I liked and respected Ben and Lisa's characters, but it annoyed me how sloppily the writers kept dragging them back into the picture just to ratchet up Dean's angst factor. Fandom's come up with a number of better ways to go about writing them out of the story without having to maim/nearly kill them (not to mention obliterate an entire year's worth of memories), and it irks me that show went with that route. I CANNOT agree with you more that mind wiping them won't necessarily save them from Dean's fucked up world. He cares for them deeply, anyone with half a brain and especially those who know just how much he cares *ahemCastiel* would logically use them as their trump card to twist Dean's arm into doing what they want or just to hurt him. Plus, if Ben really is Dean's kid then he's screwed no matter whether he remembers Pops or not. No doubt, those Winchester/Campbell genes will find a way to fuck up his life.

I'm really going to miss curious, man-child Castiel (seriously, even the way he sits reminds me of a little kid sometimes), but I AM looking forward to how they work with this new, power crazy Cas. I'm really, really hoping that use him as an effective villain who keeps the plot rolling and is really freaking creepy (here's to looking at you, YED) instead of making him a so-so bad guy like Eve. Azazel wasn't in very many episodes but still managed to grab us all by the balls, figuratively, so here's to hoping that Misha will be able to bring that level of scariness with less episodes.

For the last two seasons, I've been saying "That's it, after this seasons I'm DONE." ....but I know I'll still watch it next season too, though not so much as out an intense obsession for the show, but out of a lingering sense of obligation to it.