Fandom didn't want Dean falling in love with her, mostly.

I see.

Plus, she (to me) just wasn't a believable hard-ass AND I think that her relationship with the boys mostly felt little sisterly. Well, except for that penultimate scene in No Exit when she and Sam were like the kids and Dean and Ellen were like the fighting parents.

I think the hard-ass was mostly believable *in certain situations.* At home with Ellen, protecting the bar, and themselves, yeah. Out in the world, it was clear she had a little to learn.

I would have liked for them to explore the sisterly angle, for Dean and Sam to see what being a hunter's kid was like from another perspective.

I would have liked for them to explore the sisterly angle, for Dean and Sam to see what being a hunter's kid was like from another perspective.

I think this would have been nice. And I think it is certainly believable for her to have a crush on Dean, which is returned with sisterly affection. In fact, that is sorta what I saw, but I am notorious for seeing what I want. In fact, until I listened to the commentary, I didn't know the Roadhouse was like, a special hunter bar. I thought Ellen ran a regular bar, but took car of Ash and was in a network of huneters, but that the customers were just regular people most of the time. I R DUM.

And how come Pride could crack open the devil's trap?

See, I thought that maybe the Devil's trap was wrong or something, like Sam had hastily drawn it and fucked it up. Because, er, otherwise it made no sense for Pride not to be affected when all the others were.

I think it was Pride who implied that other demons hadn't gone after Sam because of the YED. I think that implies that YED was ranked higher than them.

Although they didn't really seem to respect him. Regardless, I agree with Nutty that the Sins ought not to have been dispatched like any old demon on any old day. There was a lot more potential there. For God's sake, we never even got to see Wrath do anything. That could have been scary.

The Seven Deadlies could have been the season's Big Bad, for sure. The nasty little family pushing buttons and wreaking chaos all over the place, until the boys finally worked up to a showdown. Because, even in Envy's monologue, they *are* the root of all evil, the gateway, as it were, to the horrible things humans do.

And it would have played nicely into the boys' conflicts this season, Dean's selfishness, Sam's pride, etc.

Ah well. I'm assuming the big showdown will be however they decide Sam can get Dean out of his deal, probably at the last minute, with lots of extra!drama and angst, instead.

Pride wasn't in the devil's trap. He looked up before stepping into it.

And then he cracked it.

BTW, stalker chick using that knife? Just killing folks - not SOP, right? Suggests some Gordon like crackedness.

Seriously, sumi. I couldn't believe that. No regard for the humans they were possessing. I do like a good throat-slashing, but still!

Yeah, particularly in retrospect, since Bobby was able to redeem some of them. The others certainly could have been, too.

Did anyone think that Tamara killed the human she exorcised the demon from? There was just a little look from Bobby when she said "He didn't make it." that made me wonder. Like, was he seeing her grim determination in the face of ugliness? Or was he seeing her lie in vengeance?