Season 12 Episode 15: Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell

"Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell" takes us to Sheridan County, Nebraska where Gwen Hernandez and her boyfriend, Marcus are camping in the woods. Their romantic outing turns awry when Marcus is attacked by a hellhound. Thankfully, Gwen is able to survive the attack by injuring the hellhound with an ax.

As Sam is now working with the BMOL, he receives a text from Mick Davies about the attack. Sam lies to his brother and tells him that he developed a formula that searches through the internet and sends him a text about a possible case. Dean eats this excuse up, and doesn't pay much attention to Sam's explanation after he throws in a few technical terms.

Next, Sam and Dean head to the scene where they speak with a police officer that claims it was likely a 'bear attack' and says that Gwen is visibly upset and saying strange things. The brother's decide to visit Gwen, as she still believes that she is in danger. The camera effects show the hellhound entering Gwen's home behind Sam and Dean, making this scene very intense to watch. Sam tells Gwen that Marcus was indeed attacked by a bear, hoping that this will help her to move on with her life. However, Gwen, who feels belittled by this statement, responds by telling the brothers to leave. Several minutes later, the hellhound attacks Gwen, but Dean bursts in and shoots at it before it can harm her. Unfortunately, the hellhound escapes through the window.

Sam and Dean then explain to Gwen that they are hunters of the supernatural. As hellhounds only attack those that have sold their souls to a crossroads demon, they begin questioning her. Gwen is adamant that neither her or Marcus made any sort of deal with a demon. This leads the brother's to call upon Crowley for help.

Crowley, who is busy gloating at having Lucifer locked up in Hell, quickly comes to pay Sam and Dean a visit when he discovers that one of his hellhounds has escaped. Crowley tells Sam and Dean that the hellhound isn't just any hellhound- it's Ramsey, the first hellhound ever created, who heels only to Lucifer himself.  Ramsey is likely still after Gwen because she fought back with the ax when it attacked her and Marcus.

The boys take Gwen back to the woods where she was camping, in order to hunt Ramsey down. They explain that in order to see a hellhound one either has to have either sold their soul to a demon or be wearing glasses covered in holy fire. Dean agrees to partner up with Crowley and search the woods, while Sam and Gwen ride in the Impala to keep Ramsey off her trail. What follows is an insightful conversation between Dean and Crowley about their alliance. It was especially funny to see Dean once again express concern over 'Baby' being damaged:

DEAN: Take care of her. 

SAM: Of course. Even if Ramsey circles back, as long as we keep moving, Gwen's going to be- oh, you're talking about the car. 

DEAN: You tend to ride the brakes.

Sure enough, Dean's concerns are warranted, as Ramsey attacks Sam and Gwen when they pull off to the curb, damaging the hood of the Impala. Sam quickly gets his weapon and tussles with the hellhound, but loses his glasses in the process. Gwen comes to his aid, by hitting Ramsey over the head, however, as Sam still doesn't have his glasses, he is unable to see where the hound is. Paying careful attention to the mist around them, Sam is able to make out the movements of the hound, and lunges with his knife, killing the beast. This is Sam's second major kill this season, right after the Alpha Vampire.

Meanwhile, Castiel is hot on the trail of Kelly Kline. He begins by investigating the diner where the two angels were killed. He speaks with the paranoid manager, who firmly believes that it was the work of  'reptilian aliens'. This scene reminded me of the one in season 2, between the brother's and Ronald, who claims that the robbery's are the work of a 'Mandroid'. When the manager senses that Castiel is doubtful, he puts on the surveillance tapes showing Dagon killing the two angels that were after Kelly. This sparks Castiel's interest as he sees the characteristic 'yellow eyes' of a Prince of Hell.

When Castiel leaves the diner he runs into Kelvin, an angel who is also tracking Kelly Kline. Kelvin tells Castiel that if he is able to assassinate Lucifer's unborn son, he can earn a place in Heaven again. Castiel seems unsure that the angels will welcome him back, but Kelvin explains that with Joshua in charge he is certain that Castiel can have redemption. He then takes him to the portal to Heaven, so that he can speak with the other angels about their mission.

As Crowley is gone helping the Winchester's track down Ramsey, two low-level demons discover Lucifer, who is  currently chained up in Hell. The two demons reveal that they let Ramsey loose to provide Crowley with a distraction. They tell Lucifer that they don't like Crowley's rule and want to "make hell great again." They then release Lucifer after he has agreed to their terms, but Lucifer immediately smites them. When Crowley returns after Ramsey is killed, he discovers Lucifer sitting on the throne in Hell. After throwing Crowley across the room, Lucifer shows his angel wings as a display of power. However, Crowley still has a couple of tricks up his sleeve. He snaps his fingers and Lucifer's wings suddenly disappear. Crowley tells Lucifer that he has warded Nick's vessel with runes and spellwork from the Cage and as such Nick's vessel is essentially a prison. He tells Lucifer:

I'm glad you had a little taste of freedom. What I said was...I'm always 10 steps ahead. I said you cross me, I crush you. You hit me, I hit you back twice as hard. You make me your dog, I'll make you my slave.

I have to say, this was a totally unpredictable outcome. I well expected Lucifer to easily escape from Crowley's grip and take over hell. However, I was glad to see Crowley once again demonstrating how cunning and intelligent he can be- especially when it comes to attaining revenge. It is always nice to see the visual effect of the angel wings.

After Sam and Dean return from saving Gwen, Sam's phone once again begins vibrating with a call from Mick. When Dean asks if it is his formula giving them another case, Sam comes clean about working with the BMOL. I expected Sam to continue to lie to his brother, so this was a pleasant surprise. I was glad to see that Sam and Dean are continuing to be honest with each other, which has only been a recent development since Season 11.  This felt like another step in the right direction with their relationship.  Dean makes Sam promise that they will immediately stop working with the BMOL as soon as anything feels 'off' . He explains that he definitely doesn't trust the BMOL, but he is forced to work with those he doesn't trust all the time. Dean does have a point about the Winchester's having to work with those they don't necessarily like. It may be noted that the animosity between the Winchester's and the BMOL is more personal, as at the beginning of Season 12, the rogue agent Toni Bevel was responsible for kidnapping and torturing Sam.

However, in the past we have in-fact seen Sam and Dean partner with equally unlikely adversaries. Dean references his own partnership with Crowley. We first meet Crowley in Season 3, when Bela Talbot hands him the Colt. Crowley has aided the Winchester's in many ways, but also thwarted many of their plans once an opportunity presented itself. Crowley's recent actions in Season 12 suggest that this one-sided relationship with the Winchester's is beginning to evolve. Crowley had no reason to save Castiel by breaking the Lance of Michael. Even as he speaks with Dean about this, his reason's for saving Castiel are hazy at best. Crowley insists he only helped Castiel, "just to save myself the Winchester man-pain and you lot moping  about like a bunch of school-girls."

DEAN: A few years ago, who would have thought you'd be helping us save the girl of the week? 

CROWLEY: Or, a few years ago, who would have thought you'd be working with the King of Hell. Maybe you've rubbed off on me, or, maybe I've rubbed off all over you.

Crowley's actions are definitely proving him to be a reliable partner to the Winchester's. His role in helping the brother's is finally recognized as Sam and Dean both tell him 'thank you' for the help that he has provided them. This seems to make Crowley uncomfortable, and he vanishes immediately after.

The scene between Gwen and Sam in the Impala, where Gwen talks about how she feels responsible for Marcus's death, felt pointless. Gwen vaguely states that it was all her fault and that she "should have told Marcus".  I was expecting this statement to be explained later, and was disappointed when it wasn't. I suppose Gwen's guilt was purposely portrayed as misplaced, and this scene was meant to draw a parallel to Sam's own situation with losing Jessica. However, even Sam's own response to Gwen's statements was unrealistic, as he provided her with no reassurance that she didn't play any role in her boyfriend's death. Perhaps, like the rest of the audience, Sam was wondering what exactly Gwen was talking about.

I was disappointed to see Castiel partnering with Kelvin and neglecting to tell the Winchester's he was doing so. I felt that this was a hint at Castiel once again being led down the wrong path in the belief that he is doing good. I'm not sure if Castiel will be able to carry through with assassinating a woman's child. While Dagon isn't exactly a demon I think we can trust, I do think that she was right about the role of upbringing in determining the character of an individual. It will be interesting to see how the partnership between Castiel, Kelvin, and the other angels will play out.

This episode is full of Easter eggs that should be mentioned. At the beginning of the episode, Sam and Dean are shown returning from a hunt, and Dean is carrying a bat that closely resembles "Lucille" used by Negan in the TV show the Walking Dead.  As you may know, Negan's character is portrayed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who also plays John Winchester. Dean comments, that "Dad would have loved this thing". In addition, the name of the hellhound, Ramsey, is a reference to Game of Thrones, as Ramsey Bolton owns several ferocious hounds himself. The episode title is also a reference to the similarly named album by Social Distortion, an American punk rock band.

Sadly, Supernatural goes on hiatus for the next several weeks, with episode 16 "Lady's Drink Free" airing on March 30th.

Details
Episode Writer: Davy Perez
Episode Director: Nina Lopez-Corrado
Episode Air Date: March 9, 2017

Season 12 Episode 14: The Raid

'The Raid', alternatively known as 'Sammy the Vampire Slayer', was everything it promised to be and more. The episode continues directly after Mary confessed to Sam and Dean that she has been working with the British Men of Letters (BMOL) for the past several months. Dean reacts to this badly, the betrayal very clear in his facial expressions. When Mary attempts to defend herself and explain to the boys why she accepted the BMOL's offer, Dean shuts her down. Mary tries to explain how she is not just Dean's mother- she has other roles in life- to which Dean responds by saying that 'she never was' his mother.

We’re your sons. And you’ve been gone, our whole lives, you’ve been gone. You said you needed time, you said you needed space. So we gave you your space. But you didn’t need just space, no, you needed space from us.

After this argument, Dean tells Mary to leave the bunker as he no longer wants her staying with them. This was particularly heartbreaking, as we have seen Dean struggle with the loss of his mother for 12 seasons, only to be disappointed when he finally does meet her. Dean's anger over Mary's decision to work with the BMOL is demonstrated when he begins to refer to her by her first name, instead of calling her 'Mom'. Interestingly enough, Sam, who defended Mary's decision to go off on her own at the beginning of the season, also seems very upset by his mother's choice to work with the same organization that kidnapped and tortured him. When Mary reaches out to Sam after Dean tells her to leave the bunker, he merely stands up and agrees with Dean that she should leave. Among the Winchester family, it appears that Dean and John had a more amicable relationship than Sam and John. Similarly, Sam and Mary have a smoother relationship than Dean and Mary, despite their glaring differences in personality. By all means, Mary should have an easier time relating to her eldest son, as they both share the same taste in music and food.

As a result of this family argument, a large component of the episode deals with the BMOL attempting to gain Sam and Dean as new allies. While Mr. Ketch doesn't seem to care wether or not the Winchester boy's join, Mick Davies declares that it is at the wishes of the 'old men' that run the BMOL, who believe that wherever Sam and Dean go, the rest of the American Hunter's will follow.

 Later on, Dean comes to Sam with a newspaper article on what he believes is a possible vampire attack. However, Sam points out that there is no evidence to suggest anything supernatural about the death as the man's throat was slit and not ripped out. Dean replies with, 'You find us a case, because I need to hit something now." This plays with an idea that writers have previously introduced about Dean's character, and is further explored in his conversation with Mr. Ketch. Dean is portrayed as a 'natural killer' who hides behind his identity as a hunter. As Mr. Ketch describes, when Dean does not have a monster to hunt, he becomes irritable and antsy. Hunting is an outlet for emotions that Dean cannot otherwise cope with and an unhealthy one at that.

Sam later receives a string of text messages from Mary, asking him to meet her at the BMOL temporary headquarters. When Sam drives up to the front gate of the compound, Mary explains to him more in-depth why she agreed to ally with the organization. Mary says she is trying to work towards a world where Sam and Dean no longer have to be hunters and can have lives of their own- a world she believes the BMOL are capable of achieving. Sam reiterates to her that hunting is the life he chose, the life that he is now happy with. Despite this, Mary still cannot seem to accept that Sam wants to live a lifestyle which revolves around hunting, and brings up the fact that at one point he even went to college.

Mary then insists on giving Sam a tour of the compound, where they come across Mick Davies, a member of the BMOL who has previously tried to recruit Sam. When Mick extends his hand to Sam, he simply looks onward uncomfortably, clearly not willing to accept this gesture of friendship. While Sam is touring the BMOL, we as the audience also get more insight into this mysterious organization. Clearly the BMOL have a wealth of technology and weapons, as demonstrated by the multiple TV and computer screens across the room. They would certainly be useful allies if the Winchester's chose to join.

Soon after, Mick invites Sam to stay for a presentation on how the BMOL plan to exterminate every last vampire in America. He introduces Sam to Serena, Kris and Alton, key members on Project V. Besides these three members, Mr. Ketch and Mick Davies, the BMOL headquarters are relatively empty, with the exception of guards around the perimeter of the facility. When Sam mentions to his mother that Kris's hunting skills seem to be questionable, Mary explains that the BMOL have had difficulties attracting top-level hunters. Serena then explains how the mission focused on the Midwest, and out of the 241 documented vampires only 11 remain and are currently holding up in Wichita, Kansas. Sam is obviously completely shocked by the fact that the BMOL have been successful at killing all but 11 vampires in such a large region. However, one does wonder about the vampires that live peacefully by feeding on cattle, such as the likes that Garth called his family in season 9. Will Sam and Dean come to the defense of the creatures that have no choice over what they are, but do not wish to harm humans?

This outwardly imperfect plan goes awry when some unexpected visitors arrive on the compound- the nest of the remaining vampires which the BMOL were planning to exterminate. Meanwhile, Mr. Ketch travels over to the bunker in the attempts of recruiting Dean over a fine bottle of alcohol, though he greatly underestimates Dean's stubborn character. Clearly, Dean is having no part in whatever Ketch is trying to sell him, and stays true to his idea that the BMOL are the 'bad guys'. After some convincing, Ketch takes Dean to the same vampire nest in Wichita, and the pair also realize that the vampires have headed to the BMOL headquarters.

It is here that we truly get a glimpse of the capabilities of the BMOL (or lack thereof). Even though they have organized and nearly successfully executed an elaborate plan to exterminate an entire species of supernatural creatures, they demonstrate clear in-competencies in other areas. While Mr. Ketch has no problems killing, beyond this he falls short, especially in terms of negotiating skills. When they first arrive at the vampire nest they discover a sick vampire that was left behind. Ketch begins beating her and demanding that she tell them where the rest of the nest has gone. Dean intervenes, and tells the vampire that if she answers Ketch's question he will make her death quick. The woman immediately responds and informs them of the nest's plans. In addition, when Mick Davies discovers that they are being attacked, he shows a complete lack of leadership and instead it is Sam that immediately shoots into action, demanding that they shut down the facility as quickly as possible. Furthermore, when Mary asks who in the room has ever killed a supernatural being only Kris raises his hand. This comes as a slight shock to the audience to discover that even Mick Davies has never killed anything. 

As Sam tries to brainstorm ideas, Mick tells him that they have AVD (Anti-Vamp Deterrent) in another part of the facility. Just as all hope is lost, Mick announces that they do have one upper hand against the enemy and brings out the box containing the Colt. The shock and pain is present on Sam's face as he takes in the object which has played a crucial role in his own life. When Sam forcefully asks how the BMOL acquired the Colt, Mary admits to him that she stole it from Ramiel. While Mary has gone beyond her sons backs in many ways, she is definitely more upfront about her position. Jared Padalecki does an amazing job at showing the hurt that is present in Sam's eyes as he looks from the gun to his mother, realizing that she failed to give the object to Ramiel when he threatened to kill them. However, Sam doesn't have enough time to be upset with Mary and he quickly writes down the spell that 'should' replicate the original bullets and make the Colt useful once again. 

Mary, Kris and Sam then head to get the AVD present in the other part of the facility, however they become separated when Sam holds off a group of vampires. Kris is revealed to be a traitor after he hits Mary over the head, preventing her from bringing back the AVD. The Alpha Vampire then appears in the main room where Mick Davies, Serena and Alton are waiting, catching the already unprepared group by surprise. Mick has just finished preparing the bullets for the Colt from the spell that Sam gave him and shoves the bullets in his pocket. He is especially shocked as his intel from Kris, informed him that the Alpha Vampire was living in Morocco. This further emphasizes how the BMOL operations are flawed even though they claim to be superior to American hunters. 

The Alpha Vamp confronts Mick Davies about his operations in America saying,

I’ve seen your work, in England. I didn’t get involved because, well, it’s England. But America…yes? America is my home. It's time you get off my lawn.

In some ways, this also brings up an issue with the systematic approach that the BMOL are instituting in order to exterminate supernatural creatures. As the BMOL's plan is so large-scale, it would be impossible for the monsters they are hunting not to realize they are behind it, and subsequently attack them. This makes me wonder if the BMOL plan is indeed feasible.

Then, Sam and Mary rush in, and Sam points the gun at Alpha Vampire's head. When the Alpha claims that the Colt is not capable of killing him, Sam calls him out on it, saying that if that were true they would already be dead. He attempts to reason with the Alpha by making an ultimatum- let him and his mother go, and he can have Mick. Naturally, Mick becomes enraged and lunges at Sam, but this is really just a ruse to pass him the bullet so that he can shoot the Alpha. Then to distract the Alpha, Mary lunges at him and Sam is able to load the gun. The Alpha smiles at Sam, realizing how clever he has been, just as Sam fires the Colt and kills him. Sam's ultimatum to the Alpha was very convincing, that it had me on the edge of my seat for a second, wondering if that was the end of Mick Davies. Even though this was just a ruse to gain time, I think there was a grain of truth in Sam's speech.

Somehow, this complete comedy of errors convinces Sam to agree to join the BMOL. He tells Mick that he will work on convincing Dean to join too. Once again, this marks Sam going behind his brother's back, effectively making a decision that could harm their relationship. If you pay close attention during this scene, you will notice Sam looking directly at his brother while he talks with Mick. Perhaps Mary's talk about a world where hunters weren't necessary had an effect on Sam and he made the choice to join the BMOL, not for himself but for his brother. I have to admit, I was disappointed that Sam agreed to join the BMOL even though his intentions are certainly good. Possibly because as the audience, we just witnessed the downfall of an organization that has been hyped up since the beginning of Season 12. It many ways it doesn't make sense for Sam to want to join the BMOL after they just demonstrated how incompetent they were. However, I believe that Sam's intentions in joining were to teach the BMOL instead of the other way around, and because he firmly believes that the work they are doing could save many more lives. After all, the organization was successful in killing all but 11 vampires in the Midwest, which is a pretty amazing feat in and of itself.  Dean also comes around by the end of the episode, and apologizes to Mary, acknowledging the fact that she is an adult who can make her own decisions. 

Rick Worthy does an excellent job at portraying the Alpha Vampire, and steals the spotlight this episode, both with the humorous 'get off my lawn' and his ability to deliver absolutely chilling lines. It was definitely disappointing for his character to be killed, but it is certainly common knowledge that one doesn't live long in the Supernatural world.

There are particular scenes that stand out in this episode. The first is the arrangement of text messages between Mary and Dean, alternating with shots of the pair arguing. The second is the flashback scenes showing Mick passing the bullet to Sam when he pretends to attack him, and then finally the shot of the Colt firing and killing the Alpha vampire. "The Raid" is a highlight of Season 12 for sure.

Details

Episode Writer: Robert Berens

Episode Director: John MacCarthy

Air Date: March 2, 2017