SPN - Reading Is Fundamental
May. 9th, 2012 06:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feliciakwOkay, this is going to be messy. I'll try to keep it focused and not go chasing down too many rabbit holes, but . . . well, here we go . . .
I've been taking part in a rather lenghty and deeply thinky conversation over the past couple of days, a conversation which has challenged me to look at the ep from multiple angles, through multiple lenses, and from different POVs. There's so much to it that it nearly makes my brain hurt.
I have every intention of writing all of my scrambled meta here in the journal, and hopefully someone will find it interesting. I'm hoping to be able to do it tonight, but I have yet to decide how to actually organize my thoughts.
There are so freakin' many layers to the conversation(s) between Castiel and Dean that I scarce know where to start. Some of it is frustrating, some of it is perplexing, and some of it is actually kind of exciting (depending on what they decide to do with it).
I really rather wish I were home right now working on the meta rather than sitting here at my desk.
But alas. Bills need to be paid.
In other news, I upgraded my OS. YouTube works again. Yay!
I'm highly amused that Dean recognizes the cosmic "Wait, stop, don't do it" signs, and still he proceeds. I'm not sure what exactly this says about Dean. That he's foolish not to listen to the cosmos, or that he's wise to know when something must be uncovered for the greater cosmic good.
But whatever happened, uncovering the tablet uncovered unknown power of unknown sorts and a lot of nutty things happened all at once. More, I think, than we know at present. Something (or somethingS) appear to have been released from Heaven, one possessing Kevin Tran. Also, whatever happened awakened Castiel.
Side note: Sam and Dean are going to hole up in Rufus's cabin, and Dean will do the shopping. Because the last time, Sam got cake. Heh.
Obviously, there's a ton going on with the Dean & Cas dynamic in this episode. I won't ignore Sam completely, but with so much going on under the surface, Dean and Cas are where I'm going to focus.
Dean and Sam arrive at the hospital, and Dean is so hopeful that Castiel is well. He greats them as he often does, in that calm, even voice of his.
And then things get weird.
It's clear that Castiel isn't "himself," isn't the Castiel Dean and Sam were hoping for. This Castiel watches the bees, the whole path and plan all laid out right there. This just sounds nutty.
(Or is it a clue?)
He has an appreciation, even an affection, perhaps, for Meg. Curious.
Cas woke up when the tablet was uncovered. Nutty things happened. I think there's a very strong possibility that it's not just Cas in there.
Cas seems delighted and unsurprised that Sam and Dean were the ones to recover the word of God from the vault of the earth. It was written by Metatron (not Megatron), one of the scribes of creation.
Dean, as team leader, and knowing the urgency of the battle facing them, tries to get some concrete information out of Cas, but that's not happening. This new Castiel has a sense of humor and employs it when Dean is frustrated and looking for answers. Perhaps he's trying to lighten the mood, but Dean has no time for lightening. :(
Also, Castiel doesn't like conflict.
Poor Kevin. No idea why he can't let go of the tablet.
And here we are at one of the most key scenes from the ep, the dayroom scene and the Sorry game.
"It took everything to get me here," Castiel says. But what does that mean? Everything. Sam being poisoned as a baby? Sam's visions? Dean's CRD deal? Dean going to Hell, breaking the first seal, Sam saying yes to Lucifer, averting the Apocalypse, Sam's time in the Cage, dealing with Crowley and breaking open Purgatory, releasing the leviathans? "It took everything to get me here."
And who's "me"? Castiel? Lucifer? Michael? Some other as-yet-unknown-to-us entity? As much as I'd love them to salvage Michael's reputation, I'm thinking that if there is someone riding shotgun with Castiel, it's someone we've never met before.
"Here"? Out of the Cage? If Castiel, to a point of heretofore unknown freedom or clarity?
"It took everything to get me here."
But Dean has more immediate concerns, like the leviathans. And he asks if Castiel remembers what he did.
To which Castiel replies, "Sorry," by setting up the board game Sorry.
And this game is incredibly frustrating--maddening--for Dean. Each time Dean asks for something, something as simple as "I don't know," Castiel shuts him down and sends him back to start.
Castiel tells Dean that the world is engineered for chaos. Why should he prosper at Dean's expense, and yet those are the rules, he didn't make them. Which Dean immediately and rightly calls him on. Castiel did set up the current set of circumstances, if not the rules in general, when he "cut a whole in that wall." Referring to 1) the wall in the lab that opened Purgatory and 2) the wall in Sam's head that was holding back the Hell memories. Castiel did all this when he tried to become God. (Dean's relationship with God throughout the series would make for a fascinating separate meta, but is entirely too much to start on here and now.)
But rather than acknowledging this, Castiel simply tells Dean it's his turn. Maddening, frustrating. No practical information to help with leviathans, and no indication that Castiel wants to communicate at all.
But . . .
But what if . . .
What if he *is* trying to communication with Dean? What if, by sending him back to the beginning, he's telling Dean that Dean missed something. How far back to we need to go? Back to the beginning of their relationship together, when Cas pulled Dean out of Hell? Or perhaps back to the opening of Purgatory. Dean was admittedly and rightly focused on Sam's issues at the time. What if he missed something in the leviathan behavior or planning pattern.
Or . . . what if that's not Castiel in there at all? What if someone is purposefully trying to discourage Dean and thwart any attempt at progress.
The only way for Dean to stay on task, then, is to stop the game. Which he does.
Is Castiel genuinely sorry for Dean's predicament, or is he being deliberately obtuse? If it were just Castiel in there, I'd be inclined to say that the regret is genuine, as expressed in previous encounters. But since we currently have no way of telling who is in there, perhaps the regret is genuine, perhaps it is not.
But either way, has progress been made?
As it turns out, Dean didn't need Cas for the one piece of practical information he asked for. He wanted to know where Metatron was, because he needed someone who could read the tablet. As it turns out, Kevin can read it just fine.
Poor Kevin. Prophet and keeper of the word, and totally freaking out. *pets him*
Castiel doesn't fight anymore. He watches the bees. This reminds me of his endless Tuesday afternoon in Heaven. Also, between the bees and the racetrack, Castiel seems to be more interested in paths and patterns. He's become much less proactive than he once was, but as he offered Hester perspective, he has, perhaps, insight (that he's not easily letting Dean and Sam in on).
Sam and Castiel - Now have a bond of their own. A mutual understanding of both having done horrible wrongs believing they were the right thing to do. Castiel having taken the weight of Sam's Hellpain from him.
And now Castiel sees everything.
And doesn't understand Sam when he promises they will make Castiel better.
Right now, I think the Cas Dean knew, the Cas I liked so much, is gone. A new Castiel, a new dynamic.
Dean and Kevin - There's a connection there, too. Dean knows what it's like to be "chosen," and it isn't a picnic. And as Kevin finds he must come to terms with a shift in perspective that comes from experiencing the supernatural, Dean comes to the realization that when try to care about humanity, it breaks them apart. And yet, that's what I so loved about Castiel in the beginning. The Cas back at the end of "Great Pumpkin," who sat in a park with Dean and told Dean, "I was hoping you'd choose to save the town." The Cas who told him, "I don't know if you've passed the test or not, but you will have to make decisions" that no one else will have to make. Decisions that, iirc, Cas was glad he didn't have to make himself. "I don't envy you." The Cas who admired humanity and creation as God's handiwork, and who respected Dean as their "chosen warrior."
Dean understands what Kevin is going through, and as the team leader, must see Kevin through it.
Then there's Meg, who as much as said that as long as it's in her best interest to side with Sam and Dean and Castiel, she will. As soon as it's in her best interest NOT to do so, she'll stab them in the back. The only difference between her and Ruby is that Ruby was all duplicitous and sly. With Meg, you pretty much know where you stand. (Kinda like with Crowley.)
Final showdown with Hester. Castiel refers to himself in the 3rd person. Is it because the angels don't know what he did, and he doesn't want to 'fess up? Or is it because someone else is in there, speaking for Castiel when the tensions grow too think? Hm . . .
Dean (always the leader) steps up, tells Hester (an angel) that they will take care of the problem. (I can't think of another human who will face off against angels like that.)
And Hester hits Dean where it hurts. She blames Dean for Castiel's fall, and this distresses Cas greatly. As Hester steps forward to smite Dean, Castiel steps in and reminds her, "They're the ones we were put here to protect." Is Cas talking about the Winchesters specifically, or the human race as a whole? Either way, regardless of how obtuse Castiel is being, how cryptic or passive, it appears that he (and whoever is riding shotgun) are still on the side of humanity.
I really hope Enias doesn't get offed too soon. There really are so few good angels, and I like him. (Would kinda like one of the good angels to be in female form, but at this point, I'll take any angelic ally along with Cas.)
Kevin finishes his translation and is returned home. Turns out that to take down the leviathans, you need a bone of a righteous mortal, washed in the three bloods of the fallen." Oy. Well, we all know that Dean is the righteous man who broke the first seal. I'm thinking toe. It would be easy to deal with as far as costuming, and Jensen could limp for a couple weeks as Dean relearns his balance. What? Needs to be something more substantial and sword-like. Guh.
They need to start with the blood of a fallen angel, and with a smile, Castiel gives them a vial of his blood. "You know me. Always happy to bleed for the Winchesters." Castiel does care, in his own way, and he give Dean (the knight) the first element of his quest, then departs for places unknown. Parting ways with Dean while they each pursue that which is before them. Dean knows his mission, he always has. But Castiel? For the first time, has no mission, and he thinks this amazing.
Sadly, angels, or at least angels taken by surprise, can be taken out by leviathans. This is disappointing.
I hope we don't lose Kevin too soon.
Well, that doesn't seem as thorough as I'd hoped to make it, but I think I covered most everything. Overall, I think this opens up some interesting possibilities for the next two episode, and I hope they make something juicy (not a TDK Slammer) out of it. I'd also love some delicious fic over the summer hiatus.
All in all, looking forward to Friday.
Alpha!Vamp!
I've been taking part in a rather lenghty and deeply thinky conversation over the past couple of days, a conversation which has challenged me to look at the ep from multiple angles, through multiple lenses, and from different POVs. There's so much to it that it nearly makes my brain hurt.
I have every intention of writing all of my scrambled meta here in the journal, and hopefully someone will find it interesting. I'm hoping to be able to do it tonight, but I have yet to decide how to actually organize my thoughts.
There are so freakin' many layers to the conversation(s) between Castiel and Dean that I scarce know where to start. Some of it is frustrating, some of it is perplexing, and some of it is actually kind of exciting (depending on what they decide to do with it).
I really rather wish I were home right now working on the meta rather than sitting here at my desk.
But alas. Bills need to be paid.
In other news, I upgraded my OS. YouTube works again. Yay!
I'm highly amused that Dean recognizes the cosmic "Wait, stop, don't do it" signs, and still he proceeds. I'm not sure what exactly this says about Dean. That he's foolish not to listen to the cosmos, or that he's wise to know when something must be uncovered for the greater cosmic good.
But whatever happened, uncovering the tablet uncovered unknown power of unknown sorts and a lot of nutty things happened all at once. More, I think, than we know at present. Something (or somethingS) appear to have been released from Heaven, one possessing Kevin Tran. Also, whatever happened awakened Castiel.
Side note: Sam and Dean are going to hole up in Rufus's cabin, and Dean will do the shopping. Because the last time, Sam got cake. Heh.
Obviously, there's a ton going on with the Dean & Cas dynamic in this episode. I won't ignore Sam completely, but with so much going on under the surface, Dean and Cas are where I'm going to focus.
Dean and Sam arrive at the hospital, and Dean is so hopeful that Castiel is well. He greats them as he often does, in that calm, even voice of his.
And then things get weird.
It's clear that Castiel isn't "himself," isn't the Castiel Dean and Sam were hoping for. This Castiel watches the bees, the whole path and plan all laid out right there. This just sounds nutty.
(Or is it a clue?)
He has an appreciation, even an affection, perhaps, for Meg. Curious.
Cas woke up when the tablet was uncovered. Nutty things happened. I think there's a very strong possibility that it's not just Cas in there.
Cas seems delighted and unsurprised that Sam and Dean were the ones to recover the word of God from the vault of the earth. It was written by Metatron (not Megatron), one of the scribes of creation.
Dean, as team leader, and knowing the urgency of the battle facing them, tries to get some concrete information out of Cas, but that's not happening. This new Castiel has a sense of humor and employs it when Dean is frustrated and looking for answers. Perhaps he's trying to lighten the mood, but Dean has no time for lightening. :(
Also, Castiel doesn't like conflict.
Poor Kevin. No idea why he can't let go of the tablet.
And here we are at one of the most key scenes from the ep, the dayroom scene and the Sorry game.
"It took everything to get me here," Castiel says. But what does that mean? Everything. Sam being poisoned as a baby? Sam's visions? Dean's CRD deal? Dean going to Hell, breaking the first seal, Sam saying yes to Lucifer, averting the Apocalypse, Sam's time in the Cage, dealing with Crowley and breaking open Purgatory, releasing the leviathans? "It took everything to get me here."
And who's "me"? Castiel? Lucifer? Michael? Some other as-yet-unknown-to-us entity? As much as I'd love them to salvage Michael's reputation, I'm thinking that if there is someone riding shotgun with Castiel, it's someone we've never met before.
"Here"? Out of the Cage? If Castiel, to a point of heretofore unknown freedom or clarity?
"It took everything to get me here."
But Dean has more immediate concerns, like the leviathans. And he asks if Castiel remembers what he did.
To which Castiel replies, "Sorry," by setting up the board game Sorry.
And this game is incredibly frustrating--maddening--for Dean. Each time Dean asks for something, something as simple as "I don't know," Castiel shuts him down and sends him back to start.
Castiel tells Dean that the world is engineered for chaos. Why should he prosper at Dean's expense, and yet those are the rules, he didn't make them. Which Dean immediately and rightly calls him on. Castiel did set up the current set of circumstances, if not the rules in general, when he "cut a whole in that wall." Referring to 1) the wall in the lab that opened Purgatory and 2) the wall in Sam's head that was holding back the Hell memories. Castiel did all this when he tried to become God. (Dean's relationship with God throughout the series would make for a fascinating separate meta, but is entirely too much to start on here and now.)
But rather than acknowledging this, Castiel simply tells Dean it's his turn. Maddening, frustrating. No practical information to help with leviathans, and no indication that Castiel wants to communicate at all.
But . . .
But what if . . .
What if he *is* trying to communication with Dean? What if, by sending him back to the beginning, he's telling Dean that Dean missed something. How far back to we need to go? Back to the beginning of their relationship together, when Cas pulled Dean out of Hell? Or perhaps back to the opening of Purgatory. Dean was admittedly and rightly focused on Sam's issues at the time. What if he missed something in the leviathan behavior or planning pattern.
Or . . . what if that's not Castiel in there at all? What if someone is purposefully trying to discourage Dean and thwart any attempt at progress.
The only way for Dean to stay on task, then, is to stop the game. Which he does.
Is Castiel genuinely sorry for Dean's predicament, or is he being deliberately obtuse? If it were just Castiel in there, I'd be inclined to say that the regret is genuine, as expressed in previous encounters. But since we currently have no way of telling who is in there, perhaps the regret is genuine, perhaps it is not.
But either way, has progress been made?
As it turns out, Dean didn't need Cas for the one piece of practical information he asked for. He wanted to know where Metatron was, because he needed someone who could read the tablet. As it turns out, Kevin can read it just fine.
Poor Kevin. Prophet and keeper of the word, and totally freaking out. *pets him*
Castiel doesn't fight anymore. He watches the bees. This reminds me of his endless Tuesday afternoon in Heaven. Also, between the bees and the racetrack, Castiel seems to be more interested in paths and patterns. He's become much less proactive than he once was, but as he offered Hester perspective, he has, perhaps, insight (that he's not easily letting Dean and Sam in on).
Sam and Castiel - Now have a bond of their own. A mutual understanding of both having done horrible wrongs believing they were the right thing to do. Castiel having taken the weight of Sam's Hellpain from him.
And now Castiel sees everything.
And doesn't understand Sam when he promises they will make Castiel better.
Right now, I think the Cas Dean knew, the Cas I liked so much, is gone. A new Castiel, a new dynamic.
Dean and Kevin - There's a connection there, too. Dean knows what it's like to be "chosen," and it isn't a picnic. And as Kevin finds he must come to terms with a shift in perspective that comes from experiencing the supernatural, Dean comes to the realization that when try to care about humanity, it breaks them apart. And yet, that's what I so loved about Castiel in the beginning. The Cas back at the end of "Great Pumpkin," who sat in a park with Dean and told Dean, "I was hoping you'd choose to save the town." The Cas who told him, "I don't know if you've passed the test or not, but you will have to make decisions" that no one else will have to make. Decisions that, iirc, Cas was glad he didn't have to make himself. "I don't envy you." The Cas who admired humanity and creation as God's handiwork, and who respected Dean as their "chosen warrior."
Dean understands what Kevin is going through, and as the team leader, must see Kevin through it.
Then there's Meg, who as much as said that as long as it's in her best interest to side with Sam and Dean and Castiel, she will. As soon as it's in her best interest NOT to do so, she'll stab them in the back. The only difference between her and Ruby is that Ruby was all duplicitous and sly. With Meg, you pretty much know where you stand. (Kinda like with Crowley.)
Final showdown with Hester. Castiel refers to himself in the 3rd person. Is it because the angels don't know what he did, and he doesn't want to 'fess up? Or is it because someone else is in there, speaking for Castiel when the tensions grow too think? Hm . . .
Dean (always the leader) steps up, tells Hester (an angel) that they will take care of the problem. (I can't think of another human who will face off against angels like that.)
And Hester hits Dean where it hurts. She blames Dean for Castiel's fall, and this distresses Cas greatly. As Hester steps forward to smite Dean, Castiel steps in and reminds her, "They're the ones we were put here to protect." Is Cas talking about the Winchesters specifically, or the human race as a whole? Either way, regardless of how obtuse Castiel is being, how cryptic or passive, it appears that he (and whoever is riding shotgun) are still on the side of humanity.
I really hope Enias doesn't get offed too soon. There really are so few good angels, and I like him. (Would kinda like one of the good angels to be in female form, but at this point, I'll take any angelic ally along with Cas.)
Kevin finishes his translation and is returned home. Turns out that to take down the leviathans, you need a bone of a righteous mortal, washed in the three bloods of the fallen." Oy. Well, we all know that Dean is the righteous man who broke the first seal. I'm thinking toe. It would be easy to deal with as far as costuming, and Jensen could limp for a couple weeks as Dean relearns his balance. What? Needs to be something more substantial and sword-like. Guh.
They need to start with the blood of a fallen angel, and with a smile, Castiel gives them a vial of his blood. "You know me. Always happy to bleed for the Winchesters." Castiel does care, in his own way, and he give Dean (the knight) the first element of his quest, then departs for places unknown. Parting ways with Dean while they each pursue that which is before them. Dean knows his mission, he always has. But Castiel? For the first time, has no mission, and he thinks this amazing.
Sadly, angels, or at least angels taken by surprise, can be taken out by leviathans. This is disappointing.
I hope we don't lose Kevin too soon.
Well, that doesn't seem as thorough as I'd hoped to make it, but I think I covered most everything. Overall, I think this opens up some interesting possibilities for the next two episode, and I hope they make something juicy (not a TDK Slammer) out of it. I'd also love some delicious fic over the summer hiatus.
All in all, looking forward to Friday.
Alpha!Vamp!
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no subject
Date: 2012-07-08 11:41 pm (UTC)But I loved Kevin, was fascinated by the Sorry game scene, and Metatron! OMG! I hope Dodger liked that bit, since she put the Metatron in one of her stories.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-12 05:17 pm (UTC)I'm re-watching the season, and Geo and I are really enjoying it. He's laughed out loud several times during some of the eps we're watching.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-12 05:24 pm (UTC)Sure, I would love to look at your story. If you want proper notes, you may not get them till early next week--I'm off to ComiCon tomorrow night.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-12 05:32 pm (UTC)2) We must discuss S7.
Be safe! I'll get you the first draft of the ditty sometime today or tomorrow.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-13 07:02 pm (UTC)And yeah, we must discuss S7. I find that I... kind of like quite a lot of it, and I'm still trying to pin down exactly what the love consists of.