Lucifer, though fallen, was created an angel, and is bound by angelic rules.

I rewatched, and Lucifer even says, when Sam mentions needing consent, "Of course. I'm an angel."

The things I miss first time around, I tell you.

Last season Anna said that only four angels have had direct communication with God. Presumably Michael and Raphael are two of them. Perhaps Gabriel and whoever the producers have decided the fourth archangel is in place of Uriel, or Metatron, are the others?

My money's on Lucifer being the fourth.

My money's on Lucifer being the fourth.

That makes sense to me. I'm guessing that means we'll also get to meet Gabriel somewhere along the lines. If so, I hope it's not Raphael-redux, in terms of the kind of attitude we get.

Does anyone else get the feeling that if we meet Michael, he won't be quite what Castiel, Zachariah, and Raphael have led us to believe?

Hell, they might as well go ahead and hire Cate Blanchett.

Tilda Swinton, man.

Ha! A friend posted a gripe on her livejournal about all the hosts and prospective hosts of the archangels being men. When she said she hoped they'd cast Gabriel as a woman, I brought up Tilda reprising her role.

Tilda Swinton, man.

Exactly.

And yet, I don't know that we're going to meet them all. Or the four horsemen, either. I can't imagine Kripke and the writers ticking them off like a to-do list, really.

I can't imagine Kripke and the writers ticking them off like a to-do list, really.

I like that we haven't heard about the Gabriel, or about the remaining horsemen. It will make their showing up that much more surprising. Assuming TV Guide doesn't give it away.

Me, too, Anne.

And yet I want to find out definitively who brought Cas back, and who poofed Sam and Dean into the plane. If it was Lucifer, as Raphael hinted, why on earth would he do that? He would have only been sending Sam, at least, away from himself. That doesn't make sense. And why bring Cas back when his position on Lucifer's return is pretty clear?

The talk about needing rebel angels is one thing, but there are more angels in the picture than simply the archangels, and Cas isn't one of them anyway.

We still don't know what Anna's angel name was, do we?

Todd has a theory that the reason we haven't heard about Gabriel at all is that (s)he's already in play. His theory is that Anna is Gabriel (she was Uriel's boss, right?), which is an interesting idea, I think. Not sure if they'd do that. I do find it odd that we haven't heard about/from her at all, since Cas is essentially in the same position as her, now.

I would also think that Lucifer would not want Sam and Dean together, even if he wanted them Not There. Separating them seems like a much more effective tactic.