‘Supernatural’ 13x05 spoilers, recap: Castiel returns to Sam and Dean

“Supernatural” season 13 episode 5 has brought back two beloved characters, for real this time. “Advanced Thanatology” also teased Castiel’s (Misha Collins) highly anticipated reunion with the Sam and Dean Winchester (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles).

Spoilers for ‘Supernatural season 13 episode 1’ are below. Season 12 aired in Australia on Eleven.

The boys, minus Jack (Alex Calvert), headed to work on a case together. It was supposed to be a typical case where they would bust out and vanquish supernatural beings. But when a traumatised kid that they were supposed to help went missing from his home, Sam and Dean had to go to an old asylum where a doctor lobotomised all his patients to find Shawn, the missing teen.

Sam and Dean were able to vanquish the doctor’s spirit, but the kid, who was later found to be dead, was still missing. They figured the spirits of the doctor’s victims were still trapped on the other side of the veil that’s why they couldn’t talk to them. Dean then injected himself with a serum to make his heart stop so he could talk to the spirits.

Billie, the new Death

The reaper who welcomed Dean from the veil had to complain to the new Death about Dean being dead, and so Death, who turned out to be the newly promoted Billie the reaper (Lisa Berry), appeared before Dean. She explained that when Dean killed Death (Julian Richings) in the season 23 finale, the next reaper to be killed (Billie, who was killed by Castiel last season) had to take his place.

She wanted Dean to tell her how they were able to go to the alternate universe. Dean told her in exchange for the freedom of the trapped ghosts at the asylum. The fact that Dean did not ask Billie for his own life was proof that Dean had changed. As Billie pointed out, the older Winchester had already given up on life, to which Dean admitted that with so many losses recently, he just didn’t think he’d be useful anymore.

Billie the new Death told him that he and Sam were important, and so he must go back and continue living. When Dean asked her if their mum, Mary (Samantha Smith), was still alive, Billie sent him back without answering his question.

Castiel’s return and Dean’s reaction

Since Jack unknowingly summoned Castiel from the empty – a place where it’s just nothing, where all dead angels go – the Winchester’s angel was able to annoy the empty entity enough to send him back on Earth. It’s no secret that episode 5 would be the one where Castiel would finally return to Sam and Dean. And that happened in the very last second of the episode.

As the brothers were driving home to the bunker after solving the case, Dean received a call that made him drive to a dingy alley. It was not revealed who called him, but viewers can perhaps guess that the voice on the other line said something like, “Hello, Dean.”

On the alley was a phone booth, and beside it was Castiel, who turned around dramatically and looked at Dean with such longing in his eyes. Dean looked like he couldn’t believe that the angel was back. Sam’s reaction, noticeably, wasn’t the focus; he wasn’t even in the shot. The episode ended there, without anyone saying a word.

Sam had been unusually nice to Dean in the episode because he knew his brother was suffering even if Dean wouldn’t admit it. He even invited him to a strip club, which he himself didn’t like going to, in a bid to make Dean happy. Dean declined but it was later revealed that he had gone there alone anyway.

Dean earlier admitted to Sam that he was not fine, that he needed a win after all that had happened. Could Castiel’s return be considered a win for him?

Next week, “Supernatural” will see Sam and Dean and Castiel and Jack taking on a case in the American West, to the delight of Dean, who loves all things cowboys.