Why does he have to need to find Cas? I'm just assuming he wants to, because Cas is his friend.

As for the angel tablet, Dean seems to take responsibility for anything that can cause worldwide results, good or bad, and since he doesn't know much about this one, I assume he wants to research it before deciding it's just a hunk of rock.

Why does he have to need to find Cas? I'm just assuming he wants to, because Cas is his friend.

Because characters have motivations. And a lack of a motivation is a motivation too. He's tried to save Cas, and to get Cas to help him--this would be a first for "Oh, just because I like it better when you're here" and I would actually like to see that too.

Dean seems to take responsibility for anything that can cause worldwide results

But do you think the guy who spent the morning artefact sniffing should really get his hands on anything powerful?

Wanting something is a perfectly acceptable motivation in any plot. Dorothy wanted to go somewhere her dog would be safe. Scarlet wanted to be Ashley Wilkes' wife. There doesn't need to be an end goal other than that.

But do you think the guy who spent the morning artefact sniffing should really get his hands on anything powerful?

Wait, what?

Wanting something is a perfectly acceptable motivation in any plot

I'm not saying it's unacceptable. In fact, I said I liked it. But most of I'm saying is that it's different, and that it should be acknowledged. It's not trivial for Cas "I'm not a hammer" angel of the Lord.

Wait, what?

The nice, extended, Batcave scene where Dean touches and even smells all sorts of artefacts he expresses his ignorance on. I was there for Bad Day At Black Rock--I could have sworn he was too.

The D/C I like to watch was en fuego last night. I'm cool.

Amen to that. Dean openly declaring in a very emotional way that he needs someone not named Sam is momentous; he doesn't have to be unzipping his fly while saying it to make me happy.

The nice, extended, Batcave scene where Dean touches and even smells all sorts of artefacts he expresses his ignorance on. I was there for Bad Day At Black Rock--I could have sworn he was too.

I didn't say he was right to want to take responsibility for it, I just said he wanted it. Dean thinks he's Batman, also.

Because characters have motivations. And a lack of a motivation is a motivation too.

This is what you said earlier that confused me, which is why I said wanting something was a motivation.

I was calling out the artefact shenanigans mostly because it was a stupid thing for Dean to do--but moreso it was a stupid thing for them to write. The payoff is not proportional to the erosion of badass. Unless there was something funny that I missed? He could have given a just fine running commentary without sticking his tongue in the outlet.

What I'm not saying, I guess, is that if Dean goes looking for Cas with no stated reason, they should call "no stated reason" out, because Cas has a history of considering himself in the role of a tool wielded by others and as a victim that Dean wants to rescue, and Dean has a history of calling out to him with those justifications.

So if he does neither of what he seems to have done all the other times, it stands out as not having those motivations, and that alternate "lack of" motivation is not insignificant.

I didn't get to watch live, and in hitting Read New, I saw in a flash (before I could hit Read New again)* "she had a good run" and KNEW Meg would die. Which made me extra sad watching her scenes with Cas. And, I never shipped them before, and in my head was rather vehemently against the idea (especially with how twisted fic writers wrote it following Caged Heat). But, damn.

I'm a little in love with the fact that there was follow-through on the kiss, and on their relationship and Cas' clinginess during his Lucinations and after.

I'm still puzzling out how Naomi being in bed with Crowley lines up with her fixing the shit Cas wrought when he was Godstiel (or, that was my takeaway).

Excelllent ep.

*I'm not placing blame for my spoiledness.

So--what goes into a good recap?

I feel you need to describe the facts objectively, tie them into a useful (subjective!) amount of context of previous canon, and be clear with your feels--like, having an opinion is good, but don't let it get everywhere.

Anything in particular you'd suggest I keep in mind trying to write one for IO9?

Yeah, there is definitely something fishy about the Crowley/Naomi situation beyond the timey-wimey confusion.