Did you guys think that the "soon" meant that what they showed in the promo were from the next two episodes - not just next week?

Yep.

Dudes, did you not watch Misha on 24, or CSI, or NCIS, or Nip/Tuck? Or any of the other shows he's been on? He's a very facile actor. Castiel is just a cauldron of restraint, and Mish does well at implying all the stuff going on beneath the glacial countenance.

sumi, definitely.

As to the ending, I thought the protected panic room was a test. Ruby couldn't enter it, so I thought they were testing to see if Sam could. Of course, Bobby could have reversed the protections, I suppose: demons can go in but they don't walk out--Bobby's roach motel for demons.

I think that the "intervention" is not so much an intervention but more a way to make Sam go cold turkey.

I would think that Sam wouldn't be happy about being reliant on demon blood, but I also think that he believes his jedi powers are his strongest weapon right now. He lost Jess, lost his father, (never really knew Mary), and went through months of hell having lost Dean via the Trickster, spent a year frantically trying and then failing to save Dean from his deal, and then spent more months unsuccessfully trying to rescue Dean. These powers are the first truly strong weapon he's had to fight back, and he's worked to develop them. He (I think) sees them as coming from a wrong place, but he thinks he can use them for good. I don't really think he's going to walk out of Bobby's deeeemonic panic room and thank them for weakening him.

I also would like to think Sam has some abilities that are inherent, rather than a byproduct of Ruby and her machinations, but that's probably wishful thinking on my part.

I don't really think he's going to walk out of Bobby's deeeemonic panic room and thank them for weakening him.

My new theory? Sam's gonna go ballistic, and Bobby's gonna die.

I also would like to think Sam has some abilities that are inherent

Well, we sort of thought he did, until the first demon-blood reveal. Which in a sense I kind of like: because it makes Sam no different than Dean in his fundamental humanity. There's nothing special about the Winchesters, just bloody-minded determination and the worst luck in the world.

Sam's still had prophetic dreams (the last was that sexy one about Bela, right?), but that's fairly ephemeral and certainly nothing beyond the abilities of numerous psychics we've run into over the course of the series.

I'd thought from the way he killed Gordon that he was developing Buffy-esque strength, but apparently whoever stunt coordinated that episode adheres to the belief that a regular person of Jared's size can decapitate someone by pulling on a wire loop really hard. @@

Sam's still had prophetic dreams (the last was that sexy one about Bela, right?), but that's fairly ephemeral and certainly nothing beyond the abilities of numerous psychics we've run into over the course of the series.

Yep, he's had visions and prophetic dreams. And at least once he's had telekinesis (when he moved that cabinet so he could get out of the closet and save crazed psychic kid from shooting Dean). So I think the groundwork was laid that Sam had a few abilities beyond the norm... so either Ruby's blood really increased his abilities, or Ruby's just allowing him to think that they're due to her influence.

Yeah, but weren't Sam's abilities all from having had demonic blood as a kid?

Yeah, but weren't Sam's abilities all from having had demonic blood as a kid?

Yeah, that was my point. We've seen no evidence that Sam has abilities beyond what Azazel gave him in the crib.

We've seen no evidence that Sam has abilities beyond what Azazel gave him in the crib.

So you think that everything he can do now he can do because of Azazel's initial infusion, NOT because of what Ruby's been feeding him?

Well I assumed that he had some abilities from the initial feeding, but more demon blood equals more strength. Of course some of the other demon-blood kiddies abilities got stronger as they used them more, so maybe not the only way to develop. But definitely seems one way.