Cas's return to sanity at the end and the sudden ripping away of that sanity via Leviathan was heartbreaking as all get-out.

For a split second, I was sure he was going to be human. That everything had burned out of him, or his grace was, like revoked, because of the whole calling himself God thing. And I was so excited! Because I thought that would be so cool, watching Sam and Dean help him figure out how to navigate the world as a human.

And then, BOOM. Heart. Broken. (Not just because he was not human, but for the reasons you said.) Him *knowing* what was happening and being powerless to prevent it was a nasty kick in the teeth.

He didn't even have time to find a liquor store and drink it.

"That was unpleasant" is going down as one of my favorite lines ever, too.

I realize that Dean was in shock, but when Cas says, "Run!", you are a dumbshit for not hauling ass, Dean Winchester. I don't care if it was Cas (who it seems to have been) or God!Cas or Leviathan!Cas, or Jimmy. Anyone who has ever used that vessel that uses the word Run should be obeyed.

Also, it looked like the resulting stunt of Dean being thrown into the wall could have hurt the stunt guy. The angle that his legs hit made me wince. I'm sure the guy was fine or we would have heard something, but it really hurt to watch it.

I didn't notice that, but I tend to shut my eyes wincing when the wall-throwing happens.

I also loved the Grey Poupon exchange. I love in the middle of all that, Sam still took time to say, "Seriously?" BROTHERS.

I would sort of like to know how Dean got the Weisses so efficiently tied up, but I think Dean has the balls to reach out and grab the shotgun (like he did with Jo), so. Him introducing them was also delicious. "And this is Dr. and Mrs. Weiss ..." I LOVE YOU, DEAN.

And wasn't it so cute that Sam felt obligated to acknowledge them? Mary's boys have manners.

eta: I feel a second rewatch coming on.

Boy, you guys weren't kidding about there being some hate going on. I was just browsing and found, "This show is dead to me!" Srsly? Hyperbole, much?

People are so silly. I mean, really. Whatever, doofuses, more show for me! OK, not really. But still.

Oh, Theresa, the hate, it is strong, and it's not just one camp. Every group seems to have found something awful. And they all contradict each other. What I found shocking was that the "I'm not watching anymore" was not that Misha is now a guest star, and we might not see him much, or at all, but the prospect of Misha guesting forever, but not as Castiel. They'r flouncing because Misha is playing Casthulu. They'd flounce if Misha played Jimmy. They want CAS. Despite that he was CAS last season and I found this so delightfully new and refreshing. If I want to watch a character stay static and frozen in perfection, that's what my season 4 DVDs are for.

This is why people so often make me tired.

I mean, I'll admit I was frustrated with Buffy S7, A LOT, but I felt that they had gone past their natural stopping point without a lot of good reason. And I never hated the characters for anything. They were still the people I loved, it was just that the writers had (I think) written themselves into a weird corner. Even then, there were moments of that season I loved, because it was My Show.

I agree with you guys. Even the boys are quite a bit different than they were in season one. They are still BOYS and still have some of the same flaws and quirks, but the boys that I initially fell in love with left the building a long time ago. I just keep falling in love with who they become. It's not a healthy love, I still frequently just want to hold them and rock them while telling them it will be alright. But they are growing up and they aren't the same individuals. Why should Cas have to stay the same?

eta: I do want DEATH to never change though. He's perfect the way that he is.