The current season of Supernatural is ramping up in preparation for what is sure to be a big blowout in the season 12 finale. At this point, it is hard to tell just which threat will result in the big climatic finish or if it will all hit at once. Episode 17 puts more of the pieces in place, providing plenty of drama and unexpected events.
To start, we are taken back to 1987 as two boys walk into Kendrick’s Academy in London. Neither are sure why the headmistress, Dr. Hess, called them in and they seem rather nervous. She leads the young men into her office where the floor has been covered in plastic and explains that they will be given a test. There is a code followed by the Men of Letters and they need cadets who will execute orders without question. She reveals a dagger on the table as she states that only one of the boys will be leaving the room that day to continue with the academy, then leaves the room. Sometime later, one boy emerges, both he and the dagger covered in blood: Mick Davies.
Back to present day, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) are driving back to the bunker while talking to Eileen (Shoshannah Stern), the deaf hunter who helped them with a banshee last season. She’s been on the lookout for Kelly too and found a security camera shot of the woman and Dagon walking into a store before the place was torched. None of them think this is a coincidence. Unfortunately, they still don’t know where Kelly is now because they are always a step behind.
As they arrive back at the bunker, Mick (Adam Fergus) is waiting for them with news that the home office recorded a massive shock wave they should check out. This causes the boys to admit they already knew about it. The place they’d been talking to Eileen about was where it had occurred. They also reveal that Kelly is carrying Lucifer’s child and how they know about it. Mick is horrified at this news, especially that they had her with them and she got away. He feels they should have shot her immediately; it’s what the code taught him to do. Of course, the Winchesters don’t care about his code and tell him that it wasn’t an easy choice. After all, Kelly didn’t know Lucifer was possessing her boyfriend. They also assure Mick that they are handling the situation.
We then flash to Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino) as he mentally communicates with Dagon (Ali Ahn), looking for news of his son. The Princess of Hell promises him things are going as well as they can and the baby is fine. He asks about the “container” to be told that it will last as long as is necessary. He’s glad to hear it but warns her not to fail him…again.
Meanwhile, Mick is having nightmares about the boy he had to kill when he was younger and is woken by his phone. It’s Dr. Hess, unhappy after getting the news about the Nephilim and how the hunters handled it. He reminds her that she and the rest of the elders felt getting the Winchesters on board was crucial to their overall goal. She states that this changes their focus, however, and if Dean and Sam won’t help, they should be turned over to Mr. Ketch. Her stance is that the hunters must assimilate or be eliminated.
Sam finds Dean asleep in the kitchen the next morning after drinking with Mick the previous night. Surprisingly, he wasn’t able to keep up and was feeling it. Mick joins the two, looking no worse for wear and as the three chat we find out Mary is out working with Mr. Ketch. We also find out how Mick ended up with the Men of Letters. He never knew his parents, was living on the streets until one day when he picked the pocket of a Man of Letters and ended up with a cursed coin. They thought he had promise and recruited him. Now he feels he owes them his life.
Flashing to Dagon then, the demon is tending to Kelly who is obviously in pain. Kelly wants to see a doctor but the other woman states she is fine. Instead, she says they need to move, having been in the same location for too long. The pregnant woman puts her foot down though, saying she isn’t going anywhere until she sees a doctor and can make sure her baby is safe.
Relenting, Dagon takes her to a doctor. After running some tests, he assures Kelly that her vitals and labs are great, then says they should do a sonogram. Dagon doesn’t look thrilled at the idea of an ultrasound but Kelly eagerly agrees. At first, the baby looks completely normal, but as the doctor takes a closer look something makes him frown. Kelly is alarmed and asks him what’s wrong, but Dagon puts a spell on him so he turns with a big smile saying everything looks great. After they leave, there isn’t any thought of the doctor looking at the chart anymore because he is attacked and killed by what we’re sure is a demon.
Next we’re taken back to Lucifer who’s being talked to by Crowley (Mark Sheppard). The current leader of Hell treats him like a puppy but he doesn’t respond, looking broken and sad instead. The devil takes Crowley by surprise when he gets on his hands and knees, licking the floor then says he’s giving Crowley what he wants, submission. He figured out the rules of the house and feels it’s better to be there than in the cage rotting with Michael. Crowley wins. But do we really believe it?
Of course we don’t. Because Crowley addresses his subjects then in an attempt to gain more loyalty, saying he understands that the thought of Lucifer returning once again has left some working against him behind his back. He reveals Lucifer in chains and appearing tamed, having the fallen angel admit his submission was of his own free will. But then he turns to face the group, still agreeing with Crowley by saying that yes, there is only one true ruler of Hell. He also agrees with Crowley when he says it is him but winks at the group. He then says that if they do not support the one true king they will be destroyed, basically letting them know he is in control without Crowley even realizing it.
Now for a chance to check in with Mary (Samantha Smith) and Arthur Ketch (David Haydn-Jones) as the latter fills Mick in on their success with a group of shapeshifters they took care of. When the call ends, Mary asks about the friendship between the two Brits. He explains that their bond comes from both being survivors during their training as they grew up. The conversation turns to how different her training was, more on-the-job than anything else. It definitely becomes flirtatious as he tells her that he suspects she is drawn to danger.
It certainly becomes more than that as the next we see of the two is some post-nookie chatting where Arthur jokingly tells her he had not expected that to happen with them. His first thought after meeting her was that he would have to kill her. Mary makes sure he doesn’t think that this means more than it does. He says she doesn’t need to worry, neither of them are built for that type of relationship, not all that convincingly however. Mary corrects him, saying she was built for it but that was long ago. Mr. Ketch also reminds her of the choice he’d told her she would have to make: her work or family ties. The comment lights a fire in her, causing her to insist she isn’t making a choice, it doesn’t have to be one or the other. Rather than argue, he says good for her for trying to have it all.
Back to the Winchester brothers, we find Dean leaving a voicemail for Castiel and it’s clear this isn’t the first. Joining Sam in the main area, both brothers talk to Eileen, this time live and in-person. In her investigation, she’d found the information about a vehicle and tracked it to a guy named Dermot. Following where it went, she caught him disposing of the doctor’s body and killed him. But not before finding out that he works for Dagon, covering her tracks. She was also able to get Kelly’s phone number, impressing the Winchesters. Using an accent, Sam calls Kelly claiming that the doctor needs to see her again. Concerned about the baby, Kelly agrees to return to the clinic that afternoon.
Sam and Eileen meet up with Mick and a newcomer, Renny, at their chosen location to talk to Kelly. Renny has been sent over by Dr. Hess to “help” but even though Mick had told him to help by staying out of the way, the younger man had insisted that was not an option which is why he was tagging along now. After the introductions, where Sam and Eileen make it clear they aren’t impressed with the man’s credentials, Mick gives Sam the Colt to use in case they have to deal with Dagon.
Dean grabs Kelly as she’s about to walk into the clinic, taking her to the others where they all try to convince her that they want to help. Dean reminds her it is Lucifer’s child she is carrying only she snaps back that she knows but this is her baby too and she loves the child. Mick pipes up, saying she’ll mean nothing to him, the child will kill them all. Renny, all about the code, tries to end the conversation by reaching for his gun. Dean stops him, giving the man a threatening look right before the wind begins to blow and lightning flashes. Kelly knows what this means, declaring to the group that Dagon is there.
The powerful demon appears, tossing all of them except Kelly away at once. The Colt got knocked away as well yet as the others recovered, all of their guns are emptied into Dagon, barely slowing her down. Eileen manages to reach the Colt, shooting at Dagon. However, she disappears with the pregnant woman before the bullet reaches her and instead it hits Renny. Eileen is dismayed as the man falls to the ground, dead, and a silence fills the air.
Mick kneels down next to the man for a moment, pulling out his gun as he stands again and raising it at Eileen. She killed a Man of Letters and has to die; it is their code. He feels he has no choice, thoughts flashing back to killing the boy when he was so young. Sam attempts to talk him down, stating that the only code Mick has to answer to is his own. After another tense minute, Mick lowers the gun and tells them to go, which they do.
While that scene breaks up, we’re taken to Lucifer talking to one of the demons alone, stating the guy made the right choice because when the dust settles, only one King of Hell will be left standing and it won’t be Crowley. He has the man looking inside his vessel and is told it is completely sound and built to last. When the devil asks about the security system giving Crowley the power over him, he is told it is still intact, he doesn’t have the means to disarm it and Crowley had killed the one who created it. Lucifer not so kindly encourages the demon to figure out how to crack it. He’s eager to get out and is about to be a dad.
At their hideout, Dagon handcuffs Kelly to the bed while the latter tries to explain that she was only trying to protect the baby. Dagon has had enough of being nice now apparently because she tells the woman that she doesn’t need to, the baby is strong and no matter what happens he will be just fine. She also enjoys admitting that Kelly won’t be, the pains are just a glimmer of what’s to come. Birthing a Nephilim is fatal, always.
The hunters return to the bunker where Eileen breaks down about having killed an innocent human. Both men are sympathetic and Sam says, and signs, that it was a mistake. Giving us more of the vibes that there may be a blossoming romance between her and Sam, she hugs him tight while he holds her close. A bit later, the woman has left, going to Ireland for some time off. Sam hands Dean the Colt and he’s happy to have it back home with them.
Next, we rejoin Mick as he arrives back at his own bunker to find Ketch waiting for him. Asking why Arthur called him there, it’s revealed that he didn’t. Dr. Hess is there in the flesh, tasked by the other elders to fix this mess their project has become. She is more than disappointed that they let a Princess of Hell and the host of Lucifer’s child get away, as well as getting one of their own killed. To make matters worse, Eileen and the Winchester brothers were let go without consequences. Stating the Winchesters are out of control, she insists there will be no more excuses. Hunters are dogs, you give an order and they obey. Asking Mick if they obey him, she already knows the answer, no way. Eileen will be found and killed in accordance with the code, the brothers will be tried and if found guilty, will be executed.
Her statement doesn’t sit well with Mick, who says those put under trial are always found guilty. Dr. Hess warns him to be careful but the bookworm Brit lets out his feelings. He says he’s never disobeyed an order and yes, at first he was appalled by how Sam and Dean handled things, but he also now knows they have accomplished things no one else could simply by their sense of right and wrong.
When she brings up the code and how it is the only thing separating them from the monsters they fight, he continues his tirade by bringing up how the code made him kill his best friend as a child. Before he can rant any more, the conversation ends when Ketch puts a bullet in the back of Mick’s head. The episode ends with Dr. Hess speaking to Mr. Ketch, saying the experiment with the American hunters has failed and telling him to exterminate every last one of the hunters.
