Fandom Characterisation Vs Canon Characterisation

[lady_windermere]

Ok, normally if I feel a rant coming on, I sleep on it, but I have had a hellish day! David was going to take me out for a meal tonight to my favourite hotel, but he has a cold. IM has been down for me all day and I cannot talk to my friend. So I am not happy!

Yet again I am out of step with another fandom in my vision of characterisation of a character. This time it is Supernatural and Sam.

The fandom characterisation of him is that he is the talker, getting his feelings out, and soul bearing! Where the hell does that come from?

Take Bloody Mary, where, despite Dean pressuring him, he will not tell him everything that happened before Jess's death. It is not until Home that he finally has to come clean. Or that he has demon blood in him, he knows for a year before he tells Dean.

Yes, Dean does see his brother as the caring sharing type, but it is not held up with the story line!

Comments

[exuberantself.livejournal.com]

I think the primary problem with the boys that in order to have a show that focuses exclusively on two primary characters, they have to be each other's equal and opposite. It's a fine plan and a killer way to go, but it can also slide the brothers into neat little molds--in this case "rebel with a heart" and "nice guy academic." [and now I'm out of space]

[http://users.livejournal.com/woman_of_/]

True, but it annoys me that it is not backed up in what we see in the series. Oh yes, I guess today might be one of my grumpy days with this post!

[exuberantself.livejournal.com]

Sorry, my phone ran out of comment room. I was going to say that it's easy for less detailed (meaning "unobsessed") viewers to make generalizations about detailed characters. Because, once you actually get into it, Dean is far more emotional than Sam, but (inconveniently?) neither of them needs coddling and being told everything'll be okay.

Honestly, I've always taken these types of generalizations in fandom as a sign of lazy writing and more the desire to see hot boys do things (open up, cry...) than be themselves.

[http://users.livejournal.com/woman_of_/]

Yes you are probably right, Elmo Sam and Dean get them into the situations the writer wants, especially in hurt/comfort, quicker!

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

I think it comes from Sam always trying to pressure Dean into talking and sharing, but he never applies this to himself.

[http://users.livejournal.com/woman_of_/]

Umm! Not sure in episode 4/10 Sam is the one who says that he is not pressurising Dean to talk about hell. It is up to Dean to tell Sam!

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

Not in 4.10, no, but I was thinking back much further than that. Sam's lack of pushing in 4.10 is signifivant, precisely because it's not not what he'd normally do. Sam has learned the secret to getting his brother to open up, is not to push him.

[http://users.livejournal.com/woman_of_/]

I guess, he does push him after their father dies, so yes, he could've leaned from that. True!

[shannon730.livejournal.com]

I know nothing about Supernatural, other than who Sam and Dean are but my guess would be there is one episode somewhere or one scene even that he was all sharing and talkative and everyone has jumped on that scene.

Sort of like on TW, Jack said Ianto gets them everywhere on time, and the stopwatch scene so now every fic has Ianto abnormally obsessed with time even though there is no canon to support it.

[http://users.livejournal.com/woman_of_/]

I guess it could be something like that. Or even that Dean sees his brother in that light. Could come from the No Fic Chicks Moments comment Dean makes I guess.

[jaded-jamie.livejournal.com]

YAY! A rant..... Not a terrible one though...

Sorry you had a crap day *hug* Today will be better...

[http://users.livejournal.com/woman_of_/]

I tried not to make it too bad, but still not seeing the emo Sam myself!

I hope so, David's cold is getting worse, but might see him an extra day over the weekend!

[jaded-jamie.livejournal.com]

No I don't see the emo-Sam either actually....

Oh noes! David has Man-Flu! We suck so much as a gender when we're ill... hehe

[http://users.livejournal.com/woman_of_/]

Yeah, *sigh*, he is on the phone quite a bit, feeling sorry for himself. Of course he is stuffed up, and coughing as well. Difficult to make out!