I actually really enjoyed the parodies, Jensen and Jared did outsanding jobs, it's the mytharc (and continual retconning) I have a problem with.

Jill I'm sorry I made you feel that way. My whole point, probably put across not as well as it should have been, is I think the Trickster was trying to both warn and protect Sam from making a decision whose consequences would not be what he thought they would be. That more harm than good would be done.

By now you have all seen the episode and know that the Trickster is really the Arch Angel Gabriel and was in on knowing the plans of the Angels. I believe that in Mystery Spot that The Trickster/Gabriel was trying to stop Sam from his part in starting the Apocalypse without drawing the wrath of the other Angels because there was no way left for him to stop Dean from breaking the first seal.

The issue the commentors have with the review is this:

" That he didn’t have to ‘save Dean’ that a higher power would do it for him and things would in essence ‘reset’. That with Sam trying to ‘save the world’ he did more harm than good"

Not about who suggests they talk to the Trickster or the lesson the Trickster was trying to teach Sam.

I loved MS, and you could say that was less than kind to Sam. But I loved it for the time spent and the exploration of his character, even the negative spaces. They could have done that all along, instead of playing a silly shell game that pushed Sam's entire sl off-screen for a full season, or even two!

I just want CC to be fair in looking at Sam's darker self, whether it is in the past or present. Knowing there is a risk that Sam will be blamed for everything (again!) is one thing, having it confirmed is another. I'm sure I'll enjoy the episode, I just don't know what to hope for anymore.

And yeah, it certainly does seem that way from what the author wrote. Hopefully it's just their interpretation/musings and not what we're actually going to see in the episode.

I also don't understand where folks are getting the impression that Dean wants to do "nothing". Both boys are heroes by putting themselves in danger to stop the baddies. And both boys are equally at fault for this mess… Dean started it, Sam finished it. Dean isn't mad at Sam for killing Lilith (which he would've done as well) but for choosing a demon over his own brother.

Tall Tales was like a filler MOTW episode at the time. But Mystery Spot was definitely more pivotal and profound. Trickster tried to teach Sam what life would be like without Dean. But if Trickster were as smart and powerful as he claims to be, then he should know that the brothers are loyal to each other to the bitter end and nothing will change that. It sounds more like Trickster was telling Sam to give up, to not bother trying to save Dean, that way Dean would go to hell and like the Crossroad Demon said, they would "have him right where we want him." Gotta wonder which team Trickster is batting for.

At this point, it's just too stupid to watch even for the pretty boys.

And yes, the sad morale really is what you say: "And remember kids, next time you see evil in the world, or family in peril, don't do anything at all – that's what heroes do, after all, nothing."

And that really is the sign of the times , isn't it?

At any rate, I thought I should mention that Sam didn't sacrifice a human being in MS. He knifed Bobby because he thought he was a not-Bobby, aka, The Trickster or a shape-shifter, some kind of dupe. Also, while the human host was innocent in LuR, the demon inside her was certainly not. Sam wasn't drinking human blood, but demon blood – big difference. Yes, they are combined, but one is not the same as the other. Plus, Sam didn't even need the blood to kill Lillith – the issue is that the sacrifice was not truly required by the circumstances, because Ruby lied to Sam about how his powers worked, because Sam needed a "feather" like Dumbo, to believe in himself. Sam never had to become addicted to demon blood at all, and that was the cause of so much damage in season 4. Yes, Sam made all those poor choices his own self, and he could and should have chosen differently. That is on Sam. But to say that Sam should have spent season 4 sitting on his ass rather than trying to oh, I don't know, stop the apocalypse or kill some evil demons, is too much.

Sam was lied to, he never had full knowledge of anything that went down in season 4. Maybe the Trickster should have just sent Sam an email about what he really meant, because it sure wasn't clear to me. All he said to Sam was to stop trying to save Dean, nothing else. I get the link between human sacrifices, I do, it has been brought up on forums. But the situations were still entirely different. MS was about saving Dean, but LuR was about saving the world. Or stopping Lillith, which looked like the same thing at the time. But the thing is, Sam didn't take a human sacrifice in MS, not really. He thought he was killing a replica of Bobby – he was not making a human sacrifice. Sam got Dean back by pleading with the Trickster directly – he begged that torturing egotist, begged him, on Dean's behalf. Maybe the Trickster would have brought Dean back at some point on his own, but we don't know that. Sam asked for Dean back with total sincerity and real feeling, after months of blocking all his emotions, becoming a robot. That took real courage. And the Trickster was just there to insult him after torturing him for 6 months. I love MS, I really do, and I could wind up loving CC, but watching Sam get bitch-slapped for everything is just nauseating. I'm not looking forward to that tonight.

And remember kids, next time you see evil in the world, or family in peril, don't do anything at all – that's what heroes do, after all, nothing.

*head slap*