Supernatural season 15 came to a slightly delayed end, Jensen Ackles jumped back in the Impala's saddle to produce a prequel based around John and Mary. As well as guiding The Winchesters from behind the scenes, Ackles also serves as narrator, telling the story of how his parents first got together. Dean isn't just some disembodied voice speaking from the ether either - he actually appears onscreen in the pilot's final moments, writing in a journal (presumably about his parents' secret story) and driving off in the Impala after itting, "I'm still trying to find all the puzzle pieces myself."
This closing scene leaves Supernatural viewers with a burning question: when did Dean Winchester have enough time - without his brother around - to investigate the "truth" behind John and Mary? When does this journal-writing, Impala-driving scene actually happen in relation to Supernatural's chronology? One potential clue is the amulet hanging from Baby's rearview mirror. Supernatural season 10's "Fan Fiction" saw Dean receive an amulet prop from a "Supernatural" stage production. This was hung on the Impala's mirror during the final scene, but had already vanished by the following episode. Maybe that means Dean investigated John and Mary midway through season 10, but considering there's no discernible time-skip and Sam and Dean are together in both episodes, that seems unlikely. A more convincing option then appears: Dean is in Heaven.
Why Dean Could Be Dead In The Winchesters
In Supernatural's final episode, Dean Winchester is killed by a no-name vampire and ascends to Heaven. There, he enjoys a chat with Bobby, learns his parents are chilling together nearby, and takes a long ride in the Impala before reuniting with Sam. Dean's scene in The Winchesters could be happening during his afterlife years, since that would explain both why Dean looks around the same age as in Supernatural's series finale, and why Sam isn't around. There's just Dean, his car, and a long road - much like Heaven in Supernatural's series finale. Dean learning the truth about his parents after he dies also makes sense from a continuity perspective, since neither he nor Sam show any indication of knowing their father's secret background during Supernatural itself. Delving into Mary and John's past isn't just a good way to wile away eternity in Heaven, it also explains the sudden reappearance of Dean's amulet on the Impala's mirror and the car's season 1 license plate returning, since Heaven is unbound by the standard rules of reality.
Will Dean Appear Again In The Winchesters?
Jensen Ackles has remained deliberately ambiguous when discussing the extent of Dean's role in The Winchesters, and although it's possible he only turned up to give the pilot some Supernatural star power, Dean looks more likely to stick around. The aforementioned "find the puzzle pieces myself" line in The Winchesters episode 1 suggests Dean will accompany viewers for the entire ride - at the very least as narrator.
Such is the crazy world of Supernatural, however, Dean might involve himself in The Winchesters' narrative more deeply. Not only is time travel a common occurrence in Sam and Dean's line of work, but the brothers' angelic friends can zip them up and down the timeline with relative ease. Dean is also like a surrogate father to Jack (the universe's new god) so getting a day- out of Heaven to visit 1972 shouldn't be too difficult. The Winchesters makes no secret that its story isn't the story told by Supernatural - maybe Dean meddling with history is the reason why.
The Winchesters continues Thursday on The CW.