Instead of Sam giving credit to Dean and Castiel, I wish Sam had given the credit to himself for how strong he was/is, how he realized that he could make the choice whether to use his powers for good or evil and he chose good and SAVED THE DAMN WORLD.
YES, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when Sam said that his “family helped me through that.” It fucking breaks me to see Sam giving credit where absolutely none is due. They may not have all had ill intentions, but no one from his family ever did right by him in this regard.
1) John lied to Sam about what he knew about his destiny his entire life.
2) Much like John, Dean kept everything he learned in 2.01 a secret from Sam, including that he might have to KILL SAM, for as long as he could. Then in 4.04 had the audacity to question why Sam didn’t share right away that Azazel showed him he was given demon blood as a baby when he was the one who tried to keep it from Sam (it’s Sam’s secret to keep, and I’m not surprised he hid it from Dean considering his own life was at risk, even potentially from his family aka Dean and Bobby).
Another standout moment from this episode is when Dean found out Sam was drinking demon blood, which up until that point in time, had only saved people’s lives, but this is what Dean had to say:
3) Leaving aside that Dean and Bobby did the absolute bare minimum to detox Sam (bucket, water, tied to a cot, locked in a room to suffer with 0 comfort or support offered) and that it seemed designed more to punish Sam than help him through withdrawal, Dean and Bobby themselves did not think they were saving Sam. They knew they were killing him, and Dean was perfectly fine with that, just so long as he died human. (In curious contrast, another time Dean was willing to let Sam die if it came to that was in 9.10 when he didn’t see any other way of stopping Gadreel.) [x, x]
Bobby was considering was considering shooting Sam in the chest rather than let him drink demon blood, which was not in itself evil. Sam was drinking it to save humans and exorcise demons. Dean and Bobby were gung ho for the plan of killing Lilith. Their (or Dean’s) only issue at that point in time was that Sam was allied with Ruby. And they were willing to let Sam die over it. (Side note: In contrast, Sam is dragged through the mud for their fight in 4.21 when he technically just escaped from Dean and Bobby trying to kill him. They had no right to play judge, jury, and executioner, yet somehow the problem in this episode is one of the rare times Sam actually fights back.)
4) Considering everyone else’s manipulation in getting the Winchesters (yes, both) to start the Apocalypse, Cas also does not deserve any credit here. Not to throw shade at current!Cas because he’s not the same character, but it’s frankly ridiculous that he (the only member of team free will who knew what was being set in motion and knowingly played a part) would put the sole blame for the Apocalypse on Sam, saying Sam made the wrong choice and hence so would Jesse the Antichrist. [source]
5) Do I even need to get into how awfully Sam has been treated for these “mistakes,” been ostracized for being different? For being fed demon blood and given powers he never asked for, drinking demon blood to stop Lilith, for being one of many to help start the Apocalypse (a plan set in motion by both heaven and hell centuries before Sam was even born). Even when Sam’s family wasn’t the own doing the tearing down, no one has ever stood up for Sam, ever corrected the person putting him down, ever taken credit for their part in the Apocalypse, instead letting Sam bear the brunt of it. No one has so much as offered sympathy or shown understanding after all he’s been put through. Just a quick refresher on the main events:
“I mean, I don’t. I don’t know whether it’s gonna be demon blood or some other demon chick or what, but…I do know they’re gonna find a way to turn you.”
Sorry, Sam, but your family did not save you. You saved yourself.
