On Supernatural, you can’t be a real hunter until you’ve died and come back. Congrats, Jack!

But also, you aren’t a real parent until you’ve died for your child.

  1. John sold his soul for Dean in 1.22.
  2. Bobby stabbed himself for Dean in 5.01, and then sold his soul for Dean for Death’s location in 5.21, and then evaded his reaper to stay with Sam and Dean in s7.
  3. Mary sold herself to the BMoL for Sam, to save him from a world with monsters in it.
  4. Lily Sunder literally burned up all but the last sliver of her own soul for her daughter.
  5. Dean sold his soul for Sam in 2.22.
  6. ETA: Sam didn’t die in 13.23, but he did die in 13.21 on the way to rescue Jack and Mary, but that isn’t quite the same thing. But yeah, he faced LUCIFER, tried to put himself between Jack and LUCIFER, his greatest fear, and tells Jack to kill him to save himself. Not quite the same, but close enough.Not many people are willing to stand up to Lucifer himself to protect someone. That’s the sort of thing you do for your kid and pretty much nobody else.

Now Cas has essentially done the same for Jack.

But what has always, ALWAYS been the result of these deals?

  1. John was released from Hell in 2.22.
  2. Bobby recovered from stabbing himself, reclaimed his soul from Crowley in 6.04, and finally was saved from Hell by Sam in 8.19. And he’s still happily in Heaven.
  3. Mary was released from what the BMoL did to her.
  4. Lily Sunder redeemed herself in her own eyes and saved HERSELF from Hell through a selfless act of saving someone else’s child.
  5. Dean was raised from Hell.
  6. Dean dealt himself to Michael to save Sam and Jack.

BUT HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

  1. John was released from Hell WITH HELP FROM SAM AND DEAN. The Hellgate opened, and he escaped to help kill Azazel.
  2. Bobby recovered from his stabbing by A SECOND ACT of selling his soul, recovered from THAT by EXPLICITLY ASKING FOR HELP FROM SAM AND DEAN, was released from ghosthood by asking Sam and Dean to let him go and burn the flask, and was released from hell BY SAM.
  3. Mary was saved from losing herself by Dean confronting her in her own mind. HE ASKED HER TO SEE THE TRUTH.
  4. Lily Sunder knowingly cast that spell, knowing what the consequences would be, and saved someone else’s child, which (poetically) redeemed her own soul so she could be reunited with her own child.
  5. CAS raised Dean from Hell…
  6. Everyone worked together to save Dean from Michael, but they still haven’t ended that threat… but the four of them are working TOGETHER to do that.

So.. since this is a retelling of the old story, Sailing to Byzantium style, Cas has got to get over the notion that he’s somehow protecting Sam and Dean by not telling them about his deal with the Empty. Sure, he might gladly return there in exchange for Jack, but he doesn’t know how much that would break Dean. We know. We saw it in 13.01-13.05.

So, yes, Cas’s deal must be broken, because the narrative is screaming for it to happen. He must be saved, but he must be saved by his loved ones. He can’t do it alone. He can’t go gently into that good night. That’s not the story they’ve ever told, so it can’t be the story they’re telling now.

And finally, he’s earned redemption in Naomi’s eyes. So she’s gonna give him Michael’s assumed location…

Everyone is just happily watching Jack eat a burger.

EVEN CAS HAS A BURGER. He’s not eating it, but he has one of Dean’s special burgers. :’)

Like a real family. :’)

Oh heck, Jack is okay again!

He’s burning up a tiny piece of his soul, and he felt it.

They turn to face Lily, but she’s died… 😦

I hope this earned her the balance to go to heaven.

She showed up in Anubis’ office. Inside a giant clock. But now… her soul is destined for Heaven. :’)

Because doing the spell cost her life, but redeemed her soul :”)

Cas offers himself to the Empty in place of Jack…

she agrees, but she wants him to suffer a long long time first, so she’ll come when he finally allows himself to be happy, and the empty entity just… goes back to the empty.

At least Dumah is alive.

But the moment Cas feels happiness, she’ll be back for him.

And he tells Jack he loves him, but tells Jack NOT to tell Sam and Dean about his deal with the Empty.

D:

That’s… gonna come back to bite everyone…