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.

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

Yes, he is fully cooked. Fully cooked awesome.

Static characters don't make good ... characters. The point of storytelling is conflict and change. When you take characters on any kind of a quest, they're going to evolve. And honestly, if they were still the same Sam and Dean they were in S1, I would wonder what the hell was wrong with them.

Even Death, who is written and played perfectly, you can assume has learned new things, even if he's not actively changing. His interactions with the Winchesters? I would bet money that's a new one for him.

And comes with pickle chips.

Heh, that's what I was thinking Jen. He's learned that he likes pickle chips.

Now, I'm obsessing over what kind of pickle chips they eat. [link] There are too many things that are called pickle chips.

My heart tells me it's this kind: [link]

And I've never had them before, but you can bet I will order them the next time I see them on a menu.

Dean said "fried pickle chips", I thought. Which narrows it down a little.

I'm trying to think where I can try some. I know they have fried pickles at the fall festival in my hometown. I wonder if those are sliced like this. Surely, they don't deep fry a whole pickle. I know I have seen fried pickles on a menu. Dang it.