He's in Louisiana, she's in Texas. It's not right around the corner.

Depends where in Louisiana and where in Texas. (Signed, married to someone born in East Texas.)

Kermit TX and Carencro LA are both real places, about 11 hours apart according to Google maps (I know Carencro is near Lafayette, which is not far from the border, but I think Kermit is over to the west - it's near Odessa and Midland which I remember driving past, but when I drive through Texas I drive all the way through, usually, so the whole state is pretty much a blur to me).

Kermit is west, at the corner of the stack that rises from the top of the state, and Carencro, LA is sort of dead center of the state. I looked!

I've seen him pull an uncommunicative vanishing act on Dean and Bobby often enough that I'm not terribly surprised he'd leave Crazy Martin in the lurch.

When?

If we start to now say places are too far apart to rush between, the entire show falls apart under our hands.

I said it in S3 when Dean was supposed to driving from Buffalo to Queens in three hours. That's a day-long drive, easy.

I'm not trying to nitpick, I just thought it was a little odd that Sam would take off that way without a word to anyone, because I *don't* remember him doing it before, and it's not like he was just going down the road.

I don't know, I imagine to a Winchester one state over is pretty much like just down the road. Even if it's a big state.

If you've only said it once in 7+ years, it's too late. You're complicit, just like the rest of us, in South Dakota being around the corner from everywhere.

Which is to say--I don't think the text cares about the distance, in a way that's even more difficult to work around than strange Stanford rules. They apparate just outside city limits in the Impala. That's how it goes. Distance is not a motivator in the narrative, pro or con. At least, I can't remember much "it's too far!" or "let's do that, it's close".

When?

Mystery Spot and about every other episode of Season 4.

I'm pretty sure Elizabeth was the mom who tried to drive her kid into the lake in The Kids Are All Right, but she's not listed on IMdB yet.

Yep. It definitely was her. Also Samandriel is the kid Matt in Bugs.

To me, the text message to Sam was Dean keeping Sam away from Benny. Dean is convinced Sam wouldn't survive an encounter with post-Purgatory Benny. Plus, I think after being clocked by Martin, Dean didn't care about turning Martin loose. I kinda heart Dean a lot for still looking out for his brother.

I also don't read any more into the soft lighting in Sam's memories than an awkward means to underscore the very different lives the boys led over the past year. Dean's experience in purgatory was gritty and stark and bloody and raw. Sam's existence after finding Amelia was uncomplicated and hopeful and pleasurable and safe (something he'd always wanted).

I do agree with ita ! wrt the LENORE issue. Under Gordon's influence, Dean declared that their job is to hunt monsters, and Sam responded no, their job was to hunt evil. Dean should have been throwing that in Sam's face.

Dean is convinced Sam wouldn't survive an encounter with post-Purgatory Benny

I didn't get that at all. I thought Dean was protecting Benny from Sam.