*UPDATE, 4.15.15: Both EW and Misha have been hearing from fans who were upset by the discussion of shipping Charlie and Cas:

Rest assured, the author was not making a statement with her comment. As is standard practice, this interview was edited for length. Misha’s note about nothing happening with Cas was cut because it was thought to be self-evident to regular viewers of the show. We apologize for any resulting confusion.

Being an angel can get a little lonely, and nobody knows that better than Supernatural‘s Castiel. So why not give Castiel a redhead to love?

It’s an idea that actor Misha Collins is behind—and one that could become reality when Charlie and Cas finally meet in this week’s episode. We talked to Collins about what fans can expect from Cas and Charlie’s first interaction, plus what’s to come in the season’s final episodes:

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So when we pick up, is Cas still road-tripping with Metatron?

MISHA COLLINS: Yes, they’re still road-tripping. I would say that Metatron is probably the last person that Cas wants to be on a road trip with. They’re not singing showtunes together.

I was going to ask how it compared to the Winchester road trips.

I think it’s a little bit more contentious. There’s a lot of talking from Metatron and a lot of essentially Cas saying, “shut up.”

I would assume that the hunt for Castiel’s grace doesn’t go as planned. This is the guy who told him the biggest lie ever…

So are you saying that you don’t find Metatron to be trustworthy?

Call me crazy, but I don’t think I do.

Really? All right. [Laughs] Yeah, that’s sort of the problem. I think Cas knows what he’s getting into. He certainly is not trusting of Metatron going into this. But he thinks he might be able to get something out of him anyway. And ultimately, what he ends up getting is something of a mixed bag.

How badly does Cas need his grace at this point? It’s been a few episodes since we’ve seen any major side effects.

Yes. It’s not totally clear to me what the timeline on borrowed grace is, like when do you really start to degrade. But we do know that it happens eventually. Eventually Cas will die if he doesn’t get more grace. But that’s not where we’re approaching this from right now. Cas is not at the point where if he doesn’t get his grace right now, he’s going to die. But it is ultimately critical.

Obviously Cas got Metatron out of Heaven’s jail, so are angels going to be hunting them?

No, that’s not a big feature of it right now. That does come into play to a certain extent [in the future].

I want them to be like Bonnie and Clyde on the run.

More than that, they’re just like … I’m trying to think of a good buddy cop example. My pop culture references are failing me right now. They’re two guys in a car who hate each other. [Laughs] That’s basically what we’re dealing with.

I’m sure I can Google that and some movie will come up.

Yeah, fill it in for me. [Laughs] But ultimately, Cas is definitely going to get something great out of Metatron, and something really terrible is also going to happen at the end of the episode. It’s a mixed blessing.

[Ed note: When you Google “two guys in a car who hate each other,” your first hit is Life As We Know It starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel.]

I think the thing I’m most excited about is Cas finally meeting Charlie.

Yeah. And there’s actually palpable excitement between Cas and Charlie when they finally meet as well, because it’s been way too long. It almost has felt like the writers were trying to keep us from one another all these years. It’s been too long. I’ve actually gotten to know Felicia [Day] over the last couple of years, but not because we were shooting together ever. She is awesome. I’m psyched that the two characters get to work together.

What is that first interaction like? Do they hit it off? Are they friendly?

Super friendly, yes. And Charlie is effusively so. Cas, you know, he’s always got muted enthusiasm. I think he’s as excited as Cas gets.

Well, that’s good.

That’s something, right?

I’ve just decided that I’m shipping Charlie and Cas.

Good idea! I’ve been shipping Charlie and Cas for a long time.

I don’t know why it never crossed my mind. But speaking of Charlie, she has found the Book of the Damned, which doesn’t sound great. What can you tell me about this book and how it plays into the Mark of Cain?

It features very prominently into the climax of the season. Cracking the code of the Book of the Damned is critical. And that’s what Charlie’s getting into. So yeah, it’s going to be a pivotal story point. I’m a terrible teaser. [Laughs] I can tease that it’s going to bring both tremendous good fortune and absolute catastrophe. How’s that?

I like that. Also, at the end of the last episode, Rowena was kicked out of Hell. Are Cas and Rowena going to meet this season?

Oh yes, extensively. They have much work to do together.

Okay, I’m not shipping them. But I might be a little bit?

Yeah, I don’t know. I would reconsider that point. [Laughs]

I want a spin-off of Cas and red-headed women.

[Laughs] So does Misha Collins, so it’s funny that you should say that. I’ve pitched that to the writers many, many times. What I say to them is, “Hey, what do you think about this for a storyline: Cas and a bunch of hot red-headed women. What do you think?” So far it hasn’t taken root, but I think that they’re going to work it in somehow.

Looking forward to the end of the season, you have been around for quite a few of these. Things get intense; there are usually Winchester tears at some point. How do this finale and the episodes leading up to it compare to other seasons for you?

It’s going to be a nail-biter. I think, much like in other seasons, the audience is going to experience emotional whiplash. But I should say, it doesn’t end with “and they lived happily ever after.” So if that’s what you’re hoping to find, you’re going to be disappointed.

10 seasons in and I still can’t get a happily ever after.

I have a feeling that’s never going to happen. They don’t even let you have that at the end of a given episode usually. Season 1, they kind of did that. It was sort of like “and everything is fixed, and okay.” Now it’s like, “well, we solved that problem. But you’re gonna die.”

Maybe Cas will get a happily ever after with a redhead.

That sounds great!