Ep 20. What Is and What Should Never Be

In Supernatural: The Anime Series season 1 episode 20, titled What Is and What Should Never Be, the Winchester brothers, Sam and Dean, find themselves in an alternate reality. After being attacked by a djinn, Dean wakes up in a world where his mother, Mary, was never killed by the demon Azazel. In this reality, Dean also has a normal job and is engaged to a woman named Carmen.

As Dean adjusts to this new life, he discovers that his father, John, is still alive and that Sam is at Stanford pursuing a law degree. However, as much as Dean enjoys this new life and all its perks, something still feels off. He starts to discover inconsistencies in his memories and realizes that this alternate reality may be too good to be true.

Sam, who was not affected by the djinn attack, begins to investigate and enlists the help of Bobby Singer. They soon discover that the djinn is responsible for the alternate reality and that this world is merely a dream meant to trap Dean forever. Sam and Bobby work tirelessly to find a way to free Dean from the djinn's grasp.

Meanwhile, in the alternate reality, Dean's perfect world begins to crumble around him as he realizes that he misses the thrill of hunting monsters with his brother. He also starts to realize that Carmen is not exactly who she seems to be. As the episode progresses, we see Dean struggle with the decision of whether to stay in this happy world or return to his real life and the hardships that come with it.

In the end, Sam and Bobby find a way to break the spell and save Dean from the djinn's grasp. The brothers reunite and go back to their normal lives, still nursing the wounds of their difficult past but grateful for each other's company. What Is and What Should Never Be is a poignant episode that explores the idea of what it means to be happy and the lengths one would go to achieve it.