One of things I find disappointing in the later seasons (and to a lesser extent in seasons 4, 5) is just how much of each season is devoted to the ongoing plotline. The show is at its best when it is exploring individual stories that connect strongly to the central narrative. The mythos episodes are entertaining but they end up feeling creaky and overburden with narrative debt. This episode is a good example of this tendency while also largely working-that stops happening in later seasons when the show becomes a tired muddle. There is no story in this episode in itself. It is merely a collections of scenes that wrap up prior events or start future ones. It is all entertaining in large part because the writing is crisp enough and the developments are not necessarily predictable. If anything the episode is about Crowley and Sheppard is always entertaining. But something is *missing* in episodes like this. the certain spark that allowed each mythos episode to feel new, exciting and unique.
Review of Road Trip
