SDCC 2012 | Jensen interview

[galathea]

I just saw this Jensen interview from SDCC, where he talks about Dean’s unforgiving attitude towards Castiel, and it resonated deeply with my own take on the Dean-Castiel relationship, so I was delighted to see Jensen’s similar thoughts on the subject. I wrote up a transcript of it. No worries, there are no spoilers for S8.



Question: "Why has Dean such a hard time forgiving Cas, whereas he forgave Sam for a similar betrayal?"

Jensen: "I think the easy answer is blood; the easy answer is family. Even though, if there was a family in this show, it would include Bobby, it would include Cas. It would include these kind of broken, war-torn heroes that we’ve come to know. Bobby even has that famous line, you know, family doesn’t just end with blood. But I think the short answer is, he (Sam) is his brother, and there might be grudges held between them, but at the end of the day that’s the closest he has to a companion – and has had as a companion for many years. I think with Cas, it’s unnatural. He’s an angel, he’s not human. I think that Dean relating to somebody like that is tricky. You know, it’s related to monsters, related to anything supernatural. His brother is flesh and blood, it’s tangible, and he can touch that."

There are two things I love about Jensen’s answer. Firstly, I love that he refers to Sam as Dean’s companion. I think it’s a wonderful word for everything Sam encompasses for Dean – not just a brother, not just a hunting partner, but someone who accompanies him through this life, a constant, something solid. ♥ Secondly, I love that Jensen points out Dean’s difficulties to relate to someone who is not human. It’s something I feel has always been a factor in Dean’s relationship with Castiel, and for me Dean’s various attempts to 'humanise' the angel speak volumes about his comfort-level (or lack thereof) where his friendship with him is concerned. Dean’s deeply ingrained mistrust and hatred of the supernatural affected even his relationship with Sam at times, so I think it’s natural that he has a hard time looking past Castiel’s otherworldly nature. Now, for Dean to overcome these feeling to form a friendship with Castiel in the first place is remarkable in itself though and should not be underestimated, I just don’t think it could ever be on the same level as his relationship with Sam (or Bobby, for that matter). And that's especially true ever since Castiel betrayed him, because basically the angel proved Dean's every negative preconception about supernatural creatures right.

Comments

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Aww, I like that quote :) And really the people acting like Dean *had* to forgive Castiel to be fair after he forgave Sam is just bizarre to me when they were such different situations.

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

I agree. It's true that there are a lot of parallels between Castiel's betrayal and Sam's betrayal, but there are also a hell of a lot of differences between their stories. I am sorry to say it, but Castiel hasn't redeemed himself yet and I find Dean's continuous hostility towards the angel absolutely justified.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

I always figured that anyone hurting Dean's little brother would be a deal-breaker for him, especially when Cas knew how important it was to keep those memories of hell walled off. I agree that it's a totally separate thing from the personal crap that Sam and Dean had to work through over Ruby

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Yes, Castiel's attempt on Sam's life - and that's what it was, he knew for a fact that Sam could die when he destroyed the wall - is an absolute no-go in Dean's book. There are other differences, too. When Sam made his 'deal' with Ruby, he was a drunken wreck, mad with grief and survivor's guilt, but when Castiel made his deal with Crowley, he was of a sound mind. When Dean finds out about Sam's activities with Ruby, Sam compromises. He gives it all up and tries it Dean's way and only if that doesn't work, he resumes his activities with Ruby. Castiel, on the other hand, flat out refuses to even listen to Dean's attempts to reach out to him, he never even considers Dean's proposal to work together, he just demands subordination. Sam always used his powers for good, even Cindy's sacrifice was done with the intention to save the world. Soul-empowered Castiel goes on a killing spree of massive proportions out of petty disappointement with his father. Overall, the situations are so very different, and I feel that, added together, Castiel's transgressions are so much more grave than Sam's. It boggles my mind that so many people feel that Castiel's actions can be handwaved somehow.

Sorry for the ramble, lol.