Predestination, Free Will, Honesty, and the Signifcance of Triumph
Spoilers through 4.18.
Predestination, Free Will, Honesty, and the Significance of Triumph
The unofficial theme song for Supernatural is “Carry On Wayward Son” by Kansas, used to begin All Hell Breaks Loose II and No Rest for the Wicked, the finales of S2 and S3 as well as Salvation, the penultimate episode of S1 - but not the finale itself. The song that played during the THEN recap for Devil’s Trap was actually “Fight the Good Fight” by Triumph. I’ve often wondered what the significance of that particular song was or if Kripke was just trying out several different songs before discovering how “Carry On Wayward Son” resonated with the audience.
After watching The Monster at the End of This Book, I think they’re sufficient evidence to say that Triumph’s song was used to foreshadow the mythological arc of the entire series. As our heroes (and even angels) struggle with challenges to their beliefs through issues of predestination versus free will and the importance of communication and honesty, the lyrics of “Fight the Good Fight” provide another perspective on what’s happening on Supernatural - and how the ultimate fate of the Winchester boys (and the world) may not be as set in stone as Zachariah seems to believe.
Predestination And Free Will As Interpreted By Angels
Every day it seems much harder tellin' right from wrong
You got to read between the lines….
The Good Book says it's better to give than to receive
I do my best to do my part…
Is there such a thing as destiny? How much does free will determine in our lives? These aren’t just existential questions - they’re questions that have shaped the Christianity of many people for hundred’s of years. Some denominations and sects believe in predestination: that God has mapped out our lives since before we were born (a few have even believed that only certain people have been chosen to get into Heaven and those people will get in no matter what they do or believe in this life). Others believe God is a guiding force and that while He may have a plan for us, we are ultimately the ones who have the free will to decide whether or not we’re going to live out that plan. On Supernatural, the two resident angels - Zachariah and Castiel - are representing these very different concepts in Christianity.
Taking the side of predestination is Zachariah, a leader among the angels - beings whose existence is defined by obedience above all. He is clearly not a huge proponent of free will and treats the humans he comes across like they’re angels in his battalion rather than, well, humans. When Dean wasn’t recovering from Hell and the revelation that he broke the first seal fast enough, he kidnapped the Winchester brothers, wiped their memories, and then explained it all to Dean (who felt understandably violated by the whole ordeal) with a “Hunting’s your destiny; stop bitching about your life because it could be worse” (I’m paraphrasing, but that was the gist of it). An episode later he issued a barely veiled threat when Chuck wanted to warn Sam and Dean about what’s coming before telling poor Chuck that suicide was pointless because he’d just bring the prophet back to life. The boys are on a timetable and Chuck is supposed to write the Book of the Winchesters (Not “Gospel” - in the Bible, the Gospels are about the life of Jesus; the parts about other people’s lives are called Books - though I suspect the writers used “Gospel” because it was more recognizable as something Biblical): this is what’s supposed to happen and Zachariah not going to let anyone mess with predestination just because they’re angsty, conflicted, and human.
Castiel, who has been in close contact with humans longer than his boss, is beginning to understand the importance of free will. If he didn’t know it before, he does now: human beings are defined by their ability to choose. Dean made that perfectly clear when he vowed to refuse his role in stopping the Apocalypse if Castiel didn’t help him save Sam then. Castiel has responded to such disregarding behavior in the past by trying to order him around, manipulating him, and reminding him he could send Dean right back to Hell, but he didn’t this time because he’s learned this doesn’t work. Why? Because human beings don’t have the same rules of existence that angels do and treating his charge like angel when he’s being belligerent will ultimately get him nowhere; so instead he respected Dean’s free will and did what he could to help without breaking the rules of his own existence.
It wasn’t wrong or in defiance of God that Castiel helped Dean save Sam. God gave human beings free will and it’s the right of humans to exercise it. Castiel understands this; Zachariah doesn’t. Castiel is learning that the roles the Winchester boys will play in the Apocalypse will be roles defined by their humanness and free will while Zachariah seems to think very little of both concepts. Of utmost importance, though, is the fact that God gave humans free will for a reason and that reason is a part of the master plan, whether or not the angels completely understand what that means.
“Have You Been Wrong So Far?”
All your life you've been waiting for your chance
Where you'll fit into the plan
But you're the master of your own destiny
So give and take the best that you can
Zachariah asked this question of Chuck, but it goes beyond that conversation and into the mythology of the show. Has anything that was supposed to happen not happen? The answer is a big, resounding YES.
Demons in particular have a bad track record with bringing what was supposedly going to happen into being, as they have a tendency to miscalculate the human component:
- Jake was supposed to lead a demon army after being the last psy-kid standing in Cold Oaks at the end of All Hell Breaks Loose, Part I. Dean defied this because he couldn’t stand the thought of living without his brother and because he refused to believe in the rules the YED was playing by.
- Sam was supposed to lead this demon army by virtue of ultimately being the only psy-kid left after Azazel’s demise. He refused because he didn’t want to be a leader of evil or Azazel’s pawn - he just wanted to save his brother. Even if he had stepped up to the task, it was made clear pretty quickly that many of the demons weren’t about to subordinate themselves to him. Sure, he could have embraced his power and either inspired or forced them to follow him, but that sounds more like choice than destiny.
- John was supposed to be the one to kick-start the Apocalypse, according to Alastair. Whether he didn’t break or his breaking didn’t break the first seal (if Alastair is telling the truth at all), Dean became the righteous man they needed to get things started. Since when does destiny need a plan B?
A few characters - notably Sam - have had visions of the future. However, thanks to love and determination on the good guys’ part, what happened in those visions and what actually took place often turn out to be two different things:
- In Nightmare, Sam had a vision of Max killing his stepmother - something that he and Dean managed to stop through a timely intervention. Sam also saw Max shoot Dean and was able to prevent it from happening in large part because his love for his brother made his powers stronger.
- In Salvation, Sam’s horrifying vision of new mother Monica dying over baby Rosie’s crib a-la Mary Winchester didn’t happen because the Winchester boys followed through on their determination to protect that family from going through what their family had to.
- In Simon Said, Sam saw Tracey take a swan dive off a bridge. He, Dean, and Andy were clever enough to figure out that Webber was responsible by working together, but ultimately it was Andy’s love for Tracey and determination to protect both her and his new friends that lead him to stop his “evil twin” once and for all.
- In Croatoan, Sam’s vision of Dean shooting Duane Tanner set the boys on the road to Oregon. What ultimately kept this from happening was Sam calling Dean on his out-of-character behavior, pointing out he didn’t seem to care that he was about to shoot an innocent man and that he was acting more like the demon-virus-infected people than himself. This stirred Dean’s conscience and eventually led to him confiding in his brother (and confessing John’s last order).
- In Hunted, it was Ava who had a vision of Sam getting blown up in what turned out to be Gordon Walker’s booby-trapped hideout. Sam refused to back down from walking into the trap, as Dean was the hostage/leverage, but he used this foreknowledge to not only escape death but also get the upper hand on Gordon and rescue his brother.
But Chuck is a prophet, not a psychic, some may argue; and his source is divine rather than demonic. That, however, doesn’t seem to matter because still the answer to Zachariah’s question of has he been wrong so far is yes: Chuck wrote that Sam would give in and have sex with Lilith. The difference between this prophecy and all the others is that Sam and Dean knew about it beforehand - they had time to digest the information, plan, and talk to each other. That made all the difference: Sam tricked Lilith and tried to kill her with the knife rather than giving in and Dean was able to find a way to make her go away (at least for the time being). Knowledge, planning, honesty, and free will won out over prophecy and predestination.
You Can’t Escape The Person In The Mirror
You think a little more money will buy your soul some rest
You'd better think of something else instead
You're so afraid of being honest with yourself
You'd better take a look inside your head
A key ingredient in thwarting Lilith was the amount of honesty Sam and Dean had with themselves and each other. That’s not surprising in an episode about how predestination stacks up against free will because honesty is the key difference between a person utilizing his or her free will and abusing it. The boys have been using their God-given right to choose how to lead their lives in some rather self-destructive ways this season but now they’re starting to realize that lying to themselves (and each other) is only giving the bad guys what they need to win.
One of the most poignant scenes in 4.18 was Sam’s conversation with Chuck about the demon blood. For the first time we got to see just how deeply ashamed Sam is about doing this; his intense drive to kill Lilith is about protecting Dean and controlling the crappy hand in life he was dealt a decade before he was born, but it’s also become about escaping that shame. As long as he keeps moving he doesn’t have to think about his addiction and what he’s been doing to feed it. He couldn’t run from Chuck, who knew everything but - significantly - tried to understand why he was doing it rather than just yell at him or judge him for doing it. Sam was forced to drop his defense mechanisms and face himself; possibly for the first time (or close to it) since Dean went to Hell.
Dean’s moment of honesty came when Sam refused to flee Lilith’s impending arrival. Ever since S1 when he first found out Sam had supernatural powers Dean has been hiding his concern; refusing to consciously acknowledge the possibility that Sam could go bad; shrugging it off when he said anything that might betray his concern and/or unease with Sam’s abilities; and, as of late, muttering passive-aggressively when Sam did or said something he didn’t like. None of this worked because Sam never believed it and was left to draw his own conclusions about what his brother really thought. Dean didn’t make him imagine anything when Sam demanded whether or not he was afraid he’d go dark side: Dean admitted to Sam for the first time that he believed this was a possibility. While this wasn’t news to Sam, the reasons behind it probably were: Sam most likely assumed Dean’s issues were about the demon blood itself, but Dean revealed he was most concerned about his behavior. He wasn’t worried because he thought it was Sam’s destiny to go bad but rather Sam’s abuse of free will in the destructive ways he’s been acting - which is within Sam’s power to do something about.
The brothers’ honesty, although painful, didn’t go unrewarded. Sam may not have confessed to Dean about the demon blood (he’s not there quite yet) in response to Dean’s admission, but he also didn’t lie to him about not doing anything to enhance his powers. Dean in turn chose to stay and fight for his brother rather than walk out. Dean’s faith in Sam was then rewarded: Sam facing his shame was a big part in his ability to deny Lilith. In turn, Dean acknowledging Sam’s vulnerability gave him back a bit of the identity he’s been missing since coming back from Hell by making him see that his little brother still needed a big brother to look out for him. In the end, honesty was just as important as free will in getting rid of Lilith for the time being.
In The End
Nothing is easy, nothing good is free
But I can tell you where to start
Take a look inside your heart
There's an answer in your heart
Fight the good fight every moment
Every minute every day
Fight the good fight every moment
Make it worth the price we pay
In all likelihood Supernatural is not going to have a completely happy ending. Sam and Dean won’t destroy evil once and for all; they’re not going to retire into normal lives with wives, kids, houses, and jobs; they’re not going to meet each other for a cup of coffee every morning after getting the children off to school or spend weekends and holidays with each other’s families. The best they (and we) can expect is for them to live to fight another day, together and at peace with their lives. It seems as if they’re not destined to live any other life except that of a Hunter, but just how those lives are led is up to them.
Maybe some things are destined to be, but the ultimate force in Sam and Dean’s lives is their free will: the ability to make the right decision (especially when they have all the information) and the strength to be honest with themselves and each other when it truly matters. God may have made angels to obey, but He made humans with the capacity to choose for themselves and this human capacity is a part of the plan. However this ends for the Winchester brothers, as long as they let honesty guide them and trust their own free will - rather than the manipulation of angels and demons - it should indeed be worth the price they have to pay in the end.