‘Supernatural’: Rob Benedict, Jensen Ackles talk about Chuck’s return and earning Sam and Dean’s trust
“Supernatural” had its big reveal last week, with the prophet Chuck Shurley (Rob Benedict) revealed as God. So what will happen now? Before the big showdown with God and his recalcitrant sister Amara, Chuck/God will have to repair his relationship with Sam and Dean Winchester (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles), as well with all the angels who felt abandoned by their almighty father.
Ever since the season 5 finale, Chuck has been suspected of being the Big Man himself. It was never directly addressed in the show, although it was heavily hinted at the end of the 200th episode special.
In the season 11 episode 20 title “Don’t Call Me Shurley,” one of the most pressing fan theories has finally been answered. The producers didn’t sidestep the question or gave ambiguous, open-ended answer, they confronted it directly. Chuck is God, and he has been travelling as human all these years. It even had an answer to why Dean’s Samulet didn’t glow as it should in the presence of Chuck.
Benedict has known from season 5 finale that Chuck was indeed God. Series creator Eric Kripke told him himself. However, Kripke also told him not to get his hopes up because it would be difficult to bring back Chuck/God from the story, Benedict told TV Line. And now there’s a very good reason to for Chuck’s return, namely to stop Amara/the Darkness (guest star Emily Swallow) from basically destroying everything God created.
Before he can do that, Chuck would need to explain everything to the Winchester brothers first. As Benedict said, “My whole thing is going to be, first of all, convincing them that I am God and not just Chuck being weird. The other part of it is just getting them on board with me and what our job is going to be, what the obstacle ahead of us is.”
Chuck will need to earn Sam and Dean’s trust first since he has basically just left them to their own devices after season 5. Sam had been praying to God until he discovered it was really Lucifer (guest star Mark Pellegrino) who had been getting into his head earlier this season, while Dean has his own issues with the absentee creator.
Benedict said they will be able to set things straight, adding there’s always been a “lot of love” between Chuck and the boys. The trio would have to work together again to stop Amara and save Castiel (Misha Collins), whose vessel is being occupied by Lucifer and is currently being tortured by Amara.
As for Dean, Ackles said the revelation that the seemingly feeble prophet was actually the all-powerful God himself was a shock to the main characters.
“It was no surprise to me, I’m sure it wasn’t a surprise to you,” he told fans at Asylum 16 (via Enstarz) on Saturday, “but it was a surprise to Dean.”
The Samulet, which Dean threw into a rubbish bin in a motel some years back when he learnt God had abandoned them, was back and, apparently, in Sam’s pocket all this time. Chuck told Metatron (guest star Curtis Armstrong) last week, “You’ll never know where it’s been this whole time,” which did not explain at all where exactly it had been.
Ackles said that it was understood that Sam had kept it the whole time, but Benedict told Mashable that writer Robbie Thompson meant to leave it ambiguous.
The Samulet, or the amulet Sam gave his brother for Christmas when they were kids, was just an accidental addition to the story. Apparently, Ackles selected the necklace from a box of costume jewellery to give his character personality. The necklace then became a staple in Dean’s everyday outfit, and was therefore incorporated into the story.
Watch the teaser for the next episode, “All in the Family”:
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