Was that the season premiere? Or did that feel like the stakes, tensions, and awesomeness of a season finale?

Sure, "Meet the New Boss" picked right up where season six' ended. It even followed the typical guidelines of a premiere, dealing with the aftermath of the previous season, establishing a new foe, and setting up the Winchester brothers' new journey. Except the episode went one step further and spun everything on its head by completely eliminating the new "God" problem, and in turn, revealing a far more evil opponent.

Who saw that wild twist coming?

Misha Collins did a fantastic job portraying the new "God" as both intimidating and all powerful. It may have been similar to his regular Castiel routine, but he established a more commanding and somewhat ambitiously blinded presence through all of his smiting of angels and motivational speakers. It was very easy to believe Castiel would kill you if you crossed him.

His sense of power was truly felt during his verbal spar with Death. Both of those heavy hitters commanded the floor and evoked dominance without ever doing anything but talking. It made Sam, Dean, and Bobby become fantastically shadowed in the background. All they could do was watch. I even felt helpless for them during the situation.

But it was Castiel's transformation (death?) into the Leviathans that allowed Collins' acting to truly stand out. Not only did he get to smile, (manically, mind you), but he brought out a crazy, creepy, and nasty side that made me rethink my idea that the new "God" would be the worst thing the brothers would face.

It was so vibrant and devilishly upbeat that I'm sure Collins enjoyed getting to try something completely different and opposite of Castiel. As much as I enjoy the Castiel character, I'm rather interested to see Collins portray the Leviathan in all its anciently evil glory.

What are the Leviathans? Aside from an Alien-like ability to stretch out of your stomach and whisper in your head, the Leviathan is said to be a great sea monster. Surely, the show will find a unique way to explore and present this creature and taking over Castiel as a host, made for a great start.

Of course, Supernatural wouldn't be anything without Sam and Dean, and these two were once again trying to figure out a way to save the world. They really don't ever catch a break do they? It was nice seeing them not only working together, but falling into their niche roles. The two have grown and progressed through countless big events, but they still manage to hold onto their trademark characteristics.

Dean focused on fixing his beloved car, knocking back a few drinks, and dishing out some jokes? Check.

Sam acting concerned, determined, and forgetting to reveal his problems to Dean? Check.

What other way would you even want them to act?

That said, it looks like Sam is destined to lose his marbles and take the crazy train of confusion and hallucinations. Even Lucifer popping up and taunting Sam was a surprise. 

Is Lucifer real? Is he a hallucination? Is Sam actually still trapped in the cage? Oh, let the mind games begin.

Overall, it was a fantastic start to the season that already has the wheels of the show off to a speedy start. Glad to see that even with seven years under the belt, Supernatural remains fresh, exciting, and destined for big things.

* What comes next? Check out the official Supernatural promo for "Hello Cruel World" now.

Sean McKenna was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. He retired in May of 2017. Follow him on Twitter.