It's true that some people can manage it pretty well for a while (some for a lifetime of denial and destruction! which, yes, seems to work all right for them, except for the whole driving-everyone-away-from-them bit), and I agree that Dean is one of them, at least at this point. (Come to think of it, he's probably always on a certain level desired this, thinking if he could just keep everything under tight control, he'd be a 'real man' and a better hunter, without all those pesky feelings getting in the way.) I give him maybe a year, possibly two, before the dam cracks and the deluge ensues.
So I hear ya ... although I won't go as far as to describe it as "working" for him. Clearly he's very keen to avoid facing certain things and will avoid it as long as possible, but I have no doubt it'll end up biting him in the ass in a way maybe not talking but at least THINKING about it could have prevented. I mean, I think a kind of suffering he never imagined even when he was in hell is headed right for him as a result of all this denial.
It's all very realistic and I think very interesting--an lj friend pointed out on my meta that when Sam finds out Dean stuck an angel in him, he'll have finally lost everything, betrayed so outrageously by his own brother, which I'm thinking will leave him ripe for saying yes to Lucifer and will drive Dean to end!verse levels of sociopathy (that's my latest theory on where all this is headed). I'm excited for that kind of thing, I guess, particularly if it's done really well.
But though I agree that it's REALISTIC, I suppose it brings up the question of the differences between story and reality that perhaps SHOULD be different. It would make for a much more satisfying show, emotionally speaking, if we occasionally saw Dean's torment. Then again, maybe it WOULD actually be more realistic to see his torment, because even deep in the throes of denial, these people still suffer, if only occasionally, alone late at night when there's nothing to distract them from it. Not necessarily "I'M SO SAD SAM I NEED TO PUT MY HEAD IN MY HANDS WITH WET EYES FOR A MINUTE" kinds of suffering, but there are ways to show someone's inner torment in a visible way, and for the story to work for the viewer emotionally--especially for the viewer to be able to have sympathy and love for that character--I think it's better if you show it. But either way, it's interesting to see these very real, seldom explored human interactions play out on this show that, yes, I can't believe is a real show, either.
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branchandroot
Re: tl;dr tl;dr tl;dr !!!!
Date: 2013-10-26 08:04 am (UTC)So I hear ya ... although I won't go as far as to describe it as "working" for him. Clearly he's very keen to avoid facing certain things and will avoid it as long as possible, but I have no doubt it'll end up biting him in the ass in a way maybe not talking but at least THINKING about it could have prevented. I mean, I think a kind of suffering he never imagined even when he was in hell is headed right for him as a result of all this denial.
It's all very realistic and I think very interesting--an lj friend pointed out on my meta that when Sam finds out Dean stuck an angel in him, he'll have finally lost everything, betrayed so outrageously by his own brother, which I'm thinking will leave him ripe for saying yes to Lucifer and will drive Dean to end!verse levels of sociopathy (that's my latest theory on where all this is headed). I'm excited for that kind of thing, I guess, particularly if it's done really well.
But though I agree that it's REALISTIC, I suppose it brings up the question of the differences between story and reality that perhaps SHOULD be different. It would make for a much more satisfying show, emotionally speaking, if we occasionally saw Dean's torment. Then again, maybe it WOULD actually be more realistic to see his torment, because even deep in the throes of denial, these people still suffer, if only occasionally, alone late at night when there's nothing to distract them from it. Not necessarily "I'M SO SAD SAM I NEED TO PUT MY HEAD IN MY HANDS WITH WET EYES FOR A MINUTE" kinds of suffering, but there are ways to show someone's inner torment in a visible way, and for the story to work for the viewer emotionally--especially for the viewer to be able to have sympathy and love for that character--I think it's better if you show it. But either way, it's interesting to see these very real, seldom explored human interactions play out on this show that, yes, I can't believe is a real show, either.