Jim Beaver Talks Reuniting With His 'Supernatural' Family: 'Jared Crushed My Ribcage!'

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There's a heavenly visitor coming to 'Supernatural'!

There's a heavenly visitor coming to Supernatural!

On tonight's all-new episode of the dark drama, fan-favorite Jim Beaver, is reprising his role as Bobby Singer, the dearly departed father-figure to Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles). Bobby is taking a welcomed vacation away from heaven to help his boys with their latest plight of troubles.

ETonline got on the phone with Beaver to discuss Bobby's after-life dilemmas, Dean's Mark of Cain concerns, and reuniting with his on-screen family.


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Fans are beyond thrilled that you are returning in tonight's episode, what should they be prepared for?
JB:
Sam and Castiel are trying to resolve this issue with Dean and the Mark of Cain and they realize that they need some help from inside heaven – and they've got an inside man. So they decide to see if they can’t make use of the old drunk , and apparently there's a way to do that if you go to the right psychic. I think Bobby is a little surprised to hear from them but it turns out to be a pretty cool adventure.

Bobby's return couldn't have come at a better time since Dean is still struggling with the Mark of Cain. What is Bobby's reaction when he learns of this latest dark problem?
JB:
He's a little dismayed, I think. I suspect that he takes it very seriously, but I also suspect there's a bit of, 'Oh my God what have you two been up to, now?' That's always going to be Bobby's go-to attitude. But It's a very serious matter and he's very concerned. I think mostly he really misses the boys. They say heaven is supposed to be perfect, but I think it's not perfect enough that he doesn't miss being in the game and being part of Sam and Dean's lives.

Is Bobby having a hard time adjusting to the afterlife in heaven?
JB:
Well it's supposed to be perfect, but I think for Bobby it's kind of a melancholy perfect. I know he addresses the situation and that it's very content for him, but the chance to reconnect with his only real family on earth means a great deal to him. I think there's a part of this that says, Man, I'd like to be back in the mix.'


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ETONLINE

You were officially killed off of the series back in season seven, and for most shows that would be it. How does it feel being a part of Supernatural where there is always some kind of spiritual loophole?
JB:
I've been killed off on a number of shows, but Supernatural is the only show that I've worked on that has a get out of jail free card. For me that's really wonderful because I love working on this show so much.

What was it like to be back on set and reunited with Jared and Jensen?
JB:
The first day I ran into Jared he almost crushed my ribcage hugging me and if I could’ve crushed his I would. [Laughs] We don’t see much of each other unless it's crossing paths at a fan convention for two minutes so when we're back on the set together it's really nice and really rewarding. I love those guys and it's always a really emotionally terrific thing to have a reunion on set.

Please tell me that fans are going to get a Castiel and Bobby scene?
JB:
Ohh yeah! As with almost anything associated with Castiel, it gets a little messy, but it was a lot of fun to spend some time working with Misha. Compared to the time that Bobby has been teamed up with Sam and Dean, he hasn't had that much direct work with Castiel over the years, so it was fun to play with him. It's Castiel -- he's smart about a lot of things and not-so smart about other things, and I think the audience is going to love the interactions between Bobby and Castiel.

What is the one thing you want Supernatural fans to know before tuning in tonight?
JB:
There's a great lesson to be learned from Bobby's life and death and that ain't over 'til it's over. So I figure season 17 or 18 they'll still be seeing Bobby mix things up a little bit – at least that's what I'm hoping.

Supernatural airs tonight at 9 p.m. on the CW.