's just say prison life hasn't really agreed with Michael. These days, he's usually sitting in a corner singing show-tunes and touching himself."
- So, the thing that kind of gets me about fandom is that they take this as canon. And I'm guilty of that as well, being "way too literal" as Becky accused us all of being back in S5. But, I DO want to point out here that this is Lucifer talking... it's in his best interests if Sam believes that he's the only option available. Sam believes Gabe and Raphael are dead, and it may very well be true, as far as Lucifer knows as well, so that's an easy line. God is indeed absent. So that's also easy to say. Michael... well, whose to say he's not sitting in a corner singing show-tunes because it pisses Lucifer off and he knows it. Is he touching himself, of is he protecting the vessel he rode into the cage, by keeping him in constant reach, so that Lucifer can't get his hands on him? We don't ACTUALLY know what state Michael is in, that's all I'm saying. Lucifer's word means very little.
Lucifer: "Sam... it's time to save the world, man."
Sam: "No. No."
- I'm so proud of Sam. SO PROUD.
I am coming written on Cas' chest will never not be funny. Sorry, writers.
Sam: "You know what - you talk a good game, you do. Hell, you almost had me sold a few times - but then I thought, what if you're telling the truth, what if you're right. What if you can beat her."
Lucifer: "I can!"
Sam: "Even the last time it took you plus three other ARCHangels. Oh year, and capital G. God."
Lucifer: "Oh, you mean the dead weight."
Sam: "And then let's say you do gank her - then what?"
Lucifer: "Move to LA, solve crimes?"
- Sam's clever.
- Also, I think this is double funny because Lucifer's studios might actually be right beside Supernatural's studios in Burnaby (that's the suburb of Vancouver, btw, where the studio is). I could be wrong about that, but last time I was out there, I saw their filming signs right around the corner from the studio - which means even if they're not always next door, they are at least there on occasion.
Sam: "Wrong. Then you go about starting the apocalypse, again. Because you're an old dog and that's your old trick."
Lucifer: "Okay, first off, you don't know that - and second, even if I did, that's better than what she has plans."
Sam: "Really? Because I think that whoever wins, you or the Darkness, everyone else loses. So no. My answer is no. It isn't because of Dean or the past. This is about me having faith in my friends, having faith in my family. We will find a way. I'm ready to die, and I'm ready to watch people I love die. But I'm not ready to be your bitch."
- YAY SAM!!! As much as I harped on this episode for not giving moments enough gravity - I think it's REALLY IMPORTANT to Sam's emotional recovery from the cage to be given this opportunity to refuse Lucifer.
*Dean hears Sam yell*
Dean: "Sam!"
*runs off, Cas follows*
Crowley: "DON'T!"
- I forgot about this - that if Dean hadn't run off, Rowena would have completed the spell before Lucifer could sink his psycological-torture claws into anyone else.
- I also like Crowley yelling "don't" because it's not like Crowley knows that Lucifer intends to switch vessel targets. Crowley already stated earlier (which I didn't write down at the time) that Sam's not in danger of being killed, because Lucifer needs him - but that Dean WOULD be in danger of being killed, so it's best for Dean to go nowhere near him. This means that Crowley's "don't!" is solely for the sake of Dean's life, and no other reason. Crowley believes that if Dean goes near the cage, he'll be killed straight away.
Lucifer: "I can beat the darkness. Me. Only Me. Who are these two? They're only apes. Castiel, you know I'm right."
- He starts in right away.
Lucifer: "Okay, Sam, I'm going to make this really easy for you. You say the magic word, and your brother dies. And we both know you won't let that happen."
- One last try at Sam, but Cas intervenes... and ruins it all, by tethering Lucifer to death.
Dean: "You alright?"
Cas: "I think so. I will be."
Dean: "Give you a lift?"
Cas: "You two go on ahead. I will be."
...
Sam: "Is he alright?"
Dean: "Tough day."
Sam: "Yeah, tell me about it."
Dean: "You good?"
Sam: "I don't know. I mean, what if Lucifer was telling the truth, what if he was-"
Dean: "No. Look, the Darkness is bad. Her AND the Devil, that's a nightmare."
- Sigh.... it's not Cas, and you DO have to deal with both Amara and the devil. :(
- Though, I do like the differnent check-ins and how they go - the honest and the dishonest.
Also, just while we're talking - I think it was also important for Dean to feel like he helped rescue his brother from the cage, even if it was a different cage. Sam standing up to Lucifer, Dean BEING there to rescue his brother... those are all reallly GOOD experiences for the Winchesters to have after having their opposite all those years ago. Just like, despite releasing the Darkness, I think it was important that Sam actually successfully saved his brother last year (though he did that in S5 too, at the expense of his life.)
Crowley: "Mother, why do you hate me?"
Rowena: "I hate you, because when I look into your eyes I see the woman that I used to be. Before magic, before the coven, when I was nothing but Rowena, the Tanner's daughter, a pale scared little girl who smelled of filth and death. I hate you, because when you were born, your father said he loved me, then he went back to his grand wife in his grand house, while I lay pathetic half dead on a straw mat, my thighs slick with blood. I hate you because if I didn't, I'd love you. But love, love is weakness. And I'll never be weak again."
- This is a fantasic speech, and continues the theme of power, who has it, what is it, how is it demonstrated... Rowena hates, because she sees love as weakness - because the last time she loved (excluding the polish boy she sacrificed last season), it led to heartbreak, and also the social and economic ruin of having a child you can't afford out of wedlock in the 1700s. But is power about good financial and social standings? Is love not worth it, if all it leads to is devasting loss (either though heartbreak or death)? Is love a weakness or a strength? That's one of the central themes of S1-5, too really, and, given that love saves the day - it's pretty much concluded that love, despite its ability to devastate or perhaps because of it, is the a strength. And that's always where SPN villains get it wrong.
Crowley: "Castiel?"
Lucifer: "Guess again."
- The smirk is good, the weird tongue lip thing is weird. :P
Lucifer: "You deserve a reward. A little token of my affection."
Rowena: "Thank you."
Lucifer: "Just one tinsy little question - can anyone else open the cage?"
Rowena: "Just me."
Lucifer: "Good."
*looks at Crowley*
*snaps her neck*
Lucifer: "Okay, let's chat."
- Ah Rowena... knowledge is power until someone doesn't want you to have it... then it's both power AND a death sentence. :P
- I do love the ambiguity of Crowlely and Rowena's relationship - is he sad she's dead, happy? Does he care one way or the other? Is he simply upset that the only person who knows how to open the cage is no deceased? Who knows!
And that's our entry into act 2...
If anyone want to chime in with their opinions on my blatherings, please do so in comments! :)
I'm hoping to get more of these done, now that there's a break in the show. But we'll see.
Also, please remember that I do not have spellcheck and I have a problem with homonyms. So, I apologize for any horrible crimes of spelling or grammar.
When we last left, we were talking about a lot of ideas about consumption, the theology and humanism of SPN, and many such things. I should probably have reread my old rewatch so that I could remember it all, but I didn't... so here's hoping that I'm somewhere in the vicinity of intelligent about this episode...
The Devil in the Details
We start, after the Then, with Rowena's weird Christmas dream.
Lucifer: "Really Rowena, this is what you dream about?"
Rowena: "More of recurring nightmare really. These don't come off. I've been having this dream for months, but you, who are you?"
Lucifer: "Sorry, my manners are a bit rusty..."
- So, dream analysis is actually a thing I do. I'm kinda cynical about this one though, as I think it was more about the visuals/comedy, and not so much about any series character explorations.
- I will say though that probably, the only character thought that went into it was Rowena's fear of domesticity and her idea that Crowley is obsessed with the Winchesters.
- Lucifer of course, come in an shows her that he's someone who has her best interests at heart, since he will vanquish the thing she fears (her son.)
Sam: "Yeah, you'll taunt me, and you're torture me, and I'll say no. And eventually, sooner than you think, my brother's going to walk through that door and kick your ass."
Lucifer: *laughs* "Dean, you're betting on Dean?"
Sam: "I always have."
- So, part of me is like "is this what Sam told himself last time too?" but then I remembered that Sam made Dean promise not to rescue him last time, and, if we go by his behaviour in S8, it's a promise that Sam expected him to keep. Which means that last time, Sam didn't have the idea of rescue to cling to.
- You can't really compare tragedies... Is it better to cling to hope or to know that this is your fate for all time? Is it worse the second time around? These are things that don't really have answers. I do like the fact that at least this time, Sam's trapped in a peripheral cage and he DOES have hope to keep him at least relatively stable while being once again trapped with his torturer/rapist for an indefinite period of time.
Lucifer: "...I mean, I could, I could inflict pain like you can't even imagine. I could inflict such delicious perfect pain. But that was so five years ago. No, I'm not going to harm a glorious little hair on that glorius little head."
Sam: "Then what do you want?"
Lucifer: "To make you an offer you can't refuse. You see, Sam, you need me. And I'm going to prove it to you."
- Jared does such a good job here, and really this entire episode, of showing Sam's fear, and psychological scars, when it comes to Lucifer.
- Mark P. does a good job too. As much as I loath his personal world-view and lack of empathy, Mark P. has been the best Lucifer when it comes to threatening violence, because he always has that edge of sexualization to it that makes it 100x worse, and 100x more threatening. I'll talk about Misha's Lucifer probably in other episodes... but, while I think he does a phenomenal job too, he separates the sex and the violence as two separate tools in his arsenal. Mark P. always blends them, and that's, I think, what makes him the most menancing of Lucifer's vessels that we've seen. I should say that Jared's Lucifer, back in S5, was menacing in his own way - because he used the possession as the menacing factor, the not-Sam/not-Human as a jarring experience that heightened the threat. Since we have very little context for Nick, outside of the one episode, Mark P. can't use that tactic anyway, since he essentially IS Lucifer and Nick was the abberation. Anyway, I'm getting really off track.
I mainly just want to say that just the way Sam LOOKS at Lucifer communicates so much, and that's all down to Jared really knowing what he's doing every second the camera is on.
Lucifer: "By the way, I thought I had daddy issues, but you- anyway..."
- This is the thing, after approx. 18 months (which would have been like 180 years, or possibly 1800+ years to Sam in the cage) and being in his head, Lucifer DOES know every single thing there is to know about Sam. And that's frightening in and of itself too.
- Anyway, this line just stood out because of S12. It's obviously something Lucifer then forgets, since it doesn't stop him from having a pity party about how horrible his daddy-issues are. But then again, I've never been one to believe that your pain is less important just because someone else is in more pain then you are. I mean, if we all thought that, no problems would ever get solved unless we spent 1000x years arguing about which problem was the worst one and should therefore be solved first. FYI: This is a great thing to bring up when you're trying to talk about an issue, and someone else is like "ugh, we've got bigger problems that X - what about Y?! Why aren't we talking about that instead?" - that's just a tactic to not talk about X, because they don't want to. I mean, "forgot about your house being on fire, what about the Syrian refugee crisis?!" sounds ridiculous, but that's honestly what people are doing. "Hey, maybe we can both put out the fire in my house, and ALSO help the Syrian refugees! There's an idea."
Colin Ford! I didn't even recognize him the first time we saw the episode. He's hit his lanky teenage years and is hardly the baby-faced Sam we knew once upon a time. He's still awesome though, and my favourite little Sam. Soon they're going to be able to use him for flashbacks to Stanford. ;)
Crowley: "You're dead."
Rowena: "Please, Fergus, enough with idle threats."
Crowley: "You betrayed me. In my Kingdom."
Rowena: "Not yours, his. Hell is his. I'm his. So hurt me, and what do you think he'll do to you?"
Crowley: "Lucifer will never get out of that cell."
Rowena: "You're willing to stake your life on that? On Sam Winchester?"
- So, much like Crowley has always done. Rowena has alligned herself with someone she believes is the most powerful person in the room. It saves her here, because Crowley now must also make a decision - who is the most powerful person in the room?
- I've spoken previously about the fault that comes with this stratedy - that both Crowley and Rowena CONSTANTLY make the same mistake in this tactic. It's the tactic Crowley tried to make with Amara, Rowena makes with Lucifer... and then Amara. It always blows up in their faces. Every single time. And I'll tell you why! It's because when asking yourself the question "Who is the most powerful person?" the answer should always be "I am." Crowley and Rowena always measure power incorrectly. Power comes from action, not ability. As this season shows us, God might have all the power in the universe, but if he doesn't act, how powerful is he?
Crowley: "He's the devil."
Rowena: "You say that like it's a bad thing."
Crowely: "Oh, I'm a bad thing. He's a worse thing."
- It's times like these when I love Crowley as a character. Crowley is great when he's paired with Lucifer, because from the jump, that was a line Crowley wouldn't cross. It was a brilliant layer to his character - the fact that every other demon we saw was a minion of Lucifer, and yet Crowley worked with the Winchester's to defeat him. It made him interesting.
Sam's voicemail - Dean: "Sam can't come to the phone right now, because he's waxing, like everything-
Sam: "Dean! What are you doing with my phone!?"
- Awww
Crowley is in Dean's phone as "666"
Castiel: "The closer you get to the blast sight, the worse it will become."
Dean: "How worse?"
Castiel: "Well, last time there was a smiting of this magnitude, Lot's wife turned to salt."
- So, this runs a LITTLE counter to our previous mention of Lot and Salt, which came in S6, when there was an OBJECT that turned you into salt. Mind you, Balthazar never said that she was turned BY the object, just that the same thing happened to her (ie: turned to salt). So, it's not actually a continuity error.
Castiel totally touches Dean's face when it has vomit on it, and it really grosses me out. On the other hand, I like it because it's very much in character for Castiel not to care about something like that.
How did Dean even know where the smiting site was? Amara flashed him there and back out again, and he didn't have very much context. Unless he went on google maps afterwards and figured the exact scenary of the mountains and water... but geez, with Amara's power, she could have taken him anywhere on earth.
Dean: "Hey Cas, if it did work, and she is dead, bring her body out."
Cas: "And if she's not?"
Dean: "Run."
- Awww...
Back with little Sam...
Teen Sam: "...so they built all these temples. The most amazing ones are in Mexico City."
Girl: "Have you seen them?"
Teen Sam: "Last year my Dad took me and my brother on a trip to Mexico."
Girl: "On a vacation?"
Teen Sam: "Kind of a working vacation. Have you ever heard of a chupacabra?"
Girl: "No."
Teen Sam: "Okay, good."
- Awww, so heartwarming.
- I love this because although we've ever seen chupacabras on SPN, they're constantly referenced in a way that suggests they're an easy hunt. And so THIS as a reference to a pre-series hunt works brilliantly, because based on dialogue in the early seasons, Sam and Dean had never hunted anything more complicated than a werewolf before S1. (Ghosts, chupacabras, werewolves, possibly black dogs.... those were their main hunts.) It always annoys me when they reference vampires or rugarus as pre-series hunts, because a)vampires were thought extinct until S1, and b)rugaru's were so rare that although John may have come across them, Sam and Dean didn't even know what they were in S4.
- Also, this finds a way to get Sam and Dean a trip to Mexico, without destorying the continuity of continuous hunting and a lack of quality family time outside of hunting. Sam got to see the temples in Mexico City, but only because they were there hunting a chupacabra.
- Though to me, Mexico City is far too vast a city to even ATTEMPT to picture the Winchesters in. I'm pretty sure it's the largest city in North America.
Lucifer: "Look - a simple girl from a one-stop-light town, and you, the worldly handsome-ish, Sam Winchester. She didn't stand a chance, you remember?"
Sam: "Yeah."
Lucifer: "Shh - this is the best part."
- The "she didn't stand a chance" becomes pretty ominous when it comes to Sam's past love interests. I wonder if she died a horrible death. :P
- I also love how Sam's "worldly" - mainly because he IS. It's part of what makes Sam feel like a continual outsider. You can be "worldly" without ever having to leave your country, but you DO have to talk to a lot of different people from a place of empathy and understanding, which is basically Sam's MO.
Girl: "You know I didn't ask you here to study, right?"
Teen Sam: "You didn't?"
Girl: "No, I mean - I just think that you're smart and funny and cute, so, I mean, if you want to make out-"
*kisses*
- Awww, cute. Sam gets the ladies.
- Also, Sam is me. I never clue in when people are being subtle about wanting to get with me... I ALWAYS need them to spell it out. On top of that, if they don't spell it out right away, then I get supper annoyed and I hate them... but that's more about being led to believe I'm participating in friendship when really someone only wants to sleep with me. That's a good way not to get to sleep with me. Whereas, if people walked up and said, "I'd like to sleep with you." I'd be like "Cool, let's discuss this further" or, "No thanks, pal, not right now. But would you like a little friendship? If not, then we will both carry on our separate ways content in this fine example of good communication."
Lucifer: "Boom! That's it. That's what I'm talking about right there, man."
Sam: "Kissing?"
- So, I know some people don't like the fact that I harp on the sexual assault aspect of Lucifer and Sam's dynamic. So, my apologies, but I'm not going to stop now... because part of me really thinks Sam is wondering if Lucifer lured him into a trap because he wants to kiss him. :P
Lucifer: "Nah, Sam, this is the Sam Winchester that I remember. Bold, decisive, solid B on the tongue action."
Sam: "What is this about?"
Lucifer: "You used to be a hero, Sam. Hell, you beat me. Now. I don't know, I look at you, I don't even recognize you anymore."
- Again, "solid B on the tongue action" - comes from experience, people. (I am always arguing with this one person who once disagreed with my Lucifer=rapist claim... but really, they've probably moved on to other meaningless arguments, meanwhile I'm still riled up that someone could blatently ignore 5 seasons of sex references.)
- Anyway, on a more important note, Lucifer beings his campaign of wearing Sam down psychologically. Again, it's about who the most powerful person in the room is - it's to Lucifer's benefit if Sam believes it's Lucifer... if Sam HIMSELF feels powerless. There's a reason why Lucifer came to Rowena in a recurring nightmate. Recurring nightmares are usually ALWAYS about being powerless. Lucifer presents himself as the white night, the way to REGAIN power, and bammo, you have someone willingly saying yes to him - in order, they believe, to use his power to restore their own. It's a lie, of course, because that power REMAINS Lucifer's power, not the person's. They remain powerless, but now even more so, because they've willingly submitted what power they had to Lucifer in order for his power to shine.
- This, strategy of Lucifer's won't ulitmately work on Sam, who knows that no matter how powerless he feels, the answer never lies with submission to Lucifer. Cas, on the other hand, hasn't had nearly as much experience in life as Sam has. despite being older.
Dean: "You son of a bitch."
Crowley: "Miss you too, puddin'"
Dean: "Where are you. Where's Sam?"
Crowley: "Ah, there's a bit of a hiccup. You're brother's in hell. With Lucifer."
- And that's not great news to receive, that's for sure.
- So, just to put on my critic hat here for a moment - I think a mistake Supernatural has made in these later seasons, is diminishing the gravity of situations. If, in S1-S5, Dean had received that call, that's a cliffhanger and at LEAST a half-season arc right there. Not even about geting Sam out, but about the repurcussions to Sam of the event. Now, I KNOW that they've been through way more, and it's like... what's a fourth tour of afghanistan when you've already done three? But, that's the wrong mindset, because that fourth tour is still war. It's still not pleasant. It's still scarring and horrible and has unlimited potential to fuck you up even more. Perhaps the innocence and idealism you had before the first tour has long since died, but knowing what's coming doesn't make it any less horrible to be in a war zone. So... I'm making my point poorly, I know... but basically, in favour of plot, SPN has forgotten to build in realistic gravity and menace into events, and in doing so, makes the show ultimately less compelling than it could be. It also means it burns through plot way faster than it needs to...which I suppose is good when the plots suck, but it's a shame when there's a lot of potential that is completely missed out on entirely.
Lucifer: "Assbutt - I still don't get that."
- Heheh
Lucifer: "Sam, I've never told you how much I respect you."
Sam: "What?"
Lucifer: "Oh, don't get me wrong, I don't like you - never liked you. You're sort of prissy. But in this moment, when you stood toe to toe with me and one. I gotta say, you had balls kid."
...
Lucifer: "You were willing to do the hard thing, if it meant saving the world."
...
Lucifer: "That's not you anymore. You've gone soft, Sammy."
- So, 1)Lucifer's re-iteration that he doesn't like Sam. 2)Calling him "prissy" when he grew up in a family of rough hunters. 3)Doing all this while Sam relives possibly the worst, yet most necessary, moment of his life, 4)suggesting that a fundamental part of Sam has changed and he would not be able to save the world again.... all these things are designed to break Sam down psycologically in a pretty brilliant way.
Ambriel: "And you're Castiel. I've heard stories about you."
...
Ambriel: "Are you going to kill me?"
Castiel: "Is that what they say? That I kill angels?"
Ambriel: "Well, that's the nicest thing they say. Maybe we can work together, so no one murders anyone."
Castiel: "Right, fine."
- Cas, maybe you shouldn't be brandishing a weapon while you talk... I mean, just a tip, if you want to stop the myth that you're a dangerous individual.
Billie: "Not a demon. Name's Billie."
Dean: "The Reaper Billie. My brother says you want to kill us."
Billie: "No, I'm just going to make sure that when you die, you stay dead - subtle difference."
Dean: "So, you work for Crowley?"
Billie: "With, not for. Strange days, Winchester. Times like this, doesn't hurt to have the King on your favour."
- So, here's another weird alliance. Billie though, doesn't need power, she's a reaper and can't be killed, and is only interested in the natural order. So, why does it help to have a favourable relationship with the King of Hell? My guess is that it's for information... but who knows. We never revisit this. So it's really just an abberation and a chance for the writer's to remind us that death is a genuine threat.
And again, it's a credit to Jensen's acting here, and the camera work, that this moment where Dean re-enters Hell has any gravity at all. The writer's miss a huge opportunity in not exploring this moment, or making it a multi-episode arc. Usually, it's Sam's scars that the writer's forget about, but here, I feel like they've forgotten that Sam isn't the only one that has a bad history with being trapped in Hell. Sam being re-trapped with Lucifer is one thing, but Dean also has to return to a place where he was tortured 30 years, and torturer for 10 - in what is, I'm sure, his greatest shame to date - and that includes factoring in his betrayal of Sam's trust and the MoC storyline. And yet do we get any exploration of that? Nope. Just go to hell and rescue your brother. I'd say in general, that's always been Carver's greatest weakness is forgetting character explorations in favour of a fast-paced plot. Really, despite the crappy episodes here and there, no one has been able to perfectly pace this series the way that Kripke did.
Lucifer: "This is where it's all changed, Sammy. This is the worst thing you've ever done."
Sam: "Really."
Lucifer: "After the Leviathans when your brother was trapped in purgatory. You were here - with a girl and a dog. You didn't even bother trying to find him."
Sam: "You know what - not that I have to defend myself to you - but Dean and I promised that we wouldn't look for each other."
Lucifer: "Right, and if he never came back you'd be fine, but he did. So you're not. Whatever happened to the Sam Winchester who was bold, decisive, and ready to sacrifice for the greater good?"
Sam: "Right here."
Lucifer: "So, why did you let Dean talk you out of closing the gates of Hell - because the old Sam wouldn't have done that, not ever."
Sam: "I didn't-"
Lucifer: "And here's my personal favourite - it's you doing every stupid thing you could to cure the Mark, after you knew it'd go bad."
Sam: "My brother was dying!"
Lucifer: "Yes! And you'd do anything to save him, and he'd do anything to save you - and that is the problem. Because THIS. You're so overcome with guilt that you can't stand to lose Dean again, and he could never lose you - so instead of chosing the world, you chose each other, no matter how many innocent people die!"
- So, Lucifer brings up the dreaded S8, which putting aside my psychotic-break theory since that's never been obliquely canon, IS the result of Sam fulfilling the promise - just as Dean did in S5. And really, Sam shouldn't be given a hard time about that at all, the way Dean and therefore fandom gave him a hard time. It's true, even Jared thinks it was OOC, which is why he worked in hints when he could that it was a psychotic break, BUT... Sam never gave Dean a hard time for not being able to save him from the cage, or for only working on that problem part-time while he also fulfilled the promise to live a domestic life. So, there was no reason for Sam to feel guilt when he shacked up with Amelia... like Lucifer suggests, it only became a problem once Dean came back and suggested that Sam could have saved him sooner than he saved himself, if he hadn't tried to fulfil the promise at all.
- Now, we know from trying to close the gates of Hell, that Sam DOES feel guilt about it - but not that he did it, but that Dean BLAMES him.. that from Sam's point of view, Dean felt that he couldn't depend on Sam anymore, and so turned to others... namely Benny. Sam, in his depression at the time, didn't really comprehend the fact that Dean thrice sacrificed Benny FOR Sam, clearly demonstrating that Sam remained his most beloved. But that all comes down to the common problem between Sam and Dean, which is that Dean demonstrates his feelings through actions, yet Sam uses words, and therfore is more apt to require words.
- Off track again though, back to this current conversation - Lucifer states that the reason Sam went so full-throttle on the horrible MoC cure was because he feels guilty still, for this seeming betrayal of Dean (which wasn't one), and that he did so at the EXPENSE of the innocent people in the world. Of course, we went over this with my rewatch of s10, in that either way, Sam WAS saving the world. He either cured Dean, or watched Dean kill the world, after all. The only time that he was presented with another solution was when the ball was already rolling... and EVEN THEN, Sam argued but then acquised to Dean's alternative solution of KILLING HIM. So, Lucifer is ENTIRELY in the wrong here, since Sam WAS saving the world (from Dean) with the cure-plan AND he was also willing to sacrifice himself (at Dean's hands) in order to save the world. Let's not forget that even if Dean HAD killed Sam, the cure still would have been unleashed, and then Dean would have been cured, possible on another planet, Sam would be dead, and the Darkness would still be released. The only thing that could have prevented everything is if Death (or God) had intervened before he was summoned, but he didn't (it's not in his nature). Or, arguably, if Sam had decided to just let Dean go full MoC and start killing people... which again, would be seen as shamefully NOT saving innocent people, which goes against everything Sam believes in.
- Anyway, the reason Lucifer is making all these false arguments, of course, is to gaslight Sam into believing they're all true - that Sam SHOULD feel guilty and that he SHOULD sacrifice to save the world.
Lucifer: "And I know that if you're going to beat the Darkness, you have to be ready to die. You have to be ready to watch the people you love die. A long time ago you could have fought the good fight kid, but not anymore. You can't win this one Sam, you're just not strong enough."
Sam: "And you are?"
Lucifer: "Snapping necks and cashing cheques, it's what I do."
- See, it's about convincing Sam that any power he had in this past has somehow left him. He is no longer the most powerful person in the room - Lucifer is. As soon as you stop believing that you, alone, are powerful, you leave yourself open to be subjegated.
Ambriel: "Oh no, I don't hate you Castiel.I mean, we have a lot in common. Our names rhyme - that's a big one. I look good in a trenchcoat too - and we're both expendable."
Castiel: "Excuse me?"
Ambriel: "Well, that's why we're here, right? I'm a number cruncher and you - like I said I hear the stories - you help, but Sam and Dean Winchester are the real heroes. So, if the Darkness is still alive and she's pissed, and she kills us - no big loss! So, sure, maybe we're not super important, but we do the job - you know, I think there's nobility in that."
- So here, Castiel doesn't even NEED Lucifer to start convincing him that he has no power in his own right. Ambriel does a fine job by misunderstanding the situtation. Castiel is there, not because he's expendable, but because Dean physically wasn't able to go - because CAS told Dean not to go and Dean listened. But, more than that, Ambriel misunderstands what it means to be a hero. "Well sure, you help, but Sam and Dean are the real heroes." Okay, so what is it called when you help someone? If Superman is trapped in a cage of kryptonite, and I see this, and let him out, and he goes and saves the world - yes, Superman is a hero to the world... but who's Superman's hero? Probably the person who let him out of that krytonite cage. And it doesn't even have to be as big as that. Dean Winchester needs two seconds alone with his possessed brother to try to get through to him - you lob holy fire at Micheael in order to get him those seconds - and it works, and you die, but Dean and Sam are able to defeat Lucifer and save the world... that's not someone who is expendable, that's someone who is invaluable. Or, let's say the neo-nazi party wants to march through town, you and 100s of other people clog the streets, make it impossible for them to leave the train station - you're just one of many people "helping" but if you and everyone in the streets, is invaluable to the effort to stop hatred and xenophobia.
Crowley: "Welcome to Hell"
Dean: "Where's Sam?"
Crowley: "Don't worry about Sam."
Dean: "Oh, I'm sorry, have you met me?"
- *snicker* I love that line. At least he's self-aware.
And Ambriel bites it.
Amara: "Castiel."
Castiel: "Amara - what did you do to her?"
Amara: "I consumed her - her grace, her spark, her memories - everything."
- So, here's a reference to something that might be considered an angel soul - "her spark" - The thing about SPN is that it's always simulataneously claimed that angels don't have souls, but then demonstrated that they DO have them... since Anna was able to cut out her grace and be bone as a human, and Castiel was able to lose his grace and remain as a human... so they have something that RESEMBLES a soul, but cannot be sold as one. "Spark" is as good a word as any, if it's what gives them their unique personalities.
Castiel: "You think I'm afraid to die."
Amara: "I know you are. You reek of fear and self-loathing. Oh scary. She's right you know. You are expendable and weak. And why God took a special interest in you, I'll never understand - my brother always did have horrible taste in men."
- So, here we get the further erosion of Cas' self-esteem. But the really interesting thing here, which is a neat demonstration of psychology and the way negativity affects us stronger than positivity, is that buried in here is actually a HUGE EGO BOOST, but Cas completely ignores it, because he's already got it in his head that he's worthless, so things that suggest otherwise aren't even comprehensible to him. But Amara clearly states "God took a special interest in you" - which, if we isolated that sentence alone and told it to Cas in S4, that would have him joyful and pumped up for WEEKS. And the fact that Amara disagrees that Cas is WORTH special interest, does nothing to change the fact that God thought/thinks otherwise... and yet, that's what Cas probably hears. It'd be the same as if someone came up to you on a really bad depressing day, and was like "Why you're partner married you, I have no clue - you're not worth it." And you'd probably go home, look at the person who loves you more than anything, and think "man, that stranger was right - why the heck does my wonderful partner even put up with me... they probably regret the entire relationship." And meanwhile you're partner is like "La la la, life is grand, I'm so happy to be married to such a wonderful person!" none the wiser that you're sitting over there thinking that they probably resent you, all because SOMEONE ELSE would resent you if they'd married you.
- Also, we get a really weird reference to God dating men... even though Amara only knew God before Creation... which means that one of God's previous creations also had Men-like people that he dated, before Amara consumed them. :P
Lucifer: "But Gabriel and Raphael are dead. God went out for a pack of smokes and never came back. And Michael? Well, let's just say prison life hasn't really agreed with Michael. These days, he's usually sitting in a corner singing show-tunes and touching himself."
- So, the thing that kind of gets me about fandom is that they take this as canon. And I'm guilty of that as well, being "way too literal" as Becky accused us all of being back in S5. But, I DO want to point out here that this is Lucifer talking... it's in his best interests if Sam believes that he's the only option available. Sam believes Gabe and Raphael are dead, and it may very well be true, as far as Lucifer knows as well, so that's an easy line. God is indeed absent. So that's also easy to say. Michael... well, whose to say he's not sitting in a corner singing show-tunes because it pisses Lucifer off and he knows it. Is he touching himself, of is he protecting the vessel he rode into the cage, by keeping him in constant reach, so that Lucifer can't get his hands on him? We don't ACTUALLY know what state Michael is in, that's all I'm saying. Lucifer's word means very little.
Lucifer: "Sam... it's time to save the world, man."
Sam: "No. No."
- I'm so proud of Sam. SO PROUD.
I am coming written on Cas' chest will never not be funny. Sorry, writers.
Sam: "You know what - you talk a good game, you do. Hell, you almost had me sold a few times - but then I thought, what if you're telling the truth, what if you're right. What if you can beat her."
Lucifer: "I can!"
Sam: "Even the last time it took you plus three other ARCHangels. Oh year, and capital G. God."
Lucifer: "Oh, you mean the dead weight."
Sam: "And then let's say you do gank her - then what?"
Lucifer: "Move to LA, solve crimes?"
- Sam's clever.
- Also, I think this is double funny because Lucifer's studios might actually be right beside Supernatural's studios in Burnaby (that's the suburb of Vancouver, btw, where the studio is). I could be wrong about that, but last time I was out there, I saw their filming signs right around the corner from the studio - which means even if they're not always next door, they are at least there on occasion.
Sam: "Wrong. Then you go about starting the apocalypse, again. Because you're an old dog and that's your old trick."
Lucifer: "Okay, first off, you don't know that - and second, even if I did, that's better than what she has plans."
Sam: "Really? Because I think that whoever wins, you or the Darkness, everyone else loses. So no. My answer is no. It isn't because of Dean or the past. This is about me having faith in my friends, having faith in my family. We will find a way. I'm ready to die, and I'm ready to watch people I love die. But I'm not ready to be your bitch."
- YAY SAM!!! As much as I harped on this episode for not giving moments enough gravity - I think it's REALLY IMPORTANT to Sam's emotional recovery from the cage to be given this opportunity to refuse Lucifer.
*Dean hears Sam yell*
Dean: "Sam!"
*runs off, Cas follows*
Crowley: "DON'T!"
- I forgot about this - that if Dean hadn't run off, Rowena would have completed the spell before Lucifer could sink his psycological-torture claws into anyone else.
- I also like Crowley yelling "don't" because it's not like Crowley knows that Lucifer intends to switch vessel targets. Crowley already stated earlier (which I didn't write down at the time) that Sam's not in danger of being killed, because Lucifer needs him - but that Dean WOULD be in danger of being killed, so it's best for Dean to go nowhere near him. This means that Crowley's "don't!" is solely for the sake of Dean's life, and no other reason. Crowley believes that if Dean goes near the cage, he'll be killed straight away.
Lucifer: "I can beat the darkness. Me. Only Me. Who are these two? They're only apes. Castiel, you know I'm right."
- He starts in right away.
Lucifer: "Okay, Sam, I'm going to make this really easy for you. You say the magic word, and your brother dies. And we both know you won't let that happen."
- One last try at Sam, but Cas intervenes... and ruins it all, by tethering Lucifer to death.
Dean: "You alright?"
Cas: "I think so. I will be."
Dean: "Give you a lift?"
Cas: "You two go on ahead. I will be."
...
Sam: "Is he alright?"
Dean: "Tough day."
Sam: "Yeah, tell me about it."
Dean: "You good?"
Sam: "I don't know. I mean, what if Lucifer was telling the truth, what if he was-"
Dean: "No. Look, the Darkness is bad. Her AND the Devil, that's a nightmare."
- Sigh.... it's not Cas, and you DO have to deal with both Amara and the devil. :(
- Though, I do like the differnent check-ins and how they go - the honest and the dishonest.
Also, just while we're talking - I think it was also important for Dean to feel like he helped rescue his brother from the cage, even if it was a different cage. Sam standing up to Lucifer, Dean BEING there to rescue his brother... those are all reallly GOOD experiences for the Winchesters to have after having their opposite all those years ago. Just like, despite releasing the Darkness, I think it was important that Sam actually successfully saved his brother last year (though he did that in S5 too, at the expense of his life.)
Crowley: "Mother, why do you hate me?"
Rowena: "I hate you, because when I look into your eyes I see the woman that I used to be. Before magic, before the coven, when I was nothing but Rowena, the Tanner's daughter, a pale scared little girl who smelled of filth and death. I hate you, because when you were born, your father said he loved me, then he went back to his grand wife in his grand house, while I lay pathetic half dead on a straw mat, my thighs slick with blood. I hate you because if I didn't, I'd love you. But love, love is weakness. And I'll never be weak again."
- This is a fantasic speech, and continues the theme of power, who has it, what is it, how is it demonstrated... Rowena hates, because she sees love as weakness - because the last time she loved (excluding the polish boy she sacrificed last season), it led to heartbreak, and also the social and economic ruin of having a child you can't afford out of wedlock in the 1700s. But is power about good financial and social standings? Is love not worth it, if all it leads to is devasting loss (either though heartbreak or death)? Is love a weakness or a strength? That's one of the central themes of S1-5, too really, and, given that love saves the day - it's pretty much concluded that love, despite its ability to devastate or perhaps because of it, is the a strength. And that's always where SPN villains get it wrong.
Crowley: "Castiel?"
Lucifer: "Guess again."
- The smirk is good, the weird tongue lip thing is weird. :P
Lucifer: "You deserve a reward. A little token of my affection."
Rowena: "Thank you."
Lucifer: "Just one tinsy little question - can anyone else open the cage?"
Rowena: "Just me."
Lucifer: "Good."
*looks at Crowley*
*snaps her neck*
Lucifer: "Okay, let's chat."
- Ah Rowena... knowledge is power until someone doesn't want you to have it... then it's both power AND a death sentence. :P
- I do love the ambiguity of Crowlely and Rowena's relationship - is he sad she's dead, happy? Does he care one way or the other? Is he simply upset that the only person who knows how to open the cage is no deceased? Who knows!
And that's our entry into act 2...
If anyone want to chime in with their opinions on my blatherings, please do so in comments! :)
I'm hoping to get more of these done, now that there's a break in the show. But we'll see.
Also, please remember that I do not have spellcheck and I have a problem with homonyms. So, I apologize for any horrible crimes of spelling or grammar.