I do love the look on Sam's face when he used his powers. He seemed...almost serene. Certainly convinced of the rightness of his actions. There was no evidence of the gloating, the "so there!" that I've seen when he's made a righteous kill, say. It was just...focus power, without vindictiveness.

I can see how that wouldn't feel "wrong" to him.

I was fascinated by the way the demon smoke left the body under Sam's powers. So different than past exocisms. Need to rewatch.

(Sam! Powers! I still haven't processed it yet!!)

DEMON FORCE GRIP.

I was fascinated by the way the demon smoke left the body under Sam's powers. So different than past exocisms.

It looked fucking slow and painful, as opposed to the usual screaming exit we get.

Someone somewhere made the observation that in the beginning, Dean drove a white car, whereas Sam was driving a black car.

METALLICAR IS NOT A SYMBOL OF EVIL!!!1!

No you're right. No way is the Metallicar evil.

Speaking of which, the one that was parked at the little garage near me is gonegonegone. I haven't seen it since the single glimpse of it with the for sale sign in the window. Drat. I missed my one and only chance to see it close up.

It is the Impala, after all.

Yeah, and Dean drove a white car, but it was also one he stole, after robbing a convenience mart. His white is very grey!

I liked last night's episode a lot. I went into it knowing Dean was coming back (stupid tv listing description spoiler), but not knowing anything else. Naturally, I had a lot of Buffy S6 ("She Lives") anxiety, and it didn't help that Dean emerges practically the same way. Now why Castiel resurrects him and then Xanders him in the casket to dig his own way out, is anyone's guess. What if he had died again? Or maybe Dean has this temporary immortality as long as Castiel needs him. That would be cool.

Shades of BS6, I was also wondering if Dean remembered Hell. First out of the ground he seems shaken - probably from waking up underground in a casket. By the time he hits that (very) convenient convenience shop, he's ready for porn. Not a typical reaction for a guy back from 4 months of pain and torment. He also says he remembers nothing, so Castiel must have blanked out his mind, except cracks are coming back. I bet we get an episode where it all crashes through, and we find a very different Dean having to recover from his trauma.

Rather than focus on how to bring Dean back, Kripke and company flip it into who brought him back, and why. Nice move, but I still feel a little cheated. BS6 made the gang pay for the resurrection, and hopefully they'll be a heavier price on Dean than just God needs your help, dude.

I doubt Castiel's stated intentions too. He plays all angel of the Lord, but worldly interference has never been a policy of Good on this show, and if they didn't change that policy for the last few apocalyptic showdowns, why would they start now? I think he's planning something far more sinister, like making a play against Lilith. Also if a demon can go good (Ruby) then an angel can go bad. See also Lucifer. I think Dean's going to find he's working for an evil angel, and Sam's using the powers of darkness to do good. I can't wait.

Ruby and Sam are doing it, big time. No way she's platonically prancing in her panties in Sam's room. Their cover story was cute, and I bought that it was on the fly.

Given that symbolism in this show is somewhat ... simple minded ... maybe the black feathers on Castiel's wings are a hint.

Were they black? I thought it was just supposed to be a shadow.