Sam’s unconditional faith in his brother is what saved the day. He was the only one who still believed in Dean’s strength, so much so that he turned to him to help getting Adam back from Zachariah, despite everyone else, Castiel, Bobby and even Dean thinking it’s a bad idea. It might seem like blind faith to some, but I think that Sam’s newfound maturity has also given him the clarity to see Dean for who he really is, rather than who he’s pretending to be.
One of the most poignant scenes in this season is the emotionally charged one between Sam and Dean right after Dean tells Zachariah to summon Michael. Sam looked so shocked, hurt, and disappointed; Dean looked upset, weak, broken. Sam looks away, as if in anger and disgust and something flickers on Dean’s face – he’s hesitating. Sam looks back to his brother and holds his gaze, as if begging him, yet again holding out hope; Dean’s face relaxes, he smiles and winks at Sam. All of this without a single word.
Ah, Jared and Jensen. You guys rock.
Dean had previously apologized for his behaviour towards Sam, but I don’t think it was ever as sincere as when he told him, “I don’t know if it’s being a big brother, or what, but to me you’ve always been this snot-nosed kid I’ve had to keep on the straight and narrow. I think we both know that that’s not you anymore. I mean hell, if you’re grown up enough to find faith in me, the least I can do is return the favour.” The bond between the two has not only survived, but thrived; it’s yet again them against the world. Dean might not fully believe in God yet but he believes in his relationship with Sam again, which makes me hope for some great Winchester brother moments again (like in season one’s “Hell House”).
But the question of Sam’s hope remains. He mentioned in “99 Problems” that he didn’t think God cared anymore, that the only thing keeping him going is Dean. While it’s touching and adorable, it’s also dangerous in that Dean is a fallible human. What was Sam going to do had Dean not been able to find hope again?
I would love to have a couple of Sam-centric episodes, as the question of Sam’s hope continues to tickle my fancy. Does he really believe what he told Paul in “99 Problems”, or was it a defense mechanism of sorts? Is his only source of hope his desire for redemption? And what about Sam’s faith? Sam has always been the brother with the most faith – at least, in appearance. But it is the true, strong kind of faith? Does he only believe in Dean? Or does he, too, believe in God?
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Article comments
1 - Sahar
Interestingly enough, this review to the 100th episode of Supernatural is my 100th post on Blogcritics ;)
2 - Carlotspeak
This is the first time I read your review. I do appreciate it a lot. Very beautifully done. Thank you.
The part I like best is ".. for all the lack of hope and desperation, Dean has become an empty channel for God’s Will to flow through. Isn’t that the essence of being a servant of God?.."
But I heard somewhere a while ago that humans do smell to angels. It came from all kind of stuff we consume etc., and it is not easy for angels to come near human. The "pig filthy" part may be referring to that? Just a thought that occurred to me when I heard Zachariah said that. Although he could have been kinder. ^_^
3 - Sahar
Hey Carlotspeak, thank you for reading my review and I'm glad you liked it!
So angels can smell humans, huh! I am going to sift through Season 5 episodes to find that - thanks for the heads up! But I agree, that even if that's the case, Zachariah wasn't very nice about it. He's not very angelic, is he.
4 - John B
Hey, I love reading your reviews, they are always very insightful!
Just one thing, you mentioned (or perhaps I am mistaken) that God is talking to Zach and giving him orders, but I'm pretty sure that that was Michael or another high-ranking Angel.
"God has left the building"
Anyway, again loved the review. The one thing that I do hope that the writers will play up a bit more is Sam's search for redemption. I think that that is one of the things I find most interesting about his character.
-John
5 - John B
Sorry, one more thing:
About the "the only thing that can kill an Angel, is another Angel" line: Instead of like the Whore of Babylon, I took that line to mean that the only thing strong/smart enough to kill an angel was another angel, plus the only things that have that special angel-killing sword were Angels.
Maybe you're right, though. It does make for better commentary on Dean's character and faith!
6 - Sahar
John, thank you so much for reading and commenting!
I assumed it was God talking to Zachariah, but you're right - it might have been a high-ranking Angel. I think if that's the case, it would most probably Michael. This totally changes everything! I'm going to have to write an addendum to this review ;)
I also want Sam's search for redemption to be looked more thoroughly into.
Your reflection on what can kill an angel is another angel is really interesting, and I would really love to hear more about it. Do you mean to say that Dean is smart enough to kill an angel?