In the past twelve seasons, many Supernatural premieres have come and gone. Every time the credits roll on one I think to myself, well no way they will top that with the finale or the next season premiere. Yet… here we are, and here I am saying that “Lost and Found” is, not surprisingly, the best premiere this show has offered up.
It’s fair to say that the boys’ world is completely decimated after the events of last season’s finale. Standing over Castiel’s lifeless body, Dean looks more broken than he has before, and that’s saying something. While Sam is the first to encounter Jack, the newly born Nephilim, who is only interested in finding his father.
Here’s a quick cap of the Supernatural season 13 premiere:
Going right into work mode, the boys definitely have different ideas on how to handle the current situation. Sam wants to keep Jack safe, saying he is only a kid, and of course, Dean wants to shoot first and ask the important questions later.
While the guys are searching for Jack and trying to forget about all they lost, we are getting to know a little bit more about Lucifer’s kid. Though his DNA is half archangel and half human, his entire demeanor is reflective of the one he truly believes to be his father… Castiel. From his interaction with Clark, the sheriff’s son, to the way he converses with Sam, it becomes pretty clear that Jack really is nothing more than a large child, awestruck with wonder at this strange world and the powers he cannot yet understand or control.
Thinking that Jack’s odd behavior is due to drugs, Clark asks him:
“What are you on?”
Confused, Jack responds:
“I’m on a chair, on the floor, on the planet Earth.”
If that isn’t a Castiel thing to say… I don’t know what is. We also go on to learn that he really likes candy, especially nougat and becomes more Cas like as he continues to experience the oddities of his surroundings. Just as he is showing the Sheriff and her son how he can make the candy simply fall out of the machine, he’s blasted by angel radio. Sending Jack’s head into a tailspin, more of his uncontrollable powers surface and show the civilians just how different he really is.
As the episode continues, the boys end up locating Jack, but it doesn’t come without consequences. Between the noisy sheriff that requires “the talk” from Dean, and a few angels showing up to take their shot at the boy, saying they have their hands full is an understatement.
In the end, the attack from the angels happened to show us one important thing: an angel blade to the heart has no affect on Jack whatsoever. Knowing the potential danger and or value that Jack may have, Dean finally agrees with Sam that he should be protected for the time being back at the bunker. He still thinks he will turn into a big bad and that they will eventually have to kill him, but until that day, Dean knows now they can keep an eye on him.
Before heading home, there was one last bit of business that needed doing… a hunter’s funeral for Castiel that was more heartbreaking than just about any other scene that I can recall, save for maybe Bobby’s. As the fire burns away, Sam tries to remain hopeful for Mary’s life, but Dean is convinced she’s gone.
One last scene before the credits rolled:
Lucifer and Mary in the alt-apocalypse; him teasing her with her life. When she asks if this is when he is going to kill her, he says maybe, but then reconsiders saying, ‘maybe not… maybe I need you.” Of course, he needs her… He’s not dumb. Luci knows the Winchesters will try and get mom back and keeping her alive is really only his best interest. If Mary’s alive and the boys come to get her, they could be his only way to go back and continue the search for Jack.
This is what makes “Lost and Found” one of the best Supernatural premieres ever…
As a fan of Supernatural, you know that there are going to be moments that will carry on with you no matter how many seasons come and go. “Lost and Found” offered up another one of those as Dean was praying to Chuck, or God… or whatever…
This was the moment when my heart officially broke.
“…We lost everything, and now you’re gonna bring them back, k… you’re gonna bring back Cas, your gonna bring back mom, you’re gonna bring them all back. All of them. Even Crowley. Because after everything you’ve done, you owe us, you son of a bitch. You make this right, right here right now…”
The talk Sam and Jack have in the cell that definitively proves Castiel is the only father Jack will know…
A very touching conversation between Sam and Jack offers up a lot of information that is crucial for both of them. Sam learns that Jack can remember opening the portal to the alt-apocalypse world and that he heard everything in the womb. Which included when Kelly talked about Castiel being his true father and that he would protect him. Kelly talked to Jack and told him how the world was cruel and that he couldn’t be a baby, so he quickly grew into a young man and needs to find his father. It was a beautiful exchange that only Sam could truly handle. He has a way with people that Dean doesn’t or can’t understand, and was able to gently break the news to Jack that Castiel was dead.
The Supernatural premiere was ripe with moments that any longtime fan can appreciate and love, and cry over endlessly. Anyone who had doubt about the quality of the show’s 13th season should be able to not only shed it but relish in the idea that this could easily be one of the show’s best to date. I don’t think I have ever been more proud to still be riding in the back of the Impala after all these years.
I am strapped in and ready to go, boys, let’s ride!
Supernatural airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST on The CW.