This week’s episode of Supernatural is directed by co-star Misha Collins. It’s a solid directorial debut, one that works surprisingly well despite the fact that Sam and Dean spend almost no time together. Their rift is growing and now they don’t even work cases together.
There’s also an origin story for Abaddon (or at least her current meatsuit) that provides information on how she plans to take over Hell. It involves something Sam knows all about: missing souls.
Sam Goes Solo
Sam catches a case of a first grade teacher who bludgeons her husband, but Dean doesn’t feel like going along. He visits the small town and finds a bunch of other crazy, impulsive people. He suspects they’re all missing their souls because they remind Sam of himself back when he was soulless.
Sam runs into an old woman named Julia who claims demons are involved. She quickly pegs him as a member of the Men of Letters and reveals that two of them visited the town more than 50 years ago.
Flashback to 1958
Flashbacks show those members were Henry Winchester, the brothers’ grandpa, and Josie (aka Abaddon’s meatsuit). They investigated a murder at a convent where Julia was a nun a few days before their official induction into the Men of Letters. The convent was a home base for Abaddon and the Knights of Hell.
Henry exorcised a few demons, but Abaddon (who at the time was inside the Mother Superior) knocked him out. She then decided to trade up and use Henry as a meatsuit to infiltrate the Men of Letters before killing them all. Josie, however, begged her not to, offering herself instead because she loved Henry (though the feeling was not mutual).
And that’s how Abaddon got her current meatsuit, because Henry’s partner sacrificed herself to save him.
Stealing Souls
After Julia’s story, Sam figures out that Abaddon’s demons are stealing souls at the convent in the present just like they did in 1958. He goes there and finds the souls on display, but gets into a fight with a Demon Nun.
The Demon Nun explains that Abaddon’s master plan is to have her minions all over the world steal souls that can be turned into demons that will be loyal to her. She chokes Sam before he can finish his exorcism, but in a hilarious and brilliant move, Sam takes out his phone and plays a recording of him saying the exorcism incantation. Yes, there’s an app for that.
As the Demon Nun tries to smash the phone, Sam gets the upper hand and stabs her. He then releases the souls which return to their owners. Souls have excellent navigational skills.
In the end, Sam decides that finding Abaddon is definitely their number one priority because she’s taking souls all over the world.
Dean’s Great Burden
Since using the First Blade on Magnus, Dean has been surlier than ever. He’s still not talking to Sam, he’s very distant and he’s drinking heavily. Obviously that “great burden” Cain warned him about is hitting him in a big way. He refuses to help Sam, instead hanging out in bars while telling his brother that he’s looking for Abaddon.
Crowley tracks Dean down at a bar and they have a chat about how Dean is scared of what the Mark of Cain is doing to him. Basically, the Mark of Cain is like an addiction, and now Dean is jonesing for the rush he gets when he uses it. Crowley sets up a little sting operation to make sure Dean is willing to keep him alive.
Next time on Supernatural: The show is taking another hiatus, but it returns April 15 with another fun, meta episode as Metatron tries to write his own Winchester adventure.
(Image courtesy of the CW)
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Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
