The cast and crew of "Supernatural" have such a strong connection to their fans that every Comic-Con panel is like a family reunion. This still held true at this year's San Diego Comic-Con when stars Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins and Mark Sheppard joked around, reminisced with their fans and talked about "Supernatural's" eleventh season.

It was a very entertaining and enlightening panel as Ackles dropped some gems about the next season, like the episode that he will be directing, the Winchesters being reunited with their father and his belated but undying love for "Game of Thrones."

It has been kind of a tradition for Ackles to direct one episode per season. It is something that he has been doing since 2010. He has already wrapped up his directorial effort for this season and despite it being the first episode that was filmed, it is actually the third episode of the season.

The 37-year-old "Days of Our Lives" alum says that this episode is different from the other's he has directed because it's pretty straightforward; no drama between the brothers this time around. Instead, the episode is more expositional as the Winchester brothers gather more information about the Darkness.

The episode, "Bad Seed," is also important because it will be introducing a recurring character who goes by the name Amara. She is a newcomer to Earth and one who has the potential to be destructive. Described as a "seductive beauty," Amara will be played by "The Mentalist's" Emily Swallow.

Fans are also hoping to see Jeffrey Dean Morgan to come back and complete the Winchester triumvirate. It is something that Ackles apparently wants to see too as he describes Morgan to be a "very dear friend." While Ackles, Morgan and the writers are trying to find a way to bring that about, there is still no concrete word on when, or if, this would happen.

As enthusiastic as Ackles is about "Supernatural," he also makes no secret of his love for the HBO series, "Game of Thrones." The actor admits that he did not know what the series was until it was mentioned in one "Supernatural" episode. Ackles ended up binge watching seasons one and two and says he "couldn't walk away from it if I tried."