I think her spirit would have put two and two together, though, with the weirdness where he'd known the date of her death, the name, and seeing him when he came back. I think it would have jostled memory loose by the time she appeared from the flames. But it can be read either way.

(There's amusing mother/daughter ghost crackfic in here somewhere, of course, because Deanna did hear enough to know. Actually, now I want someone who is not me to write the Campbell family post-mort reunion.)

Austin, I'm battling a migraine and migraine meds, so my confusion can be blamed on them. But I'm not sure if I follow your argument. You say that Mary greeted Dean in Home as a friend with recognition of the stranger that had appeared to her all those years ago, which I interpreted to mean that you think spirit!Mary didn't realize that Home!Dean is her son, but she may possibly recognize him as the handsome stranger who rode through town in a Ford Pinto lo, those many years ago. But then you say If Mary's spirit was listening at all, she would have known which one was Sam, and which one was Dean. When I hear her say their names, I hear a mother's voice, not the recognition of an old friend, so I interpret that to mean that you think spirit!Mary does indeed realize that Home!Dean is her son.

I think you were saying that Mary recognizes Dean, but she isn't making the connection that ITB!Dean was her son. But I got lost in whether or not you thought spirit!Mary thought Dean was ITB!Dean or son!Dean.

This rambling brought to you courtesy of Maxalt-MLT and Darvocet.

My recap of "Metamorphosis," episode 4-4 is up. [link]

Late night ponderings led me the theory that Mary greeted Dean in Home as a friend with recognition of the stranger that had appeared to her all those years ago.

Morgana...I apologize for not being clear. The unclear quote would have been better if I had written:

Late night ponderings led me [to think about] the theory [that I have read here or other places] that Mary greeted Dean in Home as a friend with recognition of the stranger that had appeared to her all those years ago. [I don't agree with that theory and this is why...

And then continue the rest of that post. My late night meds probably played a part in me even posting that, let alone the problems with it.

I believe Mary's spirit in HOME knew Dean was her son either from overhearing it while they were in the house getting rid of the poltergeist or from whatever omniscience comes from being on the other side. I do not believe that Mary's spirit recognized him as the Dean from ITB. I phrased things badly, but that's it in a nutshell.

edited to correct. Crap, you can tell I have the 401k on the brain.

I think that she knew that those boys were her's. I'm a bit surprised that there was any question of it.

I don't think there was a question of if she knew they were her boys (she said their names), but if Mary knew in the episode HOME that Dean was her son and the man that appeared in ITB.

Not this debate, but the one on tv is making me jumpy.

Just 2.5 hours til new Supernatural!!

Austin, thanks for the clarification. I thought my brain was going in circles, because it seemed like your post supported both sides of the argument. Which yeah, sometimes I've felt like Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz and like I'm going in both directions at once, but that time I think it was due to the migraine.

Am I remembering that the previews for this week were in black and white?

I can't remember. I may have to watch the end of last week's episode to check. Darn.

I am going to have to skip W&P though. My ass is dragging and I think I'm going to get in my jammies and watch Supernatural from my bunk my bed. Have fun guys! I will be squeeing along with you.

This is why there are laptops. IJS.

We'll miss you. Get some rest and feel better.