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SPN: Jump the Shark
Spoilers ahoy.
So that went down pretty much as I was expecting, though my prediction was that Adam would be either dead or monstrous, and they managed to make him both, which was a really great trick.
But of course the whole episode wasn't about Adam, it was about John, and John's relationship to Sam and Dean. And as someone who loves John Winchester and used to delude myself that his parenting choices were not uniformly awful, it is a little depressing to find out that the constant moving from town to town was probably about more than just following the hunt or even protecting Sam; it seems now like it must have been a deliberate strategy to prevent the boys from forming relationships with anyone, since hunting is life, any connection is a weakness and just endangers the other people, so you have to cut them off and not look back.
OUCH. *Pets poor wee Sammy and Dean*
Of course, apparently John didn't live up to his own philosophy, at least when it comes to Adam, and I found all those smiling photographs of John, Adam's mom and Adam heartbreakingly creepy. And Dean asking about John taking Adam to a baseball game for his birthday? Ouch again.
The whole suddenly-appearing-brother, Cousin Olliver (HEE) storyline was totally worth it for the conversation Dean and Sam have after Sam tells Adam "hunting is life," though. Dean, vis-a-vis Adam, is still playing the same big brother role he always has--trying to protectSam Adam as much as he can, making it possible for him to have a normal life, while Sam really has become John, such a consummate hunter that hunting takes over his entire life and erodes even those relationships he does hold sacred. The writers didn't need to bang us over the head by having Dean, at the funeral, saying Sam and John were the same person; it was apparent from this scene. And it's so interesting that Dean might *not* be complimenting Sam when he says he's like John in ways Dean can never be.
And yet at the same time this is such a reversal of season 1, when Sam still had hopes of the return of normal life and Dean was the one who couldn't imagine life beyond hunting. He still can't, for himself, but he wants it forSammy Adam. Oh, my heart. And despite his extremely heroic efforts--his absolute refusal to give into Adam's destiny while Sam just accepts the fact that it's the curse of being a Winchester (another recurring theme of the season: Dean fighting the idea of destiny while Sam embraces it)--Dean ultimately can do nothing but give Adam a final gift: a hunter's funeral.
And so appropriately in an episode that was all about remembering John, we get a funeral scene that is an almost complete replica of John's own funeral.
Strangely enough, the ending made me wish that Adam hadn't died, even though for most of the episode I was *praying* he was a monster. And not just because he wasn't pretty enough to be a Winchester (seriously, though--as a Winchester, he really got cheated of the hotness gene the other three had) or for the Cousin Oliver factor, but because I couldn't see him being anything other than "meat," as Sam so graphically put it, if he actually survived the episode. He would have just existed to be a character-in-jeopardy, and probably have been killed by Lilith in the season finale. But the ending reminded me of how much they miss their dad, and would love some sort of continuing, tangible connection to him. And part of what I did love about the episode, too, was Sam getting to play big brother for a change and teach Adam things Dean no doubt taught him.
Oh, Winchesters, you really are cursed, by Kripke if by nothing else.
Edited to add: How did I forget two important Sam things? First of all, my reaction to Sam suggesting they raise Adam from the dead was "Oh yeah, because that *always* works out well for Winchesters." And second, I guess we have confirmation that Sam's badass mojo only works on demons?
Also, I've seen a bunch of people pointing out that not telling Sam and Dean they had a brother is another bad mark against John's parenting, which I guess makes sense--I wonder why that didn't bother me so much. Maybe because it fits with trying to protect Adam? And someone (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
elandrialore, maybe?) pointed out that if the kid first contacted John when he was 12, that would have been right after Sam left for college, so there's probably a reason (guilt) why John treated him differently. Which is a very good point.
So that went down pretty much as I was expecting, though my prediction was that Adam would be either dead or monstrous, and they managed to make him both, which was a really great trick.
But of course the whole episode wasn't about Adam, it was about John, and John's relationship to Sam and Dean. And as someone who loves John Winchester and used to delude myself that his parenting choices were not uniformly awful, it is a little depressing to find out that the constant moving from town to town was probably about more than just following the hunt or even protecting Sam; it seems now like it must have been a deliberate strategy to prevent the boys from forming relationships with anyone, since hunting is life, any connection is a weakness and just endangers the other people, so you have to cut them off and not look back.
OUCH. *Pets poor wee Sammy and Dean*
Of course, apparently John didn't live up to his own philosophy, at least when it comes to Adam, and I found all those smiling photographs of John, Adam's mom and Adam heartbreakingly creepy. And Dean asking about John taking Adam to a baseball game for his birthday? Ouch again.
The whole suddenly-appearing-brother, Cousin Olliver (HEE) storyline was totally worth it for the conversation Dean and Sam have after Sam tells Adam "hunting is life," though. Dean, vis-a-vis Adam, is still playing the same big brother role he always has--trying to protect
And yet at the same time this is such a reversal of season 1, when Sam still had hopes of the return of normal life and Dean was the one who couldn't imagine life beyond hunting. He still can't, for himself, but he wants it for
And so appropriately in an episode that was all about remembering John, we get a funeral scene that is an almost complete replica of John's own funeral.
Strangely enough, the ending made me wish that Adam hadn't died, even though for most of the episode I was *praying* he was a monster. And not just because he wasn't pretty enough to be a Winchester (seriously, though--as a Winchester, he really got cheated of the hotness gene the other three had) or for the Cousin Oliver factor, but because I couldn't see him being anything other than "meat," as Sam so graphically put it, if he actually survived the episode. He would have just existed to be a character-in-jeopardy, and probably have been killed by Lilith in the season finale. But the ending reminded me of how much they miss their dad, and would love some sort of continuing, tangible connection to him. And part of what I did love about the episode, too, was Sam getting to play big brother for a change and teach Adam things Dean no doubt taught him.
Oh, Winchesters, you really are cursed, by Kripke if by nothing else.
Edited to add: How did I forget two important Sam things? First of all, my reaction to Sam suggesting they raise Adam from the dead was "Oh yeah, because that *always* works out well for Winchesters." And second, I guess we have confirmation that Sam's badass mojo only works on demons?
Also, I've seen a bunch of people pointing out that not telling Sam and Dean they had a brother is another bad mark against John's parenting, which I guess makes sense--I wonder why that didn't bother me so much. Maybe because it fits with trying to protect Adam? And someone (
elandrialore, maybe?) pointed out that if the kid first contacted John when he was 12, that would have been right after Sam left for college, so there's probably a reason (guilt) why John treated him differently. Which is a very good point.