Scenes I Love . . .
"Shadow" (conclusion)
Given the title of the episode, one might expect to see some illumination of the theme of the Jungian shadow: those aspects of the psyche that the individual wishes to deny, reject or repress, often figuratively referred to as one’s demons. It might be helpful here to recap my summary of the topic when I first raised it in my review of “The Pilot”:
“There’s a dramatic device called “literary doubling” where a marked parallel is drawn between the hero and another character. Often, they are twins or brothers, or the ‘double’ bears a strong resemblance either physically or in general circumstance to the hero. The double, often referred to as ‘the shadow’ represents an unexpressed aspect of the hero. Jungian psychology uses the term ‘shadow’ to refer to a part of the subconscious that the subject wishes to deny about himself.
In the hero myth and quest literature the landscape and all the other characters are understood to be reflections of the hero and his state of mind. The Pilgrim’s Progress is an obvious example, where the hero meets a succession of characters who are named after character traits, and he visits places that match his mood, such as the Slough of Despond.
Both in fiction and in psychotherapy, a confrontation with the shadow challenges the hero to acknowledge the part of himself he wants to suppress, to accept it as necessary, and a source of positive value once embraced and re-integrated back into the Self. The hero’s journey is toward that self-expression and reconciliation of the fractured psyche.”https://fanspired.livejournal.com/122645.html
There are several shadow or shadow-like figures presented in the episode, and they are all directly or indirectly connected to the demon. First, and most obviously, there are the shadow demons themselves, the daevas. But there is also Meg who, as I suggested earlier, has been shadowing Sam and whom we later learn is also a demon. And then there’s John who has been a shadowy figure throughout the season while he has been actively pursuing the demon, and who has been cast in shadow imagery since his first appearance in this episode.
When we first learn that the daevas are acting under Meg’s direction, Dean comments that “Sammy has a thing for the bad girl”. This is the start of a theme that implies Sam is attracted to the dark and demonic, and that this reflects something dark within himself. The daevas may be seen as a dramatization of Sam’s demonic potential. They are described as savage, animalistic and destructive – biting the hand that feeds them - they’re presented as an invisible and destructive power that’s difficult to control. Likewise, Sam’s psychic powers are difficult to control and potentially dangerous. Meg’s manipulation of the daevas prefigures the demons’ desire to exploit Sam and his abilities, and we will eventually learn the powers are themselves demonic in origin. (Although I’m not sure the intention in the first season was quite so simplistic, we can certainly see the potential for them to be harnessed for dark purposes; hence the demons’ interest in Sam).
All of these elements may be more interrelated than they initially appear and, beyond their superficial meaning within the demon arc plot, they also have a deeper psychological symbolism. Indeed, Sam’s abilities themselves may be seen as a metaphor for the basic human will to power, with its attendant capacity for good or evil.
In the pilot, the Jungian shadow was introduced in the figure of Dean who embodied all the aspects of Sam that he wished to escape or repress: the demands of family obligation, the authority of his father and, also, his physical/instinctual self and the demands of the body – hunger, sexual desire and aggression – these are all Sam’s demons, as it were. This episode illuminates this complex body of issues by separating them into different strands dramatized by the various characters represented.
First the daevas: like Dean, they are associated with the Id: the most basic, instinctual and animalistic human drives. They represent aggression – the will to rage and violence and, in their connection to Meg, they may also be related to sexual desire. Sex and violence are often closely linked, and it may be that Sam is aware of that potential and consequently fears sexual intimacy. Given his first real attempt at a romantic relationship ended with Jessica’s death, this isn’t surprising; we saw that his instinctive response to his loss was violent, one of rage and the desire for revenge. Later, in “Provenance”, Sam will admit to avoiding relationships because he says he can’t go through what he went through with Jessica again. His mistake lies in assuming that eschewing romantic connection will enable him to avoid intimacy. For all practical purposes, his most intimate emotional relationship is with Dean, and denying himself external connections can only strengthen that emotional dependency. Eventually we will come to realise that Sam’s reaction to Jessica’s death was just a dress rehearsal for what we will see amplified when he loses Dean.
Dean can also be aggressive and even savage; we saw this side of him projected through the device of the shifter in “Skin”, but it was already suggested in “Wendigo” when he admitted he derives satisfaction from “killing as many evil sons of bitches as (he) possibly can”. However, we’ve seen he can also be empathic, self-sacrificing and heroic. The problem is that these different aspects come as a package: saving people, hunting things. Is it possible for Sam to embrace one without the other?
Next there is Meg, who is associated with familial obligation. When she first made her appearance in “Scarecrow”, she represented herself to Sam as an analogue to his desire to escape and make his own choices but, in “Shadow”, she acknowledges that loyalty, love and responsibility to family are her primary motivations. Sam’s attitude has changed since “Scarecrow” and he is now more invested in those ties and obligations, though he still hopes he can ultimately be free of them. Importantly, however, the bonds of family can also be a source of conflict. We see Meg sowing the seeds of discord and distrust between the brothers in this episode, an aspect of her purposes that Sam dismisses too easily. Distrust is also an invisible monster that can be fatally destructive if not confronted and exposed to the light.
Finally, there is John, who exhibits traits of authority, leadership and heroism. That, at least, is how Dean sees him. But we also know that he is obsessively motivated by the desire for revenge. It remains to be seen whether Sam can inherit John’s more positive traits without also embracing that bloodlust, but it’s surely no accident that, when Sam hugs his father, the daevas unleash their attack, thematically linking the moment of reconciliation with one of savage and feral violence. This suggests that Sam is not yet ready to safely embrace the aspects of his psyche that John represents.
Thus, we are shown all the currents that feed Sam’s potential, whether demonic or divine, and we see they all have their source in the emotional maelstrom of family ties. Perhaps we may be forgiven if, on the first watch, we missed the biggest red flag that was dropped so casually earlier in the episode, when Sam told Dean: “we are family; I’d do anything for you.” At the time, it seemed sweet and innocuous – just a common hyperbole that people use to express affection for their loved ones. Doubtless, if he had examined it, even Sam would have assumed that’s all it was. Nevertheless, it will ultimately prove to be no mere platitude, but the very substance of his destiny: when it comes to his brother, there is no limit to what he will do, no line he won’t cross. When Sam says “anything”, he truly means it.
.
Given the title of the episode, one might expect to see some illumination of the theme of the Jungian shadow: those aspects of the psyche that the individual wishes to deny, reject or repress, often figuratively referred to as one’s demons. It might be helpful here to recap my summary of the topic when I first raised it in my review of “The Pilot”:
“There’s a dramatic device called “literary doubling” where a marked parallel is drawn between the hero and another character. Often, they are twins or brothers, or the ‘double’ bears a strong resemblance either physically or in general circumstance to the hero. The double, often referred to as ‘the shadow’ represents an unexpressed aspect of the hero. Jungian psychology uses the term ‘shadow’ to refer to a part of the subconscious that the subject wishes to deny about himself.
In the hero myth and quest literature the landscape and all the other characters are understood to be reflections of the hero and his state of mind. The Pilgrim’s Progress is an obvious example, where the hero meets a succession of characters who are named after character traits, and he visits places that match his mood, such as the Slough of Despond.
Both in fiction and in psychotherapy, a confrontation with the shadow challenges the hero to acknowledge the part of himself he wants to suppress, to accept it as necessary, and a source of positive value once embraced and re-integrated back into the Self. The hero’s journey is toward that self-expression and reconciliation of the fractured psyche.”https://fanspired.livejournal.com/122645.html
There are several shadow or shadow-like figures presented in the episode, and they are all directly or indirectly connected to the demon. First, and most obviously, there are the shadow demons themselves, the daevas. But there is also Meg who, as I suggested earlier, has been shadowing Sam and whom we later learn is also a demon. And then there’s John who has been a shadowy figure throughout the season while he has been actively pursuing the demon, and who has been cast in shadow imagery since his first appearance in this episode.
When we first learn that the daevas are acting under Meg’s direction, Dean comments that “Sammy has a thing for the bad girl”. This is the start of a theme that implies Sam is attracted to the dark and demonic, and that this reflects something dark within himself. The daevas may be seen as a dramatization of Sam’s demonic potential. They are described as savage, animalistic and destructive – biting the hand that feeds them - they’re presented as an invisible and destructive power that’s difficult to control. Likewise, Sam’s psychic powers are difficult to control and potentially dangerous. Meg’s manipulation of the daevas prefigures the demons’ desire to exploit Sam and his abilities, and we will eventually learn the powers are themselves demonic in origin. (Although I’m not sure the intention in the first season was quite so simplistic, we can certainly see the potential for them to be harnessed for dark purposes; hence the demons’ interest in Sam).
All of these elements may be more interrelated than they initially appear and, beyond their superficial meaning within the demon arc plot, they also have a deeper psychological symbolism. Indeed, Sam’s abilities themselves may be seen as a metaphor for the basic human will to power, with its attendant capacity for good or evil.
In the pilot, the Jungian shadow was introduced in the figure of Dean who embodied all the aspects of Sam that he wished to escape or repress: the demands of family obligation, the authority of his father and, also, his physical/instinctual self and the demands of the body – hunger, sexual desire and aggression – these are all Sam’s demons, as it were. This episode illuminates this complex body of issues by separating them into different strands dramatized by the various characters represented.
First the daevas: like Dean, they are associated with the Id: the most basic, instinctual and animalistic human drives. They represent aggression – the will to rage and violence and, in their connection to Meg, they may also be related to sexual desire. Sex and violence are often closely linked, and it may be that Sam is aware of that potential and consequently fears sexual intimacy. Given his first real attempt at a romantic relationship ended with Jessica’s death, this isn’t surprising; we saw that his instinctive response to his loss was violent, one of rage and the desire for revenge. Later, in “Provenance”, Sam will admit to avoiding relationships because he says he can’t go through what he went through with Jessica again. His mistake lies in assuming that eschewing romantic connection will enable him to avoid intimacy. For all practical purposes, his most intimate emotional relationship is with Dean, and denying himself external connections can only strengthen that emotional dependency. Eventually we will come to realise that Sam’s reaction to Jessica’s death was just a dress rehearsal for what we will see amplified when he loses Dean.
Dean can also be aggressive and even savage; we saw this side of him projected through the device of the shifter in “Skin”, but it was already suggested in “Wendigo” when he admitted he derives satisfaction from “killing as many evil sons of bitches as (he) possibly can”. However, we’ve seen he can also be empathic, self-sacrificing and heroic. The problem is that these different aspects come as a package: saving people, hunting things. Is it possible for Sam to embrace one without the other?
Next there is Meg, who is associated with familial obligation. When she first made her appearance in “Scarecrow”, she represented herself to Sam as an analogue to his desire to escape and make his own choices but, in “Shadow”, she acknowledges that loyalty, love and responsibility to family are her primary motivations. Sam’s attitude has changed since “Scarecrow” and he is now more invested in those ties and obligations, though he still hopes he can ultimately be free of them. Importantly, however, the bonds of family can also be a source of conflict. We see Meg sowing the seeds of discord and distrust between the brothers in this episode, an aspect of her purposes that Sam dismisses too easily. Distrust is also an invisible monster that can be fatally destructive if not confronted and exposed to the light.
Finally, there is John, who exhibits traits of authority, leadership and heroism. That, at least, is how Dean sees him. But we also know that he is obsessively motivated by the desire for revenge. It remains to be seen whether Sam can inherit John’s more positive traits without also embracing that bloodlust, but it’s surely no accident that, when Sam hugs his father, the daevas unleash their attack, thematically linking the moment of reconciliation with one of savage and feral violence. This suggests that Sam is not yet ready to safely embrace the aspects of his psyche that John represents.
Thus, we are shown all the currents that feed Sam’s potential, whether demonic or divine, and we see they all have their source in the emotional maelstrom of family ties. Perhaps we may be forgiven if, on the first watch, we missed the biggest red flag that was dropped so casually earlier in the episode, when Sam told Dean: “we are family; I’d do anything for you.” At the time, it seemed sweet and innocuous – just a common hyperbole that people use to express affection for their loved ones. Doubtless, if he had examined it, even Sam would have assumed that’s all it was. Nevertheless, it will ultimately prove to be no mere platitude, but the very substance of his destiny: when it comes to his brother, there is no limit to what he will do, no line he won’t cross. When Sam says “anything”, he truly means it.
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