What Is And What Should Never Be

[hells_half_acre]

I just watched What Is And What Should Never Be (2x20) again for timelining reasons.

I only popped it in because I realized I didn't have John and Mary's birthdates on my timeline, and I realized that I could easily get Mary's birthdate by combining the grave stone in Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things (2x04) with the date in WIAWSNB. Also, WIAWSNB has a gravestone for John. So, now my timeline is all nicely edited and correct.

Then I was surprised...

I've seen this episode at least three times, five if you include watching it with commentary...and I still managed to see something I had never noticed before: Jared is phenomenal.

It's easy to focus on Jensen's performance in this one. It's a Dean-POV episode, it centres all around Dean's psychology, Dean gives an emotional speech and cries, etc...and I'm not taking away from that. Jensen does a great job, but throughout the episode Jensen is playing DEAN. The same Dean he always is - the Dean who has sacrificed his whole life, has lost his father, misses his mother, loves Sammy.

Meanwhile, Jared is playing a version of Sam that has never hunted, grew up with a family and a home, is studying to be a lawyer, is engaged to the love of his life, wears dorky clothes, and doesn't get along with or have much respect for his older brother. This isn't our regular brooding, messed up Sammy. This isn't Sammy at all...and yet, Jared magically plays him in a way where he's still Sam somehow, where the Sam we do know is still a visible possibility under this stranger.

I've said it a couple of places, (and you are free to disagree with me), but a lot of the time I actually think Sam is the more difficult part to play between the two brothers. You have to be so subtle with Sam. (Alright, I just get kind of tired of everyone going on about Jensen like he's the God of Acting and completely overlooking how great Jared is). I think this episode is a good example of Jared actually having less screen time, but a more difficult acting challenge. In the commentary, Kripke talks about how both boys came up to him independently and told him how difficult it was to play the brothers as though they didn't have the strong bond that they usually do. Still, at least Jensen was playing a Dean that KNEW about the bond. Jared was playing a Sam who thought his brother was an no-good alcoholic.

Anyway, such a good episode.

Also, I noticed that both Wish!verse-Mary and Wish!verse-Sam tell Dean to "get some rest" at one point.  It's a nice repetition that I missed before, but adds a nice little to the "something is not right" vibe.

Comments

[mymuseandi.livejournal.com]

I think that both characters are difficult to play in different circumstances, and that the actors played them brilliantly. However, you had me thinking, that there was never really a time when Dean isn't canon Dean, unless you count 'The End' 2014!Dean, but even then there's still 2009!Dean in the scene. Ditto for S3's DALDOM. However, Sam isn't canon Sam for quite a few of the episodes, like in 'The End', and the above episode. Makes me wonder if there'll come a time when Dean isn't canon Dean. :)

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think you are right. I certainly don't mean to diminish the fine job Jensen does with Dean, that's for sure. I guess I just get kind of tired about everyone going on about Jensen as though Jared is chopped liver. Dude is talented too.

The closest Dean got to not being canon Dean was when he was Shifter!Dean in Skin, way back in S1. Since then, he's ALWAYS been Dean. Even, arguably, 2014!Dean was still canon Dean, and DALDOM!Dean was just another side to Dean's personality giving him the whatfor...

But yeah, Jared has had the opportunity to play non-canon!Sam, Meg!Sam, and Lucifer!Sam...whereas Jensen is always..WAIT!

It's a Terrible Life! Dean was non-canon Dean in that! Ha, can't believe that didn't immediately leap to mind. I was even thinking about it while I watched WIAWSNB.

So there you go, Jensen has had the opportunity to play non-canon!Dean too. As I recall from an interview he had about it, he said it was very hard. I think he did a fine job though. I love that episode.