Killing Cas and Jack being a boy (teen?) (man?). That was a missed opportunity. I was really hoping that next season would have Cas and the Boys on the road being chased by Lucifer with a superpowered infant in tow, and the fact that we will not get an episode, aptly titled "three men and a baby" on a show that loves to do that sort of thing makes me sad.
That being said, I'm really confused by Jack. What is he supposed to be in that final shot? Was that some sort of malicious, evil son of Satan smile or was I seeing things?
Anyway, seeing Jim Beaver again was awesome. Even if it was as alternate universe, beret wearing, Winchesterless Bobby. For all of two minutes, anyway, but I wouldn't mind seeing the further misadventures of Bobby and Mary vs. Lucifer in the Wastelands in Purgatory-sequel flashes.
Cas getting ganked didn't really do anything for me, because something tells me that Baby Lu's inaugural act of power will be bringing his most faithful acolyte back from the clutches of...whatever place dead angels go. Then again, will he be evil? All that "perfect utopia; everybody sings Kumbaya" stuff had, at least in my estimation, equally ominous subtext about a world without free will, or, you know,
life.
Crowley's goodbye, however,
did feel permanent. It felt earned, it felt like closure, and it felt like Mark Sheppard's way of saying goodbye, what with Crowley's Rat enabled epiphany about being stuck in a dead end job and realizing that his frenemies are actually pretty much his besties and he'd much rather say goodbye to his demonic lifestyle and chill with them...and then he sacrifices himself in the name of all that, and without Crowley, I can't imagine much chance of Rowena making a return, either.
The prior episode was...interesting. Dean and Mary in Mary's head was amazing stuff and I loved it. Seeing Ketch and all his discount James Bond, weird ass, botched plastic surgery looking dumbassedness getting domed was cool, and the same went for Mother Superior getting the same treatment from everyone's favorite Sheriff, but yeah, I really loved that moment of peace and reconciliation between the Winchesters. It was really nice to see that kind of self-awareness and one of the things I've loved about this season is the strength of the brothers' bond. No angst over weird, spilled milk, no pacts to save each other, just Sam and Dean, working together; fighting the good fight.