While I'm in a posting mood...

[ratherastory]

I need an explanation for the Season 4 premiere, because I am missing something.

When Dean and Bobby go to find Sam in that motel in Pontiac, Ruby is there. She's introduced as "Cathy" or "Chrissy," or whatever, but it's definitely Ruby.

She then completely fails to recognize Dean, back from hell, along with Bobby (whom she's met at least once, in "Sin City"). Or at least pretends to.

Sam then apparently lies through his teeth to Dean about the girl. This after the massive, massive shock of getting his brother back from Hell. He later lies through his teeth some more when he says Ruby's dead.

So. Is that a continuity error? Did Ruby somehow manage to convey to Sam that she didn't want him to reveal her identity to Dean?

It's driving me nuts.

Comments

[primrose-1.livejournal.com]

I thought the scene was rather clever actually. If you watch carefully, Ruby is in charge of the entire incident. First, she opens the door, looks both at Dean and at Bobby before saying, "Where's the pizza?" She recognized them alright, and thought fast. Then, after Sam and Dean embrace, she says something like, "So, you guys are together." Sam looks at her with some confusion before saying, "Uh...no..." He makes up a name for her, then she corrects him. It makes her look like just a one night stand. All Sam has to do is kind of blunder along after her statements and comments. Of COURSE he doesn't want to tell Dean that he's with Ruby.

He directly lies to Dean's face later in the car. They played Sam very subtly all through the first half of season 4. We're not supposed to realize how messed up Sam really is. Notice the entire first half of the season has almost nothing for Sam to do- it's all about Dean coming back from hell and angels and the apocalypse. That changes fast the second half of the season.

I don't know if it was the best way for them to do it, but we were ALL surprised to find out Sam was addicted to demon blood when it was finally revealed. Mission accomplished.

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

we were ALL surprised to find out Sam was addicted to demon blood when it was finally revealed. Mission accomplished.

True. I'm just... having trouble buying that Sam, after the initial shock of seeing Dean, was so quickly able to follow Ruby's lead. Obviously those four months changed him more than I thought they did. :)

[debbiel66.livejournal.com]

I'm just... having trouble buying that Sam, after the initial shock of seeing Dean, was so quickly able to follow Ruby's lead.

That's my issue too. Seconds before, he was just destroyed over seeing Dean. I don't think even messed-up Sam could change gears so quickly.

[dauntdraws.livejournal.com]

See, I think it's a sign of how guilty he really felt about not adhering to Dean's dying wish. Dean's back he's like "Holy shit, holy shit.....ohSHIT." Like all of a sudden he knows he's going to have to answer for not keeping his promise.

Which was made worse because he knows Dean went to hell for him and he fucked up anyways.

Terrifying levels of guilt are plenty enough to make one not want to tell the truth, Ruby just gave him an easy explanation.

Just my thoughts on the subject! I could be totally off base. Man that episode makes me CRY for those boys. ;_;

[saschi212.livejournal.com]

I totally agree! It's the guilt. Guilt makes quick-thinking liars out of anyone, and remember Sam spent YEARS at Stanford lying to cover up his lifestyle. He'd have to be able to think (and lie) quick on his feet, and he's got great motivation here, with not only Dean there but Bobby, too. He's been a con-man his whole life; he can lie under duress, no problem.

[charis-kalos.livejournal.com]

True. I'm just... having trouble buying that Sam, after the initial shock of seeing Dean, was so quickly able to follow Ruby's lead. Obviously those four months changed him more than I thought they did. :)

The four months changed him almost completely. The "kill me before I go evil" Sam is pretty much gone. He may have tried to justify his demon-blood-drinking by saying he was able to do more good and that he just wanted revenge on Lilith, but both Chuck and Dean called him on that at various times. Demon-blood-drinking, Ruby-sexing Sam is years and miles away from Dean's Sammy.

We've seen before that without Dean Sam loses his moral compass and turns into uber-John, and with the added help of Ruby that's what he'd done in those four months. Ruby gives him the clues and he follows because he's managed to turn himself into Super-Hunter and that's what Super-Hunter does.

More than anything I wish Sam hadn't been able to follow Ruby's lead so quickly , because it would have been a sign that our Sammy was still in control. But like any junkie Sam had to hit absolute rock-bottom before Sammy could start coming back. (Admittedly, most junkies' rock bottom isn't helping to bring about the Apocalypse.)

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

The Winchesters never do anything by halves, do they?

[charis-kalos.livejournal.com]

No, they're intense little puppies. John's DNA? Or does it go back to the Campbells?

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Little bit of Column A, little bit of Column B, I suspect. Stubborn going back both ways for generations.