SPN 11.11 Into the Mystic
SPN 11.11 Into the Mystic
When we were children, we used to think that when we grew up we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability, to be alive is to be vulnerable.
-- Madeline L'Engle
Last week's episode focused on characters' perceived strengths and weakness. This week continues a similar theme - vulnerability. Vulnerability is something usually associated with weakness, a crack in the defences, an opening for some kind of attack.
Take the Monster of the Week - the Banshee. Was I the only one who might have fist-pumped at finally getting this particular creature of lore to make the Show's monster roster? It reminded me vaguely of Bloody Mary, who caused the bleeding eyes and went after people who had deadly secrets... including a Winchester who was not inclined to share a vulnerability with his brother, at least not yet.
This week's Banshee targeted the vulnerable. Let's consider:
-- Eileen's father had lost his job and was depressed about it.
-- Eileen's mother was just protecting her family.
-- Eileen was a defenseless baby who lost her hearing in the attack on her parents.
-- Harold was recovering from surgery.
-- Arthur was dealing with a marital break-up.
-- Mildred was figured to be the next target due to heart condition.
-- And Dean, well.
Sam: I still can't figure it out. I mean, banshees go after the vulnerable, right? So, why'd it go after you?
Why indeed?
For the same reason it could have gone after Eileen (again), or Mildred for real. Or Sam.
Looking at the Banshee's list of victims, it brings home one truth. Everyone is vulnerable. Everyone.
Vulnerability isn't just about the physical, it also encompasses mental and emotional. As human beings, we are all imperfect, and therefore all vulnerable.
Sam: Dean. When I was with Lucifer, he um, showed me things. It was like a highlight reel of my biggest failures.
Dean: Yeah, he was messing with you. That's what he does.
Sam's current vulnerability was apparent from the top of the episode, seeing that he is suffering from nightmares and having difficulty sleeping. He is also usually the more hopeful of the two brothers in regards to looking to their future but responds with a more cynical view.
Sam: Seriously? This place is an old folks home?
Dean: Looks awesome. Maybe we oughta make a reservation.
Sam: Ha. We should be lucky to live long enough.
His pessimism is a sure sign of deeper issues bothering him, and like Dean, Sam too was reluctant to talk about them.
He finally did, though. Thanks in part to Dean's gentle acknowledgement that he was aware something was bothering Sam, but willingness to wait until Sam was ready to talk about it. Also in part because he needed to get the words out -- the feeling of failing Dean and how that affected their relationship over the next couple of years. Sometimes the answer is more simple than expected. Turns out he didn't have to make the big grand gesture to earn Dean's forgiveness, or have his efforts to save him from the Mark be read as an act of guilt instead of brotherly love and loyalty.
Sam: Give me a sec. I should have looked for you. When you were in Purgatory, I should have turned over every stone, but I didn't, I stopped. And I've never forgiven myself for it.
Dean: Well, I have. Hey, that's in the past, man. What's done is done. All that matters now, all that's ever mattered is that we're together, so shut up and drink your beer. You gonna be able to sleep tonight?
Sam: Yeah, yeah. I think so.
So simple. "I have [forgiven you]."
Big Brother Dean, stepping back into that Big Damn Hero role Sam is so accustomed to viewing him. Always being there for him when needed, including giving forgiveness and absolution when needed. Telling him that it's okay to move on from the past, to not let it get in the way of the present.
Still, they wouldn't be the Winchesters without some kind of little secret going on, now, would they?
Dean is holding something back too, something that has him scared. It is so hard for him to admit his own vulnerabilities, and this one is a doozy. It's not something he can make a joke about, or downplay as not a big deal or something he is handling.
That connection he feels to Amara, the Darkness. He could maybe tell himself up to this time that he could handle it. That if he got a proper shot at her he would take her out. Strike one could be chalked up to the strangeness of the situation, and not quite having a handle on what he was dealing with. But now he's finally admitting that there is a real problem - he doesn't have control over whatever is going on between him and Amara.
Dean: I tried to kill her.
Castiel/Lucifer: The two of you are connected somehow by the Mark.
Dean: Yeah no, it's more than that.
Castiel/Lucifer: Attraction? Dean.
Dean: I know. I know, okay? Whatever it is -- attraction, connection. I gotta tell you man, I don't know if I can stop it. I don't know that I can resist it.
The Banshee isn't the only monster who targets vulnerabilities. Lucifer in Castiel's meatsuit becomes the recipient of Dean's confidence, and when Dean's back is turned... he smiles. He came to the Bunker looking for intel on Amara, and he found it. The question is just how does he plan to use this information against Amara... or Dean? Either way, it doesn't bode well for his plans for Dean. As long as he has Dean and Sam fooled about his identity, their trust in what they believe is their friend Castiel creates a vulnerability of trust for him to exploit.
What about the future?
There is a silver lining to all the talk about vulnerabilities.
Sam talked to Eileen about her future. Discovered she was also a Legacy, connected to the Men of Letters, like himself and Dean. That their world was more connected than they knew.
Sam: Eileen, you okay?
Eileen: I'm nervous. If this really is the banshee I've been looking for-
Sam: Eileen, in my experience, revenge is not all it's cracked up to be. Killing this banshee is not gonna bring your parents back.
Talking about the future, and what it might bring, inviting her to stay in touch with them after the case was closed. Sometimes seeking to bring a brighter future to another person helps restore hope for one's own future, as evidenced by Sam's placing the Oak Park retirement homes brochure in his memory chest, turnaround from his earlier statement about his and Dean's retirement options.
Mildred too, connecting with Dean. Enjoying flirting with the handsome "FBI" agent who wasn't... she was quick to realize something so basic most people don't consider it upon short acquaintance with the boys.
Enjoying a beautiful sunset. Just... such a simple thing, and when was the last time Dean took that kind of moment for himself? As a hunter, he usually works in the dark, or has to wait for the coming darkness for the monster to emerge... and that makes it hard to take the time to enjoy the light.
Oh Robbie Thompson, you clever writer, you. I see what you did there. I salute you for that subtlety.
For Dean, it's not about planning for retirement, necessarily.
Mildred: You wanna know the secret to living a long and happy life?
Dean: Actually, I do.
Mildred: Follow your heart. You do that, all the rest just figures itself out. I did that, I followed my heart.
Dean has lived his life following his heart -- putting his family first, always.
Dean: All that matters now, all that's ever mattered is that we're together.
Whatever the past has held, the present holds, or the future threatens or promises, this is one thing that I know will continue to hold true. There is a difference between love and compulsion, and he is not alone in this fight against the Darkness.
It took all four -- vulnerable -- people, Dean, Sam, Mildred and Eileen, acting together to kill the Banshee. The fact that they weren't alone in that fight is what made the difference.
We are left wondering just how long it is going to take Dean to realize that he needs to inform Sam about the connection that exists between himself and Amara. Sam can help him deal with it, just as he helps Sam deal with his own issues. It doesn't make them weak -- just human. And the more connected they are, the stronger they will be.
When we were children, we used to think that when we grew up we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability, to be alive is to be vulnerable.
-- Madeline L'Engle
Last week's episode focused on characters' perceived strengths and weakness. This week continues a similar theme - vulnerability. Vulnerability is something usually associated with weakness, a crack in the defences, an opening for some kind of attack.
Take the Monster of the Week - the Banshee. Was I the only one who might have fist-pumped at finally getting this particular creature of lore to make the Show's monster roster? It reminded me vaguely of Bloody Mary, who caused the bleeding eyes and went after people who had deadly secrets... including a Winchester who was not inclined to share a vulnerability with his brother, at least not yet.
This week's Banshee targeted the vulnerable. Let's consider:
-- Eileen's father had lost his job and was depressed about it.
-- Eileen's mother was just protecting her family.
-- Eileen was a defenseless baby who lost her hearing in the attack on her parents.
-- Harold was recovering from surgery.
-- Arthur was dealing with a marital break-up.
-- Mildred was figured to be the next target due to heart condition.
-- And Dean, well.
Sam: I still can't figure it out. I mean, banshees go after the vulnerable, right? So, why'd it go after you?
Why indeed?
For the same reason it could have gone after Eileen (again), or Mildred for real. Or Sam.
Looking at the Banshee's list of victims, it brings home one truth. Everyone is vulnerable. Everyone.
Vulnerability isn't just about the physical, it also encompasses mental and emotional. As human beings, we are all imperfect, and therefore all vulnerable.
Sam: Dean. When I was with Lucifer, he um, showed me things. It was like a highlight reel of my biggest failures.
Dean: Yeah, he was messing with you. That's what he does.
Sam's current vulnerability was apparent from the top of the episode, seeing that he is suffering from nightmares and having difficulty sleeping. He is also usually the more hopeful of the two brothers in regards to looking to their future but responds with a more cynical view.
Sam: Seriously? This place is an old folks home?
Dean: Looks awesome. Maybe we oughta make a reservation.
Sam: Ha. We should be lucky to live long enough.
His pessimism is a sure sign of deeper issues bothering him, and like Dean, Sam too was reluctant to talk about them.
He finally did, though. Thanks in part to Dean's gentle acknowledgement that he was aware something was bothering Sam, but willingness to wait until Sam was ready to talk about it. Also in part because he needed to get the words out -- the feeling of failing Dean and how that affected their relationship over the next couple of years. Sometimes the answer is more simple than expected. Turns out he didn't have to make the big grand gesture to earn Dean's forgiveness, or have his efforts to save him from the Mark be read as an act of guilt instead of brotherly love and loyalty.
Sam: Give me a sec. I should have looked for you. When you were in Purgatory, I should have turned over every stone, but I didn't, I stopped. And I've never forgiven myself for it.
Dean: Well, I have. Hey, that's in the past, man. What's done is done. All that matters now, all that's ever mattered is that we're together, so shut up and drink your beer. You gonna be able to sleep tonight?
Sam: Yeah, yeah. I think so.
So simple. "I have [forgiven you]."
Big Brother Dean, stepping back into that Big Damn Hero role Sam is so accustomed to viewing him. Always being there for him when needed, including giving forgiveness and absolution when needed. Telling him that it's okay to move on from the past, to not let it get in the way of the present.
Still, they wouldn't be the Winchesters without some kind of little secret going on, now, would they?
Dean is holding something back too, something that has him scared. It is so hard for him to admit his own vulnerabilities, and this one is a doozy. It's not something he can make a joke about, or downplay as not a big deal or something he is handling.
That connection he feels to Amara, the Darkness. He could maybe tell himself up to this time that he could handle it. That if he got a proper shot at her he would take her out. Strike one could be chalked up to the strangeness of the situation, and not quite having a handle on what he was dealing with. But now he's finally admitting that there is a real problem - he doesn't have control over whatever is going on between him and Amara.
Dean: I tried to kill her.
Castiel/Lucifer: The two of you are connected somehow by the Mark.
Dean: Yeah no, it's more than that.
Castiel/Lucifer: Attraction? Dean.
Dean: I know. I know, okay? Whatever it is -- attraction, connection. I gotta tell you man, I don't know if I can stop it. I don't know that I can resist it.
The Banshee isn't the only monster who targets vulnerabilities. Lucifer in Castiel's meatsuit becomes the recipient of Dean's confidence, and when Dean's back is turned... he smiles. He came to the Bunker looking for intel on Amara, and he found it. The question is just how does he plan to use this information against Amara... or Dean? Either way, it doesn't bode well for his plans for Dean. As long as he has Dean and Sam fooled about his identity, their trust in what they believe is their friend Castiel creates a vulnerability of trust for him to exploit.
What about the future?
There is a silver lining to all the talk about vulnerabilities.
Sam talked to Eileen about her future. Discovered she was also a Legacy, connected to the Men of Letters, like himself and Dean. That their world was more connected than they knew.
Sam: Eileen, you okay?
Eileen: I'm nervous. If this really is the banshee I've been looking for-
Sam: Eileen, in my experience, revenge is not all it's cracked up to be. Killing this banshee is not gonna bring your parents back.
Talking about the future, and what it might bring, inviting her to stay in touch with them after the case was closed. Sometimes seeking to bring a brighter future to another person helps restore hope for one's own future, as evidenced by Sam's placing the Oak Park retirement homes brochure in his memory chest, turnaround from his earlier statement about his and Dean's retirement options.
Mildred too, connecting with Dean. Enjoying flirting with the handsome "FBI" agent who wasn't... she was quick to realize something so basic most people don't consider it upon short acquaintance with the boys.
Enjoying a beautiful sunset. Just... such a simple thing, and when was the last time Dean took that kind of moment for himself? As a hunter, he usually works in the dark, or has to wait for the coming darkness for the monster to emerge... and that makes it hard to take the time to enjoy the light.
Oh Robbie Thompson, you clever writer, you. I see what you did there. I salute you for that subtlety.
For Dean, it's not about planning for retirement, necessarily.
Mildred: You wanna know the secret to living a long and happy life?
Dean: Actually, I do.
Mildred: Follow your heart. You do that, all the rest just figures itself out. I did that, I followed my heart.
Dean has lived his life following his heart -- putting his family first, always.
Dean: All that matters now, all that's ever mattered is that we're together.
Whatever the past has held, the present holds, or the future threatens or promises, this is one thing that I know will continue to hold true. There is a difference between love and compulsion, and he is not alone in this fight against the Darkness.
It took all four -- vulnerable -- people, Dean, Sam, Mildred and Eileen, acting together to kill the Banshee. The fact that they weren't alone in that fight is what made the difference.
We are left wondering just how long it is going to take Dean to realize that he needs to inform Sam about the connection that exists between himself and Amara. Sam can help him deal with it, just as he helps Sam deal with his own issues. It doesn't make them weak -- just human. And the more connected they are, the stronger they will be.