An angel gone rogue
Dec. 15th, 2010 12:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwaevalarinIn my opinion, Balthazar is pretty much the best thing coming out of Supernatural's season 6 so far. He doesn't get nearly as much screen time as I would wish but I still feel we already know quite a bit about him. So I put together a bit of a character analysis of our rogue angel.
The name
"Balthazar (also spelled Balthasar or Balthassar), from Phoenician Balat-shar-usur ,meaning "Baal protects the King" is the name commonly attributed to one of the Three Wise Men, at least in the west. [...] It is an alternate form of the Babylonian king Belshazzar, mentioned in the Book of Daniel."
Source: Wikipedia
The facts
We know that Balthazar fought alongside Castiel countless times, probably for millennia and that they were close friends. Cas really stresses the close friends part so I think we can assume that they did have a very special relationship. So special, that Balthazar stood for Castiel in Heaven, I assume when he was dragged back there in The Rapture.
Then the war happened, Castiel turned everything upside down with his actions and Balthazar took the chance and the chaos to bail, taking a few of Heaven's weapons with him, and enjoy his freedom while everyone else upstairs assumed he was dead.
He used the stolen weapons to sell them to humans in exchange for souls making him the first angel ever to deal in souls. We know that he considers soul valuable but we do not know what exactly it is he wants with them.
6x03 The Third Man
The first time Balthazar is mentioned it is by Castiel who seems shocked, one, that Balthazar is still alive and two, that he is buying souls. Clearly this is no behaviour Cas would ever have expected from him. I wish we could get a flashback to see what Balthazar was like back when he fought side by side with Castiel. He obviously didn't act the way he does now but I can't really imagine him as the good little soldier Castiel used to be in the beginning of season 4 either.
Despite his devil-may-care attitude, when Balthazar tells Cas that he is happy to see him that is - in Bal's nonchalant way - very honest and heartfelt. There is also a very relaxed atmosphere between those two. They just know each other so well on a fundamental level. Bal's frog joke may be bad but Cas tells him so with a hint of fondness. I believe Cas and Bal have the sort of friendship where even after not seeing each other for years you instantly feel the old connection again and it is like nothing has changed. Except that in their case, a lot has changed.
When they talk about what they have been up to since they last saw each other but there is a lot more going on between them than is being said. They can be open with each other and at the same time there is no need to say everything they think and feel because they are able to read each other.
I believe Balthazar does want to help Cas but he is not willing to give up his new-found freedom, not even for him. I assume that freedom and free will is something Bal never even really was aware existed until Castiel opened this door for him and he was overwhelmed by all the possibilities and all the things he missed. And now he's trying to make up for what he feels he missed out on, not really knowing when to stop. He is a little bit like a child home alone for the first time who figures out that suddenly there are no rules any more but isn't really able to set his own boundaries either. So Bal's "blow coke and jump on the bed" allegory is really quite fitting.
That's the difference between his experience and Castiel's. When Cas learned free will he also learned about the responsibilities that come with choosing your own path and the consequences of your actions. Bal never had that to worry about.
When he left he was on his own, with no one left he cared about or needed to be considerate of. Castiel asking him for help is the first time since he started to make his own decisions, that there is someone else's needs and wishes to consider. And now he doesn't really want to give up on any of the things he got used to and considers his rights by now.
Particularly, as he sees no use in doing so. When gaining his freedom, Bal lost his faith. He doesn't care because it's easier not to but also because he doesn't believe it's of any use anyway. Everyone is just screwing each other over so why should he be the one to try and make a difference?
Castiel's insistence to still do the right thing slightly annoys Balthazar. In his perfect world, he and Cas would just roam the world together, not a care in the world. He accepts Castiel's decision to try and changethe world Heaven, even though he doesn't like it, but he will not join him. He isn't willing to give up what he has now and makes his life complicated just to do the "right thing".
I don't believe this changes anything about the way he feels about Cas, though. They have to realise that they have completely different goals, completely different views on life now but, on a more personal level, they are still friends and they still care very deeply for each other.
When Raphael turns up, Bal's leaves because from his view this is Castiel's fight, and he has and wants nothing, whatsoever, to do with it.
I imagine that, after he left, it just takes him a moment to realise that he didn't just leave Castiel's fight for Heaven behind but Castiel himself. That he left his best - and right now only - friend in a dangerous situation, possibly left him to die. And even in his new carefree life this is something he simply can't do. Suddenly it's not just some angels and humans or a war far away that he considers none of his business, now it's Cas, his friend, in real danger. And that's reason enough for him to stand up, to come back and save Cas. He wouldn't have come back for anyone else but Cas is just too important to him.
Castiel knows that, even though Bal is still joking and trying to pretend it's no big deal. But it is. The way he looks at Raphael when he turns his vessel to salt, I believe this could have been the first, very small step for Bal to join Cas in his fight and learn compassion from him.
But then Dean and Sam turn up with their holy oil and Cas is on their side. Bal is not the biggest fan of humans in the first place. Like a lot of other angels, he sees them as only this rather stupid, annoying race not really worth bothering about except for their souls. But now Castiel chooses two of those humans over him and he feels betrayed. But betrayed in a way that you can only feel when it comes to someone you love and trusted.
Even though Cas releases him and probably saves a lot by that, this certainly puts a strain on their relationship and makes it a lot more complicated.
When Castiel leaves so shortly after Balthazar, I was hoping that maybe he follows him to talk it out, to make Bal understand. But either that didn't happen or it went terribly wrong.
6x11 Appointment in Samarra
When we meet Bal for the second time he still holds a grudge. Against Sam and Dean rather than against Cas. In his mind, they are the ones that took Cas away from him, turned his friend against him and I'm afraid Balthazar won't easily forgive that. Sure, Bal is also pissed that some humans succeeded in trapping him but I believe that most of this is about Castiel.
When Sam summons him he towers over him like an avenging angel of death and there is a lot of anger and hate in his voice that hasn't been there before. Who does Sam think he is? First those Winchesters turn Castiel away from him and now Sam has the audacity to call him.
Bal takes this all very personal. And he makes no secret of it. The way he freely states that he wants to kill them, the way he calls Cas their "boyfriend". It looks like Bal is a little possessive and just not willing to share his Cas, least of all with a bunch of humans.
He can also see that it's mostly Dean that Cas chose over him. The way Balthazar tries to play them shows that he has a pretty accurate idea how the relationships in Team Free Will work. Another indication for how well he knows Castiel and how close an eye he has probably kept on him.
Sam's request gives Balthazar the perfect opportunity to get revenge by doing exactly what he is asked for. Screwing Dean by making Sam do something inexcusable? And having a soulless Sam in his dept on top of it? That's almost too good to be true.
Balthazar is so angry and bitter right now that he doesn't even see that with hurting Dean he'll also hurt Cas and drive him even further away.
I really hope we will get another confrontation between Castiel and Balthazar soon, so they can work things out. Otherwise this might end very badly.
And just because it made me laugh:
sebroche: @mishacollins Hi Cass, happy holidays from Bathazar aka Baltie !!!
Is it just me, or does he sound like a fanboy?
Is Baltie the official nickname then? I've got used to Bal by now. I guess, I'll never agree with the official nicknames for my favourite angels, will I?
The name
"Balthazar (also spelled Balthasar or Balthassar), from Phoenician Balat-shar-usur ,meaning "Baal protects the King" is the name commonly attributed to one of the Three Wise Men, at least in the west. [...] It is an alternate form of the Babylonian king Belshazzar, mentioned in the Book of Daniel."
Source: Wikipedia
The facts
We know that Balthazar fought alongside Castiel countless times, probably for millennia and that they were close friends. Cas really stresses the close friends part so I think we can assume that they did have a very special relationship. So special, that Balthazar stood for Castiel in Heaven, I assume when he was dragged back there in The Rapture.
Then the war happened, Castiel turned everything upside down with his actions and Balthazar took the chance and the chaos to bail, taking a few of Heaven's weapons with him, and enjoy his freedom while everyone else upstairs assumed he was dead.
He used the stolen weapons to sell them to humans in exchange for souls making him the first angel ever to deal in souls. We know that he considers soul valuable but we do not know what exactly it is he wants with them.
6x03 The Third Man
The first time Balthazar is mentioned it is by Castiel who seems shocked, one, that Balthazar is still alive and two, that he is buying souls. Clearly this is no behaviour Cas would ever have expected from him. I wish we could get a flashback to see what Balthazar was like back when he fought side by side with Castiel. He obviously didn't act the way he does now but I can't really imagine him as the good little soldier Castiel used to be in the beginning of season 4 either.
Despite his devil-may-care attitude, when Balthazar tells Cas that he is happy to see him that is - in Bal's nonchalant way - very honest and heartfelt. There is also a very relaxed atmosphere between those two. They just know each other so well on a fundamental level. Bal's frog joke may be bad but Cas tells him so with a hint of fondness. I believe Cas and Bal have the sort of friendship where even after not seeing each other for years you instantly feel the old connection again and it is like nothing has changed. Except that in their case, a lot has changed.
When they talk about what they have been up to since they last saw each other but there is a lot more going on between them than is being said. They can be open with each other and at the same time there is no need to say everything they think and feel because they are able to read each other.
I believe Balthazar does want to help Cas but he is not willing to give up his new-found freedom, not even for him. I assume that freedom and free will is something Bal never even really was aware existed until Castiel opened this door for him and he was overwhelmed by all the possibilities and all the things he missed. And now he's trying to make up for what he feels he missed out on, not really knowing when to stop. He is a little bit like a child home alone for the first time who figures out that suddenly there are no rules any more but isn't really able to set his own boundaries either. So Bal's "blow coke and jump on the bed" allegory is really quite fitting.
That's the difference between his experience and Castiel's. When Cas learned free will he also learned about the responsibilities that come with choosing your own path and the consequences of your actions. Bal never had that to worry about.
When he left he was on his own, with no one left he cared about or needed to be considerate of. Castiel asking him for help is the first time since he started to make his own decisions, that there is someone else's needs and wishes to consider. And now he doesn't really want to give up on any of the things he got used to and considers his rights by now.
Particularly, as he sees no use in doing so. When gaining his freedom, Bal lost his faith. He doesn't care because it's easier not to but also because he doesn't believe it's of any use anyway. Everyone is just screwing each other over so why should he be the one to try and make a difference?
Castiel's insistence to still do the right thing slightly annoys Balthazar. In his perfect world, he and Cas would just roam the world together, not a care in the world. He accepts Castiel's decision to try and change
I don't believe this changes anything about the way he feels about Cas, though. They have to realise that they have completely different goals, completely different views on life now but, on a more personal level, they are still friends and they still care very deeply for each other.
When Raphael turns up, Bal's leaves because from his view this is Castiel's fight, and he has and wants nothing, whatsoever, to do with it.
I imagine that, after he left, it just takes him a moment to realise that he didn't just leave Castiel's fight for Heaven behind but Castiel himself. That he left his best - and right now only - friend in a dangerous situation, possibly left him to die. And even in his new carefree life this is something he simply can't do. Suddenly it's not just some angels and humans or a war far away that he considers none of his business, now it's Cas, his friend, in real danger. And that's reason enough for him to stand up, to come back and save Cas. He wouldn't have come back for anyone else but Cas is just too important to him.
Castiel knows that, even though Bal is still joking and trying to pretend it's no big deal. But it is. The way he looks at Raphael when he turns his vessel to salt, I believe this could have been the first, very small step for Bal to join Cas in his fight and learn compassion from him.
But then Dean and Sam turn up with their holy oil and Cas is on their side. Bal is not the biggest fan of humans in the first place. Like a lot of other angels, he sees them as only this rather stupid, annoying race not really worth bothering about except for their souls. But now Castiel chooses two of those humans over him and he feels betrayed. But betrayed in a way that you can only feel when it comes to someone you love and trusted.
Even though Cas releases him and probably saves a lot by that, this certainly puts a strain on their relationship and makes it a lot more complicated.
When Castiel leaves so shortly after Balthazar, I was hoping that maybe he follows him to talk it out, to make Bal understand. But either that didn't happen or it went terribly wrong.
6x11 Appointment in Samarra
When we meet Bal for the second time he still holds a grudge. Against Sam and Dean rather than against Cas. In his mind, they are the ones that took Cas away from him, turned his friend against him and I'm afraid Balthazar won't easily forgive that. Sure, Bal is also pissed that some humans succeeded in trapping him but I believe that most of this is about Castiel.
When Sam summons him he towers over him like an avenging angel of death and there is a lot of anger and hate in his voice that hasn't been there before. Who does Sam think he is? First those Winchesters turn Castiel away from him and now Sam has the audacity to call him.
Bal takes this all very personal. And he makes no secret of it. The way he freely states that he wants to kill them, the way he calls Cas their "boyfriend". It looks like Bal is a little possessive and just not willing to share his Cas, least of all with a bunch of humans.
He can also see that it's mostly Dean that Cas chose over him. The way Balthazar tries to play them shows that he has a pretty accurate idea how the relationships in Team Free Will work. Another indication for how well he knows Castiel and how close an eye he has probably kept on him.
Sam's request gives Balthazar the perfect opportunity to get revenge by doing exactly what he is asked for. Screwing Dean by making Sam do something inexcusable? And having a soulless Sam in his dept on top of it? That's almost too good to be true.
Balthazar is so angry and bitter right now that he doesn't even see that with hurting Dean he'll also hurt Cas and drive him even further away.
I really hope we will get another confrontation between Castiel and Balthazar soon, so they can work things out. Otherwise this might end very badly.
And just because it made me laugh:
sebroche: @mishacollins Hi Cass, happy holidays from Bathazar aka Baltie !!!
Is it just me, or does he sound like a fanboy?
Is Baltie the official nickname then? I've got used to Bal by now. I guess, I'll never agree with the official nicknames for my favourite angels, will I?
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no subject
Date: 2010-12-15 12:12 pm (UTC)I also hope to see him again, but I also agree with what you wrote on twitter. Balthie is great, but he can't replace Gabriel.
And if someone looks into it it's easy to realize that they are not that similar.
Even their reasons for leaving Heaven and their brothers behind was completely different even if it might seem similar at first look.
Great character analysis :)
no subject
Date: 2010-12-15 12:55 pm (UTC)I love both, Bal and Gabe and I wouldn't want to have to choose between them, but they are very different characters and I like them for different reasons.
I never quite understood why people say they are so similar. Sure, they both left Heaven and they both like to have fun but they act so differently and have such different views on the world and human kind.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-15 01:13 pm (UTC)Okay, they are both hedonists to a level, but that's about it.
Excited to see Bal and Cas meet again too :D
no subject
Date: 2010-12-15 06:19 pm (UTC)Pleasure to read!
no subject
Date: 2010-12-15 07:40 pm (UTC)I'm glad you enjoyed it.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-15 09:37 pm (UTC)Ditto, ditto, ditto! I want this so bad!
And I agree that his attempt to deal with Sam was very much about revenge against the boys for taking Cas away, but I also think there's a element of him wanting to hurt Cas himself as well. Like you say, when Cas picked the boys over him it was a type of betrayal for Balthazar, leaving him hurt, and when you're hurt you sometimes lash out without thinking, even against people you care about. So yes, I think he may have been actively trying to arrange a situation that would harm Dean and therefore Cas as a result, but that he would have regreted it in the aftermath had the plan to get Sam to kill Bobby actually succeeded.
We really really need to see more of Bal ASAP before I can fully speculate on anything else though. See, the way I see it, as it is now, it would be very easy to make Bal an out and out villain this season. We don't know what he's doing with the souls he takes, as you say - maybe it's something terrible. Maybe it's something to do with what Death was hinting at.
I really hope not. I like the idea of him being a strictly brought up child suddenly high on freedom and going crazy with it and I VERY much like the idea of Cas being the one to calm him down and guide him into a more responsible way of life (with Bal getting Cas to loosen up once in a while in return :D). But I see his character in a 50:50 situation when it comes to that right now, he could go either way.
Ah, damn it. More Bal now pls! :p
And I'm not sure Baltie is a genuine nickname :p The tweet struck me as either a continuation of something Seb and Misha had already discussed, or something Seb came up with in the spur of the moment.
I was sad to see him use the 'offical' spelling of Cas though :(
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 11:10 am (UTC)I hope they won't just make Bal the new villain but I see how that may happen after last episode. There was so much between Castiel and Balthazar in The Third Man and I sincerly hope they won't just throw that potential away and turn him into a one-dimensional character now. That would be very disappointing.
Ah, damn it. More Bal now pls! :p
*signs*
no subject
Date: 2010-12-15 10:20 pm (UTC)*applauds* I wholeheartedly agree with you. I loved this character ever since his first appearance on the show and I really hope to get to know him more (even though, as you excellently point out, we already know quite a bit despite he appeared in only 2 episodes). And I really want the show to explore his relationship with Cas in the past and now.
We know that he considers soul valuable but we do not know what exactly it is he wants with them.
This is really interesting, not just in relation to Balthazar but with the whole season 6 theme. I hope this is gonna be one of the topics because of which they'll bring him back.
He is a little bit like a child home alone for the first time who figures out that suddenly there are no rules any more but isn't really able to set his own boundaries either.
Wonderful comparison here. I think you really got his behaviour.
It looks like Bal is a little possessive and just not willing to share his Cas [...] He can also see that it's mostly Dean that Cas chose over him.
F*ck yeah! That's what I thought. He's just so bitter when he talks about Cas and Dean to Sam, the way he utters that "It would delight to screw him" line. He so wants to get back at Dean for "stealing" Cas!
Excellent analisys my dear! I always love reading your metas, they're so well thought ♥
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 11:14 am (UTC)When Castiel chose Dean over him that really hit poor Bal hard. But he will have to accept that Dean plays an important part in Castiel's life. Otherwise he's just going to push Cas even further away.
Thank you so much for reading. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)
no subject
Date: 2010-12-29 03:28 am (UTC)Thank you so much for this! :D I think you got his characterization dead-on! :)
It also kinda got me thinking. That "You came back" line from Cas... I dunno, it pointed to something like a rekindling of their friendship. There was sort of like weight behind those words, but a good kind of weight that symbolized their past.
Anyway, thanks again for this :D
no subject
Date: 2010-12-29 10:47 am (UTC)I agree that there was a lot of weight behind Castiel's "You came back". A lot of emotion, like Cas had almost given up on Bal and what they had, and then Balthazar came back for him. I believe that meant a lot to Cas. And it gives me hope that they will be able to work things out.