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.

Mystery Spot and about every other episode of Season 4

After Dean died I don't really count, but I can see it. When he was meeting Ruby, though, was generally when Dean was asleep. And if not, I still think it's different than being in the middle of a job -- not just a job in general, but the critical about-to-be-battle -- and disappearing. He's never done that with Dean or Bobby that I can remember, unless he was injured or kidnapped or tied up, which isn't the same thing.

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

I think that was played sufficiently down the middle that I don't feel I can tell what the text intended.

If I want to keep attributing creepy tone deaf Sam characterisation, Sam is "always" the one who "abandons" Dean, so it's perfectly predictable, right?

I realise I love the arguments between Sam and Dean, and how they're sniping and flaying each other, because it really feels like really ugly family stuff. Doesn't every epic love story need a bit of this?

I do not like the execution of Amelia (although I hope that isn't literal) and I'm not going to lie--I worry about how they resolve it, because chuck-fuck-or-marry, Sam's great on the case, and satisfying whether he's watching Dean's back or sniping to his face.

So far, mid-season-wise, I'm more happy with more of Dean--obviously his side of the horrible state with Sam, he's also great on the case, and although I'm enh about Benny, Castiel's been very rewarding to date. I am a bit nervous about what effect Benny may or may not have--he's a wild card.

Basically what Sam, Dean, and Cas do to (not like that, although I really wish that epic fic I just finished had been finished--I am stronger than those leftover feelings) what they do to each other I tend to like more than someone else having the same effect--like, if Benny drives a wedge between Dean and Sam or Cas I will be grumpy, but if they drive the wedge themselves then basically it's just really sad, and then creys, not grumbles.

So let's see how that goes-if they can use the new guys (Kevin and his mother are legacy to me too, and I'd be surprised if they had a dramatic differential impact) to heighten and highlight, good. Right now, Dean is acting like Dean about Benny.

I don't who Sam is when it comes to Amelia, and I am reduced to making guesses about authorial intent. I don't like guessing about what the present means.

I don't even remember this moment clearly: [link] I should rewatch.

That fan is an Amelia!Girl. Amelia's been written well enough for viewers to like her?

Huh. For other reasons, I stumbled upon this piece on the anime, and not only is it misleading (JENSEN DOESN'T VOICE MOST OF DEAN), but at the end she reveals she's been hired by WB to promote it: [link]

They do that? Hire bloggers to promote, as opposed to giving them free stuff and crossing their fingers?

I'm boggling over any Amelia fangirls. Now? She's a legitmate love interest for Sam, and she's harsh, severe, not terribly pretty, not terribly sympathetic for the most part . . . I'm boggled. Are the fans haters of Sam and wishing ill upon him by rooting for the shrew? (Yeah, I still really don't like her, even if she was written better in the latest ep). Except why would a Sam hater have a gif of his ass rolling across her page?

Okay, I know I have a penchant for the pretty, but is "not particularly pretty" a real reason for not being a fan? Would Bobby have more fans, or more explicable fans if he were hotter? (I think that Amelia is pretty, FWIW--I just didn't think that was important in the end--she's definitely prettier than Meg or Mrs. Tran, off the top of my head--her unlikability is what sinks the ship for me.)

Current Meg or Original Meg? Admittedly I'm not the best judge of female beauty, but I'd rank her about even with the current meatsuit and I figured the first version was quite striking.

I think she's pretty enough. And now that I know more of her story, I sympathize with her a lot more. She's not any more prickly than Dean probably comes off to most people, in my mind. Some women are brusque sometimes. She's not wandering around hitting people and drowning kittens.

I don't know about the pretty and the being a fan, and how relevant that is. But I found both Ruby's to be more attractive, as well as both Meg's, and for those who I don't find attractive (Bobby) their personality and role more than made up for it (I was not expected to be physically attracted to Bobby, but his loyalty and friendship makes up for that).

I guess, there's a character the show wants you to like, and so provides the viewer with traits like loyalty and comradery and paternal emotions. And there's longevity there, too. And then there's a character that another main character seemingly loves, so you'd expect to see traits that make you feel affection, attraction, trust, lust, devotion . . .

I dunno, I see a difference in the physical. But also . . . I've been able to get over characters physical unattractiveness by sheer force of personality (Rory on DW, for example), so I don't base my bias on bias. You can be ugly as sin as long as your heart shines through, and this Amelia does not have that, even if her latest ep didn't make me despise her for once.

Again, that may be a "screentime" thing, that if she had her lead I'd eventually find her beautiful and worthwhile, but as it stands, no.