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Rob is so sweet. And Emily is fun. I’d pay cash for a long beautiful half a head of hair on Amuck.

Jensen took the time to ‘like’ this CW Instagram post. Maybe he’s just scrolling and liked that scene. I don’t know. But it seems noteworthy. https://www.instagram.com/p/CG-vWMQlxVn/?igshid=16qhl96krwn4e

It occurred to me this morning that ‘the quest’ Jack went on is nothing but a sham. Billie is prepping him, but the actions are kinda random IMO. Eating hearts of the Gregori. Getting his soul out of Eden. Powering up through Adam’s rib. We’ve had 3 trials before. Seems like a Chuck thing. But these are Billies instructions. That’s the only thing that causes me to pause. For the sake of ‘what if’: what if Chuck just made up 3 trials to help build momentum for Dean to allow Jack to die? - So, eating Gregori hearts - Jack does something sketchy that demonstrates his desperation to please. And Chuck restores his body. Dean sees they have a possible solution to the nightmare he’s living - We get a story about a Ruby/Sister Jo alliance. The ‘vision’ of the garden is just and excuse to give Jack his soul back and express remorse regarding Mary. Dean still doesn’t consider Jack family - he ‘others’ Jack. - Sketchy Adams Rib quest. Jack lights the fuse towards self-immolation. Puts Dean in a ‘too late to change the plan’ mode, feeling guilty about using Jack but desperate to kill Chuck to make all this worthwhile. In sum, if Billie wasn’t involved in setting the 3 trials, they seem Chuck-designed.

While I'm not a fan, Dabb's constant big-eyed T-shirts aren't a specific comic character. It's Pop Surrealism (aka, no kidding, "Lowbrow") - which DOES have a comic (in this case comix book) element - which is what is often picked up on. He seems to be a fan of a particular artist. And yes, the sexual element is there plus the big eyes and theoretically social commentary (which I totally don't know what I'm suppose to get out of it). Personally, I find it pretentious. Like the show runner is 'too cool' for his own show and thus doesn't wear Supernatural T-shirts. I prefer geeks like Kripke who nerd out over his own stuff.

Felicia Day said she's coming back in this week's episode (on Twitter). Seems like a massive tonal change from the Despair title.

Chuck's speech to Amara has a lot of hints in it IMO (transcript from Supernaturalwiki): 1) 'So I can't read my Death book.' - well that makes "omniscient" an overstatement. He is NOT, in fact, 'all-knowing'. Because not only can he not read his Death book, he didn't know Dean would once again assert his free will and not kill Sam. Free will is a weakness - still. That Death can reap him is a weakness - still. 2) '... plant a few visions' - Who had visions? What am I forgetting? What part of the story was not real? 3) '... goad Death a little' - What has Chuck done that has pissed Death off? Is it taking out other universes? That seems real - Amara knows it and I don't think Chuck is planting visions in her head. Is it all the crazy of S15 (demon resurrections, poofing Becky & family to ... somewhere, generally going completely off-script for many deaths? Looking back, she really decided to make her move by bringing Jack back. SHE directly engaged with her own agenda at that point. So, was killing Jack directly in Moriah (after Dean had stopped) what pissed her off. It's not like she cares if Jack dies (that's his fate in her plan) ... but that Chuck did it? I ponder this because she's the key player here and if she has the ability to REAP Chuck, then who created her? 4) '...mess with a few outcomes' - Which outcomes? It feels like Chuck didn't get his writing mojo back until after he met with Becky (My real ending.). So... was it all the bad luck stuff? Or is he going back to having Jack kill Mary? It seems like his target in this story was Dean's anger... taking Dean to the edge. Again. Maybe making it clear that he was toying with them was the outcomes he means. And then there's other BIG reveals IMO: What I take from this exchange: 1) Chuck DOES have sway (as apparently is pissed about it). 2) "realities, dimensions, graves" - theoretically other universes (realities, dimensions...) come back? Which is a disconnect with AU Bobby and AU Charlie dying (per Sam) in the reset. Was Sam lying or confused? 3) The Empty can be summoned to Earth. Why mention it unless they intend to pull that lever? And finally, Amara - who appears to be the wisest of them all - talks about balance. I notice that NONE of the heavy hitters in play are completely all-powerful (Chuck can't read his Death book, Billy needs help killing God, the Entity can't come to Earth....). Billy's solution does not provide balance. Neither does Chuck's. For the show to end properly, we're gonna need some balance (I think).

Based on nothing but this episode... I don't think Amara is gone. It DOES feel too anti-climatic. And Chuck, like every other villain, forgot that those "two denim-clad nightmares" (TM Crowley) were left on the board. Speaking of Crowley, I'm thrilled we got Meg, but I wonder if they had thought of bringing back Crowley for the body of the Empty? Other things that make me go .....hmmmm. Chuck as much as admitted, Amara and Dean can't hurt each other. Dean could lie to her but ... not hurt her? And now he's absorbed Amara. Did Amara just fool Chuck into achieving balance by taking her in -- and she's going to neuter his ass? He won't be able to kill Dean? Of course, he could still kill Sam -- which means you might as well kill Dean. Did she become an honorary Winchester by sacrificing herself to stop Chuck? Which... puts the Winchester's record of changing the trajectory of characters to batting near 1000. And BTW, if there is a reset via Billy ...reset to WHEN? Before Michael arranged a Cupid to have Mary and John fall in love? Before YED gave Sam demon blood? Or... just, Dean dies from the Rawhead and Sam leads the demon army? Or.. Dean lives but no deal for Sam? Or Dean goes to Hell, but Cas doesn't get him out? (That was a pivotal moment, per Chuck in tonight's episode, where Cas goes off script). Death officially became a pawn in the Apocalypse time... maybe it's a reset to before Sam starts working with Ruby and brings back (unintentionally) Lucifer. Lots of questions.

Well that was intense. it hurt to hear Dean say Jack wasn’t family. I think it’s his anger. He’s so focused on killing Chuck. He spent his life NOT being John. Not giving into an all-consuming hatred. But he sure felt like he was channeling John. The coldness with which he proceeded. The way he KNEW it was wrong but used the ends to justify his actions. All this was Not!Dean. It was Dean completely surrendering to his anger. And it was hard to watch. And of course Sam, and only Sam, is going to pull him back from the edge. It’s way they are successful. In every other incarnation, they are not unified. But they are in this Universe. It’s not stubborn. It’s love (brotherly). Agape love. In this version Dean taught Sam what agape looked like and Sam didn’t give up on Dean. He threw himself in front of Dean’s anger because he knew that this cold & angry Dean was not his true nature. And once again, Sam’s well-justifies faith in who Dean is pulls Dean back from making a mistake he ultimately would not have been able to live with. And honestly, Sam pulling Dean out of the mental distortion he was experiencing is just normal ‘balance’ for the brothers. Certainly (IMO) ‘there ain’t no Sam if there ain’t no Dean’. So, I’m cool with Dean listening to Sam. Dean was already 3/4ths the way there. If he wasn’t, Sam wouldn’t have gotten through to him. Other bits: - I feel like TFW DID beat Chuck. Chuck REALLY thought he could exploit Dean’s anger and again... TFW stopped his preferred ending. - I’m NOT happy he ‘absorbed’ Amara. I hope she breaks out. Give him indigestion Amara! I really like her and, again, Chuck manipulates her. - Adam was ‘meh’, but he feels like a Chuck plant. - I totally buy Death got duped by Chuck- and that Chuck has manipulated Death’s weaknesses. - I love seeing ‘Meg‘ again. Her personality suited The Empty. It’s a nice fit IMO. - Jack breaks mY heart. He feels so worthless (because of Mary). And it’s not just Dean’s anger. He already imprinted on all of TFW, he was always going to feel worthless because of Mary. But it’s hard to see that lack of self-worth. - I could have done without Angelic fans. Bottom line: they’ve sprung the trap. We all saw it coming. Now we’re off the edge of the map. I’m anxious and excited to see where it goes.

Yeah. Listening to an interview with Jess from "The Mary Sue" and Misha, Misha said 17 and 18 are sort of one combined episode. Which would make sense from a "Castiel dies" perspective. One thing that gives me pause is a picture of Cas & Jack talking at the back of the Impala. We haven't seen that shot yet and it doesn't seem like it's in the next two episodes. We'll see.

@Casseiopeia wrote up the last 4 eps.. Since I don’t do ‘bitter’, but was going to write something similar, I wanted to acknowledge that there’s a similar topic in the other thread if that’s your preferred response area. The last 4 episodes and what we know: 15.17 Unity - ONE WAY OR ANOTHER – Dean (Jensen Ackles) hits the road with Jack (Alexander Calvert) who needs to complete a final ritual in the quest to beat Chuck (guest star Rob Benedict). A difference of opinion leaves Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Castiel (Misha Collins) behind looking for answers to questions of their own. Catriona McKenzie directed the episode written by Meredith Glynn (#1517). Original airdate 10/29/2020. Pictures/Promo tell us: Sam/Cas look for another way, Dean/Jack go to load his power up for his suicide run, Amara shows up in the bunker. Looks like Dean/Jack deal with literal Adam and Eve (who have a hippie vibe going). Amara appears to make a gateway (not a floating space thing but a doorway) in the wall. At some point all 4 are with Amara. SPPT video combined with a wardrobe cross-check has this the Billy episode where she shows her cards. Exchange with Natalie Fischer (who watched the episode last night) Apparently screeners were sent out - it's a Sam heavy episode. I'm betting $5 that Sam kills Death. Also very cry-worthy. Does Cas make his deal more concrete? (speculation on my part) 15.18 Despair - RICHARD SPEIGHT, JR. DIRECTS – With the plan in full motion, Sam (Jared Padalecki), Dean (Jensen Ackles), Castiel (Misha Collins) and Jack (Alexander Calvert) fight for the good of the common goal. Richard Speight, Jr. directed the episode written by Robert Berens (#1518). Original airdate 11/5/2020. Well THIS sounds awful. As in sad (not a bitterness comment) 15.19 Inherit the Earth CARRY ON – Everything is on the line as the battle against God (guest star Rob Benedict) continues. A familiar face returns to join the fight. The episode was directed by John Showalter and written by Eugenie Ross-Leming & Brad Buckner (#1519). Original airdate 11/12/2020. Breaking down the set photos, "Au Revoir" SPPT video was filmed during the big 3-day shoot fight scene. Which appears to take place in a barn, with at least one clown. Also appears the scene is only Sam and Dean in the fight - could be that's the only footage we've seen. This clearly has Michael in it based on Jake's Instagram. 15.20 Carry On Based on the SPPT video, Jack is in the last episode. Clear BTS shots of him with the boys and Robert Singer (director). Also, Sam gets scraped up in the face. Sam is in red plaid shirt, Dean in light blue over black T. I suspect Charlie and Donna and Bobbie are in this episode. 15.19 seems too "epic" for hugs. I screenshot a TON of photos from the video but they are so big (in terms of image size). I played the SPPT video at .25 speed. Lots of stuff in there.

Response Taken to spoilers with speculation

It's the little things... (see above for overall episode impressions) I did a rewatch and picked out some little gems that I enjoyed: - This ranks up there for awesome hotel sets. I'm glad we got one more before series end. The 70's super-styling was amazing. - It was good to here the family song again. I hope we here it again in 19/20. We need a "now" moment. - The "diners only" rule still seemed to apply. I like those sets too. - I didn't appreciate how much of a mind trip Death was laying on Dean until this second time around. She really is pulling his strings. I hope he realizes it. Which means, of course, that Jack blowing up Chuck and Amara is NOT the solution. - Timing of this was supposed to be right before "Bad Boys". This took place in Jan 1993. - Sam got in "lore" and "so get this" one more time. That was nice. - I REALLY like that they went back to a legendary myth (Baba Yaga) for one last case. I am pondering Dean's anger. He's coiled up pretty tight. TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE. But it's not Mary he's still angry about IMO as much as it is Chuck. And I'm surprised Death admitted that Jack said yes to earn Dean's forgiveness. Dean is smart enough to see that for the manipulation it is. So, is DEAN just DONE? Is he "kill Chuck no matter the cost"? It sure seems like it. I think that has no chance of lasting. But does he think he and Sam and the Supernatural universe are going to survive or does he think the whole thing is a suicide run for everyone, not just Jack? He's white knuckling it right now. But I'm not sure he sees a happy ending even if they kill Chuck. And Sam? I have no problem with Sam being so pissed he can't talk about it. Holding back WAS bullshit. And Dean KNEW it and it didn't last long. He didn't hold back but a few days, and it's out there now. So I'm not up for any more lectures on lying. But Sam gets to be pissed for a bit until he cools off. Dean is "Chuck must die", no matter the cost. And Sam is not there. They are eventually going to have to hash this out. Since there are only 4 more episodes left, I'm thinking "soon". Note: Did anyone catch the "Rains Down in Africa" song? A favorite of the writer and it was indicated on Twitter it was in the episode but I didn't hear it.

Quick thoughts... The Good: - Young Dean trauma. And now Dean admitting he was freaked out by it. - The villain, Baba Yogis (so?), was new to me. Effectively creepy as a child’s nightmare come to life. - Conversation with Death. I don’t trust her. And why is she taking a powder? And I think that was a key puzzle piece. - A reminder that Sam and Dean’s mental/physical trauma started at age 6mo & 4 years, respectively. We’ve only witnessed 15 years. The Bad: - The Weechester actors were okay but not spectacular, hard to embrace at this late stage. - Placement of a flashback in the season. - Dean as the heavy. On the one hand, his fury last week has laid bare his desperation and it’s understandable. On the other hand, it seems unlikely he’ll let it play out and we know that. The Ugly - Secrets? Now? At least it didn’t last long.

Per the article, he’s retiring. He tried to do it last year but his heir apparent took a job elsewhere. He’ll be in place for much of 21. I’m certain Jensen knew before signing the deal. I imagine more than Peter Roth have faith in him.

I keep rewatching that scene with Amara and Dean. I think he believes her. I think he believes she was trying to give him a gift. The look on his face when she explained ‘why’ Mary was not anger at her. He is still furious at Chuck but not Amara IMO. So I don’t believe Dean WILL Sacrifice Amara without her consent.

Well THAT was intense. How on earth is this show on at 8pm with the fingers getting cut off and all. *shudders*. That was legit scary for me. And I really like that Dean went back in and talked to Amara. That was even more intense than the fingers. I loved that he just let it rip. He’s been calm and managing for everyone else but when he had one of the two most power Entities in the Universe, he spoke from the heart. WHY Mary? He wanted to know if Amara was playing him like Chuck. And I think he believed her when she said she was trying to help. I don’t think Dean WILL hurt Amara. I think he still plans to but in the end, I don’t see it. She was absolutely straight with him. He asked, she answered. And she gets that he’s pissed. And it had an impact on her. I was glad Jack and Cas got to work a case together. I was surprised Jack confessed to Cas what’s going on. I hope he is telling Dean the situation. I thought Misha played Cas’ emotions well when he heard Jack is not supposed to survive. Im definitely rewatching in order to pull out all the bits

If I understand this math correctly, they film for 5 days and get 8 episodes? They are six weeks ahead of airing and getting father ahead each week get farther ahead. The two-week shut down puts them back to six weeks ahead again. Is that the right of things? In other thoughts, that story was mostly speculation? I agree with the speculation, makes sense to me. A couple of note: - Emily (who plays Gwen) is a Brit. And she's speaking in a Contemporary RP accent (I believe)- which could mean nothing(just her normal voice) OR could signal we are not to know where Gwen came from. RP is given a variety of associations but generally 'broadcaster' and 'well-educated' are in the vein of what it infers. It hides where you come form and can be sometimes considered more formal. So IF the accent is on purpose, I'd say Gwen did not live in poverty - she had a proper education. If I look at her comfort with the family scotch decanter and servants, I'd even suspect money in her upbringing. JUST speculating. But while her upbringing may not have wonderful and supporting, I'll be surprised if it was impoverish. - I just can't with the tear stained grainy footage we're going to get of Ciara. And Hope not being there for it.

Eric kidnapped and presumed dead is the best Ericole outcome at this time. It leaves them as a happy, married couple with a new tragedy but just like other super-couples, that's par. That way, when they get a new Eric and he comes back (IF the go that route), we have the opportunity for soap-standard "torn between two lovers" bit for Nicole. Or she could simply be the championing widow for a year or two.

No. That was a "Truss" bridge in Woman in White. The bridge they are on is either Beam or Arch.

Looking on Peacock, there was no episode Thursday or Friday so no one missed anything as far as I can tell. Speaking of Peacock: this is NOT the place to watch the show if you want to Fast Forward. You can't see what's going on during fast forward so you don't know when to hit play. Thus you are forced to watch ALL storylines ALL the time. Bastards. Nicole & Allie: I thought Nicole was right to push Allie to talk in the first place. Allie was clearly having 'trauma' reaction about the baby daddy. BUT once she worked it out, things progressed to Tripp 'definitely' being the rapist. Which means (in Soap 101) he is not. So, I kinda fast forward through the false accusation storyline because, as many have said, they don't do rape storylines well and I'm not invested in anyone involved. And I'm so OVER DNA-results-shenanigans. Lani & Tran: Melinda deserves her pound of flesh. Lani is making mistake after mistake. OTOH, Melinda really SHOULD NOT be prosecuting her daughter's murderer. Funny moment: Abe babysitting Kristin Dimera's child. I like that Victor hired Xander back. I LIKE their relationship. He actually wants Xander to be a better person too but will NOT let him play victim. This means, of course, that Xander will likely NOT get his job back since the board has already voted and Phillip seems to be involved in some EVIL PLOT. I also like Xander and Sarah's confrontation. She was superclear about what the issue is and he understood. He has to be good for goodness sake, not just cause Santa Clause (Sarah) is watching. Why on earth is Justin not the one representing Phillip? Oh yes, soap-rules. And Belle needs the work?

I think they clearly do their laundry, just that it's not as frequent and she doesn't like the way Dean folds his undies. Which first - HE FOLDS HIS UNDIES. 10pts for neatness right there. Good on him. But... and it's DEFINITELY a personal opinion based on my life circumstances.... there can be a difference between some people's ideas of "clean" and other. For example: - They were used to public laundry facilities for a long time. To the boys, it may be 'normal' to wear a shirt more than once or a pair of jeans a couple of times. Even Dean admitted that two pair of underwear lasts 4 days (flip them inside out). Now that's ROAD travel, and they likely have stricter standards for daily life, but I can see underthings getting washed daily and an outer shirt going twice. For Mrs Butters, she and her nymph nose may be sensitive to smell and thinks their musk is too strong. - As for dusting... well, depends on how well they dust. To my husband, cleanliness is king. But HIS version of cleanliness is picked up and vacuumed. The kitchen is always wiped down but I swear I have caught him VACUUMING the bathroom countertop. No no no... that must be wiped clean with proper cleansers! (says I). With an apocalypse always nigh, I can seen a less than perfect dusting of library shelves by the boys. It's a BIG place. In short, I assumed it was her 'standards' versus 'acceptable'. And thank you for coming to my TED talk on the multi-verse of cleaning standards.

I think of this as Gladys!Nicole (channeling the ghost of Alice Kravitz from Betwitched).

Ooooh. Interesting.

I look at Reese Whitherspoon as an example of this. And she is KICKING BUTT. "The Morning Show" is (IMO) freakin' awesome and it's got her stamp all over it. But it was Jennifer Anniston who got the super-meaty role that drew award nominations. And that was AFTER "Big Little Lies" which had TWO seasons of awards and critical acclaim. Now Jensen doesn't have Reese's name but I think he has her talent and savvy.

Second viewing thoughts: - So many little details were spread throughout the episode, I really like Jeremy Adams. Like Robbie Thompson, he's a fan and he relishes in fan details. Some of it is production details. Props is likely responsible for the Scooby Doo underwear. But I bet Adams wrote the ScoobyNatural pajamas "It's like a hug!". And the montage just CRIES OUT for fun bits, likely added by the boys for a lot of them. Examples: Notice the wee competition to get out the door first - Dean always beat Sam to the punch. I am 100% positive that was intentional (no clue who's idea). Not because it MATTERS who is first, but because they are brothers -- which is why it is heartwarming. Dean's JOY when he saw Christmas and said "We're Keeping Her!" The green bean fangs at Easter (hee) - again, brothers. The gentle (IMO it was in good fun) teasing about Rice Crispy treats with an actual batch JUST FOR DEAN in the kitchen. It showed she new how to tease and play with the boys. The old garage was mentioned, the control panel for the bunker what shown, the Dean Cave got a shout out... all good stuff Mrs. Butters' backstory was really sad. Cuthbert Sinclaire treated her like a pet, the asshole. Like a useful part of his zoo. Brainwashing her via torture into thinking her most important calling was helping out the MoL. And so the MoL became her family. I worry about where she heads to. I thought Mrs. Butters was not really manipulative but very determined. Yes, she essentially drugged Jack. But to someone from the 1950's hearing "son of Satan", having lost her family to demons. Well, I can't imagine her truly reacting like "it's no big deal". Like most, the smoothies were immediately suspect. But when it came time to killing, she explained things so matter-of-fact. Like she was certain the boys would immediately understand. The argument that FINALLY hit her central CPU was "he can save the world!" And that was a little sad for me. I think they've done a good job of Dean coming along with Jack but I think they've also acknowledged that he's being used as a bit of a tool. IMO Dean stayed his hand in Moriah NOT because of Jack being required but because he believed there was goodness there. But I also can't help but think that sometimes, in his heart of hearts, knowing that Jack is required HELPS with working on his feelings for him. Nothing wrong with that, but this episode may be one that convinces Jack that his only purpose is to fight Chuck. He needs to have more than that. I LOVED that Dean didn't bother calling Sam while he was working on his sign-language. Dean's instincts were that there was time to deal with the crisis. And I think his instincts about Mrs. Butter were spot on. She wouldn't kill Jack if she believed the boys truly loved him. And that too was an important factor in her backing down. I know many complain, but I LOVE Dean as the parent of this little family. Yes, Sam is a grown-ass man. And Cas is an adult-ish (although he doesn't always take care of himself). But he learned something from Mrs. Butters. He may have known the value of slowing down and celebrating, but he was moved enough to take action with the birthday cake. I also loved that Sam learned to take advantage of the time he has. He WENT on that date with Eileen. They aren't moving in together, but they are not giving up their relationship completely. All in all, I think Mrs Butters gave them joy and helped them allow themselves to take care of themselves.