Supernatural – Ladies Drink Free

By: Stacy Miller

The episode opens with girl texting as she leaves a bar. A boy approaches her from behind then they take off for home in the direction of the woods. The audience learns they are Hayden Foster (Abby Ross) and her brother Ben (Jordan Burtchett). Hayden doesn’t want to go through the woods asking her brother whether he’s ever seen horror movies (Or “Supernatural”) when something bad happens when you walk at night in the woods. Ben leaves her alone to go show Hayden that there’s nothing scary in the woods. Suddenly, Hayden screams.  Ben returns and finds his sister lying on the ground. He yells for help. That is when someone wearing a Scream mask and growling rips out his heart!

Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) are at the British Men of Letters’ temporary headquarters waiting for Mick (Adam Fergus). Dean is ready to leave. “Getting jobs from these dicks is one thing, but I didn’t sign up for this reporting for duty crap,” Dean angrily tells Sam.  Mick apologizes for being late as his report to the home office ran long.  Mick gives them information on the case he wants them to work: A reported animal attack in Wisconsin that left a girl named Hayden Foster in the hospital and her brother without his heart.  It could be a werewolf, but Sam is surprised because werewolves don’t usually leave behind victims. Mick is well versed in lychantrophy having studied at the Kendrick School, which is the British Men of Letters’ version of Hogwarts. Mick explains that as Kendrick has the largest collection of occult information, he’s not entirely ignorant when it comes to werewolves. And because last night’s attack didn’t happen on a full moon it means that they are looking for a pure blood. Mick wants to tag along with Sam and Dean on the case. He tells Sam that although he had the best team; they are thinkers, not fighters. And if it wasn’t for Sam and Mary, he wouldn’t be alive. Dean tells Sam that if Mick comes along, then little brother is babysitting.

In the Impala, Mick is listening to a podcast on Martin Luther and talks about how the religious man was an early hunter.  He continues to talk about the Men of Letters’ knowledge and weapons to kill werewolves. Sam asks whether they have killed the werewolves who were able to control their animal urges, like their bitten friend Garth. Real smart Sam letting The British Men of Letters know that Garth is a werewolf! Mick asks Dean to pull up at the Wild Elk Lodge and tells the Winchesters that he booked them suites at the three-star facility. Dean is giddy with excitement over the clean towels and the mini shampoos, as well as the hotel pool. The next morning, Dean comments on the pillows and tells Sam that he took a swim this morning, even though he didn’t bring a bathing suit. Of course, three star is wasted on Sam who spent his night reading werewolf lore. Sam tells Dean that back in the 1930s the British Men of Letters were working on this blood therapy treatment to cure werewolves. Mick interrupts, saying that it was useless plasma treatment. Mick asks how they slept. “I had a better night’s sleep in my baby,” Dean says, refusing to give Davies the satisfaction.

At the hospital, Sam and Dean question Hayden’s mother Mrs. Foster (Miranda Frigon) while Mick poses as Dr. Buckingham to take a look at Hayden. He discovers that she was bitten. Mrs. Foster says that she is glad that the FBI is there and tells them that a girl no older than Hayden started asking her questions and said she was from the Fish and Wildlife Service. Dean learns that the girl is a blonde. Wonder who that could be?

Meanwhile, Claire (Kathryn Newton) is texting Jody and pretending that she is looking at colleges. She gets a call on her burner phone and immediately realizes that it is Dean. Back at Wild Elk Lodge, Sam questions Claire about her hunting. Then she meets Mick. “Long story and like Downton Abbey boring,” Dean tells Claire when she asks who Mick is. Claire tells Sam and Dean that Hayden’s story on the night of the attack was a lie; she was leaving a dive bar in town. Mick leaves to call it a night even though it is only 5:30pm as his report is due at 6:00am. “Your foreign exchange student is totally lame,” Claire tells Sam and Dean. “He’s Sam’s new best friend. They’re like nerd soulmates,” Dean says. Claire tells Sam and Dean that Jody knows that she is hunting and is busy with sheriff stuff.  But she told her to call if she found out anything. Sam and Dean just called Claire first. As Claire hasn’t had a decent hot meal that didn’t come from a Gas N Sip, Dean gives her the Wild Elk Lodge menu. “It’s on Harry Potter,” Dean telling Claire, meaning Mick is paying.

Mick lied to Sam and Dean about going to bed early. He goes back to Hayden’s hospital room and is ready to inject her with a syringe of silver nitrate. But as it is a full moon, Hayden turns. She scratches Mick but he is able to jab the syringe into Hayden’s chest. The girl falls to the floor, gasps for breath and dies. She changes back to human upon death.  Mick rushes out of the room and hears Mrs. Foster’s screams as he’s walking down the hall.

The next morning at the morgue, the coroner tells Sam, Dean, Mick and Claire the pre-autopsy cause of death. However, he noticed that all the outer wounds Hayden had when admitted are gone. When the coroner leaves the room, the hunters discuss the situation and how the only way Hayden’s wounds could have disappeared was if she turned prior to her death.  And that would mean she had been bitten.  Dean questions Mick, who says he may have made a mistake.

Claire goes to the high school to talk to the students, reasoning that the kids won’t want to talk to as someone as old as Sam. Ouch. Dean and Mick go to the bar and question bartenders Justin (Matt Visser) and Conner (Ryan McDonnell) about Hayden. Afterwards, Dean confronts Mick about his lie and Mick admits that he injected Hayden with silver nitrate because killing monsters is what they do. “Or maybe paling around with demons and witches you’ve forgotten,” comments Mick. Dean says they always have a choice; Mick didn’t have to follow the orders he was given. Dean tells Mick about psychic Magda (from the episode “American Nightmare”) and how she was killing people but it wasn’t her fault so they let her go.  Viewers are reminded of something Sam and Dean don’t know, that Mr. Ketch shot and killed Magda.

Meanwhile, Claire comes out of the school and tells Sam that she spoke with Hayden’s BFF and learned that Hayden was dating a possessive older guy from the bar.  The BFF told Ben, which explains why Hayden’s brother was there. Sam questions Claire about why Jody believes that she is in Madison looking at colleges. She didn’t tell Jody the truth, yet. Claire says that she tried living a normal life and going to nursing school like Jody wants, but it’s not for her. When Sam tells Claire to stop acting like a kid, she takes off.  Walking in a wooded area near the high school, Claire is attacked by the Scream mask wearing werewolf. Then, he bites Claire!  Sam rushes to Claire.

Back at the hotel, Claire tells Sam and Dean that as she can barely keep it together on a good day, she doesn’t want to risk hurting Alex or Jody, which means they need to kill her. Sam remembers the blood therapy, but Mick tells him that they tested rodents and the one human they tested died in agony. Claire wants to give it a shot.  Mick tells Sam and Dean that they need live blood from the wolf that bit Claire. Dean thinks that’s Conner.  Sam and Dean will go get the blood from Conner and tells Mick to stay with Claire, warning what they’ll do to him if anything happens to her.

Outside the bar, Sam and Dean realize that Conner is human. Claire wants Mick to give her his gun. “You don’t understand it’s happening,” Mick tells Claire that he’ll restrain and sedate her for his protection and when she wakes up with any luck, it will all be over. Suddenly, Justin bursts in and knocks both Mick and Claire out then drags Claire off. Sam and Dean return to the room and Mick tells them that the wolf took Claire, but Mick put a tracker in her pocket. Meanwhile, Justin has Claire tied up in his room and gives exposition about turning Hayden to see if she could survive the transformation. He adds that Claire is like him and that they are both alone. “Eat me Teen Wolf,” Claire says. “I have a family.” Justin forces a heart in her mouth but Claire spits it out. Sam, Dean and Mick rush in and have to fight not only wolf Justin, but new wolf Claire. Mick gets Justin’s blood and shoots him. Mick then injects Claire with the blood. She goes through terrible pain as the blood enters her system. Then, she stops struggling and goes limp. Sam, Dean and Mick think she’s dead but Claire wakes up…the cure worked! Mick calls Claire a walking miracle.

The episode ends with Claire leaving a voicemail message for Jody telling her that she is hunting and although it’s scary, she’s able to do it because she knows Jody is there for her. Then, Claire drives off.