Show told us John could handle what Dean couldn't, and I think that was narratively okay, since John wasn't supposed to be Dean's peer, and he's not part of the weekly story. But I do think that differences between the brothers are more likely to be differences of smaller degrees than that. That's more than just different.
Lucifer was inside him--that could account for all sort of new and unusual tortures. That would work for me. I'm not even a crazy Samgirl (not implying that all Samgirls are crazy, just saying I'm not one of the subset that is crazy) but I'd be outraged at the idea that they'd make that distinction between them.
honey oatmeal bread with peach preserves: It's quite possible that JP didn't quite know what Sam is supposed to be feeling (do they normally feed them stuff far in advance?) and that contributed to the murkiness of what we got from the moment.
Also, I've rewatched elements of it numerous times now. That's always a good sign I'm invested. I have never studied Sam so closely, desparate to see something in his face that gives us a clue to his immediate past.
do they normally feed them stuff far in advance, and that contributed to the murkiness of what we got from the moment.
I suspect they don't.
I also suspect Jensen gives "good" face and his reactions may shape the future storylines. With these writers I would not be at all surprised if they don't yet have those answers written down.
With these writers I would not be at all surprised if they don't yet have those answers written down.
Why do you think this? I thought they always talked about how they mapped seasons and storylines. The only time they got messed up was during the writer's strike on season three. Then when they found out they were going past season five, there had to be changes to the finale. Sera said Kripke told her how it was going to end when he brought her into the show, and the finale wasn't all that different. Why do you think that they are less prepared now?
Why do you think that they are less prepared now?
I guess I'm less convinced that beyond broad brushstrokes for season arcs and perhaps a few items they've set in stone for the boys' journey, that they have a clear vision set out well ahead of time.
I have no basis for this belief other than how the show has played out and my own gut instinct about the writing (which is as good as nothing really).
As for the finale, it may not be all that different than he intended, but he has stated angels were a new idea, so while he may have had a plan for Sam and Dean in an epic battle to prevent the apocalypse, I'm quite sure Lucifer and Michael weren't originally part of that plan.
ETA: I don't think they're less prepared now. I think they're writing the same manner they wrote in all the other seasons.
he has stated angels were a new idea
That was part of the writer's strike fuckup. Sam was supposed to rescue Dean from Hell, but they didn't have time to work it out, so angelus ex machina and new direction it was.
I have no opinion on whether or not they know what happened to/with Sam--they may very well have written the reveal by the time episode one was filmed, much less just plotted it out. But I do believe them when they say the five season arc was pretty much set--I just wonder what it would have looked like without angels in it, though.
I suspect we still would have had the Devil possessing Sam in the Season 5 finale, just without Michael as a counterbalancing antagonist.
My theory for Sam is that there was some kind of trade off for getting out of the cage (even if he doesn't remember specifically). Leaving Dean alone, so Sam is trying to stay emotionally detatched. Plus Lucifer had to have fucked with his head something fierce.
Oh, and on rewatch, when Dean sees the scratching on the phone pole, Sam's car drives by (we just didn't know it was Sam's car at that point).
