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gwaevalarin) wrote2013-11-13 06:36 pm
gwaevalarin) wrote2013-11-13 06:36 pm
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Ephraim
I haven't seen the episode so I apologize for any inaccuarcies but I really need to talk about Ephraim for a moment.
From what I understand, Ephraim used to be a healer back in Heaven. But that didn't just mean nurturing his injured siblings back to health, it also meant giving them a quick painless death if they were beyond saving.
He never went to Earth before, so he never came into contact with humans.
Now he's fallen to Earth and he goes around killing people who are in pain. And yes, obviously he should not do that. Obviously killing people is not okay.
But here is the thing: He has no way of knowing that. He feels their pain. He follows it. And he kills them out of what he perceives as mercy.
He doesn't do it to hurt anyone. He does it as an act of kindness. All he wants is to end suffering. It's ingrained in his grace.
Which brings us to something Hael said: "In Heaven there was order. Purpose."
This is Ephraim's purpose. And it doesn't just stop being his purpose. The problem is not Ephraim. The problem is that this isn't his world, and that the people living in it are not his species.
He was probably considered kind and good back in Heaven. And now he finds himself in a world where the very same actions are suddenly considered bad.
But he can't just stop being what he is. You can't just ask him to not be a healer anymore, and to stop relieving others of their pain. It is what defines him. It is what he was created for.
And this is just one more reason why 'the angels should just learn human values' makes no sense. They can never be human. Their values and human values are just too different.
Ephraim is NOT evil. He simply has no place in the human world.
What I also find interesting - and incredibly depressing - is that he comes for Castiel. So Castiel's pain is so profound that, by angel standards, he is considered beyond saving.
I'm afraid, I find myself unable to argue with that.
Quite honestly, the only hope I still have for Cas is his Grace as the part of him that's truly Castiel, similar to a soul for a human. And that his gracelessness is basically the aequivalent of a soulless human. Except that being graceless manifests in slightly different ways.
Because otherwise... judging from what I see and hear, there is next to nothing left of the angel I love. Not even a spark of holy righteousness. Just utter hopelessness.
From what I understand, Ephraim used to be a healer back in Heaven. But that didn't just mean nurturing his injured siblings back to health, it also meant giving them a quick painless death if they were beyond saving.
He never went to Earth before, so he never came into contact with humans.
Now he's fallen to Earth and he goes around killing people who are in pain. And yes, obviously he should not do that. Obviously killing people is not okay.
But here is the thing: He has no way of knowing that. He feels their pain. He follows it. And he kills them out of what he perceives as mercy.
He doesn't do it to hurt anyone. He does it as an act of kindness. All he wants is to end suffering. It's ingrained in his grace.
Which brings us to something Hael said: "In Heaven there was order. Purpose."
This is Ephraim's purpose. And it doesn't just stop being his purpose. The problem is not Ephraim. The problem is that this isn't his world, and that the people living in it are not his species.
He was probably considered kind and good back in Heaven. And now he finds himself in a world where the very same actions are suddenly considered bad.
But he can't just stop being what he is. You can't just ask him to not be a healer anymore, and to stop relieving others of their pain. It is what defines him. It is what he was created for.
And this is just one more reason why 'the angels should just learn human values' makes no sense. They can never be human. Their values and human values are just too different.
Ephraim is NOT evil. He simply has no place in the human world.
What I also find interesting - and incredibly depressing - is that he comes for Castiel. So Castiel's pain is so profound that, by angel standards, he is considered beyond saving.
I'm afraid, I find myself unable to argue with that.
Quite honestly, the only hope I still have for Cas is his Grace as the part of him that's truly Castiel, similar to a soul for a human. And that his gracelessness is basically the aequivalent of a soulless human. Except that being graceless manifests in slightly different ways.
Because otherwise... judging from what I see and hear, there is next to nothing left of the angel I love. Not even a spark of holy righteousness. Just utter hopelessness.
no subject
Glad you have a new post. Been looking in here every now and then to see if you have a new one. =)
Have only watched the episode once (which is never enough) so I may have missed some things still. If I remember correctly, Cas said that Ephraim (and angels like him, if there are others like him) work in the 'battlefields'. Can't quite imagine where in heaven are there battlefields but anyway, yeah, he basically goes around healing wounded that can be healed, and mercy killing those that are beyond help. And I guess there's nothing wrong with that in those circumstances. But he completely misinterpreted things when he found himself among humans on earth, not through any fault of his, but simply because, like you said, angels and humans are different, and the human world is not the place for him.
As for Cas, don't lose hope just yet. =) I'm still waiting to see what happens next but from the little I have seen and read about the coming episodes, it seems that he does go out there and tries to do something. So I don't think that there is nothing left of the angel we love. =P He's still there. Although, yes, he was too depressed and in pain up to this point that he has nearly given up and was about to just totally accept that he's now human and 'helpless'.
And that's exactly what Ephraim was pointing out. He came for Cas because he was already at the point of giving up. But I think Cas realized that with his encounter with Ephraim. It wasn't a big slap in the face - more like a gentle nudge maybe. But somehow, I think in the end, Cas began to question himself whether he was doing the right thing (basically running and hiding) and whether there was really nothing else he can do. He even voices this out to Dean, but Dean says to just let him and Sam take care of the angels, and it's not Cas' problem anymore. He does go back in the store after this and goes back about his business there. But the way he looks out the window in the end makes me think that he's not going to just sit around after this.
The promo for this episode said something about Cas learning a life lesson. Still not sure what lesson that's supposed to be but I have this vague thought of... 'isn't this it?' - that just giving up is not the way to go?
I believe our angel's still in there. =) He is not the burnt and broken shell of a(n angel) as he may seem to be. =P
And now I feel like watching the episode again to see if what I just wrote here makes any sense... or was I just wishful thinking? =P (And apologies if my writing is all over the place. It's all still very vague in my head. =P )
no subject
So I take it that means you've caught up. :)
Thank you for your insight on Ephraim. What you say about him is about the same impression I got from other people and the things I've seen on Tumblr.
It's hard to imagine there were battlefields in Heaven before the civil war. Well, there probably were around the time Lucifer fell but that was such a long time ago even by angel standards.
Maybe Ephraim went on missions to Hell. Or to other places we haven't even heard about yet.
From what I heard he only said he'd never been on Earth before, right? Not that he had never left Heaven.
I really hope that his encounter with Ephraim will turn out to be a bit of a wake-up call for Castiel. That it reminds him of who he is - an angel, even without his grace - and of his family and home, and that there is still hope for him and his kind.