Thank you! (With Mention of the Born Again Identity)

[ancastar]

I want to say thank you, one and all, to all the generous folks who took time out of their busy day to wish me happy birthday.  I was lucky enough to receive virtual gifts, posts, private emails and more.  You guys certainly know how to make a girl feel loved.  I really appreciate it.  :-)

Comments

[ash48]

Hope you had a great birthday darlin'. <33

But from there to the end, everything was truncated so badly, I/we didn't get the full emotional payoff I/we had coming to us.

Yeah...and I think that was it in a nutshell. Up until then I was totally engrossed (well, other than trying to work out what was going on with Meg) but at the end and after thinking about it I felt we need just a bit more to make sense of what happened and feel emotionally satisfied.

I can't imagine how Sam managed to get out of hospital so easily. They weren't running away so he didn't "escape".. maybe it was quite a while later? And how did Cas get accepted so quickly? *handwave*

I figure they must be setting Meg up for something in the future. I just don't know where to put her at the moment...

I now want to see Sam sleep!! I'd love the next episode to start with Sam sound (and peacefully) asleep. I doubt we'd get it but man...he looked so wrecked. *tucks him in*

[ancastar]

Aw! Seeing Sam sleep (with Dean looking on, relieved) would be awesome. I somehow doubt we'll ever see that. But a girl can dream.

[cordelia_gray]

This is pretty much how I feel too. This episode should have been a two-parter, there were just too many things at the end which felt unclear or were just dropped. What did Cas actually do - did he take Sam's memories, or just Hallucifer? How does that work? Does Sam still remember? What happened to Daphne? Does she know that her husband is now in a locked psych ward? Why did Crowley suddenly decide that it was open season on Winchesters again?

I really liked most of what we got, it just felt very unresolved.

[cordelia_gray]

Oh! And congratulations on getting those things published! I can't remember if I said that yet or not, but I think it's awesome, and well-deserved :)

[and_ed]

Hope you had a great birthday! =)

I felt the end of this ep was rushed, too...it was almost like it could have been two episodes instead of one. That said, Jared was fantastic and did a great job of conveying Sam's mental state. But yeah, would have been nice to have some more reaction from the boys at the end.

I'm still confused on what's going on - more questions than answers here for me.

[ancastar]

Sounds like you and I are on the same page. Gotta agree on Jared, though. He really kicked it up a notch.

[faege]

Exactly, I felt that Sam didn't get a second to even process what was happening, and there wasn't any relief at the end--just the added burden that someone else was suffering because of him (at least, that's what he would think). As a Sam!girl, I also worry that all the focus is going to be on Cas now and what's happening with him, because it's like, "Oh great, Sam's better, ta da, magical healing power, moving right along."

[ancastar]

My issues with Cas have grown exponentially over time. I've enjoyed him in the past. Though more recently I've become annoyed with the assumption on the part of many fans that he is a character whose importance is equal to that of Sam and Dean. For me, he will never be anything more than a supporting character whose storyline has come to its natural conclusion. I know that sounds harsh. But unless you're going to make the angels/demons battle front and center (like it was for seasons 4 and 5 and arguably 6), there is no place for him. And for me, that storyline has been done to death.

[withdiamonds]

Yes, yes, yes.

The ending was abrupt and less than satisfying, which is why I thought I wasn't impressed by the ep. (I need to watch it again.) But my guess is they're done for awhile, until they come back to whatever it is Meg is doing. I mean, I get that she's there to keep an eye on Cas, and I think the boys are in on that plan, because of the brief exchange about demon deals.

But what, Sam just took a nap and his fingernails are fine and now we're on to the next episode? The whole thing really deserved two eps, and with this season having 23 of them, I'm not sure why they chose to do it this way.

But Jared and Mark were awesome, and I loved most of it. I'm hoping when I watch it again I'll think better of the job Jensen and Misha did. :) I'm sure it's not their fault that it was all so truncated and edited to fit into about 45 seconds of screen time.

And Happy Birthday!

[counteragent]

Probably one of the reasons I was so happy with how they handled Cas' return was that he was safely shut away and incapacitated at the end of it. *feels guilty re all my Cas fan friends*

Not that I wish the character pain, but it holds more true to the season if the boys are going it alone.

[lauramcewan]

gah, I'm so scattered.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

[ancastar]

Aw, thanks hon!

[smudley]

{{VERY BIG HUGS}} I'm late to the party but just wanted to say I hope you had the most LOVELY birthday. I'm sending you some extra-special, if belated, BIRTHDAY WISHES. :-) You're awesome, and you deserve all the very best.

[ancastar]

You're the one who's awesome. Thanks, sweetie!