We're a little over a month away from the return of
Supernatural. It's been a long summer without the Winchester brothers, especially since we were left with a jaw-dropping cliffhanger that found Dean trapped in Hell. When I sat down to think about five things I hope to see in season 4, Dean's resurrection didn't make my list. Not because I don't want it to happen, of course, but because it's obvious it's going to. Dean won't be away from the world for long, and I thought it'd be interesting to think up five ideas that are more unlikely. These things may never actually happen on
Supernatural, but if they do I'll be the first one to stand up and cheer.
5. A Body Swap Episode
For reasons beyond my comprehension, series creator Eric Kripke seems to be against doing a body swap episode. The concept seems like a total slam dunk, and the chance to see Jensen and Jared copy each other's acting styles would be fantastic. I want to see
Jensen Ackles with his mopey face on, and I want to see
Jared Padalecki rocking out to Metallica. Is that so much to ask for?
Supernatural has tackled many of the same things that
Buffy the Vampire Slayer took on in its seven seasons, so the writers should take a look at the fantastic Buffy/Faith body switch episode from season 4, "Who Are You?" Body swapping can be extremely cheesy, but
Buffy proved that it doesn't have to be. Come on Kripke, give the fans what they want!
4. More about Sam's Dark Side
Due to the writers' strike that interrupted season 3, a major plot line involving Sam had to be pushed to a later date. That's understandable, as the writers had to bring Dean's deal to a satisfying conclusion. While I expect much of season 4 to focus on Dean's resurrection, I hope the show also makes time to explore Sam's inner struggle and a possible reemergence of his powers. Sam became a much darker character in the third season, and the reasons for that still need to be explored.
3. More Mary Winchester
Mary Winchester remains quite the mysterious figure, doesn't she? We know that she recognized Azazel on the night she died, but that's another thing that wasn't addressed in season 3. We still need to know more about her past, and we'll hopefully get our wish in the fourth episode of the new season. That installment finds Sam and Dean time traveling to the past and meeting their parents when they were teenagers. Very
Back to the Future, but hopefully it'll be interesting.
2. The Return of Ellen, Jo and Ash
These three characters were some of the most memorable recurring players in
Supernatural's history, but they've all been MIA since season 2. It was heavily implied that Ash died when the Roadhouse burned down, but nobody is dead on this series until they show a body. As for Jo, I'd like to see her come back a bit more mature and bad-ass, while Ellen could certainly be useful in helping the boys hunt down demons. These characters are too important to the
Supernatural universe not to come back sometime.
1. An All-Out Demon War
Supernatural doesn't have the budget to mount a demon war that looks like something out of
The Lord of the Rings, but I'm okay with that. I loved the way season 3 built up the idea of a massive demon war brewing, and the introduction of Lilith really kicked things up a notch. With all that in place, I'd like to see season 4 come to an end with the big war we've been promised. The writers can figure out exactly what to show us, but I think it'd be interesting if the war happened and season 5 was all about the aftermath. Maybe the final season could even be set in a post-apocalyptic landscape. That'd not only be dark and fascinating, but it'd certainly be cheap to pull off.
Which would you most like to see?
- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of the CW)