Here's one of those musings (no spoilers) on why the whole thing may have been a dream so far: [link] I don't watch the show to that level of detail, and I might be frustrated, depending. I'm not swayed, just watching.

Thanks, Matt. Now I have an Elton John "Benny and the Trans" earworm.

Oh, curse you.

I think we're being shown they are really the Epic (platonic) Love Story of Sam and Dean.

Love! Thank you, Cass.

Well, it was Sera who coined the term "Epic love story of Sam and Dean" so I am hoping I keep getting what I signed up for.

Seeing them together without a clear expiration date is my Winchester dream.

Which I feel is currently true, and will no doubt be stomped on a time (or five) before the season's out, since it's the well they go to first for pain.

I would love for the last line of the show to be, "We have work to do." Big grins, trunk slams, the end.

I would love for the last line of the show to be, "We have work to do." Big grins, trunk slams, the end.

Car doors slam in tandem, motor roars, back end fishtails a little in a minor dust cloud, car recedes toward the sunset, rock music plays.

I definitely want the end to be onwards to more saving. While Kripke had the reins (I haven't seen that spelt correctly the last 5 times I've seen it in fic--I'm beginning to wonder if Merriam Webster did a switcheroo) I was pretty sure it would end in tears and desolation.

Now, though, I have no predictions, only preferences.

I'm pushing out further through the tumblr world, trying to find people to follow for good reblog material and even interesting meta (although I do not think of tumblr as a source for that--I just don't have the energy to re-engage LJ). It's interesting to look at the demographics people list, and a few pages of their SPN philosophy.

I'm reading one tumblr now that I'm not going to follow, because she spends too much time criticising the show for too little Cas and unhappy Cas.

In fact, I want to yell at fandom in general about who people get mad at, and this is one really obvious example. He has two kids under five, never appeared all that much on the show when he was a regular, and even though you don't know he wanted to leave when he was written off the first time, why are you mad at the show for him not being on it more? Can you be usefully sure he's being denied something that he wants?

And that's just the actor meta. The only way to keep Cas happy is to keep him off the show. It's season 8. Rent the DVDs if you're not familiar with the tone. And keeping the angel onscreen does strenuous things to the narrative, so how do you see this working practically--him being onscreen more, and happy? Cheerfully casting away his powers?

It's halfbaked, is what it is. Liking the characters more than the show is...that's counterproductive.

I ended up dropping cafe de labielle because she was being engaged on why she stopped watching (they ruined her ship), and I just want that person who reblogs pretty pictures, sad GIFsets, and funny commentary. Tell me when you find them, will you?

Do you guys feel its inherently unhappy for Dean and Sam to spend most of their time together doing the family business? Back on LJ I used to read people who wanted them healed, and by healed they meant out of hunting, because no hunters are happy, because it's impossible to be mentally healthy and be a hunter.

I don't think they have to be Batman--as much as I complain about Garth--he wasn't unhappy. I don't feel Rufus or Bobby were unhappy, even though they died on the job. Dying is clearly a bad thing, but it's hardly a surprise ending. Saying hunting is unhealthy because it's dangerous is pretty much asking to clear out the ranks of soldiers, cops, firefighters, etc, because their jobs put them in increased jeopardy.

They are *heroes*. John was damaged and unhealthy, and that's why he went into hunting, true. Dean is damaged, but I think he's sincerely happy when he's hunting, and not hunting isn't how he's going to get self esteem. It's orthogonal to his career, or perhaps aided by the degree of heroism in his career (as opposed to him considering himself a walking sacrifice-in-waiting). Sam is scarred, but I don't think of him as that unhealthy.

I see that ending you guys does as the happy ending. We can have a rainbow arc over the car, and then Dean swerves left so he can hunt leprechauns. I don't regard either of them as a booby prize, and they can join the rotary club/get non-foxhole girlfriends later.

I just bumped into this explanation on how sole focus on the boys is bad. I'm not clear if they mean sudden sole focus, or if they mean an eighth year of sole focus, though.

They are never going to actually be the only recurring characters in the show--I don't know if that person is writing with the assumption that Cas will be back this year--clearly we're going to see him and the Trans (if not Garth) as well as Benny (even if that's not positively). How sole is sole? Is it because there's no Bobby to call? They haven't had a lot of people in general. I mean, there have (continued...)

( continues...) been big hard losses, but it's not like an epidemic wiped out their extensive social network--they're effectively one person short.

I dunno--I think that disliking the show and realising you dislike the show is saner than explaining why the show can/must not make certain choices. Even if it's a change in either you or the story, sometimes different is just different, and it's no longer your beautiful cake. That doesn't mean it's the wrong cake. Having Cas sad (as opposed to manipulated) or go dark is ruining your viewing experience, sure. But that's not the same as ruining Cas.

And, you know, I should pay more attention to the show and less attention to the people paying attention to the show. But I still maintain that like it or no, IO9 is giving it short shrift. The amount of attention the Vampire Diaries episode got this week (without seeming like jackshit changed), and SPN was basically "Hey, these guys are so gay for each other." And, hell, my comment that Sam doesn't mind if Dean is gay for Cas was agreed with by Annalee, which makes the recap's position even weaker--talk about why Benny is a threat, and not Cas. Oh, hey, talk about Cas while you're there, and the couple other angels or something? No? Season's big bad not worthy of professional attention that Wincest is?

When Cas told the brothers to stow their crap, I looked at the expression on Dean's face and thought "OK, maybe any chance of reciprocation hasn't been put to rest after all."