Season 15 Callbacks

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Chuck recounts his history with Sam and Dean.

The final season of Supernatural has many returning characters, and callbacks to events of earlier seasons.

Returning Characters

Creatures and Spirits

Spells, Weapons and More

References to Past Events

15.01 Back and to the Future

15.02 Raising Hell

  • Francis Tumblety (Jack the Ripper) is one of the few ghosts of famous serial killers the Winchesters faced. They previously faced Dr. H.H. Holmes (Herman Webster Mudgett) in 2.06 No Exit and John Wayne Gacy (Pogo the Clown) in 14.13 Lebanon. Ironically, both Tumblety and Holmes were doctors in life and were both trapped by the Winchesters by the end.
  • Ketch and Rowena refer to their previous meeting, when the British Men of Letters captured Rowena several years prior and during her interrogation Ketch discovered that she implanted a special charm that could revive her if she is ever killed. In exchange for her release, Ketch made a deal with her to have the same charm implanted in his body, which he later used when he was killed by Mary Winchester in 12.22 Who We Are.[2]
  • Belphegor stated that souls from Hell can't go to Heaven, though John and Bobby went to Heaven in 2.22 All Hell Breaks Loose: Part Two and 8.19 Taxi Driver following their time in Hell, but he explains that Chuck made an exception for them. In 5.16 Dark Side of the Moon, Joshua tells Sam and Dean that God had granted them salvation into Heaven, implying that they were only allowed in because of Chuck. Bobby's entry into Heaven was a part of the second trial to close the Gates of Hell, which were recorded in the demon tablet by Metatron and were an extension of Chuck's will.
  • Francis Tumblety attempted to absorb Kevin Tran's spirit, the last time this act among ghosts had been seen was with Whitman Van Ness in 7.19 Of Grave Importance.
  • Rowena created another soul catcher much like the one used in 11.23 Alpha and Omega, though unlike last time, it can only capture a few ghosts at a time and the magic word is "Capare" instead of "Haggis." Despite how different both soul catchers are, they are both powerful weapons regardless of how many souls they contain.
  • When Dean apologizes for shooting Ketch with iron bullets, Ketch admits Dean's been itching to kill him again after Mary killed him following their fight in the Bunker in 12.22 Who We Are.
  • Amara talks about how Chuck and his archangels sealed her away, as mentioned by Death in 10.23 Brother's Keeper, and is now doing the same thing to him in his weakened state.

15.03 The Rupture

  • Lilith is mentioned when her method of controlling demons working on Earth is explained via her crook, which offers a way to stop the "Ghostpocalypse."
  • Ardat finds out their plans by posing as Arthur Ketch on his cell phone after killing him. Ketch previously posed as Mick Davies in the same manner after killing Mick in order to trick the Winchesters into a hunt so that he and a team could bug the Bunker in 12.18 The Memory Remains.
  • Belphegor says that Lilith was the only demon in Hell who could read Enochian, but Crowley and Abaddon have been known to read and write Enochian fluently.
  • Belphegor's plan to take in a vast number of souls, so their power would make him invincible and God-like recalls Castiel actions in opening Purgatory and absorbing the souls there. This gave him great power and he proclaimed himself the new God until he returned the souls to Purgatory.[3][4]
  • Belphegor had plans to become the new King of Hell after averting Chuck's "Ghostpocalypse," much like how Crowley became the King of Hell for six years after helping Castiel and the Winchesters stop the Apocalypse by sending Lucifer back to the Cage along with Michael, Adam Milligan, and Sam. Unlike Crowley, Belphegor is more interested in taking control of everything else by taking Chuck's vacant spot as the new God.
  • Castiel barely musters enough strength to kill Belphegor along with the souls he absorbed, destroy Lilith's Crook, and incinerating Jack's body. This is similar to when he barely gathered enough strength to split the demon tablet in half and banish Crowley in his weakened state after Naomi sent an incursion of her angels to rescue him from Purgatory in 8.07 A Little Slice of Kevin.
  • Jessica tells the Winchesters that Rowena gets killed by Sam in every version of her permanent death in 13.19 Funeralia. With Rowena's assistance, Sam driving the knife into her belly, fulfilling her destiny.
  • Rowena's sacrifice is amalgamation of Sam's sacrifice in 5.22 Swan Song and Crowley's sacrifice in 12.23 All Along the Watchtower. Her last words, "goodbye, boys," mirrors Crowley's own "bye, boys." She falls into Hell along with all the Hell Ghosts, much like how Sam imprisoned Lucifer along with Adam and Michael.
  • Castiel says his powers have been fading after Chuck declared "The End." All throughout Season 5, Castiel slowly started losing his powers until they were completely drained in 5.21 Two Minutes to Midnight. He regained his powers with some upgrades at 5.22 Swan Song after God revived him as a Seraph.
  • Dean's distant demeanor towards Castiel following the deaths of Jack and Mary and the revelation of Chuck's deception mirrors his loss of faith in Sam between Seasons 4 & 5 after he chose Ruby over him, gave in to his addiction to demon blood, killed Lilith with his psychic abilities, and started the Apocalypse by freeing Lucifer from the Cage.

15.04 Atomic Monsters

15.05 Proverbs 17:3

  • In Sam's nightmare, Dean attempts to kill the Lucifer-possessed Sam with the Colt, only to have Lucifer heal the injury and burn Dean alive. This references both when Dean tried to kill Lucifer, possessing Nick, in 5.10 Abandon All Hope... and similarly failed, and when his alternate 2014 self tried to kill the alternate 2014 Lucifer with the Colt while he was possessing Sam in 5.04 The End. The nightmare Lucifer even wears the same white suit from the latter instance.
  • The beginning scene where Ashley Monroe and her friends are stalked by the werewolves Josh and Andy May, is reminiscent of the scene from 1.02 Wendigo where Tommy Collins and his friends are stalked by the wendigo. In both episodes, three people are attacked at their campsite located in the Colorado wilderness and two of them are taken before the monster moves on to the third, who in both cases survives the attack.
  • In 15.03 The Rupture, the demon Malfayan rationalized his looting of Lilith's Chamber by telling Belphegor and Castiel, "What? Not like Lilith's coming back." Lilith of course would make her return in "Proverbs 17:3".
  • One of Lilith's lines as Ashley Monroe was, "Wouldn't it be great if everything was just planned out for you? If it was all just already decided?" to which Dean replies it wouldn't be. Gary Frankel, disguised as Sam, asked Dean "I don't know. You ever feel like your whole future is being decided for you?" in 5.12 Swap Meat, and Dean says it feels like that happens a lot, to which Gary replies, "No matter how much you fight it, you can't stop the plan. The stupid, stupid plan."

15.06 Golden Time

  • Castiel uses the alias "Clarence Worley" while working a djinn case in Wyoming. Clarence was Meg's nickname for him through Seasons 5 and 8.
  • The Bunker is shown to have a phone setup similar to Bobby Singer's and Garth's, used to back up aliases for hunters in the field. Like Bobby and Garth, Dean backs up Castiel's FBI alias. However, Dean simply hangs up on Castiel, leaving him to pretend he's still talking on the phone in front of the sheriff.
  • Dean uses Bobby's old FBI alias "Assistant Director Kaiser" that he had used in 4.14 Sex and Violence.
  • Sam tells Emily that Dean once put superglue in his toothpaste when he was 10. In multiple seasons, Sam and Dean occasionally start pranking each other, which ends up escalating to the point where it causes bodily harm, notably in 1.17 Hell House. Ironically, Sam also rubbed superglue around Dean's beer bottle, which made him peel the skin off his palm to remove it.
  • Sam made a hex bag and used it to kill Jacinda's mother by shoving it in her mouth. He originally learned how to make hex bags from Ruby between Seasons 3 and 4, designed to hide their location from angels and demons. By this point, Sam also learned a few tricks from Rowena, having learned how to cast killing spells using hex bags he designed.

15.07 Last Call

  • While Dean catches up with Lee Webb, he mentions how he suffered from ghost sickness at the hands of the buruburu Luther Garland in 4.06 Yellow Fever.
  • Dean and Lee Webb were hunting buddies while Sam was in Palo Alto attending college at Stanford.
  • Lee tells Dean he can't just sit around lip-syncing "Eye of the Tiger" when no one is watching, a reference to the outtake of Jensen lip-syncing at the end of 4.06 Yellow Fever.
  • Dean sings karaoke with Lee Webb, which is a reference to singing karaoke in 10.01 Black during his demonic misadventures with Crowley. Dean even wears the same clothes on both occasions. Dean also comments on how the last time he sang karaoke, he got food thrown at him.

15.08 Our Father, Who Aren't in Heaven

15.09 The Trap

  • Dean and Castiel make several references to their time in Purgatory between Seasons 7 and 8.
  • A Leviathan reveals that Benny was ripped apart by vampires for helping Sam and Bobby escape after the events of 8.19 Taxi Driver. Benny is still a Purgatory legend for escaping from Purgatory and then returning.
  • The Leviathan tells Dean and Castiel that Eve wants revenge for killing the Alphas and absorbing all of the souls of Purgatory.
  • Chuck's threats to persuade Sam not to imprison him are reminiscent of Zachariah's attempts to convince Dean to give Michael his consent in 5.04 The End. Both parties show the Winchesters alternate futures where they live in an apocalyptic version of Earth and eventually lose in the end. Both versions of Dean in these alternate futures lose hope in themselves and their allies. However, while Dean continued to refuse to give his consent, Sam is more receptive to the alternate future he sees.

15.10 The Heroes' Journey

15.11 The Gamblers

  • After Sam comments that he'd originally thought the coins from Fortuna's Alaskan pool hall were hexed or cursed, Dean brings up the Rabbit's Foot from 3.03 Bad Day at Black Rock which was cursed to give the owner good luck which turned sour after the object was lost.
  • The Winchesters refer to their past of hustling pool to make money to survive, something that hasn't been seen since 10.17 Inside Man. It's also shown that, unlike many of their other skills such as lock-picking, Sam and Dean really are good at pool on their own from their years of experience without the added luck God gave to them.
  • Fortuna's pool hall is similar to the witch Patrick's poker games in 5.07 The Curious Case of Dean Winchester. In both cases, the victims die if they lose too much, and both Fortuna and Patrick choose to play against Sam rather than take on Dean for a rematch. However, unlike Fortuna who skims luck off of each person's winnings, Patrick detests cheating, relying on intuition rather than reading minds or using magic to rig the game in his favor. Sam, who is not as skilled as Dean at pool or poker, manages to beat them both.

15.12 Galaxy Brain

  • At the end of 15.09 The Trap, Dean refers to Chuck's plan as "galaxy-brained", and tells Him to, "Go back to Earth 2 and play with your other toys." This episode begins "Four Weeks Ago" on Earth 2, and one of the TV screens Chuck turns on in the Radio Shed shows the ending conversation with Sam, Dean, and Castiel from "The Trap". Chuck then proceeds to "play" with his other "toys" for the next few weeks by destroying every alternate universe. Sam previously called Apocalypse World "Earth 2" in 13.13 Devil's Bargain and Dean called the French Mistake World "Earth #2" in 6.15 The French Mistake.
  • Jack looks at Mary's initials on the library table.
  • Dean and Castiel talk about how he and Kelly Kline recognized Jack's goodness in previous episodes.
  • Sam mentions the Cosmic Balance to Castiel after learning Jack is to kill God.
  • Dean mentions having seen Death's Library from 13.05 Advanced Thanatology.
  • Sam reminds Dean and Castiel about Ma'lak Box and how it was a plan of Billie's that failed.
  • When Dark Kaia demands her spear back, Dean says it was destroyed. Michael snapped it in two in 14.09 The Spear. The remnants of the spear were left behind in the penthouse apartment of the hotel in Kansas City, Missouri.
  • Dark Kaia reveals that when she accidentally stabbed Kaia Nieves with her spear in 13.10 Wayward Sisters, she tended to her wound before making her way to the Winchesters' world, revealing that Kaia is alive in the Bad Place and has been fending for herself for two years.
  • Jody explains that after Kaia's supposed death, Claire became obsessed with seeking revenge for two years, particularly after Jody told her that Dark Kaia had made her way to their world.
  • Jack uses his powers to dreamwalk with Dark Kaia, which mirrors the time he dreamwalked with Sam, Dean, and Kaia in 13.09 The Bad Place.
  • Merle talks about when Amara penetrated the warding in the Bunker to enter it in 11.22 We Happy Few.
  • Castiel talks to Jody about how he took everything from Claire when she was younger and he may never forgive himself for it.
  • Merle's death mirrors Death's death in 10.23 Brother's Keeper.
  • Dean remembers his first meeting with Death in Chicago during the Apocalypse a decade ago in 5.21 Two Minutes to Midnight, where Death prophesied that he would one day reap God in the end.
  • Billie explaining Chuck having to make Himself apart of the framework of existence, is similar to Chuck telling Sam and Dean that's written himself into the story in 4.18 The Monster at the End of This Book.

15.13 Destiny's Child

15.14 Last Holiday

  • Dean makes reference to having killed Hitler, which he did in 12.05 The One You've Been Waiting For.
  • Dean tells Sam the sleeping robe gifted to him by Mrs. Butters feels like he's wrapped in hugs, which he also told Sam when he wore a sleeping robe in 13.16 Scoobynatural.
  • The flat screen TV Dean got for the Dean Cave that was broken at the end 13.16 Scoobynatural was repaired by Mrs. Butters. He initially got the TV as a reward for saving the owner of a pawn shop from a dinosaur mascot outfit possessed by a ghost.
  • Mrs. Butters pulls out Sam's fingernails in a futile attempt to convince him to kill Jack. He previously had his fingernail ripped out in 3.08 A Very Supernatural Christmas when he and Dean were captured by Madge and Edward Carrigan, who were preparing a ritual to sacrifice them to Hold Nickar, Teutonic God of the Winter Solstice. Ironically, Madge, Edward, and Mrs. Butters are not fans of blue language.

15.15 Gimme Shelter

  • When Jack addresses himself as FBI, he holds his badge upside-down much like Castiel did in previous seasons and Charlie on one occasion in 8.20 Pac-Man Fever.
  • The picture of himself that Castiel uses to summon the crossroads demon Zack was an image of him from 13.06 Tombstone.
  • Amara meeting with Sam and Dean at Pavel's Deli in Pennsylvania to discuss her joining the team to fight against Chuck is reminiscent of when Castiel met with Metatron in 8.22 Clip Show at Eugenie's Bistro in Ojai, California, to discuss their plan to undergo the trials to supposedly seal the gates of Heaven.
  • Amara explains that she revived Mary in 11.23 Alpha and Omega hoping that Dean would understand that, despite how complicated she was, the real Mary was better than the one he always carried in his mind since she was real. She'd hoped her generous act would teach him that the present is always better than the past, as well as wishing it would extinguish Dean's lifelong rage over his complicated past resulting from his mother's initial death at the hands of Azazel in 1.01 Pilot.
  • Castiel reattaches Valerie's severed fingers as he did for Kevin Tran off-screen in 8.07 A Little Slice of Kevin.
  • The crossroads demon Zack's personality is more obnoxious than evil, much like Grab from 13.08 The Scorpion and the Frog.

15.16 Drag Me Away (From You)

  • In 1993, Dean makes a reference to Sam's imaginary friend, Sully, from 11.08 Just My Imagination.
  • The image of the shtriga from 1.18 Something Wicked and among John's research in 1.21 Salvation could be seen as Sam looks through the lore.
  • Dean sees a hallucination of his younger self in the hotel hallway. Sam previously saw a hallucination of his younger self while detoxing from demon blood in Bobby's Panic Room in 4.21 When the Levee Breaks.
  • When Dean is put in a hallucination of Baba Yaga's nest, he sees a young version of Sam dead. He had a similar vision of an adult Sam dead in the Soul Eater nest in 11.16 Safe House.
  • When Dean reveals Jack's plan to kill Chuck and Amara at the cost of his life, Sam berates Dean for keeping it from him, saying he thought they were past keeping secrets from each other. Sam and Dean (and other major characters) have hidden major secrets from each other throughout the progression of the series:
  • The Baba Yaga is the fourth monster defeated years before that the Winchesters have had to come back to finish for good. The first was the shtriga in 1.18 Something Wicked, the second was the demon in 7.15 Repo Man (though it's revealed that the killer is Jeffrey who lured the Winchesters back to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, to use Dean's blood to successfully summon the demon back), and the third was the Soul Eater in 11.16 Safe House (though the Soul Eater was an old case of Bobby's and Rufus's and not the Winchesters, and at the end of the episode, they head off to kill another one from an earlier case Bobby worked in Tennessee).

15.17 Unity

  • Amara references her first meeting with Dean in 11.01 Out of the Darkness, Into the Fire, when she tells Dean they will always help each other.
  • Adam corrects Dean that the forbidden fruit was a quince and not an apple, similar to when Crowley corrected Castiel in 10.23 Brother's Keeper.
  • Adam said that Chuck used his sons, Cain and Abel, as part of one of his first stories, which was explained in Season 9. When Lucifer planned to make Abel into his pet, Cain offered a deal where Abel would go to Heaven and he would go to Hell. Lucifer accepted as long as Cain killed Abel, giving him the Mark. Once Cain killed Abel, he committed suicide with the First Blade to keep himself from becoming the killer the Mark wanted him to be, but the Mark corrupted Cain's soul and revived him as the first Knight of Hell.

15.18 Despair

15.19 Inherit the Earth

15.20 Carry On

  • The Winchesters once again use information in John's Journal to help them solve a case much as they often did in the earlier seasons.
  • Sam uses dead man's blood bullets, which is one of the specialty bullets used by hunters over the years.
  • While hunting the vampires, Sam and Dean encounter and kill Jenny from the Winchester brothers' very first vampire hunt in 1.20 Dead Man's Blood. Jenny was a young woman who was turned into a vampire by Kate after her lover Luther lets his nest kill and feed on Jenny's boyfriend. She and Kate escaped together after John Winchester killed Luther with the Colt. Dean comments on their history to the other vampires.
  • The vampire fight occurs in a barn much like the Winchesters' first fight with vampires when they took on Luther and his nest in 1.20 Dead Man's Blood.
  • Dean's death mirrors Sam's first death from 2.22 All Hell Breaks Loose: Part Two as both brothers are stabbed in the back, with the other brother seeing blood on their hands from the wound and declaring they would find a way to save the other. Dean also tells Sam, "Come here. Let me look at you" during both death scenes.
  • Sam and Dean's exchange as Dean is dying is verbatim from 1.01 Pilot, when Dean asked for Sam's help in finding their father. Dean even mentions when he picked up Sam to find John after dispatching Constance Welch the Woman in White. He admits he waited by Sam's dorm room for hours wondering if Sam would either tell him to get lost or die or what he would've done if he didn't have his little brother.
  • Sam quitting hunting after Dean's death echoes what he told Charlie Bradbury in 10.18 Book of the Damned.
"This is my life. I love it. But I can't do it without my brother. I don't want to do it without my brother. And if he's gone, then I don't..."

Meta References

Detail of Becky's Supernatural merchandise
  • The name on the crypt that Sam, Dean, and Castiel take refuge in is "Carver," a reference to previous Supernatural writer and showrunner, Jeremy Carver.[5]
  • Castiel is able to heal Sam's wound and mend his shirt. In Eclipse Magazine 2009, Misha explained: “Not only can Castiel heal the human body he’s possessing, but he has magical clothes mending abilities as well.”
  • In 15.04 Atomic Monsters, we find Becky is still a Supernatural fan, writing fanfic and making miniatures. The Supernatural merchandise in Becky's house was a combination of commercial Supernatural merchandise, items made by fans, and some things made for the show. The plaid quilt and other sewn items were made by Stef, aka @arachnobite, who also made Jensen's Red Hood and Batman costumes. A carved Supernatural-themed chess set in the living room was gifted to Jared at EyeCon in September 2008 by by Sandra Echeverri (@Sanpao19).
  • Becky's notes about Chuck's new manuscript in 15.04 Atomic Monsters can be seen as a meta commentary on the episode itself. Many of her notes such as there being no classic rock and neither Sam nor Dean mentioning Castiel and a cornered Sam and Dean listening to the "villain's" monologue happen in the episode. Her claims that the story has low stakes cause Chuck to write a new dark ending, which is mirrored in the episode when he disintegrates Becky and her husband. Throughout the series, there have been multiple episodes which tackle meta nods of several kinds.
  • In 15.07 Last Call, Lee Webb quips that Dean can't just lip-sync to "Eye of the Tiger" when no one's watching. This is a reference to the Jensen Sings outtake for 4.06 Yellow Fever where Jensen Ackles lip-syncs to "Eye of the Tiger."
  • In 15.10 The Heroes' Journey, the Winchesters and Garth talk about how Sam and Dean are the heroes of the story while Garth is just a special guest star or a recurring character and not a main hero. Garth says he's fine with that, as he believes being the hero sucks because their lives are hellish until they win, which they always do eventually.
  • In 15.12 Galaxy Brain, while preparing to destroy all of the alternate universes, God say He needs less of the "failed spinoffs." The Bad Place was an alternate universe created for the Wayward Sisters spin-off and is destroyed in the episode. Another planned spin-off was Supernatural: Bloodlines. Supernatural had aired one spin-off, the Ghostfacers Web Series, which only lasted one season.
  • The similarity in the events of 15.20 Carry On to 3.11 Mystery Spot is a possible nod to Jared Padalecki mentioning the team's consideration to end the show at Season 3. In the Nerd HQ at Comic Con 2011, he cited 3.11 Mystery Spot as a possible series finale (along with a possible movie) due to the Writers Guild of America Strike back in 2007-2008 since it was the last episode made before the strike.

References