Damn You Kripke!

[hells_half_acre]

I've long since been slightly annoyed by the fact that everyone is obsessed with wanting to know the reason why Dean's eyes bleed in Bloody Mary. I've always felt that it wasn't a question at all - my explanation:

1. At that point the spirit is a cornered animal, it's self-defense to go after Dean no matter what he's done in his past.
2. Dean's the type of guy to blame himself for deaths even if they weren't his fault.
3. When Dean failed let the Shtriga get to Sam and failed to kill it while it was feeding on Sam, which in turn caused the distraction of John driving them to Pastor Jim's giving time for the Shtriga to escape, all those kids the Shtriga was sucking dry probably died - and Dean probably blames himself for that just as much as he blames himself for letting Sam get hurt.

So, to me, Dean's eyes' bleeding was a non-issue. Then, last night I was reading the Supernatural Companion to Season 1, and came across this quote from Kripke: "There is something in his past - we've always known it. It's been in the core of the character from the time we created him. We will reveal it...."

Damn it! The thing is: I'm sure Kripke has forgotten. Dean has gone and done way worse things since then - torturing people in hell and enjoying it, breaking the first seal...there's no way they're going to do an episode where some secret from his youth is revealed, because at this point Sam (and us) will just be like "Oh, 's'at all? Whatever." 

So, I really don't think we'll ever know what Kripke intended, because I'm pretty sure he doesn't intend it anymore. I could be wrong, but I doubt I am. 

I much preferred my version of why Dean's eyes bled...instead of Kripke telling us he actually did intend something...because now I'm all curious as to what it was he originally intended.

Comments

[followingabdiel.livejournal.com]

I totally thought the same thing--that Dean's guilt/bleeding eyes were associated with the shtriga. But I have the Season 1 Companion, too, and Kripke definitely leads us to believe something else was at work there. Doesn't he know that we fans question things like this? He's so wrong for not explaining that--it should have been resolved in Season 2 or Season 3 at the latest. Because you're right--slipping it in now would be too anti-climactic. It's never going to come up. :(

So have you read any fics that go for a 'not a shrtiga' explanation for Dean's bleeding eyes?

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

No, I don't think I've ever read any fics with guesses as to why Dean's eyes bled. I'm sure there are some out there though...

But yeah, it was probably something he meant to work in, but it was just never the right moment - or the writers strike messed it up for the S3 reveal or something...sigh...

Even if he's changed his mind and it's not true for the character anymore, I'd like to know what it might have been.

Ah well...

[followingabdiel.livejournal.com]

If I wasn't so busy with the major WIP I've been working on for what seems like forever, I'd consider writing one myself, but I just don't have the time. We should totally put the word out though, and see if we can weasel someone into writing one for us. LOL! Know anybody willing to be convinced? Don't suppose you'd want to do it, would you? ;)

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Haha, as much as I'm flattered you'd want me to write one, I'm not sure I'm up for it. I've got a couple of projects on the go right now as it is - well, mainly follow-ups to my Demented!verse. Plus, I promised someone else a fic a year ago and that one sort of sputtered out and died on me - sadly, as I really liked the idea.

Plus, I'm really of the opinion that Dean just blames himself for everything anyway - that he feels responsible for many deaths, so it'd probably just end up being a really depressing short piece and...actually, I may have an idea...damn it! Ugh...ok, I'll get back to you on this...*sighs and adds another possible fic to her list of things to do*

[followingabdiel.livejournal.com]

Ah, don't stress about it. You can always take the idea now niggling at the back of your mind and pass it off to a friend. No worries! And I'm totally in favor of the follow-ups for the Demented 'verse being written, so by all means, focus your energy on those, 'cause I loved reading "Demented!"

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Haha, thanks. We'll see what happens. If I get time to do both I will, if not, it'll just be another idea on my mental shelf.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Ok, ended up writing a little something. It's posted now, and suitably depressing. :-P

[contrary-lady.livejournal.com]

I heard some people say that the events in In The Beginning (not being able to stop Mary from making the deal with Yellow Eyes) is what caused Dean's eyes to bleed in Bloody Mary. If that's true, Kripke is an asshole. That would mean that everything that Sam & Dean have done these past few years was predestined and they couldn't have avoided any of it.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

In the commentary to In The Beginning, Kripke says that he always saw it as a closed loop - the YED targeted Mary because Dean led her to him, Dean led her to him because the YED targeted Mary. You get into a bunch of time-paradoxes, but basically it does come down to it all being predestined...which sort of sucks, or another way to look at it is that once the loop starts, there is no escaping it - so, Mary's choice to get out of bed, Dean's choice to involve the Campbells in the 1973 Hunt made it an inescapable loop, though caused by free-will.

That being said, I assumed that the crimes Bloody Mary accused people of had to be crimes they were AWARE of. Even if that wasn't the case though, if you look at Dean's life as an individual time-stream separate from regular time - the events of In The Beginning had not happened yet for him. They had happened for the rest of the world, but not his particular time-stream. I know this is getting into sort of Doctor Who timey-whimey stuff, but what I'm trying to say is that if it WAS the events in ITB, I'd be extremely disappointed in Kripke.

[contrary-lady.livejournal.com]

It's the time stream thing that bothers me too. How could season 1 Dean even know about, let alone feel guilty about what happenedwhen season 4 Dean went back in time?

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Exactly! So, I highly doubt that's it...I think claudiapriscus nailed it below...

[claudiapriscus.livejournal.com]

My guess is that there really wasn't an explanation. Or rather, I agree with you about it being pretty obvious/unimportant- either the spirit was just that pissed off, or it's a product of Dean's character, or it's just the kind of thing that would apply to pretty much any hunter (the link between the secret and someone's death).

My guess is what Kripke really meant was something like, "If we make something up in the future, we can throw a reference back to this and it will look like clever continuity."

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

My guess is what Kripke really meant was something like, "If we make something up in the future, we can throw a reference back to this and it will look like clever continuity."

LOL - yes this! totally sounds like Kripke to me. Silly guy.

[contrary-lady.livejournal.com]

My guess is what Kripke really meant was something like, "If we make something up in the future, we can throw a reference back to this and it will look like clever continuity."

That definitely sounds like Kripke.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

LOL, your icon is hilarious!

[contrary-lady.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :D

[trystan830.livejournal.com]

i agree with your explainations - #2 ties in with #3 nicely.

and yes, i'm sure Eric's forgotten. it was probably something he meant to use, but the story went another way, so that now it's like no big deal.

but i'm curious now too to know what he originally intended! damn it, Kripke! :D

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Indeed!

Well, in the meantime, I'll just use my own explanations - I like them the best anyway. ;-)

[trystan830.livejournal.com]

hehe yeah... but now you got me curious. :P

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I know! Me too...how frustrating. I was all perfectly content until I read that sentence from Kripke. When all is said and done, he should come to a convention where someone can ask him these questions...it'd be horrible torture for him, but it'd sure be satisfying.

[trystan830.livejournal.com]

hehehe .... yeah.

and i know what you mean about satisfying. :)

[mymuseandi.livejournal.com]

I don't know what's the reason that Dean's eyes bled, but i always thought that he did some terrible thing in his youth that he feels guilty for.

And you are right about it being anti-climatic now. Although it would be interesting to see what it is *looking for an excuse to bring all the wee!Winchesters back* :)

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Dude, I love the wee!chesters, I'd love for an excuse to bring them back. I want to adopt Colin Ford.

Of course, you already know that I'm of the opinion that Dean feels guilty for everything in his youth, whether it was terrible or not...but yeah, after Hell, anything else he's done would just be anti-climatic.