Bessie

I think there may be a larger obstacle to separating Sam and Dean than TPTB not wanting to alienate fans of the brothers' relationship and that's J2 themselves. @SueB probably has a better sense of this than I would, but I'm not so sure J2 would willingly go along with a significant portion of the season having the boys separated. Everything I've read indicates to me that part of the reason they've continued with the show for as long as they have is because they love doing it together. Take that away and they might decide they're done.

That's exactly what jumped out to me in that quoted dialogue. Chuck claims that Dean never broke those promises, but Dean says he did look for Sam. And I'm inclined to believe him. I also think he stayed with Lisa because, on some level, he wanted that life. The promise played a part, pointed him in that direction, but I don't think it was the primary driver in him staying there for a year with no intention of leaving until Sam showed up.

You know, for the most part I've really enjoyed the flashback to the boys' childhood episodes we've had. They give me insight into the men they are today and their relationship. I wish they'd do them more regularly. I think they're a great opportunity to build on characterization and would allow for J2 to have time off while still focusing on them.

I subscribe to this argument. A child of Dean's age (10 or 11 in Something Wicked, I think) who experiences food insecurity on a regular or semi-regular basis is not going to throw away a can of food. Maybe a 5 or 6 year old would, but even that is a stretch for me. It doesn't mean Dean never experienced hunger, but I don't believe, if he did, that it was something that happened very often. That's not to say that I think Dean had an easy childhood, but I don't think it included food insecurity.

I don't think he does. In fact, unless news breaks that Smith or Connell have signed on as regulars, I don't believe cas fans have anything to worry about. They need him to give J2 time off. Course, they could turn him into a reaper for a few episodes, but that wouldn't be much different than him being lucifer for the bulk of last season.

I liked that moment too, particularly the reaction shot of Sam where he looks like he wants to haul off and punch Dean for that joke, while at the same time he's just so damn relieved that Dean is okay. But, that was a moment where characterization was sacrificed for the joke. There is no way that Sam would allow Rowena to reverse the spell without him being present. The writer wants me to believe that he doesn't trust her with the book, but he trusts her with his brother? Sorry, no can do.

My favorite Dean moment, hands down, was after he killed the witch instead of Sam and he gave that little grin with a thumbs up. I can't believe they didn't include that one in the montage. It was adorable!

I love Badham. I think he's the best director they've got and I'm really looking forward to Regarding Dean, but I'm trying to manage my expectations. I just don't believe the show is as good at combining humor and drama as it used to be. I'll be more than happy to be disproven of this notion.

I prefer moose, too. Plus, having Sam called "moose" while Dean is called "the righteous man" or something along those lines amuses me. But I will say this. It could bring back unpleasant memories of TWoP for some posters. That site was unfriendly to Sam. It will bum me out if this site begins following that path.

Dean is a champ when it comes to holding grudges against Sam and I adore that about him. Forgiveness is hard and Dean epitomizes that for me. Especially when it comes to Sam. Dean holds him to a much higher standard than anyone else in his life, which I also find endearing. Sometimes maddening, but always endearing.

I love Sam! On occasion, I'd like to ditch my responsibilities and wish I was a romantic teenager, but generally, I'm pretty content being an adult. But you're wrong about Sam not sparkling. He and Dean are both very sparkly!

I skip episodes too, @Myrelle. Spoilers usually provide me with enough information to have a good idea if an episode will interest me. I never used to skip them on purpose, but now I skip all the Lucifer- related episodes and I'll be skipping the upcoming Cas-centric episode.

@FlickChick wrote this in the episode thread and I want to respond in this thread because it's a pretty bitter response. So, y'all are forewarned! I do think some of my issues with the direction of the show come from the need for J2 to have time off. I don't begrudge them this at all, but it does impact what the writers/showrunners can do. In order to accommodate J2 there have to be other stories and characters, I accept that. What bothers me are the ones they choose to tell. I thought there was a lot of potential with the introduction of Mary and the BMoL and it's going unused, so far anyway. I'm guessing the Lucifer story is Plot B because it makes sense given the two other actors they have under contract can be easily tied into it. I wish they would've shaken things up and given Samantha Smith and the actor playing Mr. Whateverhisnameis the contracts and kept Cas and Crowley around for an occasional appearance. But, they went with what they know and I understand that. Particularly when you're twelve years in taking a risk probably isn't very appealing.

I don't think this opinion is unpopular, but it's obviously bitter so here goes: Last week for the first time ever, I consciously chose not to watch Supernatural. This week, I did it for the second time ever and I've been watching from the very beginning of the series. I was at home, there was an available tv, I knew Supernatural was on (I have forgotten on occasion) and I. . .didn't watch. I'm indifferent to the Lucifer storyline and I don't enjoy the ensemble version of supernatural when the boys are side characters. And so I didn't watch. I suppose 11 years is a pretty good tv show-viewer relationship, but we're not going steady anymore. It's more of an on-again off-again deal.

I would never bash him for it, but I admit I thought it was an odd decision to attend the con after his wife just gave birth and he's got a 3 year old at home. But you know what? If I were in his position I don't think I'd want to give up an easy hundred grand when I'd be home in a couple days. So, looking at it that way, it makes sense.

I'm calling it now. Padalecki is gonna name his kid Pearl Jen. ;)

@catrox14 I'm glad you said it. My first reaction was he's gotta be punking us. My second was amell's gonna have fun with this. If these are the real names, I wonder which is the boy and which is the girl.

This should work, I'm not the quickest draw when it comes to linking. https://www.creationstands.com/pages/faqs

It's not fraud if they disclose what they're doing, which Creation does disclose. They're not very transparent about exactly how much of the percentage they keep though.

Corporate sponsorships of charity fundraising events are absolutely critical for nonprofits, but that's not what creation is doing, I don't believe. I'm not interested in this gear so I haven't taken the time to look into in, but I know they made money off YANA. So, I'm assuming theyre doing the same thing here. But, you know what they say about assuming. . . I don't mean to discourage anyone from purchasing these items and feeling good that some of the proceeds go to nonprofits. But, I wouldn't encourage people to use this as a donation vehicle. If fans want to help the cause and a beanie is just going to sit in their closets gathering dust, they're much better off donating directly. Full disclosure: I've been in the nonprofit world for much of my career. ETA: I also really dislike Creation and hate to see them profit off the kindness of fans.

Thanks,@catrox14. Not to rain on their parade, but unless people want the gear, their money will go a lot further by making donations directly to established nonprofit institutions that do this work. Creation is in the money making business. I haven't researched it, but I'm guessing their cut skims off a fair percentage of what could otherwise go toward helping people.

This is not a wank either. Why don't they include other recurring stars? Are Shepard, Connell, Smith etc not interested? Why only Collins?

I loved the twins! Huge shoutout to the two actors. Their dynamic was very twinsy and I loved how they called out Elvis (?) on asking Sam prying, awkward questions. They didn't have a huge amount of screen time, but there was something very appealing about them. I'd be thrilled to see them again.

That's a lot of pie. Either the Ackles had many guests or Padalecki was there.

How did I overlook that?? Thanks!