Supernatural stars preview Castiel's return and introduction to Jack

Last week, Dean Winchester got the one thing he needed: a win. After he had a heart-to-heart with Death, he returned to the land of the living to get a phone call from a very-much-alive Castiel, who was waiting for the brothers at a payphone. But what can Supernatural fans expect now that Cas is back and meeting Jack for the first time? “It’s kind of back to the same old same old,” Jensen Ackles says. “One of the things that I know Dean is clinging to is the fact that at least we’ve got something back.”

As for Sam, Castiel’s return is most important in terms of what it means for Jack. “Sam is excited that Cas is here because Jack has a connection with Cas. He knows that Cas is going to be his protector, so I think Sam is relieved that Cas might be a calming factor for Jack,” Jared Padalecki says, adding, “Cas does seem different. I don’t know if that’s because now Cas is kind of a father figure or trying to be. We’ll see how it plays out but so far, I think Sam’s pretty excited about it, and he has Cas back.”

When it comes to the actual meeting of Castiel and his surrogate son of sorts, Jack, Misha Collins says: “When Cas and Jack meet, there’s a bit of a protector instinct that kicks in with Cas. He made a pledge that he was going to take care of this kid to Jack’s dying mother and he feels like he owes that to her. He also continues to believe in Jack. He thinks that he can be a force of good if properly nurtured. So he’s trying to do that. Cas is an optimist. He’s naive and foolish but he’s an optimist.” Let’s hope, this time around, his optimism doesn’t come back to bite him.

Supernatural airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.