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A Much-Needed 'Supernatural' Season 11 Refresher

In what can easily be described as one of the best and strongest seasons since Season 4, Supernatural Season 11 was pretty much without fault. Not only did it included a top-notch episode with "Baby," but it also featured one of the greatest overall arcs to date. Between the introduction of The Darkness, the revealing of God's true identity, Mark Pellegrino's magnificent return as Lucifer, and Sam and Dean trying to stay alive for Season 12, you can say this past season was all kinds of exciting. Since the upcoming season premieres Thursday, Oct. 13, it only makes since to recap Supernatural Season 11 to refresh your memories before the Winchester brothers find themselves in even more trouble.

One can only hope Season 12 (can you believe Supernatural has been on for 12 seasons?) will be just as exhilarating, but only time will tell. Be sure to keep those fingers crossed. As for Season 11, so much went down that you may have a hard time recalling everything. However, rather than focusing on every single detail, let's rehash the major points. You know, like how a huge character was resurrected in the Season 11 finale. Yeah, you know who I'm talking about. I'm still not sure if I've come to terms with it. Maybe recapping it all will help, so let's get to it.

The Darkness, aka Amara

The Darkness was introduced at the end of Season 10 thanks to Dean removing the Mark of Cain and fans had no idea what to expect, except, well, darkness. The Darkness, aka Amara, definitely entered Season 11 as the main villain with a goal of destroying God once and for all. Amara did whatever it took to get God to show his face. Thankfully, he did just that over halfway through the season, but not before viewers learned the real reason why Amara had beef with God. They are brother and sister. Yeah, that was a major twist. God locked away Amara eons ago and she wanted her revenge. Let's not also forget the unique connection Amara and Dean shared, which was both disturbing and unwanted by fans.

God's True Identity

Since Chuck disappeared at the end of Season 5, fans have speculated that he is God. That suspicion came to life in Season 11 when it was finally revealed that Chuck is God. Not only was the episode, "Don't Call Me Shurley," beyond fantastic, but learning how God came to be Chuck (Chuck is basically a character God played), why he's stayed away for so long, about his longterm family feud with Lucifer, and if or what he planned to do to help defeat Amara turned an already amazing season into an even more memorable one.

It's All About Family

All of Season 11 Sam and Dean tried to figure out a way to destroy Amara. When God, Lucifer, Rowena, and Crowley joined forces with them (who would've thought that would happen?), it became their best shot. I mean, Rowena even placed a bomb inside of Dean to blow up Amara, which would also kill him in the process. Don't worry, Dean didn't die and neither did Amara. In a somewhat surprising turn of events, Amara and God found peace. For those who were disappointed that the brother and sister reunited rather than fighting, you have to remember that Supernatural is all about family. That also goes for individuals like Amara and God. They, just like Sam and Dean, have family issues (definitely not the same, but still) and they worked it out in the end. Thank goodness, because there's a chance Dean would now be dead (again) and the world would be destroyed.

Casifer's Reign

When Mark Pellegrino returned as Lucifer in Season 11, I was beyond stoked. He is one of the best things to happen to The CW series and it was a most welcome surprise when he popped up. However, Pellegrino didn't stick around long thanks to Castiel (played by Misha Collins) becoming Lucifer's new vessel. Castiel thought this was a surefire way to end The Darkness, but he couldn't have been more wrong. As upsetting as it was to watch that all go down, at least Casifer (Castiel + Lucifer) was born. Collins is a true talent, but as Casifer? He hit it out of the park and showcased some of his best acting work ever. And remember, Lucifer isn't gone, either. After being ejected from Castiel, he disappeared and will return in Season 12 thanks to Rick Springfield.

Mary Is Back

After Amara and God made up, Amara wanted to do something nice for Dean. It seems like her way of thanking him was by resurrecting Mary Winchester. That's right, Mama Winchester is back in the flesh. She died when Sam was a baby and when Dean was a little boy, so to see her return was definitely a surprise for both Dean (he ran into her in the finale) and fans. What's to come of Mary remains unknown, but she has a lot of catching up to do. Seeing as Mary didn't want her boys to have the lives of hunters (like she did when she was younger), she is in for a rude awakening when she learns that is exactly the life they lead.

Sam's In Major Trouble

Season 11 closed with quite the bang — literally. After returning to the bunker with Castiel and thinking Dean is dead, Sam came face to face with Toni Bevell from the London chapter of the Men of Letters. Apparently, they aren't fans of Sam and Dean. She was sent to bring both of them in and put a stop to their disastrous hunting ways. Of course, Sam wouldn't go willingly and in the end, Toni pointed a gun at him and pulled the trigger. Even though Sam wasn't shown getting shot, Jared Padalecki confirmed to TVLine that his character did indeed get shot. Seriously, Sam needs to stay away from guns.

Here's hoping Season 12 can at least live up to Season 11, because it truly was phenomenal.

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