The narrative follows series protagonist Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) who finds himself in an alternate reality after a confrontation with a djinn [sic].

Despite obtaining low ratings, the episode acquired positive critical reviews that both praised Ackles' performance and welcomed the return of Smith and Palicki to the series.

In the new reality, Dean is dating the beautiful Carmen Porter (Michelle Borth), and Sam is at law school and engaged to Jessica (Palicki)—another victim of Azazel.

After visiting the grave of his father John, who died the previous year of a stroke, Dean decides that he must give up his new-found happiness to save them.

I thought that was really interesting, the idea of rebooting Supernatural and placing all of these characters in a completely different world...Series creator Eric Kripke's first experience as director was slated for the twentieth episode of the season, and Raelle Tucker was scheduled to pen it.

[1] He felt Dean's definitive moment was the death of his mother Mary, so the "diversion path" of the new reality would be based on the question, "What if mom never died?

Though she is a driving force behind the brothers' quest to kill the demon Azazel and is referenced numerous times throughout the first two seasons, her two appearances in the series were very brief.

[1] However, Kripke felt that Dean would realize something was amiss if he was granted a "perfect dream world", so John Winchester, who died in the second season premiere, remained dead.

Kripke compared the new reality to a Charles Bukowski novel, but noted that the selfless Dean still preferred the new universe, with Sam happy and living a good life.

Because the writers found it difficult to communicate Dean's feelings,[1] early drafts of the script included a number of internal monologues.

[5] To avoid the typical portrayal of genies in popular culture—such as those from Aladdin and I Dream of Jeannie—they chose to create a "logical twist on the lore" by making the creature vampiric.

[1] The actor who portrayed the djinn—Mackenzie Gray—had a shaved head, so special effects makeup artist Toby Lindala only used a minor prosthetic to cover Gray's eyebrows.

Kripke wanted Adrianne Palicki to reprise her role of Jessica Moore—Sam's deceased girlfriend—but she was busy filming for the Texas-based television series Friday Night Lights.

[1] Because the series usually has a dark atmosphere, often consisting of "sets with grime and a sense of danger", Kripke wanted there to be a contrast between the two worlds.

[1] Tucker noted that it was also a "sneaky way" of hinting that the new reality was merely an illusion, as he is "re-experiencing that moment from the pilot because his fantasy world is being generated by what he already knows and has lived".

[11] This episode touched on the heart of Supernatural: brotherly love, sense of duty, saving the lives of people who don't know what's truly out there.

She experienced an "emotional roller coaster the entire hour", finding Dean's monologue at his father's grave to be "crushing" but the lawnmower scene to be "hilarious".

[12] Likewise, Diana Steenbergen of IGN gave the episode a rating of 9.2 out of 10, praising the quick pace, "heavy" character development, and "ton and a half of angst".

[15] Tom Burns of UGO deemed the episode as "one of the strongest hours of Supernatural all season", feeling that "the actors really stepped up their game...and sold every moment".

Though Burns believed that "wish-world" stories have been overused in fiction, he felt that Ackles' "hardcore acting chops" allowed the episode to "escape from mediocrity".

Deeming it the best standalone episode, he noted that it "can be embraced by anyone who enjoys clever writing, great acting, or a shirtless Jensen Ackles".