Someone on my flist has posited that Dean is either in Purgatory or Limbo, rather than actual hell.

I agree. i mean, pretty much every demon that has held any kind of conversation with Dean has been gloating about friends waiting to meet him in hell and he was very much alone when he was shown. i definitely think hell will have a welcoming party(if he ever sees it).

I'd imagine Hell is pretty solipsistic, with the surroundings and tortures being determined by the inhabitant's own fears and inner trauma. I don't think we can read much into that brief glimpse not matching up with any given person's visualization of the underworld.

I hate to disagree, conflict-phobe that I am, but Sam's stretchy-face was exactly the same effect that Ethan saw in his wife's face, and the doctor saw in the hotel guy's face, when they were hearing the hellhounds. It *could* be Sam's demon nature surfacing, but I think it's just a halluncinatory effect of the deadline getting closer. Bobby did refer to it as a halluncination.

Also, iTunes has the ep up.

Bobby did refer to it as a halluncination.

True.

Love your new tag btw!

I'm thinking Dean's in Hell. What's his biggest fear? Being alone, cut off from his family. And I'd say strung up in a spiderweb looking thing is pretty darn alone.

I keep flashing on finding Mulder strapped to that alien chair with his face all stretched out screaming for Scully.

Sorry, what? I shouldn't be giggling every time I see Dean in hell? Blame Chris Carter.

For some reason, I had thought that in the end, when The-Body-That-Was-Ruby's-Host say's "stop!", I thought that was Ruby, re-inhabiting her host-body. I thought maybe Lilith had been lying about Ruby being far far away and that she had merely temporarily smothered Ruby inside that body.

That was Lilith scared out of her wits and then fleeing the scene? Huh.

Oh, man, all the chin and lip wibbles going on in this ep are killing me!

It's weird, I kind knew that, if they did this final right, Dean would be dead, so his death didn't have the OMGWTF?! impact, and I think it was better (storytelling-wise) for that. We've had the wailing and gnashing of teeth. This ep had a sort of inevitable impending doom that really played well in it's structure and pacing. And so it got to be rid of the usual tropes involved in the "possibility" of a major character's death. Up to and including the ass-pully save at the eleventh hour.

For some reason, I had thought that in the end, when The-Body-That-Was-Ruby's-Host say's "stop!", I thought that was Ruby, re-inhabiting her host-body. I thought maybe Lilith had been lying about Ruby being far far away and that she had merely temporarily smothered Ruby inside that body.

That's the read I had too.

That was Lilith scared out of her wits and then fleeing the scene? Huh.

See, I would have expected Lilith to look different than just black smoke. Although I guess she's supposed to be a regular demon. Or something. We don't really know what her damn deal is.

I really believe that's supposed to be Hell Dean's in, because nobody in the show has ever mentioned the possibility of Purgatory or Limbo. And they do asspulls, sure, but I suspect not that one.

Lilith evicted Ruby from the blonde body, sending Ruby far away (probably to Hell, I guess), and now that Lilith's gone, the body will rot. Since it's dead: Bobby shot Ruby the first time he met her, when she showed up to help him fix the Colt. Which is now with Lilith, right?

So, yeah, unless S4 starts right where S3 ended, we're not going to see Katie Cassidy again. I didn't mind her much, but I would have been interested to see the character played by an actress with more presence. (I.e., someone who didn't look 18.)

We don't really know what her damn deal is.

So far as we know to date, Lilith's merely a more powerful demon, if presumably one who started as a child who went to hell. Although I'm not sure about that: her preference for little-girl bodies may not reflect her status when she died.

I did like the fact that she refused to monologue about her evil plan. OTOH it probably means the writers don't know what that plan is.

Someone here (I think?) mentioned the whole "wanting the same story twenty-six times" thing as a reason to believe Lilith is a child, somehow, and I believe that. I mean, for me personally having cake every day would be a great thing, but hearing the same story over and over? Asking to play on the swings? For a really twisted demon who wanted a kick out of playing in a kid's body, that might be amusing for a day or two, but for an "adult" demon? Probably not so much.

I did like the fact that she refused to monologue about her evil plan. OTOH it probably means the writers don't know what that plan is.

Heh. Exactly this.