Samulet works for me!

One minor quibble from last night. Are we supposed to think that John not only went off for a multi-day hunt without his Journal, but he also left it where Sam could find it?

One minor quibble from last night. Are we supposed to think that John not only went off for a multi-day hunt without his Journal, but he also left it where Sam could find it?

I think Sneaky Sam stole it. My handwavium is that he noticed his dad packing it away, and snuck it out of the bags while Dad was in the bathroom. Dad got to the hunt, realized it wasn't there, but couldn't exactly turn around again. Lives, they were at stake!

Hey, who has the writer credit on this one?

SAMULET!!!!!

Sam's face, when Dean walks in, trying so hard. Wanting to make it a good memory, wanting to make his brother's last Christmas the best. These guys kill me. They just do.

Indeed.

The thing that pulled me out was the meta of how Kripke & Co. are so adamant that John Was A Bad Father, and it seemed like John being absent for the Wee!chester Christmas is their way of pointing and going "See! Bad Father!" Kind of a lite version of Spike in Seeing Red. Which, I don't have a problem with the interpretation of John as a bad father (well, I do, but I'm trying very hard to go with Authorial Intent), but it was a little anvil-icious. For me.

HOWEVER - Wee!chester casting? Fucking BRILLIANT.

Fingernail getting pulled?? AUGH.

Dad got to the hunt, realized it wasn't there, but couldn't exactly turn around again. Lives, they were at stake!

I think if Dad had actually done this he would not have survived to 52. Also, if he happened to have done this on this particular hunt, and returned in something approximating one piece, Sam would not have survived to age 10.

Putting a member of your family in grave danger due to fuckheadedness (non-emergency curiosity and theft) is one of the few justifications I can think of for serious corporal punishment, and I'm not even a Marine.

Richard Carver - who totally redeems himself from the mess that was Sin City.

I think if Dad had actually done this he would not have survived to 52.

I think if he'd needed the hunters version of an open book test after almost a decade of doing it, he wouldn't have survived until 52.

Richard Carver - who totally redeems himself from the mess that was Sin City.

You mean Jeremy Carver.

Yes, I got the impression that the book was where he recorded his experience after he'd exorcised or salted and burnt or otherwise defeated ghouls, ghosts, what have you. As well as research notes before he went up against something new to him. I think the only time the brothers actually have it in hand during the climax of a hunt is for reading an exorcism litany, once they get past Wendigo.

You know, Whedon was much subtler about his father issues than Kripke tends to be. Shame, really, that he can't adapt that tenet of his original concept to how the show has evolved, the way he has done with other facets.

I agree with Beverly and Plei, yet you would think he would have a safer place to stash it than a place where wee!Sam could get his hands on it.

I still don't buy it, unless Sam did steal the journal. Even if/though John did not need it during the actual nitty gritty of the hunt, he would have had it with him for reference and to record things accurately immediately afterwards.

Bad plot point, no cookie!