Sacrifice, My Wayward Son
Beginning
in September of 2005, Supernatural
is
an American drama created by Eric Kripke, which focuses on the
travels of two brothers and their experiences with urban legends and
the paranormal. The main characters, Sam and Dean Winchester, have
eight seasons dedicated to their lives that are oriented around
demons, shape-shifters, angels, and other creatures straight out of
storybooks. Battling those on a life-long basis begins to take a toll
on the family of two, and sacrifice becomes the main plot arch of the
show. Throughout the series, and most notably in season finales, this
theme of sacrifice is actually motivated by family, underlying psychological issues, and the chance of redemption for past sins.
The final showdown
of the first season offers a familial point of view; how much the
brothers are willing to do for their father and for each other. In
"Devil's Trap", Dean abandons a plan set up previously in
order to save his father, John, disregarding the negative
consequences of doing so. This impulsive attitude towards John
indicates an obedience that borders on unhealthy desperation, likely
the product of the supernatural-hunter mentality instilled upon him
as a child. Further insight leads to the conclusion that Dean's
quick-temper reactions are motivated by the guilt he feels for not
being good enough for his father, and the passionate revenge sought
for John in this particular episode supports the assumption. In
addition, Dean later saves his brother's life using the little that
remains of their only anti-demon weapon, again disregarding the
consequences, which this time entail the possible loss of the one way
to kill this season's particular enemy. Recalling the previous
impulsive behavior, it can be said that loyalty to family has turned
into a form of desperation.
The same thing can be said for Sam, who in this episode says, "the things I'm willing to do for dad and you scare me sometimes," after being forced to kill a woman possessed by a demon in order to save his brother's life. Sam's empathy and morality are two of his strongest traits, repeatedly mentioned and worked into the plot throughout the entirety of the show. By extention, he values life above most things, so to do this he has lost a piece of himself. This eventually creates a plot line of him losing himself that carries on into the end of the most recent season, fueled by that loss of morality and his decisions never being approved of by his father. Between the brothers, this underlying implication of emotional neglect and possible abuse create the guilt and desperation that feed the sacrifices seen here, of personal safety and the overall goal.
The same thing can be said for Sam, who in this episode says, "the things I'm willing to do for dad and you scare me sometimes," after being forced to kill a woman possessed by a demon in order to save his brother's life. Sam's empathy and morality are two of his strongest traits, repeatedly mentioned and worked into the plot throughout the entirety of the show. By extention, he values life above most things, so to do this he has lost a piece of himself. This eventually creates a plot line of him losing himself that carries on into the end of the most recent season, fueled by that loss of morality and his decisions never being approved of by his father. Between the brothers, this underlying implication of emotional neglect and possible abuse create the guilt and desperation that feed the sacrifices seen here, of personal safety and the overall goal.
By the middle of
the series, in "Lucifer Rising", the sacrifices required of
the brothers have changed to a broader scope, encompassing both a
loss of self and, potentially, the world. Here we see Sam once more,
this time losing himself in the tide of the series; now drinking
demon blood in order to strengthen his discovered telepathic skills,
he sets out to kill Lilith, the mother of all demons, using this
power. His once-prominent traits of compassion and empathy are worn
away by the influence of Ruby, a demon claiming to have switched her
alliance in order to help the Winchesters stop the coming apocalypse.
In this 45 minute slot, Sam is told he's required to empty a
possessed nurse's body of blood, knowing that the woman's
consciousness is still aware in the body.
Of course, Sam initially rebels against the idea, which is one that many would consider evil. He later does jumps into the plan, however, believing Dean is looking down on him and no longer cares what happens to him. This abrupt morality switch is brought on by a voicemail from Dean, in which he referred to Sam as a "blood drinking monster"; it's implied through context that this message was falsified by a demon. Referring back to the implications of emotional neglect by his and Dean's father, one could take the resulting close relationship forged between the brothers as a sign that they were codependent beyond what was normal. This explains well the snap decision of Sam to risk his sense of self and mental stability, as his other half had shunned who he was already, and led him to harbor the feelings of desperation and guilt that are at play in this season finale.
Of course, Sam initially rebels against the idea, which is one that many would consider evil. He later does jumps into the plan, however, believing Dean is looking down on him and no longer cares what happens to him. This abrupt morality switch is brought on by a voicemail from Dean, in which he referred to Sam as a "blood drinking monster"; it's implied through context that this message was falsified by a demon. Referring back to the implications of emotional neglect by his and Dean's father, one could take the resulting close relationship forged between the brothers as a sign that they were codependent beyond what was normal. This explains well the snap decision of Sam to risk his sense of self and mental stability, as his other half had shunned who he was already, and led him to harbor the feelings of desperation and guilt that are at play in this season finale.
Ending the show for
the time being, the season eight finale holds the most poignant
example of sacrifice out of the three examined here. After the
discovery of God's Word, tablets containing information on angels and
demons, said tablets were being searched for in a frenzy; as they
hold the key to the destruction of both Heaven and Hell, they were
objects of intense interest and fear. Ending up in the hands of the
Winchester's, the Demon Tablet explained how to close the Gates of
Hell forever, outlining the three Trials that one must go to do
accomplish this. The last Trial, to cure of demon of it's demonic
nature, is now being worked by Sam on Crowley, the current King of
Hell. This involves taking the blood of purified human and injecting
it into the tainted recipient, who is tied up and taunting even as he
begins to show signs of humanity.
Sam is now free of the influence of demon blood by this time, and feels that the trials are purifying him completely, so he's is willing to give up his own blood hourly to ensure his heavenly forgiveness. This mindset comes with an apathy towards his physical well-being, as desperate as he is to atone for his sins. Dean discovers that the third trial results in death, a plan designed by God to be the "ultimate sacrifice" for the entirety of the human race, and when he tells Sam that this trial will kill him, his brother tiredly asks, "...so?" In the ensuing argument, Sam says that when he went to confession in order to purify himself, he realized that his greatest sin was never failing to let his big brother down. This deep-set guilt complex not only explains the desperation and negligence of himself, but also the motivation behind the sacrifice that would save the world.
Sam is now free of the influence of demon blood by this time, and feels that the trials are purifying him completely, so he's is willing to give up his own blood hourly to ensure his heavenly forgiveness. This mindset comes with an apathy towards his physical well-being, as desperate as he is to atone for his sins. Dean discovers that the third trial results in death, a plan designed by God to be the "ultimate sacrifice" for the entirety of the human race, and when he tells Sam that this trial will kill him, his brother tiredly asks, "...so?" In the ensuing argument, Sam says that when he went to confession in order to purify himself, he realized that his greatest sin was never failing to let his big brother down. This deep-set guilt complex not only explains the desperation and negligence of himself, but also the motivation behind the sacrifice that would save the world.
With as many
seasons as this show has, a recurring theme like sacrifice is not
something that is difficult to see, nor are the reasons behind it.
Overall, the different kinds of sacrifice are motivated by guilt and
desperation, but those two feelings come from varying sources. In the
beginning it was family, in the middle it became due to underlying
issues, and in the end it boiled down to the chance of redemption.
However, in a show with an overall plot about non-human creatures and
their evils, it may not be a surprise that the biggest theme's
motivators happen to be some of the human race's biggest pitfalls.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Works Cited:
"Devil's
Trap". Supernatural. Writ. Eric Kripke. Dir. Kim Manners.
CW, 4 May 2006. Netflix.com. Web.
"Lucifer
Rising". Supernatural. Writ. Eric Kripke. Dir. Eric
Kripe. CW, 14 May 2009. Netflix.com. Web.
"Sacrifice".
Supernatural. Writ. Eric Kripke and Jeremy Carver. Dir. Philip
Sgriccia. CW, 15 May 2013. Netflix.com. Web.
No comments:
Post a Comment