Mother's Little Helper is the 17th episode of Season 9. It aired on March 25, 2014.
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! |
Dean struggles with the after effects of the Mark of Cain. Meanwhile, Sam hears about a case where straight-laced people are turning into violent murderers. Sam suspects possession and suggests to Dean that they investigate, but Dean tells him to go without him. While interviewing the local townsfolk, Sam meets an elderly woman named Julia (guest star Jenny O'Hara), who tells him the Men of Letters came to town in 1958. Josie tells Sam the story of a young man named Henry Winchester (guest star Gil McKinney) and his female companion, Josie Sands (guest star Alaina Huffman). While Sam is away, Crowley (Mark Sheppard) tests Dean.
Plot[]
In Milton, Illinois, a seemingly cheerful wife returns home and engages in a casual conversation with her husband about dinner. When he inquires about the meal, she gleefully mentions meatloaf. However, his criticism triggers an unexpected and violent reaction from her. Without any apparent reason, she picks up a candlestick and violently attacks him, all the while eerily describing what was for dinner until he was dead. .
Dean, who is suffering from insomnia, is in the library researching when Sam comes in and says that he found a case. However, Dean is obsessed with finding Abaddon and doesn't want to go on a hunt. Sam is worried about Dean's obsession, but he leaves without Dean, who then opens a bottle of liquor.
At the police station in Milton, Sam begins his investigation and discovers that the angry wife has killed herself. He then calls Dean to check in, and he continues to worry about Dean's attitude. After the boys hang up, Dean flashes back to holding the First Blade and his hand begins to shake.
A young man is hitchhiking when he is picked up by a van. As the van drives away, the young man begins to scream and a bright white light shines out the back.
Sam is eating at diner, when the young man, Billy, comes in and gets angry with the waitress. When Sam intervenes, Billy stabs the waitress forcing Sam to physically restrain him. Later at the police station, Sam finds that a number of people are locked up and acting strange. Sam tests Billy with holy water and then questions him about what he is. Sam calls Dean, who is now in a bar ("The Milton"), to talk about the case. Sam compares the perps to "Soulless Sam" and, again, asks for Dean's help, but Dean declines again. Dean hangs up, and Crowley appears behind him.
While at the police station, Sam meets Julia Wilkinson who is trying to warn the police about demons. After a talk, she asks Sam if he is one of the Men of Letters, to his surprise. She tells Sam a story about the Men of Letters coming to Milton in 1958 to investigate a strange occurrence.
Flashback to 1958: Henry Winchester and Josie Sands arrive at a convent where Julia is a nun. They meet with Mother Superior and Sister Agnes, who direct Julia to guide Henry and Josie around the convent. While investigating, Henry and Josie discuss their on-the-job training and Henry's concerns about joining the Men of Letters. He is worried about Millie and John. Henry and Josie discover that the Knights of Hell are involved in the events they’re investigating. Later that night, Julia—who, in the present, continues to tell Sam her story —hears noises and goes to check them out. She and several other people are taken hostage by Mother Superior. Henry and Josie arrive and start to perform an exorcism, but it does not work on Abaddon, who knocks Henry out. Abaddon concludes that Josie and Henry are Men of Letters, and she decides to possess Henry. However, Josie asks Abaddon to possess her instead. Julia watches as Abaddon's smoke flows into Josie’s body. Abaddon vows to destroy the Men of Letters and asks Sister Agnes to continue with their project. Henry awakens and is unaware that Abaddon has possessed Josie.
Meanwhile, at the bar, Dean is playing pool and talking with Crowley, who thinks Dean is stalling on finding Abaddon. Crowley accuses Dean of being scared of the First Blade, and he irritates Dean by comparing him to Cain. Dean claims to be nothing like Cain, but Crowley continues to force the issue. Crowley excuses himself to go to the restroom and Dean again remembers holding the First Blade. He then notices a young man, who appears to be a hunter, following Crowley to the men’s room. Dean follows them and stops the hunter from attacking Crowley.
Dean berates Crowley for his blood addiction. Crowley, in turn, says Dean is a junkie too—he is addicted to the First Blade. Dean insists that he wants to kill Abaddon, no matter the consequences. After Dean leaves, the young "hunter" appears: Crowley has set up the confrontation to confirm that Dean would save him and says that "he is ready.”
Meanwhile, Sam investigates at the convent. Just as he discovers several jars with glowing lights in them, a demon arrives. Sam kills the first demon, but another—Sister Agnes—knocks Sam down. Sister Agnes tells Sam that the glowing lights are souls. She laments that it has become more difficult to steal souls but says it’s necessary to build an army for Abaddon. She tells Sam that there are other demons doing the same thing. Sam begins chanting the exorcism. Sister Agnes chokes him so that he can no longer speak, so he pulls out his phone, on which he has a recording of the exorcism. When Sam tosses his phone across the room, Sister Agnes lets go of him and dives for it. This allows Sam to kill her with the knife. He then opens the jars and watches as the souls are released, free to return to their bodies.
The next day, Sam asks Julia why she didn't warn Henry about Abaddon, and Julia admits this is her greatest shame. She flashes back to 1958, where we see Abaddon, as Josie, threaten Julia. Sam assures her that she has helped save lives by telling her story now.
Flashback to 1958: Henry and Josie are leaving the convent, and Henry's enthusiasm has been renewed, because he understands that what they do saves lives. Meanwhile, Abaddon feels like a whole new person.
In the present, Sam returns to the bunker and finds Dean researching in the library. Now that he knows Abbadon is mining souls to create an army, Sam’s enthusiasm has also been renewed. The boys sit at separate tables, but they now have a shared mission.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
Recurring Cast[]
Guest Stars[]
Co-Stars[]
- Patricia Harras as Agnes
- Gabrielle Giraud and Jenny O'Hara as Julia Wilkinson
- Marilyn Norry as Mother Superior and Abaddon
- Andrew Dunbar as Jake
- Kurt Oslund as Billy
- Ella May as Waitress
Featured Music[]
- It's Not Too Late by The Bughouse 5
- Love, Dance and Sing by Electric Banana
- Plastic Princess by David Alan Tomlinson & Gary Alan Jones
- You're No Good by Linda Ronstadt
- Grey Skies by Electric Banana
Featured Supernatural Beings[]
- Crossroad Demon (Crowley)
- Demons (Nun Demons, Jake, Mr. Richie and Agnes)
- Knight of Hell (Abaddon)
- Primordial Entity (God, mentioned only)
Continuity[]
- Abaddon previously appeared in First Born.
- Henry Winchester previously appeared in As Time Goes By.
- Josie Sands previously appeared in Clip Show.
Trivia[]
- The episode title is a reference to the 1966 song by the Rolling Stones.
- Misha Collins makes his directorial debut despite his character's absence in this episode.
- The CW's official summary for this episode mistakenly does not cite Mark Sheppard as a guest star, and also includes an error where the name 'Julia' has been accidentally replaced with 'Josie'.
- Henry's wife and John's mother is revealed to be Millie Winchester.
- During the scene when Sam is on the road to Milton, a Canadian flag can clearly be seen flying over the town, despite Milton supposedly being located in the United States. Whether this was a mistake that slipped through the editing process or a nod to Supernatural's filming location in British Columbia is unclear.
- This episode shows how Josie Sands tried to give Abbadon her permission to be possessed, apparently confusing this information with the angels' feature. However, it is not known whether this was the wrong information of the Men of Letters or just her mistake.
- In his conversation with the Agnes, Sam remarks it will take a couple million years to convert human souls into demons, but it's been stated in Malleus Maleficarum that, at most, it takes up to a few centuries for the process to occur, however, its entirely possible he was using exaggerative language.
Deaths[]
- Rick Young
- Karen Young
- Mary Catherine (mentioned only)
- Two unnamed people (mentioned only)
- Nun Demons’ vessels
- Mr. Richie's demon
- Mr. Richie
- Agnes
- Agnes’ vessel
- Mother Superior (off screen, probably)
Cultural References[]
- When Sam calls Dean for questions about the case, Dean says "Sounds like a case of the crazies." In 2010 a remake of the 1973 film The Crazies was released. The way the victims in this episode acts are reminiscent of the crazies in the film.
Quotes[]
- Crowley: What's in that bottle? Delusion?
- Crowley: [to Dean] You're lying to Sam like he's your wife... which kinda makes me your mistress.
International Titles[]
- Italian: Anime Perdute (Lost Souls)
- Hungarian: Anyuci pici segédje (Mother's Little Helper)
- Portuguese (Brazil): A Pequena Ajudante da Mãe (Mother's Little Helper)