I finally ended up seeing the final four eps of S11 of SPN all in one night, and I quite liked them all! Except the crappy-as-usual Buckner/Ross-Leming ep. Like, REALLY liked. I very seldom cry at SPN eps, especially on the first viewing, but 11.20 got me deep.
I'm pretty nervous for S12, now that worst-writer-ever Singer, who never really seemed to understand or respect Show, is one of the showrunners. :-[] The fact that Dabb wrote such an excellent season finale bodes well, though, and I like where it all seems to be going ... which I seem pretty much alone in? I'd love to hear y'all's thoughts on this.
I just loved the way S12 finally followed up on and tied up a bunch of outstanding issues, questions, gaps, etc., both in terms of plot and character, that have been left hanging since S5 or before (such as the amulet--not that I'm one of those who needed to see it again on an emotional level, but purely in terms of plot and story, I strongly felt, especially if they were going to bring God back, like they had to address it). I was nervous about them bringing God back and I didn't much want them to, but only because I was afraid it would be so hard to do it right, and then Robbie came through! And Rob and Curtis, awesome actors that they are. Because that was another plot issue I felt was left open that needed attention.
[Spoilers for S11 only, if you haven't yet seen the whole thing.]Now, they're both delving more into Men of Letters stuff--which, if they're going to introduce the MoL and have Sam and Dean live in the heart of the organization all this time, only makes sense--and bringing back Mary, which is the only way, as Amara said, to potentially heal some of Dean's crushing brokenness, and I am so eager for that. Plus, the criticism that Mary (and Jess) were only there to spur on the journeys of the (male) main characters and didn't have a real character of her own is a criticism I've heard many times. She's such a big spectre hanging over the whole show; I love the idea of them finally delving into that, their past, and that character, and seeing how that retroactively changes Sam and Dean's perspectives. I love it all. Go, Show!! Still doin' it right after all these years. <3 <3