Good point, BUT: if you don't plan on following through with the consequences of something, don't do it in the first place. Everything else is bad writing, IMO. I can give them some leeway, this isn't Shakespeare, never has been, but still. Don't wanna have them deal with hell and the issues that stem from it? Don't send them there!

And yeah, totally agreed. Just think about the drinking ep - I feel like they missed an even bigger chance there. I just... This show was so good in regards of character arcs and issues. Just look at S2, or S3! And it didn't clash with the MOTW spiel either, back then. Where exactly did that get lost? :( They're still doing a far better job at keeping the characters consistent than many other shows (probably due to the Js, in part?), but they lost their touch with dealing with the drama they heap on them.