Monday, May 23, 2011
Edohotep
Writer: Eric Kripke.
Like humpty dumpty with all the king’s men, nobody can put Sam Winchester back together again. Only his true self is able to. The season finale of CW's Supernatural, "The Man Who Knew Too Much," is going out with a soft surprise. The real Sam is back and he is bad. Everyone can blame Castiel for instigating Sam's torment. But for Sam, perhaps there is a lesson learned. He acknowledges the fact that the death of innocents is inevitable in the work he does.
Also, the screen treatment of Sam's fractured life is well handled in terms of cinematic expression. As expected, Sam has to find all the broken shards that make up who he is. The wrap-up for this story arc is not just to finish a season, but to tie all the events that happened to Sam, in the past year—with or without soul—together. Some parts of his internalized conflict works better than others, And as for the peeks into what Hell looks like, that should’ve been left on the cutting room floor. To see a close up of Sam's face simply being burnt does not work. Audiences know he was locked up with Lucifer and Michael. Where are they? Did they simply not care that there's a living battery they could use in their eternal fight?
At least audiences get a tease of what is going on in Sam’s head. Ackles is great at playing three different versions of himself–one is like a lost lamb, another a killer, and the last one is his memories of life in Hell. Within those memories is what Sam witnessed of the other two forces in the cage he was locked in. Or, perhaps, do they represent something else about what Sam is?
In true Jekyll and Hyde fashion, all heroes must accept that there are impulses, both good and bad, to define what makes them tick. They often give the meek the confidence needed to overcome diversity. In Sam, that is to accept what is hidden behind the looking glass–the truths of what he has to become. That inlcudes acknowledging what happened to him when he was locked up in a cage with the devil Lucifer and the archangel Michael. Their battle in the cage may get revisited next season. As the final minutes nears for this episode, Sam is seen struggling with those memories.
What it looked like in the opening act was a maze of city streets, an individual devoid of memory, a forest to stage where one of the fights will happens, and a home where Sam’s life belongs. It is Bobby’s abode and that represents Sam’s embracing of his hunter heritage. He was never a hunter when "Supernatural" first began. By the looks of this episode, he finally comes to terms with it.
Sometimes, innocents will get hurt and there is nothing he can do to prevent it. That's the message Sam's complete self had to acknowledge. And that includes the proverbial killing of his other selves so he can absorb that knowledge back into himself.
Also happening at the same time, the war in heaven is taking another turn. The familial alliances are put into question and Balthazar finally decides to help the Winchester brothers. Castiel and Crowley are no longer partners, and Raphael makes a deal with the new King of Hell. When Cas learns of that, he begins looking hell-bent and finds that he has to take charge. As the last several episodes have repeated enforced, the more souls one holds, the more powerful he can become.
But what isn't said is that the more power one can hold, this threshold can turn saints into angels, angels to archangels, and perhaps even becoming a god. Whether or not that's good or bad, the next stage of the war is being reserved for next season.
Castiel has done more than shed his wings. He is the new God. As for how this will play out with actor Misha Collins not returning as a series regular for season seven, he will at least be back in full force for the premiere.
Previous seasons of "Supernatural:"
Advertise Here - Contact me Michael Allen at 28DLA
| | | | |
Subscribe to 28 Days Later: An Analysis by Email
Posted in: sam winchester,split personalities,supernatural
0 comments:
Post a Comment