Consistently, the dialogue tells us she's powerful and knowledgeable, but only shows her being passive or providing exposition. For one of her most powerful acts, (skip more S3 spoilers (#skip.moreS3spoilers)) repairing the Colt, we don't see her providing any repairs, and--this is really critical--we don't see her giving the Colt to Sam. When she dies in S3, she dies off-screen, defeated by Lilith; the body we know as hers falls out of frame as it falls, so that it merely provides a counterpoint for Dean's body. (And of course that accurately represents Sam's POV, he's not going to care about Ruby when Dean has just died; but the point is, the structure of the story, including putting Lilith's leaving the body and Dean dying so close together, is determined by the writers, who clearly did not consider Ruby's death an important enough part of the narrative to show, () as they did not generally consider her an important enough part of the narrative to show her qualities rather than talk about them.)

'Madonna.' (http://sweetestdrain.livejournal.com/209349.html?mode=reply&style=mine) Let me underneath your halo. (http://thuviaptarth.dreamwidth.org/profile)thuviaptarth (http://thuviaptarth.dreamwidth.org/)'s rec:
Supernatural is Mary's nightmare, take one: S1-S2. Claustrophobic, lovely, painfully sad. Pretty much sadder every time I watch it, in fact. Cocorosie is fantastically well suited to the video's delicate and eerie atmosphere.

'And all my bones began to shake.' (http://community.livejournal.com/lightningmix/3004.html?format=light) DEAN: "You're so damaged." BELA: "Takes one to know one." Felt it in my fist, in my feet, in the hollows of my eyelids. Bela as Dean's mirror in S3, but with heartbreaking differences. Beautiful editing; Florence's larger-than-life voice makes it feel still more epic despite the short length of the video.

'Fade Out' is at the same post - it's about Castiel, Jimmy, and Claire. There's darkness at the end of the tunnel. Wonder, terror, and human love as trapped by vast and largely uncaring forces beyond comprehension. I was surprised at how well the choice of music worked with the video's themes; the end prior to the last soundbite is especially remarkable.

'The Devil's Inside My Head.' (http://mithborien.livejournal.com/90736.html?mode=reply&style=mine) "You know what's the worst thing I can think of?" (http://thuviaptarth.dreamwidth.org/profile)thuviaptarth (http://thuviaptarth.dreamwidth.org/)'s rec: Supernatural is Mary's nightmare, take two: S1-S4. This song by Kasey Chambers is music I can actually almost picture being featured on the show, though SPN seldom features anything other than white dudes on its soundtrack either. Here, it gives the video a personal feel, as though we really are in Mary's head. Stunning, in particular the closing images.