What's so special about a 1967 Chevy Impala? We soon find out.

Dean tells Sam that he's on board with Sam's plan.

"So you're going to let me do it?" Sam asks.

"That's just it. I shouldn't be 'letting' you do anything," Dean says. He tells Sam that it's been a hard adjustment for him, but that Sam can make his own decisions. He doesn't need protecting, as much as Dean thinks that's his job. Dean says that maybe he's grown up too.

Detroit rock city

Bobby doesn't find much in the way of omens, just some minor weather events, one in Detroit. Dean already knows it's Detroit - Lucifer told him so in a future that may or may not come to pass. So off to Detroit they go. On the trip, Cas sleeps. Dean asks Sam if angels sleep. Sam gets the point, Cas has lost nearly all of his powers.

Sam brings up a point that Dean seems to be avoiding - if Sam jumps into the pit with Lucifer in his body, Sam can never come back. Dean knows, he has realized it. He asks Sam if this is really what he wants. Sam says that he started this, he ought to be the one to finish it. He asks Dean to promise him that he won't try to bring Sam back. It's too dangerous, there's a chance Lucifer could escape. Dean doesn't promise, but it's clear that he accepts what Sam is asking.

Face to face

The Winchesters, Bobby and Cas find demons in Detroit. They kill them and drain their blood for Sam to drink. His body will need the strength provided by their blood, so that it can withstand Lucifer's power. Sam, however, can't drink the blood with Dean watching. Dean turns his back, and Sam chugs. His grotesque meal finished, Sam is ready to confront Satan.

Sam catches Cas alone, and asks him to take care of Dean and Bobby. Cas tells Sam it's impossible, but Sam interrupts him and says, "Humor me."

"Oh, I'm supposed to lie," Cas says. "Oh, sure, it'll all be fine..."

"Just, stop, talking" Sam says.

The Winchesters find the Devil's lair, guarded by demons, of course. The Winchesters show themselves, and ask to be taken to Satan. They're obliged.

Cut to Chuck, narrating as he writes the final Winchester chapter. He tells about the Impala, and how it's history ties in with Sam and Dean's life - the plastic soldier that Sam jammed in the ash tray, still there, and how you can hear the rattling of the Legos Dean shoved in the vents. These little things, things preserved by Dean even when he rebuilt the Impala after the horrendous collision with the truck, as what really make the Impala belong to the Winchesters.

"It's the blemishes that make it beautiful," he says.

Inside, Lucifer plays with drawing on the frost on the glass near him. He says that most people think he burns hot, but it's just the opposite. He wants to know why the Winchesters were stupid enough to come to him. Sam instantly kills the demons with Lucifer. Lucifer is impressed. Sam says they know they can't win, and he wants to say yes under condition that he, Dean, Bobby, and Cas will all survive.

"Oh, please," Lucifer says. "I know about the rings, Sam." Lucifer isn't fooled. But Sam says it doesn't matter if he knows, it's the only chance they have. He tells Lucifer "yes." Lucifer glows for a moment, then suddenly Sam passes out. Dean rushes to him, and Sam opens his eyes. He tells Dean to hurry, and Dean throws the rings against the wall, and incants a spell. A hole opens in the wall, with wind howling into the hole. Sam staggers toward the hole, then stops.

He turns to Dean. "I was just messing with you," Lucifer says. "Sammy's long gone." He chants, the hole closes, and he retrieves the rings. "I told you, this would always happen in Detroit."

And with that, Lucifer is gone.

Revenge

Lucifer looks into a cracked mirror, in the bowels of a derelict room. People stand frozen as Lucifer paces. He talks to Sam, and Sam's reflection shows in the mirror. Lucifer tells Sam that he's not the bad guy. He wonders who Sam is angry at, Lucifer, or himself. He knows how Sam feels, how out of place, how he never felt part of the Winchester family.

"I'm your real family," Lucifer tells Sam. He tells Sam that he let Dean live, and that he will bring Sam's parents back. He wants Sam to be happy.

Sam tells him that he wants nothing from Lucifer. Lucifer asks him, what about revenge? He points out the people standing there - people from Sam's past, demons, all of them, reporting to Azazel on what and how Sam was, making sure the conditions were right for Sam to play his part in the Apocalypse. He says that he knows how Sam feels about them, and he feels the same.

"What say you and I blow off a little steam?" Lucifer asks.

Never say die

Later, Dean, Cas and Bobby watch the news as it describes simultaneous earthquakes around the globe. Cas and Bobby are stunned. Dean is angry, he hasn't given up yet. Cas tells him there's no way to stop it, Michael will meet Lucifer on the chosen field, and the battle of Armageddon will begin.

Dean wants to know where this field is. Cas doesn't know.

Sam and Lucifer sit and look at a room full of carnage, Azazel's demons destroyed and bleeding on the floor.

"So, are we having fun yet?" Lucifer asks Sam.

Chuck

Chuck continues his story of the Impala, how Sam and Dean used the car to travel between jobs, exulting in their freedom - going to concerts 1,000 miles away, driving two days for a basketball game, sleeping in the car, and just sitting and watching the stars.

"Sure, maybe they never had a roof and four walls, but they were never, in fact, homeless," he says.

The phone rings. "Mistress Magda," he says. But it's Dean. He tells Chuck that Sam is now Lucifer's vessel. Chuck says he knows, he saw it. Dean asks if he knows where the battle will take place. Chuck tells him it's a huge secret, but that he found out anyway. Stull Cemetary in Kansas.

Dean knows it. It's just outside Lawrence, the Winchesters' home town. Dean asks if Chuck knows how to stop it, or even what happens next. Chuck doesn't.

Road trip

Cas and Bobby ask Dean what he's planning. Dean says he's going to talk to Sam. Cas tells him that he can't reach Sam. Dean says he has to try.

Cas tells Dean that all he'll see is Michael killing Sam.

"Well, then I ain't gonna let him die alone," Dean says.

Stull

Michael, in Adam's body, meets Lucifer. They greet each other. Lucifer says that part of him wishes they didn't have to do this. Michael agrees. Lucifer asks, "They why are we?" Michael says Lucifer knows why, that after what he did, Michael has to kill him. Lucifer tells him that God make everything, so he made the Devil. If he made the Devil, he must have wanted the Devil the way he is. Michael is unswayed. But Lucifer says he doesn't see the point. It's one of God's tests, and they don't know the answer.

Lucifer tells Michael they should just walk away. Michael says that he can't, he has his orders. Michael says that Lucifer hasn't changed, nothing is ever his fault. Lucifer betrayed the family, and made God leave.

"No one makes Dad do anything," Lucifer says.

"You're a monster, Lucifer," Michael says. "And I have to kill you."

They prepare to fight. But they hear an engine start. Dean plays Def Leppard's "Rock of Ages," and drives to meet Michael and Lucifer.

"Sorry, boys, am I interrupting something?" Dean asks.

Battle

Dean tries to talk to Sam. Michael tells Dean that he's no longer the vessel. Dean says, "Adam, if you're in there somewhere, I'm so sorry."

"Adam isn't home right now," Michael replies.

"Well, then you're next on my list, buttercup. But right now I need five minutes with him."

"You little maggot, you're no longer a part of this story," Michael says, and stalks toward Dean.

"Hey, assbutt!" Cas says. Michael turns, and Cas throws a Molotov cocktail at him. It explodes into flame, and Michael screams and disappears.

"Assbutt?" Dean asks.

"He'll be back, and upset, but you've got your five minutes," Cas tells Dean.

"Castiel, did you just Molotov my brother with Holy Fire?" Lucifer asks. "Nobody dicks with Michael, but me." He snaps his fingers, and Cas explodes in a shower of gore.

Dean tries to talk to Sam again.

"You know, I tried to be nice for Sammy's sake, but you are such a pain in my ass," Lucifer says, and throws Dean on to the car.

Bobby shoots Lucifer multiple times with the shotgun. Lucifer makes a small twisting motion with his hand, and Bobby's neck breaks and he falls dead.

"Sammy, are you in there?" Dean asks.

"Oh, he's in here all right," Lucifer says, punching Dean. "And he's going to feel the snap of your bones, every single one." He brutally punches Dean again, and again. He puts Dean against the car door, and punches him, over and over. Dean's face begins to swell and bleed. His nose is broken.

"It's okay, it's okay," Dean says. "I'm here. I'm not gonna leave you." Lucifer continues to punch Dean. "I'm not gonna leave you."

Lucifer draws back to punch Dean, but the sunlight catches the chrome trim on the Impala, and shines in Lucifer's eye. He looks into the car, and sees the plastic soldier, still stuck in the ash tray.

A montage of images flashes across Sam's mind. The Legos, carving their initials in the car, driving, sleeping, practical jokes, hunting, driving, hunting. Faster and faster, with the final image of Dean fiercely hugging Sam.

Sam staggers back, once again in control. "It's okay, Dean. It's gonna be okay. I've got him."

Dean can only watch, he's too badly injured. Sam reaches into his pocket, and pulls out the rings. He tosses them on the ground, recites the incantation, and watches as the ground begins to fall away around the ring.

Sam looks at Dean, and prepares to jump into the pit.

"Sam! It's not going to end this way. Step back," Michael says.

"You're going to have to make me," Sam says.

"I have to fight my brother, Sam, here and now," Michael says. "It's my destiny."

Sam looks at Dean. Dean looks back at him, and Sam leans back to let himself fall into the pit. Michael grabs his arm, but Sam grabs Michael and pulls him into the pit, too. As Dean looks on, Sam and Michael fall, and then the pit closes, leaving the glowing rings behind on the ground.

Dean looks away.

Loss and renewal

Dean sits alone, grieving. Behind him, he hears someone.

It's Castiel.

"Cas, you're alive?"

"I'm better than that," Cas says. He touches Dean, and Dean is healed.

"Cas, are you God?" Dean asks.

"That's a nice compliment, but no," Cas says. "Although I do believe he brought me back. New and improved." He walks to Bobby, touches him, and Bobby is healed.

Dean looks at the rings in his hand.

Chuck narrates again. "Endings are hard," Chuck says. There are always holes, and the fans are never satisfied.

Cut to Cas and Dean driving. Dean asks where Cas is headed. Cas tells him he's going back to Heaven, with Michael gone, it will be chaos. Cas believes the right thing to do is set it back in order.

Dean is incredulous. He says that if Cas does find God, to tell him that Dean is coming for him next.

"You're angry," Cas says.

"That's an understatement," Dean says.

"He helped. Maybe more than we know."

"That's easy for you to say, he brought you back. What about Sam? What about me? Where's my grand prize? All I got was my brother, in a hole."

"You got what you wanted, Dean. No paradise, no hell, just more of the same. I mean it, Dean. Which would you rather have, peace, or freedom?"

Then Cas is gone.

"You really suck at good-byes, you know that?" Dean mutters.

Wrap

Dean says his good-byes to Bobby, giving him a hug as Chuck narrates. Dean and Bobby won't see each other for a long time, though Bobby returns to hunting the very next week. Dean doesn't. All Dean wants is to die, or try to bring Sam back. But he won't do either, because he made a promise.

Dean goes to Lisa's. She answers the door, and says, "Thank God," when she sees him.

He asks her if it's too late for that beer, and she tells him it's never too late. He steps inside, and hugs her.

"It's all right," she whispers. "It's going to be okay."

Chuck continues, as a montage of the brothers plays.

"So what's it all add up to? It's hard to say. But me, I'd say this was a test, for Sam and Dean. And I think they did all right, up against good, evil, angels, devils, destiny, and God Himself. They made their own choice. They chose family. And, well, isn't that kind of the whole point?"

The final scene of the montage is Sam and Dean sitting on the Impala, looking at the stars.

Cut to Chuck in a white shirt, drinking, and finishing up his book. He types, "The End" and takes a drink of liquor. "No doubt, endings are hard," his narration continues. Chuck smiles. "But then again, nothing ever really ends, does it?"

Chuck disappears.

Cut to Dean, sitting at a table with Lisa's son, while Lisa cooks. "You okay?" she asks.

"Yeah, I'm good," Dean says, and takes a drink. The camera pulls out and up to an exterior shot, and in the corner, a streetlight goes out. Thunder rolls, and the camera pans down. Sam, expressionless, stands staring into the window where Dean sits.

Meaning

So we're back to where we started - Dean, alone. And what does it all mean? Is Chuck God? How is Sam back? Is it Sam, or Lucifer?

I have no idea, but I'll wrap up the season some time next week with some thoughts.

The Winchesters know where to find Pestilence. But as they're preparing to leave, they get a call from Castiel. He's in a hospital, found beaten and bloody on a shrimping boat. The docs thought he was brain damaged, but it's worse. Apparently, carving an angel-banishing sigil on your chest has lasting side effects, in that it removes your angelic powers.

Cas tells Dean he owes him an apology. Dean is not the burned-out, broken shell of a man Cas thought he was.

Cas can't transport himself any more, or do much of anything - he feels hunger, and thirst and pain like the rest of us. And he needs money for airfare to get there. And pain meds.

Dean, disturbed, and slightly put off by Cas' backhanded compliments, tells him Bobby will wire the money, to Bobby's surprise.

Eunice Kennedy

Sam and Dean find Pestilence at a retirement home. But what does he look like? Dean gets an idea. He approaches the guard in the vidcam observation room, claiming to be looking for his "nana," Eunice Kennedy. As the guard tries to direct him to the nurse, Dean knocks him out. Sam enters, and asks, "Eunice Kennedy?"

"That's the beauty of improv, Sammy. You never know what's going to come out of your mouth." I wonder if that line is adlibbed?

They watch the cameras. And watch, and watch. Finally, they see something suspicious. One of the doctors causes the cameras to blur as he walks by.

They track him down, but he's waiting for them. Lucifer's orders be damned, the Winchesters sent his brothers back to Hell. The Winchesters get sicker as they get closer. Pestilence passes on Scarlet Fever, meningitis, oh, and syphilis.

But Cas arrives just in time. A surprised Pestilence asks, "How did you get here?"

"I took a bus," Cas says. Cas also begins to get sick, as Pestilence laughs.

"You don't have a speck of angel left in you," he says.

Cas grabs Sam's knife, and says, "Maybe a speck" as he removes the Horseman's ring bloodily. A demonic nurse attacks Cas, but he kills her. Before Pestilence disappears, he tells them it's too late.

Sealed with a kiss

Back at Bobby's, Dean is furious at Sam's plan to become Lucifer's vessel to trap him. Bobby has to admit he knew, but he tells Dean he told Sam it was a bad idea. Sam agrees, it is a bad idea.

Bobby tells them he's found Death. The Winchesters press Bobby to tell them his sources. Bobby hedges, until Crowley appears and tells him to confess. Bobby does, he's sold his soul to Crowley in exchange for Death's location. Crowley corrects him - Bobby pawned his soul. He'll get it back, when Crowley is sure the Winchesters won't kill him after they've tracked down Lucifer.

Sam wants to know if Bobby kissed Crowley. Bobby denies it. Crowley shows the picture.

"Why'd you take a picture of it?" Bobby asks irritably.

"Why'd you use tongue?" Crowley replies.

So Death is in Chicago, where he is preparing a chain reaction natural disaster. Three million will die when it's all over. Crowley tells them what Pestilence meant when he told them it was too late. Croatoan virus is going to be shipped in swine flu vaccines.

The Winchesters decide to split up. Sam, Bobby and Cas will go to stop the virus from being shipped. Dean and Crowley will go to Chicago to meet Death.

Before they leave, Cas tells Bobby how useless and powerless he feels. Bobby has no sympathy, and hands him a shotgun. Cas doesn't know what to do with it.

"Just point it and shoot," Bobby says. Crowley asks Bobby if he's going to just sit there.

"No, I'm going to Riverdance," he growls.

"If that's what it takes to impress the ladies," Crowley says. Then he explains. Bobby could have asked for more in exchange for his soul. So Crowley gave it to him anyway. Bobby can walk now. Bobby is shocked.

"Thank you," he says to Crowley.

Crowley takes Sam's knife from Dean. Dean won't need it. Crowley hands Dean a scythe that belonged to Death himself. Legend is it will kill anything, even Death.

Road trip

On the way to the shipping facility, Sam tells Cas of his plan. But Cas doesn't think it's so crazy. He says he's underestimated the Winchesters. But he does tell Sam things he must consider. Michael has chosen a different vessel, Adam. If Sam fails, the fight between Michael and Lucifer will take place, with horrendous collateral damage. Plus, he has to consider the side effects. Lucifer has been drinking demon blood by the gallons to keep his current vessel from disintegrating. Sam will have to do the same.

At the shipping facility, they are forced into action when a truck begins to leave ahead of schedule. They stop it, but it alerts the demons, who infect some of the workers with Croatoan. Sam and Bobby stand tight and kill them, in addition to some demons. Sam repeatedly goes deeper into the warehouse to rescue uninfected workers, while Bobby watches his back, with a strange look in his eyes.

As they finish the rescue mission, and start to leave to blow up the facility, Sam is attacked by an infected worker. Bobby's gun is out of ammo, but Cas arrives in time to shoot the attacker.

"You're right, it is useful," he says.

"Let's complete our act of domestic terrorism and get out of here," Bobby says.

Dean and Death have a chat

Crowley and Dean get to Chicago, but he doesn't know exactly where Death is. He knows he's in the city, though, because there are so many Reapers there.

Crowley checks out a likely location, but Death isn't there. The weather is starting to turn for the worse, which seems to make Crowley nervous. Dean is angry that Crowley told him they'd find Death, and now Bobby's soul was sold for nothing. Crowley tells him that wishes unfulfilled means Bobby gets his soul back. Before they leave, though, Crowley checks out another place, and finds Death in a pizza place. Nervously, Dean enters.

Dead bodies are strewn about the place, but Death sits, back to Dean, calmly eating.

The scythe suddenly begins to shake, and turns red hot. Dean drops it, and it disappears.

"Thank you for returning that to me," Death says, without turning. He invites Dean to have a seat, and insists he eat some pizza.

Dean is puzzled. He wants to know why he isn't dead yet. Death says, "Imagine a bacterium sitting at the table with you, and getting snarky. That's how you are to me." This world is nothing to him, just one in an infinity of other worlds. He tells Dean that he is old, as old as God, maybe older. Neither of them can remember. He tells Dean that he will even be the one to reap God.

"God will die?" Dean asks.

"Oh, yes," Death replies.

Death tells Dean that he is angry with Lucifer. Lucifer has bound him with a spell attached to the ring. He wants free of the spell, and so he is willing to give Dean the ring, on one condition. He must do everything possible to trap Lucifer, including allowing Sam to say "yes". Dean agrees, and Death gives him the ring.

Dean asks Death about Chicago. Death says he guesses it can stay - he likes the food.

"Remember, Dean," Death says. "You can't cheat Death. Now, you'll want the operating instructions."

Four rings

Dean plays with the rings. Place them apart, and they fly together, forming a triangle. He shows Bobby. Bobby is giddy that his legs work again. Dean, distracted, asks Bobby what he thinks happens if you bald-faced lie to Death.

Bobby says it can't be anything good. Dean tells Bobby about his agreement with Death. Bobby is less concerned than Dean. Dean wonders if they can trust Death, since Death was working for Lucifer. Bobby counters by telling Dean that Death was forced to work for Lucifer. Death may be an impartial observer.

Bobby tells Dean that they both keep underestimating Sam, and that he realized it as he watched Sam save the uninfected workers at the shipping facility. Sam has been saving people since he was twelve.

Bobby tells Dean that Sam has a dark streak, and anger problems, but that he's strong. He'll beat Lucifer, or die trying.

Bobby asks, "Are you worried about losing, or losing your brother?"

Dean doesn't answer.

The finale?

So they're going ahead with their plan. Sam will meet Lucifer, say yes, and jump into the Pit.

But what happens when Sam is in the Pit? Will Sam be able to leave the Pit, leaving Lucifer trapped inside? Or will Lucifer be able to leave if Sam does?

We may be headed for a cliffhanger ending like that, with Sam finding out minutes before the trap is to be sprung that if he goes through with it, he will be trapped with Lucifer, forever. Sam will have to decide if saving the world is worth dying, or worse, eternal torment. Then the premiere next season will have to deal with Dean trying to get Sam out.

And what about Bobby? Crowley is a demon, and this is a classic demonic dilemma. Bobby can get his soul back, but will he have to give up walking again? Surely Crowley thought about this before giving Bobby his legs back.

And Cas? Can he survive being human? Will Jimmy start to emerge in Castiel's place? What about Adam? Will he be part of the Winchester's hunts next season?

I expect we'll have all these answers this time next week.

And it delivered. The title said it all. While it's clearly a passing allusion to the Kansas album "Point of Know Return," it means what it says. Dean's character arc has made its reversal. Both brothers now fully believe that they must fight together to have any chance to win, and they have fully bought into the fact that they are going to fight together, win or lose.

But let's get to a recap.

Downsized

Zachariah is drinking in a bar. A man sitting next to him strikes up a conversation, and they find they both have something in common, they've both been fired. Zachariah goes on one of his patented rants, leaving the man confused for a moment, when the bar begins shaking and bright lights and loud sounds begin. The man and the bartender are in agony, covering their ears, while their eyes are burned out.

But to Zachariah, it's just the boss. And he's offering a chance at redemption.

When it's over, Zachariah walks out happily, over their dead bodies.

Making Peace

Dean has made his peace with the world - he packs up the things important to him to ship to Bobby, before Michael takes over his body and sends the world to ruin.

But not before Sam shows up to stop him. Sam begs him to reconsider, before telling Dean that if he won't reconsider, he will stop him by force. Dean tells him to try, and that Sam doesn't have the extra strength granted by the demon blood now. Sam agrees, and says that's why he brought help.

Dean turns to see Cas, and Cas forehead-touches him to Bobby's.

Reunion

Once at Bobby's, Dean says his piece. He's going to do this, because he doesn't think Sam can hold out forever, and he wants Michael to stop Lucifer before Lucifer can possess Sam and rule the world. Bobby can't believe Dean is giving up, and shows the Winchesters and Castiel his secret - a gun with a single bullet, that he has planned to use to kill himself. The only reason he hasn't, he says, is because he promised Dean he wouldn't. So he will not let Dean give in.

Suddenly Cas senses something, some event that's happening. He disappears, and goes to a forest, where he finds soft ground that looks recently disturbed. He's attacked by two angels, but through a nifty bit of fighting, kills them both. He excavates some of the soft, muddy earth, and finds a hand. After pulling the person out, he takes them to Bobby's.

It's Adam, John's illegitimate son. Adam tells them that he was in heaven, and angels appeared to him, and told him he could save the world. He got offered a deal by Zachariah. Let Michael possess him, and he can save the world, and see his mother again also. The angels also warned him about the Winchesters, that they would lie to him.

Sam asks Cas if that would work. Cas says that it would be a long shot, but it could - Adam is John's bloodline and Sam's brother.

So now there are two problems. Adam wants to join the angels. The human collateral damage doesn't bother him - it's the Devil, and he has to be stopped. Sam tells him there's another way.

"Great, what is it?" Adam asks, skeptically.

"Well, we're working on the power of love," Dean replies sarcastically.

"How's that working?"

"Not well."

Sam interrupts. He begs Adam to give him some time. Adam wants a reason.

"Because we're blood," Sam says.

Adam goes off. John wasn't a father, he was just someone who showed up once a year. His mom is his family. Ironically, the reality he describes isn't far off from Sam and Dean's reality. A lot of time alone, learning to fend for himself. Sam calls him on it, telling him that it was worse living with John. Adam calls BS, he said he would have taken it over no dad at all, no matter what.

Escape

Meanwhile, Dean is shut in the iron room. Sam tells him it's needed, because they can't keep an eye on both of them. Dean says he won't let Adam take his place. Dean says to think about how many people they've killed. He's tired of fighting who he's supposed to be. Sam tells him to think for a moment, instead of trying to sacrifice himself. He says they should stick together.

Dean disagrees. He no longer believes in Sam. He's sure Sam will give in eventually.

"So you're saying I'm not strong enough," Sam says.

"I'm saying you're angry. You're self-righteous." He tells Sam it's just a matter of time.

"Don't do this to me," Sam says. "Not you, of all people."

"I don't want to, but it's the truth. And when Satan takes you over, there's got to be someone there to fight him. And it ain't going to be that kid. So it's gotta be me."

Sam leaves.

Cas goes to check on Dean. The room appears empty. When Cas walks in, Dean shows him the Enochean sigil, presses his palm to it, and zaps Cas out. Dean slips out.

How Cas really feels

Sam discovers Dean is missing, and goes to look for him. Adam is dreaming. He dreams of the playground his mom used to take him to. Zachariah appears, and reminds Adam of his task, and his reward. He tells Adam that Sam and Dean can't be trusted, that they will leave him when things get bad, and that they'd rather save each other than save the planet.

Meanwhile, Dean is wandering the streets. He finds a man preaching on the street. Dean introduces himself, and asks if the man knows who he is.

"Oh, dear God," the man says.

"I'll take that as a yes." Dean tells the man to summon an angel. The man begins praying, when he's put unconscious when he's touched by Cas (touched by an angel, ha!), who says, "You pray too loud."

Cas beats the living crap out of Dean, saying "I rebelled for this! I gave everything for you."

Dean tells Cas to finish him off. Cas relaxes, and puts him unconscious.

Back at Bobby's, Bobby is telling Sam that Adam disappeared before his eyes. Sam wants to know how.

"The angels took him," Cas says as he brings Dean in.

"What happened to him?" Sam asks.

"Me."

Cas says that the angels must have found Adam through Adam tipping them off in a dream.

The beautiful room

Adam is in the room where Dean was taken while Sam broke the final seal. There are cheeseburgers and beer aplenty. Zachariah appears, and Adam wants to know if they are ready. Zachariah tells him he's not needed. He's only bait to get to Dean, not the chosen one.

Adam is upset that Zachariah lied to him. Zachariah tells him that Winchesters have one weakness, and that's family. They'll put aside their differences to try to rescue him, and Dean will be in Zachariah's power.

Adam says he won't let him do it. Zachariah gets upset, and makes him start vomiting blood.

Trust

Sam releases Dean from the iron room, and fills him in. Dean tells him that it's a bad idea - it's either a trap to make him agree, or it's not a trap and he'll agree anyway. Dean tells Sam that if the tables were turned, he'd let Sam - he has let Sam - rot in the room. He asks Sam why he's letting him out.

Sam tells him that Dean is still his big brother.

They go to the room, and abandoned muffler factory in Van Nuys, California. Cas tells them there are 5 angels inside, but he will take care of them.

"Isn't that like suicide?" Dean asks.

"Maybe, but then I won't have to watch you fail," Cas says. "Sorry, Dean, but I don't the same faith in you that Sam does."

Cas removes his tie, and pulls out a boxcutter.

Cut to Cas walking inside. He gets attacked, but he kills his attacker. Four more attack. Cas drops his knife, and asks them what they're waiting for. As they move in, he rips off his shirt to reveal the Enochean sigil cut into his chest. He places his hand in it, and they all disappear.

Dean waits until all is clear, then move in. He finds Adam. Adam tells him it's a trap.

"I figured," Dean says.

Zachariah appears, saying, "Please, Dean, did you think it would be this easy?"

"Did you?" Dean asks, as Sam attacks from behind. But Zachariah is ready, and throws Sam against the wall. He makes Adam vomit more blood, then Sam. Dean tells him to stop.

Dean agrees. He will become Michael's vessel.

Zachariah doesn't believe him. Dean asks if he looks like he's lying.

Zachariah calls Michael. The room lights up, and begins shaking. Dean looks at Sam, who is staring at him in shock.

Dean stares back, as Zachariah finishes, smirking. But Dean, with the hint of a smile, winks at Sam.

"Of course, I have a few conditions," Dean says. He wants guaranteed safety for a list of people. Zachariah agrees. Dean continues. "But most of all, Michael can't have me, until he disintegrates you."

Zachariah is now the one in shock. He says that Michael won't go for it. But Dean asks him, who's more important?

Zachariah grabs him. "Do you know who I am, after I deliver you to him?"

"Expendable."

Zachariah scoffs. "Michael isn't going to kill me."

"Maybe not. But I am," Dean says, and drops an angel-killing knife down his sleeve, and stabs Zachariah in the throat with it. Zachariah dies.

As the light grows brighter and the horrible high=-itched squeal starts, Dean grabs Sam, and asks Adam if he can walk. Adam can. Dean takes Sam out the door, but Adam pauses, in awe of the light. He recovers, but as he reaches the door, it slams, and Adam can't open it. He calls to Dean.

Dean drops Sam, and tells Adam he'll get him out. But it's too late, the light is overwhelming, and Adam turns in horror toward it. Outside the room, Dean sees a flash around the door, then nothing. He opens the door, and finds an empty room filled with junk.

Aftermath

Sam and Dean drive off. Sam asks if Dean thinks Adam is okay.

"Doubt it," Dean says. Sam agrees. "But we'll get him," Sam says.

Sam wants to know why Dean changed his mind. He could tell Dean meant it when he said yes to Michael.

Dean says it was the stupidest thing. "I looked over at you, and I thought, 'That stupid son-of-a-bitch brought me here.' I just didn't want to let you down."

"I owe you an apology," Dean says.

"No, it's..."

"Just let me say this. I don't know if it's being a big brother, or what, but to me you've always been this snot-nosed kid I better keep on the straight and narrow. I think we both know that's not you any more. I mean, hell, if you're grown up enough to find faith in me, the least I can do is return the favor.

"So screw destiny, right in the face. I say we take the fight to them, do it our way."

"Sounds good," Sam says.

So there it is, the team is back together. But how exactly can they take the fight to Lucifer and the angels?

The hook

This was a nice set up from the beginning. Metallicar is there, naturally. And Dean's favorite memory is of Sam having fun with him, telling him he's the best big brother ever.

It's no secret that Dean idolizes his dad, but this scene hinted at something larger - that Dean really wants to be the dad Sam never had.

The hook here, that Heaven is a place where you relive your fondest memories, isn't a very original interpretation of paradise, but gets a Dean-esque twist later in the episode. More on that in a moment.

So Dean tracks Sam down. And Sam is reliving his fondest memory - a real Thanksgiving dinner with another family. Sam tries to explain, but Dean won't hear it.

I liked that the Winchester's path to the center of Heaven was a two-lane blacktop road. It's something personal to them, in that most of their adult lives has been spent driving down those types of roads to the next hunt, and without realizing it, searching for peace. And that road for each of them took a different form.

One of Dean's memories involves hearing John and Mary fight. Sam says that he thought John and Mary had a perfect marriage.

"It wasn't perfect until after Mom died," Dean replies. Nice additional characterization for John, showing him driven by guilt as much as for revenge.

Dean remembers it vividly, and does exactly what he did that day. He goes to Mary to comfort her, telling her that dad still loves her, and that he, Dean, will never leave her.

Sam comments that Dean has been cleaning up John's messes even before Mary died. Take note of that. I think that's going to be a strong theme in the finale.

Perspectives

It doesn't take long for Dean to realize that Sam's happiest memories involve being on his own, getting away from family. Sam tries to explain that he never had a mother he remembers. Dean did, and a large portion of Dean's happiest memories involve Mary (though not the first one, which Sam didn't witness, but Dean told him about).

Dean is livid, because nearly all of Sam's happiest memories were absolute hells for Dean. But mostly because Sam admits family was a low priority for him.

Dean does take the time to contact Cas, who tells him to find Joshua in the garden, the literal center of Heaven.

Ash

Then Zachariah finds them. And he is going to make them pay. Fortunately, Ash(!) arrives, and takes them to his own personal heaven - the replica Roadhouse. They talk for a bit, and Ash explains how there isn't just one heaven. Each person creates their own heaven, in their own image. But Dean notes that it seems a lonely kind of heaven. For one thing, it's not real. For another, there's no one to share it with.

And there we have it. Dean's daddy problems brought to light. It's not just idolization, it's abandonment issues. Dean wants not just family, but to feel needed, loved, and wanted. File this away for later, this may be the leverage Michael needs to persuade Dean to agree to be his vessel.

And it also highlights his conflict with Sam. It's a total opposition in viewpoints. Sam is not just okay without a family, he thrives on it.

Pamela, the randy psychic arrives. She forgives Dean, and tells him she's happy that she died. But Dean doesn't, can't, believe her. To him, the heaven he's witnessing is no better than the Djinn's illusion, or the Trickster's television plots. Only life is real. That clue slips right out of his mind as soon as he utters it, but I think it will get discovered again soon.

Good-bye to old friends

Sam and Dean say their so-longs, and head off to the garden. But something goes wrong, and they are trapped in the house with Mary.

Except Mary isn't very nice. She tells Dean lots of awful things. She died an agonizing death, and that she didn't really love Dean, she felt like he was a burden. Dean is crushed emotionally.

Then Zachariah shows up - he seems to have been manipulating Mary, if that even was Mary. He tells the Winchesters that he's going to torture them for a while, exacting a little revenge for the way they've shown him up, then put them back on Earth.

But a funny thing happens. Joshua shows up, and orders Zachariah out. Zachariah refuses, until Joshua mentions that it's a direct order from God.

God's plan

Joshua takes them to the garden. It reminds the Winchesters of the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, where they went on a field trip. That's because they see it in ways they can relate to, just like the rest of heaven.

Joshua tells them that basically everything is going according to plan. And he also tells them to "Back off." God is tired of being asked for help, He is otherwise occupied. He thinks he has given them enough help, resurrecting them already multiple times, and putting them on the plane that saved them from Lucifer's rising.

Then Joshua tells them that they should quit their futile quest. They can't kill the Devil, and even with Dean's amulet, they won't find God. The Winchesters are stunned. At first they think Joshua is lying, but he asks them, do they really think he would lie about this? Putting words in God's mouth?

With that, he sends them back to their bloody bodies on Earth.

Fracture

So Dean calls Cas to tell him the news. He, too, is stunned, and believes that Joshua may be lying. But the Winchesters tell him that, no, they believe Joshua.

All hope is now gone. Why go on? Cas is listless, depressed. Dean is angry. Sam is dismayed. Then Cas, signaling the ultimate in defeat, returns Dean's amulet, telling him it's worthless.

Dean looks at it, then walks out the door behind Cas, but not before pausing, and simply letting the amulet drop into the wastebasket, as Sam watches, sick at the sight.

Dean, forgiving and fighting and believing in Sam even through death, has finally severed the bond with his brother that no one, or nothing, else could sever.

Aftermath

So how will this all play out now?

Well, it's easy to see that this could be the one thing that could push Sam to accept Lucifer's offer. Sam has no one now, nothing holding him back. But the real reason he may accept now is to save Dean. If he can exact a promise from Lucifer that Dean will remain untouched as long as Dean doesn't accept becoming Michael's vessel, he could agree.

Dean, on the other hand, has a lot of different dynamics going on. And I think this is how it's going to play out with Dean. I don't think Dean will accept becoming Michael's vessel, but not to save Sam.

He, finally, I think, realizes that he can't be the one to save Sam. Sam, just like he always wanted, is on his own.

But Dean will get his deeply buried wish. He'll get to be the father figure. He'll refuse, leaving Sam, and the world, to its fate. At some point, all parents have to let their children live their own lives.

But also, Dean is done trying to clean up after absent fathers. He will tell them
to work out their own differences, and offer himself up to Lucifer to utterly destroy, making it impossible for Michael to ever confront Lucifer, and battle him, leaving Lucifer to win by default.

How that choice plays out I haven't figured out yet. But I'm not done thinking about it yet. And who knows, maybe I'm as right about all this as I was about Sam being the horseman Death.

See ya next week.

Well, during the break, Supernatural was renewed for a 6th season. All indications are that the Apocalypse story mytharc will resolve by the end of the season (and we only have 7 more episodes left, max!) We don't seem to be very far along toward a big confrontation with Satan, but just like monsters popping out of the closet (or sick old ladies lunging at you from their bed), huge developments seem to come crashing down on the Winchesters with no warning.

Apparently, Eric Kripke will relinquish Showrunner duties for Season 6. He will take on new projects, while Sera Gamble moves from Producer to Showrunner. If anyone can handle it the way it deserves, she can, so I'm pretty comfortable with the decision.

Anyway, on to this week's episode

Sam and Dean roll in to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Bobby's home town, and a town where a dead man climbs out of his grave to kill the man that killed him. Except no one believes the one witness. Along the way they find out that Bobby is widely considered the town scoundrel. They even have him pegged for mail fraud. Funny moment when the sheriff hears Bobby's voice, expecting it to be the FBI supervisor, but recognizes him right off. The Winchesters sheepishly admit they're fakes.

Bobby tries a little subterfuge

Bobby acts weird. He's cleaned up, even cleaned his house, and he's anxious to run them out, telling them nothing is happening. The Winchesters leave, but are suspicious. They decide to check out the graveyard where the dead man murderer was buried. Sure enough, the grave is disturbed, and the coffin empty. (And how'd you like that shot where they stuck their shovels in the ground, and the camera followed to the bottom of the freshly re-dug grave? Nice!)

They check out the alleged zombie, and he turns out to be a regular family man, but he admits killing the man. Only fair, the man killed him first. Dean's going to shoot the zombie, Sam protests. "He's a soccer dad!"

Before they can resolve the issue, the sheriff shows up and arrests them. She knows the man is dead, but she won't let Dean shoot him anyway.

Bobby bails them out, and they find out that lots of the dead have returned, including the sheriff's young son. And Bobby's wife.

Waiting for the shoe to drop

While Bobby's wife seems fine, except for the fact that he'd had her cremated and she's come back with no memories and a new body, not even scars, the Winchesters tell Bobby that nothing good can come of it. Bobby protests. He vividly remembers her possession, having to kill her, and her rise with the Witnesses.

The Winchesters tell Bobby that she isn't safe. Bobby gets angry, and draws his pistol. "Get off my property," he tells them. "I won't tell you again."

They leave, and head to the diner to decide what to do. They're torn, so they decide to do what they always do - investigate. Dean heads back to Bobby's to watch, Sam gets a list of names of the revived dead, and starts knocking on doors.

Remembering

Dean, as usual, is not too subtle, and is caught by Bobby's wife. She invites him in to talk. She tells him she doesn't sleep, and feels compelled to bake, which is how she seems to deal with stress. She doesn't know what happened, and she remembers everything, despite what she told Bobby. She thinks her job is to comfort him.

Bedridden

Sam comes to a house where no one answers his knock. He sees blood on the porch, so he goes in. Inside, he sees a frail, sickly old lady in a bed. She beckons him closer. She obviously isn't healthy, so he declines. She beckons him again. "Can't you just tell me from there?" he asks.

She beckons him again. Stupidly, he finally gives in and comes closer, and, of course, is attacked. He manages to draw his gun and blow her dead brains out, but not before getting slobbered on.

Meanwhile, the sheriff's son is sick, and complaining of being very, very hungry. Unfortunately, his taste is for dad's guts. Sam gets there just in time, and offs the demon-spawn offscreen.

Town drunk

They round up all the townspeople they can find, and take them to the jail. Sam tries to explain what is happening, but they don't believe him. They want to know who he is.

"I'm a friend of Bobby Singer's," he says.

"The town drunk?" one man says.

Sam is confused. "I thought he was the town drunk," he says, nodding at a man in the crowd.

"No, who told you that?" the man says.

"Uh, Bobby Singer..." Sam says.

Remembering

When Dean finds out what's happening, he tells Bobby, but Bobby still insists he can't kill his wife, not again. And he won't let Dean do it either. Dean leaves, but Bobby's wife falls. She is sick, and she can tell she's starting to turn. When Bobby refuses to kill her, she tells Bobby that she remembers everything, and that she met a man in the cemetery, a skeletal man, who had a message for Bobby.

Bobby hears the message, and a few moments later, kills his wife yet again. Dean runs in, and sees what happened.

They pack up ammo and guns and head for the van to go to the police station with everyone else. But the zombies find them, and after a battle retreat to the house. They, surprisingly, run out of ammo, and the zombies smartly break through every window and door. Dean wheels Bobby to a closet, and they lock themselves inside.

Dean feels confident that the zombies won't be able to pick the lock. Seconds later, they do. Dean is able to hold them off for a moment by clubbing them with the butt of his shotgun, but there are too many.

"Get down!" Sam shouts, arriving with the sheriff. They commence target practice, and take down the last of the undead.

Message

Later, they burn the bodies. Bobby has a separate funeral pyre for his wife. They ask if he's okay. He doesn't answer.

He does, however, tell them the message his wife delivered before he shot her. She met a Horseman - Death. Death told her why Sioux Falls was chosen. It was chosen specifically because of Bobby. Death wanted to kill or sideline Bobby. Bobby didn't know why - for helping Sam, or to cause him enough pain, or kill him, so that he's out of the picture.

But the message is clear - Bobby is a target now.

And then I get busy and don't do it.

So I'm switching things up today. I'm going to give you my thoughts, and next week sometime - probably late in the week, I'll post the play-by-play. I know I don't have to - you can find details on the episode just about everywhere, plus you can always watch the episode online for free at The CW website.

But I like doing the detailed recaps - for one thing, I get an excuse to watch the episode again, plus a lot of times I see things I miss. And some of the lines are just great, I like to quote them as closely as possible.

But it takes a long time to recap, so I'm going to try it this way, so I can do it a little at a time, and also make sure I get my thoughts on the episodes into the blog. Sometime in the next week, I'll have a recap up. But for now, let's talk.

Catching up

There have been a lot of stand-alone episodes recently. I think everyone is surprised about that - we are down to 8 episodes to go, and as recently as 2 weeks ago, we were still doing stand-alones. In fact, a lot of people (meaning, I have seen it somewhere, but I'm too lazy to really check to see if this is a common belief) have taken this to mean a Season 6 is certain. More on that in a minute.

The last 2 weeks have advanced the story, however. Michael visiting Dean was a great move, in my opinion. I liked that Michael has a vested interest in Dean's welfare - to a point. And I'm digging that whole "as above, so below" thing (and not just because I predicted it). I think that is going to make a rich story at the end. If there is a "happy" ending to all this, it's going to be that Dean shows the way for Michael - Dad isn't always right, and it's okay to rebel. If what happens on Earth mirrors what has happened in Heaven, it makes me wonder - what will happen between Lucifer and Sam? Does what happen on Earth also mirror what happens in Hell?

Cain and Abel

I found the exchange between Michael and Dean interesting in another way. Michael told Dean this has been going on for eons - all the way back to Cain and Abel.

So is this a huge hint, or a red herring? What happened in the past to prevent an Apocalypse? There's a chain of events that has to happen - a vessel has to be prepared for Lucifer, then the 66 Seals have to be broken. Where did it break down in the past? Did the younger brother refuse to drink the demon blood? Did someone stop the Seals from being broken, particularly, the first (a deal with a demon, then becoming a torturer) or the last (killing Lilith)?

I'll be interested to see if the writers pursue this theme. For one thing - it could show Sam and Dean a way out of this. If this has happened before, it might have ended in a way they could duplicate. For another, it could be a great story line for a Season 6 - finding the next set of brothers, and stopping the chain of events. In fact, that could be a long term story line that allows a large number of stand-alone episodes, perfect - at least in that way - for Season 6.

About Season 6

So far, all I have seen is rumor and some strong suggestion that Season 6 will happen. But for every rumor, there is a point for and against it. For example, the ratings are not extremely strong, though for The CW, I guess they are. And they have to fill slots somehow. Also working both for and against a Season 6 are Jensen and Jared. Both are under contract, but this is a grueling show to shoot - it would be a major commitment for them.

So for now, I think nobody knows for sure. But I check every week to see if there's been an announcement - and there will be one, and it should be relatively soon.

On to this week

First of all, this may have been the grossest episode yet. Even more than the Benders episode. I read an interview with Ben Edlund, where he said this episode had the grossest scene he'd ever written. And I'm not even sure which scene he was talking about.

Gore with a side of funny

Secondly, the episode had several funny lines:
Sam: "Go ahead, unleash the kraken."
Sam again: "... unattached drifter Christmas."

Dean: "You mean the little flying fat kids in diapers?"
Cas: "They're not incontinent."

Cas: "It's their... handshake."
Dean: "I don't like it."
Cas: "No one likes it."

Advancing the mytharc

Then about the end of the cupid storyline, the episode does a 180 and gets into mytharc from what seemed a stand-alone.

I was wondering when we'd see the next horseman. And I thought this one would be tough to make scary. But they succeeded.

Neat interpretation of the horseman "famine" as an old invalid. It really lent extra impact to the hunger aspect - a creature that requires assistance physically, yet drains strength from others, but never growing strong physically itself. Nice twist away from the cupid set up, too. I didn't catch on until right before the reveal.

What kind of vehicle was Famine in? I didn't catch what he rode in. I'd love to know if it continued the horse reference from the War episode. But I did notice that the writers changed the verse from "horse" to "steed".

Dean

Maybe the scariest part of this episode was seeing Dean frozen into inaction, staring at the knife. I really thought his hunger would be revenge, rather than what happened.

Dean's basically empty inside. So what does this mean for him? Basically his soul is dead? How did this happen? Was it Jo's death? Just the hopelessness, his acceptance that this is all preordained? I think we need to know. And I don't think he's going to get any divine intervention, at least nothing obvious. It's going to be up to him to find meaning in this battle.

Sam

And Sam was out of control, back on the juice. That's disturbing. I believe that his addiction will be the reason he finally agrees to become Lucifer's vessel. I think the addiction will become unbearable to the point that he will do anything to be rid of it. It sure seemed like foreshadowing when Cas said that Sam would be all right once the demon blood burned its way out of him, meaning I don't think this addiction is weakening any.

I'm just not sure how his story is going to go. If the addiction gradually grows worse, can it be so bad that he'd basically give up his life and his body to be rid of it?

Death, just before taxes

So now we have a long break - returning about 3 weeks before tax day in the U.S. Judging from the previews, I would guess that Death is up next. If so, that would be strange, because the episode Abandon All Hope really plays up Death as being the most powerful horseman, and they haven't faced Pestilence on his pale horse yet - I am guessing Pestilence brings the Croatoan virus.

Of course, in some interpretations, the Pale Rider is Conquest, sometimes represented as the Antichrist. It wouldn't surprise me if the show combined these interpretations, having the Pale Rider be both an antichrist type, and the bringer of the Croatoan virus.

And I'm guessing that the Pale Rider will be... Sam.

Guess we'll find out. Look for the recall of last night's episode later next week.

No, Anna is communicating with Dean in his dreams. She's curious. Is this really what he dreams about? Dean's embarrassed.

Anna tells him she's been imprisoned in Heaven, thanks to Cas, and she needs to talk to Dean alone. She wants to meet him.

Cas is back

Cas meets her instead. He doesn't trust Anna, because he knows what torture in Heaven's prison is like. Anna calls him out for handing her over to Heaven, and Cas tells her it was a mistake. Anna tells Cas he underestimates her. Anna has a knife, but it doesn't kill angels. The knife Cas is carrying does, however. Their standoff is resolved. Anna tells Cas that's she's going to kill Sam. Cas says that Satan will just resurrect him, but Anna says she'll scatter his molecules across the universe. Cas tells her to find another way, because Sam is his friend.

Anna disappears, leaving Cas standing alone.

Back in time

Anna suddenly falls out of the sky onto the hood of a Trans Am, with a couple making out inside. She's unconscious, and they take her to a hospital.

Cas tells Sam and Dean about Anna's plan. Dean can't believe it. He says she's gone all "Glenn Close." Cas is confused, and Dean explains. Sam wants to know if Anna's plan would work. Cas says no, "She's Glenn Close."

Cas is looking for Anna. He wants to kill her first, because he thinks she'll eventually be successful. He works a spell, and finds out that Anna has gone back to 1978 to kill Sam and Dean's parents.

Cas says he will stop her. The Winchesters insist that they go also. Cas is reluctant, because time travel is so difficult that it will leave him weak. He finally agrees. They pack, and Cas takes them back.

1978

They arrive, but Cas is injured, vomiting up blood. Dean finds a motel, while Sam finds John and Mary's address.

"I mean, the mustaches alone..." Sam says when Dean returns.

Dean paid Cas up for 5 nights in the honeymoon suite, and told the manager not to disturb.

"You know what he said?" Dean asks. "'Yeah, don't sweat it. Wanna buy some dope?' Dope. We ought to stick around here, buy stock in Microsoft."

"We might have to if Cas doesn't recover. Is he all right?"

"What do I look like, Dr. Angel Medicine Woman? He'll wake up. He's tough for, you know, a little nerdy dude with wings."

They head to John and Mary's.

Mom

They arrive, and Dean stops Sam. He wants to know what they're going to tell them. Sam says the truth.

"What, you mean their sons are back from the future and they're here to save them from an angel gone Terminator? I mean, c'mon, those movies haven't even come out yet."

Sam says that Mary will remember Dean as a hunter. Dean says that he disappeared right when her dad died. He tells Sam to follow his lead.

Mary is surprised to see Dean. She tells him he needs to leave. She has a normal life now. Dean tries to explain, but John comes to the door. Dean introduces Sam and himself as Mary's cousins. John mentions that Sam was Mary's dad's name. Dean says it's a family name. Sam shakes John's hand, but can't let go, and has tears in his eyes.

John asks Sam if he's okay. Sam says he is, it's just been a long trip. John invites them, against Mary's wishes.

John asks Sam again if he's okay.

"Uh, yeah, sure, it's just," he looks at Mary. "You're so beautiful." John leans forward, a bit unsettled.

"He means that in a non-weird, wholesome, family kind of way," Dean says.

Dean says that Sam hasn't seen Mary in some time, and she resembles their mom.

John asks how they're related. Dean says distantly. John wants to know if they knew Mary's parents. Dean says that her dad was like a grandfather to them. John says Samuel died of a heart attack. Mary looks at Dean.

John asks them why they're in town. Dean says business. John asks what business.

"Plumbing," Sam says, while Dean says "Scrap metal."

Mary tries to rush them out the door. The phone rings, and John goes to answer, after asking them to stay.

Fired

John is talking to his boss on the phone. He's been let go. John begs to keep his job. His boss tells him to come into the shop, and they can talk. Except it's not his boss on the other end of the line, it's Anna.

Mary tells Sam and Dean they have to leave. Dean tries to explain. Sam tells her John and Mary are in danger. Dean says something is coming for them. Mary wants to know what, Dean tries to deflect the question but Sam tells her.

"Angels."

Mary scoffs. Angels don't exist.

"I wish," Dean says. "But they're twice as strong as demons and bigger dicks." Dean is convincing. Mary agrees to leave. They notice John is missing. They find a note that says "back in 15".

The shop

John shows up at the shop, and finds his boss, dead, with his eyes burned out. Anna is behind him, and she begins throwing him around, but she's still not fully recovered from the time travel.

Dean is there, he attacks her with the angel-killing knife, but she grabs his arm. Dean says, "I wish I could say it's good to see you."

Mary grabs the knife Dean dropped, and gets a slash on Anna. But Anna throws her across the room onto a car. Mary rolls down the car, and grabs a crowbar and stabs Anna with it.

Anna pauses, then pulls the crowbar from her chest. "Sorry, but it's not that easy to kill an angel."

"No, but you can distract them," Sam says, and places his hand inside a blood sigil. Anna disappears.

Safe house

John is driving Metallicar, and asking questions. He wants to know how long Mary has hunted. She tells him all her life. Dean tries to explain how they have no choice, but John stops him.

"Shut up, all of you. Not another word, or so help me, I'll turn this car around."

There is silence for a moment, until Dean turns to Sam.

"Wow. Awkward family road trip," he says.

"You're not kidding," Sam says.

Mary takes them to a safe house. Sam tells her the usual demon protections won't work on angels. She wants to know what will. Sam tells her not much.

"Great," she says.

"He said not much, not nothing," Dean says. "We packed."

They show her the blood sigil, and the holy oil. Sam takes Mary into another room to explain how to use the holy oil.

John wants to know about the sigil. Dean starts to explain, but John stops him. He doesn't care how it works, he just wants to know how big to make it, and where to put it.

Dean tries to tell John to let him handle it. John says he's not useless. "I can draw a damn, whatever it is, a sigil."

Dean tells him to go help Sam, because the sigil has to be drawn in human blood. John grabs a knife and cuts his palm.

"So, how big?" he asks.

Dean pauses. "I'll show you."

"Hmm," Dean says.

"What?"

"All of a sudden, you really remind me of my dad."

John makes the sigil. Sam tells him it's really good. John wants to know if Sam came to check on him. Sam says he's sorry, he knows it's a lot to take in. John wants to know how long Sam has known about hunting. Sam says all his life, his dad raised him in it.

John is shocked. He thinks it's terrible that a father would do that to his kid, put him in danger like that.

Sam admits that he came kind of close. John says it must have done a number on Sam's head.

"Your father was supposed to protect you," John says.

"He was trying," Sam says. "He died trying."

"I used to be mad at him, I mean I used to hate the guy," Sam says. "But now, I, I get it. He was just doing the best he could. And he was trying to keep it together, in this impossible situation. See, my mom, she was amazing, beautiful, and she was the love of his life. And she got killed, and I think he would've gone crazy if he didn't do something. Truth is, my dad died before I got to tell him that I understand, why he did what he did, and I forgive him, for what it did to us. I do, and I... I just... I love him."

Uriel

Anna meets Uriel from the 1970s. He senses that Anna is not from that time. She tells him he needs to kill some humans. They kill him in the future. She's giving him the chance to kill them first.

Mary catches Dean alone, and asks Dean what's going on. Dean stalls, but she insists. When she threatens to leave, Dean tells her that he's her son. She doesn't believe him, until he tells her personal details. She starts to cry. She's upset that she raised her sons to be hunters. Dean tells her that she didn't. "Because you're dead."

She wants to know what happened. Dean tells her that the YED killed her, and John became a hunter to get revenge, and that he raised them in the hunter life.

Dean tells her the exact date she dies, and tells her take Sam before that date and run.

Sam interrupts. He says that's not good enough, that the demon will find her. The only way is to leave John, so that they'll never be born.

She tells them she can't. Dean tells her that there's a big difference between dying and never having been born. He tells her that they're okay with that.

"Well I'm not!" she says.

Sam tells her she can't have a normal life, she is going to die, and her children will be cursed.

"There has to be a way," she says.

Dean tells her there is no other way, she has to leave John. She tells him she can't. He tells her it's bigger than just the family, he tells her there are a lot more lives at stake.

She tells him again, "You don't understand. I. Can't. It's too late. I'm, I'm pregnant."

John comes in, and tells them the sigils are all disappearing, and Mary notices the holy oil is gone.

Michael

Anna and Uriel arrive. Dean attacks Uriel, Sam attacks Anna. The angels win. Sam drops the knife, and John tries to pick it up, but Anna knocks him through the wall. When Sam attacks, Anna stabs him with a broken piece of wood. It looks like a mortal wound.

Outside, John sees a bright white light.

Anna walks up to Mary, and says, "I'm really sorry."

"Anna," John says.

Anna turns. "Michael," she says. Michael, in John's body, puts his hand on Anna, and she begins to burn.

"Michael," Uriel says. "I didn't know."

"Good-bye, Uriel," he says, and snaps his fingers. Uriel disappears.

"What did you do to John?" Mary asks.

"John's fine," Michael says. He puts his hand on Mary's head, and she falls unconscious.

"I'd say this conversation is long overdue, wouldn't you?" Michael says to Dean.

"Fix him!" Dean says, pointing at Sam.

"First, we talk, then I fix your darling little Sammy."

Dean wants to know what Michael did to John. Michael says he told John he could save Mary, and John said "yes" to Michael using John as his vessel.

"I guess they oversold me, me being your one and only vessel," Dean says.

"You're my true vessel," Michael replies. "But not my only one."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's a blood line."

"It's a blood line?"

"Stretching back to Cain and Abel. It's in your blood, your father's blood, your family's blood."

"Awesome. Six degrees of Heaven Bacon. What do you want with me?"

"You really don't know the answer to that?"

"Well, you know I ain't going to say 'yes', so what do you want with me?"

"I just want you to understand, what you and I have to do."

Dean tells him that he understands that Michael has a beef with Lucifer. He tells him to get some therapy, but not to take it out on his planet.

Michael tells him he's wrong. Lucifer defied Michael's father, but he doesn't want this any more than Dean would want to kill Sam. Michael says that he practically raised Lucifer, and that he still loves him. But he says he is going to kill Lucifer because it is right.

"Oh, because God says so?"

Michael says yes. God knew from the beginning that this is how it was going to end.

"And you're just going to do whatever God says?"

"Yes, because I am a good son."

"Well trust me, pal, take it from someone who knows, that is a dead end street."

"And you think you know better than my father?" He wants to know why Dean gets to choose.

Dean says he has to believe that he gets to choose what he does with his life. Michael tells him he's wrong. He says that all the random things that have happened, all the random choices he's made, yet he keeps getting closer to his destiny. He tells Dean that it's because it's not random, it's destiny.

"Free will is an illusion, Dean," Michael says. "That's why you're going to say 'yes'."

Michael says that some angels will leave their vessels drooling and senseless, but that he won't. He says he'll leave John better than new, and that he'll make sure that John and Mary don't remember any of what happened. Dean says that means Mary will be killed. Michael says, "Obviously, but you knew that was always going to happen. You can't fight city hall."

Then he sends Sam and Dean back to 2010.

Back to the future

Sam and Dean are packing. Cas appears.

"Hey, Dean. I'm very surprised," he says, then passes out. They put him on the bed, and pour themselves a drink.

"This is it," Dean says.

"This is what?" Sam asks.

"Team Free Will. One ex-blood junkie, one drop out with six bucks to his name, and Mr. Comatose over there. Awesome."

"It's not funny," Sam says.

"I'm not laughing."

"They all say we'll say 'yes'."

"I know, it's getting annoying."

"What if they're right?"

"They're not."

"I mean, why would we? Either of us, but I've been weak before..."

"Sam..."

"Michael got Dad to say 'yes'."

"That was different. Anna was about to kill Mom."

"And if you could save Mom, what would you say?"

Dean doesn't answer.

Back in 1978, John and a very pregnant Mary admire the new nursery. Mary is showing John her garage sale purchase. It's an angel, and she doesn't know why she likes it.

The baby kicks, and she tells him it will be okay. Angels are watching over him.

"Good evening, barkeep. I'd like to purchase an alcohol, please."

"Uh, huh. What can I get you?" the bartender asks.

"Well, I'm 26, see, it's on my ID."

"Congratulations, what can I get you?" the bartender replies, not even bothering to turn around.

"A banana daiquiri, my good man."

A blonde sitting at the bar takes an interest in him. Sam introduces himself as "Gary", and shakes her hand. She asks him if he's having a good time tonight. "Gary" says it's been the best night ever. She asks if maybe it can get better.

"Maybe. I don't know."

She asks if "Gary" wants to get out of there. "Gary" says he likes that bar, plus he just ordered this daiquiri. She asks if he wants to leave with her.

"Are you asking me to have the sex with you?" he asks, almost choking on his drink. She says yes, and they leave.

Cut to 36 hours earlier

Favor to an old friend

Sam and Dean are in Massachusetts to help out an old friend. She was a maid at a motel John used to stay at while hunting, and used to babysit the brothers in his absence. The friend's family has a poltergeist problem. It has attacked them, even scratching the words "murdered chylde" on their teen daughters belly. Sam and Dean suggest the family leave town for a few days while the Winchesters take care of business. They take the suggestion.

Service with a snarl

At the local diner Dean orders a burger while Sam borders a health salad shake. Dean makes sure to tell the cashier that it's not for him.

Sam and Dean eat and talk about the case while in the background, barely visible, the cashier watches.

Dean mentions that the babysitter looked good. Sam is amazed, Dean still has a crush on the babysitter?

"What? No!" Dean says. "I mean, she's got a nice family." He's all wistful about the settled life they got a glimpse of.

Sam is skeptical, but changes the subject to the case.

The house used to belong to Isiah Pickett. Local legend says that a witch named Maggie Briggs was hanged in the backyard. No word on a murdered child or where the body is though.

The camera cuts to the cashier who is watching Sam with an evil look.

Later that night Sam is alone talking to Dean on his cell. He has had no luck tracking down more info on Maggie Briggs. He cuts through a vacant lot and hears a noise.

He turns and is hit by a dart in the neck. After a moment he crumples to the ground.

Sam comes to in a forest wearing a uniform from the diner the Winchesters ate at earlier. He walks along deserted road as a police car pulls up. The officer calls him Gary and tells him his family is worried about him. Sam thinks the officer means Dean. He gets in the car.

The squad car pulls up to a house that Sam doesn't recognize and a middle-aged man and women run out to scold him for worrying them.

Sam tells them to back off. They think he's been drinking.

As they argue Sam gets a look at himself in the squad cars window. He's in the body of the diner cashier.

Sam, unnaturally

"Sam" is flexing in the mirror. Dean walks in. "Sam" hands him a burger. Dean is pleased, but surprised. "Sam" tells him they have to eat it on the road, the maid saw Dean's arsenal, which is laid out for cleaning, and freaked out a little. Dean says he's going to "hit the head" and then they can leave. "Sam" begins packing up, but first finds Dean's cell. Then he goes to the Impala, and searches it, finding Dean's many backup phones. He collects them all, and dumps them.

Dean comes out, and "Sam" asks if he can drive. Dean reluctantly agrees, puzzled. "Sam" revs the motor for a second or two, and Dean tells him they need to get going. "Sam" puts Metallicar into gear.

"Reverse," Dean says.

"Sam" looks down, checks the rear view.

"Reverse," Dean says, again.

"Sam" looks behind him, looks forward, and steps on the gas.

"Reverse!" Dean shouts, as Metallicar speeds backward into the dumpster behind them.

"It's in reverse!" Dean says, too late.

"Sam" apologizes, but Dean is ticked. So much for "Sam" driving.

Breakfast at Gary's

The next morning Sam frantically tries to get through to Dean without success. He begins to search Gary's room, finding nerdy, but normal, teen stuff, until he finds a ceremonial knife hidden in a box.

Gary's mother calls Gary to breakfast. Sam resists at first, then joins the family. Gary's dad wants to talk about the previous night. Sam doesn't. Gary's dad asks him how last night fits in with the plan.

"Listen, buddy, no offense, but right now I could give a rat's ass about your plan." Sam exclaims.

He breaks the awkward silence that follows by asking questions about his recent behavior. He asks if he has shown an interest in the occult? Has he shown an interest in Latin? Has he been reading an old book? He takes a bite of toast, and Gary's mom tells him "No!". Gary has a gluten allergy.

Later when Sam gets out of the bathroom, Gary's sister is waiting on him. She tells him the parents will freak if they find out about the book. Sam asks her if she knows where he hides it.

Hunt prep

Meanwhile, Dean and "Sam" are prepping for their big day of "tombstone rolling" as Dean puts it. They have to find Maggie Briggs' body and burn it. "Sam" excitedly says that Maggie isn't buried in a cemetery, she's buried in the basement of the house. Maggie wasn't hanged as a witch, Isiah Pickett actually killed Maggie because she was carrying his illegitimate child. Dean says that explains the "murdered chylde" scratches, and asks how Sam knows this. "Sam" says he's done lots of research on this, uh, last night.

They get in the Impala, and Bob Seger is playing. "Sam" tells Dean to turn it up.

"Seriously?" Dean asks, looks at "Sam" and turns it up.

Drunk and befriended at school

At school Sam runs into Trevor and Nora, two of Gary's friends. They ask him what happened the night before. Sam tells them he was drunk. They ask him what's wrong. He tells then that he's still drunk, in fact, he's seeing three of them right now. He asks where his locker is.

When no one is around Sam breaks into the locker and finds an old spell book after a brief search. He takes the book and leaves school, only to run into Nora and Trevor again. They tell him that it's not like him to ditch school. He tries to leave them but Trev shoots him in the neck with a dart.

The hunt

Inside the house, Dean searches using the flashlight, while "Sam" watches with the shotgun.

"Master Chief is in the house, bizatches!" "Sam" says.

"You all right?" Dean asks.

"Yeah."

Dean finds Willow Moss.

"That grows over a witch's grave," "Sam" says, excitedly.

"Yeah," Dean says, exasperated.

Dean begins digging. "Sam" steps back, and aims the shotgun at Dean.

"Dude, I'm really sorry about this..." he says, before pulling the trigger.

"Sorry about what?" Dean asks.

"Sam" is suddenly slammed against the wall, losing the shotgun. Dean turns, and goes to help him. "Sam," panicked, says they need to leave right now. Dean tells him they can't, they haven't burned the body.

Suddenly Dean is slammed against the wall. The ghost of Maggie Briggs appears, and attacks Dean. Dean is unable to fight back. Maggie runs at him, then suddenly disappears in a flaming streak. Dean looks up to see the bones burning, with "Sam" triumphantly standing over the remains with a lighter.

Drinking games

Dean and "Sam" are celebrating. "Sam" says it was a fun job. Dean is cynical, it was just a typical ghost hunt. Dean is puzzled when "Sam" orders a cheeseburger, and when he drinks with him. Dean can't recall the last time they drank together (Christmas special, Season 3?). "Sam" tells Dean he's a good guy, a real good guy. Dean is puzzled about the way "Sam" is acting. "Sam" can tell Dean is getting suspicious, so he hits the bar for a drink.

And this is where we came in.

Dean watches "Sam" chatting with the blonde, and then is really puzzled, and thoughtful, when "Sam" leaves with her.

With friends like these

When he comes to, Sam is tied up and Trev is on the phone with Gary. He asks if Gary has killed Dean yet. Gary hasn't but says he will tonight.

Sam is dismayed. He asks them why they want to kill Dean.

Trev tells him that a month ago he, Gary, and Nora were trying some spells from the book when Gary went into a trance and drew a picture of Dean. A demon told them that there was a bounty on Dean's head. If Dean is killed the killer will be rewarded.

Dean, clued. Finally.

Gary arrives back at the motel. He sees Dean's sleeping body in the bed, and takes the pistol off the table. He aims at Dean's sleeping form, and pulls the hammer back.

But Dean is standing in the shadows beside him. "Sam" senses this, and turns, but it's too late. Dean knocks him out.

Trevor's reward

Trev wants to claim the reward so he performs a summoning spell. He thinks it doesn't work at first, but Nora becomes possessed.

Sam tells Trev he's a moron and that he doesn't know what demons are like. Trev ignores him. When Trev tries to claim his reward, the demon gets Dean's location from Trev but doesn't offer a reward. Trev asks for his reward, more aggressively this time.

Sam yells, "Run, you moron!"

The demon counter offers by killing Trev. Blood runs out of Trev's mouth and the demon's hand is covered in it. She licks it off her hand, saying "Mmmmm. Tastes just like moron."

Gary explains

"Sam" regains consciousness. Dean has him tied up, and threatens to waterboard him if he doesn't talk. "Sam" tells him everything. Dean unties him, telling him they are going to get Sam back in his body. But the demon arrives, and attacks Dean. Dean is knocked unconscious. The demon talks to Gary, and tells him he can have his reward, anything he wants.

Gary says he wants to be the most powerful witch in the world. The demon says he can have that. But first, he has to meet his dark God. Gary pauses.

"You mean, the Devil?" he asks.

The demon says yes. She says he's going to ask him one question, and all he has to say is "Yes."

Gary balks. This is a bit more than he bargained for. The demon threatens him.

But Dean is awake, and tries to stab the demon with Ruby's knife.

She fights back. But Gary begins an exorcism. The demon turns on him, and attacks him. But Dean, catching on, continues the Latin spell. The demon turns on Dean, and Gary continues.

Dean has the almost final words.

"Adios, bitch," he says. Nothing happens.

"That's 'audi nos', idiot," Gary says ('hear us'?). The demon disappears in a cloud of black smoke.

Trading places

Back at Trevor's house, Gary incants a spell, and Sam and Gary are in their rightful bodies again. The Winchesters drive Gary and Nora to Gary's house. (Gary and Nora seem surprisingly okay with Trevor's death.)

Sam tells Gary that he has a nice life. Gary is skeptical, he tells Sam that he should know better, having lived it for a day. Sam tells him that he just needs to rebel, a little, and not in a Satanic way. He also tells Gary that Nora's interest isn't in Satan, she has a crush on Gary.

Gary is surprised, but he goes inside with Nora, presumably to be arrested for the Satanic ritual death of Trevor that undoubtedly will be discovered in a day or so.

"That was a nice thing to say," Dean tells Sam.

"I totally lied. Kid's life sucks ass," Sam says.

They get in the Impala. "All that apple pie crap, it's stressful. Trust me, we didn't miss anything," Sam continues.

"Or we don't know what we're missing," Dean says.

Dean starts the car, and Seger begins playing.

"Dude, turn that crap down," Sam says.

"Welcome back, Kotter," Dean mutters, as he drives off.

She tells the doctor that she can tell the difference between her hallucinations and the monster.

Later that night, she hears noises in the ceiling. Screws in the overhead vent slowly begin to unscrew themselves, while she watches in terror.

Something attacks her, but the shot is of the outside of her door. The patient in the door across the hall, who disturbingly has a passing resemblance to Castiel, watches as the woman presses her face against the window on her door and screams for help, then is yanked away.

The nurses finally respond when the screaming stops, to find the woman with her wrists slit, lying dead in a pool of blood.

Checking in

Cut to Sam and Dean talking to the same doctor, posing as Alex and Eddie. They claim to have been referred by a Dr. Babar in Chicago.

"Isn't there a children's book about an elephant named Babar?" the doctor asks.

"I don't know, I don't have any elephant books," Dean replies.

Dean is explaining that Sam is crazy. The doctor asks Sam how he's feeling. Sam says he's just a little depressed. The doctor asks why.

"Probably because I started the apocalypse."

"The apocalypse. And you think you started it."

"Well, yeah, I mean, I killed this demon, Lilith, and I accidentally freed Lucifer from Hell. So now he's topside, and we're trying to stop him."

"Who is?"

"Me. And him," he points to Dean. "And this one angel."

"You mean like an angel on your shoulder."

"No no, his name's Castiel. He wears a trenchcoat."

"See what I mean, doc. The kid's been beating himself up about this for months," Dean says. "The apocalypse wasn't his fault."

"It's not?" the doctor asks.

"No," Dean says. "It was this other demon, Ruby. She got him addicted to drinking demon's blood, and near the end he was practically chugging the stuff. My brother's not evil. He was just... high."

The doctor, not surprisingly, puts them under observation.

They go see the nurse for a physical. The nurse gives them a very thorough exam, including an apparent body cavity search. Dean calls her Nurse Ratchit, and tells her he has seen "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." She's not amused.

After, they fill in the backstory. An old hunting acquaintance named Martin is a patient at the mental hospital, due to a hunt that went wrong in Albequerque. He claims something is killing the patients, and called the Winchesters. So, following the plan in "Folsom Prison Blues," they checked themselves in.

Martin

The brothers talk to Martin. He tells them that there have been 5 deaths over the last 4 months, all ruled suicide. But his hunter's instincts tell him these are not suicides. Plus, some patients have said they've seen the monster.

"Are they reliable?" Dean asks about the witnesses.
"Oh, sure, why wouldn't they be?" Martin asks in reply.

Dean watches a woman waltzing with an invisible partner. "Gee, I don't know," he says.

The doctor arrives, and collects them for group therapy. Except Dean. He tells Dean that his relationship with Sam is dangerously codependent, and they could use a little time apart.

Group

Sam goes with Martin. The only person who's willing to talk at the session is the Castiel-lookalike, whose name is Ted. He wants to talk about the monster that's hunting them. He says he's seen it. The doctor tells him it's nonsense, and Ted stops talking when the doctor threatens to call the orderlies.

Dr. Cartwright

Meanwhile, Dean is visited by the pretty Dr. Erica Cartwright. She's willing to trade question and answers with Dean. As Dean asks her about feeling cold spots, seeing black smoke, smelling sulphur, she asks him why it's important. He tells her he hunts monsters, and those can be signs of the type of monster they're facing. She asks him how much he sleeps (not much - 4 hours a night max), how much he drinks (50 drinks a week, about), when is the last time he was in a long term relationship, defined as over a couple of months (never). She wants him to tell her about his father.

Sam, Dean meet later in the hallway. Dean is anxious to finish the job and get out, he tells Sam he was theraped. As they talk, a pretty blonde walks up and kisses Dean deeply.

"Hi. I'm Wendy," she says.

As she walks away, Dean says, "Maybe this place isn't so bad."

"Dude, you cannot... hit that!" Sam says.
"Oh, so torn..." Dean says.

Later, Sam and Dean pick the locks on their doors while the nurses are on their rounds. They start looking for Ted's room, but they hear screams. It's coming from Ted's room. They see Ted's face against the door's window, then he is yanked upward so that they can see his feet. Sam desperately tries to pick the lock on the door. Dean tells Sam to hurry, and Sam yells at Dean to back off. When they get the door open, it's too late. Ted has been hanged - an apparent suicide.

Autopsy

Sam and Dean somehow manage to make it into the morgue to examine Ted's body. Sam finds a small hole in Ted's neck, and inserts a swab into it. Way into it. It goes all the way into his brain.

Sam wants to examine the brain. Dean is reluctant. Sam finds a bone saw, and tells Dean to stand watch. Sam cuts off the top of Ted's skull, and pulls out the brain. It's black and almost completely dry.

Dean tells Sam someone is coming. Sam hurriedly puts the brain back, and puts the top of the skull with the head, pulls the sheet over, and closes the drawer on the body. At the last second, he remembers to remove his gloves, and tosses them at the garbage can, right before the nurse walks in.

"What are you boys doing in here?" she asks.

Dean pauses, drops his pants and puts his hands in the air, and says, "Pudding!"

"All right, come on, you two," she says. Dean pulls up his pants and walks out with her. He looks back at Sam and whispers, "Crazy works."

Hunt

Sam and Dean meet with Martin. Dean is looking at some clown paintings. He asks if those are original Gacys. Martin tells him that he painted those. Sam interrupts, and they tell him about the brain and the hole in the neck. Martin thinks he knows what monster they're hunting. It's a wraith, it eats brains, and can take the form of a human. But it reacts to silver, silver will cause the skin will crackle. Also, the wraith's true form will reveal itself in a mirror.

Dean positions himself near the nurses' corridor mirror, and watches everyone walk by. Dr. Cartwright walks up, and starts a conversation. She asks why he has to be the monster hunter. He tells her it's his job.

"So is there a quota? How many people do you have to save?" she asks.
"All of them," Dean says.

"All of them?" She says it's a lot of responsibility. She wonders how he wakes up in the morning, with all that weight of responsibility on his shoulders.

Dean says, "Good question." Then he sees the doctor walk by. In the mirror, he can see a monster. He rushes off to tell Sam.

They set out to hunt the wraith. Sam steals a letter opener from the nurse's station. It's only silver plated, but that should be enough.

As they talk, Wendy again walks up, this time kissing Sam, who resists.

"I want him now," she says. "He's larger." She walks away.

"Hmm. You've had worse," Dean tells Sam.

They try to get Martin to help, but he refuses, says he can't hunt any more. They tell him they know what happened in Albequerque, but he says they don't know half of what Martin saw. He walks away.

The doc isn't in his office, so they split up.

Sam lies in wait around a corner. The doctor walks by, and Sam jumps out and slashes him. The doctor screams, and two orderlies arrive, but Sam punches them out. He turns back to the doctor, and is about to kill him, when Martin grabs his arm. It's not the wraith. The doctor is bleeding, there is no reaction to the silver.

Boop

Sam is locked up, and drugged up. Sam tells Dean the doctor isn't the wraith. Dean breaks in to see him, he tells Sam he's sorry, he must have made a mistake. Sam tells him it's okay. He tells Dean that maybe they both really are crazy, and that's why Dean saw the wraith. Maybe all the pressure has finally gotten to them. He tells Dean that it doesn't matter, he's his brother and he loves him anyway.

Sam reaches up, touches Dean's nose, and says, "Boop."

In Dean's head

When Dean leaves, he sees Dr. Cartwright. She begins talking to him again. She calls him Dean, and tells him he's a failure, he couldn't stop Sam, he couldn't stop the end of the world, he couldn't kill Lucifer. Everything he does ends in failure.

Dean grabs her. He asks her who she is. An orderly tells him to quiet down. He asks Dr. Cartwright who she is again. The orderly tells him there's no one there. Dean looks again, Dr. Cartwright is gone, but when he looks back, he sees her again. "Just leave me alone," Dean says. As he walks away, he begins seeing wraiths everywhere. He retreats into a corner, frightened.

In Sam's head

The doctor comes in. Sam is a bit more clearheaded. He tells Sam that his anger problem is very serious. Sam, teary-eyed, apologizes, and asks for a second chance. The doctor tells him okay, but one more outbreak and he's sending Sam to a facility that is more appropriate for violent behavior.

Sam goes to the day room, and sees Dean. Dean tells Sam that it wasn't the demon blood, the problem was always Sam, his lies, the evil in him. People begin telling him it's all his fault. He tells them to back off, they press in on him, and he begins throwing punches. The camera pulls back, and there is no one there, only Sam throwing punches in the air and yelling for everyone to leave him alone, while Dean sits twiddling his thumbs at a table.

"What's happening? What's happening?" Dean asks, as they take Sam away.

"Crazy is the clue."

Dean makes his way to Martin's room. He's confused, he's scared. He's seeing things, and he knows he's crazy. Suddenly, he understands. "Crazy is the clue," he says. The Winchesters weren't crazy before they got to the hospital. Maybe the wraith can also make you crazy. Martin tells Dean the theory fits. Dean goes on, he believes the wraith can cause insanity by contact of some kind.

Like saliva. Wendy kissed Dean and Sam.

They go to Wendy's room. Dean tries not to step on any cracks, until Martin stops him. They hear a scream from Wendy's room, but when they open the door, the wraith isn't Wendy. The wraith is the nurse, and she's already there, and Wendy is nearly dead. Dean tries to kill it, but it knocks him across the room, and he drops the letter opener. Martin grabs the letter opener and slashes the wraiths hand. The wraith leaves. On the way, it tells two orderlies that a couple of patients killed Wendy, and attacked her.

Martin tries to revive Wendy, and tells Dean he has to go after the wraith. Dean says he can't, he's barely lucent, his vision blurs. Martin tells Dean he has no choice. As the orderlies try to subdue Martin, Dean grabs the letter opener and escapes.

Sam restrained.

Sam is in restraints in a rubber room. The wraith walks in, and begins monologuing, telling him how good crazy brains taste. She also mentions Sam's anger problem. The monologue gives Dean just enough time to arrive and attack. But the wraith is stronger, and isn't debilitated by double vision the way Dean seems to be.

The wraith backs Dean against the wall, and extends a spike-like thing from its wrist. Slowly, it begins to push the spike toward Dean's head. Dean drops the letter opener.

Dean reaches up and breaks off the horn. The wraith screams and steps back, the horn spurting blood. Dean grabs the letter opener, and stabs the wraith with it. It dies.

Dean's vision clears.

"You still crazy?" Sam asks.
"Not any more than usual," Dean says.

Really? You want to talk right now?

Dean frees Sam, and they run for Metallicar. Just before they get in, Sam stops Dean. He tells Dean that the doctor was right, he has an anger problem. He's always angry at something.

Dean, exasperated, asks him what he's going to do about it. Dean tells him exactly what to do.

"You're going to take all that crap, and you're going to bury it. You're going to forget about it, because that's how we keep going, that's how we don't end up like Martin. Are you with me?"

"I'm with you," Sam says. But he doesn't look certain.

They get in the Impala and leave.

Crowley. Cas watches, on the phone with the Winchesters.

The banker resists, a young, attractive woman originally set the deal up. He has to kiss a man? No thanks. But it's kiss or no deal, so he kisses. Crowley leaves, Cas follows. Cas calls the Winchesters, and tells him he's found Crowley, but he can't get in, it's covered in Enochian warding symbols. The Winchesters say they've got it covered.

Car trouble

A young woman in a little black dress rings at the gate, she's got car trouble. Two male demons come to the gate and won't let the woman leave. The woman is Jo Harvelle, and she attacks. The Winchesters have her back. The demons die.

Crowley is having a drink, and watching sentimental footage of himself with Hitler. The power goes out, he smiles, and walks to the door. The Winchesters are there. Crowley looks down, notices his rug is rumpled. He flips it over to find a demon trap. Two more demons appear behind the Winchesters and take them prisoner.

Crowley pulls out the Colt. "This is what it's all about." He aims at the Winchesters... and shoots the demons behind them. "We need to talk. Privately." He shows the Colt to the Winchesters. He wants Lucifer dead. He tells them he believes that Lucifer will purge the Earth of humans first, then will do the same with all demons.

Sam takes the Colt. Sam also asks where the Devil is. Carthage, Missouri. Sam aims the pistol.at Crowley, and pulls the trigger. The pistol clicks, it's out of ammo. "Oh, yeah, you're probably going to need more ammo," Crowley says.

Dean wants to know what happens if they try to kill Lucifer, and fail. What will prevent Lucifer from killing Crowley if the Winchesters fail. Crowley says that he believes Lucifer will kill him anyway, and that he's going into hiding. "And how about you don't miss, okay? Morons!" he shouts.

He throws the ammo to Dean, and disappears.

Last night alive

Ellen and Cas are drinking shots, while Jo watches. Sam and Dean are talking over beers, while music by Santana plays in the background. Sam says it has to be a trap.

"Sam Winchester having trust issues with a demon. Well, better late than never," Dean says.

"And thank you again for your continued support," Sam says.

"You're welcome." They clink bottles.

Dean says even if it's a trap, they have to try, and Dean isn't sure it is a trap. Carthage is showing lots of signs of demon activity. Dean says that Sam can't go. If Dean dies, they can still kill Lucifer, but if Sam is there, Lucifer has his vessel. Sam refuses. He says they are stronger when they hunt together, and even though it's stupid, when have they ever done anything smart? Dean resists, briefly, then gives in. He notices Jo in the other room. Obviously appreciating the view, he goes to make his play. He tells her it may be their last night on Earth, time to "make merry."

"Are you giving me the 'last night on Earth' speech?" she says.

"What? No," he says. He laughs. "No. If I was, would that, would that work?"

She smiles, then starts to kiss him. She stops. "No, sweetheart if this is our last night on Earth I'm going to spend it with a little thing I call self-respect."

"If you're into that kind of thing," Dean says, as she walks away.

Bobby gathers everyone for a picture. No one wants to do it, but Bobby insists. He says he needs something to remember them by. Ellen says it's good to have an optimist. Cas says Bobby is right.

"Tomorrow we hunt the Devil. This is our last night on Earth." That sobers everyone up.

Bobby takes the picture.

Carthage

The Impala drives into Carthage. The town is deserted, not even a cell signal. The Winchesters wave Ellen, Jo and Cas into town. The brothers go to check out the police department. The Harvelles and Cas get out of the car. Cas says that the town isn't empty. It's filled with Reapers, lots of them. They only gather like this when there's a big disaster. Cas says he needs to go see why they're all here. He walks off, notices a Reaper in a window. He follows as the Reaper walks down the hall, and as he walks through a door there's a blinding light.

"Hello, brother," a voice says.

Holy fire

The Winchesters return. Everything is deserted. Ellen asks if they've seen Cas. They tell them about the Reapers.

Cas is being held by Lucifer inside a circle of holy fire. Lucifer guesses that Cas is there with the Winchesters. He says he heard that Cas arrived in an automobile.

"What was that like?" Lucifer asks.

"Um, slow. Confining," Cas says. Cas notices that Lucifer's vessel is starting to decay. He asks what's wrong. Lucifer says that his vessel just can't contain him. Cas gets upset, and tells him he can't have Sam Winchester.

Lucifer asks why he just doesn't give in. Cas rebelled also. If Heaven wins against Lucifer, Cas will be next, since he's a rebel also. Cas says he'll die first. Lucifer says he probably will.

Meg

The Winchesters and Harvelles are searching for Cas.

"Hello, boys," a voice says. It's Meg. And she brought hellhounds. Meg says that Lucifer wants to see them. Dean shoots one. They run. One of them gets Dean, but before it can kill him, Jo runs up and shoots it several times. One attacks Jo from behind, knocks her down, and rips into her gut. Sam shoots it, as Dean picks Jo up and they run into a hardware store. Sam and Dean find salt and seal the doors as the hellhounds try to get in.

Jo is hurt badly. Blood gushes from her wound.

Sam and Dean talk. Sam is upset that they're trapped. Dean says they still have a shot since Lucifer is there.

Bobby is trying to reach them, but can't get through on the cell. Dean calls Bobby on a shortwave. He tells Bobby that Jo is hurt, and might not make it. Bobby asks Dean what's next. Dean can't focus, his voice breaks, but Bobby asks him again what's next. Dean focuses and fills Bobby in. Bobby tells Dean he thinks Lucifer is trying to raise the Angel of Death - the rider on the pale horse, who hasn't walked the Earth since Noah. The Reapers are there because he's "the boss," so to speak. The ritual has to be done in a place of awful carnage. The battle of Carthage during the Civil War fits the requirements, but that tells them where Lucifer is going to be, and when.

Meg appears to Lucifer, and tells him that she has the Winchesters trapped. Lucifer tells her to leave them for now. Lucifer makes one more pitch to Cas.

Dean is making plans to get Jo and Ellen out of town, then avoid the hellhounds and go kill Lucifer. Jo interrupts them. She can't move her legs, she knows she can't get out. She wants to make a bomb with salt and iron nails to get rid of the hellhounds. The hellhounds have their scents and will always track them if they can't send them back to Hell.

Ellen says no, but Jo insists. She appeals to Dean.

"This might literally be your last chance to treat me like an adult. You might want to take it?" Jo tells Ellen. Ellen cries, but agrees.

They collect what they need.

Dean says goodbye

They put together the bombs, and prepare to leave. Dean spends a private moment with Jo. "See you on the other side," he says. "Probably sooner rather than later."

"Make it later," Jo says. Dean kisses her forehead, then kisses her on the lips. Jo cries.

When it's clear that Ellen isn't leaving, Jo says no. But Ellen tells her that someone has to let them in, and Jo can't move. Ellen says she will not leave Jo there alone. Dean and Sam try to stop her, but she tells them to go.

"And Dean," Ellen says. "Kick it in the ass. Don't miss."

The Winchesters leave. Ellen sets the bombs, and unlocks the doors and kicks the salt away. She goes back to Jo, hugs her, and tells her, "I'll always love you, baby." Jo leans her head on Ellen's shoulder, and dies. Ellen cries, but the hellhounds come in. As they get close, Ellen smiles and explodes the bombs.

Sam and Dean look back as the store explodes, then run off.

Last words

They arrive at a clearing in the woods. The townspeople all stand facing Lucifer, not moving.

"Okay," Sam says. "Last words?"

Dean thinks for a moment. "I think I'm good."

"Yeah, me, too."

"Here goes nothing," Dean says.

Sam yells at Lucifer. "You wanted to see me."

Lucifer tells Sam he doesn't need his gun. "You know I'd never hurt you, not really."

"Yeah, well, I'd hurt you," Dean says, stepping up to Satan and putting the gun to Satan's head. Lucifer turns, and the Colt is aimed square in the middle of his forehead.

"So suck it," Dean says, and fires. Lucifer falls. That was easy.

Not so fast

Sam and Dean stand confused for a moment. Lucifer gasps. "Owwww!" he says.

"Where did you get that?" Lucifer says, and hits Dean so hard he flies 20 feet in the air into a tree, and doesn't get up. "Now," Satan says to Sam. "Where were we?"

Lucifer tells Sam not to feel bad. There are only 5 things in all of creation the Colt won't kill. Satan is one of them. Lucifer asks for a minute to finish his ritual He pauses and asks if Sam will just agree right now.

"That's never going to happen," Sam says.

"Oh, I don't know, Sam. I think it will. I think it will happen soon, within six months. I think it'll happen... in Detroit."

Sam tells Lucifer that he's going to kill him, he's going to rip his heart out. Lucifer tells him to keep all that pent up rage. "I'm going to need it."

Sam wants to know what Lucifer did. Lucifer tells him. He killed all the women and children, and every able bodied man was possessed by a demon. He tells Sam that he has to do this. Sam doesn't understand.

Lucifer tells him that he was a younger brother. And he had an older brother who he idolized. One day, he went to Michael and asked him to stand with him, but Michael betrayed him. Called him a freak, a monster. Betrayed him, and beat him down, all because he was different, and had a mind of his own.

"Any of this sound familiar, Sam?"

Lucifer tells Sam not to go anywhere, while he finishes the ritual. He chants some words, then has the demons repeat a prayer. One-by-one, the demons die. He looks at Sam.

"What? They're just demons," he sneers.

Escape

Cas is magically working the bolts loose on a pipe over his head, while he talks with Meg. Meg tells him that they're going to win, that Lucifer is going to take over Heaven. Cas tells her that Crowley has a different theory, that Lucifer is using demons, then will kill them. Meg says Cas is wrong, that Lucifer is her father, her creator.

Cas makes the pipe fall, and it knocks Meg into the circle of fire. Cas puts his hand on her forehead, but nothing happens.

Meg laughs. "You can't gank demons, can you? You're cut off from the home office and you ain't got the juice. So what can you do, you impotent sap?"

"I can do this," he says, and throws her down onto the fire, breaking the circle. As she screams, he steps on her as he walks out.

Death

Cas appears next to Sam, and tells him to be quiet. Lucifer watches as Death begins to appear. There's a bright light, and Lucifer turns to find Sam and Dean gone. He smirks, and turns back to the show.

"Oh, hello, Death," he says.

At Bobby's, the news plays in the background, talking about tornados hitting the towns surrounding and including Carthage. Bobby, sits before a fire in the fireplace, as he broods over the photo. Dean and Sam watch as Bobby tosses the photo on the fire.