Supernatural took Dean Winchester to Hell last season and now he’s back. At the start of season 4, Dean returns with the help of an angel, named Castiel. Castiel is too powerful for humans to experience, so he’s ‘vesselizing’ a devout volunteer. The angel leaves his blistery hand print on Dean and tells him God commanded Dean’s resurrection.

Holy tax accountant!

As one expects from Eric Kripke, things may not be as straightforward as they first appear. For now, let’s assume Castiel is God’s rep, and ignore the suspect Constantine outfit. Castiel is sooo not from around here. He enters like a powerful badass what with flattening the forest, burning out eyes, making ears bleed, and smashing all the glassware. Castiel has a menacing intensity like a bird of prey, and yet lacking guile. Maybe he is God’s attentive Sheep Dog sent to guard over Dean.

Castiel could only get Dean back into his body in the pine box that Sam thoughtfully provided. Dean had to claw himself up the last six feet under to his rebirth. He crawls out to a whole different world, with Dean encircled by scorched earth. A cross marks his spot in a field that looks nuked. Other than a dusting of graveyard dirt, Dean looks pretty good. His first action is to look for people and finding none, he breaks into a gas station, robs the place of water, food, porn and cash. Seems like Dean!

Resurrected Dean looks younger and shinier than Shredded Dean. Burnished. Who knew Hell was so good for the skin? Other than a new tattoo of a red blistered Hand Print, Dean seems OK. His face has lost a lot of the tension and worry now that his deal is over. Dean can still bleed when cut by a knife, so he’s some kind of mortal.

What did it cost?
For all that Dean was motivated to protect Sam before Hell, he’s a little slow on asking about Sam when he gets back. Dean chews Bobby out for not watching over Sam, not connecting the empty booze bottles to how much Bobby was effected. Dean immediately thinks Sam did a very bad deal to get him back. He finds Sam easily though, knowing Sam’s alias, Wedge Antilles, the last man standing.

The reunion of the brothers is emotional, but not quite right. Sam doesn’t ask Dean how he got out of Hell. Dean’s not too concerned that Sam has been hunting alone, John-style, for revenge. Sam has maybe been hooking up (assuming Kristy was not possessed by Ruby in the motel. I’m going with that assumption because the alternative interpretations are disturbing.) But Dean does not fist-pump this news, though in the past he encouraged Sam to get some. Dean later says he almost forgot his beloved car. So maybe Dean is different.

But some things stay the same. Dean continues in Big Brother mode, questioning Sam about his activities. Dean doesn’t recall his four months in Hell, to the relief of grief- and guilt-laden Sam. To Sam’s dismay, Dean continues grilling him about what he’s been doing alone.

What other weirdo crap you got going on?
Sam evades on his activities in the last 4 months. He failed at opening the Devil’s Gate or making a deal. But Sam did succeed at learning to exorcise demons with one hand and probably much more.

What’s worse than seeing Dean die over and over again in the episode Mystery Spot?
Answer Part A: Seeing Dean shredded before Sam’s eyes then driving his dead body 200 miles to bury him in Pontiac Illinois. (Why the car trip Sammy?)

Answer Part B: Thinking every day for 4 months after burying Dean about his torture in Hell; blaming yourself for failing to save him, and second guessing if Sam’s powers could have stopped all this from happening.

Somewhere buried very deep, Sam must be angry at Dean and at himself for not learning to use his powers sooner. Sam’s immunity to Lillith begs the question of whether he would have been able to take Lillith… whether he could have tried to kill her before Dean got taken… whether he should have tried to use his powers earlier. This coulda woulda shoulda mulling probably led Sam to figure his best shot to Kill Lil was to embrace the powers he long ignored.

What about your freaky ESP?
Are Sam’s powers pure evil? Maybe he had the powers from birth, and the Yellow Eyed Demon’s blood was a taint, or some kind of inoculation. The other PsyKids who embraced their powers - Ava, Jake, Max- they were ultimately corrupted by them. Andy never really harmed anyone with his powers or became corrupted though, and he consciously practiced his powers too.  Dean recognized the goodness in Andy.  And Dean’s said the same things about Sam - that he doesn’t have evil in him.  Ruby twice before referred to Sam’s talents as God-given, and then she “corrected” herself. The jury is out on how frelled Sam is by using his mojo.

Lying’s a sin you know
Sam and Dean are out of sync on how to find answers about Dean’s resurrection. Dean’s plan is to summon the thing, despite knowing it burned out PsychicPam’s eyes when she looked at it. Sam’s plan is to interrogate the demons and then take them out.  Not sure either plan is a good idea.
When Dean gets shattered by Castiel’s last attempt at communication, he sees Sam is gone.  Where’s the worried Sam?! yelling?  Dean phones Sam and his question is What are you doing? The old Dean would have asked Where are you!? 
He doesn’t mention that Mr. HandPrint trashed him and the motel either. Instead the story is that Dean’s getting a beer. Sam’s line is that he’s getting a burger. Let the secrets and lies ensue!

You OK Kid?
Bobby’s off his game too. Dean was attacked by the thing that burned out his friend Pam’s eyes, and yet Bobby goes along with Dean’s High Noon plan to summon Mr. Hand Print? Where’s the stern Bobby who yelled at Tamara for going in half cocked in the Magnificent Seven?  Why isn’t he urging Dean to take a breath to figure things out before making a move?

It doesn’t occur to Dean to worry that Sam is out demon hunting alone; probably because Sam did not take the Demon Killing Ginsu. Both brothers take their own paths. Neither tells their plans because each knows the other would try to stop him. Sam uses his new Jedi mindtricks and finds out that Mr Handprint visited the demons. Ruby tells him that Dean’s resurrection is cosmic.
Sam says he knows Dean will try to stop him from using his powers. He also says he doesn’t know if using his powers is right. But saving people and stopping demons feels good to Sam. Oh, Wedge. You are severely messed up since Dean died.

We have work for you
Dean states clearly in season 2’s Houses of the Holy that he does not believe in angels, because he’s never seen proof.  As a boy, his Mother told him angels were watching over them, yet Mary was killed by the Yellow Eyed Demon. If angels do exist, they suck at their job.

Will Dean accept that Castiel is an angel? Castiel is not very persuasive as a good guy, since he burned out the Psychic’s eyes and possessed a tax accountant.  Did the devout volunteer know in advance that Castiel was taking his body into actual battle? 

Now Dean has been called up to the big leagues for Team God. Is it me, or does working for God never turn out that well for the human helpers? Oh sure, there’s Heaven at the end of the job, with the plush Sky Box seats, but still.

Castiel may have an intriguing impact on Dean (and vice versa). Dean’s facing some big questions and emotions to wrestle. Castiel’s presence introduces doubt about the nature of the world to which Dean has returned. Once the Hell memories bubble up to the surface of Dean’s consciousness, he may get even more fudged up.

What will Dean do with his second life?

Even if Dean does accept that God exists, Castiel likely underestimates the level of resentment Dean might have towards a God who seemingly sat on the sidelines while humans have been getting their asses kicked by evil for quite some time. Dean might take on the job, but unload an earful on God about His mysterious ways.