I'm referring to him powering up on souls.

He was healing himself more quickly than he would on his own with Bobby's soul, not using it as a Red Bull, unless I misunderstood.

That's the way I took it too, Amy.

I loved the episode, so much that I'm not too concerned with the mechanics of it. I hate how weary and defeated and conflicted Cas seems, just for his sake, and I hope that pays off well. I LOVED the boys in this episode, although it's a crying shame Dean didn't get on a horse. And Sam's interaction with Colt was priceless: "A giant from the future." Indeed.

The deus ex Coltica of the package arriving was ridiculous and also awesome. I love most how they all looked at each when the knock came. It was a total Friends moment, like, "Who's at the door? We're all HERE."

Cas and Bobby should have adventures of their own one day, if only in fic.

And Jensen looked completely as if a childhood fantasy had come true when they closed in on his face after he pulled the trigger in the shootout. Dean is now sheriff of everything (in his mind, anyway), I'm pretty sure.

Dean is now sheriff of everything (in his mind, anyway), I'm pretty sure.

I want to "like" that so many times.

"Maybe they're eating them"

Well, it would be a big shocking revelation that would explain the sudden turnabout of his assistant and could change his relationship with the Winchesters forever. But there's a reason Jasmine was considered the Big Bad on Angel despite legitimately bringing the possibility of world peace. I don't think the show could go there and come back from it with Castiel as a viable character. I mean, I'm trying to think of anything frickin' Lucifer did that's that awful, and coming up blank.

Given the apparent ease with which Balthazar travelled to 1918, it seems odd for an extra few decades to be such a gulf for Castiel to bridge - the intitial journey, I mean, not the return trip while he was wounded. Since he knows the exact date and location, couldn't he just wait until he's recovered and journey back himself to retrieve them?

Did he make the journey himself, or did he just power the guys through space and time from a distance? Also, I was wondering if it was easier for Balthazar because he was only moving himself, whereas Castiel was moving "dead weight," so to speak.

Hmmm. It may be a factor that Castiel has to protect fragile human beings from whatever rigors traveling through time presents, whereas angels themselves are all but invulnerable.

Still, he and Zachariah managed to do so in "In the Beginning" and "The End" when they were possessed of far less power than he has at his disposal now. And none of that explains why there should be a 24 hour time limit on the present-day end of the journey, although I can see the travelers becoming more and more intertwined in the past era if they remain there too long.

Cas looks even more regrettable next week. Or more regretty. Tired.

It seems clear that souls are power sources, but I don't think they're touching them and using them as personal power sources. But, maybe. Bobby did look tuckered out.

That wasn't Frontierland. That was Fetishland. And I love how Dean got on not only his Western geek, but he's clearly established himself as the go to sci fi nerd. That's just not Sam's bag.

I need to watch the Rachel scenes again. She had a not of noise about her coming--I'd have thought she'd have lasted longer.

Her points to Dean were pissy as shit, but basically valid. Cas is again choosing Winchesters over people on his team and bits of the cause. This can't go well, considering he's no doubt doing things that will make Dean especially angry.

He has some dirty little secret, so bad that hardass Rachel is going rogue on him--like he went rogue last season. So he's fighting Raphael, and he's fighting his own...is it last episode she found out about? Or is there something else? Does Balthazar know?

God, he needs a hug. And a war crimes tribunal.

I can fanwank: back when it was impossible to change history you were not 100% there. It was easier to travel back in time. Now that the rules are suspended and you can change things it also takes more energy to get into the past. But an Angel transporting itself takes less energy than transporting fragile dead weight, as Matt pointed out above.

I think it fits, though no better than a bunch of other possibilities.

Well, that was worth staying up for. I love seeing Dean filled with joy at authenticity, etc. And "giant from the future with a magic brick" is gold.

I feel bad for the phoenix. Poor guy didn't really deserve to be killed, just for what he was.