At this point I think it's most likely that Jess was killed because Sam wasn't there. Not as in: if he'd been there instead of off shagging his brother in Jericho, he would have been able to save her, but because she wasn't the original intended target.

Not that Sam would've ended up on the ceiling. But Sam woulda ended up like Meg, or telekinesis!boy (who, by the way, gets a name in the sides for that episode, which I'll post about a little later omg!). The demon was coming for him.

And yes, you've got the fact that there were the signs in Palo Alto leading to Jess's death - extreme weather, cattle deaths, etc... but there's nothing to say that that doesn't precede any kind of appearance by Ceiling Demon, not necessarily just a fiery ceiling death.

But my point is, Chuck Norris leaves a nightlight on because he's scared of the John Winchester in his closet. John admits to Sam that he didn't want Sam to leave because he was concerned for Sam's safety. Dean admits to Sam that John swung by Stanford to check on him more than once in the four-year period they were a part.

I really, really *don't* think that all John would be doing was a driveby.

As I've mentioned before, I don't think Dean turning up and taking Sam away right at that time is coincidental. And I don't mean deliberate in terms of Narrative Arc or Giant Prophecy, more in terms of Winchester Family Values. Whether Dean was instructed or manipulated by John into going to get Sam, or whether it was Dean's own Sammy-instinct driving him to take Sam away from the danger - it is more likely that Demon caused the Dean-visit than Dean-visit caused the Demon.

(In other words, Dean 'dragging Sam back into hunting' didn't ruin his life, it saved his life. Sam would have been destroyed along with this normal existence if Dean hadn't shoehorned him back into the hunting existence.)

Because really, John is SO not stupid. (I mean, cmon.) We know that at the forefront of his mind at all times, the thing that is the basis for the rest of his life, is finding the Demon. We know that a short while before Dean comes to Sam, John goes AWOL because the signs become increasingly significant.

We know that John has a habit of not sharing all his info with the boys. And we know that the show is essentially from the POV of Dean and Sam; in other words, John knows more than we know. Definitely. What he tells them in Salvation - I think there's more than that. I think he has an inkling, maybe more, of Sam's significance to the Demon. I think he knows what Bobby knows - the huge number of possessions, that kind of thing. I'm not surprised that he'd keep this from them, tell them only what they need to know to be good soldiers.

So anyway, my point is - John Winchester: Player with a capital P.

New pages:

• Music - documenting the music used and referred to
• Scripts - early drafts, sides and transcripts of aired episodes
• Laundry List - clex_monkie89's incredibly extensive wardrobe documentation

Updated pages:

• Laptop decoration added to the Symbol Decoding page, c/o _audrey.
• Hero's Journey page now the Acknowledged Influences page, as I've added an entry on On the Road to it.

x-posted to spn_possession