Supernatural Literary Analysis: Deus Ex Machina

Supernatural Literary Analysis: Deus Ex Machina

With writers there is that one sin that everyone says it's essential to avoid or it can ruin the whole premise of a story, however everyone seems to do it, including big names like J. K. Rowling and J. R. R. Tolkein. That one sin is deus ex machina. Deus ex machina comes from the era of Greek theater which literally translates to “god from the machine” and refers to when a god was lowered down during a Greek tragedy to help fix a problem. In writing, deus ex machina is when a solution is spontaneously provided to fix a hopeless situation. There are three qualifications that, when met, determine if a plot solution is deus ex machina. The problem has to be hopeless, it's a solution, not a plot twist that adds more problems, and it has to be spontaneous or unexpected. In Supernatural, the writers have used deus ex machina in a variety of ways, numerous times throughout the series. This paper will focus on three plot problems that the Winchesters face in the series where a solution was spontaneously given: All Hell Breaks Loose: Part II (Season Two Finale), Sympathy For The Devil (Season Five Premiere), and the Leviathans (Season Seven).

First we'll look at Season two and it's finale, All Hell Breaks Loose: Part II. Towards the end of the episode when the Devil's Gate is opened and Yellow-Eyes has the Winchesters on the ropes, all hope seems lost. Azazel has the colt, Sammy's stuck to a tree, and Dean is staring down the barrel of the only gun that can kill the demon who killed his parents. There seems to no apparent solution to help remedy this problem. Then out of nowhere John Winchester materializes from the demon smoke rolling out of hell. He grabs Azazel, forcing the demon out of his vessel and holding on to his corporal demon form to give Dean enough time to grab the colt and finally kill him. This is a deus ex machina solution because there was no prior knowledge of the possibility that John could escape hell and pull a demon out of a vessel. He literally appeared out of thin air, fixed the problem and then disappeared when the problem was solved. If he had been just a second too late, Azazel would have killed Dean.

The second problem we will look at is from the Season five premiere Sympathy For The Devil. The problem was introduced at the end of Season four where Sam killed Lilith and the cage was opened, setting Lucifer free. The season ended with the room filling with blinding white light and the Winchester boys pretty much looking at each other like there is no possible way that they were getting out this. And considering everything that the audience has learned of the situation and what the boys have learned so far, there was no known way out of that. When Season five started, it picked up right where Season four left off. The boys are still in room and there is no solution in sight. Then in the blink of an eye they are suddenly on a plane that was flying over where the cage was opened. It was later revealed by Castiel in Season five episode two Good God Ya'll that it was probably God who “zapped” them to the plane and got them out of that problem. This can be taken as a literal deus ex machina as, much like with the phrase's origin from Greece, God came in and fixed a hopeless situation. Even though we don't physically see God, he's the only possible explanation we get. Also there is no prior knowledge that God would be willing to help. It was mentioned a couple times throughout season four that God wasn't taking a very active role in the lives of the humans he created.

The final plot problem I want to focus on are the Leviathans in Season seven. Throughout Season seven the Leviathans are portrayed as the ultimate monster and nothing could kill them. Even getting crushed by a car or decapitated wasn't enough to stop them for long. Then out of nowhere, and completely unexpected Bobby learns that Borax, a common household cleaner can seriously burn them. Although it doesn't kill them, it can incapacitate them for a period of time. This is deus ex machina because it was a spontaneous solution and no prior knowledge from the plot gave us any indication that something like a household cleaner can burn Leviathans. Even though the premise of it is similar to holy water and demons, we get no explanation as to why this particular chemical solution, that can be found anywhere, is so harmful to these creatures. Another deus ex machina relating to the Leviathans is during the Season seven finale where the boys are able to finally kill Dick Roman. Once Dick Roman, their leader, was dead, the rest of the Leviathans were unorganized and weaker. There were an alarming number of Leviathans but the Winchesters only had to kill one and the rest wouldn't be a problem. We even find out in the premiere of the Season eight that the Leviathans are no longer a problem on Earth and they're never seen again except in Purgatory flashbacks. Just like that. This plot solution is deus ex machina because we get that cure all solution that comes out of nowhere. It was mentioned that killing Dick would have that effect on the other Leviathans after Dick was already dead. There were no indications that something like that would happen previously in the plot.

It's really important to keep in mind that plot twists and introducing new concepts or characters isn't deus ex machina. When introducing that new concept to solve a solution that has no known fix to it is when the writer has written a deus ex machina. Like mentioned earlier, deus ex machina is something that happens quite frequently to a wide variety of writers. Supernatural is no exception and the three plot problems mentioned here is just scratching the surface of the abundance of deus ex machina spread through the eleven seasons.

Resources:

1. "Deus Ex Machina - Examples and Definition." Literary Devices. 2013. Web. 05 Feb. 2016. <http://literarydevices.net/deus-ex-machina/>.

2. "Deus Ex Machina." TV Tropes. Web. 5 Feb. 2016. <http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeusExMachina>.

3. Mittell, Jason. Complex TV: The Poetics of Contemporary Television Storytelling. Print.

4. Supernatural. Television.