Hmm. Yeah. "Mystery Spot" is one episode where I can really see it--everything Sam does in that episode has the goal of getting Dean back, and he's obviously deeply traumatized from having to watch Dean die. I was surprised when I started season four to see how much Sam had shifted his focus to vengeance instead of to rescue, though, considering that in "Mystery Spot" months went by and he didn't give up.
And it was particularly striking because Sam seemed almost annoyed that Dean was back--he was more focused on getting revenge for Dean's death than on the fact that Dean was actually alive and in need of his emotional support in the present. He was contemptuous of Dean's "weakness" (emotional fragility after the torment of hell!) and thought that Dean was "holding him back," which pretty clearly translates to valuing vengeance for Dean more than Dean himself.
I totally don't fault Sam for going to college. It's normal and healthy for children in this culture to leave their families, and John is the one who shut the door on Sam's return. And it certainly doesn't mean that Sam didn't love Dean--I think he does, I just don't think he has the kind of all consuming love that directs the course of his life the way that Dean does.
I think you're right that Sam tends to deal with his emotions by getting angry, but ... I don't know, at a certain point, especially in seasons four and five, it felt like he cared more about his anger than about Dean. (I know that in season four the demon blood was affecting his responses, but still--I just don't feel the love from Sam the way I do from Dean.)
I'm not really trying to argue, just trying to understand where you're coming from and reconcile it with my own perceptions.
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Date: 2010-10-25 08:38 pm (UTC)And it was particularly striking because Sam seemed almost annoyed that Dean was back--he was more focused on getting revenge for Dean's death than on the fact that Dean was actually alive and in need of his emotional support in the present. He was contemptuous of Dean's "weakness" (emotional fragility after the torment of hell!) and thought that Dean was "holding him back," which pretty clearly translates to valuing vengeance for Dean more than Dean himself.
I totally don't fault Sam for going to college. It's normal and healthy for children in this culture to leave their families, and John is the one who shut the door on Sam's return. And it certainly doesn't mean that Sam didn't love Dean--I think he does, I just don't think he has the kind of all consuming love that directs the course of his life the way that Dean does.
I think you're right that Sam tends to deal with his emotions by getting angry, but ... I don't know, at a certain point, especially in seasons four and five, it felt like he cared more about his anger than about Dean. (I know that in season four the demon blood was affecting his responses, but still--I just don't feel the love from Sam the way I do from Dean.)
I'm not really trying to argue, just trying to understand where you're coming from and reconcile it with my own perceptions.