The angels are serious about wanting Anna dead. I thought from the previews that it would be some kind of plan to hide her from the demons.
Then they called her an abomination. I didn't know what to expect here - a witch? a demon lover? And I'm afraid to ask what "JDate" is.
The blood spell was brutal looking.
It certainly shows the angels in new light, though. I had already guessed that angels were just like demons, they take the existence of God on faith alone, just like demons take the existence of Lucifer on faith. But if there are parallels, and only four angels have seen God, have four demons seen Lucifer? Is Alistair one of them?
Ruby
Ruby has almost convinced me she's one of the good guys. I still think something's up with her, but maybe it's not as devious as I thought. It may be that Ruby's agenda is just be good, help the angelic side, and maybe she gets a second chance. Clearly, though, the contrast between the "evil" Ruby - a demon from Hell, and the "good" Uriel - an angel of the Lord - is striking. By human moral standards, Ruby is the good one, and Uriel is the evil one. I wonder where that's going? Is this characterization going to be taken to another level?
One thing I'm pretty sure about is that Ruby's doomed. This isn't a trio show, it's about the Winchester brothers. Ruby makes three, and that's one too many. Plus, Dean seems to be accepting her, just a little. Maybe she should go visit Bobby at Hedonism. Two funny lines there - the banana hammock and a trucker's cap, and "Dude, you're confusing real life and porn again."
Fallen
So now we've met an actual fallen angel. I didn't like the "losing her grace" plot device. I'm not sure why, it just seemed cheesy. Plus, that whole sequence with the tree... just didn't work for me.
Toning Up
What exactly does Sam have to do to "tone up" his abilities? Is there more to it than just practice? And we still don't know why Dean was chosen?
Which four angels have seen God?
As soon as Anna starts talking about being "on the road waiting for orders from an unknowable father," I knew Dean would see the parallel to John.
Loved Dean's joke about the angel and the demon in the back seat being the set up for a joke, or a Penthouse Forum letter. Also loved Sam's reaction - "Dude. Reality. Porn."
Dean's weakness
Of course. Dean doesn't fear Hell. But his weakness has always been family, in particular, Sam. It looks like it will be his downfall.
Torturous
Ruby is prepared to sacrifice herself to lure Alistair to meet the angels. This is pretty deep cover if she's really planning to betray the Winchesters. Maybe I, and Dean, are both wrong about her.
The demons knew exactly how best (or worst) to torture Dean. Dean has spent his life rescuing people, saving them from evil. For him to participate in torturing them would have been devastating. But I think there was a larger plan. I think the plan for the demons was to have Dean torture until he became numb to it, until eventually his anger and revulsion turned him into a demon. And that would have been the worst torture of all.
Castiel
Castiel is having doubts. It shows up more every episode. He certainly identifies with Dean. But where is Castiel getting his orders? From God? From Anna's replacement?
It seems Anna was having doubts about her job. Is it because the orders are evil somehow? Now that Anna is back, will she regain a command? I suspect that Anna will remember much of her human experience, and that will cause her to oppose whoever took her place.
I don't think she'll be disobedient again, but angels appear to have a lot of leeway in how they interpret orders. Anna's human experience may influence how she tries to carry out her orders, for example, warning a town before destroying it.
Or even giving Dean a warning if the angels are coming to kill Sam. In fact, this is exactly how I think Anna will show up in the future.
I think the second half of the season will be Dean finding out that the angels have a plan for him that he just can't accept. The brothers and Ruby will be in a desperate search for Lilith and trying to stop the opening of the seals, but also on the run from the angels, maybe with Castiel's help (Castiel will be the messenger sent by Anna).
She'll Be Back
Anna was stronger than Castiel, who couldn't stand against Alistair. He seemed in awe of her power. Yet Uriel was not impressed. I sense a major conflict coming between Uriel and Castiel.
This isn't the last we've seen of Anna. You don't just order up an epic battle between good and evil over someone's life, just to have them disappear forever.
But what part will she play? Will she intervene to save Dean from Hell again?