thinky thoughts on Supernatural
Sep. 29th, 2010 11:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
slowlyunfoldingHere's my take on the title sequence of Season 6 of Supernatural with some commentary on episode 6.01.
Scenes of Then contrasted with Now. The Season 6 graphic is the sound of shattering glass with a heartbeat layered over top. The glass explodes outwards towards the viewer over a dark background.
Theme: Breaking/Broken
1. My first impression was that of Humpty Dumpty. I don't know why either, sometimes thoughts just happen.
If you aren't familiar with the rhyme:
It was supposed to be a riddle for the listener to guess what kind of object Humpty Dumpty was that couldn't be fixed. The answer for those from other cultural persuasion is an egg. Also, in my reading Humpty Dumpty is Dean Winchester. It doesn't seem to matter how many times he dies & is rebuilt, there is a part of Dean Winchester that cannot be mended from the outside. Possibly Dean's time spent in Hell has affected him in ways he cannot even unpack. I wonder if the Enochian sigil is still in place on the brothers. Sam's comment that his prayers to Cas have been unanswered struck me as odd since the sigil was supposed to hide the brothers from all creatures.
2. Kristallnacht/Night of Broken Glass
A foreshadowing of genocide, mayhem and violence. The event that signals the end of an era, but also the beginning of a new era. Under the Nazi regime, this meant tyranny & oppression. Quite possibly, Heaven is out of control/balance in the same way the Nazi party glutted itself on power & fear.
3. Breaking a glass is a traditional ritual at Jewish wedding ceremonies.
copy pasted from Wikipedia:
At the end of the ceremony, the groom breaks a glass, crushing it with his right foot, and the guests shout "Mazel tov!" ("Good luck"). At some contemporary weddings, a lightbulb may be substituted because the glass is thinner and more easily broken.[21]
4. PTSD
Obviously, Dean's life as a hunter has caused some deep wounds within him. This is the reason why I believe that although Dean has been brought back from the dead many times, the psychological wounds that have been created in his soul cannot be removed by other agents. The wounds inflicted on Dean during his time in Hell have not been fully realized. Dean's propensity for not bothering to deal with his emotions & burying what does surface under sex, alcohol & insomnia is not healthy in the slightest, but it is a tactic that has helped keep him alive & in the game. It is mentioned in 6.01 that Dean was a mess when he first comes to Lisa & Ben. I think that Dean is completing a cycle in the Winchester family. After all, John Winchester was a Vietnam veteran. Not many soldiers escape PTSD, and Vietnam became the watershed for PTSD to be declared an actual condition. Prior to PTSD being recognized by the medical community, soldiers were taken off the line for 'exhaustion,' 'shell shock,' & the 'thousand yard stare.'
Only Dean can begin the process of healing himself, and this work would only be able to begin if he stops being a hunter. Being thrown back into combat would retraumatize Dean, and stop any progress he would have made toward healing. I think that is why Dean changes his mind to go back on the road with Sam. Dean's worst fear is that his life would become Sam's -- by losing Lisa to the Yellow Eyed Demon burning her on the ceiling, and Ben to the demon blood.
5. Tribe/Family
The title sequence for Season 5 was blood. This played out on the themes of addiction (Sam + demon blood = betrayal), the bonds of family (father (Sam & Dean & Bobby), son (Dean & Sam & Ben), holy ghost (Sam & Dean & Cas), and the overwhelming losses & sacrifices suffered by and for the Winchesters + Tribe (Ellen & Jo). By the end of Season 5, the bonds between Dean, Sam, Bobby & Cas have started to fray. They take separate vehicles to Detroit to confront Lucifer instead of piling in together. Dean tries to stay with Sam throughout, but Sam doesn't want Dean to 'watch' him drink the demon blood in order to prepare himself as Lucifer's vessel. Only Dean & Sam go into the building that Lucifer is waiting in.
In Season 6, Sam returns from Hell and has been back for almost a year. Dean is purposely not told of Sam's return by both Sam & Bobby. They want Dean to have a family & be 'out' of the life of a hunter. In turn, to fill this hole for Sam, Grandpa & the Campbells have replaced Dean. Sam has substituted the Campbell clan for Dean, but once he has a chance to revisit hunting with Dean again, Sam realizes that he wants Dean to be at his side. The roles have reversed between the brothers. Sam now seems independent & capable, more like a big brother. Dean is shattered & attempting to rebuild his life in suburbia, and seems more wayward & lost than ever. More like a little brother.
Scenes of Then contrasted with Now. The Season 6 graphic is the sound of shattering glass with a heartbeat layered over top. The glass explodes outwards towards the viewer over a dark background.
Theme: Breaking/Broken
1. My first impression was that of Humpty Dumpty. I don't know why either, sometimes thoughts just happen.
If you aren't familiar with the rhyme:
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a big fall.
All the king's horses, and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.
Humpty Dumpty had a big fall.
All the king's horses, and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.
It was supposed to be a riddle for the listener to guess what kind of object Humpty Dumpty was that couldn't be fixed. The answer for those from other cultural persuasion is an egg. Also, in my reading Humpty Dumpty is Dean Winchester. It doesn't seem to matter how many times he dies & is rebuilt, there is a part of Dean Winchester that cannot be mended from the outside. Possibly Dean's time spent in Hell has affected him in ways he cannot even unpack. I wonder if the Enochian sigil is still in place on the brothers. Sam's comment that his prayers to Cas have been unanswered struck me as odd since the sigil was supposed to hide the brothers from all creatures.
2. Kristallnacht/Night of Broken Glass
A foreshadowing of genocide, mayhem and violence. The event that signals the end of an era, but also the beginning of a new era. Under the Nazi regime, this meant tyranny & oppression. Quite possibly, Heaven is out of control/balance in the same way the Nazi party glutted itself on power & fear.
3. Breaking a glass is a traditional ritual at Jewish wedding ceremonies.
copy pasted from Wikipedia:
At the end of the ceremony, the groom breaks a glass, crushing it with his right foot, and the guests shout "Mazel tov!" ("Good luck"). At some contemporary weddings, a lightbulb may be substituted because the glass is thinner and more easily broken.[21]
The origin of this custom is unknown, although many reasons have been given. The primary reason is that joy must always be tempered.[22]. This is based on two accounts in the Talmud of rabbis who, upon seeing that their son's wedding celebration was getting out of hand, broke a vessel - in the second case a glass - to calm things down. Another explanation is that it is a reminder that despite the joy, Jews still mourn the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Because of this, some recite the verses "If I forget thee / O Jerusalem..." at this point.[12] Many other reasons have been given by traditional authorities.[22] Anthropological explanations include the making of a loud noise to scare away demons (bad luck), and the symbolic deflowering of the bride by the groom.[23]
Italics are mine.4. PTSD
Obviously, Dean's life as a hunter has caused some deep wounds within him. This is the reason why I believe that although Dean has been brought back from the dead many times, the psychological wounds that have been created in his soul cannot be removed by other agents. The wounds inflicted on Dean during his time in Hell have not been fully realized. Dean's propensity for not bothering to deal with his emotions & burying what does surface under sex, alcohol & insomnia is not healthy in the slightest, but it is a tactic that has helped keep him alive & in the game. It is mentioned in 6.01 that Dean was a mess when he first comes to Lisa & Ben. I think that Dean is completing a cycle in the Winchester family. After all, John Winchester was a Vietnam veteran. Not many soldiers escape PTSD, and Vietnam became the watershed for PTSD to be declared an actual condition. Prior to PTSD being recognized by the medical community, soldiers were taken off the line for 'exhaustion,' 'shell shock,' & the 'thousand yard stare.'
Only Dean can begin the process of healing himself, and this work would only be able to begin if he stops being a hunter. Being thrown back into combat would retraumatize Dean, and stop any progress he would have made toward healing. I think that is why Dean changes his mind to go back on the road with Sam. Dean's worst fear is that his life would become Sam's -- by losing Lisa to the Yellow Eyed Demon burning her on the ceiling, and Ben to the demon blood.
5. Tribe/Family
The title sequence for Season 5 was blood. This played out on the themes of addiction (Sam + demon blood = betrayal), the bonds of family (father (Sam & Dean & Bobby), son (Dean & Sam & Ben), holy ghost (Sam & Dean & Cas), and the overwhelming losses & sacrifices suffered by and for the Winchesters + Tribe (Ellen & Jo). By the end of Season 5, the bonds between Dean, Sam, Bobby & Cas have started to fray. They take separate vehicles to Detroit to confront Lucifer instead of piling in together. Dean tries to stay with Sam throughout, but Sam doesn't want Dean to 'watch' him drink the demon blood in order to prepare himself as Lucifer's vessel. Only Dean & Sam go into the building that Lucifer is waiting in.
In Season 6, Sam returns from Hell and has been back for almost a year. Dean is purposely not told of Sam's return by both Sam & Bobby. They want Dean to have a family & be 'out' of the life of a hunter. In turn, to fill this hole for Sam, Grandpa & the Campbells have replaced Dean. Sam has substituted the Campbell clan for Dean, but once he has a chance to revisit hunting with Dean again, Sam realizes that he wants Dean to be at his side. The roles have reversed between the brothers. Sam now seems independent & capable, more like a big brother. Dean is shattered & attempting to rebuild his life in suburbia, and seems more wayward & lost than ever. More like a little brother.