There’s always been talk in the Supernatural fandom that would indicate that the characters of Sam and Castiel should be rivals. For what? Dean’s affections, storyline prominence…take your pick. I don’t want to engage in that particular debate, except to point out that these two characters are not all that different from each other as you may think. Because of that, I think it can only serve to strengthen their relationship.
I’m going to cap off my week of Supernatural speculation (which has consisted of a roundtable review for season 7, wishlists for Sam and Dean in season 8, a discussion of why Purgatory is different from Dean’s Hell storyline and the creatures that might be down there) with some thoughts that I’ve been pondering for a long time, but haven’t really had the right opportunity to discuss.
I don’t think there are many fans who would dispute that Castiel’s devotion to his father (God) is very similar to Dean’s earlier devotion to his own father. Of course, it is in an angel’s nature to be devoted to God, so you can hardly fault him for that. But Castiel and Sam’s similarities really lie in both of their falls from grace, as well as their subsequent attempts at redemption.
Castiel’s arc in season 6 about opening the door to Purgatory has always struck me as incredibly similar to Sam’s arc in season 4 involving his quest for vengeance against Lilith. Castiel was faced with a previously unexpected situation (chaos in Heaven), while Sam was faced with the same (Dean in Hell). What’s important to remember is that in both situations, our protagonist believed the old adage “the end justifies the means”. For Sam, drinking demon blood and even killing a few people along the way was acceptable, because the end goal of destroying Lilith for her part in killing Dean was worth it. However the Apocalypse and Lucifer were involved in the Lilith storyline, remember that Sam was developing his powers and gunning for Lilith before Dean ever returned from Hell. Given enough incentive, he wanted to follow through with his plan to destroy her. For Castiel, opening a door to Purgatory and lying to his friends was also worth the risk if only Raphael could be destroyed and Heaven stabilized.
In each case, both protagonists were manipulated by outside forces: Sam by Ruby (and the overall plans of the Devil, to a lesser extent) and Castiel by Crowley. I’ll admit, Castiel’s body count in his quest was far larger than Sam’s, and he did commit a terrible act against Sam himself by breaking his wall (although he had intended to fix him, the outcome was reckless and unexpected). And while each of their stories are not technically about Dean, per se, both of them clearly betrayed Dean’s trust with the actions that they took.
In the end, both Sam and Castiel realized that their actions were wrong. Sam worked hard to redeem himself, although Castiel hasn’t had much of an opportunity yet to do so, but that’s as a result of his current storyline.
One recurring theme in Supernatural is that everyone deserves a second chance, and anyone can be redeemed if they genuinely seek it. Dean has sought redemption for what he believes are his sins in Hell. Sam has sought redemption for his actions in season 4. Castiel will – I believe – continue to strive for redemption for his own actions in season 6 and the beginning of season 7.
Some fans have asked “why did it seem like Sam was so quick to forgive Castiel?” They call him weak for it. I don’t believe it’s weakness. I believe it’s these similarities between Sam and Castiel that are the explanation. Sam is quicker to forgive…or, perhaps, “understand” is a better phrase…Castiel because Sam knows what it’s like to really make a mistake and feel remorse for it. It’s these similarities between them that can form the basis of a strong friendship between the two men that’s completely independent of Castiel’s “profound bond” (I really hate that term – AN: I hate that particular “phrase”, NOT the friendship itself) between Castiel and Dean.
As a result of this discussion, I’ve decided to throw out a short wishlist for Castiel in the eighth season of Supernatural.
Redemptive Arc. Like I mentioned above, everyone deserves a second chance if they feel genuine remorse for their sins (blame it on my inner-Catholic). Castiel taking on Sam’s Hellucinations haven’t really afforded him much time to seek redemption, but there’s every indication that he wants to find it. If they writers have time, I would really like to see this happen.
A Place for Castiel. Some fans have insisted that there’s no place for angels in the show anymore. I don’t believe that’s true, but I can understand their point. More specifically, with regards to Castiel, Misha Collins did acknowledge at the recent JIB convention that “I think they’re trying to find ways to make Castiel less powerful. It’s sort of a problem in the show if Sam and Dean have a friend who can snap his fingers and solve any problems. It’s partly to make it so the boys don’t have such an easy time.” This is precisely why Castiel took on Sam’s Hellucinations instead of simply healing him. There’s a place for Castiel in Supernatural. I’ve said that I would prefer to see Dean fighting his way through Purgatory alone for his own personal storyarc, but I don’t want Cas to abandon him there (perhaps he’s pulled out for some reason). Despite not wanting Dean’s journey to be the “Dean and Cas” journey, I still want the angel to remain on the show. If there’s an arc to be found that teams up Cas with both of the Winchesters again so that they’re working together instead of at cross-purposes, then that’s what I would like to see. What that arc is, I’ll admit that I don’t know. Then again, I’m not a writer on the show. But given the fact that the writers and actors seem to recognize the difficulty – as well as the presence of a new showrunner who was present at the heyday of the angel storyline – I think they’ll come up with a good arc.
Healing from the Crazy. I’ve enjoyed Misha’s “crazy Castiel” performance. He’s a good actor who plays different incarnations of his character very well (a talent also shared by Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki). That being said, I would like to see him reach some sort of balance. To be quite honest, I’m completely unsurprised that he’s not feeling the same effects as Sam. Castiel is an angel and we all know that they have nearly unprecedented healing abilities, so feeling lesser effects from Sam’s trauma isn’t unexpected. That being said, I also believe that he’s using the crazy as an opportunity to avoid dealing with his guilt. In the season 7 finale, he said broke down in front of the Winchesters and said “I can’t help. You understand? I can’t. I destroyed everything…and I will destroy everything again. Can we please just leave it at that?”. I think that his current symptoms are real, but I also think they may be exaggerated in an attempt to avoid future mistakes. If he doesn’t have to fight because he’s crazy, then he won’t risk making another terrible mistake like lying to his friends and trying to open the door to Purgatory. It wasn’t until the end of the finale that a talking-to by a Dean, and a trip to Purgatory, really seemed to bring the old, “normal”, version of Cas to the forefront. I think there’s a balance that can be achieved here.
Renewed – and Deeper – Relationships. I understand Dean’s reluctance to forgive Castiel for his actions. First, it took him a while to forgive – and trust – his own brother after the events of season 4 and Sam is really the single most important person in his life (sorry, Cas fans – AN: I’ve been told I don’t have to apologize for that, so thanks for pointing that out). Further, Castiel committed what Dean believes is the biggest sin: hurting his brother. Should Dean forgive Castiel eventually? Yes. Because he forgives the people he cares about so long as they feel remorse (which ties in to Cas’ redemption arc). But I would also like to see Sam and Castiel develop a stronger relationship. Like I mentioned above, there are a great many similarities between these two characters and, while their relationship might be different than the one between Cas and Dean, I don’t believe it’s any less important. Castiel is not just Dean’s friend. He’s developed friendships with both Winchesters and Bobby. But that doesn’t mean that a friendship with Sam couldn’t use some additional cultivating on the part of the writers.
So there you have it, Supernatural fans: all the speculation I have to give until some information starts pouring in about season 8. I’ve mentioned it before, but I am thoroughly exited about next season. Everything I’ve read lately indicates that the people who can help shape the storyline acknowledge some shortcomings they’ve had for the show for the past few seasons and are looking to correct that. With a new showrunner in charge, I think we’ll see a reinvigorated show.
Feel free to share your comments below but, please, don’t turn this into a Castiel vs. Sam war. My intention with this article was to show you that they’re not all that dissimilar to each other and I hope we can engage in a legitimate debate about the merits of storylines.
We’ll be covering Supernatural throughout the summer as new information about season 8 comes in, so make sure to browse and bookmark our Supernatural page.
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Well…i’m sure a lot of fans would prefer Dean and Cas but i say this show is about the Winchesters but i don’t care if Cas stayed on the show, it’s the opposite i’d love him to stay i’m so in love with his character but not to replace him with Sam, i just want it to be about the Winchesters more then about Cas and not about Dean and Cas! And i agree that there should be more of a Sam and Cas moments and scenes and i hope that the next season won’t leave Sam alone while Cas and Dean together all the time (Sorry Destiel fans) [my opinion]
Thanks Clarissa, a very balanced article. I was quite nervous on your behalf when you tweeted you were writing it! If what Misha Collins said is also what the writers think I’m very very glad they want to make Cas less powerful. That has definitely been a drawback for many of us in being totally happy he is back. I also really hope Dean has the opportunity to properly work through his anger and mistrust before forgiving Cas, and not just a few lines here and there like ‘fix your mess’ (although that was awesome) and the scene neaxt to Baby in 7.23. I’m excited to see what, if any, insider knowledge Cas has of purgatory from his time being the Leviathan’s incubator, and whether there is any way he can contact Sam and be some sort of conduit between Sam and Dean while they remain physically separate. You also made me wonder if Bobby and Cas ever had any scenes of their own without Sam and Dean…and then I remembered ‘touch it’! Can’t wait for S7 gag reel! Thank you for all of your articles, they have been a great wrap up to the season.
Great article!! Sam and Cas do have a strong connection. Each time Sam (with soul) has reached out to Cas–Cas has appeared. In rewatching the last 2 seasons you will see at least 3 times where Cas has shown up after Sam has pleaded for his help. Thanks for writing. -RG
I definitely think Cas and Sam should get a bigger friendship, and there’s no reason for Cas and Sam to be rivals, they are good friends. I’d like to see Sam working to find Dean, with the help of Sheriff Jody Mills.