Look, I don’t make the rules, but after watching the most recent episode, I have to say, Destiel is already, very clearly canon.
How?
Well, take a look at the last episode.
Dean and Jack are really bonding here, right? Jack has basically admitted he wanted to fish with Dean because Dean did so with his father (his happiest memory of him, as Jack ever so kindly pointed out). Jack has accepted Dean as a father; it is intentional. Further, while talking with Sam, was notes that this loss will be hard on Dean because he views Jack as a son.
Why is this so important?
Jack has already accepted Cas as a father. He said so earlier on in the season multiple times, and it is clear Cas feels the same way.
However, Sam has not been involved in this parental loop; he has grown close to Jack and supported him, but he has not earned a father title. He is like an uncle, not a father.
Why? Because the titles belong exclusively to Dean and Cas, as is expressed when Dean instinctively moves to nudge Cas when he thinks Jack will be okay. The scene and direction clearly connects the two of them, portraying them as parents anxious about their child, but the connection exceeds just Jack as it is clear that both have recognized this connection – Dean in nudging Cas and Cas in speaking to Sam about Jack as Dean’s son.
Piled on top of two scripted I love you’s – only one of which made the cut, all of purgatory, the longing, the pining, the profound bond, is it really so ridiculous to believe that Jack is meant to show us that it is canon, just not in such an overt fashion? Destiel will most likely always be subtle as the writers do not want to take the focus away from the heart of the show, but raising a child together – one who is half human half angel and looks suspiciously like Cas – seems to be the writers relenting and allowing Destiel happen in a way that is less fan fiction and more Supernatural.
However, Sam has not been involved in this parental loop; he has grown close to Jack and supported him, but he has not earned a father title. He is like an uncle, not a father.
i’m an aunt. i love my sister’s little munchkins to hell and back. but if one of them was dying? i wouldn’t be reacting to it the way sam is.
why? because losing a child as a parent is vastly different to losing one as an aunt.
on top of that, sam was the first one to protect him after jack was born (cas being the first overall). he mentored him, gave him Dad Pep Talks, even yelled at dean about how he deserves a chance. he’s worried about jack going out in general (now that they know he’s sick) and doesn’t want him going out on hunts now that he’s human.
and as an aunt? i woulda been like “uh hell yeah let’s go, kiddo!” because that’s what aunts and uncles do.
also let’s not forget his reaction to sam being dead and sam coming back in 13×21
look at him
and further, this is not the face of a worried uncle
that’s the face of a man who’s losing a son, which i wrote about here, btw. i don’t think sam expected it to happen, but it did.
i love destiel, don’t get me wrong, but re-writing sam’s bond with jack as being less than is not the way to go. and normally i wouldn’t say that to people who call sam his uncle, but you literally said he didn’t earn the title of father.
and yeah i know there are some people who choose to call sam jack’s uncle because calling him one of jack’s dads with dean and cas has implications, but in this case…. jack referring to them as their dads, them referring to him as their son… there’s nothing romantic behind it. it’s the truth of the situation.
“the sharp knife of a short life”
yeah it’s the lyrics to if i die young SHUT UP
(analysis behind the cut)
they’re not just talking about dean. they’re talking about each other. they’re talking about sam.
you know, honestly i don’t think sam really thought that was going to happen when they took jack in. he’d be a good mentor, a good role model, maybe be like an uncle figure. he knew he would teach him and guide him as well as keep him safe, but i think he thought it’d be like when he helps out claire.
somewhere along the way, jack became not just cas’s son. he became his, too. he became a son to all of team free will.
sam talking to cas about them having lost people before…. he wasn’t just talking about dean. he’s also talking about himself. “why does this hurt more than when everyone else died? why can’t i compartmentalize my emotions like the other times?” sam is trying to understand why he’s hurting this much as well.
as cas points out, losing your child suddenly is vastly different than losing a parent or a close friend. it’s unnatural. especially when that child has only been alive for such a short time.
so yeah i know some people choose to call sam jack’s uncle and i know they don’t mean anything by it (some have a reason i can empathize with), but i really think personally that “uncle” really doesn’t describe sam and jack’s relationship. it doesn’t really feel like it adequetely covers the depths of sam’s love for jack.
(on a side note, this whole episode made me think of a line from john q)
I have an entire gag reel headcanon about this episode, starting with Misha having to deliver the line “he’s taking it hard” to Jared, and that taking about 2 times before they got enough to edit together.
Then, the seeming J2M crack at the end when they all looked relieved when Jack seemed OK at first,
but on closer inspection it seriously looks like mild J2M recovery giggles between them, how much do you want to bet that was cut around after Jack fell down Jared dropped “he’s taking it hard”
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