In a last-ditch effort to send the ghosts back to hell, Sam (Jared Padalecki) kills Rowena (Ruth Connell) but only because it is written that only Sam can kill her. If you couldn’t watch Thursday’s episode of Supernatural live, here’s what you missed:
The team hatches a plan to save the world
In last week's episode, Rowena, Kevin (Oscric Chau) and Ketch (David Haydn-Jones) guest-starred to send the ghosts back to hell.
This week’s episode picks right up where last week left off, but now Rowena has a plan. She says a spell, but something goes wrong, and she feels the ghosts’ anger. She says that everyone is going to die. Rowena gives up, and the audience can assume that it’s serious because Rowena doesn’t give up.
After some regrouping, the team comes up with a new plan. Jack/Belphagor (Alexander Calvert) remembers that when Lillith ruled hell, she had Lilith’s Crook, which sucked all the lost souls back into hell. Jack/Belphagor and Cas (Misha Collins) are to go down to hell to get the horn, and when Belphagor blows it, all the souls will come rushing back to hell. Meanwhile, Rowena and Sam will say a spell that will close the rift. That’s the plan.
Belphegor has hidden intentions
While in Hell, Cas finds out Belphagor wanted to rule hell all along. It turns out the horn won’t suck the souls back to hell, but it will suck them into Belphagor, making him like a god-figure. Belphagor starts to blow the horn, and on Earth, Rowena starts on the spell. To his horror, Cas body slams Belphagor, stopping him from potentially ruining the world. Cas kills Belphagor, effectively burning Jack’s body to a crisp.
At the end of the episode, more ghosts rain down on the force field, which is weakening, and the bomb can’t hold all the souls.
Ardat kills Ketch
In the last episode, Dean (Jensen Ackles) shot Ketch to stop the ghost of Jack the Ripper. Ketch wakes up this episode in the hospital to Ardat (Sharon Taylor) demanding the whereabouts of Belphagor. Ketch doesn’t give up Sam and Dean, so Ardat rips his heart out — literally.
It’s quite the character development that Ketch died for Sam and Dean. When Ketch was first introduced, he was a British Man of Letters and on multiple occasions tried to kill the brothers. It was quite a quick and sudden death, but there is a limited amount of screen time. It’s not likely that Ketch will be brought back, considering that this is the last season, and the boys have bigger fish to fry.
Rowena sacrifices herself to save the boys and the world
It is written in death’s books that Sam has to be the one to kill (yes, really kill) Rowena. After the plan with the horn failed, Rowena tells Sam she has a plan B. A spell requiring her free-flowing blood and her last breath will allow her to absorb all the ghosts and return them to hell. The catch is that Sam has to stab her. He does and she says, “Goodbye, boys” and then falls into hell.
Her goodbye is reminiscent to Crowley’s sacrifice and goodbye in the season 12 finale. Crowley says, “Bye, boys.” When Rowena says goodbye, the scene cuts to her falling into the rift, which took the audience back to when Sam jumped into hell in the season five finale.
Cas goes his own way
The last few scenes of the episode are between Cas and Dean. Dean is still angry with Cas about Mary; Cas sees it and is done trying. Cas says, “Jack’s dead. Chuck’s gone. You and Sam have each other. I think it’s time for me to move on.” And just like that, Cas walks out the door, and Dean doesn’t stop him.
Last season, Cas traded his spot in the Empty for Jack’s life. The deal is that when Cas is happy on Earth and has forgotten about the trade, the Empty will drag Cas to nothingness. It will be interesting to see when and how the deal plays out.
Supernatural airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.