Scenes I Love . . .
"Dead Man's Blood" (cont.)
Warning: image heavy post.
The next scene begins in a motel room where the camera pans over the brothers in their beds. The show was always happy to exploit the sex appeal of its leads, and in the early seasons this often took the form of voyeuristic panning shots of them while they were sleeping. I’ve remarked before that the show seemed to be consciously subverting the traditional “male gaze” trope by objectifying male characters in a way that was unusual at the time. Down the track the scripts started to emphasize the creep factor of watching somebody while they’re sleeping so perhaps these early scenes were a deliberate choice to compromise the viewer in the act of invasive voyeurism even before it became an obvious recurring theme.
This is our first opportunity to watch all the Winchesters working a hunt together, and the next few scenes are highly revealing of the family pack dynamics. They are also pivotal to how the dominoes fall, not only as we head toward the season finale, but also going forward into season two and beyond.
At the crime scene, John continues to exclude the boys from his investigation and Sam’s frustration is growing as a consequence:
EXTERIOR. DAY.
JOHN finishes talking to a cop on the scene and starts walking back to the boys, waiting by the Impala.
SAM
I don't see why we couldn't have gone over with him.
DEAN
Oh don't tell me it's already starting.
SAM
What's starting?
DEAN
(To John) What have you got?
JOHN
It was them all right. Looks like they're heading west. We'll have to double back to get around that detour.
SAM
How can you be so sure?
DEAN
Sam...
SAM
(Sharply to Dean) I just wanna know we're going in the right direction.
JOHN
We are.
SAM
How do you know?
https://supernaturalwiki.com/1.20_Dead_Man%27s_Blood_(transcript)
Relenting a little, John produces his evidence:
JOHN
Hey Dean why don't you touch up your car before you get rust?
I wouldn't have given you the damn thing if I thought you were going to ruin it.
DEAN looks down at his car. SAM looks at DEAN with a 'told you so' look on his face. DEAN grimaces.
(Ibid.)
It seems that, having capitulated somewhat to Sam, John feels the need to reassert his authority by picking on Dean. It’s a particularly vicious swipe given how proud Dean is of the car. I think this is also the first time that we learn that John gave it to him, and the information adds another layer to its significance as a symbol of John’s love for and trust in his son. As such, the accusation that Dean isn’t taking care of it couldn’t be more cutting.
It also impacts on the brothers’ dynamic because, as we’ve seen throughout the season, Dean has been trying to maintain an image of himself as the top dog in their relationship, but John’s behaviour here marks Dean as occupying the lowest rung of the ladder in terms of family status - an observation that the Demon will also make and exploit in “Devil’s Trap” (s1e22).
A few years ago, I read the novel Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. One of the early chapters contains a description of circus lion training, and I was struck by its resonance with what I’d observed of the Winchester family interactions. Martel begins by explaining that, to control the lions, the trainer must become the de facto alpha of the pride. He continues:
It is interesting to note that the circus animal that is most amenable to the circus trainer’s tricks is the one with the lowest social standing in the pride, the omega animal. It has the most to gain from a close relationship with the super-alpha trainer. It is not only a question of extra treats. A close relationship will also mean protection from the other members of the pride. It is the compliant animal, to the public, no different from the others in size and apparent ferocity, that will be the star of the show, while the trainer leaves the beta and gamma lions, more cantankerous subordinates, sitting on their colourful barrels on the edge of the ring.
Yann Martel, Life of Pi p.44/45.
Over the course of the season it has been established that, in his dealings with John, Dean has been compliant to a fault, and John has made full use of his willingness:
In the car, Dean is reading up on vampires - from Elkins’ journal, perhaps? – and show takes the opportunity to expand on its SPN specific lore while setting the scene for the domestic dispute that’s about to occur. Again, I admire the way the writers subtly drip feed in the exposition between the drama and action sequences.
Sam is not happy about this.
Perhaps it’s Dean’s subservience that particularly irks Sam. Except on those occasions when John has inserted himself into their hunting rhythm, making Dean feel he his father's authority to lay down the law, the brothers’ relationship has been working because they’ve acted as a team. On occasion Dean has even sought guidance from Sam: for example, in “Home” where we saw him list several possible cases then prompt Sam to make the decision about which one they should pursue.
[s1e09]
Notably, he tries to maintain top-dog status whilst seeking authority from Sam by simultaneously feminizing him. And so long as Dean has included him in the decision-making process it seems Sam has been content to play the game. Maybe he even prefers to let Dean be the “big brother”, so long as he isn’t an ass about it. But now John blows in with his alpha energy and Sam as beta (and next generation alpha) feels the need to challenge it, and he hates to see Dean just roll over. Hence, when John calls with instructions and Dean just accepts them without question, Sam sees red:
And now we get the big confrontation with Sam demanding answers, John barking orders, and Dean stuck in the middle trying to keep the peace.
I’ve seen it proposed that, in the absence of a mother figure who might traditionally arbitrate between an authoritarian father and his rebellious son, Dean takes on that maternal role instead. Since we saw him fulfilling a similar parental function recently in “Something Wicked”, it seems a plausible interpretation of the interplay we see here.
But something significant has happened in this exchange that we shouldn't overlook: beneath the physical posturing and bluster John has revealed a hint of vulnerability: "your brother and me, we needed you." And, importantly, both parties got to air the crux of their issues, the points of emotional hurt that underpin the anger: "You walked away!"; "You closed that door!" Perhaps with a little time and reflection, this might provide an opportunity for reconciliation.
TBC.
.
Warning: image heavy post.
The next scene begins in a motel room where the camera pans over the brothers in their beds. The show was always happy to exploit the sex appeal of its leads, and in the early seasons this often took the form of voyeuristic panning shots of them while they were sleeping. I’ve remarked before that the show seemed to be consciously subverting the traditional “male gaze” trope by objectifying male characters in a way that was unusual at the time. Down the track the scripts started to emphasize the creep factor of watching somebody while they’re sleeping so perhaps these early scenes were a deliberate choice to compromise the viewer in the act of invasive voyeurism even before it became an obvious recurring theme.
John, however, is not sleeping. When the camera comes to rest on his figure he is hunched over a hand radio, listening to a police report of a “possible 207”, which apparently refers to a kidnapping. He concludes it’s the vampires and hastens to rouse his sons. Sam is immediately questioning: “How do you know?” he asks. In similar circumstances he would probably have expected Dean to fill him in on the way to the car, but John’s response is impatient and dismissive: “Just follow me, OK?” He promptly exits with Sam dogging his steps, and a still sleepy Dean trailing in the rear.
This is our first opportunity to watch all the Winchesters working a hunt together, and the next few scenes are highly revealing of the family pack dynamics. They are also pivotal to how the dominoes fall, not only as we head toward the season finale, but also going forward into season two and beyond.
At the crime scene, John continues to exclude the boys from his investigation and Sam’s frustration is growing as a consequence:
EXTERIOR. DAY.
JOHN finishes talking to a cop on the scene and starts walking back to the boys, waiting by the Impala.
SAM
I don't see why we couldn't have gone over with him.
DEAN
Oh don't tell me it's already starting.
SAM
What's starting?
DEAN
(To John) What have you got?
JOHN
It was them all right. Looks like they're heading west. We'll have to double back to get around that detour.
SAM
How can you be so sure?
DEAN
Sam...
SAM
(Sharply to Dean) I just wanna know we're going in the right direction.
JOHN
We are.
SAM
How do you know?
https://supernaturalwiki.com/1.20_Dead_Man%27s_Blood_(transcript)
Relenting a little, John produces his evidence:
“It's a vampire fang,” Dean exclaims as he hands it over, but John corrects him.
It’s another way in which the show differentiates itself from other vampire depictions but, despite John’s insistence and the fact that the FX crew continues to visualize vampiric teeth mostly consistently in future episodes, all subsequent scripts still tend to refer to them as fangs.
“Any more questions?” John demands and, when Sam remains silent, he snaps “all right, let's get out of here, we're losing daylight.” But, as they head for their cars, he adds an aside that clearly establishes the family pecking order:
“Any more questions?” John demands and, when Sam remains silent, he snaps “all right, let's get out of here, we're losing daylight.” But, as they head for their cars, he adds an aside that clearly establishes the family pecking order:
JOHN
Hey Dean why don't you touch up your car before you get rust?
I wouldn't have given you the damn thing if I thought you were going to ruin it.
DEAN looks down at his car. SAM looks at DEAN with a 'told you so' look on his face. DEAN grimaces.
(Ibid.)
It seems that, having capitulated somewhat to Sam, John feels the need to reassert his authority by picking on Dean. It’s a particularly vicious swipe given how proud Dean is of the car. I think this is also the first time that we learn that John gave it to him, and the information adds another layer to its significance as a symbol of John’s love for and trust in his son. As such, the accusation that Dean isn’t taking care of it couldn’t be more cutting.
It also impacts on the brothers’ dynamic because, as we’ve seen throughout the season, Dean has been trying to maintain an image of himself as the top dog in their relationship, but John’s behaviour here marks Dean as occupying the lowest rung of the ladder in terms of family status - an observation that the Demon will also make and exploit in “Devil’s Trap” (s1e22).
A few years ago, I read the novel Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. One of the early chapters contains a description of circus lion training, and I was struck by its resonance with what I’d observed of the Winchester family interactions. Martel begins by explaining that, to control the lions, the trainer must become the de facto alpha of the pride. He continues:
It is interesting to note that the circus animal that is most amenable to the circus trainer’s tricks is the one with the lowest social standing in the pride, the omega animal. It has the most to gain from a close relationship with the super-alpha trainer. It is not only a question of extra treats. A close relationship will also mean protection from the other members of the pride. It is the compliant animal, to the public, no different from the others in size and apparent ferocity, that will be the star of the show, while the trainer leaves the beta and gamma lions, more cantankerous subordinates, sitting on their colourful barrels on the edge of the ring.
Yann Martel, Life of Pi p.44/45.
Over the course of the season it has been established that, in his dealings with John, Dean has been compliant to a fault, and John has made full use of his willingness:
[“Asylum” s1e10]
On the other hand, Sam’s role as the rebellious son, challenging the authority of their alpha-male father, identifies him as the beta of the pack and potential future alpha.
I can imagine the beta and gamma lions described by Yann Martel don’t appreciate being left on the edge of the ring, out of the action, and no more does Sam. (Interestingly, we will see an apt visual demonstration of this later in the episode when John sends Dean on an errand while Sam is left behind in the motel room, pacing backwards and forwards like a frustrated animal trapped in its cage.) And, in the following scenes, John’s continued refusal to share information and involve his sons in the decision making soon provokes a major confrontation.
I can imagine the beta and gamma lions described by Yann Martel don’t appreciate being left on the edge of the ring, out of the action, and no more does Sam. (Interestingly, we will see an apt visual demonstration of this later in the episode when John sends Dean on an errand while Sam is left behind in the motel room, pacing backwards and forwards like a frustrated animal trapped in its cage.) And, in the following scenes, John’s continued refusal to share information and involve his sons in the decision making soon provokes a major confrontation.
In the car, Dean is reading up on vampires - from Elkins’ journal, perhaps? – and show takes the opportunity to expand on its SPN specific lore while setting the scene for the domestic dispute that’s about to occur. Again, I admire the way the writers subtly drip feed in the exposition between the drama and action sequences.
DEAN
(Reading) Vampires nest in groups of eight to ten. Smaller packs are sent to hunt for food.
Victims are taken to the nest where the pack keeps them alive, bleeding them for days or weeks.
I wonder if that's what happened to that 911 couple.
SAM
(Grumpily) That's probably what Dad's thinking. Course it would be nice if he just told us what he thinks.
DEAN
So it is starting.
SAM
What?
DEAN
Sam, we've been looking for Dad all year.
Now we're not with him for more than a couple of hours and there's static already?
SAM
Hmph. No. Look, I'm happy he's ok, all right? And I'm happy that we're all working together again.
DEAN
Well good.
SAM
(Unable to help himself) It's just the way he treats us, like we're children.
DEAN
Oh God.
SAM
He barks orders at us Dean, he expects us to follow 'em without question.
He keeps us on some crap need-to-know deal.
DEAN
He does what he does for a reason.
SAM
What reason?
DEAN
Our job! There's no time to argue, there's no margin for error, all right?
That's just the way the old man runs things.
(Ibid.)
(Reading) Vampires nest in groups of eight to ten. Smaller packs are sent to hunt for food.
Victims are taken to the nest where the pack keeps them alive, bleeding them for days or weeks.
I wonder if that's what happened to that 911 couple.
SAM
(Grumpily) That's probably what Dad's thinking. Course it would be nice if he just told us what he thinks.
DEAN
So it is starting.
SAM
What?
DEAN
Sam, we've been looking for Dad all year.
Now we're not with him for more than a couple of hours and there's static already?
SAM
Hmph. No. Look, I'm happy he's ok, all right? And I'm happy that we're all working together again.
DEAN
Well good.
SAM
(Unable to help himself) It's just the way he treats us, like we're children.
DEAN
Oh God.
SAM
He barks orders at us Dean, he expects us to follow 'em without question.
He keeps us on some crap need-to-know deal.
DEAN
He does what he does for a reason.
SAM
What reason?
DEAN
Our job! There's no time to argue, there's no margin for error, all right?
That's just the way the old man runs things.
(Ibid.)
Dean’s argument seems valid, up to a point, but, on the other hand, the brothers have been sharing information and responsibility all season and they’ve been getting the job done just fine – a fact that Sam implies in his response:
SAM
Yeah well maybe that worked when we were kids but not anymore, all right. Not after everything you and I have been through, Dean. I mean, are you telling me you're cool with just falling into line, and letting him run the whole show? (looks at Dean challengingly)
DEAN
(Giving Sam a long look; weakly, as if he's convincing himself) If that's what it takes.
(Ibid.)
Yeah well maybe that worked when we were kids but not anymore, all right. Not after everything you and I have been through, Dean. I mean, are you telling me you're cool with just falling into line, and letting him run the whole show? (looks at Dean challengingly)
DEAN
(Giving Sam a long look; weakly, as if he's convincing himself) If that's what it takes.
(Ibid.)
Sam is not happy about this.
Perhaps it’s Dean’s subservience that particularly irks Sam. Except on those occasions when John has inserted himself into their hunting rhythm, making Dean feel he his father's authority to lay down the law, the brothers’ relationship has been working because they’ve acted as a team. On occasion Dean has even sought guidance from Sam: for example, in “Home” where we saw him list several possible cases then prompt Sam to make the decision about which one they should pursue.
[s1e09]
Notably, he tries to maintain top-dog status whilst seeking authority from Sam by simultaneously feminizing him. And so long as Dean has included him in the decision-making process it seems Sam has been content to play the game. Maybe he even prefers to let Dean be the “big brother”, so long as he isn’t an ass about it. But now John blows in with his alpha energy and Sam as beta (and next generation alpha) feels the need to challenge it, and he hates to see Dean just roll over. Hence, when John calls with instructions and Dean just accepts them without question, Sam sees red:
INTERIOR. IMPALA. NIGHT.
SAM is driving.
DEAN
(on phone) Yeah Dad. All right, got it. (hangs up) Pull off at the next exit.
SAM
(Angry) Why.
DEAN
Cause Dad thinks we've got the vampire's trail.
SAM
(very angry) How.
DEAN
I don't know; he didn't say.
SAM guns the engine, DEAN looks at him like he's crazy. DEAN turns to look at JOHN'S truck as SAM overtakes it and passes it.
Once in front SAM slams on the brakes, causing the Impala to swerve sideways in front of JOHN's truck. They both stop.
(Ibid.)
SAM is driving.
DEAN
(on phone) Yeah Dad. All right, got it. (hangs up) Pull off at the next exit.
SAM
(Angry) Why.
DEAN
Cause Dad thinks we've got the vampire's trail.
SAM
(very angry) How.
DEAN
I don't know; he didn't say.
SAM guns the engine, DEAN looks at him like he's crazy. DEAN turns to look at JOHN'S truck as SAM overtakes it and passes it.
Once in front SAM slams on the brakes, causing the Impala to swerve sideways in front of JOHN's truck. They both stop.
(Ibid.)
And now we get the big confrontation with Sam demanding answers, John barking orders, and Dean stuck in the middle trying to keep the peace.
While I have every sympathy with Sam’s frustration with his father’s authoritarian attitude, I tend to agree with Dean here that this is neither the time nor place for a showdown, not to mention the stunt Sam pulled swerving in front of John’s truck was downright dangerous. Clearly, he’s driven by rage and ego rather than practicality and it’s left to Dean to present the voice of reason, which is an interesting reversal of their typical roles. It’s also interesting that Sam’s face is shown in shadow here, perhaps signifying he has been taken over by something dark in this moment. It might be said that John has the power to bring out the demon in Sam. 🤔
Another notable thing about this scene is the way it’s framed in regard to the characters’ respective heights. Although Jensen Ackles and Jeffery Dean Morgan are similar heights (both around the 6’1” mark) and Jared Padalecki is 6’4”, the perspective makes Dean look by far the shortest of the three, emphasizing his omega status in the family pack dynamic.
On the other hand, the height difference between Sam and John seems de-emphasized, while John’s stockier build allows him to come over as more imposing. The overall impression given is of two equally powerful men going at it.
Another notable thing about this scene is the way it’s framed in regard to the characters’ respective heights. Although Jensen Ackles and Jeffery Dean Morgan are similar heights (both around the 6’1” mark) and Jared Padalecki is 6’4”, the perspective makes Dean look by far the shortest of the three, emphasizing his omega status in the family pack dynamic.
On the other hand, the height difference between Sam and John seems de-emphasized, while John’s stockier build allows him to come over as more imposing. The overall impression given is of two equally powerful men going at it.
When Sam brings up the subject of when he left for college, the altercation starts to turn physical. John goes so far as to start poking and pushing Sam, and he grabs his collar at one point, but Sam refuses to be intimidated.
This is the scene that convinces me that Sam is not physically afraid of Dean. Their relationship is complex and there are aspects of it that I believe Sam fears but, if he’s prepared to go to head with John in this manner, I can’t believe he would ever be physically intimidated by Dean.
Nevertheless, Sam allows himself to be physically hustled back to the car by his brother, twice. And, despite Dean’s comparatively diminutive stature in this scene, John also allows himself to be talked down. I suspect both he and Sam are simply relieved to have a face-saving “out” from the conflict.
This is the scene that convinces me that Sam is not physically afraid of Dean. Their relationship is complex and there are aspects of it that I believe Sam fears but, if he’s prepared to go to head with John in this manner, I can’t believe he would ever be physically intimidated by Dean.
Nevertheless, Sam allows himself to be physically hustled back to the car by his brother, twice. And, despite Dean’s comparatively diminutive stature in this scene, John also allows himself to be talked down. I suspect both he and Sam are simply relieved to have a face-saving “out” from the conflict.
I’ve seen it proposed that, in the absence of a mother figure who might traditionally arbitrate between an authoritarian father and his rebellious son, Dean takes on that maternal role instead. Since we saw him fulfilling a similar parental function recently in “Something Wicked”, it seems a plausible interpretation of the interplay we see here.
But something significant has happened in this exchange that we shouldn't overlook: beneath the physical posturing and bluster John has revealed a hint of vulnerability: "your brother and me, we needed you." And, importantly, both parties got to air the crux of their issues, the points of emotional hurt that underpin the anger: "You walked away!"; "You closed that door!" Perhaps with a little time and reflection, this might provide an opportunity for reconciliation.
TBC.
.
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