That's where we differ. I think she's on her own, and avoiding heaven for now, as well as capture and punishment. I got the impression she would try to hang around and help out if/when/as she could. That may be me reading in, but I didn't get the idea she'd been fast-tracked back to heaven.

Also, on a more prurient note, I tried to catch a glimpse of Sam's tattoo last week, but failed. And Dean's this week, ditto. I just wondered if they'd had to have them applied for the possibility of a glimpse, or if they shot and cut the scene specifically not to show them.

Maybe I'm assuming that an angel's grace is like God's GPS device?

Whereas I think of it as the part that makes them angel, apart and different from human, bars emotion, provides power, or the link to heavenly power, etc.

I guess we'll have to see how it plays out in the SPN world.

Without checking I suspect Manners

It wasn't. It was someone I didn't recognize. Ah, J. Miller Tobin. Also directed "A Very Supernatural Christmas" and "Born Under a Bad Sign."

And that as an angel, she was on her way back to heaven -- but to face consequences for her actions.

I just thought that Dean was referring to the fact that she can't have chocolate cake and sex anymore.

J. Miller Tobin. Also directed "A Very Supernatural Christmas" and "Born Under a Bad Sign."

Ah, thanks! Both those eps were pretty good on the close camera stuff too. Cool.

I just thought that Dean was referring to the fact that she can't have chocolate cake and sex anymore.

Right. And the fact that she wasn't happy as an angel the first time around. But Anna seemed to make it clear that if she went back, there would be consequences. She said to Dean about what she'd done, "It's your Murder One."

Definitely consequences, yep. You may be right about regaining her grace sending her straight back to heaven for punishment.

regaining her grace sending her straight back to heaven for punishment.

Which begs a huge question. What punishment is she going to be subjected to as an angel? I would have thought being mortal would have been a pretty big punishment, but obviously the heavenly realm doesn't think so. Without her grace, she must die. As a mortal, she would have died eventually, why not wait for that? Part of the reason she must die, though, is because she can tune into WANG FM. If she couldn't, would she really have to die right now, this minute? I'd kinda like that question answered, but I'm sure it's one that will just all by the wayside.

Now that she's an angel again, what kind of punishment will she be subject to? Will she have to die as an angel? Or will she be flung into hell along with Lucifer for disobedience? Will they remove her grace before they do? I mean, Lucifer is pretty powerful. Where does that power come from? If it's no longer grace, what is it?

I'm not familiar with any of this stuff from a biblical viewpoint, so I have no idea if the writers are using concepts that come from the bible or if they're just pulling all kinds of stuff out of the hat in a mishmash, which so totally muddies any of the questions that I just want them to write their own damn manual so I have a reference point!

I'm not familiar with any of this stuff from a biblical viewpoint, so I have no idea if the writers are using concepts that come from the bible or if they're just pulling all kinds of stuff out of the hat in a mishmash

They're pulling it out of a Cracker-Jack box, Sail. It's neither internally consistent nor consistent with how (mainstream) Christianity considers things to operate. I'm having a hard time accepting it on its own merits, because even aside from being inconsistent with what I was raised to believe, it doesn't make any sense to me.

Glad to know I'm not the only one. While I find the episode interesting and it hit some emotional buttons really well, I need a little internally consistent logic to wrap my brain around.