I was even more glad Lisa continued her streak as a strong-willed independent woman who put a lot of the baggage right back where it belonged, on Dean.

She's alive, she's pissed at Dean, and she's moving on. I really liked that about her. She's not fridged, and she's not pining, and she's not thinking *any* of this is her fault. Because, aside from possibly the fact that she made a bad choice of mate, it's so all on Dean and his inability to commit himself properly to domesticity and a romantic partner.

Thing is, I like Dean broken (cf alcoholism), so I'm not going to be upset that the brokenness I adore so much has ramification. It's part of the emotional torture porn I sign up for.

Getting happy Dean wrt Sam is great, because it's bittersweet, hard won, and unlikely to last. Torturing Sam for my dysfunctional fun is much more acceptable, and will no likely happen again pretty soon.

How much did I love Dean freaking out over the passed out Sam? There hasn't been enough Sammy this season (and yet I still miss RoboSam--what's with that?).

I loved both Lisa and Ben last night. Ben was doing exactly what he knew would push Dean's buttons (and I love that Sam was right there with him), and Lisa is totally moving on. I adore her, and I really don't blame her too much for trying with Dean -- for a year, they were a family, and that could have blown up for a lot of reasons with a man coming in that far into their lives, not only because of Dean's damage and work.

But I didn't feel like they punctuated it right. The montage didn't quite work as closure there, for me, even though the last image is Lisa's frown when she opens the door. I need to watch it again.

The SamandDean show is fantastic, even though the ending was so bittersweet. Both of them have sacrificed so much that all they have left is each other, but I think Dean really believed it this time, and was grateful, when Sam said he had Dean's back.

The MotW felt a little sloppy to me, although there was excellent creep and the scene with the Impala was priceless, simply for Dean's outrage. I felt that way last week, too, though -- the arachne's motives and operating principles were a little vague for me.

But they're giving me excellent SamandDean, and I can't argue with that. Dean's wibbling lip while Sam was passed out was heartbreaking.

The meds did surprise me, though. Where is Dean scoring ... what? Oxycontin? Ativan? Not that it's not pretty easy to do it, but we've always seen him reaching for the bottle instead.

Not that it's not pretty easy to do it, but we've always seen him reaching for the bottle instead.

I need to know when, too. When Sam was around, but behind his back? During Stanford? The year with Lisa? I NEED TO KNOW.

I would guess during the year with Lisa, if not when he came back from hell. I don't think he would have needed anything more than alcohol before that.

We know he's no stranger to the occasional bong hit, etc., but that's recreational. The way he said "effective" made me think of someone using to sleep and forget, and it makes the most sense it would have started during the year with Lisa, when he had the most to forget.

It's also incredibly easy to get prescription meds in the suburbs, and it could have been where he got the idea in the first place.

I had the impression that the pills are more of an extreme measure and aimed more at physical pain than psychic, whereas the alcohol is a more constant crutch. Thinking about it now, I don't know how I got that from the one scene.

I found the Lisa-opens-the-door-to-Dean montage hilarious. Like, that's their whole relationship - he shows up and she reacts.

It's also incredibly easy to get prescription meds in the suburbs

Maybe I should move, then.

that the pills are more of an extreme measure and aimed more at physical pain

Wasn't he offering them to Sam for mental relief? Physically Sam was okay.

The way he was pinching his nose and saying he felt like he got hit with a planet said physical aftereffects to me.

I found the Lisa-opens-the-door-to-Dean montage hilarious. Like, that's their whole relationship - he shows up and she reacts.

Hah! This also occurred to me when I was watching.

Wasn't he offering them to Sam for mental relief? Physically Sam was okay.

I thought it was for the physical pain. Sam was rubbing his head like he had a pretty vicious headache. Then again, I think I made up a little narrative in my head to explain that scene. I found the pills a bit unexpected.

Maybe I should move, then.

Well, I didn't say legally.

Dean may have meant physical pain in part, but bundling it in with the whole DENY! REPRESS! speech, I definitely thought it had more to do with getting a dreamless night's sleep than anything else.

I thought he was suggesting it like he suggested alcohol, but I can see that.