At a bar, the bartender tells the last customer that he's closing. She says that she's almost finished but insists on staying once until she's finished. Once the bartender leaves, a woman wearing an eyepatch, Lily Sunder, comes over and greets the customer. When the customer tries to leave, Lily blocks he way. When the customer--an angel, Benjamin, in a female body--tries to use his powers on Lily, nothing happens and Lily says that his angel tricks won't work on her. When Benjamin draws an angel blade, Lily draws two blades. They fight and Lily finally disarms Benjamin. Benjamin begs Lily to spare her, but Lily just chuckles. The angel chants a message, and across the world, the other angels--including Castiel--receive her message. Lily says that she's waited so long and kills Benjamin, and then walks out.
At the bunker, Sam and Dean review Castiel's attempts to find Kelly. Dean says that Mary is in Atlanta dealing with a shapeshifter and wants to handle it alone. He worries that Mary went back into hunting too readily, and tells Sam that he still isn't talking to Castiel. Sam wonders how long Dean is going to stay pissed at their friends, and Dean worries that about the cosmic consequences that Billie warned them about. Castiel hears them and says that he did the right thing, and tells them that an old friend begged for help but then just stopped. Sam offers to go with him, and Castiel wonders if Dean will come as well. After a minute, Dean agrees and says that they'll make sure Castiel doesn't do anything else stupid.
The trio drives to Benjamin's last location. Sam tries to break the silence without any luck, and finally tells them that their silence silly and they need a plan. Castiel finally explains that Benjamin wouldn't call for help lightly. Dean snipe at him and Castiel snipes back until Sam stops them. Castiel explains that Benjamin found a devout woman as a vessel and she's his friend. He doesn't think that Benjamin would put her in danger, and he needs to find out what happened.
Lily lies in her hotel room, chanting.
At the bar, the Winchesters talk to the bartender while Castiel examines the angel wing burn marks on the wall. The bartender says that he didn't see anything, and Castiel tells him to get out. Dean escorts the man out, and Castiel tells Sam that Benjamin was a gifted soldier. When he comes back, Dean finds one of the angel blades beneath a video machine. Castiel examines it and says that it isn't Benjamin's blade. He clutches at his head, hearing Lily's chanting in his head.
Lily sits up and realizes that Castiel is there.
Castiel tells the Winchesters that they have to go.
Lily places a kiss on a photo of a young girl and leaves.
The trio goes to meet with Ishim, Castiel's former commander. He tells them to wait outside because Ishim doesn't like humans and goes into the diner on his own. Ishim is there with another of his angels, Mirabel. Mirabel points out that Castiel had a hand in them losing their wings, but Ishim notes that Castiel commanded his own flight after they left him. He sarcastically wonders if Castiel is a hero, and Castiel insists that he's no hero but sometimes doing the right thing requires sacrifices. Ishim points out that it's other angels that suffer. Mirabel says that two others from their flight were murdered like Benjamin, and they're all that are left. They didn't tell Castiel because they didn't think he cared.
Dean storms in and Sam follows him. They sit down and Mirabel says that they know who she is. She goes out to see if there are any others, and enters a nearby alley. Lily comes up and stabs her to death.
Ishim says that Castiel was a warrior when he knew him, and now he's fallen far. Castiel says that it's about Benjamin, not him, and Ishim says that they should go to his nearby safehouse. He goes to get Mirabel\, and Castiel says that he'll put up with Ishim's insults to find Benjamin. The angel says that they'll put up with whatever Ishim dishes out and leaves.
In the alleyway, Ishim finds Mirabel's body. Lily tries to stab him, slashing his side, and Ishim manages smites her. She says that she's not powerless anymore, just as Castiel arrives and stabs at her. Sam and Dean arrive and tell her to surrender. Lily says that she doesn't want to hurt any human and casts a blinding light, and drives off while they're blinded, although Sam manages to get her plates.
The next day, the group goes to Ishim's safehouse in a country church. Ishim refuses to let Castiel tend to his wound, and Castiel wonders how Lily is still alive. He finally explains that angels rarely came to earth before the apocalypse. Many years ago there was an anomaly.
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In Orono Maine in 1901, the four angels arrive at a country home. Ishim tells the others that one of their angels has taken a human wife and had a daughter, a Nephilim. Nephilim are forbidden by the oldest laws in Heaven, because worlds die when they grow up. Two more angels join them, and the angel Akobel comes out with his wife Lily. Akobel tells her to inside and whispers something to her, and Lily goes in. When Ishim accuses Akobel of mating with humans, Akobel says that humans are more than animals. He attacks Ishim but the angels easily subdue him. Castiel declares sentence on Akobel, and Ishim kills Akobel. Ishim tells the others to dispose of Akobel's vessel while he handles the next part alone. He goes inside and Lily yells at him to stay away from her daughter.
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Castiel says that the mission was horrific but necessary. Lily was a professor of apocalyptic literature, and Ishim took mercy on her by letting her live. He explains that Lily made a demonic pact to keep her young, strong, and immune from their powers. Dean says that he and Sam will find her, and Sam figures that they can reason with her. Castiel says that it will take all of them to stop her and he needs to heal Ishim's wound. Sam points out that the angels killed Lily's family, and Castiel takes offense, wondering if Sam is saying that they shouldn't have done their job. He warns that Lily won't quit, and Ishim agrees. Sam tells them that they have to try and Dean agrees.
In her hotel room, Lily checks the wound that Ishim inflicted on her. She uses her power to heal it,.
After the Winchesters leave, Ishim wonders when Castiel got so gooey. He says that they're meant to stay from humans because they're a danger to them. Castiel insists that his friendship has made him stronger, and begins healing the wound.
Sam and Dean trace the plates on the rental car to the hotel where Lily is staying. Lily comes out in the hallway and the Winchesters say that they're there to talk. They explain that Castiel is their family and they won't let her kill them. When Sam repeats Castiel's story, Lily tells them her daughter was May. Lily says that she had a wonderful life until the angels took everything from her. All of her life she dreamed about angels, until finally she learned a spell to summon Ishim. Lily thought that he was perfect, but she insists that Ishim is a monster.
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Ishim confronts Lily in the house and says that he shared all of their secrets with her for her precious studies. He says that he loved her, and Lily tells him that he was obsessed with her. Ishim is furious that Lily threw him away for Akobel, and Lily says that she needed Akobel to protect her from Ishim. The angel assures her that he won't kill her, and says that now he's going to break her heart. He then immobilizes Lily and kills May while Lily watches.
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Lily says that she had May before she was ever with a human, and she was human. The Winchesters confer and Dean figures that they have to make sure. He calls Castiel but gets no answer, and Sam tells his brother to get Castiel while he stays with Lily.
At the church, Ishim recovers and exercises.. He tells Castiel that he'll recover soon enough, and Castiel realizes that his phone is gone.
In Lily's hotel room, Sam asks Lily why she waited so long. Lily says that she couldn't do anything until the angels fell. Sam says that Ishim told them that Lily made a dark pact, and Lily says that she uses Enochian magic to stay alive and find them. Every time she uses one of the angels' spells, a piece of her soul burns away until she doesn't care about anything anymore. Lily explains that she used to dream about her daughter, but now she doesn't dream about anything. She tells Sam that Ishim will kill Dean to make sure that the truth about what he did never comes out in Heaven. Lily figure that once Dean is dead, Sam will help her.
Dean enters the church and finds a weakened Castiel. Castiel says that Ishim is fully recovered, and Dean relates what Lily told him. He figures that Ishim is playing Castiel, just as Ishim steps out. Castiel asks if May was human, and Ishim says that she's a liar. Dean doesn't believe him, and Ishim asks Castiel who he's going to believe, his brother angel or a human ape. The older Winchester says that he and Castiel might not agree all the time but Castiel knows who his real friends are. Castiel asks Ishim why Dean's words bother him, and demands the truth.
Ishim draws his knife and Dean goes for him. The angel easily casts him aside, and then takes down Castiel. Ishim says that he used to envy Castiel, while Dean cuts his palm and starts scribing a glyph. Meanwhile, Ishim knocks Castiel out and says that he's going to cure him of his human weakness by cutting it out. He goes over to Dean, who has finished the glyph. Ishim tells him to do it because the glyph will blast away Castiel as well and he won't survive the experience. After a moment, Dean lowers his hand rather than risk his friend's life.
Lily and Sam arrive and Lily attacks Ishim with an angel blade while Sam goes to Dean. The brothers attack Ishim, slashing at him with their blades, and manage to wound him. He knocks them away and tells Lily that it's over. She takes off her eyepatch and releases a blast of magic from it, pinning Ishim to the wall. Ishim says that she can't hold him forever, and he advances forward against the magic. However, Castiel kills him before Ishim can kill her.
Lily contemplates Ishim's body, and then tells the Winchesters that all she's had is revenge. Castiel apologizes to her, admitting that he was wrong. He tells Lily that if she can't forgive him then he'll be waiting for her. Lily thanks him and leaves.
The trio returns to the bunker and Dean gets Castiel a beer, saying that he earned it. The Winchesters say that he isn't weak and that he's been with them no matter what. Dean tells the angel that he didn't like how the Billie thing went down, and he's worried about the "cosmic consequences." Castiel assures them that he doesn't regret what he did, even if it costs him his life. Dean asks what Castiel will do if he finds Kelly and Lucifer's son. The angel warns that the child will be much more powerful than a Nephilim, and Sam wonders if he'll be able to kill them. Castiel tells them that there was a time when he wouldn't have hesitated, but now he doesn't know. Dean wonders what they're going to do, and Castiel says that they should drink and hope that they find a better way.
Written by Gadfly on Feb 3, 2017