Salvation



Summary
Meg's back. And she wants that gun. So she starts killing John's old friends one by one until he agrees to hand over the weapon - even if it means leaving his sons alone to battle the Demon that killed their mother.

Recap
In Blue Earth, Minnesota, a priest is reading the Bible at his alter when Meg enters, ostensibly seeking solace. The priest encourages her as “Salvation is there for all who seek it,” but when she reveals her black eyes the priest retreats in horror to an underground office fitted out with the tools of a Hunter, with research and runes spanning the walls. Meg follows him, kicking in the barred doors. The priest throws a knife at her, but Meg catches it. He demands, “What do you want?” and she demands the location of John Winchester, who he refuses to betray. She slits his throat with the knife.

Back in Manning, Colorado, John is sharing his research of the last 20 years with Sam and Dean. He explains the trail he has followed and the telltale signs. Sam’s guilt at being the cause of the death of both Mary and Jess turns into anger and pain. But neither John nor Dean allow him to wallow. John sees the signs starting again in Salvation, Iowa and is intent on saving another family from the pain and loss suffered by the Winchesters.

On the road, John receives the news that Pastor Jim Murphy, the priest from the opening, has been murdered, probably by demons. John feels the pressure to hurry, to find the next family on the demon's list. In despair, John mourns his friend and states “This ends… now… I’m ending it. I don’t care what it takes.”

Overcome by the size of their task, they split up to cover more territory and research all infants turning 6 months old in the coming week. As Sam leaves the medical center where he has been reviewing birth records, he has a vision of the demon's next target. Following the signs in his vision he meets the young mother Monica and her daughter, Rosie. Unable to warn her, he returns to Dean and John. John is angry that the boys hadn’t told him before about Sam’s visions. Dean points out John's unresponsiveness and angrily states he would have had a better chance of winning the lottery than reaching his father on the phone. John agrees reluctantly. Interrupting, Sam’s phone rings and Meg, who they thought dead, demands to speak with John. She informs him that she murdered Jim Murphy and today she is with another friend, Caleb. She wants The Colt.

In desperation, John plays dumb and Meg promptly kills Caleb. She will keep killing all his friends until he hands over the Colt. Capitulating, John agrees to meet her in Lincoln at midnight for the trade. The boys protest handing the gun over, but John has a plan: they will use a substitute gun since Meg doesn't know what the real one looks like. In an emotional revelation, he admits again that he needs this job to finally be over. When Dean returns with the fake colt, he pleads with John to not throw his life away, as he’s no good to them dead. John tells them to do the same. He hands over the real Colt and the task of killing the demon to the boys, finishing the job he started.

John arrives in Lincoln to meet Meg. He cases the territory for escape routes and traps and finds a reservoir to bless. While the boys stand watch over Monica and her family, John confronts Meg. She is joined by taciturn demon. John hands the gun to Meg and she in turn hands it off to the other, asking if he thinks it’s the real thing. Without warning, he shoots Meg. She's pissed but she doesn't die. In shock and anger, Meg rounds on John now that it is obvious the gun isn’t the real Colt. He runs and deters them by releasing a valve. thereby spraying them with the Holy Water he prepared earlier. Outside the building, John finds his truck’s tires have been slashed. Running, he finds himself in a dead end and trapped.

Meanwhile, recognizing the signs, the boys break into the house in attempt to save Monica and Rosie. Racing to the nursery Sam faces the demon over Rosie’s crib and after hesitating for a second fires off a shot, but the demon vanishes too fast. Grabbing Monica as Dean saves Rosie, they race them from the burning house. Dean stops Sam from trying to reenter the burning building to reach the demon.

Back at the hotel room, while is Dean is anxiously trying to contact John, Sam is angry that Dean stopped him from going after the Demon. Dean confronts him about his desire for revenge and self sacrifice, stating that if it means Sam getting himself killed, he hopes they never find it. Sam’s anger boils over and he pushes Dean into an emotional confession. Shocking Sam into the present, his focus shifts back to John. Dean tries his father’s phone again, it is answered by Meg and to their horror she promises they will never see their father again…

To Be Continued…

Characters

 * Sam Winchester
 * Dean Winchester
 * John Winchester
 * The Yellow Eyed Demon
 * Meg
 * Tom
 * Jim Murphy
 * Caleb
 * Monica Holt
 * Charlie Holt
 * Rosie Holt

Featured Supernatural Beings

 * Demons

Featured Music

 * Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son

Quotes
Meg: (to Pastor Jim) Well, I’ve lied ... a lot. I’ve stolen. I’ve lusted. And the other day I met this man – a nice guy, you know? And we had a really good chat ... sort of like this. Then I slit his throat and ripped his heart out through his chest." (She blinks and her eyes are suddenly completely black.) "Does that make me a bad person?"

(Sam and Dean have revealed Sam's visions to John.) John: "Alright, something like this start happening to your brother you pick up the phone and you call me."

Dean: "Call you? Are you kidding me? Dad, I called you from Lawrence, alright? Sam called you when I was dying. I mean, getting you on the phone – I got a better chance of winning the lottery."

Dean: "I mean it. If hunting this demon means you getting yourself killed - then I hope we never find the damn thing."

Sam: "That thing killed Jess. That thing killed Mom."

Dean: "You said it yourself once – that no matter what we do, they’re gone. And they’re never coming back."

Sam: "Don’t you say that! Don’t you... Not after all this, don’t you say that."

Dean: "Sam, look... The three of us, that’s all we have. And that’s all I have. Sometimes I feel like I’m barely holding it together, man. Without you and Dad..."

Pretty Girl At Hospital: "Hi, is there anything I can do for you?"

Dean: (blinks) "Oh God yes."

International Titles

 * Finnish: Paholaisen jäljillä (On the Trail of the Devil)


 * French: Délivrance (1re partie) (Salvation, Part One)


 * German: Die Erlösung (Salvation)
 * Italian: Una Città Da Salvare (A Town to Save)
 * Polish: Zbawienie (Salvation)