For the Winchester brothers, it hasn’t been an easy six seasons. Supernatural, the show that started as the hunt for the "demon of the week," has now evolved into a full-blown battle between good and evil, and in the epicenter stand Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles).

In Season 7 of the CW drama, Dean stands on trial for deadly mistakes from his past and, with his brother by his side, this time as his defendant and protector, it’s a season that explores the brothers’ deep bond and the extent to which they have to rely on each other — especially in light of the untimely departure of Angel-turned-God Castiel (Misha Collins).

“It’s the acoustic season,” joked Jensen, of the back-to-basics approach they’ve been taking in recently filmed episodes. “It’s definitely reminiscent of the first season, which was the season that we fell in love with the show.”

Warner Brothers Studios took Wetpaint Entertainment to Vancouver, where we got to visit Jensen and Jared on set — not just for some supernatural male beauty, but for juicy scoop on the new season and their theory on why the show has managed to sustain the kind of serialized storytelling that is more frightening to TV execs than the Leviathan.

Wetpaint Entertainment: How are Sam and Dean feeling about Castiel’s exit?

Jared Padalecki: It’s certainly not the first curveball that’s been thrown the boys’ way. It is a large one, because it seems like we’re gradually starting to realize and understand that we are losing all vestiges of hope that we’ve relied on — at least since Season 4. They’ve had a lot of help, and it’s dawning on Sam and Dean, “Hey, we’re kind of losing a lot of our lifelines.” I guess we’re committed to moving forward, we’re just not sure how we’re going to do it yet.

Dean is going to be on trial soon. What do you think is the one issue he feels guiltiest about?

Jensen Ackles: He’s got a laundry list of things that he feels guilty about, which plays into the whole storyline of why he feels the way he does. There’s the responsibility of his brother and having to watch over him, and feeling like he’s letting him down all the time. He wasn’t able to save [Castiel]. It’s a mound of guilt that has built up on Dean’s shoulders that he carries around, and we’re going to exploit that.

Jared: With Dean going on trial, because of guilt, he’s like, “Sam you’ve done [plenty],” but Sam understands he’s served his time, he’s done his bit. He’s like, “I’ve done more good than bad and the scales of justice are still tipped in my favor.” So where it’s always been Dean taking care of Sam, Sam’s kind of had to say to Dean, “You’re doing your best.”

Can you tease the new season for us?

Jared: I think the basic thing is that it’s the return to Sam and Dean, with only Sam and Dean. We’re having to go off on the run and cut communications because law enforcement is really on our tracks now, so we can’t always be on the Internet. We can’t always be keeping ourselves logged into the world and even to other friends. Sam and Dean are really going to have to go with each other [and] cut out a lot of other things, from the car to this or that. The cops are on to us, the Leviathan’s on to us; we need to try to pull out all stops in order to do us right.

Jensen: Season 7 is Supernatural stripped down. It’s the acoustic season. They’ve taken [away] a lot of the tools of our trade that we’ve come to rely on, so we’re having to get back to the basics of relying on each other, our smarts, our wits to make it through. I like it.    

TV seems to be shying away from serialized drama. What do you think are the benefits of having a show like yours?

Jared: I think when you find a show where the audience cares more about the characters than whether the story is as explosive or as exciting as last week, it’s the difference between an action movie and a drama. An action movie is fun, but how much action can you watch? But a drama, if you care about somebody you want to know what’s going on with them, and that they’re getting better and that they’re on the mend. I think that’s what’s kept us going.

For more from Jensen and Jared, stay tuned for our video from the set of Supernatural.