Book of the Damned

Book of the Damned is the 18th episode of Season 10. It aired on April 15th, 2015.

Summary
FELICIA DAY RETURNS AS CHARLIE — Charlie (guest star Felicia Day) calls Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) to tell them she found the Book of the Damned which could help remove the Mark of Cain. The Winchesters race to her after she tells them she’s been shot by a man named Jacob Styne (guest star Jeff Branson) who says the book belongs to his family and he won’t rest until he gets it back. Castiel (Misha Collins) and Metatron (guest star Curtis Armstrong) take a road trip to find Castiel's grace but they hit a couple road bumps along the way.

Synopsis
After acquiring the Book of the Damned, Charlie makes her way back to America with it, she makes it south of Des Moines when Jacob Styne is able to track Charlie down using a  special compass that points to the direction where the Book of the Damned can be found. When he and his henchman attempt to take the book from Charlie she goes on the offensive and is able to escape, but not before being shot in the gut. Wounded, Charlie calls Sam and Dean to tell them of her predicament, and that she has found the 'Book of the Dead', and it may hold the key to removing the Mark of Cain from Dean. Dean finally comes clean to Sam about his run-in with Rowena and that she told Crowley the Mark is a curse. Meanwhile, Sam has not told Dean about his expedition with Castiel to kidnap Metatron.

Sam and Dean direct Charlie to one of Bobby's old hunting cabins to lay low until they get to her. While preparing to leave, Dean finds a lead lined Curse Box in the Bunker storage room, and suggests they use it to store the book in and stop it from being tracked.

Castiel is on the road with Metatron, who has promised to lead Castiel to where he stored his grace. Metatron's antics continually annoy Castiel however and he punches him and shows a desire to kill him. In a diner, Metatron enjoys food and waxes lyrical about what he enjoys about being human. As they leave, a cupid attacks them, blaming them both for all that has gone wrong with the angels and Heaven. In the fight, Metatron stabs the angel, saving Castiel though he fails to endear himself to Castiel as he'd hoped.

When the Winchesters finally arrive to the cabin, Dean becomes entranced by the book and has to be snapped out of it by Sam, and hands the book back to Charlie. While Dean researches the Styne family using the Men of Letters files, Sam and Charlie are busy at work translating the Book of the Damned, but hit a wall when Charlie realizes that the book, in addition to being written in an ancient Sumerian dialect, is also in code. Noticing Dean's strange attention on the book, Sam puts it away in the curse box and suggest they use his notes to work on the decoding.

Castiel and Metatron arrive at a library where Metatron claims Castiel's grace was hidden by another angel on Metatron's behalf so it couldn't be tortured from him. Castiel realizes he's telling the truth as he can sense the grace but not its location. They are able to find a clue left behind by the angel ("What's the most insane thing a man can do?") and begin looking for the right book with the next clue/Castiel's grace. As they search, Metatron questions Castiel on what he will do next as Heaven is in order and there can't be many rogue angels left to track down, "What exactly is your mission ?", Metatron taunts him. Castiel has no answer and Metatron uses his distraction to use his blood (from his leg wound) to cast a rune spell along the shelved books that stuns Castiel immobile, as if stripping him of all energy/power. Metatron reveals that he has really come for the grace and the demon tablet which he had also stored, hidden within a book in the library. Castiel realizes that the clue is rather a quote not a book title and locates his grace within a copy of Don Quixiote. Seeing this, a disappointed Metatron flees with just the demon tablet before Castiel can fully recover. Cas then reabsorbs his grace, (causing an energy blast that reduces half the library to smithereens) and is restored to his full power and status as a Seraphim, though his wings remain broken/burnt.

Dean, after reading up on the Styne Family and their use of the book, tries to dissuade Sam and Charlie from translating the book. Dean tells them that the book has been calling out to him and the Mark and that it wants him to use it - but not for good. He demands that they destroy it before he's unable to resist its pull and anything bad/worse happens from using it. Sam insists its their only hope of saving Dean, but he is firm that they do not risk using it. Sam insists he will do anything to save Dean - to which Dean makes a cutting comment, reminding him of the previous year, after Dean let Gadreel possess Sam, when Sam had claimed quite the opposite - that he wouldn't save Dean.

After Dean leaves to get supplies, Charlie reflects to Sam that the life of a hunter is full of choices that either end in blood or tears. Sam explains what had happened the previous year with Dean, and also explains how at the time Dean came and got him at College he thought hunting would just be one job - and then just one more. He eventually realized that he loved hunting, it is his life, but that he only wants to do it, can do it, with Dean at his side. He will do anything to save his brother.

Styne and his henchman have been tracking the book using the magical compass, but have lost track of it after it was stored in the curse box. They are searching the area, torturing people for information on Charlie.

Dean runs into Styne at a convenience store, who is posing as the clerk, however Dean recognizes Styne's tattoo of the Styne family crest, and pulls his gun on him. Styne claims their encounter is not coincidence, but providence and that the book is trying to find its true owner. Styne and his henchman attack Dean who manages to escape by having to empty an entire clip into the henchman before he drops. He races to the cabin to destroy the book in a fire of holy oil before they have a chance to get their hands on it. Jacob and his men arrive at the cabin and a fight ensues in which Charlie kills one of the men, and Dean knocks the other out. As Styne bursts through the front door, Dean takes cover and repeatedly shoots him in the chest, to no effect. Styne continues to approach Sam, and tells him he's aware Sam's only pretended to burn the book, and that his kin will never stop looking for it before he finally dies. Dean seems pleased to see the book smouldering in the fireplace, (but there's a subtle look of doubt in his eyes, questioning if his eyes/brother are perhaps deceiving him.)

Back at the Bunker, Castiel joins Sam, Dean and Charlie -- who is thrilled to finally meet the angel she's heard so much about. She tells him he's much taller than she'd imagined, then immediately jokingly asks him to heal her carpal tunnel. Taking Charlie seriously, Castiel heals both her carpal tunnel and her bullet wound. Rather than tell Dean the truth, including that Metatron escaped, Castiel claims that Hannah was able to get his grace's location from Metatron. The four sit down to a meal of pizza and beer, Dean seems relaxed and in good spirits, laughing and enjoying his time with his brother and friends, but Sam continues to worry about him.

Later Sam tracks down his one hope of decoding the book - Rowena. He asks her if she will be willing to help him, to which Rowena insists they first talk "terms".

Music
The Boys Are Back In Town, by Thin Lizzy

Behind Blue Eyes, by The Who

Characters

 * Dean Winchester
 * Sam Winchester
 * Castiel
 * Metatron
 * Charlie Bradbury
 * Jacob Styne
 * Rowena

Featured Supernatural Beings

 * Angels
 * Seraphim
 * Cupid
 * Humans (Styne Family)
 * Witches

Continuity

 * Castiel finally regains his grace and is once more a Seraphim.
 * Castiel displays the knowledge of popular culture that Metatron left him in Meta Fiction when he recognizes the quote from Don Quixiote.
 * The demon tablet is once again seen. Castiel had previously stated in The Hunter Games that it was missing when talking about how it may hold the key to removing the Mark of Cain.
 * Sam gets the Book of the Damned and begins his secret efforts to decode it to save Dean.
 * The Styne Family is introduced and will reappear as enemies.
 * Metatron escapes with the demon tablet, though he remains human. Castiel later locates him again in Our Little World and retrieves the demon tablet, but lets Metatron go again as he's pitiable as a human and no threat.