Say Wha...?

First off, thank you fannishliss for the beta assist -- I really was banging my head against the wall and you got me all remotivated and organized and stuff. *smooch*

So, this line of thought has been stuck in my head for awhile now, and I finally got it all down and figured this might at last get it out of my head so I can move on to other trains of thought. We'll see, lol.



Wishful Thinking and S4 Themes

You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You just might find
You get what you need

-- Rolling Stones



In a story about Angels and Demons and the Apocalypse and two guys shooting monsters in the face with rock salt, what's really going on thematically this season?

For my money, Wishful Thinking is hugely significant, being far more than a standalone comedy episode with some myth arc bookending moments. It's the template for the year.

Starting with Be careful what you wish for.

Are you... happy?

People are people because they are miserable bastards...

You're not supposed to get what you want, man. Not like this.

You get what you want, you get crazy.

We never get what we want. In fact, we have to fight tooth and nail just to keep whatever it is we got.

Every episode this season has played with this theme.


The Wishers and the Wishes

Invisible Peeping Tom made a wish to be invisible so he could spy on naked women.

Little Girl Audrey wished for her bear to be real so she could have a companion for her tea parties.

Audrey's mom and dad wished for a vacation in Bali. Minus their kid, apparently.

Lottery Ticket Man, whose wish is self-explanatory.

Wes wished for the girl of his dreams to love him more than anything.

Todd wished to be Superman super strong.

Every single wish was self-serving. A couple of them on the thoughtless, ignorant of the consequences level. Audrey, her parents, lottery ticket dude.

Todd's was in the interest of self defense. Being able to stop the bullies.

Invisible Boy’s held elements of self-gratification to the tune of criminal perviness. The kind of wish that by even going there in the first place he had to know he was in the wrong. Call it a form of low level evil.

Wes? Wanted to be noticed and loved by the girl he had a thing for. And while he didn't intend to enslave her in the process, it doesn't change the fact that he also had elements of criminal perviness to his wish. He knew it wasn't a healthy relationship, it was ... wrong. But by willfully trying to ignore that in favor of the thought that it was still better than what he'd had, he made himself just as in the wrong as Invisible Boy.

What about the consequences? Be careful what you wish for, after all...

Audrey's parents abandoned their daughter. Not what they intended, but that's the point. Children are an extra responsibility, a burden in some ways. They wanted a vacation, freedom. A family divided by a wish.

Audrey wanted a party time companion. But she ended up with depressed, suicidal and potentially dangerous companion. If that shotgun had gone off when she was still in the house...

Todd lost perspective of where the line of right and wrong was, and the victim became the bully. "With great power comes great responsibility", and this was a power misused.

Invisible Boy, Lottery Ticket Man, and Wes. Run over by a car, lost his credibility/branded by a fake ticket, a dysfunctional relationship that got abruptly ended. All three tried the quick and easy route to getting what they wanted. All three could have done things differently to get what they wanted. Choices on display, here. Invisible Boy could have gotten his own girlfriend and convinced her to let him see her naked. Lottery Ticket Man could have chosen to earn his own money, instead of trying for the easy way of life. Wes could have approached Hope on his own, putting the effort into getting her to notice him on his own merits.

The easy path chosen over the one requiring a little more effort and risk of failure.

Hmm. Any of these wishes and motivations sounding familiar to our boys?


Sam and Dean

This year, what has Sam wished for?

Lilith's head on a plate, bloody.
A way to tell Dean what he's been up to.
To keep going with what he's been up to.
A way to stop the apocalypse.
A way to help his brother deal with the damage wrought by hell.
A chance for a happy ending, instead of a bloody or sad ending.

What has Dean wished for?

To forget Hell.
To not feel a damn thing.
To know his brother.
To trust his brother.
For Sam to be the younger, more idealistic Sammy of yesteryear.
To find out why him? What does God/the angels want from him?


What about the seemingly random cases the Boys have worked this season? Do they fit with the wishful thinking theme?

The cases range from wishing to control their inner monsters (4.04), wishing to be the Best Monster EVAR! (4.05), wishing to experience being human (4.10), wishing for a fresh start for a broken family (4.11), wishing to preserve a brotherhood by any means necessary (4.12), wishing to say thank you to an old teacher (4.13), wishing for the perfect partner (4.14).

All ending in either failure, having to give up that wish, paying a high price for the wish, or realizing that getting your wish didn't make things easier.


The Collective Bigger Picture Wishes

Lilith -- wished for Dean to go to hell; wants to break all the seals, causing the Apocalypse and bringing forth Lucifer.

Castiel -- wants to stop Lilith; wants Sam to not use his powers; wants to know what Azazel's true agenda was; wants Dean to do God’s will/work.

Ruby -- wants to stop Lilith; wants Sam to use his powers.

Sam -- wants to stop Lilith; wants to use his powers; wants his brother to trust him.

Dean -- wants to stop Lilith; wants to not feel anything; wants his brother to stop changing.

Some of these wishes line up with each other. Some are simply not at all compatible with each other, so we already know that not everyone is going to get what they want. And whoever does get what they wished for should prepare for an unexpected price tag.

So my wish came true. Why does that have to be a bad thing?

You get what you want, you get crazy.

Look around. Where's all this insanity you guys are talking about?

This whole thing started with a coin. Its origins? Black magic.

The serpent is Tiamat. Which is the Babylonian god of primordial chaos. I guess their priests were working some serious black magic.

It's been alluded to that Sam's using black magic this year, beyond demon blood and psychic stuff. Beef up his powers so he's strong enough to take on Lilith (4.12). He's also asked the equivalent of "where's the insanity" in using some demon-derived powers for the greater good.

I've saved more people in the last five months than we save in a year. (3.04)

Take a closer look at Sam and Dean's wishes. Pairing one out of the three... not the closest of matches in aligning goals and wishes. Look again at item No. 2 on their lists. It's been alluded to that using demon powers could be perceived as becoming less human (4.04). And the other No. 2. Where's that line demarcate the difference between not feeling all the things humans feel, and not being human (4.10)? Seems that both boys are at best subconsciously wishing away parts of their humanity. They are closer to mirroring each other than they realize.

The Final Tally

Audrey and her parents -- The family torn apart by a wish made was restored by the wish rescinded. No damage done that a good Band-Aid couldn't fix.

Lottery Man -- Return to status quo but with loss of a good name.

Invisible Boy -- Hit by a car because he didn't stop using his powers despite Sam's orders to stop.

Wes -- The couple united by a wish now torn apart by the take-back. Alone by choice and failure to consider a different approach.

Todd -- Lost his super strength but was able to avoid a return to status quo (being a victim of the bullies) because of a little outside help from Dean. United we stand, perhaps? It may be noteworthy that he's the only person who ended up better off than how he started, thanks to an unexpected ally.

We're left wondering which ending Sam and Dean are going to eke out for themselves.

Which paths are about taking the easy option?
Which are the potentially criminal/slippery slope to evil?
Which are simply ignorant?
Which are wishes that have more than one way to fulfill, and the choice of how is the key?

Or perhaps Sam and Dean should simply ask: Which wishful thinking comes with the consequences they can live with?

There's the crux of the problem. Because you have "to try", you have "to fight tooth and nail" to hold onto what you have, else be left with nothing. But trying the wrong thing will produce the same result.

Be careful what you wish for, but all means don't give up on wishful thinking. Sometimes you can attain a happy ending, with a happy ending, no less.

Because when you try sometimes
You just might find
You get what you need.