['Supernatural' - 'Meet the New Boss']

It's so good to have 'Supernatural' back. But it's just as delightful to have 'Supernatural' fans back. I look forward to hearing what you all have to say about the season 7 opener.

So, what if God was one of us? Except he's not really one of us, he's a mutated angel stuffed with millions of souls from purgatory plus lots of scary beasties from Ye Olden Days?

That wouldn't go so well. But it would make for a good hour of television.

['Supernatural' - 'Mommy Dearest']

Here's a thought exercise for you: What if 'Mommy Dearest' had aired in February or March?

If it had, we'd have almost half a season to explore the issues raised by Castiel's war in Heaven and how he's been using souls in that fight. We'd have half a season to tie that story line to the thread about Sam's soul. We might even have time for a return appearance from a fan favorite -- Death.

Don't get me wrong, I thought 'Mommy' was generally satisfying, nicely atmospheric and teed up some interesting things to come. And I was happy to see a couple of my suspicions confirmed. I'd thought we'd see Crowley again, but I never imagined he'd be in an alliance with Cas. That was a well-played surprise. And as I wrote last week, I thought the Mother plot was really just a diversion and that Cas would occupy center stage toward the end of the season. The fact that we get some more quality time with Crowley is a bonus.

How is the winter Hellatus going for you, 'Supernatural' fans?

Not enjoying the lack of Winchesters on your television? Well, I can't speed up the CW show's return date -- it's still coming back Jan. 28 -- but I can share some news about the drama.

I interviewed 'Supernatural' executive producer and showrunner Sera Gamble when I was in Los Angeles last week, and I'll post a long transcript of that chat closer to the show's return date. But before then, I just had to share some brain-melting intel about upcoming episodes of the show. (Spoilers ahoy.)

Here's a 'Supernatural' exclusive for you: The Winchesters will be visiting the Old West this season.

"You may see the guys in Stetsons. You may see Jared [Padalecki] on horseback. It could happen," Gamble said. "I've already talked to Jensen [Ackles] about it, he's excited about it and I think the guys are going to have a lot of fun with it."

['Supernatural' - 'Appointment in Samarra']

If I have one issue with the fine 'Appointment in Samarra,' it's that the episode wasn't a two-hour special or a two-parter.

There was just so much substantial goodness in 'Samarra,' which, like Death's bacon hot dog, was meaty in every sense of the word.

['Supernatural' - 'Family Matters']

"You can't assume family means the same thing to him as it does to us." -- Dean Winchester

I love it when Twitter writes my review for me.

As Katie71483 said in her pithy assessment of 'Family Matters,' "I feel like I had a bunch of questions answered. Now i just have a whole new batch."