Of angels and humans
Feb. 13th, 2010 12:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwaevalarinThere is so much to talk about in this episode, so instead of giving each character just a little attention I'll concentrate on Castiel.
When Dean calls Cas on the cell-phone they had almost the very same glitch they had last week: Dean has barely told him the name of the hospital, let alone the city they are in, when he turns up. That could so easily have been avoided by Dean starting their location with the city. Last week, to Anna, the city wasn't mentioned either. I'm almost beginning to wonder if there's a purpose behind this.
Anyway, Cas turns up instantly which leads to this little awkward moment. On the one hand, still being on the phone with someone who's standing right in front of you is silly, on the other hand you want to end a phone conversation properly. So that was a little comic relief that made perfect sense in Castiel's attempts to get adjusted to human life, at least when he's around the Winchester boys.
What I found odd is how fast Castiel shows up when Dean calls him while he's supposed to be busy searching for god. Either he has more or less given up on his search, maybe hit a dead end, and is spending his time just sitting around doing nothing, waiting for Dean to call. Because he wants to help but he doesn't want to bother the boys. Or he is willing to drop everything as soon as Dean calls. Either way, his attention is concentrated on Dean and Sam. They are like family to him by now, the closest thing he has to a family and I think, while he still might be looking for god, it's rather something to keep him busy. At least from what we've seen of his search so far. I'm not sure Castiel still really believes he's actually going to find him. But what else is he supposed to do whenever Sam and Dean are not asking for his help?
But with all his unease and awkwardness when it comes to human things, as soon as he is back on familiar territory - angel business, Enochian sigils - he is in control and appears a lot more self-confident and... angelic again. His talk about Cupid being Cherub and therefore a lower order of angel makes me wonder what order of angel Castiel actually belongs (belonged) to. Sometimes he seems hardly more than a foot soldier and then he can order a Cherub to manifest. But the only thing I know for sure is that Anna was his superior and he initially seemed to be slightly higher up the chain compared to Uriel. So I'm still a little puzzled on that front.
The scene in the diner - before Dean and Cas start acting out of character - shows perfectly how Castiel is still trying to get to grips with life on earth. How is isn't really an angel any more but he's not human either. He's sitting at the side line, watching life instead of participating in it. He's curious, he tried to figure it out and understand some of it, but life is still something only other people, humans, have, not him. So maybe, Jimmy's craving for red meat is the one to come through to affect Castiel because Castiel himself craves a litte bit of humanity, a little bit of the experience of human life. After all, he is clearly enjoying it. Or is that Jimmy as well? Because Castiel kind of reminds me of Jimmy when he finally got to eat again in "The Rapture"? Especially in the car. That smile looked very much like Jimmy and not like Cas at all. Neither our Cas and nor the human future Cas from "The End".
That something interesting we learn there: Jimmy is still around, trapped inside his own body without any control. But from the way Castiel talks about him and the way, Jimmy's craving can affect him like that, I get the feeling that Castiel takes good care of him. Of course it must still be a nightmare for Jimmy but I believe that Castiel is making it as bearable for him as he can.
This is also the first time that Castiel refers to things like sex, love, attention like he understands them. In a human way. Whenever he refered to sex as mating it sounded more like he was talking about some abstract, biological process. When he talked about love it was rather something like devotion and not the messy, human version. Maybe that's Jimmy's influence, too. Experiencing Jimmy's craving like that might help him understand the concept of starving for something. Maybe even realise that he has been feeling the same thing to a certain extend for a while but could never really figure out what it was.
Dean and Famine both suggest that Dean is unnaffected by Famine. Dean claims it's because he does what he craves for anyway and Famine states that it's because he's dead inside. I think they're both wrong/lying. Because as far as I can see, Dean is affected. After all, he's not acting any less out of character than everyone else. The effect is just seemingly reverse. But what Dean secretly craves for isn't food, alkohol and sex. What he really craves for is not needing those things to numb the pain. I wonder, if they had been under Famines influence much longer, would Dean have starved to death?
Now, talking about Dean being "dead inside". I think his desperate plea at the end of the episode proves that he's not. He's broken, probably beyond repair, but not dead. We also got a clear hint here on how and why Dean might say yes to Michael. After all, Dean turns to the heavens for help. Which I found very sad considering, that he just left his angelic friend inside to guard Sam. Castiel is cut off from heaven and he doesn't have the resources or contacts any more that his brothers have. But he can offer Dean something, that no one in heaven can: He can offer him true friendship. But Dean doesn't let him. Sure, Dean trusts Castiel, probably more than he has ever trust anyone besides Sam, his Dad and maybe Bobby. But he still keeps Cas at bay. He doesn't let him close and therefor Castiel can't really help him. Even though he is trying.
"Dean, Sam just need to get it out if his system and then he'll be..."
He sees how much it hurts Dean to lock Sam in for a cold turkey and he tries to offer a little bit of comfort. But Dean won't even let him do that. He cuts him off and leaves to "get some air".
And I believe that this hurts Cas a lot more than he shows. He tries to hide it but you can see it in his eyes. He is hurt as well as concerned. He is used to being closely connected to so many other angels, not in anything like human friendship or brotherhood but still. And now, that he discovers emotions and really needs someone the only family he has are Sam and Dean. But those two are struggling. Sam with his blood addiction and Dean with... well, his broken self. And Castiel wants to help them. So when Dean walks outside to aks the heavens for help instead of turning to Cas and leaves the angel behind to look after Sam and Castiel stands there wanting to hep Dean but knowing that he won't let him, I think that is just as heartbreaking as Deans breakdown.
When Dean calls Cas on the cell-phone they had almost the very same glitch they had last week: Dean has barely told him the name of the hospital, let alone the city they are in, when he turns up. That could so easily have been avoided by Dean starting their location with the city. Last week, to Anna, the city wasn't mentioned either. I'm almost beginning to wonder if there's a purpose behind this.
Anyway, Cas turns up instantly which leads to this little awkward moment. On the one hand, still being on the phone with someone who's standing right in front of you is silly, on the other hand you want to end a phone conversation properly. So that was a little comic relief that made perfect sense in Castiel's attempts to get adjusted to human life, at least when he's around the Winchester boys.
What I found odd is how fast Castiel shows up when Dean calls him while he's supposed to be busy searching for god. Either he has more or less given up on his search, maybe hit a dead end, and is spending his time just sitting around doing nothing, waiting for Dean to call. Because he wants to help but he doesn't want to bother the boys. Or he is willing to drop everything as soon as Dean calls. Either way, his attention is concentrated on Dean and Sam. They are like family to him by now, the closest thing he has to a family and I think, while he still might be looking for god, it's rather something to keep him busy. At least from what we've seen of his search so far. I'm not sure Castiel still really believes he's actually going to find him. But what else is he supposed to do whenever Sam and Dean are not asking for his help?
But with all his unease and awkwardness when it comes to human things, as soon as he is back on familiar territory - angel business, Enochian sigils - he is in control and appears a lot more self-confident and... angelic again. His talk about Cupid being Cherub and therefore a lower order of angel makes me wonder what order of angel Castiel actually belongs (belonged) to. Sometimes he seems hardly more than a foot soldier and then he can order a Cherub to manifest. But the only thing I know for sure is that Anna was his superior and he initially seemed to be slightly higher up the chain compared to Uriel. So I'm still a little puzzled on that front.
The scene in the diner - before Dean and Cas start acting out of character - shows perfectly how Castiel is still trying to get to grips with life on earth. How is isn't really an angel any more but he's not human either. He's sitting at the side line, watching life instead of participating in it. He's curious, he tried to figure it out and understand some of it, but life is still something only other people, humans, have, not him. So maybe, Jimmy's craving for red meat is the one to come through to affect Castiel because Castiel himself craves a litte bit of humanity, a little bit of the experience of human life. After all, he is clearly enjoying it. Or is that Jimmy as well? Because Castiel kind of reminds me of Jimmy when he finally got to eat again in "The Rapture"? Especially in the car. That smile looked very much like Jimmy and not like Cas at all. Neither our Cas and nor the human future Cas from "The End".
That something interesting we learn there: Jimmy is still around, trapped inside his own body without any control. But from the way Castiel talks about him and the way, Jimmy's craving can affect him like that, I get the feeling that Castiel takes good care of him. Of course it must still be a nightmare for Jimmy but I believe that Castiel is making it as bearable for him as he can.
This is also the first time that Castiel refers to things like sex, love, attention like he understands them. In a human way. Whenever he refered to sex as mating it sounded more like he was talking about some abstract, biological process. When he talked about love it was rather something like devotion and not the messy, human version. Maybe that's Jimmy's influence, too. Experiencing Jimmy's craving like that might help him understand the concept of starving for something. Maybe even realise that he has been feeling the same thing to a certain extend for a while but could never really figure out what it was.
Dean and Famine both suggest that Dean is unnaffected by Famine. Dean claims it's because he does what he craves for anyway and Famine states that it's because he's dead inside. I think they're both wrong/lying. Because as far as I can see, Dean is affected. After all, he's not acting any less out of character than everyone else. The effect is just seemingly reverse. But what Dean secretly craves for isn't food, alkohol and sex. What he really craves for is not needing those things to numb the pain. I wonder, if they had been under Famines influence much longer, would Dean have starved to death?
Now, talking about Dean being "dead inside". I think his desperate plea at the end of the episode proves that he's not. He's broken, probably beyond repair, but not dead. We also got a clear hint here on how and why Dean might say yes to Michael. After all, Dean turns to the heavens for help. Which I found very sad considering, that he just left his angelic friend inside to guard Sam. Castiel is cut off from heaven and he doesn't have the resources or contacts any more that his brothers have. But he can offer Dean something, that no one in heaven can: He can offer him true friendship. But Dean doesn't let him. Sure, Dean trusts Castiel, probably more than he has ever trust anyone besides Sam, his Dad and maybe Bobby. But he still keeps Cas at bay. He doesn't let him close and therefor Castiel can't really help him. Even though he is trying.
"Dean, Sam just need to get it out if his system and then he'll be..."
He sees how much it hurts Dean to lock Sam in for a cold turkey and he tries to offer a little bit of comfort. But Dean won't even let him do that. He cuts him off and leaves to "get some air".
And I believe that this hurts Cas a lot more than he shows. He tries to hide it but you can see it in his eyes. He is hurt as well as concerned. He is used to being closely connected to so many other angels, not in anything like human friendship or brotherhood but still. And now, that he discovers emotions and really needs someone the only family he has are Sam and Dean. But those two are struggling. Sam with his blood addiction and Dean with... well, his broken self. And Castiel wants to help them. So when Dean walks outside to aks the heavens for help instead of turning to Cas and leaves the angel behind to look after Sam and Castiel stands there wanting to hep Dean but knowing that he won't let him, I think that is just as heartbreaking as Deans breakdown.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-02-14 08:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-14 09:07 am (UTC)It would be a little odd, though, that of all the things humanity has to offer, Castiel craves for burgers.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-15 12:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-15 09:09 am (UTC)Of course, that's assuming Famine didn't lie about that part.
But I agree, either way, it must have been unsettling for Castiel not to be able to control the cravings.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-16 02:53 am (UTC)Indeed, that much I believe was made obvious. Poor Cas.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-16 08:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-16 11:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-14 04:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-14 09:03 pm (UTC)Castiel is clearly getting weaker. Almost by the day, it seems.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-14 08:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-14 09:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-15 12:56 am (UTC)First off, regarding how Cas knows exactly where they are without all the exact info. I just assumed Cas already knew their general location, as in what city/town/state they are in, because Dean keeps him up to speed, most of the time. So if that was the case, he probably only needed to know the name of the hospital. I always chock it up to something that happened off screen, cuz you know when the cameras are off there’s a lot that goes on between Cas and Dean, and Dean and Sam, and all three of them, so that’s how I choose to fill in those kind of blanks.
Anyhow, I freaking loved that bit where they were both still on the phone and in the same room. lol Priceless! <3
“Or he is willing to drop everything as soon as Dean calls”
Is it wrong I don’t find this out of the realm of possibilities? XD
I think you have it right though. Yes, he is looking for God, but let’s look at it this way… You are on a search, driving around, fallowing leads, looking for a store that sells the best muffins in town (I know, trivial, but stay with me lol), when suddenly your cell rings. You answer to find your best friend on the other line in need of help, help only you can provide. So do you keep looking for these muffins, which you know you are going to need in the future for a party, or tend to the immediate situation and help your friend? The way I see it, the muffins aren’t going anyway, and you can always keep looking for them later. Right now, your friend needs you, and that’s all that matters. :3 I think, on a much grander scale of course, it’s similar for Cas. Yes he wants to find the muffi-, er, God, but that’s something he knows is going to take a while, so in the mean time, helping Dean and Sam does have to come first, for a lot of reasons, but most of all because he cares about them. And so, Cas is always on call. ^^
“That something interesting we learn there: Jimmy is still around, trapped inside his own body without any control.”
That was never stated definitively one way or the other. This has been a topic of dissection for a while now, and I’m still under the belief Jimmy is no longer with us. Castiel, by saying his vessel, Jimmy, was craving red meat, simply meant to imply that this body is still Jimmy’s and not his own flesh and blood, which doesn’t necessarily mean Jimmy himself is still present inside it. What an angel needs to be compatible with a vessel is in the body itself, it’s in the blood, not the soul or consciousness of the person, so it makes sense that whatever or whoever brought him back also needed to bring back this specific body for Castiel to inhabit. Something I always assumed, but Michael touched on this in episode 5x13. Of course, who can say for sure… for now it’s left up to the viewer to interpret as they see fit.
I think whatever effects of becoming more human that he was feeling, or is, or will eventually start to feel is due to two things… one is on a more mental level, as he himself is being influenced by living among them, among Dean and Sam, and by the things he is learning and experiencing. But also, as he loses more and more of his angelic powers he becomes more susceptible to the feelings and needs of his physical body, perhaps partially because he is losing the ability to sustain it on his own, and the fact his own soul is becoming mortal, it’s all just starting to take a toll on him. We’re basically seeing the early stages of what happened to him in “The End”. This is my theory anyway.
Super interesting theory regarding how Dean may have actually been affected by Famine all along! I too was kind of puzzled by what was said, because he was acting odd too, just in a different way then everyone else. Very thought provoking indeed, I bet you’re right.
Wow, I had thought the exact same thing at the end of that ep… so true. This is why I was upset when the screen went to black without having a real exchange between Cas and Dean, that needed to happen (thank god for fanfic). You are right, for Cas, Sam and especially Dean are all he has, his family… and that’s something I don’t think Dean is fully aware of. Anyhow, completely agree with you 100% on this topic.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-15 09:02 am (UTC)You're probably right. It's a pretty obvious explanation but for some reason I never thought of it.
Is it wrong I don’t find this out of the realm of possibilities? XD
I even think it's highly likely. And I also thinks it says a lot about Castiel's relationship with the brothers. The key word here is "best friend". Because you wouldn't interrupt your search for the best muffins in town for just anyone. You would at least tell them to hang on for a while until you're through with all the shops in this district so you won't have to drive there again later. But for your best friend, yes, you'll just instantly turn the car around. (I love your muffin analogy).
Regarding Jimmy: Famine says to Dean that hunger doesn't just come from the body but from the soul. So if the craving for red meat is Jimmy's I believe his soul must still be in there somewhere. Otherwise the craving would really be Castiel's and as I said in another comment, I can't imagine that of everything humanity has to offer, Castiel would crave for burgers.
But you're right, it wasn't stated definitively. It was just an assumption on my part.
We’re basically seeing the early stages of what happened to him in “The End”. This is my theory anyway.
I think so, too. And that thought scares me. Because while I love to see a more human side of Castiel, I don't want to see him end up like that. But if Michael is right, then of course there's no way around it.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-16 03:45 am (UTC)“The key word here is "best friend". Because you wouldn't interrupt your search for the best muffins in town for just anyone.”
Yes! Exactly. ^^ It’s a testament to how important Dean and Sam are to Casitel. To know Cas is always just a phone call away, I’ve always found that very heartwarming and rather telling, despite how nonchalantly it is played out on screen.
And thank you, came up with it on the spot. I do love muffins. lol XD
“Famine says to Dean that hunger doesn't just come from the body but from the soul.”
((please refer to my other post in this topic lol)). Actually, you said it right there, it doesn’t JUST come from body, meaning it doesn’t just come from one or the other, but both. So it stands to reason that Famine’s influence could be affecting Jimmy’s body, even if his soul is not present. So Castiel, having an angelic soul that is (I’m assuming) immune to Famine’s powers, could only feel the physical aspect of it’s influence, and without all his powers Cas simply could not fight off those cravings. That’s how I interpreted it, but once again, you too could just as easily be right… all we can do is speculate really. =\ You are right about one thing for sure though, no way Castiel would only have been after hamburgers had it truly been affecting him, or his soul that is.
Regarding Castiel turning Mortal: There is one thing to remember… in ”The End”, Heaven and all the Angel’s had actually up and left earth to it’s own devices, so Cas was more then simply cut off from most of Heavens power, it simply wasn’t there, at all. So unless it comes to that, I don’t think Cas would ever actually become fully moral or lose all traces of his angelic powers. Interesting to note, that even in that future, and even though Cas was more or less human, he still had some kind of otherworldly powers or senses, because he immediately knew Dean was not from their time. All this leads me to believe that even if he continues to get weaker, he will always be different somehow from true humans, and that he will likely never lose all of his angel mojo, because I doubt the show will actually go down that same path as in that episode.
Still, I know what you mean… I don’t want to see that happen to poor Cas ether. But even if it did still happen, I think (for a lot of reasons) it would be very different and somewhat less traumatic for him this time around.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-16 08:56 am (UTC)But I'm starting to see now how the craving for burgers could still make sense without Jimmy around. I'll stick to my version for now but of course yours could just as easily be true. I wonder if and when we'll find out for sure what happened to Jimmy.
Hm, if this episode was the first step of what happened to Cas in "The End" then it was also the first step of what happened to Dean. And while losing his powers surely is unsettling and traumatic on its own, the real reason for Castiel to feel useless in "The End" is probably that he could never help Dean. They always fought side by side but on an emotional level Dean probably always pushed him away just like he did in that last scene of last week's episode.
So I think how things will turn out for Castiel and how traumatic they are going to be is closely intertwined with how they will turn out for Dean.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-17 12:16 am (UTC)Yeah… Jimmy had a brief moment in the spotlight, but I did like him. He seamed like such a genuinely nice and decent person, its sad how everything turned out for him… poor guy.
“the real reason for Castiel to feel useless in "The End" is probably that he could never help Dean.”
I couldn’t agree more. Not only did he feel like a failure in that regard, but I also believe that a big part of how he ended up in that future was because Dean basically cut of everyone (emotionally speaking) after losing Sam, meaning Cas, well… he had no one else, no one to turn to… I’m sure he felt very alone through all that he was going through. Next time, or this time around, things will be different, because I think Dean will also be in a better place (having not lost Sammy ect, ect), and I think that will allow him to bond more closely with Castiel, and be there more for him through what he’s going through. Still… Dean, at the moment, is in a very dark place, he’s the one in need, and I think right now he could use a friend like Cas more then he realizes (obviously).
Thank god they are all together though! *sniffles* I have faith in them, that things will work out, and that they will eventually realize they are not alone so long as they have each other (speaking about all three of them, as well as Dean/Cas). =3 In a way, to save humanity, they have to save each other first. I always think back to what Dean said to Sam when they reunited… they keep each other human. I think that’s true for all of them, they all need one another, not just as comrades, but as friends, as family.