Since I actually dreamed an ending similar to what we got a day or two ago, here's how my line of thought re: the shift went:
- Sam's hallucinations could be seen as supernaturally-induced schizophrenia, which is technically a disease. - I've heard of faith healers, especially of the shamanistic bent, "taking the disease into" themselves. The patient heals completely, and the healer bears the illness. (It's said something similar happened with C. S. Lewis and his wife; he prayed that God would let him suffer in her place, and as her bone cancer went into miraculous remission, his bones started losing calcium at the same rate hers were gaining calcium.) - As a last, desperate, put-a-brace-on-it resort (that last being Jared's term), Cas might well take the schizophrenia into himself to save Sam's life at the cost of his own sanity.
As far as *how* it works? Your guess is as good as mine. I agree heartily with everything else, though, *especially* Dean being 100% in character.
no subject
- Sam's hallucinations could be seen as supernaturally-induced schizophrenia, which is technically a disease.
- I've heard of faith healers, especially of the shamanistic bent, "taking the disease into" themselves. The patient heals completely, and the healer bears the illness. (It's said something similar happened with C. S. Lewis and his wife; he prayed that God would let him suffer in her place, and as her bone cancer went into miraculous remission, his bones started losing calcium at the same rate hers were gaining calcium.)
- As a last, desperate, put-a-brace-on-it resort (that last being Jared's term), Cas might well take the schizophrenia into himself to save Sam's life at the cost of his own sanity.
As far as *how* it works? Your guess is as good as mine.
I agree heartily with everything else, though, *especially* Dean being 100% in character.