Supernatural aired Thursday night with its thirteenth episode, “Devil’s Bargain,” in which Team Free reunited to find Jack (Alexander Calvert) and Mary (Samantha Smith) in the alternate reality.
This week’s episode opened with Cas (Misha Collins) waking up in a forest after his fight with Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino). He returned to the spot where he stabbed Lucifer, but Lucifer got out of dodge, looking for new grace. Lucifer found angel grace through Cupid, but ultimately felt human attributes like cold and hunger because he was still weak. Lucifer resorted to panhandling when he heard about a faith healer named Sister Jo (Danneel Ackles). Sister Jo was said to cure people of any illness.
In the meantime, Cas found the brothers and informed them that he was held captive with Lucifer after Lucifer found a way out of the alternate reality. The "Cas" the brothers talked to on the phone for weeks was actually Asmodeus (Jeffrey Vincent Parise) shapeshifting. Cas informed the brothers that Lucifer escaped the alternate Earth by having Kevin Tran (Osric Chau) read the Angel Tablet to create a shift in the space-time continuum. The brother didn’t have the Angel Tablet, but they did have the Demon Tablet, so the Donatello (Keith Szarabajka) is brought in to ultimately find Jack and Mary in the alternate reality.
“So, here’s the plans: We nab Lucifer … and we use his grace to open up a door between two universes,” Dean said. “We get Mom, we get Jack and we get out. Slam the door before Michael follows us and destroys our universe.”
Team Free will let Donatello read the Angel Tablet, but Asmodeus shape-shifted into Cas to brainwash Donatello to tell Cas (Asmodeus) into what the tablet says.
Arthur Ketch (David Haydn-Jones), who returned this episode, joined the brothers and Cas to find Sister Jo, as per Asmodeus’ request.
Sister Jo was actually an angel named Anael, who is not afraid of Lucifer. In fact, she helps Lucifer, and he helps her. They agreed that instead of him killing her and stealing her grace, he sipped it while he goes and lets her live. She told him that she liked posing as a faith healer because she was somebody. In Heaven, she was nobody — she pushed a button when a soul entered.
After a change of plans, Sam (Jared Padalecki), Dean and Cas headed in Sister Jo and Lucifer’s direction when Sam got an alert on his phone of a charge on Sister Jo’s card. The team tried to help Sister Jo/Anael by helping her escape from Lucifer because she told them he threatened to hurt her. When the team rushed in to capture Lucifer, Sister Jo/Anael knocked Sam out while Lucifer choked Dean and Cas. Just in time, Ketch showed up with a demon bomb, but Sister Jo/Anael and Lucifer escaped.
Back at the bunker, Ketch confessed that he was working for Asmodeus but is willing to pass on information to the brothers.
Lucifer and Sister Jo/Anael met with other angels, and Lucifer offered to make more angels since there are few left. In return, he is to be the “undisputed and unquestioned ruler of Heaven.” Suddenly, Lucifer is seen sitting on a throne with the other angels bowing down to him.
The last scene of the episode featured Asmodeus and Ketch talking about the one weapon Asmodeus is excited to possess. Asmodeus revealed the archangel blade, but when Ketch said another archangel has to wield the blade to kill another archangel, Ketch smiled. The last frame of the episode showed Gabriel (Richard Speight Jr.) who was tied up, lips sewn shut but alive.
The episode was highly anticipated and jam packed with surprises. Gabriel has become a fan favorite, and fans were excited and surprised to see him on the screen again. The audience is now figuring that Gabriel has been tortured and imprisoned in Hell since season 5.
Also, the episode provided comedic relief, and the audience was reminded why Lucifer is such a loved and misunderstood character.
“It’s wrong. Has anybody fact-checked this stuff?” Lucifer said while reading the Bible. “Dad’s always stealing my best lines.”
Danneel Ackles, Jensen Ackles’ wife, is set for a recurring role, which the audience got a taste of Sister Jo/Anael’s character and personality. Supernatural co-stars were supportive of the Ackles’ character.
Supernatural airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.
