Castiel's Corner

[ExtraCookie]

OK, it's too quiet here, and as, apparently, the most vocal Cas fan here, I want to say some stuff about the angel. I'm just thinking things about tomorrow's finale (finale! I hate that word!).

First thought: I wonder if at least part of Cas's heavenly torture (that's one of the weirdest phrases I've ever typed) involved Dean and/or Sammy's life/lives being threatened. If I'm reading our angel right, I actually think that might scare him straight more than anything! I bet he also got some majorly awful torture of some other sort (I wrote a lil' story about it; tried to put into words my imaginings of what that could involve, just because it got the imagination juices flowing) too, yes, (which breaks my heart) but it makes sense to me that the main thing that would've gotten through to Cas would be for them to press on his weak spot--Dean. Awww. If that doesn't turn out to be true, then, boo to the writers for not thinking of it!

Ya know, in the same vein, regarding the hand-to-Dean's head, I don't know what's going on there, but I wish it would be Cas showing Dean a sample of what he endured Up There. I don't think that's what it will be, but I think that would be sooooo awesome! (More awesome than angel powers! I don't want Dean to have them!) That's what my story involves. It's funny; I got chills when I saw that clip because I wrote my story first and, in it, Cas touches Dean's forehead (only in my story, he uses his patented two-finger touch) and it gives Dean a brief vision of what they did to Cas; just a taste. I'd love to see that! Whatever actually does happen, I will feel cheated if we never do find out what happened to Cas. I think that's a huge thing and I'm guessing that a lot of, if not most, fans would love to know what happened. Whatever it was, I just feel in my gut that it backfired. Yes, I'm sure it shook Cas badly (& probably changed him forever in some way or another) but I also bet it showed him something; made him come to a realization or realizations. I just feel that he's even more determined to help the Winchesters and mankind in general. Also, of course, I'm dying to know what it was he wanted to tell Dean pre-punishment! Aren't you?! And I'm really wondering about Supernatural's heaven! Either the angels involved in angel reprogramming are corrupt or else Supernatural is really taking a more raw, scriptural view of God than most are used to! Either idea works for me; I just can't wait to see which it is! I'm guessing it'll be the former; it'd take a lot of guts to go with the latter. But I wish it would be the latter! That would be so much more interesting and powerful!

And now a note on angels: Am I the only one who thinks it's about time Cas and Anna aren't the only ones who are kind to Dean?! I've been watching the preview clips and thinking it would be amazing and lovely and more interesting to see Zachariah be calm and gentle with Dean, too, instead of being a dick! So far, Cas and Anna are the only two angels who aren't! I don't think Zachariah is very smart in his handling of Dean! Once upon a time, Dean was a follow-orders kind of guy. That Dean has died a slow death over the years! Now, what Dean needs is some kindness, gentleness and understanding! Would it kill Zachariah to be more patient and kind with Dean? More, "I know this is hard for you to understand. I know what we ask is difficult. But please have faith in our Father and know that it's all for the best. We know you can do this; be strong?!" Sheesh! It would be so amazing if every time Dean snarks off, the angel answers him calmly and kindly; wouldn't that throw our Dean for a loop?! You'd think they'd notice how Cas gets him to cooperate by being so calm with him (firm too, yes, but calm, quiet and willing to listen and try to understand)! Being straight forward and respectful is how you get Dean's cooperation, as Sammy, Bobby and Cas all know. Duh! And Zachariah is Cas's boss?!

It would seem that Cas and Anna are two very exceptional angels, unfortunately! I don't want Cas to fall, however. To hear Misha talk, I'm afraid he will. And I feel certain I'll still love him. But I'd much rather him stay an angel. How cool would that be?! A rebel angel hanging out on our show?! If he just becomes human, that'd take away his special quality. Besides, Jimmy would have to die, I guess. And, even though I don't hold out much hope for it, I'd love to see Jimmy again before the series is over. I understand that, with most likely only one more season left, they wouldn't have time to feature him much, but I think it'd be lovely to see Cas let him come forward at least 2 or 3 times--if even for a few minutes--before it's all over with!

I'm frustrated that Cas was introduced so late in the series. I think there's a boatload of story potential and character development in him! There's so much to learn, so many changes and experiences to watch him go through, so much frienship development with the guys & more about Jimmy we could see. Plus, Misha seems genuinely very happy and excited about being in this situation. Bummer he's only going to get a brief taste! *SIGH* I think it should do 7 seasons. (Isn't that a holy number? Or is it just a lucky number? I forget. I know 9 is holy; did you notice that was the guys' room no. in "The Rapture?") That sounds pretty much perfect to me. Oh, well.

Wow, that got long!! Sorry! It's a good thing I don't like Cas much, or it could've been longer! Ha ha.
　

[Calena]

I have very little time, because I acutally have an appointment at the hairdresser's. Happens twice a year! I swear I will answer to your post some time!

Cookie, I don't know if you are aware that a bunch of us are going to the UK con next week. The idea has come up to write something about why we love Cas and Misha so much and give it to Misha. (The Js are gonna get our list of reasons why we love SPN so much [if we get it finished int time], but since Misha has only been in for the last year I feel it wouldn't be really fitting to give him that, too) If you should have anything to add that you think has to be in that letter or whatever it will turn out to be, please share! I thought I'd ask you, because you really are into Cas/Misha.

[ExtraCookie]

Originally Posted by Calena

I have very little time, because I acutally have an appointment at the hairdresser's. Happens twice a year! I swear I will answer to your post some time!

Cookie, I don't know if you are aware that a bunch of us are going to the UK con next week. The idea has come up to write something about why we love Cas and Misha so much and give it to Misha. (The Js are gonna get our list of reasons why we love SPN so much [if we get it finished int time], but since Misha has only been in for the last year I feel it wouldn't be really fitting to give him that, too) If you should have anything to add that you think has to be in that letter or whatever it will turn out to be, please share! I thought I'd ask you, because you really are into Cas/Misha.

Crap, how'd I miss this post?! I don't know, but I did! Thanks a bunch for thinking of me, anyway, Calena! I'm sure I could've come up with something!

[ExtraCookie]

Cas is a mysterious angel and I love it. I'm torn between wanting to know everything about him and wanting him to stay mysterious. I'm hoping for a happy medium. There are some things I must know, or I'll freak (Dean's hellacious rescue, Bible Camp, his and Anna's history) but I think, maybe, I don't want to know everything! Here's a thread to discuss any and all things mysterious about Cas. I'll get you started.

Cas and mind reading: We know from both "Lazarus Rising" and "Lucifer Rising"--and, ooh, I just now made the realization that they--what to call it?--closed a circle? Completed a circuit? Went retro? Mirrored? It's late, I'm ineloquent, I hope you understand me! The show loves to do that! It's cool! Anyway, in each of these eps., Cas showed us he can read minds; at least Dean's. Oh, wait, that's interesting! I wonder if he can read anyone's or just his charges'? (And, by the way, is Sam his charge, too? If he's not officially, Cas had better adopt him! NOW! And make up for lost time! How many charges does Cas have, anyway? Dean, the Novaks, & maybe Sammy?) Ooh! More mystique! I wonder both about that (now) and just how much he can see. Does he just pick up emotional cues (wouldn't that be ironic? And it makes sense. Both things he mentioned were emotional. Dean didn't think he deserved salvation; Dean was full of guilt, anger & confusion. But just because he didn't go into detail it doesn't mean he didn't know!) or can he read thoughts word-for-word? And can he do it all the time? Similarly,

Cas and dream awareness/invasion: In "In the Beginning," we had a delicious (Misha is overwhelming! He has truly tapped into something with this role! Why's he sooo good?! I don't think just one more season of his Castiel will be enough to satisfy me at all!), striking little scene of Cas mysteriously sitting on Dean's bedside (Aw. How guardian angelish!) and knowing that Dean was dreaming. He then mysteriously asks Dean in a mysterious way, "What were you dreaming about?" with an odd inflection on "you." (Hm. Do angels dream? Had he been having dreams of his own lately? Ooh, maybe his own hell dreams? He's been there, ya know; on Dean's behalf. He almost definitely saw what Dean did/went through, too. Damn, he could've even been having the same/similar hell dreams as Dean had been having! Oooh! This stuff's deep!) Several questions here! did he, in fact, know just what he was dreaming about? If so, did he ask in an attempt to get Dean to open up about it? Or was it a bit smug--a way to emphasize to Dean that he needs to be cooperative so hell-on-Earth doesn't occur? His expression and tone were definitely, intriguingly, deliciously ambiguous! Or did he only know Dean was dreaming, but not what about, and really just wanted to know? If so, why? Hmm.

That Look when Anna and Dean smooched! What did it mean?!!! (No slash allowed! Stick to the show as it's intended to be!) Oooh! Was it merely regret over what he was supposed to do to Anna (and, now that I know Cas better, I actually have my doubts that he was going to let anything bad happen to her! The way he looked at her . . . and said it was good to see her. Also, I'm doubting Anna knows him like she thinks! Oooh, too much depth and mystery here!)? Or remembrance of a deeper (angelic version of romantic, perhaps?) relationship from the past; and, maybe, therefore, jealousy? Did he almost fall with her? Or was it mere wistfulness--at Anna, seeing her make an emotional connection? Or Dean? Or both? Was it pain? Was it love? Was it regret? Was it sneakiness? Some combo of the above? Will we ever freakin' know? By the way, I think Anna and Cas have an interesting chemistry. It makes sense they could end up romantically involved; who could understand them better than each other?! And Anna seems strong, and Cas is strong, and, well, I can just see it. Let's expand upon Anna's view of Cas . . .

What about his expression, and the way he kind of missed a beat when answering to it, when she accused him of not knowing what it meant to be sorry? Did you catch that?! It was . . . I don't even know! How does Misha freakin' do that?!! I can't make out exactly what the look meant; I only know it kind of took my breath away and made me want to jump into the scene and hug him! Could Anna's view of him be wrong? Had he been holding back on his true feelings even with her all those years ago?! What was their relationship, anyway?!

And here's some mystery for ya! Did the writers really put all of this mystique in there? Or did our awesome Misha do it? Or both? If both, what's the percentage? I really think it mostly comes from Misha. He's just that good.

Whew! OK, DISCUSS! Please! I wore myself out typing this!
　

[candyrose]

Wow, you sure had a lot to say, which is good, btw. It's late here, so I will reserve tomorrow for making a proper response.

[helps]

Oh hiya guys...

Cookie can u tell me who is Misha bedazzled here? Or Castiel bedazzled? I don't know if it's me, how you like to claim...

Ok, I'm gonna try to concentrate and be serious for awhile...

Mind reading....

Accordance to The Rapture episode and Castiel telling Dean that they need to talk and someone else is listening, I would assume that it works the way angels can read word-for-word thoughts. I mean if they were able to only read/feel emotions, then there wouldn't be any conversation between Dean and Castiel in his mind,imo. Plus Cas wouldn't be scared that someone is listening to them.
As for charges, I would imagine that angels have many of them at the same time. On the other side, Castiel seems pretty occupied by Dean, so who knows. But it's also good to mention that Dean isn't regular charge for Cas as Dean has had a lot to do with the apocalypse.
Btw,I'm pretty sure he can read the mind all the time. The question is if he's doing it all the time or only like 'switch on' and then see what's on Dean's mind. It's pretty hard to imagine that someone would see every your thought *rather don't imagine that at all,lol*, but he's an angel, so I think it's fine. He's a 'higher' being. I think that as angels can see everything what ppl do on the Earth, it's not so shocking for them to see what's on ppl's mind.

(Misha is overwhelming! He has truly tapped into something with this role! Why's he sooo good?! I don't think just one more season of his Castiel will be enough to satisfy me at all!)

Absolutely agree! I just have to add: Master Kripke, don't you ever dare to kill Castiel off or replace Misha!! *see, some actors are scared to even say out loud his name, I'm even making a deals with him,lol*

Dream invasion....

I think he knew what Dean was dreaming about. I think there are two options : a) he only asked to see if Dean would tell him the truth, if he opens up. Maybe as he knew that experience in the Hell seriously damaged Dean, he wondered how bad it is. I mean he might make some conclusion of Dean's answer.
b) he might hadn't been around when Dean was dreaming, so he really meant that and was curious what he was dreaming about.
On the other side as he can read his mind, I think he was only testing him. I mean, I'm pretty sure he knew that Dean's been having those nightmares.
About Castiel himself. I don't know. Angels and demons are human alike on the show, but I have no idea wheter they're having the dreams. Castiel might dream about ponies, rainbow, the paradise . He's an angel after all.
Seriously talking, I've always thought he's really concerned about Dean and that he really cares. How sweet that would be if he dreamt about Dean being ok again?!

(No slash allowed! Stick to the show as it's intended to be!)

Of course, he wanted to be Anna at that moment. Sorry.

The Look when Anna&Dean kissed...

Hmm. I would think he's more then anything curious in the first place. He came on the Earth and he really doesn't know what it feels like to hate or love. I'd think that at that moment, he felt desire to feel what they feel. If that makes any sense to you. I don't think he would envy them THAT kiss, I just think he envies all human beings those emotions and feels in general. I think he's torn up on this. How he stated he sees the pain, the guilt, fear but there are also feels like love, admiration and so. Also I agree with u, he was sorry about whole situation as they were about to hurt Anna. Who knows.
I also agree that the chemistry between Anna and Castiel is great, but I don't think we're ever gonna see them together as shw had that little thing going on between Dean&Anna, so it would be odd.

His expression, and the way he kind of missed a beat when answering to it, when she accused him of not knowing what it meant to be sorry....
Awwwwww!! I know what you mean by jumping into the scene and hug him. I so wanted to comfort him. I don't know, but he really seemed hurt. I think that the way Dean's is 'growing up', the same goes for Cas. I think he's not only given the lesson to Dean, but he's also got one. He's been learning from Dean about human beings and I can see that he's now very different, more sensitive. Even back there, I thought, come on look at him Anna. He's sorry. My admiration for Misha went up during these scenes with Cas. Misha's facial expressions are incredible.
Cas is still 'naive' in angelic way and in Lucifer rising ep it was obvious. I couldn't help it and had a sad smile on my face, when Dean told Cas "You poor stupid son of bitch, it's all a bunch of lies..." Cas gave him that puppy look, nodded his head to the side*I love that look, he makes* and seemed so lost. He seemed to really trying hardly to understand what is Dean trying to tell him at that moment. He thought the Paradise would be the best for everyone, withouht fear, pain, guilt, he seemed to think Dean would feel better there and was so surprised when Dean told him that it's not real, he doesn't wanna be some 'Stephord bi*ch' in the Paradise. I trully loved this scene. It all shows that Castiel's never been a bad guy, he was doing only what he considered to be the best. I mean, considering he could see Dean's thoughts and see his dreams, he had to feel really sorry for him and wanted to help him,imo.

And here's some mystery for ya! Did the writers really put all of this mystique in there? Or did our awesome Misha do it? Or both?

Hm. I would say a little of both. I remember that Misha's mentioned in some interview that Kripke told him how it's with Cas - that he hasn't been on the Earth for 2000 years, that he's curious about human beings as he never was around them and so.
On the otherside, being mysterious is probably mostly up to the actor himself. Misha's doing awesome work with his face and the way he speaks. So great. I mean J2M are all so great actors. That's fantastic to watch 'em.
So to answer this, I think it's like 80% Misha and 20% writers. I think that at the beginning, they gave him some advices, maybe talked to him more often how to play this and that, but now I think he's pretty much doing this all on his own.

[ExtraCookie]

Helps, I knew I could count on you to engage in this discussion! Thanks for that! Oh, obviously, I'm both Cas and Misha-bedazzled, yes! But you con. people were bedazzled to the point that your memories were affected! So far, my memory is as intact as it was pre-Misha! See, it's a good thing I'll never get to go to a con.! Apparently, direct contact with Misha causes brain damage and, well, I've got enough of that already! Let's see here:

"I thought, come on look at him Anna. He's sorry" YES! That's what I think when I see that scene! "Anna, are you blind?! Look at his face! He's sorry and other stuff he probably doesn't even understand!" So, either she's blind/wrong, or Misha didn't do the scene the way they meant him to! I sincerely doubt the last is the case and, even if it is? The way he did it was better! Cas just seemed so thrown by the whole Anna situation; as though he was feeling totally out of his element. Torn between duty and these annoying emotion thingies that were bugging him! He seemed to be trying to perform good-soldier angel duty while fighting baffling feelings at the same time. I kind of wanted to slap Anna when she talked to him like that! If he ever was the Castiel she thinks she knows, he wasn't anymore at that point!

Hm, it does make sense, I suppose, that Cas can read anyone's mind any time. It just seems too convenient and creepy! If that is the case, I, too, think it's something he has to activate. That's another thing! In both Laz and Luc Rising, when he read Dean's mind/felt his emotions, he got close and looked him deep in the eyes! Maybe that's what he has to do to turn it on. Also, I wonder if Cas had visited Dean is his dreams before. Dean didn't know he was dreaming until he saw Cas. If Cas hadn't done that before, then why would his appearance make him realize he was dreaming? Speaking of that dream, another mystery:

Cas looking haggard in Dean's dream. Did you notice that? He looked rough! I wonder if he was supposed to (because he was freaked about the info he'd learned; maybe he was actually on the run at that point!) or if that was just filmed when Misha was sick. Either way, it worked! If it was accidental, it was a happy accident! Yay for silver linings!

I've sent a request to the Krip not to kill off Cas or the boys or Bobby permanently. Yep. We're on the same side!

Ponies, rainbows and paradise! That was too funny! Maybe he was dreaming about Dean and Sam happily riding ponies in a rainbow-filled paradise while, behind a tree somewhere, Anna taught him this human touching/affection stuff?! Nah, if angels dream, I bet they are awesome, bad-assed dreams! Dreams of heaven and of demons and war. And God? I'm torn on if I want to know what that dream scene meant! I think yes, but only if it's really well done. I actually think it could've been two things at once: He knew and sympathized but also (cuz he was just doing his job) wanted Dean to know he knew to keep him in line, so to speak. Of course Cas is complex enough for that!!

How dare you slash in my post?! SINNER!!!

Think we're pretty much on the same page about Cas's face when Dean & Anna kissed. Again, a lot going on there, I think! Love Cas's complexity! I can't wait to find out if our guesses are at all correct! I know Dean and Anna got it on, but I don't think that's going to be a relationship. I think it was a temporary connection. I hope it is; I don't see chemistry between them. Cas and Anna, however? Yeah. They've got that angelic-vibe-chemistry going on. I think Anna's seeing the changes in him and liking them and I think Cas, due to those changes, is softening toward her and understanding her. And he needs her like crazy right now! I'm not saying they should be together all the time. Just that I can see them being somewhat of a couple. I'd love to see Cas with someone, Anna or not. It'd blow his angelic mind, right? Lovely.

Your 80/20 percentage sounds about right! I have honestly wondered from early on if Misha hasn't given the writers more to work with than they've given him to work with! I could be all wrong, of course. It's just a feeling. And, yes, J2M are fantastic together! I'd love for there to be some perfect movie for the 3 someday! I wonder if they'd do it if it were offered? I wish there was a way we could see John and Cas meet. That could be really awesome.

Yeah, I'm confused at the whole 2,000 years thing. That's been stated, and yet, Cas talks about all these years of war, away from home, with Uriel and at least hints at the same with Anna! And Anna talks about being stationed on Earth--seemingly right before she fell (this after Cas said angels haven't walked the earth for 2,000 yrs.) So, where is "away from home" if not Earth?! Maybe there are different realms of heaven and he means one that's not his home? Catholics in the house?! Anyone?! Or have they had to fight in hell for some reason?! I think they need to clear this up!

Another one! Cas's electrifying introduction! Why, when Cas met Dean & Bobby, did the electricity go haywire & the wind pick up, yet that hasn't happened since? Here's my theory: Cas was newly-vesseled. He must've just come straight from the Novak house at that point. I'm guessing he'd never been vesseled before and an angel has to kind of get used to harnessing its power once vesseled. Why didn't it happen at Jimmy's house immediately after the vesseling? Cuz Cas wasn't trying to make contact with anyone; didn't have a current mission. When he went to Dean, he was answering a call and he was all charged up, like, "Woo! Here I go, time to meet my charge and set him on his path! Show time!"

OK, Candyrose, I expect your contribution to this post A.S.A.P.! Don't you punk out on me! Also, I'm in Kentucky, we're on central time. At the moment, it's 9:48 p.m. Where are you?

[ExtraCookie]

Just wondered if any of you noticed that, in "In the Beginning," after Dean asks Cas if he gets his freak on by watching people sleep . . . CAS NODS!! He does! It's super, teeny, tiny but it's there! I wonder if that was a total accident or if Misha was intentionally trying to sneak something funny into the scene?! I didn't notice it at first. That was nuts!

[candyrose]

Accordance to The Rapture episode and Castiel telling Dean that they need to talk and someone else is listening, I would assume that it works the way angels can read word-for-word thoughts. I mean if they were able to only read/feel emotions, then there wouldn't be any conversation between Dean and Castiel in his mind,imo. Plus Cas wouldn't be scared that someone is listening to them.
As for charges, I would imagine that angels have many of them at the same time. On the other side, Castiel seems pretty occupied by Dean, so who knows. But it's also good to mention that Dean isn't regular charge for Cas as Dean has had a lot to do with the apocalypse.
Btw,I'm pretty sure he can read the mind all the time. The question is if he's doing it all the time or only like 'switch on' and then see what's on Dean's mind. It's pretty hard to imagine that someone would see every your thought *rather don't imagine that at all,lol*, but he's an angel, so I think it's fine. He's a 'higher' being. I think that as angels can see everything what ppl do on the Earth, it's not so shocking for them to see what's on ppl's mind.

I don’t really think Castiel is only reading emotions. For one, as we’ve seen in several episodes, when dealing with humans, angels typically remain objective; and they can come across as rather cold and emotionless. It’s certainly not the imagery conjured by the thought of an angel; it’s not what we envision when we hear the word. They don’t have halos and fluffy, white wings; they don’t float around in the air, with bright lights emitting from their forms. With Casitel, we’ve seen that he has an incredibly difficult time relating to humans. Sometimes when witnessing the emotions displayed by humans, he looks completely perplexed and even curious. I would think in order to really read a person by their emotions alone he would have to have a better understanding of them. I do think Castiel has shown he is extremely conflicted, struggling between serving the lord and trying to help, and understand, Dean.



I think Castiel's main, and probably only, priority is Dean at the moment. I can't imagine he would be expected to take on such an immense undertaking and juggle it with other duties as well. He was probably chosen for this specific duty and all his efforts were expected to be put into his dealings with Dean and trying to guide him in the "right" direction. I'm extremely curious where Castiel will be next season. He obviously defied orders, so there is punishment to be dealt out.



In Dean's situation, I really don't see him turning it on and off whenever he felt like it. He's probably so used to it that he only picks up on the things that are relevant and ignores all the rest.



I think he was aware of the dreams. He probably asked because he was honestly trying to better understand Dean. We've seen that he has, in a way, developed a fascination about Dean. He knows Dean, but, at the same time, he really cannot relate to him and doesn't fully understand why Dean does the things he does. I also think he has really formed a connection with Dean and has steadily become more in tune with him, and thus more aware of the fact Dean has a lot going on internally. Even if he doesn't fully understand it, I think he sees that Dean has been bottling up quite a lot.



I don't think Castiel was jealous or yearning to experience the same things. I think it all goes back to being curious and not really understanding things. In a way, he is so disconnected from the world, from humans. At that point, he had been experiencing doubts; Castiel had been undergoing changes. I can imagine him looking at her and wondering if she thought it was all worth it and wondering if he too could experience the things she was experiencing. She sort of serves as a model of what he could be...doing the things he could do.

I'm from North Carolina, and it's currently 12:20 here.

I'm still straining my eyes, trying to read through some posts. I'll continue to add some stuff.

[ExtraCookie]

Originally Posted by candyrose

I think Castiel's main, and probably only, priority is Dean at the moment. I can't imagine he would be expected to take on such an immense undertaking and juggle it with other duties as well. He was probably chosen for this specific duty and all his efforts were expected to be put into his dealings with Dean and trying to guide him in the "right" direction.

Cas has said: "I'm not here to perch on your shoulder," and "I was getting too close to the humans in my charge," and "Of course we keep our promises," (in answer to Jimmy screaming at him about his promise to keep his family safe). So, apparently, although Dean is clearly his main objective, he has other stuff to do and other charges. I think, surely, angels can better multi-task than humans. Besides, he'd be with Dean 24/7 if Dean was his only concern. He made sure to stress to Dean that he was a soldier and that he and the other angels had "larger concerns," so I've been guessing he's been both fighting and guarding at least the Novaks in between his times with Dean. Hm. Which makes for a bit of a plot problem, if the Novaks do have the promised protection, since Sammy is so sure they'll be in danger if Jimmy's around. Oops, writers! Oh, wait. It's OK. Cas wasn't around when Sammy said that. Cool. I want Jimmy to get to visit the family again someday. At least Claire.

In Dean's situation, I really don't see him turning it on and off whenever he felt like it. He's probably so used to it that he only picks up on the things that are relevant and ignores all the rest.

I do, just because of the physical effort Cas has made the two times we know of for sure he was reading Dean. Esp. in "Laz . . ." the way he got right in his face, penetrated his eyes and tilted his head. Looked like he was doing a search. *shrug* That may be a mystery never solved.

I also think he has really formed a connection with Dean and has steadily become more in tune with him, and thus more aware of the fact Dean has a lot going on internally. Even if he doesn't fully understand it, I think he sees that Dean has been bottling up quite a lot.

Yes, he sure has! And I love how Dean, who normally can't stand even Sammy (well, especially Sammy!) digging into his soul, just lets Cas in! It's like he finally found someone he can let in like that. He always tries to keep Sammy out for Sammy's own good. (Bobby too, to a point.) He wants to seem as strong as possible for Sammy, so he doesn't like letting him in there. Cas is strong, powerful; not in need of protecting the way Sammy is (although we know, now, that Cas does need Dean's protection in some ways) and that he really cares (and seems so non-judgmental & eager to understand! It's beautiful!), so, scary as it is for him, he allows him access. But that still doesn't mean he's cool with being watched while he sleeps!

I think it all goes back to being curious and not really understanding things. . . I can imagine him looking at her and wondering if she thought it was all worth it and wondering if he too could experience the things she was experiencing. She sort of serves as a model of what he could be...doing the things he could do.

I agree curiosity was there. But I also think there was more there. Heh, I definitely think he was wanting to try out the kissing thing!