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Salvation is the 21st episode of Season 1. It aired on April 27th, 2006.

Summary[]

Dean Purgatory Blade.png 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!

Sam has a vision of a family being attacked in the same manner as the attack on his mom, so he, Dean and John (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) head off to Salvation, Iowa, to save this family and finally kill the demon using the Colt gun. However, Meg (guest star Nicki Aycox) calls and lets the family know she is going to start killing their friends unless they return the gun. John meets Meg to deliver a fake gun, while the boys are left to deal with the demon.

Plot[]

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 his 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 a taciturn demon, Tom. John hands the gun to Meg and she in turn hands it to Tom, 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 that the main demon has arrived at the house, the boys break in in an attempt to save Monica and Rosie. Racing to the nursery, Sam faces the yellow-eyed 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. Turning back, they see that the yellow-eyed demon is standing in the flames. Dean stops Sam from trying to re-enter the burning building.

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 yellow-eyed 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[]

Main Cast[]

Recurring Cast[]

Guest Stars[]

Co-Stars[]

Featured Supernatural Beings[]

Continuity[]

  • This is the first appearance of Tom.
  • John Winchester previously appeared in Dead Man's Blood.
  • Meg previously appeared in Shadow.
  • Azazel previously appeared in Pilot.
  • Dean asks Sam how many times a gas leak story has worked for them.
    • This is probably a reference to Bugs, where they pose as Gas Company employees, and later try to use that as an excuse for evacuation.
  • Serinda Swan, who played a receptionist Dean met at the hospital, also played Veritas in Season 6's You Can't Handle The Truth.
  • Meg is explicitly revealed to be a demon, with it being previously hinted in Shadow due to her having survived her fall. She is also the first demon on-screen to display pure black eyes and Azazel, while otherwise obscured by shadows, displays his yellow eyes for the first time on-screen.

Trivia[]

  • Antagonist: Azazel, Meg and Tom.
  • Meg expresses that major league demons are not prone to the same dangers as lower ranking demons, which is seen in her ability to enter hallowed ground.
  • John stays in the Sleep Easy Motel. This could be considered a reference to The Simpsons "Sleep Eazy Motel", although in The Simpsons motel, the neon sign flickers, spelling out "Sl Eazy Motel".
  • The "Leaving Salvation" sign quote, "Are you ready for Judgement Day?", references "JW 2:27". Because that is not a biblical reference, it is likely a message meant for John Winchester.
  • The CW's official summary for this episode does not cite Jeffrey Dean Morgan as a guest star.
  • This is the first time that Carry On Wayward Son is played.

Deaths[]

Featured Music[]

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?

  • John: When were you going to tell me about this?
  • Dean: We didn't know what it meant.
  • John: Alright, something like this starts 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.

  • Sam: Maybe we can tell them there's a gas leak. Might get them out of the house for a few hours.
  • Dean: Yeah and how many times has that actually worked for us?
  • Sam: Yeah. Could always tell them the truth.
  • Dean: Naaaah.
  • Sam: I know, I know.

International Titles[]

  • Finnish: Paholaisen jäljillä (On the Trail of the Devil)
  • Brazil: Salvação (Salvation)
  • French: Délivrance (1re partie) (Salvation, Part One)
  • German: Die Erlösung (Salvation)
  • Italian: Una Città Da Salvare (A Town to Save)
  • Polish: Zbawienie (Salvation)
  • Romanian: Salvare (Salvation)
  • Hungarian: Megváltás (Salvation)

External Links[]

Navigational[]

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