[I don’t want to say this on reblog of the relevant spoiler articles or interviews, because serial squee-harsher is not a great fandom identity and I already did the rant thing once on the Scooby Doo Dabb and Singer thing a couple of weeks ago, but I do want to talk about it. There have been discussions of Sam’s diminished role in the show itself, though I feel like even those have faded as people have grown resigned or drifted away, but I haven’t seen much public talk about the way the show is hyped specifically.]
Oh, look, some more Dean/Jensen exclusive publicity for SPN.
This is Dabb era, and in Dabb era SPN publicity is the “looks at smudged name on hand” meme brought to life.
When was the last time you read anything from Dabb that focused on Sam’s reactions and Sam’s story? When was the last time the major spoiler hooks featured Sam? When was the last time an episode was publicized with Jared interviews? When was the last time an episode summary focused on the centrality of Sam’s story?
Sam fandom raises the issue of Sam’s place in the show from time to time. The friendlier segments of Dean fandom say “yeah, I really think next season is going to be more focused on Sam.” But here we are in yet another “next season,” and we’re starting to get the big late-season spoilers, as well as the small fun-episode spoilers, and … they’re not focused on Sam. Even when Sam does have the emotional core of an episode (which usually means 2 minutes of intensity in half a season of blurred reaction shots and blows to the head, but we are genuinely excited and grateful), they come as a surprise. A pleasant surprise, sure, but no one from the show has been hyping the episode as “and there are some really great Sam moments.”
There is virtually nothing in the way the show is presented by TPTB and marketed to make it seem like they want anyone watching for Sam. ~The brothers~, yes, but ~the brothers~ is no longer shorthand for two equally weighted and developed characters. And I genuinely don’t understand why. Sure, Dean fandom is bigger (though that was less the case when the distribution of material was more even), but even if x is bigger than y, x + y is bigger than x alone. So many of the people I know who were drawn in by Sam’s story and Jared’s performance have stopped watching, and so many of those who are still watching do so with grim assertions of “I’m in this to the end of the line” rather than with expressions of present enjoyment.
[I know there are legitimate issues with the writing of Dean as well, aspects of Dean’s story that are neglected, points where his character seems flanderized or cheapened. (I’d argue that the lack of Sam as a real and equal alternative focus has not helped the writing and characterization for Dean.) ]
Anyway, I guess I’m feeling like this has become an elephant in the room. And it’s something I chat about in three PM windows at once, but not something I see much actual posting about, let alone questions in interviews or at cons.
I’ve pretty much stopped watching. I’m still writing fic (the marginalization of Sam in canon has the silver lining that it’s a goldmine for fic characterization), and from time to time I’ll catch up. But I haven’t watched an episode the night it aired in a long, long time, and that’s largely because, while I do every blue moon or so get after-the-fact “this had great material for Sam” publicity from my dash, the pre-episode material never makes it sound like a must-watch, exciting episode for Sam fans.
And I really don’t get why. This is not the Highlander, where there can only be one. Even if Sam’s arc is secondary, if they developed it and talked about it, it would draw some viewers, and there’s no reason to think it would lose other viewers. And if they had to think about what they were doing with Sam enough to present their thoughts to the audience, it might alert them to some of the writing weaknesses and imbalances that are affecting Dean and the show, as well as Sam.
All of this.
Sam’s marginalization is breaking my heart. I want to keep watching until the end, and I keep hoping he’ll get more screen time, but I’m losing hope.
OMG, THIS, ALL OF THIS!!!
Yes. Thank you. I came into this fandom as a little more of a Dean fan but I fell in love with Sam too. I completely understand why some of my friends who are Sam-fans have stopped watching. It’s really upsetting.
nothingidputbeforeyou 