Standing on the shoulders of giants: Sin City and the Temptation of the Anti-Christ
Ruby: “You heard the man. Go.”
It was so easy, wasn't it. She provided means, taking advantage of opportunity. Dean's safety provided motivation. Surely the act was justified. Wasn't it?
~*~
Beautifully framed picture, isn't it? Very striking in that the glass is a spectrum of blue colors in an otherwise red and gold palette, and it's centered as a halo about his head. Remember this. We'll revisit it later.
I've read a lot of comments that Sin City is this season's Crossroads. I agree. I think we'll look back on this episode and come to see just how pivotal the issues it reveals and decisions it exposes are once we see Season 3's plot come to full flower. It's pretty plain that difficult times are ahead for Sam. He's riding a slippery slope.
Roses:
Flowers unfold. As buds, their inner parts are hidden, secret, until they come to their full bloom and reach their peak of potential. Interesting that Kripke, then, has incorporated flowers, particularly roses with their closely furled petals in their infant stage, into his visual repertoire. In order to illustrate the parallels that are being drawn in Sin City and their implications, I need to first explore the symbolism of the rose.
Much of what I'm positing about the symbolism of roses in Supernatural springs from a fertile ground provided by others.
I believe it was
sadelyrate who pointed out the associate between Mary and roses. The color of Mary's roses is red. http://sadelyrate.livejournal.com/7445.html?view=50453#t50453
Mary in WiaWSNB: Note: pink/red roses on the wallpaper, red roses on her robe, red flowers behind her
bowtrunckle then pointed out that, as well as Mary being associated with red and pink roses, Sam is associated with yellow roses. http://bowtrunckle.livejournal.com/11982.html#cutid1
Sam in WiaWSNB: Note: picture of yellow roses
In the Supernatural visual lexicon, where there is red and yellow, there is then often found blue.
bowtrunckle pointed out that blue roses are associated with Ava. http://bowtrunckle.livejournal.com/12172.html#cutid1
Hunted: note blue roses on Ava's pillow
Hunted: note blue roses on wallpaper behind Ava
Red, yellow and blue roses are associated with Mary, Sam and Ava, respectively. The commonality between all of these three characters is that something is hidden, secret, yet to come to full bloom. Secrets surround Mary. How did she know the YED? Just what was she? Much about her is hidden and yet to be revealed. Sam, too, had his hidden aspect, that potential to develop into the YED's Anti-Christ. Just what's going to happen with those latent traits is yet to be seen. Ava had a hidden potential, too. Who knew that that sweet and quirky secretary from Peoria would develop into a manipulative, cold-blooded murderer.
Have you noticed, then, how often Sam has been surrounded by yellow roses/flowers in Season 3?
From The Kid's Alright: note yellow flowered bedspread.
Note that the weave of the fabric is a damask, also associated with roses.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damask
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_damascena
Bad Day at Black Rock: Note yellow roses on the wallpaper
Something is in store for Sam. Something has yet to be revealed, to come to full flower. I think Sin City hints at just what that might be in the same way that Crossroads hinted at Dean's fatal decision.
Parallels in Sin City:
Okay. Still with me? Alright.
Remember that picture? This one?
As
blackjedii pointed out, the guy's name is Andy. http://blackjedii.livejournal.com/473170.html#cutid1
Yep, Andy, like dark-haired, sweetly unkempt and poorly shaven Andy from Simon Says and All Hell Breaks Loose I. First time I remember a proper name being repeated. You?
Here's what convinced me that it's not a coincidence: that lovely blue window behind his head? It's called a rose window. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_window
Yep. A blue rose window.
Remember Ava and the blue roses? And this guy's name is Andy. Seems to me that a clear parallel is being drawn between the psykids and this poor gentleman who has been fatally touched by temptation.
And that's not the only parallel with the psykids. Remember Jake and his confrontation with the YED/Azazel?
Both Jake and Sam were given the Colt by a demon. Both threatened the gifting demon with it. Both withdrew that threat.
Where in Cold Oak the YED was the demon passing out poisoned candy, now it's Ruby, that little fallen angel on Sam's shoulder.
From AHBL2:
YED: "Buddy boy, you have the chance to get in on the ground floor of a thrilling opportunity. What'd you say? It's your call. [Jake lowers the gun] Attababy."
From Sin City:
Ruby: “Ahh. That’s my boy." [She smiles]
Their interactions with Jake and Sam are similarly cocky and patronizing, a slithering tone in their voice, promising a beneficial alliance.
The motivation is different between Jake and Sam, self-interest versus love for another, but it certainly signals a decision from which it would be difficult to turn back for both. Has Sam, then, made Jake's choice, set his feet on the same path?
Temptation:
The main theme of Sin City is temptation. What will you do when you are put to the test? All those parallels with the psykids puts me in mind of how they were tested, put in situations where their lives were threatened and pressuring them to call on their darker nature. The demons of Season 3 are focusing closely on the darker side of human nature. The demons of Season 3 seem to have a keen awareness of and potential to use our darkest natures against us. Envy called humans animals, hungry, lusty, violent animals. The demon!Casey pointed out human failings to Dean. She merely had to crook her finger and Trotter opened the door to vices, and the citizens followed. Their main weapon in this war seems to be temptation.
It seems to me that Sin City is another Cold Oak for Sam. There the psykids were put to the ultimate test. Here in Sin City, Sam is put to his ultimate test. Sam passed the test in Cold Oak. He chose not to give in to temptation based upon self-interest. He came close, pulling back on Jake a second time with the iron bar once he'd knocked him out. One more blow and he would have killed Jake, but he consciously chose not to, and paid the price. His interest in his own safety was not enough temptation to cross that line.
But now, just like demon!Casey tempted Trotter, Ruby tempts Sam to cross a line, but unlike the YED, she taps into Sam's interest in Dean's safety. Sam's test is based upon his love for another.
Sin City: Sam drawing a bead on demon!Casey
His choice was to not hesitate, to put aside his ethical concerns about the human he was about to kill in order to save Dean's life. Unlike his confrontation with Jake in Cold Oak, this time, Sam chose to kill.
Do you remember all those parallels being drawn between suicidal church!Andy and the psykids? Remember what the demon!priest yelled at Andy when he put the gun to his jaw?
"Andy, wait!"
Now, remember what Dean yelled to Sam when he pulled the Colt on demon!Casey?
"Sam, wait!"
I'd argue that that parallel in dialogue was deliberate.
And so, we've not yet seen the flower in full bloom. We have yet to see if Sam's act of pulling the trigger was as self-destructive as Andy's.
Ruby: "This won’t be easy, Sam. You’re going to have to do things that go against that gentle nature of yours. There’ll be collateral damage. But it has to be done.”
Sam: “But I don’t have to like it."
Ruby: “No. You wouldn’t be Sam if you did. On the bright side, I’ll be there with you.
~*~
Rusted brandy in a diamond glass
everything is made from dreams
time is made from honey slow and sweet
only the fools know what it means
temptation, temptation, temptation
oh, temptation, temptation, I can't resist
I know that she is made of smoke
but I've lost my way
she knows that I am broke
so that I must play
temptation, temptation, temptation
oh, whoa, temptation, temptation, I can't resist
Dutch pink and Italian blue
she is waiting there for you
my will has disappeared
now my confusions oh so clear
temptation, temptation, temptation
whoa, whoa, temptation, temptation
I can't resist
Tom Waits
P.S. Unfortunately, I'm going to be up in the mountains for the next week, with no phone reception much less internet access. Yes, it's killing me already. If you comment and I don't respond right away, believe me, it's not from lack of wanting to.