Photos: Diyah Pera/The CW
This week’s SUPERNATURAL ended on a grim note for a lot of characters. After trying to find a cure for Jack, the archangel grace they infused him with actually seemed to make him worse, which led to Rowena to declare he was dying and there was nothing left to be done. Meanwhile, Dean was experiencing vision problems, which seemed to indicate residual issues with his Michael possession. And, finally, Nick continues in a downward spiral, which could lead to him becoming a big problem. During a round of recent red carpet interviews for SUPERNATURAL’s upcoming 300th episode, we spoke to the cast and producers about how each of these issues will continue to play out.
- Dean’s Vision Problems. According to executive producer Brad Bucker, Dean’s recently manifested problems are “Michael-ish. Exactly what that means — [for example] is he having a Michael-induced aneurysm? That’s going to be a surprise.” When asked specifically whether Dean’s problems relate to Michael, executive producer Phil Sgriccia cryptically said “You’re going to have to keep watching because there’s more to all that. It’s a thread that keeps going.” Meanwhile, star Jensen Ackles warned that “This is not a fading problem. This is a problem that is festering. So it’s definitely going to rear its ugly head and probably in a way that’s the worst way possible.”
- Sam’s Going to Get Worried. With Dean’s mounting problems, how worried will his brother and their friends and family become? Buckner said that “Sam doesn’t become aware of it right away because Dean knows that everybody is (a) so worried about him, (b) so worried about Jack, and (c) so worried about Michael, that to add to their burdens by saying ‘something strange is happening to me’ is probably not his style. Sam doesn’t become aware of it for a while and we don’t play it every episode. But I think we raise the question in the minds of the fans and we’ll get around to solving it, but not right away.” In addition, star Jared Padalecki explained that “We’ve seen the opposite effect before, where Dean’s really concerned about [Sam] – when Meg had possessed Sam, when Gadreel had possessed Sam, when Sam had been soulless, when Sam had been Lucifer. So there has been a whole lot of versions of Sam. And I think we kind of feel like Sam’s been on the receiving end. He knows what it’s like to get beat up from the inside out. And so it makes him feel even more empathy and compassion for his brother — going ‘my God, this hasn’t ever really happened to Dean. I know how it’s affected me forever’. So I think Sam…he knows what that pain feels like and he wants to alleviate it from his brother.” Executive producer Robert Singer also reiterated that “For [Sam and Dean], their bond conquers everything. While they may get pissed off at each other or have differences of opinion — they might even fight each other over the course of time — ultimately it’s their love for each other that sustains their journey and it also sustains our show. If you asked me what the one big element of why we’ve managed to get to 300 [episodes], it’s because of that relationship.”
- Jack’s Prognosis. Things are not looking good for this poor kid who has barely had a chance to live. Rowena declared at the end of the episode that there was basically no hope for him and Ruth Connell said that “The truth is, when I’m reading it, I’m always wondering when Rowena says ‘that’s it’, even I’m going ‘is it though?’ Because sometimes she’s saying that and there is another avenue. But I do think the stakes are high. I do think they’re in pretty desperate, dyer circumstances, I think. I think it is true that they’re close to having exhausted most routes.” Padalecki added that “As you know, the Winchester brothers and Castiel don’t take anything lying down. So they’re going to try and figure out every single way [and] go to the ends of the earth [to help Jack]. Jack’s become a family member, much like Castiel become a family member in season 4 or 5 or 6 [when] they really got on the same page. And so they’ll treat Jack with the same respect and go after his survival with the same fervour that they would [do] with any members of their family.”
- Nick’s Dark Path. Nick turned to murder again in this episode and when I pointed out that Nick has been a very bad boy lately, Mark Pellegrino agreed and said “You’re right. How can I say this without giving anything away? I think you’re going to see Nick faced with a dilemma. And the dilemma is ‘do I choose love or power?’ You know, there was a certain anarchy to Lucifer, because he wasn’t beholden to natural law like the rest of us poor saps. And that gave him a freedom that none of us could really understand. And Nick is all too human and subject to all the laws of nature. And so has all of the flaws and foibles of a [normal] person…he has the doubts that anyone else has, that any human psyche has. And is flawed in the same way. You can say Lucifer isn’t flawed in a way, because he’s just consistently this and nothing gets in his way. He doesn’t have the dynamic of push back that Nick has to contend with and that makes Nick a lot more vulnerable.” As for what’s in store for Nick, Pellegrino gave his ominous warning: “I’m a huge fan of redemption arcs. I’m a huge fan of a redemption arc for Lucifer. I don’t know if that’s going to happen.” But could Nick be redeemed? “It’s possible for Nick too, still. Provided he doesn’t get into Lucifer’s grip again.” Speaking of getting into Lucifer’s grip, if you saw this week’s episode then you’ll know that a desperate — murderous — Nick was begging for Lucifer to help him…and something seemed to awaken.
- The Bunker Guests. The bunker has felt busier off and on since the beginning of the season, as several refugees from the alternate universe have taken up residence in the Winchesters’ home. However, Sgriccia said that that number might decrease soon. “There’s still some [people] that will stick around a little. Everybody starts getting kind of assigned to different areas and they’re out in the field a lot more. Bobby is still around. Ketch comes back [for a visit].”
SUPERNATURAL airs Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.