Jensen Ackles’ Return As Russell Explained

TVLINE | When Colter and Russell clear the air, Russell mentions he’s in contact with Mom — which feels like a reset. Since Mary led Colter to believe Russell was responsible for Ashton’s death, I assumed they weren’t in touch. Were Russell and Mary in contact all this time, even when the brothers were estranged?I think the short answer is no — not really. Maybe a “Hey, I’m in Canada”-type check-in, but nothing deeper. Russell has a different understanding of what went on in that family before Ashton’s death, and that comes out in their conversation. He was the older brother, the protector, and he saw things Colter didn’t. But his mom lied to him, too.

This season is about airing out that poison — the lies that infected the whole family, especially their relationship with Mary. We’ll eventually get a scene with Mom that gives more context, but right now, both brothers are still trying to figure out how much of her story they can actually believe.

TVLINE | Russell says that Mom didn’t have a choice — that Dad was losing it, and he saw things Colter didn’t. Did Russell go along with Mary’s lie because he felt guilty, as the older brother, for not shielding his siblings?Yeah, absolutely. He thought he was protecting his brother and went along with the easy lie Mary offered, but now he’s seen the damage it’s done to Colter. Russell’s probably spent years wishing Colter would move on, but he knows that’s not going to happen. Colter’s stuck, and Russell’s instinct — once again — is to reach in and help.

They’re both alpha males who talk around their feelings, but there’s real guilt there for Russell. He’s the kind of guy who puts the past in the past and moves forward. Colter can’t do that, and that dynamic is what makes their scenes so interesting.

TVLINE | From Mary’s POV, we now know she enlisted Otto’s help to make a clean break and leave Ashton. That makes her seem less sinister than before. Should viewers be less suspicious of her now?If we did it right, it should be 50-50. You can understand her desperation — maybe she didn’t have a choice — but there were other options she didn’t take. She made a decision that probably was going to end the way it did eight times out of 10.

Was she trying to protect her kids? Sure. But we’re also going to learn about some darker forces surrounding the Shaw family — the things that made Ashton lose his mind. And we’ll question whether he was right to be paranoid. When we finally sit down with Mary, she’ll be able to give context… but whether you trust her or not is another matter. I don’t think either brother does — and neither should the audience.