I loved the bear hugs he was giving everyone.

ION: Smallville was also very enjoyable but alot less emotionally draining. And Tom Welling looks v. good in 1940s wear. Also, he does the classic klutzy Clark rather better than I expected. John Glover looks excellent in 1940s costume too.

Joss has spoiled me for a good emotional arc in which it's not all explained step by step.

Now you've got me wishing they could bring in Joss to guest-write an ep for this show.

I loved the picture of John and the big fish and did you catch the picture of very young, Dean with the plaid and the makeup?

(I also liked the callback to Dean breaking into Sam's house in the Pilot.)

SPN: I loved the episode. Dean being so thrilled about being able to mow the lawn was great. But yeah, it wasn't hard to guess the ending.

Smallville: I think that was even more pointless than most special/theme episodes.

X-Posty. I didn't mean to be randomly harsh right after sumi praised the episode. It just didn't work for me. The make-up and wardrobe were well done, and I agree TW did a good job with the brief classic Clark Kent scene.

It's askye! Cleverly, or not so cleverly disguised as Sail.

The watch and flail was a lot of fun, nothing better than a bunch of Buffistas gathered around the tv to squee "oh, dean!" in unison.

There was plenty of laughter during the show as well -- at the pictures of young Dean and touches like Dean rolling down the window and tossing out Sam's phone. Also, when Dean called Sam "Bitch" and Sam not getting that is "I love you" in Winchester.

Even though the ending was obvious I did like the episode. Jensen brings on the pain so well that there were lots of good moments. At the end, when Dean's Mom touched his face you could see his heartbreaking.

As soon as we saw Dean flipping through the magazine and saw the ad I thought "Carmen Electra!". I bet Dean had seen that ad and spent some, ah, personal time, with the picture and coming up with a scenario where that was Carmen Electra. Or it could just be my crack addled brain.

The violins at the end should have been Journey or Forgiener.

meh.

Also, concur on the excessive heavy-handedness of the music. If you are going to be heavy-handed on this show, you must use Journey! Or Foreigner! None of this violin crap!

I concur! The music was very silly and did Not Belong there.

I don't want Joss anywhere near any episodes of the show. He'd give them all weird sexual hang ups. Plus, he's not heart-on-sleeve earnest enough for it.

I concur on the music too!

I also concur on Joss. Love him, but this is not that show, or his Verse.

askye is me. And sail, apparently.

Okay, so no Joss... is there a ME alum (other than Edlund) people would like to see pen an ep of SPN? Tim? Jane? Ultimate Drew?

This week's Heroes was the first time I wanted to watch the episode again. Immediately.

I am totally going to have to rewatch to pick apart Dean's constructed reality.

Noted in the LJ, but I'll cross post here, because most of the flist's asleep by now: Dad's still dead. Same year, even. A grave by the water instead of a pyre. Dean can't see himself as doing anything but following in Dad's footsteps, though this time, it's radiators and wheel wells instead of rifles and rock salt. His relationship with Sam is strained--no hunt to keep them together, and again, you have the education difference. (Sam in his fantasy is actually acting out of character by coming with him on the djinn hunt, which is the real start of players in the wish/fantasy breaking the fourth wall, as it were.) Interestingly, Dean *does* seem to see himself as a highly flawed person, one who'd snag his brother's ATM card, or screw his brother's prom date. (Which perhaps says Dean views himself as responsible for Sam losing his potential economic place in the world, and any chance he had at a normal future.)

(Copied and pasted directly, I fear.)

Not c&p'd: when lost, he seeks out Dad. Who, of course, isn't there, but it's still interesting to me that he goes to discuss his dilemma with his (absent) authority figure, perhaps seeking absolution here? He knows what he has to do, but doesn't want to do. (And, relatedly, large portions of this season have been about what Dean may have to do, but doesn't want to do, and also relatedly, what they failed to stop last season, they failed to stop in large part *because* Dean was unwilling to see his family sacrificed.)