Eureka Springs, Arkansas
A man runs through the park, gasping. He calls and tells the person to get out. Dean follows the man and shoots, and the man keeps running. When Dean catches up to the man, the man casts a spell, knocking Dean unconscious in a blaze of purple light.
The next morning, Dean wakes up and discovers that his phone was destroyed. A woman comes by with her baby and gives Dean some money, assuming that he's homeless. A jogger comes up and Dean asks to borrow his phone. The jogger hands it over and Dean calls Sam. Sam picks up and Dean admits that he's not sure where he is. he sees a waggle house sign and tells Sam to meet him at Waldos.
When Sam arrives, Dean is busy eating. He says that he doesn't remember what happened when he went out for food, and Sam calls Mary and Castiel to let them know his number. Dean doesn't remember who Kelly is for a minute, and Sam suggests that he slow down a bit. Four girls come in and Sam reminds Dean that the morgue opens in ten minutes. Dean doesn't remember that for a minute, and then recalls that accountant Barry Gilman was found stuffed full of money. He points out that they didn't find anything when they checked out Barry's house, and figures that a hitman with an ironic sense of humor killed the accountant. As Dean pays the check, one of the girls, Elka, comes over and Dean doesn't remember her. When he says that, she slaps him and goes back to her friends.
At the morgue, the Winchesters check the evidence bags on Barry's case. The bags are filled with bloody money that they pulled from Barry's stomach, and a hex bag. As they leave, Sam points out that Barry was a money manager. He worked for the richest families in town, and when they get in the Impala Dean can't remember what key starts it. Sam assumes that his brother is still drunk, and Dean puts the gar into Forward instead of Reverse. Dean looks at Sam and then says that he doesn't know who Dean is.
The brothers go back to their motel room and Dean insists that he's fine. Sam suggests that a witch hexed him, but Dean points out that he'd be dead, but can't remember the members of Bon Jovi. When Dean can't remember what a lamp is, Sam puts a sign on it to remind him.
Rowena is playing poker at a bar and wins six times in a row. As she collects her money, her phone rings and she steps aside to take it. It's Sam, who says that they need her help. He explains that Dean has been hexed, and Rowena says that Sam needs to kill the witch to break the curse. When Sam hangs up, he discovers that Dean has wandered out. He goes upstairs and finds Dean trying to get into the wrong room. Sam says that they have to retrace dean's step, but Dean doesn't remember what he did.
The Winchesters go to Barry's office and Sam points out the photos on the wall. Dean sees the man from the forest but doesn't recognize him. They check burger joints to see which one Dean went to after they left the office. Dean sees Elka waitressing apologizes. Elka finally tells them that Dean ordered burgers to go. Dean knocked back four shots of tequila and hit the bull, and admits that he was amazing. Afterward they talked and blew off some steam, but then the bartender saw Dean run off and never came back to meet with her. Elka figures that Dean is roofed up and apologizes for taking advantage of him. Sam asks to see the security cameras and Elka gives him access. They watch as Dean follows the man out of the bar and the man blast him back. Dean doesn't remember any of it, and Sam recognizes the man from the photo in Barry's office.
The brothers go to the alleyway and Sam finds a bullet casing. Dean forgets that there are witches, and Sam explains that they hunt monsters. They go to the park and Sam fills Dean in on their job. They find the glyph on the tree and Sam takes a photo. Dean goes on ahead and finds a corpse, and calls Sam over. It's the witch, and Sam points out that killing him was supposed to restore Dean's memories.
Later, Catriona Laughlin and her brother Boyd arrive and find the dead witch, Gideon. Boyd figures that he died because they went after Barry, and Catriona says that Barry deserved what he got. She refuses to run and Boyd asks if she wants to kill the Hunters, too. Catriona says that she wants her family back.
At the motel, Sam examines the photo he took of Gideon Someone knocks at the door and Dean opens it. He doesn't recognize Rowena, and admires her hair. She explains that the glyphs are an arcane Celtic ritual used by druids, and Sam has Dean watch Scooby-Doo on TV to keep him distracted. Rowena tells Sam that the Loughlins are the only family that uses the glyphs, and recognizes Gideon. She says that a hundred years ago the Loughlins came over from the Old World and turned a town on the Mississippi Delta into their personal fiefdom. They had three children--Catriona, Boyd, and Gideon—
Catriona and Boyd take Gideon back to their manor.
Rowena explains that the Loughlins possessed the Black Grimoire, and witches came from around the world to study them. Hunters found the Loughlins and wiped out the family, but one or two of them slipped away with the Grimoire. She says that they have to find the Grimoire to end the spell, because Dean will forget everything by the time she can break the spell.
Later, Sam tells Dean what is happening. He assures his brother that they'll figure it out and goes out. Rowena asks how Dean is, and Sam says that watching his brother become someone else is worse than seeing him die. In the bathroom, Dean goes over what he can remember.
Rowena says that they need to find the Grimoire, and Sam figures that she wants it for herself. She admits that it's true but it doesn't hurt to have the Winchesters owe her one.
Dean's memories continue to slip away.
Sam has Gideon's address from Barry's files, and tells Rowena to stay with Dean. He plans to have one of the Loughlins to translate the Grimoire and leaves.
Dean realizes that he can't learn anything about his life.
The next morning, Dean paces nervously as Rowena prepares her spell. She gives him a voodoo doll and tells him a "story" about how the British Men of Letters run her out of England. The family she moved in with threw her out, saying she wasn't up to snuff, and Dean assures her that she has plenty of snuff. Rowena says that it's a gift to forget what they've done, and tells Dean that he's a killer.
Sam sneaks up on a guard and captures him.
Rowena assures Dean that he's killed scores of people, but everything that he's done has been for the greater good. She admits that she's done horrible things to acquire power, but then she met God and His sister and figured that if they can't be satisfied then how can there be any hope for her. Dean wonders why Rowena is telling him, and she says that she knows he won't remember. Sam calls and says that he's in.
Sam sneaks through the house and finds Catriona mounting butterflies in the study with Gideon's body. He tells her that he has witch-killing bullets and tells her to break the spell. Unimpressed, Catriona says that she told Boyd that Sam would come to them, and Boyd comes in and throws a spell knocking Sam into the bookshelves. Catriona casts a spell animating the butterflies and Dean clutches at his ears in pain.
Dean finds himself in the Impala with no idea how he got there. Rowena left a note explaining that Sam has been kidnapped by a witch, and she left Dean there. There's another note telling him to stay.
As Boyd tied Sam up, he reminds Catriona that Gideon said to leave Barry alone. He blames her for Gideon's death, but Catriona tells him that they can bring him back. Sam wakes up and hears Catriona ask Boyd to sacrifice Sam. Boyd turns around and Sam feigns unconsciousness. Meanwhile, Catriona hears someone enter the house and goes downstairs. Rowena is waiting and introduces herself.
Boyd cuts his palm, and Sam says that he doesn't want to do it. The witch explains that he's going to swap Sam's soul for Gideon's, while Sam works at his bonds.
Catriona says that she remembers Rowena as a pretender unworthy of their magic. Rowena begged them for the Loughlin magic but they refused. Smiling, Rowena blasts Catriona back.
Dean finally gets bored and goes to the trunk. There's a note saying "Open Me" on a chest, and inside are weapons. There are more notes directing Dean to the proper gun.
Catriona pins Rowena to the wall and picks up a shard of glass. She throws it, just missing Rowena'a's head, and picks up another shard. Dean arrives and aims his gun at Catriona, and holds up Rowena's note saying that it has witch-killing bullets. He shoots Catriona dead, freeing Rowena. When Boyd is distracted by the shot, Sam knocks him down but Boyd blasts him back and runs out.
Boyd runs downstairs and Dean aims his gun. Sam arrives and Dean doesn't remember either of them. When Sam reminds Dean that he's a brother, Dean kills Boyd and gives Sam a thumbs up.
Later, Rowena breaks the spell and then she and Dean come down. Dean feigns amnesia to get a rise out of Sam. They go to the motel and Rowena tells Dean to let her know if she remembers anything from when he lost his memories. Sam goes over and thanks Rowena, and she hands him the Grimoire. He admits that they owe her one, and she leaves. Sam says that he was jealous of Dean not having to remember everything that they've done. Dean says that he lost everything and if that's happiness, he'll pass.
Written by Gadfly on Feb 10, 2017