Supernatural is mere weeks away from airing its 300th episode, which is a milestone that few primetime dramas can boast of reaching. The show is bringing back some folks who haven't been seen in quite a while, and none other than Jeffrey Dean Morgan will make his long-awaited return as John Winchester. The Winchester patriarch died way back in Season 2, and more than a decade has passed since Morgan played him. Now, Morgan revealed why he wanted to return all these years later for the 300th episode, saying this:
But it always bugged me that the John that I played is different than the John that has been portrayed since I haven't been around. I really wanted the opportunity to be able to come back and make amends in a way and try to fix the sullied name of this character. But more than that, it's three friends, life lived. It feels like we've been friends for a lifetime now, getting to reunite in a place that we love and that we met and do what we do and I think that is super cool. So not only does John win in getting to come back and see his boys and Mary again and hopefully make some amends, it's just as cool for me, the actor, to be able to come back and see everybody.
Back when Jeffrey Dean Morgan first started appearing on Supernatural in Season 1, he was depicted as a guy who definitely wasn't Father of the Year but still loved and wanted the best for his sons. Was his version of "the best for his sons" twisted from what most dads imagine for their kids? Definitely. He still didn't come across as cruel and abusive, and his relationship with Mary seemed nothing but loving and healthy. In the years since... well, Supernatural painted John in a much worse light.
The show even gave him a secret son that Sam and Dean had never known about! Of course, they don't seem to spend much time thinking about Adam anyway, but the point stands: John Winchester of Season 1 is not the John Winchester of Seasons 2-14. Jeffrey Dean Morgan revealed that part of his motivation in wanting to drop by Supernatural again is to clear John's name, although he was also clear that he wanted to hang out with Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles again.
Despite Jared Padalecki and Ackles sticking around The WB/The CW for nearly a decade and a half while Jeffrey Dean Morgan moved on to other projects (including The Walking Dead), the three men stayed friends. In fact, Ackles and Morgan shared a back-and-forth on social media a few years ago that delighted fans, and Supernatural even included a nod to Morgan's Walking Dead character in an episode. It's only right that Morgan is back for Episode 300.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan also chatted with EW about the character he most wants to see John reconcile with:
I think it means the world to John certainly. And also for me, the actor that plays John, I think it means almost equally as much. There's always been a need for closure with these characters and their father, especially with Jared's character. Kid's a disaster because of his father apparently. [Laughs] My thing was always, if I come back, I gotta fix that. There's gotta be an opportunity to mend that relationship and I think that that's hopefully what the audience is anticipating.
Sam had issues with his father as a kid, a young adult, and even still years after his death, and those issues would never be definitively resolved so long as John was one of the few major Supernatural characters not to get a resurrection of some sort. If Jeffrey Dean Morgan has his way, Sam and his dad could get some closure. This could be Sam's last chance, but only time will tell.
The 300th episode will also feature a different version of Cas, some time travel, and the return of another character that died many years ago on the show. Basically, this is not an episode to be missed. Called "Lebanon," it will air on Thursday, February 7 at 8 p.m. ET on The CW. If you're still in the market for other shows now and in the not-too-distant future, check out our midseason TV premiere schedule.
