Should fans start preparing for this to be the final season of Supernatural?

I certainly hope not, but with two major character deaths, Castiel and now, Bobby, it feels as if the show is preparing itself for its closing remarks, leaving Sam and Dean to save the world one last time, all on their own. Granted, on this show, anyone can come back and death doesn't last forever... but the brothers have been finally pushed into a situation where relying on each other will be the only way that they survive.

While it's tremendously sad to see a fan favorite go, and I'm sure many viewers will be up in arms over his departure, it was a fantastic send off and closing worthy of breaking out the Kleenex. "Death's Door" was a Bobby-centric episode that offered not only touching moments of background on the gruff guy, but captured the love and adoration Bobby felt for Sam and Dean in a complete hour.

Now, if only Castiel had received the same treatment, his death wouldn't have felt like a quick and pushed away ending.

The idea of life flashing before one's eyes was a genius way to unfold certain significant memories of Bobby's past that helped shape the man he became today. They captured multiple sides to him while keeping the episode filled with a sense of edge-of-seat anticipation of whether or not he would survive.

First, the memory of breaking his wife's heart pulled at the emotions. Bobby may have been a pain from time to time, but at his core, he's always been a good guy. He's always been filled with a sense of care and concern for the people closest to him. The worst part was that he never got a chance to move beyond their fight and even apologize for not wanting children with her.

His memory of playing catch with a young Dean made it clear that Bobby could be a great father, despite his fears to make everything turn out wrong. It was a small look at something other than focusing on hunting creatures, and that was the point: he recognized what a child needed and he loved the boys like they were his own. Having a game of catch is the quintessential type of father-son bonding and Bobby hit it out of the park.

Yet, the most revealing memory was the glimpse into Bobby's past as a child. His drunk and abusive father placed such a fear on the young boy that even after he was dead, Bobby was afraid that he would turn out like his old man. The fact that Bobby was the one to kill his own father, looked upon with disgust by his mother, and raised on the belief that he can't do anything right... it was rather amazing how he did turn out.

Bobby has been extremely hard on himself because, in fact, he's turned out to be a fantastic surrogate father for Sam and Dean. That final moment of Bobby waking from his coma to exclaim, "Idgits," showed more than enough love and pure connection with his "sons" and all I could do was hope that flatlining wouldn't be the end.

Except it seems that it was and Bobby's final memory was one not focused on grief or fear or hunting monsters, but simply being with Sam and Dean at a moment of happiness. Watching the brothers argue over licorice and Chuck Norris was the perfect memory because at its heart was a sense of family.

Jim Beaver gave one of his finest performances, expressing a range of emotions and feelings for each memory. He's truly encompassed the father figure role while contrasting it with his worries of not being good enough. It's amazing to see that just one hour was able to capture the full gamut of who Bobby Singer truly was as a man. Bravo.

The huge emotional question remains: how will Sam and Dean handle life after Bobby?

The brothers have experienced countless losses from their father to Jo and Ellen to Castiel and finally Bobby. It's easy to see that this particular turn of events could send Dean down a spiraling road filled with more punching glass. Great to see that he refused to quit on Bobby. I just hope that all the pain and loss hasn't finally overwhelmed him to the point of becoming pessimistic and giving up.

One of the finer episodes of the season, and certainly one to remember for a while, there were moments of Bobby running from door to door that felt a little slow. And the Leviathan waiting in the car seemed rather pointless other than to really piss Dean off.

Aside from a few minor complaints, this episode was a bittersweet way to end the midseason and captured anticipation, raw emotion, and even a few laughs befitting of Supernatural. Bobby Singer, we already miss you, you idgit.

What did you think of the episode? What were the numbers Bobby wrote down? Will Sam and Dean handle losing Bobby?

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