What Is and What Should Never Be (Supernatural)

Lore & Background

The episode begins with Dean attacked by a djinn in an abandoned warehouse. He awakens in a world where his mother Mary (Samantha Smith) was never killed by the demon Azazel. In this reality, Dean and his brother Sam (Jared Padalecki) were not raised as hunters; Sam is engaged to Jessica (Adrianne Palicki) and attending law school, while Dean is irresponsible and drinks heavily. Dean initially enjoys this new life but is haunted by a ghostly young woman and visions of corpses. He realizes that all the people he and Sam saved as hunters are now dead, and that he and Sam have a distant relationship. After visiting his father John's grave, Dean decides to return to his original reality. He steals a silver knife from his mother's house, enlists a skeptical Sam's help, and discovers he is actually in a hallucinatory state created by the djinn. Knowing that death in the dream wakes the victim, Dean stabs himself and awakens in the real world, where he kills the djinn.

Reader's Guide

The episode is significant for its exploration of Dean's character and the central question of what the Winchester brothers' lives would have been without their mother's death. Eric Kripke drew inspiration from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Normal Again" and wanted to show that Sam and Dean would not be close if they had not become hunters. The episode brought back deceased characters Mary Winchester and Jessica Moore, allowing Kripke to expand on Mary's role. Despite low ratings, the episode received positive critical reviews praising Jensen Ackles' performance and the return of Smith and Palicki. Writer Raelle Tucker won a Constellation Award for her work. The production schedule was adjusted to accommodate Adrianne Palicki, who was simultaneously filming Friday Night Lights. The djinn's appearance was inspired by an image of a woman with henna tattoos, and the actor wore the makeup for four consecutive days due to time constraints.

Did You Know?

• The production schedule was altered to accommodate Adrianne Palicki, who was also working on Friday Night Lights.
• The djinn's tattooed appearance was inspired by an image of a woman with a henna-tattooed back that Kripke found on the internet.
• Writer Raelle Tucker received a Constellation Award for her work on the episode.