So I read a post - which is this one on @samanddeanunited blog yesterday, which talks about some Hellers think Sam is now barely in the show and it’s turning into what they want; the Castiel and Dean show. I have seen these delusions myself and was ignoring them, but I had a bit of time free this morning…
So, lets take a closer look at last night’s episode as an example. Now, it was clearly Michael!Dean/Dean centric, but I think that makes it even better to look at the roles of both Sam and Castiel in this episode.
So, first of all, what did Castiel do?
Distracted Dean by being beaten up, while Sam worked on binding Dean with the holy oil (tool)
Listened while Leader!Sam took a phone call and gave instructions to the various hunters (supporting character)
Asked Leader!Sam what the plan was (supporting character)
Listened while Leader!Sam explained what his plan was - let’s call this Escape Plan A (supporting character)
Used his powers to hold the door closed to stop the monsters getting in while Sam came up with Escape Plan B (tool)
Listened while Leader!Sam explained what his New Escape Plan B was (supporting character)
Watched Sam speak to someone he couldn’t see because Castiel, not being a protagonist, doesn’t have his own, specially assigned by death herself, reaper watching over him (supporting character)
Listened while Leader!Sam took another call from the hunters and gave them new instructions (supporting character)
Went with Jack to lock down the building leaving Sam and Michael!Dean to have their discussion (minion)
Listened to Michael!Dean while he spoke about his motivations (supporting character and possible plot device for later in the season)
Put the wires on Michael!Dean (minion)
Switched on the mind meld machine at Sam’s command (minion)
Hitched a ride with Leader!Sam into Dean’s mind (supporting character)
Used his powers so they could both listen to Dean’s mind (tool)
Didn’t know what he was looking for in Dean’s mind, he’s there merely to contrast with Sam who does know everything about Dean, every single memory and he knows the one that won’t be true (plot device)
Used his powers to take Sam and him to the one memory Sam knew wasn’t true (tool) once Sam told him to (minion)
Gives long speech to try to get through to Dean which includes “we need you” and he still fails to rouse Dean out of his memory. He fails so that we can see Sam succeed, so that we can see yet again, because some people need an anvil dropped on them to hammer this point home, that Sam and Dean have a much stronger relationship than they have with anyone else in their lives (plot device)
Listens to Michael!Dean say Dean thinks he fails over and over (possible plot device for later in the series when he will do something else stupid to prove yet again that he isn’t useless, when nope, you are useless, except for when you are being a tool, then you are a useful tool)
Assists Leader!Sam to close the door on Michael!Dean (minion)
Has conversation with Jack about not using his soul (possible plot device as this talk will fail – because it’s not been given by a protagonist - and later on in the series, Jack will of course use his magic again)
And what did “poor in the background” Sam do?
Stopped Michael!Dean with the holy oil (protagonist)
Took a phone call and gave commands to the hunters (protagonist)
Came up with the plan to get Michael!Dean out of the building. Escape Plan A; put him in the trunk with Garth. (protagonist)
Came up with revised plan to get them all out of the building. Escape Plan B; called his personally assigned by death herself reaper (protagonist)
Spoke to his personally assigned by death herself reaper, about getting them out of the building (protagonist) – by the way, Cass in the background of this scene was funny when Sam looked to be talking to himself. I’m actually crying watching him.
Came up with the plan to go inside Dean’s head (protagonist)
Took another call from the hunters and gave them new instructions (protagonist)
Prepared what was needed to get inside Dean’s mind (protagonist)
Was sought out by Jack for advice (protagonist)
Went into Dean’s mind and brought Castiel with him by allowing him to hitch a ride (protagonist)
Realised that Michael wouldn’t put Dean somewhere he was suffering, that he’d put him somewhere that he was comfortable (progagonist)
Found the one memory in Dean’s mind that he knew was not true (protagonist)
Got through to Dean with a single shared word (protagonist)
Pushes Michael!Dean into the storeroom and closes the door (protagonist)
Got update from Maggie on the status of the hunters and hears from her about Jack using his magic (protagonist as this point will be important later in the season when Jack uses his powers again).
In addition, it might have been overlooked, but in Jack’s conversation with Michael!Dean, Jack says: Sam and Dean? They are going to beat you. (notice, not Sam, Dean and Castiel) because Castiel is not a protagonist.
