Bring 'em Back Alive is the 18th episode of Season 13. It aired on April 12, 2018.
Summary[]
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! |
Lucifer rules over heaven but things aren't going exactly as planned, exasperating his first lady, Jo (guest star Danneel Ackles). Sam and Castiel are perplexed by the return of Gabriel (guest star Richard Speight Jr.). Meanwhile, Dean gets one step closer to finding Mary and Jack.
Plot[]
In Apocalypse World, Dean and Ketch land in a snowy forest. Dean expects Ketch to go his own way but Ketch offers to help Dean find Jack and Mary, which Dean begrudgingly accepts. As they begin traversing the landscape they come across a group of angels and hooded prisoners above them on a bridge. The commanding angel says the humans have fomented rebellion and committed crimes against the archangel Michael. The hoods are removed and each prisoner is smited in turn as Dean and Ketch watch on. The last prisoner is revealed to be Alternate Charlie, stunning Dean. The commanding angel stops the execution when he realizes Charlie is in the resistance's inner circle and has met with Jack and Mary. The commanding angel thinks that Michael will want to interrogate her at the Northern Camp and the angels vanish with Charlie.
At the Bunker, Sam brings Castiel up to speed. They enter a dark room where Gabriel is crouched in a corner. Sam and Cass talk to Gabriel but he doesn't respond. They attempt to give Gabriel some of his grace but he refuses and cowers away.
In Heaven, Lucifer sits on the floor playing solitaire. Anael walks in, and begins questioning Lucifer's rule, reminding him that they came to change things and help the angels. Duma enters to report that the few angels that they could spare have scoured the planet but have found nothing on Jack so far. Lucifer reminds her that this is a priority, but Duma objects that they don't have the manpower, causing Lucifer to flash his eyes red and reiterate finding Jack being a priority. After Duma leaves, Lucifer complains that God would get better treatment from the angels. Jo tells Lucifer that if he wants to be treated like God, he should start acting like God.
At Needham Asylum, Asmodeus rants to a demon minion about Ketch and Gabriel being off the radar. He says that he should be able to detect Gabriel because they are "blood brothers."
As Dean and Ketch begin their search for Charlie, Ketch questions Dean about his relationship to her. Dean says they need her because she's seen Jack and Mary. Ketch soon disappears behind a nearby tree, telling Dean they need to practice remaining undetected. Dean, impatient to find Charlie and rescue his family before the rift closes, ignores Ketch and continues straightforwardly on. Dean is then attacked by a bounty hunter, who comes out of nowhere and shoots Dean in the shoulder. As the bounty hunter and Dean struggle, Ketch subdues the hunter, who reveals to Dean that he was going to take them the Northern Camp, which he calls "the silo," down the road four to five hours' walk.
Castiel enters Gabriel's room and discovers Enochian writing covering the walls. He calls Sam into the room and explains that it's Gabriel's story, starting with his supposed death. The writings reveal that Lucifer had stabbed a fake Gabriel, with the real Gabriel watching in hiding, satisfied. This act left Gabriel, as he explained, free with no obligations to God, Heaven, or mankind. Gabriel then moved to Monte Carlo where he lived with porn stars. Castiel continues reading, telling Sam that at some point he was captured and delivered to Asmodeus, who tortured him and then he, the weakest of Hell's princes, grew strong by feeding on Gabriel's grace.
In Heaven's Throne Room, Lucifer is now dressed in a snazzy black suit, takes his seat on the throne and begins to listen to prayers. He quickly loses interest, due to what he perceives as humanity's whining. Then his interest is piqued when he overhears as exorcism. On Earth, two priests begin the process of removing a demon from a young women. Lucifer pops into the room, correcting the priests that it is not Satan possessing the young woman, but rather a low-level demon named Anthony, whom Lucifer easily dismisses and sends back to Hell. When asked who he is by the priests, Lucifer reveals himself, as they are shocked before Lucifer tells them his side of the story of his falling out with God. He states it all worked out by telling the priests he is now running Heaven. The horrified priests cry blasphemy and call Lucifer the beast and a scourge of mankind. Lucifer kills the priests by disintegrating them.
As Dean and Ketch make their way to the Northern Camp, Ketch does not recognize the type of bullets the hunter was using, but Dean tells him that they are Angel-killing bullets. Suddenly, Dean collapses. Ketch checks on Dean—he is running a fever and his shoulder wound is black and infected. Ketch believes the hunter's bullets were laced with a poison similar to one the British Men of Letters use to disable and kill prey, and he begins the process of making an antidote.
Back at the Bunker, Castiel uses his healing powers on Gabriel; although his powers are not sufficient to heal an archangel, he believes he may be able to help jolt Gabriel's mind back to normal. After he leaves the room, Sam talks to Gabriel about what he's going through. Sam says he understands what it's like to be nothing like your family and to leave them. Sam explains how he came back to his family because they needed him and how he now believes this is what he was meant to do and this is how he makes the world a better place. Sam tells Gabriel that he is needed, by his family, by the world, and by Sam himself. Before leaving, Gabriel reacts to Sam's words and his eyes glow blue. As Gabriel's power returns, Asmodeus is able to sense and locate Gabriel.
Although somewhat recovered after the antidote, Dean is exhausted and collapses. Ketch proposes they return home to regroup but Dean refuses to give up on Charlie. Dean reluctantly tells Ketch that their world's Charlie was like family to him and Sam, and when she died, Dean thinks he failed her. Ketch admits to many failures but says that unlike Dean, he never tried to save any of the people that he lost. He hopes that perhaps rescuing Charlie will help wash some of the stain from his hands and the two continue on. Meanwhile, Charlie is being tortured and interrogated by an angel, but her continued refusal to give any information on the resistance prompts the commanding angel to order her execution.
As Gabriel swallows the grace that had been harvested from him, Sam gets a call from Asmodeus. He demands Gabriel be given back or threatens to take the archangel by force and reduce the Bunker to ashes. Sam looks at Cass and Gabriel who realize disaster is coming to them.
Back in Heaven, Lucifer is angry and he tells Jo he is going to refocus and find his "bliss" in fatherhood—he and Jack will combine their powers and remake the world in Lucifer's image. People will worship Lucifer. Anael questions his motivation and tells him to make good on his promises to fix Heaven by making more angels and giving the existing angels their wings back. Lucifer admits that he can't do either of those things. Jo has had enough and berates Lucifer that he is a failure and should just go back to the Cage. Angered by Anael's insubordination, Lucifer begins to choke Jo, but lets her go. She declares she no longer supports him and leaves.
At the POW camp, Charlie is chained to a pole for beheading. As the executioner prepares to swing his blade, Dean throws a grenade into the camp, causing a distraction. Dean and Ketch enter the camp and begin shooting the angels, however the commanding angel escapes. Dean frees Charlie from the pole, and the three make their escape. Outside the camp, Dean explains where he and Ketch are from and that there was a version of Charlie in his world. He asks about Jack and Mary. Charlie tells him that the last she heard, Jack and Mary were fighting in what remains of Dayton, Ohio. Charlie questions why she should believe this and Dean shows her the rift, confirming his story to Charlie's amazement.
At the Bunker, Sam tells Cass and a panicking Gabriel that he checked the bunker's security system but doesn't know if it'll be enough. The lights suddenly go out as the warding begins to shut down. Demons enter the Bunker and attack Sam and Castiel, who are able to kill the intruders before Asmodeus enters and easily incapacitates them. Asmodeus reveal the defenses couldn't defend against him. Gabriel is recaptured and as he is being dragged away by demons, as Asmodeus taunts him on his little outing and promises to punish him. After sending him off, he starts to kill Castiel and Sam. However, Gabriel frees himself from the demons, as Asmodeus taunts him being broken and too weak to fight him. Gabriel heals himself and spreads his wings to show he is himself again. An angry Asmodeus fires an energy ball but it is deflected by Gabriel.
Gabriel tells a scared Asmodeus that he's not weak anymore before stated he has always hated his "dumbass" suit and killing him through incineration. In the aftermath, Castiel and Sam tell Gabriel about Jack, Apocalypse World, and the invasion of the other Michael in the assumption he will join them in the fight. Gabriel thanks them for the rescue but refuses to help, telling Sam he had faith in him and Dean the last time the world was ending, and he has faith this time, before he vanishes.
As Dean, Ketch, and Charlie approach the rift, it's clear that the passage is closing. Ketch declares he is going to stay behind to get intel on the angels, and find Mary and Jack. Charlie is also staying, much to Dean's confusion. She tells Dean that this is her home and that her friends need her help, but that if Dean has a way to stop Michael he should get back and do it. A group of angels appear; Dean goes through the rift as Ketch and Charlie shoot at them.
Dean arrives back in the Bunker just as the rift closes. Sam asks where Mary and Jack are. Dean explains that they are not with Michael anymore and that Ketch and Charlie stayed back to find them. Castiel tells him about the demon incursion led by Asmodeus and that Gabriel killed Asmodeus. Sam and Cas admit that when they asked Gabriel for help, he left, and that they used up the last of Gabriel's grace to return his power. Dean is furious and frustrated, shouting that he should never have come back since they can't open the door again. He lashes out in anger and frustration that every time they get close, it falls apart. Castiel assures him that they will find Gabriel.
Characters[]
Main Cast[]
- Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester
- Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester
- Mark Pellegrino as Lucifer
- Misha Collins as Castiel
Recurring Cast[]
Guest Stars[]
Co-Stars[]
- Jeffrey Vincent Parise as Asmodeus
- Danneel Harris-Ackles as Anael
- Erica Cerra as Duma
- Bianca Caroca as Teenage Girl and Anthony
- Tim Beckmann as Father Davis
- Jeanie Cloutier as Kindly Woman
- Marco Grazzini as Prison Camp Commander
- Curtis Tweedie as Young Priest
- Corey Schmitt as Patrol Angel
- Troy Rudolph as Smiting Angel
Featured Supernatural Beings[]
- Angels (Anael, Duma, Prison Camp Commander, Prison Camp Angels and Executioner Angel)
- Archangels (Gabriel and Lucifer; Alternate Michael and Michael, mentioned only)
- Demons (Anthony, Bunker Incursion Demons)
- Nephilim (Jack, mentioned only)
- Primordial Entity (God, mentioned only)
- Prince of Hell (Asmodeus)
- Seraph (Castiel)
Continuity[]
- Castiel previously appeared in Scoobynatural.
- This is the first time since the Season 9 episode Meta Fiction where Castiel and Gabriel are in the same scene.
- Anael, Duma and Lucifer previously appeared in Devil's Bargain.
- A version of Charlie Bradbury previously appeared in the Season 10 episode Dark Dynasty.
- The Apocalypse World was previously featured in Good Intentions.
- Heaven was previously featured in Devil's Bargain.
- Angel-killing bullets and Angel Blades were previously featured in Good Intentions.
- An Archangel's wings were previously featured in The Rising Son.
- Gabriel's wings were previously featured in the Season 5 episode Hammer of the Gods. However, these were fakes as part of his faked death.
- Demon smoke was previously featured in The Scorpion and The Frog.
- An exorcism was previously performed in The Scorpion and The Frog.
- Holy Water was previously used in The Scorpion and The Frog.
- There were some flashbacks to previous episodes:
- Lucifer believing he killed Gabriel in the Season 5 episode Hammer of the Gods.
- Charlie Bradbury hugging Dean in the Season 9 episode Slumber Party.
- Charlie Bradbury's death in the Season 10 episode Dark Dynasty.
- During Unhuman Nature, Sergei revealed he helped Gabriel hide with a cloaking spell, obtaining some of Gabriel's grace as payment.
Trivia[]
- The episode was watched by 1.53 million viewers and got a 0.5 rating.
- This is the second episode of the season that Amyn Kaderali directed with Breakdown being the first one.
- This season is his first time directing multiple episodes in a season.
- This is the third time Gabriel appears this season, making this his second season where he has multiple appearances with Season 5 being the first one.
- However, this is the first season where he has appeared in more than two episodes.
- This episode introduces an Apocalypse World version of Charlie Bradbury.
- Gabriel's survival is explained through his story written on the walls of Sam's room. Its revealed he faked his death and went into hiding. His story is further expanded upon in Unfinished Business.
- It is revealed in this episode that Mary Winchester and Jack are the leaders of a resistance movement in Apocalypse World. Charlie Bradbury is a high-ranking member who is stated to be a member of the inner circle. Arthur Ketch has also joined the resistance after remaining on Apocalypse World.
- Asmodeus' death greatly resembles Dagon's in Season 12's The Future. Both were Princes of Hell who were incinerated by an angel, in Dagon's case Castiel with the help of Jack and in Asmodeus' case, the archangel Gabriel.
- As of this episode, all of the Princes of Hell are extinct.
- This is the second episode where Gabriel shows his wings with the Season 5 episode Hammer of the Gods being the first one.
- The timeline of Gabriel's story shows that the Gabriel seen in Meta Fiction was in fact one of Metatron's illusions designed to trick Castiel.
- This is the first episode where Arthur Ketch is seen killing an angel.
Deaths[]
- Two resistance prisoners
- Teenage Girl
- Father Davis
- Young Priest
- Prison Camp Angels
- Executioner Angel
- Bunker Incursion Demons
- Asmodeus
International Titles[]
- Hungarian: Alkalmi szövetségesek (Occasional Allies)