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.
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.
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.
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
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