Supernatural 9.01: Sam Winchester – A Beautiful Mind

I noticed, that quite a few viewers were astonished that Sam after all those years “suddenly” embraced Death. But as I will show, the screenwriters gave us viewers a beautiful clue or not who knows. Probably some of you devoted fans already solved the Sam “wanting to stay alive but than to chose death” contradiction. But for the ones out there that are still irritated, I would be delighted to guide you through imo Sam’s mind.

Like I wrote in Ultimate Sacrifice I personally see Sam as an analytic person, don’t forget he once wanted to become a lawyer and the “Mind-Scenes” imo show how Sam was “thinking”.

Especially in the “Mind-Scenes” you get the answer, that death is only a logical result of empirical thinking.

If you analyze the driving (Impala) scene, you have three different characteristics Bobby, Dean and Sam.

Instead of using the names, use the main symbolic of these characteristics. For example:

Bobby = Reason / Dean = Sense / Sam = Ego.

It may seem odd, and elaborate but I can insure you it’s imo quite exciting to explore Sam’s thinking and why he actually chose death. It’s like laying out a puzzle, and putting the pieces together.

Mind-Scene I:

Scene in the Impala, the car emphasizes home, familiarity. Sense tries to explain the situation to Ego.

Then Ego realizes whats happening.

-EGO: “If I’m dying, you are you but you are the part that wants to live, but if you don’t have any idea how am I supposed to fight? Am I supposed to be fighting at all?”

(= Ego questions Sense. Sense can not give a logical answer, therefore Ego scrutinizes Sense’s argument.)

Suddenly Bobby apears in the back seat. 

-REASON to SENSE: “The kids got a good point”

(= Now Reason kicks in and affirms Ego’s consideration.)

-SENSE to EGO: “Shut up”

(= Sense reacts to Reason, in a harsh way, not happy seeing Reason.)

-SENSE to REASON: “You’re welcome for the hell rescue”

(= Sense sees that he is losing control over Ego. Reason is now taking the lead.)

-REASON to SENSE: “First of all you didn’t rescue me, EGO did. Second of all EGO you are in a coma,…sometimes that just the way things go.”

(= Reason confirms Sense but more, but underlines the -coma- fact and points out that there is no alternative or idea how to solve the dying issue.)

-SENSE to REASON: ”There is always a way, you taught us that!”

(= It seems that Reason educated Ego and Sense, with the result, that there are always solutions.)

-REASON to SENSE:”You mean like the way one of you idjits does some bass-akward crazy thing to beat death like selling your soul!”

(= Reason hasn’t accepted the actions of Sense / brother but Sense understands and emphasizes with his brother. Here we have the indication, what once Sam said to Dean, that he always looked up to his big brother.)

-SENSE to REASON: “Like selling my soul”

(= affirms, comprehends Sense / brother’s action)

-REASON to SENSE: ”Like that worked so well the last time.”

(=Reason shows that the irrational actions of Sense / brother are not logical therefore tend to fail hence no solution.)

-EGO: “Enough both of you! I CAN’T HEAR MYSELF THINK!”

(= Ego is trying to find a logical solution for the inevitable situation.)

-SENSE to EGO:”You are not buying that?”

(= Sense surprised by Egos outburst and is getting slightly nervous.)

-REASON to SENSE: ”Excuse me are you dead, cause I am, and maybe I’m here cause a part of Ego, that actually knows what I’m talking about!”

(= Now the camera focuses on Ego’s eyes, and here you can see the moment when Ego acknowledges that he’s already more dead than alive. The doctor said that the machines can keep the body alive, but the brain was cut off too long from oxygen. Hence Reason is right. Exactly here imo is the moment were Sam/Ego accepts death as the final logical solution.)

-SENSE to REASON: ”I’m in the front seat, Ego put me here cause he wants me here, because he wants to fight, right?”

(= Sense is trying to take back the lead, by demonstrating his hierarchical position, and by that showing Reason that his stand is secondary, therefore not on Ego’s priority list.)

Now Reason sits in the front row between Ego and Sense.

Priority change, Reason is taking the lead.

Forrest setting, Reason and Ego are alone in a calm and relaxing environment and evaluate the apparent situation.

-REASON:”Am I right?”

(= Reason is seeking approval.)

-EGO: “I want to fight…

(= Ego hasn’t totally given into Reason, his trust is still bounded on Sense.)

-REASON: ”…have nothing to swing in, punching at shadows, you got to let go fighting and scratching and finding loopholes because that ain’t happening.”

(= Reason, gives a logical explanation, that fighting against nothingness is like Sisyphus, compelled to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down, and to repeat this action forever. There will be and there is no solution.)

-EGO: “So I die?”

(= Ego is still not convinced that dying is the solution, Ego is still searching for an explanation.) 

-REASON: “Die? All the good you done, all the people you saved, you saved the world son! How many people can say that? How many people can say that they have left this God foresaken hunk of dirt that much a better place. What you call dying I call leaving a legacy!”

(= Reason exhibits Egos explicit dilemma. Ego/Sam saved the world and nobody not his brother, Bobby or Castiel gave him credit for sacrificing himself by throwing Lucifer in the pit, the only one that trusted him was Death. And now sacrificing himself again for what? Fighting against shadows…)

CUT / Hospital = Notice that Ezekiel says that he can heal Sam, even though Castiel said in “Goodbye Stranger” that he with his angel power can not save Sam “You are damaged in a way that I can’t even heal”. But Ezekiel can? Hmm… strange?

Mind-Scene II:

Forest – Ego and Reason are walking toward a cabin.

-REASON: “Here it is, everything inside you need to help you on your way, go on son, I’ll be waiting with a couple of cold ones…”

(= Reason comforting Ego in doing the right decision. That Ego can expect help. He only has to accept it.)

Camera focus on Sam, total acceptances because logical, but silently mourns the moment. Suddenly Reason is being stabbed by Sense and vanishes. Sense prevails.

-EGO:” Sense are you insane?”

(=Ego totally shocked by Sense brutal action.)

-SENSE: ”Come on (little) Ego, Reason is the part of you that wants to die. I know it stinks but he had to go!”

(= Sense is taking back the lead by killing Reason his adversary. Notice the emphasis on the ending from Ego’s Name “Sammy”. This indicates that the emotional part of Sam sees himself always as the little brother, a little one that needs guidance.)

-EGO: “You have to go! When will you realize, it’s over! There is nothing to fight for!”

(= Now Ego is trying to explain to Sense, that fighting is completely in vain. Fighting against shadows… Sense has lost his guidance, without a path / idea, Sense has no solution.)

-SENSE: ”Now Ego, I know you don’t believe that.”

(= Sense is without doubt still convinced of his actions.)

-EGO: “Really? Whats your plan Sense?”

( = But now Ego questions provokes Sense’s motivation more specifically anticipates that Sense has no answer to the solution! Therefore Sense is lost.)

-Sense: “My plan…my plan is to fight! My plan is to try! My plan is to give a damn! You are telling me there is nothing? You are telling me there is nothing to fight for? That there is nothing to hope for?”

(= Sense recognizes that he has lost against logic (passive) and uses force (active) to underline his point of view, because Sense has no idea no solution, except fighting. Fighting against shadows…)

-EGO: “No, I’m telling you there is. You may not like it. You might not accept it. But it is in there, it is in that house!”

(= Ego, like always takes patiently the active punches from Sense, thereby is trying to explain that there is a solution a passive one, the total acceptance of pure logic without emotions / sens. But without the guide Sense.) 

-SENSE: “You know what’s in that house! Now I can’t help you, if you ain’t willing to fight for your self!”

(=Sense is holding Ego, afraid to let go, knowing that when Ego lets go he also vanishes into passivity not having the possibility anymore to convince logic, that being active, even if you have to fight against shadows, that this is the solution, that this is life!)

Camera focus on Ego. Silently Ego takes Sense’s hands off his body and loses the pressure. Thereby keeping Sense’s hands tenderly in his own.

-EGO: “It’s what I want…”

(= Softly with patience Ego embraces Reason, and with a companionably farewell gesture lets Sense go…there is no logic in fighting against shadows…)

Sense vanishes into nothingness…

Exhausted, Ego walks towards the cabin, not sure what is awaiting him inside, but confident in doing the right thing, because its logical and a final solution. Sound and safe. No more fighting against shadows…

Sam didn’t just hand himself easily to Death, he fought eagerly with all the strength he had left.

Like Sherlock Holmes once said:

“… when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?”

In Sam’s case after evaluating all possibilities, Death was the only truth that remained.

No more fighting against shadows…

Only if Sense would have an idea a plan… Ego would truely give without questioning or doubt, the lead back to Sense, his Pathfinder, his Lifesaver…

But thats an other story.