As is the way of Eugenie Ross-Leming and Brad Buckner – the credited writers of “Prophet and Loss” – this episode is full of plot sledgehammers. These guys have been around since the early days of Supernatural, so they know the show quite well. They are not subtle, is what I’m saying, and even though I rolled my eyes a few times, as each sledgehammer is dropped, by the end of the episode I am actually weeping, so, well done, guys!

BUT FIRST! Dean is gonna bury himself in a sigil-etched coffin, called a Ma’lak box, to keep Michael from destroying us all, and Nick has been shot, then arrested.

We open with a rather claustrophobic scene of Dean, trapped in his box at the bottom of the ocean, panicking as his cell phone battery bottoms out, and he calls for Sam. It is awful, and I am pretty sure it is only a dream, because there is no way this show, which is known for it’s high melodrama, would let Dean careen to the bottom of the sea, without us seeing Sammy sobbing as the box bobs out of view.

Cut to Sam coming out of the bathroom of a fairly nice (for these guys) hotel room, and Dean waking in a panic sweat. Sam apologizes for waking him up, and OMG, they are both wearing pajamas, and I am having a hard time focusing on the conversation.

It boils down to this:

Sam: Please don’t kill yourself.

Dean: I’m gonna kill myself for the greater good, Sammy!

Sam says it’s okay to admit to being scared, and Dean is all, Who Said I Wasn’t Scared?? (My god, I love these guys.)

There is a lot of talking about this throughout the episode, and it escalates. It is awesome.

CREEPY DUDE ALERT

Some dude is drowning a woman in salt water, after carving something in her skin and chanting creepy dude stuff. Ew.

Meanwhile, Nick is healing up in a hospital, guarded by a cranky cop, who I am sure is sick and tired of listening to criminals and their lame excuses. Yeah, sure, buddy, Lucifer made you do it!

Ah, but Nick is telling the truth, and somehow convinces this hardened cop to let him go use the bathroom instead of the bedpan that is first offered.

As soon as the handcuffs click open, Nick cracks the cop in the head, and after a short tussle, bests him, and then smashes the guy’s face in with the heel of his bare foot, just for good measure, I guess.

Nick grabs his bag of belongings, and hobbles out of the hospital, heading back to his old home in Delaware.

Let’s just recap this now, so I can get to the really good stuff. Nick enters his old home, visions of the visions he had when Lucifer was grooming him, and then we see the tell-tale signs of a ghost entering the room. It’s the ghost of his dead wife, Sarah, and sadly it is not Bellamy Young reprising her role, but this actress is just fine.

Nick doesn’t understand why Sarah is still haunting the joint. She tells him that she has unfinished business, and when he tells her he knows who killed her and their baby, she is all, No, Dummy! You let Lucifer in, and then you come here looking for him, not us? She says if he rejects Lucy here and now, she will finally be at rest.

Nick can’t. He is desperate for Lucifer to return, and in the process, has doomed his family he claims to love, and has doomed himself. Nick sucks, basically.

Sam and Dean are heading for the coast! Just like Dean always wanted!!

Except this time they are hauling the box of eternal misery behind them, and I think this is the first time we have seen a hitch attached to Baby, correct? Sam doesn’t want to talk about old times, and Dean doesn’t want to hear Sam’s pitch to try for another way. So, in classic Winchester avoidance techniques, Sam finds the boys a case – Creepy Dude killed another person, triggering Sam’s radar – and they head off for Iowa. “One last case for the Winchester boys.” (Cue Sam’s glare)

Of course Sam has told Cass. And Rowena knows too. Sam has no problem sharing these days. I’m fine with it! Cass wants to try and talk to Dean – he really is the Sweetest Little Angel – but Sam puts him off.

Sam and Dean figure out that the carvings on the vics is Enochian, and after talking to one of the victim’s relatives, they track down Creepy Dude, Tony Alvarez.

Another call to Cass tells the boys that Tony is next in line to be a prophet, and we are all reminded that poor, soulless Donatello is lying mostly dead in a nursing home. Dean calls to make sure that “Uncle Donny” is still alive. He is. The boys head to Tony’s house to ask him some questions.

When they get there, no one’s home, so they bust in, and they find a whole room of creepy dude stuff. Walls covered in Enochian, pictures of his victims, and victims to be. Crazy, biblical stuff everywhere. Our beautiful boys find a clue, and head off to find Tony, who is about to engulf his next victim in flames.

Sam and Dean arrive just as the match is lit. There is lot of punching of Tony, once Dean sends the victim off running. They try to talk to Tony, figure out what is up. More punching, and after cluing Tony in that he isn’t getting orders from God, Tony takes Dean’s gun and kills himself. The boys are horrified.

Cass posits that Tony went bonkers because Donatello is between life and death, so the natural order is upended, and Sam and Dean realize that the only way to make sure that this doesn’t keep happening is to make sure Donatello dies for realsies.

Sam and Dean visit the doctor at Happy Daze Nursing Home, and run into Dr. Novak! Dr. Novak, AKA, Castiel. CUTE.

Seems as though Donatello has been mumbling Enochian, and good thing Cass is here, because he is sure he can fix him, “Dean, if there’s a spark, a hope, then I have to try. You taught me that.” Oooh, BURN. I like it when Cass gets shirty.

Sam compares Donatello being trapped between life and death to what Dean is going to do. Dean struggles with his choice, but insists that nothing has changed.

Cass uses his angel light, searching Donatello’s mind, and DING, Donatello is back!

We know its really him, because he wants Buffalo wings instead of the weak, grape Jell-o they are feeding him. He still doesn’t have a soul, which totally won’t be a problem later, RIGHT??

Dean leaves Cass to catch Donatello up, and heads out to Sam, who is leaning against Baby, a sixer at the ready. Dean hesitates, but then joins his little brother, accepting a celebratory beer.

Is Sam drunk already? He takes this moment to go totally, emotionally raw with Dean.

Sam wants to know why Dean is giving up. He thought they were a team. He believes in them. Sam lays out his case, and Dean just stares at him, seemingly unmoved.The actual words make the biggest impact:

Dean: “Sam, I have tried everything. Everything! I got one card left to pay, and I have to play it.”
Sam: “You have one card today! But we’ll find another tomorrow. But if you quit on us today, there won’t be a tomorrow! You tell me, uh, you don’t know what else to do. I don’t either, Dean. Not yet. But what you’re doing now, it’s, it’s wrong! It’s quitting! I mean look what just happened. Donatello never quit fighting. So we could help him because he never gave up.”

Frustrated and angry, Sam lashes out and punches Dean. Dean is shocked, and when Sammy lashes out again, Dean blocks him, and suddenly, Sam wraps his arms around his big brother. Sam is almost inconsolable as he wails, ” I believe in us, Dean. I believe in us. Why don’t you believe in us, too?”

Sheesh! I am almost in tears just relaying this! Imagine how I felt the first time I watched it?

Dean was right, Sammy was the only one who could talk him out of his plan. Dean agrees to go home, but with a caveat: He will fight until there is absolutely no other choice. And he tells Sam and Cass (who has joined the brothers) that they will have to let him make the awful choice that they can’t let him make now.

It is cold comfort to Sam and Cass, but they’ll take it for now. Everyone piles into the Impala and the screen fades to white.

There are only eight episodes left, you guys, and OMG, it looks like it’s gonna be a wild ride.

Next! Timey-wimey fun! 300 episodes, ya’ll!!