The Scorpion and The Frog is the 8th episode of Season 13. It aired on November 30, 2017.
Summary[]
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There was something about being there... It felt pure. This episode summary is an official CW press release. It may contain errors. DO NOT CHANGE! |
Feeling as if they are running out of options, Sam and Dean agree to steal a mysterious trunk belonging to a demon named Barthamus (guest star David Cubitt), in exchange for a locater spell the Winchesters can use to track down Jack.
Plot[]
A woman, later revealed to be possessed by an unnamed demon working for Barthamus, take the Nephilim tracking spell from a museum
In Cambridge, England, a woman walks into a museum fifteen minutes before closing. She enters the numbers for a keypad but the numbers she has don't work, so she kicks the door open, goes inside, and searches through a cabinet of scrolls. The woman gets the sheets that she's looking for and puts them in a case when a security guard comes in. The demon in the woman enters the guard and the woman collapses, and the guard takes the case and goes outside. Another demon, Barthamus, takes the papers and then kills the demon with a blade. Barthamus then calls Dean and says that he has something he might be interested in.
At the bunker, Dean is checking his guns. Sam comes in and says that there's been no reports of Ketch at any local hospitals, and Castiel is still searching for Jack. Barthamus calls Dean and says that he has something that he might be interested in. The demon says that Jack has gone rogue, and offers them a way to find him. He asks them to meet him at a diner and hangs up.
Barthamus meets the Winchester brothers at a diner
Later, Dean and Sam go to the diner and discuss whether it's trap. Sam figures that it's a chance to find Jack because their out of options. They go inside and spot Barthamus, and he offers Dean a piece of pie. Barthamus says that they're all natural disruptors, and offers them the pages with a genuine nephilim tracking spell. Sam wonders why he's giving it to them, and Barthamus explains that he's the crossroad demon since Crowley is dead. He says that he only gave them half the spell, and will hand over the other half when the job is done. Dean isn't interested, and Barthamus tells Sam to look into it and then he'll contact them.
Dean and Sam meets Barthamus's acquaintances, Smash and Grab
Back at the bunker, Sam checks the spell and tells Dean that it's legitimate and would work if they had the other half. He figures that it's the only option they have. The brothers arrange a meeting with Barthamus and find him with two other demons. Barthamus introduces the woman, Smash, and the man Grab. Smash cracks safes and Grab bypasses security. The target they're going after is Luther Shrike, a hoard who collects rare supernatural objects. Luther has something of Barthamus: a mahogany trunk, hidden someone on Luther's farm. The farm is warded inside and out, and the only thing that can open it is the blood of a man who has been to Hell and back. Dean invites Barthamus to take the blood, but Barthamus says that the blood has to be fresh and he needs the Winchesters to deal with anything unexpected. Luther uses his own blood to open the vault, and Barthamus assures them that Luther is human but a sadist and a murderer. The Winchesters refuse to cooperate without knowing more about the trunk, and Barthamus says that he can give the spell to Asmodeus but he trusts the Winchesters more.
Dean and Sam talk privately and Dean figures that Barthamus is setting them up. Sam figures that they need the spell and says that they can kill Barthamus once they have the other half. They go back and Sam says that they need something to keep Luther busy.
Luther Shrike exorcised Asmodeus's minion
Luther receives word from Asmodeus' assistant that Barthamus is coming. He asks for notification from Luther when they arrive, but Luther lures the demon into a demon trap and then exorcises it from its host body. Luther promises that if anyone comes after him then he'll be ready.
Later, Sam pulls up to the gated farm and claims that he's John Dortmunder, and he had called earlier about a family heirloom. Smash and Dean are hiding in the back, and the guard lets Sam through. Once they're clear, Smash and Dean get out and duck into the trees. Sam then continues on ahead, gets out, and rings the bell. The door opens and Sam walks ahead. Luther calls him into his study.
Dean, Smash and Grab all goes to the barn where Luther Shrike's property supposed to be
Dean and Smash go to a barn. They go inside and Smash offers Dean a can of the high-caffeine drink that she buys that Dean drank when he was a kid. He takes a swig and tells Smash that he doesn't have a choice except to work for demons. She says the same and refuses to discuss it further, and Dean casts a demon-summoning spell to summon Grab. He says that the vault is hidden under a cloaking spell, and explains that Dean's blood will lead them to the vault. Grab casts a spell and after a moment, the blood in Dean's veins drags him to the vault.
Sam met with Luther Shrike and expressed awe at his collection
Luther pours Sam a drink and says that he doesn't get out much. He points out a Fang of the Basilisk, and Sam says that it's actually a Gorgon tooth. Sam asks to see more of Luther's collection, but Luther tells him to stick to business. He asks to see Sam's heirloom, and Sam shows him a knife that can kill demons.
Dean leads Smash and Grab through the forest to the vault. When they find the unlocked door, Smash confirms there's a flight of stairs leading down. Grab refuses to go any further, and Dean and Smash descend. The safe is behind a door, and Smash directs Dean to put his hand in a gargoyle-head hole.
Luther Shrike fighting on equal ground with the seasoned hunter Sam Winchester
Luther takes out the money to pay Sam, but says that they both know Sam isn't there for that. He takes the knife and figures that Barthamus sent Sam to rob him. Luther attacks Sam, figuring that he's a demon, and Sam disarms him. The hoarder grabs a shotgun and fires at Sam, who dives out of the way. As he reloads, Sam grabs the knife and stabs it into Luther's chest. Luther explains that as long as he's on the property, he can't die, and pulls out the knife. He then grabs the Gorgon's tooth and knocks Sam out with it.
Dean reluctantly puts his hand into the hole, and a clamp traps his fingers and a needle pricks his finger. The clamp releases his hand, and the door unlocks. There's a short hallway and a vault at the other end. Smash steps forward, triggering a dart shooter, and Dean pulls her out of the way just in time.
Luther confronts Dean and Smash inside his vault
Smash confirms that Barthamus didn't say anything to her. Meanwhile, Luther stabs Grab and goes downstairs. Smash manages to run past him and gets outside, and finds Grab's corpse. Meanwhile, Luther says that Sam was alive the last time he left him. Dean shoots him but the bullets have no effect. Sam runs in and says that Luther is immortal, and Dean knocks Luther unconscious with a puncher.
Dean silenced Luther Shrike with a mask of duct tape
The brothers tie Luther up, but he refuses to tell them the answer to the riddle to bypass the trap. Dean gags him.
Smash runs to the gate and finds Barthamus waiting for her. She says that everything went sideways, but Barthamus tells her that he isn't going to renegotiate and he doesn't want her to do another job.
The Winchester brothers prepares to wheeled Luther Shrike into the vault full of traps
Sam figures that the tiles are like a giant keypad and only Luther knows the combination. Dean wants to wing it, and Sam points out the roll of duct tape that Dean brought. He gets an idea but warns that it's a little crazy. They tape Luther to a cart and prepare to wheel him into the hallway. Since he's immortal, the darts have no effect on him. The Winchesters tie Luther back up and go to the safe, and Smash comes in and they realize that she sold her soul. She can't get it back, and Barthamus won't collect as long as she works for him. Smash says that she has to take care of herself and doesn't need their help, and goes to work on the safe. She soon gets it open and the brothers grab the trunk. As they go, they discover that Luther has freed himself and left.
The demon Barthamus killed Luther Shrike
Outside, the brothers load the trunk into the Impala and drive off. Luther is waiting for them in a truck, and Dean backs up as Luther drives after them. Sam shoots out the truck's tires and orders Luther out. He says that he traded his son's life for his own, but then his son drowned a few years later. Barthamus told him that he couldn't be held responsible and dragged Luther to Hell, and Luther made a new deal using the leverage he had by holding the trunk. The Winchesters open the trunk and find a skeleton inside: Barthamus' bones. If they burn them, the demon dies. Luther tells the Winchesters that they're on the wrong side of things... and Barthamus arrives and cuts off his head.
Barthamus burning up into ash
Barthamus says that Luther didn't read the fine print, and gives Smash her contract back. He takes out the other half of the spell, but Sam refuses to hand over the trunk. Dean agrees, and Barthamus grabs Smash and threatens to break her neck if they burn the bones. The Winchesters agree and slide the trunk over, and Barthamus releases Smash. She apologizes, and Barthamus tells her to get to work. She sneaks the brothers' cigarette lighter out of the trunk and sets the bones on fire. Barthamus burns up and Sam blows out the burning pages of the spell that he was holding.
Later, the Winchesters take Smash—Alice—to a bus station and she tells them that she's going to be good. She apologizes and thanks them for what they did for her. Dean tells her to stay weird as she gets on the bus and it leaves.
Back at the bunker, Sam tells Dean that it wasn't the best day that they've had. He admits that saving Alice felt good, and Dean assures him that they'll figure something out. Sam says that it feels good to hear him talk like that, and they share a drink.
Characters[]
Main Cast[]
Recurring Cast[]
Co-Stars[]
- David Cubitt as Barthamus
- Christie Burke as Alice
- Richard Brake as Luther Shrike
- Matthew Kevin Anderson as Grab
- Nadja Sofi as Woman
Featured Supernatural Beings[]
- Basilisk (mentioned only)
- Crossroad Demons (Barthamus; Crowley, mentioned only)
- Demons (Barthamus' Minion, Asmodeus' Messenger, Grab)
- Gorgon (tooth and mentioned)
- Hellhounds (mentioned only)
- Nephilim (Jack Kline and Queen of Sheba, mentioned only)
- Prince of Hell (Asmodeus, mentioned only)
- Seraph (Castiel, mentioned only)
Continuity[]
- Sam and Dean Winchester are still looking for Jack after he left them in Tombstone.
- A devil's trap and the demon-killing knife were previously seen in the Season 12 episode All Along the Watchtower.
- A crossroad demon was previously featured in the Season 12 episode All Along the Watchtower.
- A successful exorcism was previously performed in the Season 12 episode Celebrating The Life Of Asa Fox.
- A crossroad demon's human bones were previously threatened with burning in the Season 6 episode Weekend at Bobby's to successfully break a deal.
- Barthamus mentioned Dean Winchester's time in Hell from Season 4.
Trivia[]
- The episode was watched by 1.74 million viewers and got a 0.6 rating. This is the show's most viewed eighth episode since Just My Imagination in Season 11.
- The episode title is a reference to an animal fable where a scorpion asks a frog to carry it across a river. The frog hesitates, afraid of being stung, but the scorpion argues that if it did so, they would both drown. Considering this, the frog agrees, but midway across the river the scorpion does indeed sting the frog, dooming them both. When the frog asks the scorpion why, the scorpion replies that it was in its nature to do so.[1]
- This is the second episode of the season to not feature any recurring guest stars with Tombstone being the first one.
- It was revealed in this episode that the Queen of Sheba, the wife of King Solomon, was a Nephilim, making her the third known Nephilim in the entire series with Jane and Jack being the first two.
- Unlike when Duke was killed and Gunner Lawless was immediately taken to Hell in Beyond the Mat, killing Barthamus appeared to break Alice's deal similar to how the Winchesters believed that killing Lilith in Season 3 would break Dean's deal as she was the holder of it.
- Burning a demon's human remains to kill them was previously seen in the Season 6 episode Caged Heat. However, this was later revealed to be a trick and did not actually feature the demon's death. In Weekend at Bobby's burning a different demon's bones was successfully used to kill that demon.
- Technically, Sam also counted towards a man who had been to Hell and back since he traveled to Hell in Taxi Driver to rescue Bobby Singer's soul. Sam also visited Hell in O Brother, Where Art Thou? and The Devil in the Details to speak to Lucifer. However, Barthamus may have been unaware of this or needed someone who had died and gone to Hell and then come back.
Deaths[]
- Crowley (mentioned only)
- Luther Shrike's son (mentioned only)
- Barthamus' Minion
- Luther Shrike
- Grab
- Barthamus
International Titles[]
- Hungarian: A skorpió és a béka (The Scorpion and The Frog)
Gallery[]
Promotional Pictures[]
Videos[]
Supernatural 13x08 Sneak Peek "The Scorpion and the Frog" (HD) Season 13 Episode 8 Sneak Peek