Nine things that need to happen before Supernatural ends

3. The return of John Winchester (for good)

John Winchester, played by the dashing Jeffrey Dean Morgan, was reunited with his sons and wife Mary (Samantha Smith) for the show’s emotional 300th episode, Lebanon. It was the reunion fans had been dreaming of since before dreams existed: Sam and Dean having the opportunity to enjoy a family dinner with both their parents since Mary’s (first) death. I cried, and not on the inside like a champion.

But then John had to return to 2003 so as not to upset the timeline. So essentially, he is still dead and (most likely) in heaven — where he’s no good to us or his boys. There’s been no word yet on Morgan returning this season and Eugenie Ross-Leming, writer and executive producer for the show, seems intent on dashing our hopes. During the Television Critics Association press tour, Ross-Leming said, “He had a fairly wonderful exit from the universe in his last appearance…I mean, I think it would be really hard to top that episode in terms of the family continuity and emotions. And I think he sort of made his mark the last season, myself.”

Let me stop you right there, my friend. It would be incredibly poignant and poetic if John was “saving people, hunting things” and joining “the family business” for one last fight… and survived. Frankly, many people would feel cheated if he doesn’t return to be there for his boys.

While satisfied with his character’s fate, Morgan himself would love to return for the show’s final season. During The Walking Dead-themed convention Walker Stalker Con Atlanta, he said, “It took a long time for John to get back, obviously, and make an appearance. When I went back last year, nobody knew that this year would be it.”

"There needed to be some closure for that character. A lot of years had gone by, and it was time to come back. But am I satisfied with it, yeah, I am. Would I like to go back, one more go? Heck yeah. Heck yeah, I would. But if I don’t go back, I’m happy with how that ended."

Sidenote: I wouldn’t mind a full family reunion that included Mary, but her story, post-resurrection, was awkward (remember Arthur Ketch and Bobby Singer from the alternate reality?) and wasted. She spent more time away from her sons than she did trying to get to know them as adults, and that destroyed my soul.