Now that Battlestar Galactica is over and I’m back from foreign lands, I thought I’d catch up with some of my favorite shows that have fallen by the wayside.

First up: Supernatural.

I’m not completely caught up, but I’ve watched all but last week’s episode, and I have to say it’s been fun hanging with the Winchester brothers again.

SPN (for those of us in the know) has just the right mix of horror, supernatural-ness and comedy, with a side order of beefcake.

In watching “Death Takes a Holiday,” “On the Head of a Pin” and “It’s a Terrible Life,” I was struck by last week’s EW.com article about how Season 5 (next season) would be the last for the series – or, at least, the last with Eric Kripke at the helm and possibly the last with Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles.

The three episodes continued the “angels are among us and they’re really jerks” storyline begun earlier this season.

In “Death Takes a Holiday,” Sam & Dean go walking with the undead and their psychic friend is killed protecting their bodies.

In “On the Head of a Pin,” the boys try to find the angel-killer, who turns out to be none other than Uriel, who, it turns out, wants to free Lucifer. Dean’s recruited to torture Alastair in the meantime, by Uriel, who obviously is playing both sides against the middle. Uriel’s killed and Castiel realizes no one’s being honest and joins with Ana … maybe.

In “It’s a Terrible Life,” angels made them forget who they were to show them that what they are is what they are. Did you catch how their last names in the false memory were changed to Smith & Wesson? Cute, heaven, cute.

I have “The Monster at the End of this Book” on DVR and hope to watch it and the shark-jumping “Jump the Shark” episode where they find out they have another brother together on Thursday.

The story is moving inexorably toward … something, but it can’t keep moving there forever.

If anything has shown me the way to get the best out of a storyline is to give it a definite end, it’s Lost. The show has gotten SO much better since Lindelof & Cuse gave ABC an end date and started working toward it. Even Battlestar Galactica got more of a focus once there was an end date, though that date was more forced, as it wasn’t clear SciFi (now SyFy) was going to give Moore & Eick a fifth season.

As much as I enjoy Supernatural and the Brothers Winchester, I have to admit I would be unhappy to see the show spiral into mere demon of the week silliness with no real point to it.

Look, one of the things I do like about the show is that you can watch it on either level – the deeper mythology of heaven and hell and what, exactly, is going on with the Winchester family, or the simple demon (or, now, angel) fight of the week.

But all those weekly stories have some bearing on the greater story. Without a backing story, what would frame those weekly stories? I’m afraid they would become rather lacking.

So as much as I’m glad Beth & Jane & Erika got me into watching this show, and as much as I enjoy it, count me among the faithful who wants The CW to stop producing the show once Eric Kripke hangs up his shingle.

Let the show finish its course and finish it well, and let the Winchester boys get a well-deserved rest once that happens.

Meanwhile, let’s enjoy the rest of Season 4, and, heck, we have an entire Season 5 to look forward to. And then we get to savor all the “lasts” of the last season, with all the bittersweet feelings that go along with that.