Several vampires are chained up in an abandoned church. Another vampire sits nearby, tied to the altar, blood dripping from him into a chalice. Michael comes in and heals the man's threat wound, then mixes some angel's grace with the blood in the cup and feed it to the vampire. The vampire angel screams in pain and dies, his eyes burned out. Disappointed, Michael unties the body and drops it on a pile with others, and turns to his next subject.
At the bunker, Bobby and Mary prepare to head to Duluth searching for Michael. Castiel comes in and Sam searches through police reports in Duluth. The police have turned up a pile of corpses with burn-out eyes, and they figure that Michael was involved. Castiel can't come with them because Michael would sense his angelic presence, and because he has to "babysit" Jack and Nick. The angel admits that he still remembers Lucifer whenever he sees Nick. Jack comes and figures that they're talking about his father, and admits that it's also hard for him to deal with Nick. Mary says that he needs to sit out the mission, and Jack says that he's going to continue training. Sam agrees and leaves with Mary and Bobby.
In his room, Nick sits and remembers what he did when Lucifer was using his body. Castiel arrives with food and avoids looking at him, and Nick says that he's not Lucifer. The angel says that it's difficult and Nick doesn't remember everything that Lucifer. Nick wonders why he let Lucifer possess him, and Castiel turns to him and said that Lucifer exploited Nick's vulnerability when he was in pain. Nick doesn't remember the pain, and Castiel tells him that Nick's family, Sarah and Teddy, died. Shocked, Nick remembers Lucifer coming to him with his wife's voice, and Castiel says that a man broke into his home. Nick says that the man was a monster and Lucifer made him a monster as well.
Sam, Bobby, and Mary talk to the coroner, who shows them one of the corpses. She says that they don't know the cause of death, and steps outside to take a control. The trio check the body and figure that Michael kept the bodies alive for a while. The bodies belong to vamps, and Sam visits the coroner and asks if anyone claimed or identified the bodies. The coroner says that a young lady came, said that she heard about the murders on the news, said that she didn't know any of the victims, and disappeared. Sam asks if the station has surveillance cameras.
Castiel approaches Jack going over the lore books, and Jack explains that he's trying to determine how long it takes for archangels to replenish their grace. Castiel points out that Jack's human component slows the process, and tells Jack that mourning what he's lost is wasteful. He explains that he lost his grace and wings during the Great Fall and felt hopeless and useless. Castiel had himself, and points out that Sam and Dean have developed their skills over the years and learned patience and persistence. The angel tells Jack that the future and where Jack is going is important.
Michael puts on a tux and checks himself in the mirror. Dean appears, fighting for control, and tells Michael to get out of his body, and Michael says that he can and tells Dean that he owns him.
Sam calls Castiel and tells him what they discovered. Nick comes in and after he hangs up, Nick tells Castiel that there's nothing about his wife and son's deaths. He instinctively snaps his fingers at Castiel and then stares at his hand in shock. Castiel asks why he did it, and Nick says that he doesn't remember. The angel says that there may be some of Lucifer's influence in Nick and checks him, touching his shoulder. Castiel says that Lucifer may have inflicted more damage on Nick's psyche then they thought, and Nick says that he's going to find who killed his family. The angel asks what then, and Nick walks out without answering.
Lydia Crawford is sleeping in her motel room when Sam, Mary, and Bobby burst in before she can escape. Sam says that they know who she is because they got her license plates from the surveillance cameras. Bobby tells her that she should have ditched her car when she first got turned, and Lydia realizes that they're Hunters. Lydia says that she's never done anything wrong, explaining that they lived on animal bloods and had quiet lives until "he" came: Michael. She explains that Michael tied them up and took blood from them, and each time afterward there would be an explosion and her friends would be dead. Michael came for her and a couple of the others attacked him, and Lydia was able to get away. Lydia figures that Michael didn't intend to kill them but things went wrong when he experimented on them. Bobby prepares to kill Lydia, and she tells them that she knows where Michael is and will tell them where he is if they let her go.
Michael escorts a woman, Melanie, to his hotel room and thanks her for showing him around. He pours champagne, says that his home town is empty with dead bodies laying around, and Melanie chuckles, assuming that he's joking. Michael figures that she's really the girl he thinks she is, and she bares her werewolf fangs. The archangel grabs Melanie by the throat, lifts her into air, and throws her across the room. Michael then tells her to summon her master.
Nick calls the police detective in his hometown and asks who can kill him. The detective hangs up, and Nick tells Castiel that his family's deaths are considered a cold case. There are no fingerprints and no DNA, and the only witness said that they saw someone come out of the house. Castiel tells Nick that he's been given a second chance, and explains that he is occupying Jimmy Novak's body. Nick wonders if Jimmy is all right with it, and Castiel says that he was before he died. Unimpressed, Nick tells him that he's a body-snatcher just like Lucifer. Castiel abruptly excuses himself, saying that he needs to look in on Jack. Before he goes, he tells Nick that what happened to Jimmy and his family is his greatest regret.
Michael meets with the master werewolf, Philippe, as Melanie looks on. The archangel serves cognac and demonstrates that it's not poisoned, and Philippe admits that he's a werewolf. Michael says that he admires how the werewolves have survived the humans, and says that the humans have laid waste to the world. Philippe figures that God put them in charge, and Michael says that God is gone and he's in charge. He says that it's time that werewolves and vampire have their due, and there are fully tested ways to enhance their abilities. Philippe says that he likes the dream of monsters keeping humans as slave laborers and prey, and Michael tells him that he can have that world.
Jack goes to see Kelly's mother and her husband Jack, and says that he's a friend of her daughter. They invite him in and Jack says that Kelly always had nice things to say about her family. Jack says that they haven't heard from Kelly since she went traveling , and they figured that it was part of her government work. Mrs. Kline shows Jack a scrapbook of Kelly as a child and then asks Jack about Kelly's pregnancy. Jack awkwardly says that Kelly had a boy and she was an amazing mother. He tells them that her son loves her very much, and she made him feel safe and wanted. Jack talks about how Kelly told him that her so had to set his own path, and Mrs. Kline figures that Jack looks like Kelly. Taken aback, Jack says that he hopes to have a little of Kelly's courage and purpose, and Jack asks him to tell Kelly that they miss her if he sees her. Jack says that he misses her as well and Mrs. Kline hugs him.
Lydia packs her things and turns to find Michael in her room. He says that he dumped her pack mates in plain sight and let her escape to lure the hunters there, says that he doesn't need bait anymore, and kills her.
Jack returns to the bunker and tells Castiel that it wasn't a risk to go out alone. Castiel warns that the possibility of capture is real, and Jack says that he should meet the only real family he has left. The angel confirms that Jack didn't tell his grandparents who he really is, and Jack says that he wanted to but he couldn't tell them that Kelly died. Castiel says that he did what he did out of kindness. Jack asks about the others and Castiel says that they're going to subdue Michael and get Dean out of him. Jack insists that Michael has to be stopped and Dean doesn't matter, and says that if it comes down to Dean or Michael then Dean has to die. He asks Castiel if Dean would want it any other way and walks off.
Nick meets with his former neighbor Arty Nielson and says that there's no rest for him anymore. He hopes that he can catch the monster and points out that Arty said that he got a look at the man and then changes his story. Arty claims that he imagined seeing the man and was wrong. Nick goes to the window that Arty said he saw the killer at, and asks why he looked out. Arty says that he doesn't remember, and Nick asks if he had a hammer because that's how the police said he murdered Sarah and Teddy. When Arty insists that there was no man, Nick asks who got to him, grabs him by the throat, and insists that he is going to get justice. He figures that Arty knows something.
Sam, Bobby, and Mary go to the abandoned church where Lydia said Michael was going. Werewolves break in and attack them, and they're immune to silver. They fight hand-to-hand and Sam decapitates his attacker. Another werewolf jumps him, and he other werewolves renew their attack. Mary manages to kill her werewolf and then throws the weapon into the one attacking Bobby. They manage to kill the remaining werewolves, and Michael comes in and leans against a pillar, gasping for breath. Dean tells Sam that it's him and Michael left his body but he doesn't know why.
Nick looks at himself in a mirror, and at the blood-covered hammer in his hands. He drops it and turns to Arty's body.
Written by Gadfly on Oct 19, 2018