9.06, or, why are all the ladies suddenly flocking to the Gas 'n' Sip?

Despite some very annoying technical difficulties watching it on the CW site (in which it suddenly stopped playing and started the previous week's episode--not once, not twice, but FOUR TIMES--note that you have to sit through every commercial break again if you try to fast forward ... CW!! *shakes fist*)(oh, and also including old-school webcam-quality video during the fight scene, so I'm still not 100% sure what happened--did Dean slide Cas the angel blade he used to kill Ephraim?), last night's episode sat very well ... better than any other episode this season and most of S8, which often seems to have a caustic quality. I could write an entire meta on the whys, but so often these days, it has a bit of a sweeps-week feel: color! action! violence! sex! blood! *You're not bored are you? YOU LIKE THIS DON'T YOU?? IT'S GOOD, RIGHT???* A far cry from the SPN of yore, where the most emotionally intense scenes happened during the quietest, most private conversations, in the car late at night in the rain, or in a remote hotel room.

This was kind of a quiet episode, mostly about Cas trying to build a new life, Dean's worry and guilt, and their relationship. (Plus, BWAHA, the best Destiel "Some time later ..." moment yet, as Dean takes Cas away in his car after Nora's aborted date, presumably no later than 10 p.m., returning him to work in broad daylight the next morning ... awww. Or should I say, boom chicka bow bow.) New writer (kudos to you, dude! good start!) who brought a different feel, and just seemed to enjoy delving into the characters and their relationships. It was sweet.
( delights and disappointments )