Even if Sam's simply "running the math," he seems to have realized that the people he wants to hunt with (if nothing else) value soulfulness.

But he also implied last night (in my reading of it) that he does remember both good and bad of being soul!Sam, and Dean is a part of that.

I don't think it's a question of trying too hard, or not. Crowley has his soul -- there's only so much they can do to get it back from him (without wrapping up the whole plotline in one episode anyway), and he's the one saying they need to play ball.

I'm actually glad that all the pleading Sam had done that he was still Sam, believe me, trust me! was just him pretending. Cuz there was something off about it (bad acting, character insincerity, I wasn't sure).

Webclip: "You sit in the dark, and you feel the loss." Oh boys, it's so sad and so funny at the same time.

Hey, who are these guys? I remember them and like them.

Cuz there was something off about it (bad acting, character insincerity, I wasn't sure).

I need to learn to have more faith. What was pushing me away was actually on purpose in order to show it wasn't real. Show, I love you. Please forgive me.

I just had a thought that maybe Crowley is lying. That he's being an opportunist bastard, found Samuel and Sam already reanimated, and is using them, pretending to have Sam's soul.

That's probably too convoluted, though.

Of course Crowley is lying. They must know this.

I wouldn't call it happy, so much as the knowledge of an absence of pain, guilt, shame, responsibility, hunger, anger, frustration. While still being tied to emotional words, the closest thing I could say Sammy might be feeling is "relief". But then he also has the memories of the good stuff, and then what he'd be experiencing is "loss".

The more I think about this, the more I think that a strictly rational soulless Sam would look at everything from his earlier life, at all the truly terrible things that had occurred, and decide that he really didn't want to experience those feelings again. That numbness would be the way to go. And given the daily gore and fear and tension inherent in the hunter lifestyle, he's right, lack of the ability to feel anything is actually an asset.

I am getting such a kick out of Dean being Sam's moral compass

I'm assuming it's also all tied in with the soulmates concept. I hope that gets brought up again.

That he's being an opportunist bastard, found Samuel and Sam already reanimated, and is using them, pretending to have Sam's soul

Somebody's lying. Because I don't understand how a demon, even one who's supposed to be the King of Hell, could reach up into heaven to pull someone's soul down. (Although I guess there's a precedent, isn't there? When Dean made his deal someone on Hell's side of things reached up to pull Sam's soul back down again. So.... I'm confused as to how SPN handles the whole soul-custody arrangement, I guess.)

Somebody's lying. Because I don't understand how a demon, even one who's supposed to be the King of Hell, could reach up into heaven to pull someone's soul down. (Although I guess there's a precedent, isn't there? When Dean made his deal someone on Hell's side of things reached up to pull Sam's soul back down again. So.... I'm confused as to how SPN handles the whole soul-custody arrangement, I guess.)

Could, in theory be working with someone in the civil war and all.

Could, in theory be working with someone in the civil war and all.

Oooh, maybe someone trying to get Cas distracted by re-embroiling him in Dean's problems through Sam?

Could, in theory be working with someone in the civil war and all.

That's a good theory. Makes more sense than Crowley doing it on his own, or with just his minions. And we had the episode where we were told just how valuable human souls are, and I'm guess a vessel's soul would be even more valuable. Maybe especially a vessel who averted the apocalypse.

I finally caught up on the last three episodes and I'm baffled by one thing in particular. If Sam is so skilled at getting out of ropes and such, why did he have to cut his way out when the truth goddess had them tied up?

If he needed Dean to see the cutting, fine, cut a little but then slip loose and shut her up before she spilled his dirty little secret.