The bits with Lanie and her "mom"? Really unsettled me. Reminded me of "Conversations with Dead Things" a little bit, which is the only Buffy episode that ever actually scared me. I haven't been scared by SPN in a while, so that was a nice change.

It was nice to hear JDM's voice, but it kind of sucks that we didn't actually get John at all.

So, I guess we can say that JDM phoned that performance in?

You stole my joke!

The bits with Lanie and her "mom"? Really unsettled me. Reminded me of "Conversations with Dead Things" a little bit, which is the only Buffy episode that ever actually scared me. I haven't been scared by SPN in a while, so that was a nice change.

Oh, God, yeah, especially when her mom was reflected in the computer. I'm not normally scared by the show, but I fully expected to scream at some point during that scene. It was fucking creepy shit.

Unrelatedly, Lanie was pretty.

Also, they killed the Indian guy! Dammit! And he was non-stereotypical and everything. Also, given that his name was Stewie, I have a feeling he wasn't written to be Indian and they just liked the actor, which is cool.

I feel like this episode didn't actually progress anything, plotwise, since John's phone call wasn't real. And I'm not really sure it did all that much characterwise either (besides Sam's finding out that Ruby was lying about being able to save Dean). At the end of the episode, we're pretty much where we've been: still trying to save Dean and not any closer.

I, too, was creeped out like whoa on this one. Lainie's mom and the computer were freaky deaky.

Yeah, I feel kind of like the character development is stalled at this point. We're not really seeing anything new. It feels very much like I'm wathcing the middle 7-8 episodes of Buffy season 7 where they couldn't find out anything about the First and how to fight it. They piddled around with a lot of time-wasting stuff then, too. There was no build up of tension until they kicked Buffy out of the house and even that was kind of lame. I think Mystery Spot should have come closer to the end of the season. Then they could have really taken Sam to some dark places and had Dean going "WTF, dude!" Also, we're not seeing any payoff on Lilith. I know the strike put a real crimp in their timeline, but I just feel the writers aren't using the time they do have effectively at this point. Even though I enjoy the episodes, I'm not enjoying this season as much as the others.

It really struck me after last night that there are only two (::sob::) episodes left. I know it's the writer's strike, and I know there's not a lot they can do about it, but I was waiting for *some* kind of revelation last night, I think. More proof of Sam's powers, something.

I can only imagine that most of the big questions from this season are going to be addressed *next* season, and the cliffhanger is going to be a ginormous one. (Although ... the preview for next week doesn't look arc-y at all, does it? Which, damn it. A single jam-packed cliffhanger could be a trainwreck, or at the very least a little overwhelming on the angst meter.)

I think it's hard to say where they should be at, because they've changed direction post-strike. But I would guess that these few episodes (probably with some modification, now) are the ones that would have been the "mid-season slump." It's also hard to say what plot points got truncated because they don't have enough episodes.

There was an interview during the strike, I forget if it was with Kripke or with Sera Gamble, but they had said that there was a possibility that they would actually resolve Dean's storyline in the beginning of S4. So I'm expecting an epic cliffhanger.

I do think we got a little bit of character development, or at least some foreshadowing. I thought Dean was a little more cruel than usual toward Sam. I think he's frustrated at his own fear, and that he's going to show that frustration by lashing out at Sam. There's even a possibility that they could use that to drive a wedge between them, causing one or the other (probably Dean) to strike out on his own.

I think Dean's fear and honesty was well-developed here, and yes, if it's foreshadowing some kind of rupture between them, then it worked. But I think the end of the episode, for me, brought the balance back. Dean was still snarky, but that's Dean. Sam is still going to help him.

I think the depending on Dad thing, which someone remarked on elsewhere, was a little surprising, given Dream a Little Dream. That said, it would be a huge shock to hear from your DEAD father, and I don't think the habits of a lifetime are easily broken. Just hearing that voice had to be such a relief to Dean. ::cues up "Oh, DEAN"::

The possibility of them separating is horrifying. I mean, good TV, great conflict, but NO! ::trembles::

I think it's hard to say where they should be at, because they've changed direction post-strike. But I would guess that these few episodes (probably with some modification, now) are the ones that would have been the "mid-season slump." It's also hard to say what plot points got truncated because they don't have enough episodes

I'm trying to take that into consideration. I just feel that, even if they can't resolve Dean's story with only four episodes left and they had to change direction, then that direction should be taking me for the ride of my life. Not down a slow country lane on Sunday with the dog hanging his head out the window.

Honestly, I'm not all that crazy about the relentless gloom of counting down the days until Dean's contract is up—while a neat idea in theory, in execution it's pinging me as far too similar an experience to watching the last two seasons of Buffy. I kinda wish Season 3 had been The Adventures of Dean and Ghost!Sam instead.

The unusual shooting style of last week's ep masked it a little, but I thought I detected a little lack of synchronicity between the actors last night. The same sort of thing it usually takes an episode or two to shake out after hiatus until they settle back into tandem harness.

Or, it could be actual writing, and acting, reflecting the growing fracture lines between the brothers. I'm not sure which. More episodes will tell.

I do think it's unfortunate that the strike put the arc's momentum in the crapper. I just hope the actors get what they want at negotiations in June and a SAG strike doesn't delay the start of filming for the fall season.

My favorite scene from last night's ep? The early one in the rain: You want to talk about who's keeping secrets? Yeah, let's get into that, I want to see that donnybrook.

Honestly though, since Dean's deal had a stipulation about attempting to break his deal resulting in Sam's (re-)death, you'd think he'd remember that Sam has a good reason to keep him in the dark about any plans along those lines. "How dare you keep secrets from me... as opposed to dropping dead if you reveal them and I sign on!" just doesn't make a lot of sense.