#performing jack

I think of Dean chewing his food messily with his mouth open, often "acting out" for Mary and Sam's benefit. I can't think of the exact episode, but I know in season 12, he eats in an exaggerated way in front of Mary and Sam, smiling cheekily like it's some private joke.

Here's an example from 15x06 when he shuffles in and pours cereal into his mouth, amping up the "oafish, childish brother" routine:

15x06 via @spnscripthunt

///

Dean and Jack both tend to "act out," doing childish things...often for show, for the benefit of others, or to cover up some serious personal hurts.

I think about how Jack was shown blowing a big bubblegum bubble and amping up his charm to cover up how uncomfortable he feels being back in his childhood home and lying about Billie's plan:

15x12 via @spnscripthunt

///

15x13 via @spnscripthunt

Like how Cal @soullessjack pointed out, some of Jack's fun-loving stuff (toys-and-social media and matching ties) is an at least partial performance in Gimme Shelter. There’s a good chance it’s a front in Galaxy Brain too (above)

Blowing bubbles and acting lighthearted is a cover for his own morose mood and suicidal plan with Billie.

Jack can be a silly character, but it's worth remembering that he's often potentially engaging in motivated "lightheartedness."

///

Mary has a silly side, definitely, but she feels more wry / sarcastic on the whole. She's more confident, more aloof.

She's so mean on the outside sometimes, lol, and I love her so much.

I think Mary would definitely be a practical joker, but she's not as out-and-out silly or childish, and she seems distinctly less particular than Dean:

This side of him is confusing for me, sometimes on canon he act like a toodler and sometimes too mature, sometimes this boy is doing the craziest shit ever like making archangels bleeding and turn people into angels.

Doesn't help the few fandom analysis on him and the fandom always treating him with toodler head canons

(1) Hmmm. In a word, yes. I think the series treats him in-canon like a coming-of age adolescent and young adult/cosmic being on multiple occasions. By season 14's Optimism, he shows an interest in romance, courting, and sex. One that Dean parentally shuts down during the case, but then tries to respect and make up for with earnest enthusiasm during Unhuman Nature.

(@soullessjack might be able to provide some better examples than me on this front, but in the scripts specifically Jack is often referred to as "young man, demigod, sulky teen, millennial"). He has a newness, but barring some bouts of childishness, I can't think of specific instances in-canon where I'd characterize him as "toddler-like." My brain tends to frame him more in the born-sexy-yesterday and "culture hero" variety of character. Often, I view specific instances of childishness (Marvin the talking bear, blowing bubblegum) as partially a performance to appear unthreatening or cover up discomfort.

I think season 14 is solid for Jack's growth and characterization. Where people tend to get tripped up is season 15. There's a bizarre about-face, almost like a regression. Part of that's the soullessness. Part of it's that Jack is repressing hard. It makes sense that he's not going to react deeply to ANYTHING, not when his emotional overreaction is what killed Mary. It also makes sense to me that he'd "perform silliness" as a way to sidestep the tension in the current status quo.

Some of my thoughts of primordial beings and cosmic entities are here. (Warning: meandering) and of course...my rambling tribute to Optimism deals with many of these coming-of-age themes.

(2) The idea of performing Jack is very special to me. Almost as special as performing Dean. I need to start tagging it better, but there's some good stuff by others out there too.