I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS QUESTION MY ENTIRE LIFE
okay friends, buckle in for another edition of Queer Sam 101: SamPaul Edition (aka “who is Paul” and why everyone should be a SamPaul Truther)
[image ID: images of sam and paul from 5x17 99 Problems looking at each other from across the bar /end id]
Paul is a bartender from 5x17 99 Problems. In the episode, Sam and Dean are saved from demons by Paul and other town members of a nearby, religious town. They heard of the apocalyptic threats in the world and decided to train on their own to prepare, with townsfolk like Paul becoming full-fledged hunters who can kill and even exorcise demons.
[image ID: a screenshot of Sam telling the townsfolk “we’re on the same team” / end ID]
(on the same team hahahaha get it)
They all agree to team up and work together, easily taking down a swarm of demons together. Sam even saves Paul from one just in time.
[image ID: a screenshot of Sam and Paul fighting together in the house /end ID]
The town is acting like it’s the end of the world (which to be fair, it is) with everyone getting married while they still can and treating every night at Paul’s bar like it’s last call. There’s also a preacher’s daughter claiming to be a “prophet” who says the angels have been speaking to her and gives instructions to give the town if they want to be “saved.”
Paul and Sam hit if off after both of them scoff at the idea of all the weddings happening, with Paul being set-up as the only not-crazy religious person in town. He’s the one filling Sam in on what’s happening in the town and even gives him a free round of drinks after joking how busy it’s gotten.
[image ID: a screenshot of of Sam saying, “Wedding?” and scoffing and Paul replying, “We’ve had eight so far this week” and a screenshot of Paul telling Sam, “That round’s on me.” /end ID]
Over the episode Sam notices a couple times that Paul’s the black sheep in this very religious, conservative town - he doesn’t pray with the rest during service and in fact pulls out a drink instead, he rolls his eyes at the idea that the angels are speaking to them.
[image ID: Paul looking skeptical as the church listens to the “prophet” talk about how the angels chose them, Sam looking at Paul when he’s drinking during a church-wide prayer /end ID]
Quick sidenote: it is important to know this episode takes place right after “Dark Side of the Moon” and right before “The Point of No Return” where the usually devout Sam is himself very cynical about religion, the angels and God after learning from Joshua that God does indeed exist...he’s just been leaving them all on read and refuses to help.
Meanwhile, Dean is on another journey this episode; he’s given up. He falls in line with the angel’s “orders” with the other townsfolk, who are all desperate to be saved (especially after the prophet says that if the town can prove themselves then the angels will even resurrect some of their loved ones as a reward for them.) This episode’s all about setting up Dean giving himself over to the angels’ orders and agreeing to become Michael’s vessel.
Which is why Sam and Dean butt heads when the “prophet” tells them all sinful activity is banned to save the town: gambling, drinking, premarital sex, etc. Dean surprisingly has no problem following the new rules while Sam questions it and wonders how far the policing will go.
So, Sam goes to visit the one sane person left in town: Paul.
[image id: Screenshots of Sam saying, “So, uh, you’re cool with it” while talking about the new bans. Dean saying, “I’m not cool. I’m not not cool.” Screenshots of Sam walking into Paul’s empty bar and Paul stopping his cleaning when he walks in. /end ID]
The once busy bar is now completely empty now that all drinking is banned. Luckily Sam and Paul don’t care and Paul asks him to help him kill some inventory by pouring them some drinks.
Sam tells Paul he’s noticed he’s “not the praying type” and Paul says, “Well, between you and me...neither were these guys.” He’s an atheist/agnostic of sorts and sees all this behavior as nothing more than hypocritical virtue signaling to pretend they’re all sin-free. Sam is definitely impressed by this fresh perspective and his honest attitude.
[image ID: Paul telling Sam, “I never prayed before and I ain’t starting now. If I go to hell, I’m going honest /end ID]
it’s then that an interesting exchange happens when Paul asks about Sam.
On a surface level, it’s about how Sam clearly seems to be doubting the religious happenings here too. But the way it’s delivered is so interesting. It almost feels like Paul clocked that Sam is the sort of person who’s already going to hell too.
[image ID: Paul asking Sam, “How ‘bout you?” Sam looks up in surprise and says, “How about me?” Paul, looking intrigued, says “Not a true believer I take it?” /end ID]
Let’s talk for a second about Sam’s queercoding and the part of it that always hit home for me the most. Most queer folk (especially those raised religious) are taught that no matter what we do or how much we pray, it won’t matter and we’ll never go to Heaven just because we’re gay. Lil Nas X made an incredible point about this in the music video for Montero (Call Be Your Name), which was made in response to all the religious types who kept talking about how he was going to hell for be an openly gay celebrity.
So how does this relate to Sam? Well, Sam himself has always been damned for one simple thing: his demon blood. No matter how much he prayed and redeemed himself in the lord’s eyes, he was still unclean and still an abomination. It’s all the angels see him as, which is especially evident when he meets them for the first time 4x07.
Meanwhile, Paul has a very different attitude; he’s stopped caring. If he’s damned already, then what’s the point in trying to pretend otherwise or be someone he’s not?
So Sam tells him the truth, that he does believe (as he has met the angels after all) but he thinks God no longer cares (a line moreorless recycled later on by Dean with “I do believe there is a God...but I don’t he believes in us” in the Season 10 confession booth scene, which is most known for the moment often regarded as a coming out for him)
[image ID: Sam telling Paul, “I do believe. I do. I’m just...pretty sure God stopped caring a long time ago.” He chuckles and Paul laughs with him. /end ID]
Paul and Sam both laugh at this and then...the scene ends there, with them laughing and drinking and bonding over their shared damnation.
This ends up being the perfect fanfic gap though since we cut to Sam tipsily stumbling into the hotel later that night, with Dean asking where’s he’s been.
[image ID: Sam stumbling in the hotel room at night. Dean asks “Where you been?” and Sam hesitates before saying, “Drinkin’” /end ID]
Unfortunately (and anyone who’s seen the episode knows) the prophet was indeed fake all along and was in fact the Whore of Babylon who wanted to corrupt the town and turn them against each other.
She tells them that one member of town hasn’t been following the angels’ rules and so they all go to confront Paul at his bar. They plan to kick him out of the town for his sin, saying they’re a town of believers and that he no longer belongs there. Paul isn’t ready to go though; he’s lived here all his life.
[image ID: Paul’s friend saying, “Don’t make this hard for us” and Paul replying, “Hard for you?” /end ID]
There’s definitely an argument for a queer reading to this scene too; I mean, a whole town exiling one of their own for his sin? Come on. Paul tries to get through to one of his closest friends, saying they’ve known each other all their lives and that Paul was even the groomsman at his wedding.
It doesn’t work.
A mom who recently lost her kid and was promised the angels would bring him back decides to end the argument by shooting and killing him, just as the woman wanted. Dean arrives in time to see it happen but isn’t able to stop it, and has to deliver the news to Sam the next morning.
It’s a tragedy all around, as the town was never going to be saved and Sam himself ends up being vessel for the archangel Lucifer only weeks later.
[image ID: Sam and Paul clinking their drinks together /end ID]
Anyways, I think Sam & Paul had an amazing dynamic this whole episode and it was so good to see Sam feel recognized and accepted in another person especially after such a discouraging experience with God and the angels. There’s definitely a lot of borderline flirty behavior between the two, mostly from Paul’s side, and the two even make a decent battle pairing during the demon fight. Whether you believe they hooked up in that bar or wish they had - there’s fic for that!
In general Paul is just a fun, down-to-earth-dude (and a short king for fans of height differences.)
[image ID: Sam and Paul standing beside each other in the church, with a noticeable height difference between them /end ID]
If Patrick is most similar to Rowena (both being evil witches who want to tempt Sam and have some fun with him) I think Paul is most similar to Eileen. They both almost immediately hit it off with Sam and have lots of fun banter and even manage to make Sam laugh. I think that Sam admires Eileen for a lot of the reason he admires Paul; they don’t believe in BS’ing or sugarcoating situations and aren’t afraid to question people in charge. Which is probably why SamPaul is one of my personal favorite queer Sam ships.
Thanks for reading if you did! Hope anyone new to SamPaul comes to love them too.
[image ID: a screen from 5x17 99 Problems of a priest saying, “Who would have thought the apocalypse could be so romantic?” end ID]
