Supernatural – Who We Are

By: Stacy Miller

The episode opens with Mary (Samantha Smith) literally with blood on her hands and a dead hunter on the hood of a truck. She sends a text to Ketch (David Haydn-Jones) that reads “Lester down, who’s next.” She gets a reply listing three names, the most important being the last one: Jody Mills, SD.

At the Men of Letters bunker on Day One in the days remaining of their air supply, Sam and Dean (Jared Padalecki) and (Jensen Ackles) discuss their options for escape before they run out of air. Lady Toni (Elizabeth Blackmore) shoots down everything they say, but fails to offer any alternatives causing Dean to suggest that they kill her to buy themselves an extra day of air. “I assure you Dean, I’m a very shallow breather,” Toni says reminding him that she was the one who programmed his mother and that means that she is the only one who can bring her back.  This means whether the Winchesters like it or not, they need her.  Sam reasons that there has to be a way to solve their problem. He tells Dean and Toni that they are in a place loaded with a large collection of occult books, they should be able to find a spell to reverse Ketch’s handiwork. So, Sam, Dean and Toni crack the books.  Sam finds a spell that will get the equipment to work, meaning the air pumps. They have everything they need, but the virgin blood (Loved Dean’s glance at Lady Toni and her “Not even close”).  Sam reasons that perhaps they can do a purification spell to trick the primary spell into believing they have virgin blood.  It appears to work, but then fizzles out. Lady Toni tells them that the spell didn’t work because Ketch anticipated they’d try magic and warded the bunker to prevent it. On Day Two, Dean tells Sam that as they’ve exhausted brains so it’s time to try brawn. This means taking sledgehammers to the wall that leads to an old sewer pipe. The Winchesters are unsuccessful. This leads to a BM scene (Defined by Marie in Supernatural’s 200th episode “Fan Fiction” as the Boy Melodrama scene where Sam and Dean sit and discuss their feelings). Sam can’t believe that he fell for the British Men of Letters company line. He thought that hunters on their scale could do a lot of good. Dean would never picture this as the end; he always thought they’d go out in a blaze of glory like Butch and Sundance.  This gives him an idea.  Dean pulls out the rocket launcher, he’s been dying (hopefully not literally) to use it. Lady Toni thinks it is a bad idea that could bring the whole place down on their heads. “You’re lunatics. Action movie loving, cheeseburger eating, moronic American lunatics!” she protests as Sam drags her out of the room. After the explosion, Sam calls out for his brother but can barely catch his breath because of the thinning air in the room. Suddenly, the air vent comes on. Then, Dean limps out as his leg was injured in the explosion. “Hey lunatic,” he says greeting Sam with a smile.

Mary arrives at Jody Mills’ house and the unknowing sheriff lets her in. After checking their burner phones for one that works, Dean calls Garth and tells him about the British Men of Letters’ campaign against the hunters. He urges Garth to take Bess and get somewhere safe. Then, Sam and Dean go to Jody’s where the find the sheriff holding an ice pad to her face. Jody (Kim Rhodes) thought that Mary was a demon when she knocked her out, but fortunately Alex (Katherine Ramdeen) arrived to buy Jody some time until they were able to subdue Mary. Dean demands that Lady Toni fix the brainwashing conditioning done to his mother, but Lady Toni says she lied when she said she could because Dean was going to kill her. “The Mary you knew, the good Mary, she hiding behind impenetrable psychic walls,” Toni says. Sam notices that Ketch keeps calling their mother’s phone. Lady Toni says that it’s only a matter of time before Ketch realizes that they are alive before he kills them for good so they better run. But Sam has another idea.

Hunters begin filing into Jody’s house, including Roy and Walt (Kerr van der Griend and Nel Lennarson), the two hunters that killed the Winchester brothers in “Dark Side of the Moon.” But Dean is not pissed like he warned them at the time. Hey, what’s a small thing like murder when you have bigger problems on your hands, like striking first a group of psycho Brits that want you dead? Sam then gives a rousing speech about how the British Men of Letters came to town offering to rid the world of monsters, but in truth they came to control who lived and who died. They are targeting them and have already killed innocent people. “We know hunting isn’t just about killing, it’s able doing what’s right. So, we go with our gut, we play by our own rules. And that scares them but we’re the one thing they can’t control,” Sam tells the hunters. They’ll take the fight to the Brits, as hunters they are well armed and well train. Sam adds that some of them (the hunters) may not survive, but they’ll win. You go Braveheart! Alex will be staying at a safe house with Donna. Dean tells Sam that he can’t join the fight due to his busted leg, but has confidence in Sam’s ability. Dean plans to stay with Mary and find a way to bring their real mom back from the trap inside her head. “You got this,” Dean tells Sam and then the brothers hug. Aw…a bro moment!  But it gets better for after Dean tells his little brother to come back, we get a “Bitch” and “Jerk” just like old times. Then, Dean asks Lady Toni to help him get inside his mother’s head.

Meanwhile at the British Men of Letters temporary headquarters, Dr. Hess (Gillian Barber) has a meeting with the operatives where she tells them for Phase Two of Operation American Hunter Extermination, they are to leave no survives i.e. bystanders or witnesses. Ketch learns that Mary is in Lebanon, Kansas. At the Men of Letters bunker, Dean warns Lady Toni not to try anything. All she wants is a head start after she helps him brain walk Mary’s mind. Then, it begins. Dean finds himself at his old house and sees Baby Sam.

The hunters drive into the security fence at the British Men of Letters temporary headquarters. Gunfire is exchanged between Sam, Jody, the other hunters and the operatives. The hunters throw grenades inside to smoke the operatives out.

Dean talks to Mary and tells her that he hates her because she lied to him when he was a kid. She promised to keep him safe then she made the deal with Yellow Eyes. “You left us alone because Dad was just a shell. Our perfect life, our perfect family was gone. I had to be more than a brother, I had to be a father and a mother to keep him safe,” Dean says, telling Mary about Sam’s tragic history because of her. “I hate you and I love you,” Dean cries. He tells Mary he understands why she did what she did because he’s made deals for the ones he loves. Dean forgives Mary for everything and tells her that they can start over. “You, me and Sam.  But I need you to fight. I need you to really look at me and see me.”  This does the trick and Dean reaches Mary, who hugs her son. The moment is broken and Dean is snapped back to reality.  He finds Lady Toni dead and Ketch standing over him. Dean and Ketch have a bitter fight. It looks like Ketch will finish Dean off when he picks up his gun and points it at Winchester. But in a shocking turn, Mary shoots Ketch in the shoulder! Ketch sinks to his knees. “Mary. I knew you were a killer. You both are,” Ketch says, delivering his last words. Mary shoots him dead.

Back at the British Men of Letters temporary headquarters, Dr. Hess tries to arrange an escape portal but it’s too late. Sam and Jody burst into the room. So, Hess does the next best thing.  She tells Sam how much he needs her as she shares the useful information that Lucifer is alive because of Crowley (who is now dead). “And the Devil is out looking for his son,” Hess says explaining the Lucifer is tracking the baby through its mother and Sam’s angel friend.  Sam listens to Dr. Hess but says no deal, meaning he has no intention of sparing her life. Then, Jody shoots her in the head and she dies. After the hunters drive away, the building explodes.

The episode concludes with Mary again telling Dean her reasons for working with the British Men of Letters and how she wanted to make everything right for Sam. She wonders if her youngest son will ever forgive her. “’You don’t have to be scared mom,” Sam says when he enters the Men of Letter bunker, it’s obvious that he does forgive her. Soon, the three Winchesters share a heartwarming embrace.