some incomplete midnight ramblings for 502...
I have to say that seeing Castiel confront Dean over the Castiel’s own actions since his choice to side with them against Zachariah was very satisfying. Dean has demanded much of Castiel to prove his allegiance and not been giving much in the way back. Castiel died defending them and has now killed two of his brothers, an act that he was so profoundly troubled by he killed both from behind, unable to look into their faces as he drove home the killing blow.
He is no Uriel who will kill without qualm.
Castiel has stated that he finds his Fathers creations full of wonder. That every life is a wondrous gift of his fathers’ creation and for him to participate now in any part of its destruction must be painful and disturbing. And he has done this for Dean, who critizises his faith and his actions, who belittle Castiel’s Father and his true grace.
Castiel has a right to be angry. He has lost everything and bet on the dark horse of the race and he has only his faith that his Father would not have allowed any of this happen if he knew, if he had been present he would have stopped Zachariah and the the other senior angels plans for the bringing of the Apocalypse. That indeed his Father, God, does care about his creation.
This anger has now been communicated to Dean. Pretty effectively and Dean now gets it. Castiel is in this up to his neck. Along with the boys and he expect them to play along.
I think what Castel doesn’t yet understand is the act of Freewill that God invested in his Creation, Humanity. God gave them the ability to choose their fate and much of what we are now struggling with in the show mythology has been brought on by that ability to choose. Even Dean’s refusal of Zachariah’s demand that he submit to the ArchAngel Michael and become his vessel or weapon is based on God’s gift of freewill.
This is something that the angels don’t understand as they have never had it. Castiel is exercising it after Anna and Dean have showed him that blind obedience to an acknowledged wrong path makes you as culpable for those wrong actions as those that issue the orders. That standing behind an authority and claiming that he was just following his orders will not absolve him of those actions. He has a personal responsibility to himself and to his faith in a kinder, gentler God to make deliberate rebellious actions against the current angels in charge. And given what he sees as his resurrection and the saving of the boys from the cataclysmic opening of Lucifer’s gate he feels justified that his own deliberations and actions are correct, but still the choice must feel lonely and constantly challenge his faith.
But as an aside and this is my problem with the logic of the episode, if God did take the time and trouble to resurrect Castiel and save Sam and Dean, why has he not stepped in to take more immediate action and stop the apocalypse? Is it the practice of free will, is it sadistic as Lucifer claims or is it that he doesn’t care beyond a certain level of curiosity to see how some pieces will play out the game? Is it something else? Is it that we wouldn’t have a 5th season if God stepped and fixed everything straight away? :-)
returning to comment later on :
the return of Ellen and Jo. Yea!!!
the return of Rufus
Cranky Bobby
so much else but also...
MSDORI wrote that Sam’s final farewell to Dean was his palm sliding over the back of the Impala. And I agreed.
In the most brotherly sense, Sam's farewell to the car screams his farewell to Dean, the hug they couldn't/wouldn't share . There was too much pain in this parting. They save those physical demonstrations for their celebration of finding each other alive not parting. I don't believe that either of want this but they can't see how to stop it now that Sam has initiated it.
I think it broke me quite a lot. But I have to say that my reading of the break was that Sam didn't expect Dean to let him go. He may have offered but his reaction to Dean's acquiescence was shock and, for me, a silent "don't let me go, don't let me go". He knows that Dean doesn't trust him and has come to the conclusion that he can't trust himself. That his need to "do good" or "save people", and also his need to take revenge, is so strong that it can be subverted as has been demonstrated by Ruby's manipulations. It is a shock for his pride and I think an interesting mirror of Dean's confession during the Season 1 finale. But whereas Sam supported and argued for his brothers behaviour, too much has passed between the two and Dean can only see the cost that Sam has become to him and the pain that he is still feeling over Sam's betrayal. I think this is Dean's biggest mistake. Letting Sam go.
And perhaps part of Dean letting Sam go is guilt. Guilt that he couldn’t stop Sam, guilt that he couldn’t protect Sam and guilt that he couldn’t kill Sam to protect the world. He has to live with his own role in starting the apocalypse and every day Sam is a reminder of that. With Sam gone, Dean can deal with the consequences and try to put some of it back to rights without the nagging physical reminder, his own conscience is bad enough. And maybe also, Dean is afraid that he will have to kill Sam in the future. Could he ever do that? Maybe. With enough emotional distance between them and a strong enough motivator, but he couldn’t kill the brother he lives next to everyday.
He is no Uriel who will kill without qualm.
Castiel has stated that he finds his Fathers creations full of wonder. That every life is a wondrous gift of his fathers’ creation and for him to participate now in any part of its destruction must be painful and disturbing. And he has done this for Dean, who critizises his faith and his actions, who belittle Castiel’s Father and his true grace.
Castiel has a right to be angry. He has lost everything and bet on the dark horse of the race and he has only his faith that his Father would not have allowed any of this happen if he knew, if he had been present he would have stopped Zachariah and the the other senior angels plans for the bringing of the Apocalypse. That indeed his Father, God, does care about his creation.
This anger has now been communicated to Dean. Pretty effectively and Dean now gets it. Castiel is in this up to his neck. Along with the boys and he expect them to play along.
I think what Castel doesn’t yet understand is the act of Freewill that God invested in his Creation, Humanity. God gave them the ability to choose their fate and much of what we are now struggling with in the show mythology has been brought on by that ability to choose. Even Dean’s refusal of Zachariah’s demand that he submit to the ArchAngel Michael and become his vessel or weapon is based on God’s gift of freewill.
This is something that the angels don’t understand as they have never had it. Castiel is exercising it after Anna and Dean have showed him that blind obedience to an acknowledged wrong path makes you as culpable for those wrong actions as those that issue the orders. That standing behind an authority and claiming that he was just following his orders will not absolve him of those actions. He has a personal responsibility to himself and to his faith in a kinder, gentler God to make deliberate rebellious actions against the current angels in charge. And given what he sees as his resurrection and the saving of the boys from the cataclysmic opening of Lucifer’s gate he feels justified that his own deliberations and actions are correct, but still the choice must feel lonely and constantly challenge his faith.
But as an aside and this is my problem with the logic of the episode, if God did take the time and trouble to resurrect Castiel and save Sam and Dean, why has he not stepped in to take more immediate action and stop the apocalypse? Is it the practice of free will, is it sadistic as Lucifer claims or is it that he doesn’t care beyond a certain level of curiosity to see how some pieces will play out the game? Is it something else? Is it that we wouldn’t have a 5th season if God stepped and fixed everything straight away? :-)
returning to comment later on :
the return of Ellen and Jo. Yea!!!
the return of Rufus
Cranky Bobby
so much else but also...
MSDORI wrote that Sam’s final farewell to Dean was his palm sliding over the back of the Impala. And I agreed.
In the most brotherly sense, Sam's farewell to the car screams his farewell to Dean, the hug they couldn't/wouldn't share . There was too much pain in this parting. They save those physical demonstrations for their celebration of finding each other alive not parting. I don't believe that either of want this but they can't see how to stop it now that Sam has initiated it.
I think it broke me quite a lot. But I have to say that my reading of the break was that Sam didn't expect Dean to let him go. He may have offered but his reaction to Dean's acquiescence was shock and, for me, a silent "don't let me go, don't let me go". He knows that Dean doesn't trust him and has come to the conclusion that he can't trust himself. That his need to "do good" or "save people", and also his need to take revenge, is so strong that it can be subverted as has been demonstrated by Ruby's manipulations. It is a shock for his pride and I think an interesting mirror of Dean's confession during the Season 1 finale. But whereas Sam supported and argued for his brothers behaviour, too much has passed between the two and Dean can only see the cost that Sam has become to him and the pain that he is still feeling over Sam's betrayal. I think this is Dean's biggest mistake. Letting Sam go.
And perhaps part of Dean letting Sam go is guilt. Guilt that he couldn’t stop Sam, guilt that he couldn’t protect Sam and guilt that he couldn’t kill Sam to protect the world. He has to live with his own role in starting the apocalypse and every day Sam is a reminder of that. With Sam gone, Dean can deal with the consequences and try to put some of it back to rights without the nagging physical reminder, his own conscience is bad enough. And maybe also, Dean is afraid that he will have to kill Sam in the future. Could he ever do that? Maybe. With enough emotional distance between them and a strong enough motivator, but he couldn’t kill the brother he lives next to everyday.