‘Supernatural’ season 9 spoilers: First look at Jody Mills’ return (with Jared Padalecki’s Sam)

There are approximately a thousand or so reasons to like “Supernatural,” but one of them has to be the show’s extremely robust roster of characters who have appeared at some point over the course of the series. This is an impressive list that includes everyone from Charlie to Kevin to Bobby to Abaddon to so many others from seasons past.

But what is great about the return of Jody Mills on the upcoming “Rock and a Hard Place” (airing a week from Tuesday) is that she has some roots that date all the way back to season 5, and also to the Bobby character. So even though Jim Beaver’s role may no longer be among the living, there is still some sort of spirit that remains. We know that the show does still find a few ways to use Bobby here and there (as they did earlier this season), but this is something a little bit different.

We’re just glad to see that Jody is still alive given the events in last year’s finale “Sacrifice,” but she will be calling up Jared Padalecki’s Sam for some help; and of course, he and Dean are willing to oblige. What makes this particular situation notable is that there is already an extensive history here for one, and that somehow, this mission is going to lead to the Winchesters having to try and infiltrate a chastity group. The thought of this sort of thing taking place alone is hysterical, so we already cannot wait to see how it evolves into something else as the hour progresses. Once again, props to the writers for continuing to find ways to keep this show entertaining, especially since it must not always be easy to think of new ideas when you have hundreds of stories already played out over the last decade. Given that a season 10 renewal seems assured so long as the actors still want to keep playing the parts, we’re likely going to continue to see more.

This week’s episode is entitled “Bad Boys,” and if you click here you can see a promo showcasing just how this is going to be an emotional one for Dean in particular.

Photo: The CW