I will preface this by saying I have ZERO problems with what was on my TV last night, and I'm not sure if I'm just too zen for this fandom right now or what, but don't attack me for having an opinion that does not match yours, plsthx.

Montage/Credits:The opening montage was awesome, as were the titles. The shattering mirrors? Might be a clue. Just sayin'.

Creature: Yes, we've seen the Djinns before, but I get the impression we're going to be seeing a lot of the monsters we've previously encountered in brand new clothes. Some people seem to be upset that they've been reused or that the SPN writing staff is altering their mytharc. I'm not sure I understand why. Look, based on the general tag lines for this season that have been touched on in the promos and Gramps Campbell coming out and describing for us that: "Hey now, these here creatures are acting all funny and there are some we've never seen before." I am just gonna go ahead and expect that we'll see un-vampirey vampires and un-werewolfy werewolves and such. They have a reason for changing the rules for Djinns, I'm sure of it (more on that later). The creature was a working core for this episode, and a perfect choice to set the theme for the season: "Things are not always what they seem." So trust, please, that things are not always what they seem and that while the SPN staff sometimes likes to pull our collective legs, they always explain themselves in due course and don't dangle questions that will remain unanswered.

Dean: I shall start with him since this episode was so tightly from his POV. I love this Dean. I love any Dean, in point of fact, but this Dean tugs at my heartstrings. His relationship with Lisa feels authentic for all he says he only went there because Sam told him to. I like that they made it hard. I like that he questions whether it was good or right for ANYONE for him to be there. And yet. He's a good father-figure for Ben, and even when he and Lisa had their issues I'd be willing to bet he kills himself to give Ben everything he never had. (Oh my heart.) I like that his instincts are still to protect her from "the life" but that when she calls bullshit, he gives it to her (mostly) straight. The whole hunting sequence made my heart ache too. I'm glad that Dean's instincts are intact. The fact he immediately goes for his gun and flashlight when he hears the scream speaks to them. So even if he's out of practice and a little jumpy, he still wants to protect. Hell, I'd almost say it means he secretly misses "the life" because of the good he did. I love that he acknowledges that he's rusty and that he goes in REGARDLESS of whether he is or not. Other highlights: him asking if he's dead, his put-upon face when the Campbell clan is making fun of all his domestic trappings, his outrage at both Sam and Bobby for keeping Sam's resurrection from him, his conversation with Lisa, his "reckless" urge to save the neighbors, offering Sam his baby when he decides he's sticking it out with Lisa and Ben.

Sam: Is not Sam. Sorry. I'm not sure if he's a new breed of shapeshifter (like the new-breed Djinss) or if (as elizah_jane has suggested) he's just Stepford!Sam. But yeah. That isn't Sam. I will probably have meta about this at some point that will make me feel pretty damn stupid if I'm wrong, but I'm also fairly certain I'm not. Wrong. Here's a quick and dirty outline. He is unmoved by the reunion with Dean. My canon Sam, while he would TOTALLY have left Dean alone to have the apple-pie life he pushed him into, would have angsted over it, would have thought about Dean every day, and would have been thrilled to see Dean in spite of the fact that he was breaking the carefully maintained radio silence. This Sam's attitude was more like, "Oh hey, I guess it's Dean. Um. Cool?" Sam not caring enough to try to save the neighbors? What? This is the same Sam who went back (ten times according to Bobby) to pull civilians out of the Croatoan factory. Either the Campbells are a really, REALLY bad influence or oh, hey. Not Sam. The clincher was the exchange at the end. Dean offering Sam the Impala and Sam turning her down without even thinking about it. I mean, I can see him turning her down even. It's the not thinking. It's him saying, "I like the way I have MY car set up, kthxbai," and then tacking on a, "Hey, great to see you, gotta be going now," instead of BEING SAM. The absence of passion is what taps the last nail in the coffin for me, the violent lack of attachment to anything from someone who has ALWAYS clung to what little good he's been given. And if it turns out that this really IS Sam, they have got some serious explaining to do with regards to why he turned out this way. But guys, please, please please don't think it's OOC. OOC implies accidental. This is SERA for chrissake's. Whatever they're doing, it is ON PURPOSE.

Gramps: Creepy. Fishy. I am curious to see the differences between the accidental hunters (the only ones we've seen so far) and this Campbell dynasty. Obviously, he's up to no good but I don't know if it's evil or if it's, "This is the way we dynastic hunters do shit."

Bobby: Him defending himself for leaving Dean alone was epic. His face when he opened his front door to Dean? Also epic. I know people are going on about his characterization as well. That he would never keep Dean in the dark about Sam being back. I think a great deal of his explanation was true and heartfelt. But I also think he might have alternative motives for keeping Dean out of the loop. What if he knows that there's something wrong with Sam? That Sam is not Sam? What if he wanted to wait to tell Dean that Sam was alive until he worked out if he was going to have to kill him or not because he's not actually Sam? I don't know. It's all theory and speculation, but I think (for all his unknown motives) Bobby has other reasons for keeping Sam's status from Dean that have nothing to do with Dean's apple-pie.

Lisa and Ben: I adore them. Sorry if you don't. I am completely baffled about the general grumbling on my flist that she's a weak character or questioning why Dean's with her instead of Cassie. I will never, ever, EVER understand this. Dreams change as you get older, and yeah, in S2 Cassie was the girl Dean almost loved. But since Dean saw Lisa again, met Ben, had that apple-pie offered to him with all his flaws, his dreams of a normal life have all centered on them. More for Ben than Lisa, I'd say. And Lisa knows that to some extent and even says that she's okay with it. I just. She's a strong woman to even be able to offer Dean shelter. To deal with his crushing grief with grace and call him on his bullshit. That she gets Dean's trying to say goodbye and calls him on THAT too. She's calm and forceful and coaxing when she needs to be. I just...do not get it. I would love to see more of Ben. I don't know if we will, but it would be awesome.

Overall impressions: I'm pleased with the direction this appears to be leading. I'm spoiler-free and want to remain so, so please respect that. I'm glad that Sera's putting her own stamp on it while respecting the text that came before. I like that the characters are in very different places and hope that the time-skip is going to allow for flashbacks that clue us in to the journey instead of just the destination. Look, for me it all comes down to this:

You can't derail a plan that's been in the works since the beginning of time without suffering repercussions.

My guess? This season will be all about those repurcussions, both personally and on a global scale. I'm glad that they chose to work intimately first because the relationship between Sam and Dean is the core of the show and deserves to be dealt with before anything else. Sorry to say I can't echo that other sentiment I've seen everywhere on my flist, because I don't think this episode "NEEDS MOAR CAS." I do miss Misha's face and his sad kitten eyes, but Castiel had no business being here and I'd rather they used him only where he applies.