CW's Supernatural: Dean Winchester's Death Sentence

Dean Winchester has a year to live. And fans can't wait to see how he will react.

With most TV characters, the reaction would be pretty easy to predict. There would be lots of crying and angst. The character would somberly go about settling their affairs, and saying goodbye to their loved ones.

But Dean Winchester isn't most TV characters. And Supernatural isn't like most TV shows.

For one thing, the reason Dean Winchester has only a year to live is pretty unusual. It isn't an illness that's going to end our young hero's life too soon. In the season 2 finale, "All Hell Breaks Loose Part 2," Dean sold his soul to a Crossroads Demon. These are demons that make deals with people, giving them whatever they want (fame, fortune, love), but for a price. The human who makes the deal will drop dead at the end of the contract (usually in ten years) and their soul will go directly to hell, where they will suffer eternal torment.

In "All Hell Breaks Loose Part 1," Sam Winchester was murdered. Dean sold his soul to bring his brother back. And, because demons in general don't like the Winchesters all that much, he only got one year, instead of the standard ten years, to enjoy the fruits of his "wish."

The season 2 finale of Supernatural left fans with all sorts of questions about what would happen in season three. (Will the Feds get any closer to catching the Winchester brothers? Did the demon who murdered their mother do so by random chance, or was there some connection the brothers just aren't aware of yet? Will our favorite characters be returning, and what affect will new characters have on the show?) But the thing many fans seem most interested in is seeing Dean's reaction to his death sentence.

Dean Winchester is a great character, and his reactions to just about anything, be they positive or negative, are always a pleasure to watch. So, how will he react to such an extreme situation as having only twelve months to live?

Well, he's Dean, who believes in living life to the fullest, and squeezing every ounce of enjoyment he can out of every single moment. So maybe his reaction isn't too hard to imagine.

Another thing fans are waiting to see is how Sam Winchester will react to his brother's death sentence. The Winchesters will do anything for each other. (Dean sold his soul for his brother after all.) So there's little doubt Sam will try to do something to save his brother. And I, for one, can't wait to see what he does.

Season three of Supernatural begins on Thursday, October 4th, at 9pm Eastern, on the CW network.