The Grim Reaper is back on the season premiere of otherworldly drama "Supernatural," and it has Sam in its clutches.
The promo for season nine of the CW's "Supernatural" shows Sam (Jared Padalecki) in an apparent coma in the hospital. It shows Dean (Jensen Ackles) saying to the doctor, "You're trying to tell me that my brother's life is in god's hands?"
It appears as if Dean will help Sam live. TVLine reports that Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki have teased that Dean is keeping a secret about why Sam survives, lending evidence to the notion that Dean makes a deal with the harbinger of death, the grim reaper. But the promo also teases that a fallen angel could heal Sam, and perhaps Dean as well.
The teaser also features a confused Castiel (Misha Collins), the brothers getting into a heated altercation and Abaddon's (Alaina Huffman) return.
TVLine confirms that the second episode of the upcoming season, which airs Oct. 15, does not include Castiel. Castiel will appear in the season opener, however.
This season, the fallen angel will be forced to adapt to life as a mortal after his transformation last season from angel to human. At Comic-Con, Collins joked about Castiel adapting to human life, and pointed out that he can no longer aid the Winchester brothers as he previously did. He joked that "now he [Castiel] can pop in and basically fold laundry. There's a shift in the dynamic there in terms of how he can be utilized by the brothers. For Castiel's arc, it's going to be an immensely rich terrain to explore."
Executive producer Jeremy Carver commented on how the upcoming season will deal with the aftermath of last season's fallen angels.
"A world full of fallen angels is pretty much a free-for-all," Carver said.
"We're going to see it's not one unified body," he added. "We've got lots of angels out there with lots of different agendas. Many are feelings lost and vengeful. A world of fallen angels is a dirty, bloody, scary and, in some ways, a very human world."
As the promo suggested, season nine will focus more on brotherly love. While Dean and Sam are constantly dealing with their complicated relationship as brothers, this season will see the siblings bond together more than ever due to dire circumstances.
TV Line also reported that Tahmoh Penikett ("Battlestar Galactica," "Castle") is also joining the show as fallen angel Ezekiel, who EP Carver describes as "a dignified warrior angel injured in the Fall."
Tune into the premiere on the CW on October 8 at 9 p.m. to find out what happens next.
Watch the promo for the new season below.