Supernatural 13×03 featured the return of an old psychic friend, the introduction of a new one, and a psychic-loving wraith

After devoting the first few episodes to resolving last season’s cliffhanger and setting up the premise for the current season, Supernatural returned to its monster of the week format this week in “Patience.” Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) received a call Missouri Moseley (Loretta Devine), a psychic and old friend they hadn’t seen in over a decade (last seen way back in the first season’s “Home” to be exact). Sam decided to stay behind in the Bunker to look after Jack (Alexander Calvert) and continue to help him control his powers. Dean, with the help of Jody (Kim Rhodes), went to help Missouri.

The case of the week was relatively straightforward and not particularly notable on its own. It involved a wraith that targeted psychics. Naturally, it wasn’t long before the wraith targeted Missouri. Surprisingly, Missouri was soon killed by the wraith, which she saw in advance. Before her death, she told ‒ ok, ordered ‒ Dean to save her family. Specifically, she asked Dean to save her granddaughter Patience Turner (Clark Backo). Patience, like her grandmother before her, is also a powerful psychic. The introduction of Patience was also the first step the writers have taken this season to set up the proposed spin-off series Wayward Sisters. Clark Backo is set to star as a series regular on the spin-off show if it ends up being ordered by The CW. At the very least, we can expect to see more of her in the future.

RELATED | Supernatural Roundtable 13×02 “The Rising Son”

Once the wraith threat was taken care of, Sam and Dean had a fight about how to deal with Jack once again. This time Sam brought up his past of drinking demon blood and being used by Azazel to free Lucifer from hell. Jack listened in horror as he heard Dean say what he really thinks of him. While upset, Jack appeared to reach out to Castiel (Misha Collins), who woke up in a black void.

Despite the show dialing back most of the main story for this episode, it advanced multiple character arcs, introduced a new character, started setting up Wayward Sisters, and hinted at bringing back Castiel. So let’s get right into discussing the episode with our roundtable guests!

Sarah (@mishdestiel) - Writer, reader, student. Cornered by Supernatural eight years ago.

Linda (@facsdown) - A fan that is a bit too emotionally attached to the characters

Donna (@DeeMacNY) - Supernatural fan since season 1.

Tricia (@tricia_16_) - Wayward wife and mother of two who found my people, my passion, and myself through Supernatural and its fandom

Cat Bow (@Pathryn34) - Mother, wife, kind, and loving

1. It’s been over a decade since we last saw Missouri, and the writers immediately killed her off. How do you feel about that decision? Do you think she’ll still be making appearances on Wayward Sisters?

Sarah (@mishdestiel): Despite Supernatural’s fame of killing female characters, I can honestly say I was not expecting that from this episode. Maybe during Wayward Sisters, but certainly not this soon… much less minutes after bringing her back. I felt very upset about it, and so did Jody and Dean. If Missouri ends up appearing again it probably will be related to Patience, perhaps when she is trying to decide whether to embrace her abilities or not.

Linda (@facsdown): I’m so upset they killed Missouri so quickly, she was in the episode for like 10 minutes. We know that her son and herself had problems and she felt bad about his wife dying and being wrong so she must be blaming herself and choice to die like that. I hope that she’ll be making an appearance even if it’s just a flashback from Patience.

Donna (@DeeMacNY): I think it’s a shame to bring back an interesting character from Sam and Dean’s past only to kill her. It makes it doubly regrettable when that character is not only a woman, but also a POC. It’s also a shame, and puzzling, that Sam, who has a psychic past, was completely excluded from spending any time with her. As far as her being in WWS, as they say, no one is really dead on SPN, so I suppose it’s possible. Hopefully they won’t bring her back just to kill her yet again.

Tricia (@tricia_16_): Supernatural has a bit of a thing with doing this to us. After a lot of fans begged for Eileen to come back, they brought her back just to kill her, too. So I can’t say I’m surprised that they did this, but I do think it was a dick move. Especially since this was the first nod towards what is going to be Wayward Sisters. It was pretty shitty of them to introduce a show about strong, female characters by killing off a strong, female character. I don’t think Missouri will make an appearance in Wayward Sisters. I think she’s gone for good.

Cat Bow (@Pathryn34): I truly expected it. The premise of Wayward means that loved ones have to die. I hate that she died, but I love that she did it on her own terms. And to protect her family. Death is not the end in Supernatural, so I doubt it will be for Wayward. If nothing else, flashbacks may show her.

2. Jack continues to have a strong connection to Dean. His fears about his powers seem to largely stem from Dean’s concerns about him turning evil. If Dean supports him, do you think Jack will start making more progress with being able to control his powers?

Sarah: I believe Jack would make progress if Dean supported him, yes, especially since his worries are not just about controlling his powers or not becoming evil. He seems to have a need to get Dean’s approval and at this point, Jack will do pretty much anything to get that. He sensed and heard how important Castiel was (and still is) to Dean and it seems like he immediately saw there an opportunity to get said approval. Possibly that can make him progress.

Linda: If Dean starts to support Jack, I feel that Jack will want to use his powers. Right now he’s scared to use them since Dean said he’ll kill him if he goes dark side. As well Jack is capable of using them he just prefers not to.

Donna: I’m actually not seeing any connection between Jack and Dean, other than Dean wanting to kill him and Jack’s understandable fear of him. Jack’s connection is with Sam, with whom he started to form a trusting bond. Unfortunately, I think Jack overhearing Dean’s words at the end, accusing Sam of only using him, will completely undermine that trust.

Tricia: That’s a great question. I don’t know that Dean supporting Jack is the key to helping Jack gain control over his powers, but I do think it would be a move in the right direction. However, I think it was made pretty clear that Dean’s hatred towards Jack stems from his belief that Jack’s to blame for his mom and Castiel’s deaths. So until Cas comes back, Dean isn’t going to be on board. I think it’s ultimately going to be Sam who gets Jack to where he needs to be.

Cat Bow: This is an interesting thought, and he probably would if he felt his powers weren’t evil. But is that for the best? Wouldn’t it be better if he was cautious with his powers? He is unimaginably powerful, so maybe going slow and questioning himself is a good thing. If Dean’s belief that he is evil accomplishes that, I’m grateful. It might make it less likely Jack will go evil, since he is always guarding against it.

3. This week Clark Backo, who is set to be a series regular on the proposed spin-off series Wayward Sisters, made her debut as Patience. What did you think of her performance and character so far?

Sarah: Patience immediately won me by being sweet and determined. I think the best word for her is authentic. I enjoyed seeing a mature girl, almost leaving high school and knowing what she wants, even if that changed at the end of the episode. Her conflicts were very well presented, giving space to a gigantic amount of possibilities for Patience and her future. Clark Backo’s acting was incredible! It really gave life to an amazing character that I can’t wait to see again soon on Wayward Sisters.

Linda: Clark Backo’s appearance was good, and now that she’ll be in Wayward Sisters we have a bit of her background story which is good. I personally like Patience she’s just your normal teen who’s found out she have powers. I can’t wait to see more of her.

Donna: I think Clark’s performance as Patience was very good. Patience is an interesting character, and her fear and reluctance to accept her powers are a reoccurring theme on SPN. Once again, I’m puzzled as to why Sam, who also has had to deal with these conflicting emotions over his own psychic abilities, was left out of this story.

Tricia: I loved her character! She was introduced as a strong, smart, bad-ass woman, and that’s exactly what Wayward’s going to be about. I was surprised to see she didn’t know she had powers, and I’m really looking forward to seeing her develop them as time goes on. I think Clark made a fantastic first impression, and I can’t wait to see more of her on screen!

Cat Bow: I loved Patience! I love how she stands up for herself and how she will call things as she sees them. She was an amazing fighter! I’m so glad her vision was just that, though. My heart. I look forward to learning more about her.

4. Hunting alongside a psychic seems like it would be beneficial. A lot of deaths could have potentially been prevented. If Sam and Dean have the option, do you think they should team up with one? Or would they insist on going it alone as they always have?

Sarah: I don’t think they should. Sam and Dean would probably give that option much thought, though. But the thing is, people that are supposed to die will die, psychics being around to foresee it or not. And if they were always aware of other possibilities, they wouldn’t manage the burden and would end up having far more problems with guilt than they already have.

Linda: I say only when Sam and Dean think if they should bring a psychic along with them but, I think they would just stay alone as always, since they prefer that no one gets hurt and the would blame themselves if anything ever happens.

Donna: My guess is that Sam and Dean would not want to put someone else at risk, and therefore would not bring another person along on hunts with them on a regular basis. When they brought the psychic Pamela in to help in season 4, it had dire and then deadly consequences for her. I can understand their reluctance to do endanger someone else.

Tricia: I think they will insist on doing it on their own as usual. They have worked with a psychic before, after all. Pamela Barnes. They used her when they needed her, and it ultimately backfired on them and caused her death. I think that experience is enough to make them keep Patience (or any other psychic) at a distance, though I wouldn’t be surprised if they went to her for help every now and then.

Cat Bow: I think they have worked with psychics in the past and possibly in the future if a case involves one. However, I feel they will continue to go alone. They may still feel guilt over getting Pamela killed. They wouldn’t want to involve a psychic all the time for fear they may get hurt.

5. Jody undermined Dean’s advice to Patience. Should Patience try to have a normal life and listen to Dean, or should she listen to Jody? Maybe a bit of both?

Sarah: It’s hard to say because Patience is still very new to the “supernatural world”. She should try her abilities, of course, I don’t think she would just drop it. Maybe she should spend some time with Jody and learn a little bit more, and only then decide on what can be good for her future. I hope that she’ll make this decision for herself and not under her father’s, Dean’s or Jody’s influence.

Linda: Patience should listen to a bit of both, she should use her powers if she wants to, however make sure that no one gets hurt and not get into the hunting lifestyle since she has a good thing going on for her.

Donna: Dean was definitely speaking from experience, but he was also echoing Patience’s father’s wishes. I was actually more disappointed that Jody was undermining Patience’s father than undermining Dean. Although her dad had made mistakes in the past, he loves his daughter and should not be dismissed, especially not by a stranger.

Tricia: Jody didn’t tell Patience to be a hunter. She told Patience she didn’t have to listen to her dad or to Dean. She told Patience that learning about her powers or forgetting about them was her choice to make, and she’s right. So, I don’t think Patience should listen to Dean just to listen to him, but she should listen to Jody and make her own choice about who and what she wants to be. As an aside, hearing Dean talk about how there is no joy in hunting and how much pain there is in his life was hard to watch.

Cat Bow: Patience needed to hear both sides. That this life is ugly, gritty, painful, and filled with death. She also needed to hear that she would have support if she decided to use her powers. I love that Dean knew what Jody was going to say, and didn’t stop her. As Jody says, it has to be her choice. Hopefully, she will find the normal life/ hunting life balance that the Winchesters never could.

6. Sam raised a good point about his history of drinking demon blood. Dean went out of his way to save him. Sam attempted to use that to defend Jack and it blew up in his face. Is Dean blinded by the loss of Castiel and their mother or does he have a point?

Sarah: Dean and Sam both have a point. Dean is very shaken by his loss, and that is making him very emotional and on edge all the time. And Sam on the other hand might be excessively repressing his feelings and using Jack as a way to ignore what happened. I believe that for now, Dean can’t see that Jack isn’t destined to be evil because all he can see is the boy that somehow got Castiel killed. If Cas returns, though, he might change his point of view and things can become more balanced between him and Jack.

Linda: Dean is obviously very affected by the loss of Cas and Mary, but I feel that he is a bit blinded by it. Jack can be saved, he can be good and use his powers in a good way. But Dean also has a point, there is a possibility that Jack might go dark side.

Donna: I’m not sure that it actually did blow up in Sam’s face. He made a good point. Dean did give him a chance. Of course there’s no comparison between Dean’s feelings for Sam compared to anyone else, but Dean has shown the ability to see beyond the black and white of good vs evil in other cases as well. Lenore, Kate, Benny all come to mind. I think it’s also being dismissed that Jack is actually not responsible for Cass’s death or Mary’s disappearance. Jack didn’t ask to be born. He wouldn’t be there had Castiel not released Lucifer.

Tricia: He’s definitely blinded by the pain of the loss of Castiel and his mother. Sam was right in making the connection between himself and Jack. But Dean is so lost in his anger towards Jack for being responsible for Cas’s death (he seemed to come around to agree that Jack can’t be blamed for Mary) that he’s not going to see that anytime soon. I can’t think of another time Dean’s ever used his words to communicate the level of pain, grief, and anger we saw last night. Dean is grieving so hard and it’s absolutely heartbreaking to watch. Jensen is absolutely bringing his A game this season.

Cat Bow: Though I think Dean’s actions are determined by his emotions, I do not feel he is completely blinded. But he harbors a deep resentment of Jack. One that forbids the same bond he had with Sam when Sam was drinking demon blood. I feel the need to point out they Sam’s demon blood drinking caused the apocalypse, many people died. So Dean does have a point of that it could be far worse with Jack. I also loved that Dean called Sam out on using Jack. It’s not pure altruism and empathy. I’m sorry Jack heard it, though.

7. Castiel is finally back! Sort of. Jack appears to have the ability to bring angels (and probably humans) back from the dead or at least reach out to them. Do you think there will be any consequences to Jack bringing Castiel back to life? If so, what will they be?

Sarah: If Jack manages to learn and control his powers, consequences probably will mean nothing to him. He’s more powerful than Lucifer and that, if used the right way, can do much for him, Castiel, Dean and Sam. If Jack does bring Castiel back to Earth, I think angels will be hunting them all the time, not only going after Jack, but also after Cas. And there’s Asmodeus in this game, too. Unfortunately that means they probably won’t be in peace any time soon.

Linda: That’s hard to say, typically there is always consequences with bringing someone back. Cas might not be the same, he could be different. However Misha did say that he will have most of powers back. I guess we’d have to wait and see.

Donna: I think for now Cass is still in The Empty. If Jack does bring him back, it will be interesting to see if there are consequences this time. Billy had said there would be cosmic consequences for reneging on the deal Sam and Dean had made with her, but those still haven’t come to light either.

Tricia: I didn’t get the impression that Jack brought Castiel back to life yet, just that he was able to communicate with him wherever he is. It was like he woke him up from a nap. In the first episode, the angel Miriam said that Jack can’t bring Cas back to life, and I believed her. But if I’m wrong and Jack can bring Cas and others back to life, I do think there would be consequences. What would they be? I’m not sure exactly, but nothing good for Jack or the Winchesters, that’s for sure.

Cat Bow: When a person is dead and or Heaven or Hell, it has been canonically proven that you can either go get or interact with that person. I think this is a similar scenario. Jack will find a way to open a doorway to where Cas is. And, yes, there will be consequences. Maybe even on a cosmic scale. Breaking down the walls for one may let others enter. I worry how the Supernatural world will be affected, how reapers, and other beings will react. I fear what may come through.

Final Verdict: Supernatural may have prematurely killed off Missouri this week but it introduced a great new character, started to set up Wayward Sisters, and gave us hope for the return of a fan favorite

Supernatural’s first monster of the week episode of the season was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. The monster of the week aspect of the story, while important, ultimately took a backseat to the other elements in the story. After a twelve year absence, “Patience” reintroduced the psychic Missouri Moseley. Loretta Devine jumped right back into the role with relative ease. Clark Backo also made her debut as Missouri’s granddaughter Patience Turner and our roundtablers were highly impressed with her introduction. Supernatural has often had a fairly male-dominated main cast and it was great to see a strong new female character introduced. Jody providing a counterpoint to Dean’s about Patience continuing to hunt was also well-received.

Not everything worked out, however. We were saddened and disappointed by Missouri’s return and sudden demise. Supernatural has a long history of regularly killing off the majority of its recurring characters. So killing off Missouri wasn’t incredibly unusual on its own. While her death is appropriate for the premise of Wayward Sisters, bringing her back after such a long absence and then immediately killing her felt especially cruel. The writers deciding not to include Sam in a story about psychics that was thematically tied to his past was also a bit baffling and felt like a missed opportunity.

Despite Missouri’s death, Castiel’s re-emergence, Patience’s introduction, and Jack’s concerns about the use of his powers left us with enough to think about and be hopeful for to help partially take our minds off of her loss. We expect there to be major consequences if and when Jack pulls Castiel out of wherever he is (the Empty?). How will it all play out? We aren’t entirely sure but we’re looking forward to finding out in the weeks to come.

SUPERNATURAL returns next THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2nd at 8/7c on THE CW.