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Disclaimer: I only have practice in text analysis and none in
media. I only have an introductory knowledge of psychology. In this
analysis I have attempted to completely disregard fanon and headcanons,
even outside text sources, focusing only on the information given within
the show itself. This includes lines, acting choices, and
cinematography and past scripts only.
7.01
Sam starts hallucinating as soon as he wakes up, but at first it’s just scenes, and then it’s that one choking scene, and just indistinct laughter.
Hallucifer, on the other hand, shows up only after Sam overhears that Dean and Bobby are worried about him, that he can’t disappoint them all over again. Sam, again, is alone. He occurs after even that scene, after the situation with Cas has become dire, and all he needs to do is find a jar and give it to his brother. Sam in this scene is again alone, and he is originally framed from the back, facing a wall, when Hallucifer supposedly appears for the first time, and it’s only as Sam turns around that he’s confronted with this. Sam, even, is in a closed room; completely cut off from others and his only way is blocked by Lucifer.
You could thus presume, judging from the framing, that this is meant to isolate Sam, to set him in such a way that he is fully at Hallucifer’s whims, but there is another interpretation. This is a physical representation of Sam’s own feelings of isolation. He has just left Dean and Bobby, Cas too, all in the hopes of helping them but he is being continually isolated and considered irrelevant. Even getting the jar for Cas was more for practical purposes and excluded Sam from Cas’ confession.
“I know. It all seems so silly, doesn’t it? Hi, Sam. Long time, no spooning.”
It would be silly, wouldn’t it, because Sam has just survived over a hundred thousand years of intense physical and psychological tortures by forces unknown, only to come back and not only be belittled for his struggles but to be reduced to a nuance in the lives he’s loved. Pile on top of that another Apocalypse, and how trite must that feel, to know that those struggles were all completely useless? The first thing Hallucifer does after stating Sam’s own subconscious thoughts, is to great him and sarcastically admit (in some way) that he missed him.
Hallucifer tells him that Lucifer is in Hell, knowing full well that the use of ‘you’ within Sam’s immediate reaction was a direct reaction to his thoughts on Lucifer. [More, potentially, on this later in the analysis when it comes to talking about Sam creating Hallucifer as his perception of Lucifer himself.]
“Hmm. That’s very good, your little theory. It’s wrong. Sam, this isn’t you going guano. Everything else is.” Hallucifer tells Sam that these torture devices he seeing are not the Cage and he even tells Sam that this world he’s living in is not the Cage; both of them are hallucinations. They’re not real. What does that sound like again? Oh, right:
LUCIFER: I’m inside your grapefruit, Sam. You can’t lie to me. I see it all — how odd you always felt, how… out of place in that… family of yours. And why shouldn’t you have? They were foster care — at best. I’m your real family.
….
LUCIFER/SAM: Look closely. None of these little devils look familiar to you?
SAM: That’s Mr. Bensman… One of my grade-school teachers.
LUCIFER/SAM: And that’s your friend Doug from that time in East Lansing. And Rachel… your prom date. Sam Winchester, this is your life. Azazel’s gang — watching you since you were a rugrat, jerking you around like a dog on a leash. I know how you feel about them. Me too. So, what do you say you and I blow off a little steam? (5.22)
In Swan Song, Lucifer is telling Sam that his family isn’t real, that his life hasn’t been real, that it’s all orchestrated, and that Lucifer himself is the only thing that’s real in Sam’s life and has always been and always will be. “Sam, this isn’t you going guano.” This is not your reality, I am your only reality, and even if we are separated that does not change. Our experiences together have changed you and made you aware of this fact, but you must accept it. So Sam is telling himself, with Hallucifer’s voice and face, that only Lucifer himself is real, and that all his other relationships are invalid compared to that relationship. Sam sets Lucifer up as this representation of his perception on his relationship with Lucifer himself but also with his relationship to everything else around him.
Hallucifer then goes on to tell Sam that he has not escaped the Cage and he should still be realistic about his life, and that he’s still with Lucifer. In past seasons—specifically season 5 and the beginning of season 6—the Winchesters were told multiple times that it was impossible to break into the Cage. It’s another statement of subconscious fear. How could I get out when it is said to be impossible? Hallucifer, then, is asking Sam to be real with himself, to ground himself in a sense of realism that this knowledge and fear implies. If he can’t get out, it stands to reason that he never left, and then Sam needs to learn to accept this reality in order to continue one with his existence within the Cage. The “with me” comment can simply be attributed to the fact that they were bound—soul and Grace—when they fell, so if Sam was to be in close proximity with anyone in the Cage, it would be Lucifer. Simply a matter of physics.
In regards to the torture comment: Sam has very brief, episodic memories of being tortured and has been told multiple times that it was buy Michael and Lucifer. So, when confronted with these overwhelming memories and the little reliable information he has, he can only assume that Lucifer was one to torture him. Since this isn’t real? Since Lucifer is the only thing that is real? Of course Hallucifer made it up to torture him.
Keep in mind how this entire scene is framed. It starts off as bust shots—only the head and shoulders of them each but they border on portraits with only their faces for a moment or two when Hallucifer greats him and Sam is confronted with reality. It then zooms back out when Sam gets confirmation that Lucifer is in Hell and Sam can provide himself with distance. It then zooms back in when Sam talks about how it’s “just his brain”, thus making the lines even more personal. There’s also the shot of Hallucifer’s head tilt when Sam talks about how his brain is “leaking memories from the Cage” setting up the stage for Hallucifer’s ‘not reality’ comments. It moves into nearly full body shots when Hallucifer tells Sam this, actively moving in front of Sam’s path as he attempts to leave his own isolation. It zooms back in to bust shots after “you going guano”. Then it proceeds to close face shots and stays that way until the scene shifts into the other room.
This creates an emphasis to all of their dialogue but also creates a sense of the personal behind the scene, that this is two people (in reality one) trying to come to terms with a reality.
Hallucifer becomes this embodiment of a relationship as well as an embodiment of Sam’s own fears and insecurities, then by presenting himself as this ultimate unachievable relationship and terrifying thing, reassures Sam that he can in fact be happy as soon as he wakes up, as soon as he becomes realistic about his situation.
Although Hallucifer is not present in the scene, it’s worth mentioning that Dean finds the jar in the hallway. When Sam moved down it earlier, he seemed to recede as the camera stayed mostly still, but as Dean moves down the hallway, the camera follows closely at his every step, another visual indication of Sam’s isolation. Also, this would suggest that Sam (and arguably Hallucifer) are logical enough to know that the jar needs to be made easily accessible, and so at least places it closer to the others if not handing it straight to them. Why can we suppose he does so? Hallucifer just persuaded Sam that they weren’t real but Sam at least has to take the chance in this questioning phase that they are, and that they will in fact need that jar. Still faced with his own moral dilemmas, Sam’s psyche is not able to confront this new part of himself and the immensity of this save-everyone-from-the-Apoclypse task and instead chooses to deal with itself while helping with the task as much as he feels possible.
As Dean goes back to the other room, we get a shot of the empty room and hallway. Where is Sam? Perhaps, like Lucifer said, his is still in the Cage. It’s a metaphor in cinematography.
7.01
Sam starts hallucinating as soon as he wakes up, but at first it’s just scenes, and then it’s that one choking scene, and just indistinct laughter.
Hallucifer, on the other hand, shows up only after Sam overhears that Dean and Bobby are worried about him, that he can’t disappoint them all over again. Sam, again, is alone. He occurs after even that scene, after the situation with Cas has become dire, and all he needs to do is find a jar and give it to his brother. Sam in this scene is again alone, and he is originally framed from the back, facing a wall, when Hallucifer supposedly appears for the first time, and it’s only as Sam turns around that he’s confronted with this. Sam, even, is in a closed room; completely cut off from others and his only way is blocked by Lucifer.
You could thus presume, judging from the framing, that this is meant to isolate Sam, to set him in such a way that he is fully at Hallucifer’s whims, but there is another interpretation. This is a physical representation of Sam’s own feelings of isolation. He has just left Dean and Bobby, Cas too, all in the hopes of helping them but he is being continually isolated and considered irrelevant. Even getting the jar for Cas was more for practical purposes and excluded Sam from Cas’ confession.
“I know. It all seems so silly, doesn’t it? Hi, Sam. Long time, no spooning.”
It would be silly, wouldn’t it, because Sam has just survived over a hundred thousand years of intense physical and psychological tortures by forces unknown, only to come back and not only be belittled for his struggles but to be reduced to a nuance in the lives he’s loved. Pile on top of that another Apocalypse, and how trite must that feel, to know that those struggles were all completely useless? The first thing Hallucifer does after stating Sam’s own subconscious thoughts, is to great him and sarcastically admit (in some way) that he missed him.
Hallucifer tells him that Lucifer is in Hell, knowing full well that the use of ‘you’ within Sam’s immediate reaction was a direct reaction to his thoughts on Lucifer. [More, potentially, on this later in the analysis when it comes to talking about Sam creating Hallucifer as his perception of Lucifer himself.]
“Hmm. That’s very good, your little theory. It’s wrong. Sam, this isn’t you going guano. Everything else is.” Hallucifer tells Sam that these torture devices he seeing are not the Cage and he even tells Sam that this world he’s living in is not the Cage; both of them are hallucinations. They’re not real. What does that sound like again? Oh, right:
LUCIFER: I’m inside your grapefruit, Sam. You can’t lie to me. I see it all — how odd you always felt, how… out of place in that… family of yours. And why shouldn’t you have? They were foster care — at best. I’m your real family.
….
LUCIFER/SAM: Look closely. None of these little devils look familiar to you?
SAM: That’s Mr. Bensman… One of my grade-school teachers.
LUCIFER/SAM: And that’s your friend Doug from that time in East Lansing. And Rachel… your prom date. Sam Winchester, this is your life. Azazel’s gang — watching you since you were a rugrat, jerking you around like a dog on a leash. I know how you feel about them. Me too. So, what do you say you and I blow off a little steam? (5.22)
In Swan Song, Lucifer is telling Sam that his family isn’t real, that his life hasn’t been real, that it’s all orchestrated, and that Lucifer himself is the only thing that’s real in Sam’s life and has always been and always will be. “Sam, this isn’t you going guano.” This is not your reality, I am your only reality, and even if we are separated that does not change. Our experiences together have changed you and made you aware of this fact, but you must accept it. So Sam is telling himself, with Hallucifer’s voice and face, that only Lucifer himself is real, and that all his other relationships are invalid compared to that relationship. Sam sets Lucifer up as this representation of his perception on his relationship with Lucifer himself but also with his relationship to everything else around him.
Hallucifer then goes on to tell Sam that he has not escaped the Cage and he should still be realistic about his life, and that he’s still with Lucifer. In past seasons—specifically season 5 and the beginning of season 6—the Winchesters were told multiple times that it was impossible to break into the Cage. It’s another statement of subconscious fear. How could I get out when it is said to be impossible? Hallucifer, then, is asking Sam to be real with himself, to ground himself in a sense of realism that this knowledge and fear implies. If he can’t get out, it stands to reason that he never left, and then Sam needs to learn to accept this reality in order to continue one with his existence within the Cage. The “with me” comment can simply be attributed to the fact that they were bound—soul and Grace—when they fell, so if Sam was to be in close proximity with anyone in the Cage, it would be Lucifer. Simply a matter of physics.
In regards to the torture comment: Sam has very brief, episodic memories of being tortured and has been told multiple times that it was buy Michael and Lucifer. So, when confronted with these overwhelming memories and the little reliable information he has, he can only assume that Lucifer was one to torture him. Since this isn’t real? Since Lucifer is the only thing that is real? Of course Hallucifer made it up to torture him.
Keep in mind how this entire scene is framed. It starts off as bust shots—only the head and shoulders of them each but they border on portraits with only their faces for a moment or two when Hallucifer greats him and Sam is confronted with reality. It then zooms back out when Sam gets confirmation that Lucifer is in Hell and Sam can provide himself with distance. It then zooms back in when Sam talks about how it’s “just his brain”, thus making the lines even more personal. There’s also the shot of Hallucifer’s head tilt when Sam talks about how his brain is “leaking memories from the Cage” setting up the stage for Hallucifer’s ‘not reality’ comments. It moves into nearly full body shots when Hallucifer tells Sam this, actively moving in front of Sam’s path as he attempts to leave his own isolation. It zooms back in to bust shots after “you going guano”. Then it proceeds to close face shots and stays that way until the scene shifts into the other room.
This creates an emphasis to all of their dialogue but also creates a sense of the personal behind the scene, that this is two people (in reality one) trying to come to terms with a reality.
Hallucifer becomes this embodiment of a relationship as well as an embodiment of Sam’s own fears and insecurities, then by presenting himself as this ultimate unachievable relationship and terrifying thing, reassures Sam that he can in fact be happy as soon as he wakes up, as soon as he becomes realistic about his situation.
Although Hallucifer is not present in the scene, it’s worth mentioning that Dean finds the jar in the hallway. When Sam moved down it earlier, he seemed to recede as the camera stayed mostly still, but as Dean moves down the hallway, the camera follows closely at his every step, another visual indication of Sam’s isolation. Also, this would suggest that Sam (and arguably Hallucifer) are logical enough to know that the jar needs to be made easily accessible, and so at least places it closer to the others if not handing it straight to them. Why can we suppose he does so? Hallucifer just persuaded Sam that they weren’t real but Sam at least has to take the chance in this questioning phase that they are, and that they will in fact need that jar. Still faced with his own moral dilemmas, Sam’s psyche is not able to confront this new part of himself and the immensity of this save-everyone-from-the-Apoclypse task and instead chooses to deal with itself while helping with the task as much as he feels possible.
As Dean goes back to the other room, we get a shot of the empty room and hallway. Where is Sam? Perhaps, like Lucifer said, his is still in the Cage. It’s a metaphor in cinematography.
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