Still, an altogether absent Dean for multiple episodes is something new.
Admittedly, Supernatural has gone without one of the brothers for large chunks of episodes, such as when Sam and Dean weren’t getting along and went their separate ways for a bit.
Hey, at least it proves that Supernatural is still capable of reinventing itself after 13 years (and no spinoffs), and it does mean a meaty storyline for Jensen Ackles after Dean’s demon arc ended rather quickly.
Dean delivers a fair amount of Supernatural’s humor in the monster-of-the-week stories, and I’m not sure that any of the characters who might step into his shoes while Michael is inhabiting his body can deliver the same kind of laughs.