I wonder if Mary sensed Castiel. I wonder if she was one of the people who could see and hear them without harm, and that's why Cas thought Dean would be able to handle his voice.

"All roads lead to the same destination. If we're giving the directions. Which we are. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."

Whee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This episode has held up with, umm. Four? Five watches? A lot.

Oh show. Why so awesome (again)?

Hey, can we pretend S3 was a bad dream?

I love how when Dean asks where Sam is, Castiel gives a very straight answer.

Maybe she simply told him Samuel knocked him out. Not sure how she'd explain the gunshot wound, though.

Dean looks so betrayed when Castiel tells him he never could have stopped it. Another burden for him to bear, seeing that unfold, not to mention the chance to see and talk to his parents before everything went south for them.

I wonder how Mary explained to John about what happened.

Probably in ways that make sense to someone who doesn't know about the supernatural. The same story she'd have given to the police.

So, what are RAH rules? And Sam is supposed to be an angelic mole among the demon army? Am I tracking what you said there?

"All roads lead to the same destination. If we're giving the directions. Which we are. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."

Yeah, there's a certain lack of trustworthiness there. Especially since he's telling Dean to stop Sam, but if he can't, "Oh, we'll do it, whatever, just give it a college try, huh?"

So much heartbreak in this episode. So much explained, though, and so much better than I would have imagined.

I think I know what you mean, Plei. Although, if the angels/God knew they would need Sam to be in the inside mole for Azael's scheme, why couldn't they just ... get rid of Azazel? Castiel's told Dean his comrades have fallen, which meant they were fighting, when the Witnesses were raised.

A lot. Man, such a lot of canon to digest.

I wonder how Mary explained to John about what happened.

I don't think she told him much at all which is why he was so confused and unprepared when she died.

To continue that thought, if Mary knew YED was going to come to drip on Sam, that would explain why there no salt lines or sigils or devil's traps anywhere in that nursery. If she meant to hold up her end of the bargain, she would have to leave him unprotected. Because otherwise, knowing what she knew, she should have had some sort of protection there

I don't know if he told her. He promised her that everyone would be okay if he wasn't interrupted. She had to think that meant Sam too. Which although she is naive, I don't think she would consider that to be okay. I don't think she knew. I think she made the deal for John and was kind of swept away by the action after that point.

So, what are RAH rules? And Sam is supposed to be an angelic mole among the demon army? Am I tracking what you said there?

Basically, that in the timeline of the story you are reading or following, if someone goes back in time, they've always gone back in time, and everything's always happened as if they've gone back in time. (Handwavium, I believe, is strong in RAH's stories. Even if it's been over a decade since last I read them.)

Sam's the mole who probably doesn't know he's a mole, but he's been planted there "a purpose" as Mrs McGregor would say (too much Beatrix Potter for me) so that the angels can figure out how to get the edge. (Who knows, maybe in some alternate possible future where Mary never runs into the YED, she winds up hunting again, and the angel's catch Dean's scent that way. Handwavium! It's what's for supper!)

Has anyone re-watched "Houses of the Holy" since Castiel appeared? I wonder how some parts of that would play now that we know what we know.

(Edit: I originally said "reappeared," which now makes me want to play with the idea that it was Castiel who interfered at the end of HotH.)