The episode runs on the CW website should you want to see it.

Julie, I looked them up as I went, and it was entirely worth it. Check them now. It instantly told me so much about each of the characters, and I was working out where Sam was, headspace-wise (eta: and physically, actually), and that told me right away.

Someone's going to have hold my hand next week, possibly both of them

Seriously.

I...just...I can only imagine the season finale will be horrifying, if they're doing this to us in episode 17, and they already just tore me up, what two episodes ago?

Jared has this thing where it looks like his pecs go straight out horizontally from his collarbones sometime--watch Sam's inhale on the second GIF. It's mesmerising. Like, people keep misdrawing boobs to make them do that, but he's so unholy massive mountain man that all it takes is a deep breath.

And exasperation! Poor boo!

God, I'm totally on an infantilisation streak lately.

And, she takes the triple again!

I just read the most...OMG, this is why I'm scared of being an anything girl. I know I've been ranting about Dean and Sam, but I love Cas a tremendous amount. But if you call yourself a Cas girl, I think you run an even higher risk of being identified with fringe crazies than if you're a Sam or Dean girl, since he's not a Winchester.

And the crazies say things like:

People clamor and analyze and worship these men [Sherlock, Doctor Who, Castiel], but only two of them have the privilege of being the star, having a tireless army behind them, and being written with respect

And

The simple truth is, Cas became too big for the show. His story too epic and intricate and massive

OMG, Show Not Called Angel Of The Lord. Cas never became shit. Cas was always, at best, a third (fourth if you count the car, which many do). He didn't become too big for shit--his story became different from Supernatural, so there was less for him to do on it. The show, and the script are canon. They are what defines what is. Cas does not have a life of his own outside that, no matter how much meta you personally can imagine.

Also, Cas didn't leave the show because he was too good for it. Cas doesn't actually exist. There's this guy called Misha Collins, you might have heard of him. And a lady called Sera Gamble. And a bunch more actual real people with real people desires and motivations that all came into play above and beyond the one true story of the bestest angel that ever fell.

This is what talking to Colin too much about the show gets me--irritated at fangirls. Thank god I'm not in Eureka fandom--I'd be the biggest, most horrible troll ever. But even what I hear about Show from him makes me froth at so many people. That's not why it happened!

Get off our team! You're making us look bad!

Yes, but that's like telling the J2 girls that the guys aren't actually in love, and that they really DO love their wives. That's not the narrative in their heads. People are really good at believing what they want to believe.

Even when they're WRONG on the INTERNET (and probably everywhere).

watch Sam's inhale on the second GIF. It's mesmerising.

Wow. I don't know if I would have noticed as much if you hadn't called attention to it, but he looks almost cartoon-superheroish there, with the bellows chest.

That scene was one of the ones where I wanted to pet his head and put him to bed, poor noodle.

Yes, but that's like telling the J2 girls that the guys aren't actually in love, and that they really DO love their wives. That's not the narrative in their heads. People are really good at believing what they want to believe.

Taking them living together a few years ago as proof positive of that really makes my eyes roll like the reels on a slot machine. So, DeanNSam4EvaGirl, do you also assume that all the twentysomething guy roommates you know in real life are involved in grand romances for the ages?

There's this relatively famous picture you get if you google 'Liefeld captain america', and that's pretty much what Jared is turning into, except HOT and HUMAN. And more gracefully than S5.

It's fucking exceptional that the show gave a third character, any third character, as much focus and development as Cas got (Bobby was around for a long time, but he was pretty static). If they'd gone the original way and cycled Misha out after 4 or so eps and kept Anna as the angel on the Winchester side, even if the crazier shippers hadn't run her out of town, I'm sure her arc wouldn't have lasted as long as Misha's did. I doubt Anna would have fought Raphael for heaven--just gone through the end of S4.

So the whole "no respect for Cas" bullshit is just that--bullshit. No other angel was getting all the plotline our wee Castiel earned himself. And him coming back in S7 is a miracle in a godless universe. So, please, BE QUIET. He's not actually getting a spinoff. Nor is he replacing Sam and/or Dean.

Heh. D was just reading over my shoulder as he was saying good night, and he caught ita !'s rant: ...Get off our team! You're making us look bad!

and he snorted at me me and was all "I like her!"

I agree, btw, with the rant and D's opinion. I totally get why Misha pulled back AND I am utterly jazzed to see him again on SPN.

No other angel was getting all the plotline our wee Castiel earned himself.

Exactly. They saw what they had, and decided to do more with it than originally planned, and that's awesome. And they did an awesome job. And yet? Still not a show about an angel of the lord, as you said.

(It is kind of funny that the showrunners did the same thing with Jensen on Dark Angel, though. Just as an aside.)

Cas definitely had more character *growth* but he was facing conflict from the word go. Bobby's only real conflict was how to stay alive and keep the boys sane and whole, if possible, which is not so much a conflict as a motivation. And I think they did a nice job fleshing him out and making him a much richer, more dimensional character over the course of the series.

Dark Angel wasn't the writers' decision, though. Ackles was brought in as a love interest for Max, and the plan was to sideline Logan. Weatherly and Alba were co-producers, and engaged at the time. And Weatherly wanted to keep his acting gig, so he and Alba pressured the writers to reduce JA's role. There is a famous anecdote of Weatherly on set with a new script, counting his lines and JA's, to make sure Logan had more lines.

Castiel's role has been driven first by fan response and ratings. I give the character and Misha's willingness to engage and entertain fandom credit for rescuing a show on the edge of cancellation. I think only secondarily was his storyline a consideration. The writers could have done something else with his character and kept him on board. Just conjecture on my part, of course.