The record is clear: I do not appreciate when the show keeps Sam and Dean apart for whole episodes. That being said, I am kind of enjoying Sam and Castiel out hunting together, so the show gets a pass. 🙂

My biggest nitpick is that NO ONE has talked about 2003 John making an appearance, and how that is affecting the remaining Winchesters. You’d think there would be an aftermath to that experience.

Hell, they barely even talk about Micheal being gone. I bet Dean has something to say about that!!

ANYWAY!!

At least Jack and Sam are having feelings about what has just transpired. Dean’s just happy to have a giant sandwich to shove in his mouth.

Sammy has been running the remaining Bunker Buddies ragged with cases, doing his best to shove the memory of dead hunters scattered about the place. Just as Dean is ready to enjoy his giant sandwich, Sam has earmarked another case in Arkansas. Dean protests, so Castiel volunteers to help.

But before Cass takes off, he checks in on Jack, who is busy chatting with his pet snake Felix, wondering why it won’t eat.

Cass suggests that maybe it misses it’s owner. After side-eyeing Jack for a few moments, Cass asks Dean to keep an eye on Jack while they are away, and suggests maybe taking him on some kind of field trip.

Dean is irritated to be dinged for babysitting duty, but agrees. And his task turns out to be a super sweet visit with Donatello.

After some cute shenanigans with Dean and the snake, and a mildly harrowing choice between Angel’s Food and Devil’s Food snack cakes, the boys arrive at the home of Donatello.

Dean sends Jack in to have a heart to heart with our soulless prophet. Dean waits outside, leaning against Baby, as far from Felix as possible, who is chilling in a plexi box in the back seat.

By my estimation, after Donatello and Jack’s convo, it seems that maybe Jack isn’t completely soulless, but his answers to Donatello’s questions are troubling. They end their talk with Donatello giving Jack the excellent advice, What Would the Winchesters Do?

Meanwhile!

Sam and Cass arrive in Arkansas, and Cass is driving!

I will refrain from making copious shotgun jokes.

They go to a convenience store where a kid’s head literally exploded to see what’s what. The kid behind the counter tells them that the victim was probably from the next town over, Charming Acres. He had the look.

The angel and the tall guy pull into Charming Acres, and talk to a couple of the freshly scrubbed denizens of the town. Everyone is suspiciously happy and wholesome, and they don’t even have cell phone reception!

Sam and Cass head over to the local diner, Harrington’s, and are greeted by a super happy waitress and the mayor. Sam enjoys his amazing milkshake, while Cass pretends to also enjoy his.

First milkshakes are free at this joint, and we all suspect that there is something hinky in the shake. We would suspect incorrectly.

OMG, I can’t write Sam and Cass one more time, so they will be referred to as Sass from now on!

Sass find out that the exploded head kid was staying at the local boarding house, and after having a slightly disturbing conversation with the proprietor about morals and such, Cass finds some super racy letters from the blown head guy and the diner waitress.

Sam doesn’t seem too bothered, and suggests they stay the night at the boarding house. He sips his tea as Cass gives him a hesitant nod.

The couple we met earlier, the Smiths, are having pot roast, and the husband begins fixating on the cell phone he saw in Sam’s hand. A free association ensues, and he remembers his daughter, and the life he had before the town. His head begins to bubble and he runs screaming out of the house, and as he runs down the sidewalk, his head explodes.

The next morning, Cass goes to get Sam, only to find out he is gone. After revisiting the diner in search of the tall man, Cass heads over to the Smith’s, hearing that Mr Smith’s head exploded the night before. He has a confusing conversation with Mrs. Smith, and when she calls her husband Justin to join them, Sam enters wearing horn rimmed glasses, a cardigan, and his hair pulled into a neat pony.

OH NO!

Cass tries to remind Sam of who he is, and after an ever escalating level of frustration, Castiel drops the dreaded H -E – Double hockey sticks, making JustinSam angry enough to grab Cass by the sleeve and hustle him out of their house.

Castiel, trying to figure out what in the H-E-Double Hockey Sticks is going on, heads back to Harrington’s to accuse the happy waitress of spiking their milkshakes, and of being a witch. And after threatening to retrieve what she knows from her brain himself, the Mayor and his henchmen (including our brainwashed Sam as Justin) show up, acting all thuggy.

Turns out the Mayor is the villain! He has some kind of ability to control people’s minds (We never do find out what kind of monster he is), and after his I Saved The Town monologue, he sicks the henchmen on Cass.

The show remembers that Castiel is a bad ass fighter!! Cass dispatches the first two henchmen quickly, but JustinSam gets the drop on him, and the two tumble to the floor. They struggle with Castiel trapped under the tall man’s enormous frame, when SamJustin pulls Cass’ angel blade out of his sleeve! Cass tries to hold him off, and name checks everyone who is important to Sammy, including not letting down the dead hunters. Finally, the mention of Dean is what snaps Sam out of his stupor, and he stabs the floor with the angel blade, and snatches the glasses off his own face.

Sass runs outside, and the Mayor flings Cass, and tries to explode Sammy;’s head, when his daughter, the happy waitress, stops him with her own brain whammy power!

She is sick of him controlling everyone, and now she has trapped him in his own mind, leaving him living a happy, content life. So, the gentlest punishment of them all?

WHATEVER SHOW

When Sass return to the bunker, Sam admits that he has been running away from the awful things that happened in there. And for maybe the first time, admits that the bunker is home. Sam tells Dean he just needs some time. Dean is all, Duh! slaps him on the shoulder, and actually leaves him alone!

Cass goes to check in on Jack, and sees him nuke that poor snake so it can be in Heaven with it’s gorgon friend, and I don’t what’s worse: That Jack thinks that the gorgon is in Heaven; or that that is a good way to reunite people with the ones they miss.

This can’t bode well, ya know?

Quotes!!

Dean: “How’s the kid?”  Castiel: “Well, he says he’s good, but what about Sam?”  Dean: “He says he’s good. I think they’re both full of crap.”

Castiel: “Love letters that were under the bed. They’re from Sunny.”  Sam: “Sunny. Sunny the milkshake waitress?”  Castiel: “Yeah, and they’re surprisingly passionate.”  Sam: “Passionate how?”  Castiel: “She spends quite a bit of time talking about the… the shape and the heft of his –”  Sam: “Okay. Got it, yep, passionate. Understood.”

Donatello: “I’d keep an eye on him, but I think if he seems okay, he probably is.”  Dean: “So he’s not like you?”  Donatello: “Oh, no. I’m a Prophet of the Lord, but he — Jack’s probably the most powerful being in the universe. I mean, really, who knows what’s going on inside his head?”

Castiel: “I don’t know if this is a spell, or a curse, or what’s happened, but will you snap the hell out of it!”  SamasJustin:  Sir! You watch your mouth! If we cannot remain civil, then you can skedaddle. Sir, using language like that… H-E-Double Hockey Sticks! You should have your mouth washed out with soap!”

NEXT!! Scary things in the woods!!