I just think your lead up needs more than a one-off ref 2 years ago and some previouslies.

Oh, I completely agree.

But what I would have appreciated would have been a two-second shot when he was in the car on the way to her house of him putting down his phone - I wouldn't even have needed to hear him talking - but enough to let me assume he had called Sam. As it is, he drove off leaving Sam back at the scene of another demon attack, (this time after Dean lied and left instead of Sam doing it).

I took away from last week according to Joshua that Dean and Sam are both forgiven and have a place in Heaven. That is where they will end up. So, I feel like he may have needed to lie to Sam in order to get away to say yes to Michael (presumably) and before he did that he wanted to see Lisa. He had to lie to Sam because Sam wouldn't have let him do it.

I just think your lead up needs more than a one-off ref 2 years ago and some previouslies.

This didn't bother me either because when Dean first reunited with her, she was just a woman from 9 or 10 years ago that he remembered fondly. Maybe even more than that but he's not going to be mushy in front of Sam. After the reunion and meeting Ben, evidently that has been the happy place that he has been keeping from Sam and us. Lisa was very much always present for me because I always (only half jokingly) said that I believed she lied and that Ben was Dean's son. So in those few moments, I had everything that had been at the back of my mind about Lisa and now know that Dean doesn't share everything with anyone. Not Sam, not us.

I had assumed that if one of the guys finally caved and said "Yes" it would be under duress -- for instance, Lucifer would be holding an elementary school hostage and threatening to behead all the little children one by one, or Michael would be permitting bad things to happen to good people in a way that Dean couldn't live with, and that they'd cave and say "Yes" to stop it. But that isn't what's happening at the moment - I'm trying to figure out what's sending Dean off on this road now. It wouldn't be his ability to stake the Whore of Babylon proving he's meant to be The Righteous Man of God who can kill things on heaven's behalf, because he already knows he's been picked by heaven to be their avatar. That's not new information. So why now?

I think when Castiel said that Dean couldn't kill her that was true. I don't think Dean had made the decision yet to say yes. I think the act of deciding to say yes to Michael as he was pinned underneath the false prophet, was what made him be able to kill her. I have to see it again to see what exactly changed his mind.

I think it is possible that what the episode was trying to show/reveal (I don't think Julie Siege is one of their stronger writers) was that Dean had made his decision to say yes after Paul was killed, which was why he was able to stake her. I mean, I always thought Sam would say yes under duress, but Dean would say it having been worn down and finally thinking of it as the least bad option. (I had some drawerfic Kripked tonight, so it's possible I spent the post Abandon All Hope hiatus thinking about this too hard.)

Eh, I'll Doyle this one as needed lead-up for Episode 100. Which better knock my Watson socks off.

I think when Castiel said that Dean couldn't kill her that was true. I don't think Dean had made the decision yet to say yes. I think the act of deciding to say yes to Michael as he was pinned underneath the false prophet, was what made him be able to kill her. I have to see it again to see what exactly changed his mind.

Yes! This! (Which you posted while I was writing my last post.)

Maybe it was Paul getting killed when the decision was made. I buy that it has been a gradual wearing away.

Also I'm staying up way too late playing with Status Shuffle on Facebook and going into the tags of Supernatural. Someone has already added, "I found a liquor store and drank it." So I added the Enochian quote.

I just think your lead up needs more than a one-off ref 2 years ago and some previouslies.

Lead up to what, though? Here's the thing--I don't think Lisa is Dean's true love. I don't think he can settle down with her at the end of the series for true happiness, not without some extra work on the part of the writers.

But I do believe at this point in his emotional journey that she's the best he can do, and the fact that all we have is two references from two years ago reflects on Dean, not the writers, and makes him sadder.

(again, popping in here with my eyes screwed shut so I don't spoil myself since I'm watching these on DVD)

but my most recent SPN convert just sent me this email:

re: the "Malleus Maleficarum" episode's last scene

Dean: Ruby! Why do you want us to win?

Ruby: Isn't it obvious? I'm not like them. I don't know why, I wish I was, but I'm not...

Now sure, the grammar could be correct, but only if what she wishes isn't in doubt or if she doesn't in fact wish it, which would be ridiculously satisfying in a way...

The sad part: I only really started disliking Ruby when she fucked up the subjunctive.