‘Supernatural’ Season 12 Episode 15 Recap: Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell

Supernatural Season 12 Episode 15
Jared Padalecki as Sam and Jensen Ackles as Dean in ‘Supernatural’ season 12 episode 15 (Photo: Bettina Strauss © 2017 The CW Network)

As the twelfth season of Supernatural is now over half over, things are starting to heat up. The March 9, 2017 episode also brings a monster into the show that we haven’t seen for a while: Hell Hounds. And as we know, they are nothing any of us want to mess with.

At the very beginning of episode 15, we are introduced to a young couple camping in the woods, Gwen and Marcus. We quickly find out they’re in a long-distance relationship because of a college Gwen (Angelique Rivera) had gotten into and are reunited temporarily for this trip. Marcus leaves camp to go find some more firewood, psyching himself up during the walk for his intended marriage proposal. Only as he’s gathering the wood, Marcus is attacked by a Hell Hound and runs back toward camp.

Gwen is organizing their items, finding the ring in his stuff and seeming a bit surprised at the discovery. When Marcus bursts through the trees screaming for her to run, she’s even more shocked, especially when he’s knocked down and clawed by an invisible animal. When the hound is done with him, it goes after Gwen. She fights back, grabbing a hatchet, stabbing the unseen attacker and running away while it’s recovering from the injury.

Heading over to Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki), the brothers are just arriving back to the bunker after a hunting spree, with Dean covered in various bits of monster goo. As Sam gives him some brotherly crap about his messy state, the younger Winchester gets a text from someone listed in his phone as “Frodo.” It’s another case. Sam explains this new frequency in finding cases as an algorithm he’s created on his computer to look for the right signs and notify him of a match. Dean accepts this explanation and is eager to head out again, yet Sam insists he at least take a shower before they leave.

Castiel (Misha Collins) has also been busy with his own case, having heard about two angels being killed. Visiting the restaurant where one of them, or at least the angel’s vessel, worked, he’s taken into the owner’s office to discuss the incident. However, when the man is convinced that aliens killed his employee and the other man, it doesn’t seem like he’s going to get very much help. Then the man says he has proof and pulls out a videotape, showing Kelly being cornered by the two angels followed by the demon with glowing yellow eyes joining the group right before the tape cuts out. Castiel grabs the video camera and tape, then leaves the man with his ramblings about extraterrestrials.

Next, the Winchester men arrive at the campsite where Marcus was found dead. After being filled in on what the police know, they find out that Gwen survived and was very shaken, talking about being attacked by an invisible wolf – and that it will come for her again. The guys instantly know it’s a Hell Hound and go to talk to the girl. They suspect that Marcus made a deal and that she should be safe now that he’s dead. That’s not what they tell her though, claiming it was a bear that killed her boyfriend and the animal is dead now.

Their explanation does not sit well with Gwen who states she knows what she saw and tells them to get out of her house. As they leave, we see through the camera that the hound is in her house. Sam and Dean are barely out of the house before it attacks, chasing Gwen through her house and knocking her to the floor. It doesn’t immediately kill her, clawing at the rug by her head, almost toying with her first. This gives time for the hunters to burst in, having heard the screams, and shoot the dog, causing it to jump out the window.

Well, now they finally tell her the truth about what attacked her, who they are, and even how to kill a Hell Hound. As crazy as it sounds, Gwen is satisfied to have a real answer that makes more sense after what she had seen. They ask her some questions about any deals in the past, only to find out that neither Gwen nor Marcus had ever made a deal with a demon. This stumps Dean and Sam. Good thing they know who to call.

Supernatural Season 12 Episode 15
Mark Pellegrino as Lucifer (Photo: Dean Buscher © 2017 The CW Network)

This leads us to check in on Crowley (Mark Sheppard), currently in a verbal battle of wills with Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino). They both have big plans they aren’t completely sharing with each other, and as we know well, Lucifer can definitely match Crowley’s level of sass. The King of Hell claims that whatever the Devil has up his sleeve, he is 10 steps ahead. Anything Lucifer does to him, he will do back. Also, for making Crowley his dog, Lucifer will be his slave. None of this seems to faze the fallen angel as Crowley is pulled away by one of his underlings.

Evidently, Crowley has been letting his responsibilities slip while he’s been so distracted by his secret captive. Now he’s being bombarded by his assistants, thoroughly bored with the tedious work, when his phone rings. He’s relieved until he sees the call is from “Not Moose” and quickly lets Dean know he’s still angry about them sending his son back in time to be killed. Dean doesn’t have the time or patience for it though, instead explaining the situation of a Hell Hound attacking people who never made a deal.

Crowley pauses, asking the demons about his hounds, learning that one of them, Ramsey, got out and is now running loose. Teleporting directly to Gwen’s apartment, Crowley explains to the brothers and Gwen that Ramsey is no ordinary Hell Hound. She, that’s right, she is the first and most vicious of the hounds. No one can control her. She is only loyal to Lucifer. Still, he doesn’t reveal his secret, insisting that Gwen must know why Ramsey is still after her. The young woman explains that she did hit the dog with an axe. So, the dog is holding a grudge and this one is personal.

Let’s pause briefly now to check in on Castiel’s progress. As he leaves the restaurant where he received…okay, took…the videotape an angel is waiting for him. At first, Castiel is ready to protect himself since the angels haven’t been too happy with him as of late. Yet this one wants to talk because now they have a common problem, Kelly and Lucifer’s spawn. This has all the angels working together in an all-hands-on-deck manner.

They want Cas to help them since he has more field experience than any other of their kind. Our favorite angel comments that he’s sure Heaven still won’t accept him. He’s right, but this new guy dangles the carrot that if he helps them with this issue, his sins could be forgiven. Joshua, currently running Heaven from the sounds of it, has stated this fact. Also hinting that he could have his original family back, the angel asks Castiel to hear Joshua out…for the greater good.

In the meantime, Lucifer has some visitors of his own, Crowley’s lackeys. It turns out they had released Ramsey to create a distraction so they could find out what Crowley has been so careful about hiding, hoping it was Lucifer. They even pickpocket the key to let the devil loose, although one has some stipulations before doing so. Lucifer nods at everything that is asked, willing to agree to anything to get free. Not too surprisingly, once they do free him, he kills them both.

Back to the Hell Hound problem, the group has headed back to the woods to look for Ramsey. Dean and Crowley will be doing the actual tracking while Sam protects Gwen, both brothers wearing glasses that will allow them to see the hound. During the search, the hunter and demon childishly bicker. When Dean makes a comment that Crowley has gone soft, that years before he wouldn’t have been helping them and maybe they’ve rubbed off on him, Crowley turns it around. After all, who would have thought the hunters would be working with the King of Hell, and maybe it’s him who has rubbed off on them. Dean doesn’t have to think about that yet as he finds a dead body in what had to be Ramsey’s den. But where is the dog?

Sam and Gwen are headed to somewhere safe when Gwen suddenly apologizes, saying this is all her fault and asking Sam to pull over as the image of Marcus being murdered flashes in her head yet again. After throwing up, she confesses her feelings to Sam. Camping was her idea, she’s asked him to go even though she had known their relationship was over. Gwen didn’t love him like he loved her and she was going to break up with him. Mentally beating herself up, she wants to know why she couldn’t just tell Marcus the truth instead of lying to make things easier. Sam doesn’t know what to say, yet really she just needed to get that off her chest and states they should go.

Turning on the headlights to leave, Sam sees Ramsey directly in front of the car. The hound jumps on the car, walking all over it and basically trashing the Impala. Poor Baby has been rebuilt way too many times already! Anyway, Sam gets out of the car with his knife to end this but is overpowered and pinned down by the hound. Gwen hits the dog with a suitcase to save Sam, giving him an opportunity to recover and stab the hound with his demon-killing knife, which also works on the Hell Hounds.

The pairs meet back up and, as expected, Dean is upset about his car. Gwen wants to be clear that the danger is truly over, which Crowley confirms to be true. The woman hugs him and he lets her, despite it clearly making him super uncomfortable. Sam even tells him thank you. But the hug was his limit on mushiness so the demon disappears without a word.

He returns to his lair to find Lucifer no longer in his chains but sitting on the throne instead. Now with the apparent upper hand, the devil backhands his captor, shining in his dark angel form. Yet Crowley shuts him down with a snap of his fingers. Rising to his feet, Crowley restates that he is 10 steps ahead of his old boss, injuring Lucifer until he’s writhing on the ground without laying a finger on him.

With glee, he explains that the chains were just an accessory, the vessel is actually Lucifer’s prison. The body had been carefully prepared to have Lucifer right where he wants him, under his control. As long as he’s in that body, Crowley owns him. He continues, stating he’s going to happily rip Lucifer’s spawn apart while he watches…and then he’ll still be just getting started with him.

The episode comes to an end with Dean and Sam back at the bunker. Castiel calls with the news that he believes Kelly is with the Princess of Hell, Dagon. He doesn’t know where they are now though and the boys say they’ll spread the word. Yet as Castiel hangs up, we see him headed up to Heaven with the other angel to speak with Joshua.

Dean thinks their friend sounds weird but there isn’t much he can do about it at the moment. Sam, however, gets a call from “Frodo.” This results in him admitting he has gotten all their recent cases from the British Men of Letters. The look on Dean’s face shows clearly that he’s angry at having been lied to again. Sam apologizes, trying to explain that they may not like the group but it has allowed them to help people. Instead of blowing up, Dean accepts it. He doesn’t like it, doesn’t trust them, but Sam is right. They work with people they don’t trust all the time, like Crowley. If Sam wants to give working with them a shot, fine. But Dean makes him agree that they bail as soon as anything seems off. The phone rings again, Dean tells him to pick it up, and we are left with Sam greeting Mick. And now, they make us wait for a few weeks to find out what craziness we’ll get next.