Thomas looks so much like his daddy. And the baby has Jared's nose, too! Shep Padalecki. I like it.

I know I'm crossing canon and RL streams, but that pic of Tom and Shep just reminds me of the one of little Dean holding baby Sam from the box they found in the basement in Home. I guess every family has pictures like that of the kids. Which is sort of my point.

They're darling kids, and they have doting, proud parents.

Did anyone watch?

It's disheartening that the "renewed commitment to each other" from the church is already over. But it's also disheartening that they've now turned Sam's gratitude and love into bitterness (not that he's not entitled, since closing the doors to hell really is more important than Dean having Sam to ride shotgun).

If they could have ended S8 another way (still without closing the gates of hell, since that leaves not a lot of plot for Show), instead of deciding to have -- again -- Dean selfishly choosing his love for his brother that ruined the plan, I feel like this season could have been better. Or different, anyway.

I'm going to have to write a song about how I can't stop watching, but it's just not the same anymore.

Jesus, I forgot the most important thing of all -- Dean is more bearded now! Like, actual beard, not just the shadow of stubble. I APPROVE SO HARD.

I'm going to have to write a song about how I can't stop watching, but it's just not the same anymore.

I think I get it on Hulu+ tomorrow. But it's not the same for me, sadly. I want to love the show the same way I used to.

Jesus, I forgot the most important thing of all -- Dean is more bearded now! Like, actual beard, not just the shadow of stubble. I APPROVE SO HARD.

Kinda loving this part though.

Jesus, I forgot the most important thing of all -- Dean is more bearded now! Like, actual beard, not just the shadow of stubble. I APPROVE SO HARD.

I echo your approval. I was captivated by the beard. And I'm not normally a beard person.

Oh, god -- D was all like "He's real stubbly!"

D pretty much always maintains Dean-last-night levels of blond stubble, so between his beloved could-be-Dean's leather jacket and collection of Sam-like snap button Western shirts, he's pretty SPN'd out in the fashion department.

It's so cute!

I think I get it on Hulu+ tomorrow. But it's not the same for me, sadly. I want to love the show the same way I used to.

Yeah, same here (including Hulu). It's a bummer. I'm not sure I even know what the fix would be for me.

I think, all of sudden, Show is coming to the end of its trail, to quote Bobby. Without radically changing the cast and format, it seems like there just isn't much left to do.

I think you're right. So sad. Or, I mean, perfectly understandable, actually, and holy crap I never expected this show to last this long, and I'm glad it did. Still. I will miss these boys when they go.

I wonder whether they'll end it by just sending them out on another hunt, family business style, retiring them (can't imagine), or killing them. I almost feel like an Angel-style ending -- except not with the fate of the world hanging in the balance, please, please -- would be kind of cool. Just watching them enter into the fray, as they do and (someone) always will.

I'm getting a lot of "Sam's being ungrateful to Dean" on my flist and dash and other places. What I see when Sam says, "You want to work together? We work. You want us to be brothers?" And gives a tiny shake of the head. "Those are my terms."

I'm not getting that he wants to not be Dean's family, or his brother. But he wants a new role in Dean's life beside the incompetent "big giant baby", as Crowley called him, who has to be "taken care of". Who has to walk a step behind, get left at the motel when Dean roars off angry to find a bar, who doesn't get a say--or doesn't get listened to when he does say something.

Sam's not always right. But when he is, Dean historically ignores it. Dean doesn't really *see* Sam as an an autonomous adult. He's still making decisions for Sam like it's his job, his place, his duty, and his right.

And making decisions for Sam, and sometimes for Dean, is Sam's job. So, Sam wants a renegotiated contract. And I think that's fair. I think that's a good thing, and I really hope that's what's going to happen.

On the meta side, they both just look so tired, so bored, so *done* with Supernatural. It's so ironic that they put everything they could into the show in the Ostroff years, and sweated being canceled, or not being renewed, all that time. Now, when they're done and they'd probably like to say goodbye, the network CEO *loves* the show and doesn't want to end it. They're professionals, and they show up, hit their marks, say their lines. But there are no depths in their characters left to plumb. No discoveries to make. And from where I sit, any affection, any enjoyment the characters had of being in each other's company is just reduced to habit and duty.

Someone said earlier today, "It's a different show, now." And I think that's true. There won't be any recapture of the glory days, no matter how many ways Carver, et al, try to serve it up.