I think I'm coming from a different point of view, though -- I don't see a lot less of the subtext between them now than I ever did, so that's not primarily what I'm thinking of when I say the show has changed.

Also, who's saying "what would the children think?" I'm asking honestly. Is that a reason being given?

I still think it goes back to the network execs, primarily Pedowitz, who is reported to be a big fan of the show. From what I've read, he's a force behind the "straight, male, action" direction of the show, and also behind the rationale that *never resolving an issue* is the type of "conflict" that keeps 18-34 year old guys tuning in. Whether or not the target demographic would accept or respond positively to m/m awareness of any degree is, at this point, moot, because the network says so.

While the creator was at the wheel, the show had to fight each year for whatever creative freedom it was able to win from Dawn Ostroff, and everybody held their breath each season to find out if the show had been renewed. I know fans struggled with some of the storylines in the first four or five seasons. But at least there was some resolution to the storylines the show moved through, there was an adherence to established canon, and there was a throughline, an arc for the series as a whole.

I find it ironic, now when the writers seem to be pulling old scripts out of the closet and shaking out a few of the wrinkles before wearing them, in no particular sense-making order, the network is saying they'll be renewed as long as the cast wants to keep going.

That sort of makes sense to me, though, Bev. I can't imagine wanting to write about the same two people for ten years plus. And trying to a) keep it fresh and b) adhere to established canon. No matter what writers might want to do, restrictions in terms of budget and actor availability are always going to play into the story arcs. And when you're writing something serially -- i.e. posting episodes before the whole season is written -- you're bound to write yourself into a corner now and then.

I can't imagine working that way, because I've gone back to change things in the earliest chapters of a book after I've finished a rough draft. On TV, though, when that ship sails, it's gone.

I don't want to come across as a complete apologist, either -- I think what I decided was that my feelings for the original canon and the first five seasons are a separate thing from my fondness for the show and the cast now. Now, it's about loyalty and pretty faces and probably a certain stubbornness -- I'm definitely a completist when I can be. But the show I LOVED with my whole heart is not coming back, so I'm not going to spend a lot of time on wishing it would, because it gets me nowhere, and makes me angry and bitter on top of it.

Well actually, I'm sort of in the same place regarding completism and loyalty. I do find I'm much less invested in the show--as far as folding laundry or balancing the checkbook while it's on. I used to watch while it aired and record it to immediately rewatch. Now I always watch delayed, and several times I've forgotten it was on, and it was a day or two before I got around to watching the ep.

I guess I'm still watching for the pretty, because I'm certainly not invested in either the characters or the story. And yes, I resent that, and I miss it, even while I acknowlege you're correct that it's nearly impossible to reinvent storylines and adhere to previous canon.

I guess I need to work on divorcing S1-6 from following seasons as a different show.

Well, you don't need to! I'm just trying to save my emotional energy for other things, I guess. It's also been a really weird year for me -- I'm watching next to no TV because I don't have a chance to, and I'm not missing it as much as I imagined. I think I divorced myself from fandom, in a sense, without really meaning to, but it's not been a bad thing for me.

Murderous, vengeful, ass-kicking Dean is so hot. I'm not even ashamed.

If thinking MVA-K Dean is hot is wrong, I don't wanna be right.

I think so, Matt. I was quite taken aback that Dean was kicking Castiel's ass. Was Cas deliberately letting him? Even to the point of disarming him? I thought at any moment Cas would just say "Enough!" and fly Dean into a wall.

I know, right? I was wondering if I'd confused fan fiction and canon and Cas was human now.

It bothered me back when Cain did it too, but even without the Mark he's the second oldest demon ever, was made one directly by Lucifer, and Castiel was using stolen angelic energy at an unknown stage of decay.

Castiel was supposed to have been remade as one of the most powerful angels aside from the big four (he survived more than one confrontation with Raphael before gulping down all the monster souls, after all), and at full strength could do things like spontaneously destroy onlooking demons just by showing himself and yank Sam's body out of Lucifer's grasp in the Cage. Even with much of his own essence expended in that eviction spell Metatron performed he should still be more than a match for anything except another angel, *really* powerful gods like Kali, or Death.

Finale last night and nothing? Really?

Yeah, I have nothing either.

I don't know how many times I can watch them have the same argument over and over about sacrifice, greater good, letting or not letting each other die, and then, bam, Consequences/Cliffhanger. (Consequanger?)

I don't hate-watch the show. I just feel like I could spend that 42 minutes better elsewhere. If I accidentally fell way behind in episodes some season it might go on my list of shows that I would catch up on someday. (Hello ER, Medium and Prison Break.) But I'm still hanging on. What's the word for that kind of watching?

Masochism? IDEK.

I felt something tickling my face and reached up--tears? Oh, wow. The first time I had an emotional reaction, I think, all season. And it certainly wasn't down to the script. It was all the Js, and Dean's "Close your eyes, Sammy."

Yeah, I know, total manipulation. But in the moment, I went with it. And I'm somewhere between pleased and ashamed that it worked.

I hadn't seen the last three or four, but I watched the finale and just prior ep since they aired it. I was so bummed out in a meta way afterward. Like, wait, what -- this is all different and weird. I wasn't sure whether it was my break or what. It all seemed random.

I caught up in here and felt not unfounded in my reaction. I love the boys. I'll keep watching the boys. And I miss the boys. And they're not actually boys, of course.

Anyway. The Darkness, eh?