War of the Worlds

War of the Worlds is the 7th episode of Season 13. It aired on November 23, 2017.

Summary
As Sam and Dean continue their search for Jack, with Asmodeus (guest star Jeffrey Vincent Parise) hot on their trail, they stumble across a familiar foe. Meanwhile, Lucifer manages to escape Michael’s (guest star Christian Keyes) grasp and finds himself an unlikely and mostly unwilling ally.

Plot
Lucifer tells Michael about his world as the latter reads his mind. Michael explains that he has become the leader of his world and plans to move into the Paradise of Lucifer’s which he will rule over. Lucifer snidely remarks on his current leadership of his own world and Michael shakes the cage he has Lucifer in, impaling him on the inward barbs.

Sam and Dean continue their search for Jack to no avail. There are no signs of any Nephilim activity which Dean is sceptical about since Jack could cause a tsunami with a hiccup. Castiel is concerned that this means Jack has been taken to Hell by Asmodeus or to Heaven by the Angels. He has arranged a meeting with another angel to inquire about Jack and tells Sam and Dean they cannot accompany him. Dean tells him not to do anything stupid before finally accepting Castiel’s decision. Dean tells Sam he has found a case where witches are being killed and suggests that they work a case as their search for Jack is proving fruitless.

Asmodeus tries to reach out to Jack when another demon enters telling him that Hell has exhausted their resources in searching for the Nephilim to no avail. Asmodeus is frustrated that he cannot sense Jack despite his great power and the Demon informs him that a hunter they have on the pay roll has informed them that Sam and Dean no longer have Jack either.

Lucifer suggests to Michael that he “whale” on Mary Winchester for a while. Michael explains his plan to enter Lucifer’s world- the latter points out that the gateway is gone- and brings in Kevin Tran who works as a Prophet for Michael and has deciphered a spell from the Angel Tablet that could theoretically open a door to Lucifer’s world. The spell requires Archangel Grace to work so Michael takes some of Lucifer’s.

Dean and Sam review the security footage of one of the witch abductions and spot someone who looks like Arthur Ketch in the video. A witch named Daniela approaches them and asks for their help noting that they don’t like witches but they do help people in trouble.

Kevin prepares a spell to open the doorway and Lucifer tries to convince him that Michael is a monster and Kevin should stop. Kevin points out he is in an inescapable situation as a Prophet he must serve God but since God is not around he serves the next high ranking which is Michael and that Lucifer is Satan so he doesn’t trust him. Kevin manages to open the doorway using Lucifer’s grace. Using the momentary distraction, Lucifer breaks free and jumps through the portal which seals behind him- Kevin expresses his delight that it worked even though it only admitted passage for one. Michael threatens Kevin that he better get the portal to open permanently.

Back in his world, Lucifer discovers that as part of his grace has gone he can no longer smite people with a snap of his fingers. Asmodeus who is torturing the receptionist of the hotel that Jack and the Winchesters stayed in senses Lucifer’s return.

Daniela explains to Sam and Dean that she escaped from Ketch and shows them the scars from his torture of her and that he is looking for Rowena MacLeod. Using Daniela as bait, the Winchesters lure Ketch to a witch safe house and knock him out with a dart. Back in the Bunker, Dean takes delight in beating up Ketch in retaliation for what he did to his mother. Ketch claims that he is Arthur Ketch’s twin brother Alexander who fled the British Men of Letters after refusing to complete initiation. He works as a freelance mercenary hunting Supernatural creatures. Dean doesn’t buy it.

Castiel meets with an angel named Duma at the Heavenly Portal who tells him that Heaven does not have Jack. She explains that after the Fall the number of angels has drastically decreased and they are close to extinction. They need Jack to use his powers to replenish their numbers as God has left. Castiel refuses to help them enslave Jack and two more angels appear. Castiel fights them but the three gain the upper hand until Lucifer appears. He scares the angels away before collapsing due to over exertion of the limited grace he has. Castiel furiously storms towards him as they each express disbelief at each other’s return and revival. Lucifer stops Castiel warning him that the are all going to die. In a bar he explains what happened in then Alternate reality and that Michael and ‘meth head’ Kevin Tran are going to break through. Castiel is disinterested and refuses to trust Lucifer who claims that they need Jack to stop Michael when he breaks through. Castiel refuses to hand over Jack but accidentally gives away that neither he nor the Winchesters have him.

Sam finds documentation of Alexander Ketch proving his existence but Dean remains sceptical. He recieves a phone call from Castiel who tries to tell him Lucifer is back before Lucifer appears next to him and he is forced to hang up. Dean thinks something is wrong and is angry to see Sam has allowed Ketch to walk around (albeit in chains). The two leave and re chain him up.

Lucifer eagerly asks Castiel about Jack when Asmodeus and a group of demons arrive. Lucifer tries to assert his authority over Asmodeus but the latter remarks only the old Lucifer had power over him and, in his weakened state, Asmodeus has power over him now. He blasts Castiel and Lucifer across the bar.

Dean and Sam arrive later that evening to discover the damage of the fight. The two are attacked by demons until they are saved by Alexander who used a lockpick in his mouth to escape and drove after them on a motorbike in the garage. Dean points a gun at him and states he knows that despite Alexander’s claims he knows that he is really Arthur. Arthur admits his identity and explains that the British Men of Letters captured Rowena a few years ago and discovered the spell she had sewn into herself that revived her. In exchange for her escape, she did the same for Arthur but the spell needs recharging so he is seeking her out. Dean says that Lucifer killed Rowena, something Ketch is sceptical of, and raises his gun. Ketch throws something that causes a burst of light and escapes but not before Dean shoots him in the shoulder.

In the impala, Dean calls Castiel who tells him that he has found a lead on Jack and is folloiwng it. It is really Asmodues mimicking Castiel’s voice having captured both the real Castiel and Lucifer whom he hopes to use to lure Jack to him and deal with the Winchesters. He remarks that if Lucifer is right about Michael then they will need the Nephilim. Arthur Ketch, working with Asmodeus, states that the Winchesters shouldn’t be a problem.

Main Cast

 * Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester
 * Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester
 * Mark Pellegrino as Lucifer
 * Misha Collins as Castiel

Guest Stars

 * Osric Chau as Kevin Tran
 * David Haydn-Jones as Arthur Ketch

Co-Stars

 * Christian Keyes as Michael
 * Jeffrey Vincent Parise as Asmodeus
 * Erica Cerra as Duma
 * Farrah Aviva as Daniela
 * Caitlin Stryker as Lead Angel
 * Aidan Moreno as Demon #1
 * Suzy Joachim as Pedestrian
 * Shayn Walker as Karl

Featured Supernatural Beings

 * Angels (Metatron; mentioned only, Duma)
 * Archangels (Lucifer, Michael)
 * Crossroad Demon (Crowley; mentioned only)
 * Demons (Demon #1)
 * Prince of Hell  (Asmodeus)
 * Primordial Entities (God; mentioned only)
 * Nephilim (Jack; mentioned only)
 * Seraphim (Castiel)
 * Witch (Rowena; mentioned only, Daniela)

Continuity

 * Asmodeus, Lucifer, and Michael previously appeared in The Rising Son.
 * Angels and Demons were previously featured in The Rising Son.
 * A prophet was previously featured in The Rising Son.
 * The alternate universe was previously seen in The Rising Son.
 * The Heavenly Portal was previously featured in the Season 12 episode, The Future.
 * Lucifer's grace was previously seen in the Season 12 episode, LOTUS.
 * Arthur Ketch was previously seen in the Season 12 episode, Who We Are.
 * A witch was previously featured in the Season 12 episode, Twigs & Twine & Tasha Banes.
 * Rowena's full name was previously mentioned in the Season 12 episode, Family Feud.
 * Arthur Ketch's motorcycle was previously seen in the Season 12 episode, The Raid.

Trivia

 * The episode was watched by 1.20 million viewers and got a 0.3 rating, making this the least watched and lowest rated episode of the season and of the entire series.
 * The reason for this, however, is because the episode aired on Thanksgiving.
 * The episode title is a reference to the H. G. Wells novel of the same name.
 * This is the fourth episode of the series that Richard Speight Jr. has directed with Just My Imagination, Stuck in the Middle (With You) and Twigs & Twine & Tasha Banes being the first three.
 * Kevin Tran is the fifth character to have another version in the same alternate universe with Bobby Singer, Lucifer, Michael and Rufus Turner being the first four.
 * For the first time in the series, Lucifer has lost some of his grace.
 * It has been revealed that Sam and Dean dumped Arthur Ketch's corpse in a waste canal.
 * It has also been revealed that Arthur Ketch came back to life using Rowena's Resurrection Seal.
 * Asmodeus decided to permanently take throne of the Ruler of Hell after finding his father's weakened state.
 * Duma revealed that the angels are close to extinction after the Fall of the Angels.
 * Asmodeus is the first demon to overpower Lucifer since Crowley in the Season 12 episode, Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell.
 * Asmodeus is the second demon known to work with a British Men of Letters member with Crowley being the first one.
 * Arthur Ketch's motorcycle is revealed to have been kept in the Men of Letters bunker's garage ever since his death in the Season 12 episode, Who We Are.
 * After Lucifer meets with Castiel, they go to Nick's Bar. Nick is the name of Lucifer's vessel.