Summary

• Cassie Robinson's character in Supernatural season 1 should have been more significant due to her emotional impact on Dean.
• Dean's relationship with Cassie was the first time viewers saw him emotionally vulnerable, making her absence surprising.
• Despite Cassie's absence in future seasons, other characters like Lisa Braeden played similar roles in Dean's relationships.

Supernatural season 1 is generally considered a worthy introduction to the wild world of Sam and Dean Winchester, yet 19 years on, one forgotten character from the show's debut still bothers me. Given how intricate and detailed Supernatural's lore became, it's perhaps unsurprising that season 1 kept things relatively simple. However, even though most episodes followed a standard monster-of-the-week format, the show still featured broader story tie-ins that became important as the show progressed.

Details like Supernatural season 1 for inspiration. As a viewer, this awareness of what came before proved to me that showrunners had an understanding and appreciation for key elements introduced earlier in the run, making the whole story more complex and rewarding. This makes it even more surprising that later seasons of Supernatural totally forgot about a character who, judging by their introduction, could have been crucial.

Supernatural Completely Forgot About Cassie Robinson

She Is The First Example Of A Relationship For Dean

Despite introducing her in Supernatural season 1, episode 13, "Route 666", the show quickly moved on from the character of Cassie Robinson. Identified as the first real love of Dean's life, Cassie worked as a journalist at a local publication, proving herself to be highly professional, determined, and capable of helping Sam and Dean in the field. It's clear from the outset that Dean is still deeply affected by their breakup, with the pair exchanging fiery words and sleeping together before dealing with the malevolent spirit of Cyrus Dorian.

...although the show established Cassie as an important presence in Dean's life and her arrival constituted the first time viewers really saw Dean as emotionally vulnerable, Supernatural never revisited her story.

Upon reflection, it seems to me that Supernatural season 1 lays the groundwork for Cassie to feature more prominently. By the time the story ends, she is fully aware of the Winchesters' activities and has handled her first brush with the occult pretty well, even though it's clear her and Dean's future is uncertain. However, although the show established Cassie as an important presence in Dean's life and her arrival constituted the first time viewers really saw Dean as emotionally vulnerable, Supernatural never revisited her story. In fact, aside from a brief mention in season 4, Cassie Robinson is completely absent from future events.

Cassie & Dean's Story Should Have Been More Important

She Is A Really Significant Presence

Although some revisionism post-Supernatural season 1 is understandable, especially given where the wider story ended up, ignoring Cassie feels like a major misstep to me. As Dean explains, she was much more than a random fling who reappeared on the scene. Not only was Cassie his first love, and therefore a formative presence in his life, but she was one of the few people outside of his family and hunting circles that Dean told about his profession. Although she didn't believe him initially, the fact that he was willing to confide in Cassie identifies her as someone significant.

In many ways, Supernatural's inability to develop Cassie's character further is symptomatic of wider problems with season 1. For instance, just as Dean's relationship with Cassie never came to anything, Sam's seemingly significant connection with Sarah Blake was just as much of a dead end. However, while Sarah and Sam had no history, Cassie's long-standing connection with Dean should have made her almost family adjacent. This should have been enough to warrant at least a reference as the series progressed – something that, in hindsight, has only become more conspicuous by its absence.

How Supernatural Replaced Cassie Robinson

Other Characters Stepped In

Although Cassie Robinson herself never returned to the show, other characters played a similar role. Over Supernatural's 15 seasons, Dean had many different relationships of various lengths and significance. Some even include elements of the original Cassie relationship, including Lisa Braeden. Like Cassie, Lisa was an old flame who came back into Dean's life after some time apart. Unlike Cassie, however, she features in multiple episodes, including a deeply emotional arc at the end of season 5, highlighting her importance.

However, even if you accept that Lisa operates as a stand-in for Cassie, it doesn't redeem the show's treatment of the original character. For me, the first person outside of Dean's family that he opened up to is clearly an important presence on their own and should not have been ignored in follow-up storylines. In many ways, it would have made much more sense to bring back Cassie, instead of introducing a new character like Lisa. Although many aspects of Supernatural season 1 still hold up surprisingly well, this is one detail that sits awkwardly, 19 years on.