Not to mention Cas's new super-charged angel mojo

A careful blend of supercharged and not "I will push the boys to the side while I blast through every evildoer on Earth. Later Dean will feed me grapes while he's naked."

So the boys are not only still relevant, but can keep centre stage.

The Cas and Dean stuff really broke me. Cas saying he missed television, and disappearing into the bathroom to come out like the old Cas, and Dean's ridiculous guilt trip about everything including the price of tea. If I hadn't shipped them before, last night would have done it.

I mean, Cas somehow got out of Purgatory (well, we know how, even if Dean doesn't) and Dean's still protecting him, the powerful angel, yelling at him for going in alone and worrying about whether or not he's up to full strength.

The weakest part of the episode for me was the round table with the possible prophets. For one, where did they get the glowing Star Trek table? And two, why did Crowley hesitate to kill Kevin. If those were the next-in-line prophets, someone else would have been able to do the job. Not that I want Kevin dead at all, but it seems like a logic flaw. Crowley was torturing that angel viciously, but he stops at taking one of Kevin's fingers? I don't get it.

I think that Crowley was being practical. The other prophets were wild cards. Kevin was a proven quantity, and had the ability, and had previously been displayed to be able to be manipulated into doing the job.

Those guys in the room? What if he ended up at Aaron? Who there is brighter than Kevin? It might be a downside that he has the big picture, but then again, I think it's a net upside, and the fact that he has a relationship with the Winchester is just shit you have to deal with.

It's been a while since I felt like Crowley was doing shit that messed up lives and played into a grandiose plan. Yesterday I felt good about that again.

That's pretty Free Will to me--or do you think he would have left them without Naomi's command?

Who knows. Naomi snapped him someplace he doesn't seem to remember but it sounds like he's been before and then he's told that he'll help the Winchesters, come back and report to her and NOT remember any of it. That's not Free Will. It's canon, but it's not anything I'd call "Free Will" for Cas.

Why isn't Cas really back?

I'm guessing this wasn't to me but if it were, he's totally back. He's just being controlled by something he doesn't even seem to realize is there. But he's back. And committed to the team even if he doesn't know why.

Um, if not in response to me, skip past.

Once Cas got out of Purgatory, what else was he going to do go? Where was he going to go?

V. young JP playing MacGyver's nephew.

If the show weren't all about Winchesters? Back to the garrison. Do angel stuff. He watched Tiktaalik wander out of the water onto mud (which might remain my favorite throwaway line) to evolve into everything on land. Chuck the prophet is obviously dead (because Kevin exists) but might have been God for a while so that position might still be vacant. Or at least require some high-level meetings to discuss. Unless Chuck died and was revived and now it's like when there were two Buffys. Logically, I can't see where Cas automatically gets out of Purgatory and his only true place is with the Winchesters. He pushed Dean through the Gap when Dean and Benny escaped on purpose. He stayed in Purgatory to atone.

I mean, the show is Winchesters and Misha is great, so clearly he belongs with the boys. It's the way I want to watch the show.

Still Cas wasn't trying to escape Purgatory. Or get back to Dean whom he had always intended to not follow out of Purgatory. Cas got unexpectedly rescued and doesn't remember it and is working for Naomi whom he doesn't remember either.

I'll enjoy watching it but he's not operating under Free Will, to my eyes.

Wow.

I know I have an angle I watch from, but still...

Cas can't go to heaven, since he's directly responsible for laying waste to it and its denizens. Hell is out of the question, and he can't get back to Purgatory where he feels he belongs.

Unlike Earth, where he doesn't feel he belongs.

My reading of the Naomi conversation was that these were his first orders, otherwise why do you pull him out and just repeat the conversation you had a week ago, without referring to having had the conversation a week ago. If they wanted to tell us he had already gotten orders, that would have been in the episode.

It wasn't.

Occam's razor leads me to believe that whether or not Cas might have stayed (I vote he's got not much else to do, since he can get the answers to the TV he's enjoying so much), he went where he intended to go once he couldn't stay where he'd intended to stay.

Remember--he fled Dean, and pushed him through the wormhole (I was at a Stargate place before Carter showed up), but he also didn't have the nuts to walk away from Dean once Dean got all obsessive about him. He's not really that great about being away from Dean when it's a little less hard.

So, yeah, until the show explicitly tells me that was the n+1 time Cas got orders, I'm going to assume what I was told is what was true--and I'll take it as they feed me.

I do have two worries--one that his love for the Winchesters will allow him to break *angel* compulsion, or that he's Metatron. Or, hell, anyone is Metatron. I hate that sort of "surprise".

I almost pulled the trigger on this [link] and just realised...that's a little familiar, in different colours.

I draw the line there.

Hey...I have a line, guys! I found a line!

(I remember when I had no SPN shirts...)

So, yeah, until the show explicitly tells me that was the n+1 time Cas got orders, I'm going to assume what I was told is what was true--and I'll take it as they feed me.

There wasn't a version of the "Where am I?" "Don't you know?" "I've never been here before." between Naomi and Cas? Admittedly, I watched sick and on Sudafed but I did watch twice. Then deleted it so I can't check now or I would.

I know we watch from different angles. Which is part of what I like about this show.

My personal feels are that Cas yanked out of Purgatory does fall into hanging out with the Winchesters again. But more the guy who wasn't really paying attention and recites the names of prophets along with Sam.

Honestly, watching compelled Cas trying to "help" looks really amusing.

I still contend that it's not Free Will. But it should be a fun ep of Supernatural.

or that he's Metatron

Totally crossed my mind. Both times I watched.