The Raid

Season	Episode	Overall
12	14	255

Series

Supernatural

Airdate

March 2, 2017

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Family Feud	Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell

The Raid is the 14th episode of Season 12. It aired on March 2, 2017.

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!

A chance to take out a nest of vampires backfires when the alpha-vamp shows up and turns the tables on Mary (guest star Samantha Smith) and the British Men of Letters, who are doing their best to recruit Sam and Dean.

Plot[]

Arthur Ketch and Mary Winchester leave a black SUV and enter a temporary base of the British Men of Letters. Mary repeatedly texts Dean and Sam apologizing and requesting them to respond. Dean asks Sam to find him a case. Sam asks him whether he wants to talk about them asking Mary to leave the bunker to which Dean refuses. They have an argument and a cranky Dean accuses Sam of not picking sides and always playing the peacemaker. Sam opens Mary's texts, the last one stating that they need to meet urgently.

At the bunker, Dean points out a case to Sam about a dead guy in Akron. Sam chuckles and reads through it, but isn't sure it's their kind of thing. Dean tries to convince Sam, finally telling him to find a case because he really needs to hit something, now. Sam tries to get Dean to talk about it, but Dean says he doesn't want to. Even as Sam tries to convince him, Dean tells Sam he's going out and then he tells Sam that he's tired of Sam always being a peacemaker, playing the middle. Dean tells him for once, to pick a side. Dean leaves, and shortly after, Sam gets a text from Mary, telling him she needs to see him, and that it's urgent.

Mary and Mick attempts to convinces Sam — Mary and Mick tried to gets Sam to sign on a tour around the British Men of Letters compound

At the British Men of Letters compound, Sam is stunned by the array of computers and tech equipment everywhere. Mick and Mary explain to Sam that the plan is to systematically track and kill every vampire in the United States. Mick introduces the group in the conference room to Sam: hunter Pierce Moncrieff, and British Men of Letters members Alton Morehead and Serena Colman. The meeting starts with discussion about vampires in the Midwest and Serena says that when they started there were 241 vampires active across 12 states, and now they've killed all but 11. Alton explains that they're planning to follow the chain of vampires to the top — the Alpha Vampire.

Arthur Ketch captures the vampire Kris — Ketch comes in from the stairwell dragging a vampire named Kris while Dean watches things unfold

Dean returns to the Bunker, and finds a note left by Sam that simply says "went out, back later." He is then dismayed to find they are out of alcohol, but he is soon surprised when Ketch arrives, who offers Dean some expensive Scotch. They have a drink together, during which Ketch then convinces Dean to join him on a vampire hunt at the Morest nest. However, when they arrive at the nest, the place seems empty. Ketch comes in from the stairwell dragging a vampire named Kris. He knocks her around a bit trying to get her to tell them where the other vampires are. She tells him they are hunting the hunters.

Mick and the surviving hunters attempts to come up with a plan to deals with the vampire raids — Mick and the surviving hunters, include Mary and Sam, having discussions about the vampire raids

Back at the compound, the vampires attack. Sam takes charge, telling them they need to lock the place down. Mary goes on the intercom, telling everyone in the compound to not engage and fall back now. In the meeting room, Mick tells them most of the weapons are in the armory, including the Anti-Vamp Device (AVD). Sam wonders if they have anything stronger, and Mary turns to Mick. Mick brings a case to the table and when he opens it, Sam exhales sharply. It's the Colt. Mary tells him she stole it from Ramiel.^[1] Mick tells Sam it doesn't work as they have no bullets. Sam tells them they can make some from a recipe he learned from Bobby Singer. As Mick gathers the supplies, Sam, Pierce, and Mary head to the armory to try and get the AVD, but are attacked.

The Alpha Vampire cornered Mick and threatens him into telling his superior that they failed

Mick is chanting the spell over the bullets in the command center when the Alpha Vampire arrives and gains entry into the room with the help of Pierce, who reveals himself to be under the employ of the Alpha Vampire. The Alpha tells Mick that he likes living quietly and the British Men of Letters have been making life "awfully noisy lately." He tells the scared Mick that in England, he didn't get involved because England doesn't matter to him. But America is his home, and it's time for them to leave. The Alpha tells Mick that they're going to bring communications back online, make a call to London, and Mick will admit defeat, before they watch as the Alpha devours Mick on-screen to make sure the point is made.

Alpha Vampire's Death — The Alpha Vampire gets killed by the Colt.

Mary and Sam enter the room, with Mary knocking Pierce out, and Mick runs to them. Sam arms himself with the Colt and attempts to negotiate with the Alpha who claims to be immune to the gun however, Sam sees through his bluff, knowing that if the Alpha Vampire was telling the truth, he'd have killed Sam already. Sam offers the Alpha Vampire a deal: if he leaves the Winchesters alone to return to the way things were, he can kill Mick and the British operation. Apparently enraged, Mick attacks Sam, and Mary does the same to Alpha Vampire, but both are easily defeated. Sam aims at the Alpha again who calls his bluff that the Colt is empty. Sam asks the Alpha Vampire if he's sure, and the Alpha Vampire quickly realizes that in Sam's 'fight' with Mick, the latter managed to get a bullet to Sam. The Alpha realizes Mary attacked him to distract him from seeing Sam load the gun. As Sam cocks the Colt, the impressed Alpha Vampire calls Sam a "clever, clever boy" with a tone of respect. Sam takes aim at the Alpha with the Colt and fires, landing a shot in the middle of his forehead, killing him.

Arthur Ketch escorts Pierce away in chains to the Winchester's satisfactions — Arthur Ketch led the rogue hunter Pierce away in chains and takes him custody

As Mary and Sam clear out the rest of the vampires, Dean and Ketch arrive. Dean calls Sam out on his "went out, back later" note, and tells him that he was on a case with Ketch when they found out about the attack and he drove as fast as he could to get there in time. Sam is a little shocked, as Dean didn't even know Sam was here. Then Dean looks hard at Mary, and Sam realizes that Dean knew she was there, and was afraid of losing her. Dean turns to Mary and tells her when he thought something might've happened to her, nothing else mattered. He tells her even if he really doesn't like her choices, he'll just have to get used to it. As Pierce is being led away in chains, Ketch tells the Winchesters there is nothing pleasant in store for the 'rogue hunter,' to their satisfaction.

Mick thanks Sam for helping with the vampires, and Sam tells him he wants in, as the British Men of Letters get results and are changing the world, and he wants to be a part of it. When Mick asks about Dean, who is still talking to Mary, Sam watches him for a moment and then tells Mick he'll bring Dean over: "Give me some time."

Characters[]

Main Cast[]

Recurring Cast[]

Guest Stars[]

Samantha Smith as Mary Winchester
Rick Worthy as Alpha Vampire

Co-Stars[]

Featured Supernatural Beings[]

Prince of Hell (Ramiel, mentioned only)
Vampires (Alpha Vampire, Kris, Vampire Nest Leader)

Continuity[]

The Alpha Vampire previously appeared in Season 7's There Will Be Blood.
Mary reveals to Sam the real reason they hunted down Ramiel in Season 12's Stuck in the Middle (With You), which was to retrieve the Colt.
Sam mentions Castiel nearly dying in the attack on Ramiel in Season 12's Stuck in the Middle (With You).
Sam has now agreed to work with the British Men of Letters.
The ritual to create more bullets for the Colt invented by Ruby and Bobby Singer is revealed.
The Alpha Vampire is killed by Sam with the Colt, with help from Mary and Mick Davies.

Trivia[]

This episode was watched by 1.63 million viewers and got a 0.6 rating.
Arthur Ketch convinces Dean to talk to him by offering him the finest scotch. Dean did a similar thing to Rufus in Season 3's Time Is On My Side.
Despite ordering Mary to acquire the Colt for them, the British Men of Letters did not know how to create the bullets for it. They required Sam to teach them how, something he learned from Bobby Singer.
Pierce Moncrieff wore a shirt from Guidry's Cajun Café, the same place Benny Lafitte worked at in Season 8.
Dean's lack of screen time in the episode is a result of the birth of Jensen's twins.
Actors Rick Worthy and Aaron Douglas, playing the Alpha Vampire and Pierce Moncrieff respectively, previously appeared on screen together on the 2003-09 Battlestar Galactica television re-imagining, with Worthy portraying Cylon model Number Four, and Douglas as Chief Petty Officer Galen Tyrol.
Ketch describes the whisky he gives to Dean as "barrel proof", but the bottle of "Glennlach" whisky we see later is not barrel proof/cask strength. However, the bottle seems to be intended to be a stand-in for "Glendronach 33 Year Old" as the packaging (other than branding) is identical, the whisky is indeed fairly expensive costing about $3,200.

Cultural References[]

This episode's title may refer to several subjects in pop culture, mostly films:
- A short story by Russian author Leo Tolstoy ("The Raid"), which first published in 1853. The story, set in the Caucasus, takes the form of a conversation between the narrator and a military captain about the nature of bravery. The story is based on Tolstoy's own experiences as an artillery cadet stationed in the Caucuses.
- A 1954 American Civil War film.
- A 1991 Hong Kong action comedy film.
- A 2011 Indonesian martial arts action survival film (and its sequel on 2013).
This episode itself also very similar to the 2011 Indonesia martial arts film of the same name, which about a police force sent to raid an apartment complex run by a drug mob boss.

Errors[]

Sam tells Mick Davies that he saw the Alpha Vampire five years before in Hoople, North Dakota. However, he actually last saw him in Missoula, Montana,^[2] because the Alpha Vampire was gone from Hoople by the time the Winchesters got there.^[3]
The Colt Bullet Creation Ritual creates a plot hole regarding the brothers' knowledge of Holy Oil. Bobby apparently informed Sam and Dean of the ritual, yet neither knew what Holy Oil was prior to its appearance in Season 5's Free To Be You and Me.

Deaths[]

McGillicuddy (killed by Morest nest vampires)
Unnamed British Men of Letters guard (killed by Morest nest vampires)
Vampire Nest Leader (killed by Mary)
Kris (implied to be killed by Dean)
9 Morest nest vampires (killed by Sam and Mary)
Alton Morehead (killed by Alpha Vampire)
Serena Colman (killed by Alpha Vampire)
Alpha Vampire (killed by Sam)

Quotes[]

Arthur Ketch: You're a killer, Dean Winchester, and so am I. And if we go too long without something to track or trap or punch or gut, well, things get a bit ugly, don't they? The Men of Letters keep me busy. They point me in a direction, and 'bang,' off to the races. It's not a bad life.

Sam: [looking at the revealed Colt] Where'd you get this?
Mary: I stole it. From Ramiel.
Mick Davies: Yeah, but it doesn't work. We've no bullets.
Sam: Right. Right. Right, um, okay. We make some, then. Got the recipe from my buddy.
Mary: Bobby Singer?
Sam: Yep. All right, Mick, you're gonna need holy oil, sage, and myrrh. Do you have that here? Yeah. Okay, uh, make a tincture, coat a silver bullet. Use this spell. It'll mimic the original etchings.
Mick: And that'll work?
Sam: It better. If not, start praying, 'cause we'll need a miracle.

Alpha Vampire: I'm old. I like living quietly. You've been making my life awfully noisy lately. You've killed so many of my children. I've seen your work. In England. I didn't get involved because, well, it's England. But America, yes. America is my home. And it's time that you. Get. Off. My. Lawn.