because I haven’t actually done this yet and now I’m in the mood…
Why I ship Sabriel. Or a mini-character analysis of Gabriel and Sam.
We’ll start with the petty and get to the intelligent responses. First and foremost, Sam is my favourite Winchester. Gabriel is my favourite non-Winchester. I like the height difference. I like the fact that Sam is so serious and Gabriel is so comedic.
I love how they interacted on the show. I love how Gabriel pretty much blatantly flirted with Sam in Tall Tales. I love how Gabriel is constantly acting like the little boy with the crush on the school girl and acts on it by pulling her pigtails (Herpexia? Nutcracker?). I love that Gabriel chose “Heat of the Moment” to play every morning.
But why do I really ship Sabriel? Because of what the ship does to their characters.
When did I actively start considering Sabriel a ship and not just a “huh, that’s adorable” kind of thing? After I found out why Gabriel did what he did at Mystery Spot. Because Gabriel knew what was going to happen. He knew that Michael would be all gung-ho about the Apocalypse. He knows his family and he knew what they would try to do to Dean and Sam. And he tried to help Sam. Yes, he went about it the wrong way, but he still tried to help someone.
That is a huge thing for Gabriel.
He never truly tried to help people. He tried to teach them lessons. Yes, he said that he was trying to teach Sam a lesson, but he wasn’t, really. Because he wasn’t punishing Sam. And Gabriel’s Trickster lessons were always about punishing. And he wasn’t punishing Sam at the Mystery Spot. He was trying to help him learn how to live without Dean so he wouldn’t end up letting Lucifer out of the Cage.
So yeah, pretty huge character development for Gabriel.
I think it’s pretty obvious and not cracky to say that Gabriel cares about Sam.
So now we get to the other side of the equation: Sam. I do admit that this is not as easy to see or argue. But it’s there. It’s just more subtle. It’s more subtle than anything Destiel or Wincest or Sassy gets but it’s there.
You can see it in how Sam wants to try and talk to Gabriel and get his help in Changing Channels. The last time Sam saw Gabe, he had spent hundreds of days killing his brother. That isn’t something Sam was likely to forget. And yet he doesn’t want to hurt Gabriel. And yes, you could argue that this is because of how he said he wouldn’t go after Gabe, but he also promised that Dean wouldn’t go after the Trickster. He said we won’t go after you. So his sudden desire to make friends with Gabe? It’s more than just his desire to keep a promise and not risk Dean’s life.
Sam and Gabriel are very, very similar. Both love their brothers more than anything, but have that rebellious streak. They want to go their own way as well, but they don’t want to lose their family. But even if they don’t want that, they will put their own interests in front of others if they feel like they’re being held back. And some people might say this is bad or untrue and that Sam especially would do anything for Dean - I’m not arguing that, but I am saying that Sam left. Repeatedly. And understandably. So did Gabriel.
Truly? One of the biggest drawings of the ship to me is this potential. It’s the fact that I believe deep down Sam is still that little ball of quiet hope and faith and just wants people to believe in him and not believe he’s evil. And I think that Gabriel is the absolutely perfect character to get this point across. First off - he’s an archangel. Second off - he understands. Because he went pagan. I’m pretty sure that’s the biggest faux pas an angel can make.
So, in answer to why I ship Sabriel.
It’s because of how well the characters of Sam and Gabriel could work together. And how a mutual interest has been shown on the show.
