I'm definitely enjoying the episode a whole lot more now. Now knowing what to expect and not being tired and post-horrific-job-evaluation-gone-so-wrong-that-it-makes-me-question-my-value-as-a-human-being. The gollum scene still seems to have pacing issues and a bit of come-to-the-point-please for me. But Adam seems more adequate, and I'm not laughing when Cas esplodes.

Also, I still adore the Chuck narrative. It's just so . . . comforting. Like, I'm sure I've seen something similar before, and so the association is nostalgic and beautiful at its best. Like October Skies or Sea Biscuit or something.

Also also, oh my heart breaks when Dean's voice does, all harsh and unused or abused when he greets Lisa and asks for a beer. Like he's been shouting or crying or silent for days and days.

Someone upstream commented on Sam's "Yessir" to Bobby. That moment was for me a callback to the moment when Bobby confronted him in the scrapyard when he escaped from the panic room--the look on his face, stepping into the barrel of the gun, pulling it to his chest. Bobby's been as much a father surrogate to Sam as to Dean.

Vid, May Angels Lead You In. Short, manipulative, the usual.

JP did a wonderful job of enigmatic under that dark streetlight. I still don't know who that is.

Stull was a place to go and party when we were in school. The devil was supposed to appear there on Halloween and the solstice. It was only word of mouth back then so there wasn't the major impact to the cemetary. After the internet and especially the show, the place became such a tourist attraction that families of people buried there were caused quiet a bit of pain. I'm sure they don't appreciate supernatural.

Vandalism including breaking headstones were pretty common. I've read that now there is a gate and it's locked and they have torn down the church shell so that the walls didn't fall on anyone. I feel for the families. I like to have my fun, but would not enjoy someone messing around my loved ones.

The Chuck narrative is wonderful. Just wonderful.

Now I'm reading disgruntled Dean/Cas shippers.

Huh. I feel like a bad Destieller. In my fluffy little head, Cas can come and visit. I do think they weren't done any favours, and I craved more. But, as usual, the feelings of betrayal and anger are more than I thought to get from the ep.

Just read a fic, in fact, where the author seems pissed at Dean ranking Sam over Cas. Which, really, what show have you been watching? And what episode did you see? At what point did Dean pick? Cas was the one that picked.

AND HE CAN COME BACK AND VISIT ONCE THINGS GET ORGANISED UP THERE.

It's not like those fics haven't been written a thousand times.

The important betrayal that Dean would have done of Castiel was when he was going to say yes to Michael, and Castiel forgave him for that already. Wanting to be there with Sam when he died is completely freaking predictable.

Man, this better not mess up my fic-reading this summer.

eta:

I'm wondering how much time has passed from the graveyard to the last scene. Because Dean was magically healed it could be as soon as that night. But with them settled in at dinner, it could be much much longer.

Clothing wise, he'd changed. And the car windshield was fixed. But he was similarly dressed between the door and the table.

The Chuck narrative is wonderful. Just wonderful.

Agreed. It got me crying the first time.

Clothing wise, he'd changed. And the car windshield was fixed. But he was similarly dressed between the door and the table.

That means room for fic where he is so broken he can't move until he can function enough to fix the window or even change clothes before he can bring himself to go to Lisa. Although I don't want too much time to have passed with Dean not knowing that Sam is out of Hell.

Here, have a BLEAK AS HELL AWESOME coda: [link]

I worry what this series has done to me that I seek such pain. That was awesome.

Okay, I'm on board now with this season finale.

Things that still don't sit right, though, are the touches of Dean feeling guilty over Castiel's fall and becoming human/more human and Lucifer messing with Sam during the mirror scene(s). The former has been a long time coming, and to be reminded of such and then have it done away with is unsatisfying. The latter seems like a long way to go to remind us that Lucifer is a bad guy.