It’s Sam’s turn! As I’m sure many of you have picked up from my previous articles, I’m rather intrigued by the character of Sam Winchester. He’s dark and mysterious, and I really need to look hard to even get a small grasp of what’s he’s all about. Dean’s more open and since he’s already hit rock bottom, there was nowhere to go but up, thus making his story far more inspiring. Sam is descending downward at a slow, uneasy pace, and it’s my hunch the worst for Sam is yet to come in season four. In the meantime, season three gives us a compelling look at a character who’s losing his grasp.
One thing that’s obvious, the boy has issues. He always has, but in season three Sam wasn’t likeable or empathetic like he had been in previous two seasons. He grew distant, especially with Dean, even though his only goal was to get him out of the deal. That obsession practically destroyed him. With each episode his frustration and desperation grew. Unlike Dean in “Dream A Little Dream Of Me”, Sam’s ordeal with the Trickster in “Mystery Spot” didn’t inspire him to turn a corner and go forward. Instead, he turned irrational, and lost what little identity he had left.
The Road So Far
The big question coming from last season’s finale is did Sam come back right? Hell, no. Not that he came back with more magical dark powers or a greater sense of evil. He came back in fear. No doubt the events in Cold Oak blew his confidence, and he learned a hard lesson that by acting on his better judgment, by not giving in and killing Jake, he got killed and now Dean is condemned to Hell. He doesn’t know what’s right anymore.
In season one Sam is the reluctant hero, dragged back into the life he didn’t want. Season two wrecks him emotionally, with his dad’s death, his fear over his dark destiny, and of course the events in the finale. Season three pushes Sam an interesting direction, for we learn that his greatest fear is losing Dean. For sixteen episodes we see through his gloomy eyes and withdrawn behavior that the mere thought of life without Dean is ripping his psyche to shreds.
Article comments
1 - Huppy
You have hit the nail on the head, Alice, in analyzing Sam. I like both Winchesters, but Sam has always been my favorite. Sam was the quieter, less flamboyant, more studious brother, and I could relate to that better than Dean.
(I could also appreciate Jared's position of having the more straight man role, getting less of the witty quips. That could be tough for an actor.)
This season, though, Sam was so frightened and obsessed with saving Dean that he lost his moral compass, and I didn't like the Sam I was seeing, such as in JIB or LDC. LDC I thought was a really flawed episode that actually did neither Dean or Sam any justice. Dean was too frantic and dramatic and Sam was too cold and uncaring.
I am hoping that in this coming season we find out that Sam did not become the obsessive-compulsive solitary robot after Dean's death at the end of Season 3 that he became in Mystery Spot. I would like to see that Sam learned something from Mystery Spot and won't repeat the exact same behavior. If he does, I will be disappointed. I want him to learn from his mistakes and see him grow as a character.
I want to see the same character growth in Season 4 for Sam that we saw for Dean in Season 3, as was discussed in your previous blog on Dean. Dean learned a lot facing death; I hope Sam can also learn and grow. I don't want Sam remaining the brick wall that the Trickster saw in Mystery Spot.
I am also hoping that the writers delve more in Sam's psyche. I feel that I know more about Dean's internal working than Sam's, and from postings on various Supernatural forums, I think most viewers would agree that we know Dean better than we know Sam. Sam has been an enigma for too long. I hope he retrieves his moral compass this season, and I hope we see him doing that.
2 - Julie
Wow. That's basically all I can say... wow!
Ever since I've learned if and how Dean comes out of hell I've been wondering what would be the emotional reaction of Sam when he sees him. I've read some spoilers but I know it just not the same thing as actually seeing him. Sam is a man of emotions, and yes he's been fractured, and is now broken for sure since he couldn't keep his promise to his brother, so I think the big issue in season four will be the trust between both brothers. I just hope for Dean's sake that he'll be able to bring his brother back to our loving Sam, or we might get in trouble by episode 15 this season...
This Sam review is staying in my bookmarks! And let's all hope for the best for the brothers! :)
3 - Rosewood
Nice! I think you encapsulated the Sam character development really well, especially here:
"season three was supposed to show a role reversal, with Dean becoming more like Sam and vice versa. If that was the goal, it failed, but I like the end results better. Sam thought he was becoming more like Dean, but fell short by a mile. Dean on the other hand, became a man with a clear purpose and identity, a place Sam has never been comfortable".
Sam failed at 'becoming Dean' and hopefully he got some clue during his 6 months alone in Mystery Spot that 'becoming John' won't work either now. But I expect Sam is going to plumb some very dark depths before he resurfaces to "become Sam". Pre-hell Dean would do anything to save Sam and never stopped believing in Sam's goodness. Will the post-Hell Dean be able to offer that support for our dear Sammy?
I'm so excited for where things will go in season 4!
4 - Jayne
Please, please tell me that you're going to go back & recap all the S1 & 2 episodes. Love all your insight into these characters.
Although I'm a total Deangirl, I'm most desperate in S4 to see Sam's reaction to Dean's resurrection & your look at S£ Sam has given me so much more to think about.
5 - heraldtalia
Awesome as always, Alice! I founds myself reading your insights and wondering how I hadn't come to the same conclusions myself before.
Poor Sam. He probably sees himself as a failure for what happened with Jake at Cold Oak and a failure for not getting Dean out of his deal, never mind how hard he tried. I imagine after living without Dean for a while, it will be harder to go back to being himself again when Dean comes back. I absolutely can't wait for season 4.
I'd also like to second Jayne's request that you recap at least some of the more pivotal eps of S1 and S2 if you have time. I need something to get me through to the 18th! :)
6 - Alice Jester
Thanks everyone for your great Sam insights! It's interesting how Sam's character doesn't cause as much controversy as Dean's. I find both fascinating, but opinions are definitely stronger for one more than another. That's okay, it shows how much passion is out there for this show.
Jayne, Heraldtalia, I'll admit, I've entertained the idea since I'll have about a month there with no blog topics. This week is the "Jus In Bello", review, and then I start scrambling. I know two episodes I fully intended to do reviews on, "All Hell Breaks Loose Part I and II." That's because I've expressed some criticism about these two, and I need to explain myself. Overall they're great, but there are some flaws.
If anyone wants to see a review for a particular season one or two episode, suggest away! I'd be happy to comply.
7 - heraldtalia
Well...since you asked... ^_~
I'd really like to know your complete take on What Is and What Should Never Be. I know you talked about it briefly in your best eps list, but I'd like to hear your complete analysis. For example, I'm wondering about your feelings on why Dean is distant from Sam and apparently not the best brother in the world in a "wish" reality where you'd think everything would be peachy.
I'm also curious about your analysis of AHBL 1 and 2, so I'm looking forward to that. Also Faith, Skin, Something Wicked, IMTOD, BUABS, and Heart are some eps with some interesting reveals for the boys where I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Aren't you glad you asked? ^_~
8 - tina
As a Sam girl I find him far more compelling than Dean always have and it,s a shame the writers seem indifferent to get us inside his head the same as Dean and crossing fingers that this will start happening in season 4
Your in depth look at Sam was excellent and thank you for it..
9 - tina
Thank you for your in depth look at Sam in season 3..
I find him a utterly compelling character far more than Dean and the indifference to his emotions and insight by the writers is sad but crossing fingers that changes in season 4 . J ared does a amazing job as Sam and know he will take Sam to new places this year..
10 - tina
I am sorry I have posted twice I didnt think the first message had gone through so did another one
11 - spnfan
Alice this was a fantastic indepth look at Sam. When I read the parts about how broken Sam is I actually felt like crying! He is such a compelling, fascinating character but I agee with what you said at the begining about him being so much harder to read than Dean. I feel this is down to the writers not really exploring Sam's internal struggles as often as they have with Dean and I am excited to hear that he will have a strong emotional arc this season. Trust will definately be the big issue I think, in the end Sam did things the way Dean wanted and ended up losing his brother - I agree that Sam should have a hard time believing in Dean during season 4. Just as Sam failed Dean, Dean has failed Sam. I have always connected with Sam, Jared does a fantastic job with often limited help for the writers but Sam has developed into a very complex dude who I can't wait to know more about. Thanks again for a very thoughtful analysis of where Sam stands coming into season 4.
12 - shang yiet
I too am fascinated and intrigued by Sam. He is like an iceberg- what we can see is lovely but I'm dying to peek under the water for the part we can't see. He is a very complex character I love to talk about. Thanks for the review and hope you write some more about Sam.
13 - Robin
Brilliant review!
I believe Sam has been doomed from birth. I hate even to write those words, because I love Sam as much as if he were a real person. We haven't yet learned Mary's connection to the YED, but it's very possible she made the very first Winchester deal--involving her sons. Perhaps poor Sam's fate was sealed from conception. Did Mary promise her younger son to evil forces to save Dean's life? John's? Her own?
It broke my heart to watch Sam turn from carefree, hopeful college kid heading for law school and a happily married future who hated Halloween to what he has become now. If only Dean hadn't come to get him that night! If only John hadn't "disappeared" and forced his sons to go looking for him! (Or was that disappearance on purpose? Was the YED behind it, ensuring what was to happen, arranging his dominoes, which included murdering Jess?)
Sam loses his father, leaving him with only Dean, his one remaining family member. They have become inseparable since their father's death. This is heartwarming to us, but very bad for the Winchester Brothers.
In spite of everything he's been through, his good nature prevails, leaving Sam unable to kill Jake at Cold Oak and Jake alive to kill Sam--and we got the heartbreaking scene of a crying Dean rocking his dead brother in the rain.
Dean makes a deal with a CRD (one year for me in exchange for Sam's whole life), which leads Sam to nearly kill himself trying to wangle Dean out of that deal. Dean goes to hell. Sam grieves and turns into. . .what? That automaton we saw in "Mystery Spot?"
I don't know what's going to happen in S4, but I miss Sam with those sweet bangs and even sweeter disposition. But I suspect he died a long time ago, and we may never see even an inkling of him again.
That breaks my heart!
Robin
14 - Anna
I think that in reality the "sweet Sam" from season one never really existed. Sam, to me, has always been the master of the mask where Dean was always the amateur. From Dean's eyes, facial expressions and actions, everyone could see what Dean was feeling even though he would never express himself verbally. Sam was always the opposite. He would show emotions and come right out and say how he felt but I never believed those were all he was feeling. He only expressed those emotions that he deemed acceptable and hid the ones he felt weren't "normal". For example, Sam expressed grief when John died but after all of their history, after being sent out for coffee and dismissed, you can't tell me that Sam wasn't also pissed as all hell. But he hid that one, maybe even from himself.
I think the writers left Sam's character more vague on purpose and not because they were neglectful. Sam, IMO, was never to be an easy person to read. The anger and darker emotions he's shown in season three were always there but Sam was just very good at hiding them. Now, the stressors are adding up and the cracks in his mask are widening. This is allowing all of those emotions Sam has tried so hard to hide to come out more and more often. For me, Sam's unwillingness to show those dark emotions made him much more dangerous since people who "hide" all the time are much more likely to explode all over everyone and everything given enough time and pressure.
The question for Sam I have for season four is will Sam finally let all the anger, resentments, depression, etc, come out and, if he does, what form will that take? Or will Sam try to cover up the cracks in his mask and continue to hold all of those negative emotions in where they will continue to fester?
15 - cassi
The only thing I really regret about the short season 3 is the topic of Sam going darkside and giving Lilith a reason for being afraid vanishing due to the writer's strike.
16 - cassi
Oh watching good guys like Sam going darkside is always intriguing! I'm certainly a big fan of Dean but I love Sam's storyline and his possibility to turn evil!