Note that this article has spoilers for the first 11 seasons of "Supernatural", and mentions aspects of Season 12 that have been made public by the actors and crew. If you do not want to see these things, do not continue reading!

Anyone who knows me knows that if there’s one thing in life I love more than anything—excluding people and animals—it’s the TV show “Supernatural” on the CW. I’m that person who spends entire weekends at fan conventions, knows every obscure fact and episode number, and has seen each episode at least five times—all eleven seasons of them. Finding "Supernatural" was like finding a piece of my soul I didn’t know was missing. But I’ll stop right there, because it’s only going to get cheesier, and I could take up thousands of words just talking about what the show means to me. The real topic of this article is as follows:

Season 12 is upon us! We’re back for another season of saving people, hunting things—only this time, the “family” behind the family business is a little wider.

As I type, there’s less than a week until the premiere of episode 12x01: “Keep Calm and Carry On”, which airs October 13^th, 9PM Eastern Time. When we left the Winchester brothers, Sam was shot by Toni Bevell of the British branch of the Men of Letters (who also banished Cas with an angel-repelling sigil), God and Amara had made their peace and vanished hand in hand, Lucifer was in the wind, and Dean was met with a heart-stopping surprise: the resurrection of their mother, Mary Winchester, whose death in the pilot episode over a decade earlier knocked over the first domino in the heartbreaking downward spiral that is the Winchesters’ lives.

Samantha Smith as Mary Winchester

If I’m being completely honest, I wasn’t as pleased as I wanted to be by the season 11 finale. It felt wrong that the one thing that has been propelling the boys since infancy—the death of their mother, the very foundation of their story—was just…undone. I couldn’t imagine how that would not cheapen the last 11 seasons. However, I trust that the show will know to acknowledge this weirdness, and I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and go into the new season with an open mind. I love the character of Mary, and actress Sam Smith, and I’m very excited to see how the boys react to her return, particularly Sam, whose only memories of his mom are photos and stories. Even with John, we’ve never truly seen the brothers be sons.

It’s bizarre to think that it was, in fact, a deal Mary made with the demon Azazel that ruined Sam’s life, and while I’m sure the boys have already forgiven her for that, knowing the circumstances, I’ll be disappointed if they don’t at least acknowledge this in the new season. (On the note of things I must see acknowledged, I’m still miffed that Castiel was not given any interaction with his own father, God, after everything Cas went through trying to find him in season 4, and all his hardships and mistakes after that; I hold out hope that this can still happen in a future season).

Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) and Toni Bevell (Elizabeth Blackmore)

We’re also going to have to see Mary’s reaction to her sweet little Dean, who was four years old when she died, as a hardened, alcohol-dependent hunter who’s been to Hell multiple times and lost everyone he loves at least once. He’s living the exact life she feared most for her children, and the angels Mary always said were watching over him were half of the cause. How will she react to learning what sort of father her beloved John turned out to be? (I’m expecting a lot of tears—on my end, mostly). I think the fandom as a whole will just about die if Mary does not, at some point, sing “Hey Jude” to her babies. Thinking back to “Dark Side of the Moon,” I’d also love to see them bake a pie together. Hopefully, they have the time for that while fighting Nazis.

We don’t know too much about that storyline yet, but there has been a nice amount of setup over the years introducing the Thule Society--a group of Nazi necromancers--and it will likely build off of that. It has also been confirmed that actor Adam Rose will be returning as Aaron Bass, grandson of a member of the Judah Initiative, and owner of a pretty awesome Golem.

And it’s about time! Aaron is just one of the many characters fans have fallen in love with over the years and patiently waited the return of. We’re all hoping for another appearance of Garth, Gabriel (who is, of course, not dead in most of our minds), Jesse the Antichrist, Billie the Reaper and Eileen (two badass new characters from season 11), the Wayward Daughters gang (along with Donna this time!), and Charlie, whose death no one has gotten over yet—myself included. And, of course, when will they save Adam?

Lucifer (Rick Springfield) and Crowley (Mark Sheppard)

Aside from the reappearances of these fan favorites, I know I’m not alone in saying that we’re all hoping for some more innovative, memorable episodes like Season 11’s “Baby”, an episode shot entirely from the point of view of the brothers' car. It instantly became a classic, and showed everyone that the creative team behind “Supernatural” is far from out of brilliant ideas.

A gender-swap episode, in particular, would be fun, and a body-swap episode is long overdue—something stars Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, and Mark Sheppard would knock out of the park. Add Ruth Connell into the mix as Rowena, and we’re looking at another “French Mistake” or “Changing Channels”.

Despite its age, “Supernatural” is still miles away from any sort of finish line, and with the original, never-recycled plots, passionate and talented actors, spot-on writing, and pure heart, it has the potential to last another 12 seasons. I’m buckled in for the ride, and know that no matter what direction the show takes, I’m in it for the long haul, as are millions of other fans—SPN family members. Season 12 is right around the corner, and I could not be more enthusiastic--or more stocked up on rock salt.