Supernatural Fodder

Supernatural: The Devil You Know

Sam and Dean check out a hospital. Lots of sick folks, all mild swine flu, no Croatoan virus, even though there are lots of omens. They duck out of the hospital and go driving.\n\nThey drive furiously. Furiously, yet aimlessly. Bobby can't point them toward Pestilence, other than \"East\". Then Crowley appears in the back seat. Sam, reactions honed to a fine edge, turns to knife him, but Crowley is gone already.\n\nDean's gotta be ticked about the upholstery hole.\n\nCrowley offers a deal - he can get Pestilence's lackey. With their help. Ever since Crowley gave them the Colt - useless against Lucifer - all Sam wants to do is help Crowley to an afterlife. Crowley claims he didn't know, and that now he's Hell's Most Wanted because of helping the Winchesters. Sam is distrustful. Dean also, but less so. Oh, and he knows all about using the Horseman rings to cage Lucifer. He bugged Metallicar with a spelled coin.\n\nAll for one\n\nSo Crowley takes them to his new digs, a derelict house, where he attempts to get Dean to go with him. Alone. See, he doesn't trust Sam. Plus, Sam keeps trying to kill him. The Winchesters refuse. They stand united at last.\n\nWell, maybe not so much. Dean gives in, he'll do it. Sam is angry, but relents. While Dean is gone, Sam calls Bobby, and drinks. Straight from the bottle. He asks Bobby how he was able to take control back from the demon that possessed him. Bobby tells him that it wasn't easy. He also tells Sam not to even think what he's thinking. Sam tries to defend the idea - they can open the cage, but Lucifer has to go in. Sam's idea is to allow Lucifer to possess him, then take control back and leap into the cage. Bobby tells him not to do it, that Lucifer will destroy his mind, playing on all of his hate, fear and anger. Especially anger. He tells Sam that he's not exactly a poster child for anger management.\n\nThat makes Sam angry.\n\nNot much of a plan\n\nDean and Crowley arrive. The lackey is an exec for a pharmaceutical company. Great cover for the dude serving Pestilence, eh? The building is crawling with demons, and their human servants. Dean's plan is to sneak around to the back, but Crowley is more direct. He appears and slits the throats of the human guards. Dean is appalled. Crowley is impatient. He puts Dean in the elevator, and sends him up alone. After all, there are demons on the upper floors. Very dangerous. You go first.\n\nDean arrives, and has no problem killing the lesser demons. The main dude, though, beats the absolute living crap out of Dean, kicking his butt all the way into the elevator, and picking up again on the ground floor. At least until Crowley bags him. Literally. It's even got hexes on it. In the Impala, Crowley carves a hex on the baddie, keeping him in that skin for a while.\n\nCrowley's next instruction doesn't sit well with Dean. He says they are ditching Sam to try to get the baddie to give up Pestilence. Dean is suspicious. Crowley tells him that Sam and the baddie have \"a history.\"\n\nBrady\n\nDean refuses. They show up, but Dean talks to Sam first. He brought the baddie back because he trusts Sam, and knows Sam will do the right thing.\n\nSam is confused, then suspicious. But when they take the bag off the baddie's head, he becomes... wait for it.... angry. The baddie's name is Brady. And he was Sam's best buddy in college. He even introduced Sam to Jessica. In fact, the demon possessed Brady just to get to Sam, and introduce him to Jessica.\n\nSam tries to kill Brady, but Dean stops him. He finally convinces Sam they need Brady to find Pestilence. Crowley tries to convince Brady that killing Lucifer is in both of their best interests. Brady laughs. He knows Lucifer will win. And he knows Lucifer is going to kill all the humans first, then the demons. He doesn't care, because he says Lucifer is going to let Crowley live, so he can be tortured for eternity. Crowley closes the discussion, no further negotiations are possible. So he tells Dean he's going out.\n\nTrust\n\nSo Crowley is gone, and Dean goes to the bathroom. Sam slyly locks him in, then goes to confront Brady. Brady laughs at Sam's naivety in falling for Azazel's plan, mocks him by describing how he killed Jessica, and shows no fear. Sam puts the knife to his throat, even making a small slice on Brady's neck. But he backs down and leaves, to Brady's laughter. Sam lets Dean out. Dean's trust is rewarded.\n\nAnd doubly. Crowley arrives. He's just killed a nest of demons, and he might have let it slip that Brady has turned to Crowley's side. In fact, Crowley told the demon he and Brady were lovers. This does not make Brady laugh.\n\nHellhounds\n\nAnd neither does the sound of a hound baying. Crowley searches his pockets, and finds another hexed coin. He's been bugged also. Dean tries to put a salt perimeter around the room, but the hound attacks and he can't get to the salt. Crowley bugs out. Brady begs to be released because the hounds have his scent, too. Sam cuts him loose, while Dean fills a couple of hellhounds with rock salt.\n\nThings look grim, until Crowley arrives. He has his own hellhound - being a crossroad demon and all - but his is bigger. The dogs fight, and while they do, everyone gets into Metallicar.\n\nThey end up in an alley, where Brady gives up Pestilence's location. Dean puts down a salt line, keeping Brady from crossing, being trapped in its current skin. Brady gets a bit worried now. \n\nDean tells Brady that both the angels and demons have it all wrong. They're worried about God, Lucifer, Michael. They all really should be worried about the Winchesters.\n\nBrady laughs. The Winchesters are weak, Sam especially can't overcome his anger and self-loathing. Brady tells Sam that the reason he hates demons so much is because he can see himself in them. Sam, cool and methodical, gives Brady a couple of slashes, turning him around in the process, before plunging the knife deep into Brady's sternum.\n\n\"Interesting theory,\" Sam says. He lets Brady drop, wipes the knife on his pants, and turns and strides past Dean.\n\nDean gives him a strange look as he passes.\n\nCoda\n\nCrowley appears at Bobby's house. Bobby shoots him, and tells him to leave. Crowley tells him that he can find Death, the final Horseman. All he needs is Bobby to make a wish. Of course, that will require Bobby's soul. Crowley promises to give it right back.\n\nBobby thinks about it. Fade to black.\n\nPredictions\n\nSo I guess pretty much everyone knew the Winchesters wouldn't kill Satan. That meant the only thing that could happen is for things to go on as they are (doubtful) next year, or for Satan to be sent back to where he came from.\n\nWhat most people didn't guess, I think, was that the Horseman rings would be the way to trap Satan again.\n\nThat works out neatly. Satan won't go willingly into a trap. But maybe he knows Sam will eventually give in to him, if for no other reason than because he thinks it's the only way to stop Lucifer from destroying Earth. And that's the only reason I can think of where Sam would plausibly give in to Satan, other than to save Dean's life.\n\nSo now there's a little doubt. Sam could go through with his stupid plan. The season could end with Lucifer trapped again - but Sam trapped with him. How will Dean get him out without releasing Satan? That would make both a terrific cliffhanger end of the season, and a blockbuster season premiere in the fall.\n\nBut it would be very, very hard to pull off. If 66 seals had to be broken to let Lucifer out the first time, what would you have to go through to get a human out? That's why I don't think it will happen that way. But, in my opinion, there's a small, very small, chance it could.\n\nI think it's more likely that Sam and Dean are fully successful. The only thing is, there are other brothers out there. Zachariah told Dean this had happened through history. Sam and Dean's mission from here on out, I think, will be to find these other brothers, and stop them from going down the road that leads to, well, Hell.\n\nAnd how about that 2 minute promo for the finale? That had to be the best, creepiest TV show promo I have ever seen. The finale should be incredible if it matches up to the promo.