Aaaaand we're back! After months of waiting and speculating, Supernatural finally returned to our tv screens on the CW. The episode opens up a year after the events of last season, another time jump which has happened on the show previously, back in season 6 which also begins a year after Sam had jumped into Lucifer's cage, leaving Dean to start a life with Lisa and Ben. Things are definitely different this time around. Before we get to that, I just want to mention that tonight was the 150th episode of Supernatural to air! Congrats!
We start off in Maine in the forest where a bright flash of white light appears from behind a tent of campers, awakening the woman first. She in turn wakes up her partner and they both hear a noise coming from outside. Taking a flashlight, the man is confronted by Dean, who looks slightly bloodied, a bit dirty and yet clean shaven! I guess this is one of the mysteries we won't really get the answer to anytime soon. After demanding to know where he is, Dean grabs the couple's backpack and takes off. Cut to four days later in Louisiana, we see Dean exiting a truck and heading towards an unknown destination. It is night when he stops under a water tower and then begins to dig up a skeleton; it seems that Dean has injured his arm and from the glowing red part of his arm, he cuts himself and begins to chant in Latin as the blood drops onto the bones. Suddenly from behind, Benny appears, it looks like Dean helped Benny to get from Purgatory to Earth. We also see that Benny is a vampire and after a brief hug and Benny calling Dean 'brother' the two men go in separate directions.
Cue the new title card! It looks interesting with a nice color touch to it as well!
Time to see where Sammy has been all this time. He has been living in Kermit, Texas with a woman and a dog, whom he leaves at night after packing a bag. Taking the Impala (Baby is back!), Sam drives off and it looked as if there was a shadow watching him or maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me. Its morning when Sam arrives in Whitefish, Montana outside a cabin where he is greeted by Dean first getting attacked then sprayed with Holy Water, Borax and a cut from the knife. Only after Sam sees Dean do the same to himself do the brothers finally reunite with a hug after a quip from Sam, "I don't know whether to hug you or take a shower" Oh Sam, you know that you've missed Dean so hug away!
Sam can't believe that Dean is alive which prompts the older Winchester to explain that he ended up in Purgatory for a whole year after killing Dick Roman, but doesn't give a straight-forward answer as to how he got out of Purgatory. When Sam asks about Castiel, Dean does not share the details of what happened to the Angel, choosing to only reveal that "Cas didn't make it." Sam prods him a little more, asking Dean if he is dead. To this Dean replies that "He just let go" and doesn't want to talk more on this issue. "I saw enough" was all he says to Sam, ending this conversation.
When Sam explains to Dean that he ditched all the phones which is how it was hard for Dean to get in touch with him, the revelation comes from the younger Winchester that he has given up the life of hunting. Dean obviously doesn't believe Sam, saying he couldn't have "Turned tail on the family business." An argument breaks out when Dean starts to say that he was down in Purgatory killing monsters all this time and Sam says that he had lost his family and friends to hunting. Dean gets further upset when Sam's silence answers his question about not looking for him after he disappeared. Sam tries to convince Dean that he hasn't changed and is the same Sammy, but Dean confesses that he has changed. After taking a box of their old phones and passing on food (he gave up the offer to eat!), Dean starts listening to the voicemails left behind by Kevin Tran, our new Prophet from last season. After playing a series of messages for Sammy to hear, which span over about 6 months following which Kevin says that he believes Sam is dead, Dean reminds his brother that Kevin was their responsibility and shouldn't have been left alone all this time.
In order to get back in the game, Sam works his computer wizardry skills and in no time tells Dean that Kevin most likely can be found in Centerville, Michigan which was the last known place he was in since its where his girlfriend studies. To make up to Dean, Sam gives his brother the key to the Impala and let's Dean drive. As soon as they get in the car, after seeing "no visible signs of douchery" the smell of a dog is obvious but Sam doesn't say anything and they drive off. Once they reach the motel, Dean is seen standing at a vending machine and as he watches two boys run off with toy guns, he flashes back to his time in Purgatory, the first of a few flashbacks this episode.
The first flashback shows Dean chasing after a monster while looking for Cas. He manages to catch up to the monster, a vampire and demands to know where Cas is. When the vampire says that he doesn't know where the angel is, Dean stabs and then beheads him only to be attacked by another vampire seconds later. This time, he is saved by Benny who kills the second vampire. And now we know how the two unlikely allies first crossed paths in Purgatory.
Inside the motel room, it seems as if Dean is a bit weary and restless wanting to find Kevin as soon as they can, not too pleased by how calm Sam appears. The two brothers once again discuss Sammy's decision to give up his hunting life; Sam says that he knew people were dying and yet the world was going on, there were other hunters who continued to fight. At this point, Dean guesses correctly that there was a girl involved when Sam says that he had found something that he hadn't in all these years. A woman and a dog. Dean gets angry when he hears that there was a dog in the Impala. When Sam notices his brother is shaky and a bit on edge, he asks about Purgatory to which Dean replies that it was "Bloody, messy" and most of it felt like a "360 degree combat" something about being there felt "pure".
Flashback #2: Dean and Benny square off for a few moments before the vampire reveals that there is a way out of Purgatory for humans. The rumor being that God had made it so. Dean wants proof but Benny says that he is either in or out and reveals that he wants to get out as well. He also tells Dean that no one can be trusted, but at the moment, Dean wants to look for Cas first. Benny agrees after objecting at first.
Sam and Dean meet Kevin's girlfriend who is with her friend and tells the brothers that she hadn't seen Kevin since he disappeared the year before. They seem surprised and leave to look for Kevin elsewhere. We get an insight to her strange behavior when her eyes turn black as she kills her friend to take blood in a silver bowl, proceeding to make a demon phone-call by chanting in Latin and telling someone that the Winchester brothers are looking for Kevin. While Dean is searching the campus grounds, Sam is working on his laptop and is distracted by the sight of a dog. Sammy flashback time!
Flashback #3 reveals that the dog we see in the beginning of the episode had initially been run over by Sam who rushes to a clinic trying to save it. We get a glimpse of Amelia, the doctor who comes in and tells Sam to leave while she looks at the dog.
Dean arrives and says he's got "bubkiss" but is surprised when a waitress comes with a burger, another peace offering from Sam. After checking the campus camera's and some more wizard-skills, Sam claims that Kevin is using the same router in Iowa for the past two months. The brothers reach Fairfield, Iowa and stop outside an abandoned church which is unsurprisingly locked! Sam knocks on the door and calls out to Kevin, but Dean figures that picking the lock is quicker. Once they enter inside, they are greeted with Borax from Kevin who wants to know what happened to both of them. Dean gives him the cliff-notes version, he was in Purgatory and Sam got a dog. Kevin explains to the brothers how he escaped from Crowley; he was first taken to a warehouse and shown another tablet, 'The Word of God' which spoke about Demons. Crowley demands specifics and Kevin translates something about the Hell Gates, one of them being in Wisconsin. There is a spell which can open said gates and Crowley leaves Kevin to prepare the spell; instead of doing as he is told, Kevin uses another chapter from the tablet: how to destroy demons and banishes Crowley's lackeys leaving the King of Hell stranded in a field with goats. Kevin tells Dean and Sam that he stashed the tablet in a safe place but not before reading about how to close the Gates of Hell, forever!
Dean and Sam talk about this new information they have now, Sam doesn't think that Kevin will make it out intact while Dean says that Kevin is already in and they need to go ahead with this. After a quip from Sam about 'Free Will being only for him (Dean)' he eventually decides to talk to Kevin and apologizes for not being there to look out for the prophet. They talk about how different and unexpected Kevin's life has become, with Sam telling him that things get better and talks about a world where no one would be able to touch him, saying that there is a way to get there. Kevin says he needs some time and leaves Sam with Dean standing behind.
Flashback #4: Sam is waiting at the clinic for news about the dog. When he sees Amelia again, she tells him that the dog will pull through and asks if Sam will take him. At first Sam is hesitant, claiming that he drives around too much but eventually he agrees and Amelia walks away saying "There's my hero."
Back to the church which suddenly starts experiencing earthquake-like tremors, company is coming. The boys are first attacked by a pair of demons who are ultimately killed off by Ruby's knife and not Dean's new weapon from Purgatory. Crowley then makes his entrance with Kevin's demon-possessed girlfriend. Kevin wants her freed and after seeing proof that she is alive, offers Crowley an exchange, his girlfriend for himself. Dean and Sam try to stop Kevin but they can't kill him and don't do anything when he goes to grab his things. Crowley gets impatient and goes to find Kevin, but first heats the handle on Ruby's knife causing Dean to drop it. Upstairs Crowley and Kevin's girlfriend are drenched in Holy Water as Kevin makes a run for it, yelling at Dean and Sam to do the same. The three of them escape in the Impala but not before Kevin sees Crowley snap his girlfriend's neck after the demon leaves her body.
They stop outside a gas station and Dean gets a call that he brushes off as a wrong number. Kevin isn't dealing too easily with the fact that the King of Hell killed his girlfriend, Dean tells him to get his head in the game and leaves the car to call his mysterious wrong number back, Benny. No surprise there! Benny appears to be at a funeral, Dean says that the two of them shouldn't contact each other until things have settled down. Benny reminds Dean that Purgatory was pure and he hadn't appreciated it as much. Dean says to call in case of an emergency and ends the call, also the episode!
Next week: Kevin's mom makes an appearance! The Word of God is being auctioned off! No sign of Cas yet!
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