On Thursday, the 14th season of “Supernatural” premiered with the episode “Stranger in Strange Land”, and although it had interesting aspects, it did not drown me in a plethora of emotions like many other “Supernatural” episodes have.

Before the curtains of the previous season closed, the archangel Michael possessed one of the main characters, Dean Winchester (played by Jensen Ackles). In Thursday’s new episode, Michael retains control of Dean, and uses his body to travel the world asking people, “What do you want?”

Their various answers illustrate an interesting angle on human nature, which is by far the most compelling part of the episode. One man claims to want peace and love, to which Michael answers, “If you cared about peace, you would have never left Syria. You never would have ran and abandoned your friends to die … and if you cared about love, you [wouldn’t have cheated on your wife].”

It is unclear what Michael’s end goal is, albeit he claims to desire a “better world.”

Although “Supernatural” takes place in a world full of monsters, biblical beings and magic, the soul of the show has always been family — both by blood and otherwise. The bonds between brothers Dean and Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki), and their best friend Castiel (Misha Collins) have gripped fans’ hearts for over a decade. In “Stranger in Strange Land”, we see our beloved characters’ varied reactions to Dean’s possession and absence, reflecting their distinct personalities.

Sam, who has lost his brother far too many times, is emotionally numb and has, in part, already given up on finding him — he convinces himself that Dean may be dead, and that even if he is not, it will be impossible to force Michael out of him anyway. Despite his hopelessness, he continues to look for Dean almost robotically, refusing to sleep or even shave. Padalecki flawlessly portrays the character’s multitude of emotions and subtle depth.

On the other hand, Castiel fiercely pursues the relentless search for Dean, willing to scour every inch of the earth for his friend — and possible lover. Since Castiel’s debut appearance in season four, show creators have been hinting at a possible romance between him and Dean, but 10 seasons later still nothing of the sort has been explicitly portrayed, despite constant implications that the two have romantic feelings toward each other.

It is quite disappointing that, despite rumours their love for eachother would finally be acknowledged this season, that did not happen during Thursday’s episode.

Castiel consults a demon for information on Dean’s whereabouts — a reckless move — and ends up being held hostage by the demon, used as bait to blackmail Sam. However, this plot sequence is largely pointless, as once Sam shows up, he kills the demon, and by the end nothing has changed from before Castiel consulted him. It is resultless. I understand its role in communicating how desperate Castiel felt, but that should have been portrayed through a more effective plot sequence.

Another intriguing part of “Stranger in Strange Land” is when Sam meets with Nick (Mark Pellegrino), who has been possessed by the devil, Lucifer, for several years; Lucifer has used his body to kill thousands, almost destroy the world twice and mentally torture Sam. The emotional agony Nick is experiencing lays the foundation for this season to delve into an interesting analysis of the human condition.

Lucifer’s son, Jack Kline (Alexander Calvert), who was introduced last season, is already one of the most dynamic characters on the show. Born with immense power and the burden of being the devil’s son, he spent season 13 fighting everyone’s assumptions that he would turn out just as evil as his father. Now, he faces the struggle of losing all his powers and feeling deeply helpless, helpless to aid his friends against the chaos they are facing.

Calvert portrays his character’s pain well, but for some reason I was not struck with the same intense impact Jack had on me last season.

Although Supernatural’s season premiere lacks time efficiency and falls short on emotional impact, it explores philosophical questions and plants the roots for a fulfilling season.

Follow Pramika on Twitter @pramika_kadari