Where do I start to even look for forgiveness?"

This season finale seemed to be going along in a specific direction. And then it suddenly turned off the road and crashed into a tree, metaphorically speaking. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing.

But did anyone else think that we got a ton of "Sam and the trials" redemption set-up that didn't pay off? Did Dean actually cure Sam by hugging him? Not that Sam dying was where I thought they should go because been there, done that, but I was also thinking that yes, Dean may have spent time with a vampire this season, but we ended up in such a familiar place: Dean with an angel, and Sam with a demon.

What happened to Crowley? Was he really changing in response to Sam's blood, or did that smirk at the end mean that it never worked and all of that deep emoting about forgiveness and Band of Brothers was acting? I certainly wouldn't mind seeing more of the softer side of Crowley, if it was genuine. Mark Sheppard did such a nice job with it. And Jared Padalecki did some good work, too. Usually Jensen Ackles gets the tougher acting scenes, but not this season. I thought the strongest bit was Sam saying that the biggest sin he confessed was constantly letting his brother down. 

So Metatron turned out to have his own agenda. Is he a villain now, or was he just doing what he thought God would want? Naomi was killed, Abaddon got smoked, and Castiel became human. That made me happy because I've been waiting for freaking ever for them to make Castiel human. Metatron went to some special effort with Castiel, carefully removing and storing his "grace", much like what happened to Anna several seasons back. I think Metatron likes Castiel.

Loved that tiny, gorgeous, desolate paint-flaky church on the marsh. The angels falling to earth was something to see, too, and what cool set-up for next season. Angels are scary, fascinating beings (on this show, anyway) and I'm wondering if next season will have a lot of confused, homeless and wingless ersatz humans running around causing havoc. Could be fun. 

Although this wasn't their strongest season finale, I think season eight was more successful than six and seven. A return to the angels and demons was a smart move, and bringing back Castiel was a no-brainer -- as long as they do right by him next fall. I loved Purgatory, and the Men of Letters bunker is one of my favorite things, ever. 

And Kevin the prophet actually lived through the season! I thought for sure that we'd lose him. He's in the secret bunker now. If I were Kevin, I'd never leave.

Bits and pieces:
-- The title of this episode was "Sacrifice." The title of the Arrow season finale was also "Sacrifice." Doesn't the CW notice these things? I also thought the Cupid bow and the bow and arrow commercial in the bar were a little salute to Supernatural's new sister show.

-- I thought this season's "Road So Far" was one of their best, in spite of all of the beheadings. Or maybe because of them.

-- Jodie did make it, didn't she? I was really upset about the possibility of losing her.

-- The crucifix in the church was broken; all that remained was the hands and feet. Great touch.

-- Kevin buried the demon tablet section under a devil billboard.

-- Crowley sang Bowie's Changes. One of my favorite songs.

-- Loved the demonic handcuffs. And Dean and Crowley handcuffed together was like the punchline of a particularly good joke.

-- This week: a bar in Houston, Texas; the Winchesters met Crowley in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (that was Bobby's junkyard, wasn't it?); wherever the church was, and wherever Castiel landed.

-- I watched this episode twice. Crowley rolling out the contract me laugh out loud, both times.

Quotes:
Jodie: "It's not a date until I've cried."

Caistiel: "What was he like?"Metatron: "Who, God? Pretty much like you'd expect. Larger than life, gruff, a bit of a sexist. But fair. Eminently fair."Gee. A sexist God doesn't sound fair to me.

Barkeep: "Help you gents?"Castiel: "Yes. Would you say that you're looking for a 'partner in crime' or someone who's into nurse role play and light domination?"Barkeep: (long pause) "Brother, it's ten a.m. on a Tuesday."Metatron: "We'll have two drafts, please."Barkeep: "Coming up."Metatron: (to Castiel) "You're not the most subtle tool in the shed, are you?"Loved the barkeep's face during this little exchange.

Sam: "For the first time in a long time, it feels like we're going to win."And no.

Dean: "Hey, how about what you did to Penny Markle in the sixth grade? Why don't you lead with that?"Sam: "That was you."Dean: "Carry on."

Metatron: "'Of the blessings set before you, make your choice and be content.' (Naomi doesn't respond.) Not a big reader, are we?"Samuel Johnson. Not that I knew that. I looked it up.

Castiel: "Do you really think it's wise to be drinking on the job?"Dean: "What show have you been watching?"

Dean: "Okay, this is like the first five minutes of every porno I've ever seen."I don't know how to rate this finale. It's definitely at least three out of four draft beers, but I'm not sure if it's a home run. Opinions? Comments?

-Billie