Here is a point to ponder: Castiel says he's lost six of his brothers this week. If demons can't kill them (according to Alistair in Head of a Pin), who did?

As much as I wince for Dean there, he kind of had it coming. He couldn't really expect to be a smartass to an angel indefinitely without being smacked down.

Here is a point to ponder: Castiel says he's lost six of his brothers this week. If demons can't kill them (according to Alistair in Head of a Pin), who did?

Couldn't that be part of Uriel's rebellion, when he was running around killing other angels with the magic sword?

I'm sorry, every time Castiel says, "Some will win, some will lose." I just auto-add "Some of them will play the blues." It's a thing.

That kitchen scene is wonderful in how it advances the arc. In how it establishes that Dean isn't in charge in that relationship, and that Castiel is far more powerful than he appears.

Technically, it's gorgeously lit and beautifully shot, closeups worthy of Kim Manners. The "You should show me some respect" moment is tight and as intimate as it's possible to get with a camera, and the light and shadows that fall over Dean's face and shoulders is incredibly dramatic, while Castiel's face and pure blue eyes are luminous by comparison.

And then there's the quality of the acting--restraint, power, immediacy, delicacy. Two people very very good at their craft, and just amazing to watch.

Could be. It also seems to imply others have been killed apart from the six.

And then there's the quality of the acting--restraint, power, immediacy, delicacy. Two people very very good at their craft, and just amazing to watch.

This. Just the way Dean flinched so subtly when Cas moved in to make his point about Dean showing him some respect.

Actually, the idea that Uriel was killing angels makes one wonder where Uriel's soul (or grace) ended up after he was killed. Hell?

Might we see Uriel back as a demonic player?

makes one wonder where Uriel's soul (or grace) ended up after he was killed. Hell?

Maybe his ended up stuck in a tree somewhere too.

And the power that radiates off Castiel. Little Jimmy Novak sure didn't have that.

I was thinking about JP in season two, and how much more depth and scope his acting has now. He was Rory's Dean in the first half of S1. Seeing his screen test on the S3 gag reel showed me he was never a bad actor, perhaps a lightweight one. He gave us everything on the page. As he worked with excellent people, and his character went through more emotional changes than any human in any one lifetime should ever have to endure, his abilities just improved exponentially. Going back, you can see it start as early as Dead in the Water, Phantom Traveler. Every ep, he seemed to expand just a little. He hit S2, and it was a whole new level. IMTOD was a watershed for him, I think. Such a vast, noticeable improvement at the time, but he's continued to grow and learn, and to put more up there on the screen.

I think he's a wonderfully subtle and controlled actor. I watch his S4 performances, and I'm just blown away. The character has grown and matured, of course. But JP has, as well, and he brings so much strength and ability to Sam, now. It makes me happy to have watched that growth, to see the level he's reached, and hopefully to see him go even farther as an actor.

OJT. Nothing like it.

The fact that he's been able to transition from something of an idealistic innocent to dark and conflicted, yet still trying to do some good with what he perceives is his own doomed soul, is really quite something. Growth indeed. I certainly don't see Dean Forrester there at all.