At a boarding house in Rock River, Wyoming, Tasha Banes comes in and the owner sitting in a rocking charge greets her. Tasha notices the woman wearing the ring, and she says that if it goes blessing she'll know how it blames. When Tasha offers to cleanse her aura, the owner just chuckles. Tasha rings the bell and the clerk, Andy, greets her and gives her the key to her room.
Later in her room, Tasha casts a spell on an amulet, which leads her downstairs and outside. It takes Tasha to a cellar door, and Tasha goes inside. Gagging on the stench, Tasha looks around... and someone kills her from behind.
At the bunker, Sam and Dean discuss what happened to Castiel. Dean figures that the Nephilim controlled Castiel, and Sam suggests that they have to think like Castiel. He then takes out the shattered Colt. A cellphone rings and Sam finds it underneath a book. It's one of Mary's, and Alicia is calling. She tells Sam that she's with her brother Max and Mary gave her the number to reach her. Alicia explains that their mother Tasha was hunting a witch who had killed people all over Wyoming, and they're on their way to Rock Rivers. Max insists that Tasha is fine and tells Alicia to stop bothering the Winchesters, but Sam agrees to meet them. Once he hangs up, Sam figures that they have to get out and do something because there are no leads on Castiel. Dean finally agrees but texts Mary first, but gets no answer.
Mary and Ketch are questioning a creature that has taken Mary's form, and Ketch throws water into its face. When Mary's cellphone rings, Ketch tells her to turn it off. Dean leaves a voice mail about the case and asks her to call him so he can talk to her about the situation with Castiel. Meanwhile, Ketch tells the creature that he won't hesitate to torture the creature even if it's wearing Mary's face. He jabs silver spikes into the shapeshifter's shoulders, and Mary warns Ketch that the shifter won't talk. The shifter doesn't believe her, and takes on Ketch's form. Unimpressed, Ketch grabs another spike.
Sam and Dean meet with Alicia and Max, and Alicia explains that Tasha was after a witch that gets her power from a demon deal. Dean takes Max to see the Impala, and Alicia tells Sam that her brother isn't feeling it. Alicia admits that she doesn't use magic like her brother and mother, and says that Mary is a great Hunter but isn't much of a hugger. Meanwhile, Dean shows Sam the weapons in the trunk, and takes out a case of witch-killing bullets.
The quartet goes to the boarding house and see Tasha'a car. A man, Rick Walsh, walks out of the cellar and stares at them, and then walks away. Alicia goes inside and the others follow, and Tasha steps out and greets her children. Max says that Alicia made the Winchesters come in case Tasha was in danger, and Tasha has Andy get them all rooms. She then takes them up to her room for wine, and says that her hone hasn't been charging so she hasn't returned Alicia's calls. Alicia gets the bottle open but hesitates, and Max notices that she's acting strangely. She steps aside and jams her broken finger back into place. "Tasha" tells Alicia that she ordered food from a local Vegan place, and Sam goes to get it.
Ketch and Mary step outside and Ketch suggests that they have sex. Mary reminds him that they agreed it was a one-time thing, and says that the torture was a waste of time because they didn't get any info. Ketch insists that pain sometimes get answers, and Mary points out that Ketch enjoyed the torture. He insists that they believe the ends justify the means, and tells her to have Mick write him up. Mary says that Mick isn't returning his calls or sending emails, and Ketch claims that Mick is busy. He advises Mary to return Dean's call and walks off.
Dean checks his voice mail and confirms that Mary hasn't called. Tasha comes over and Dean puts his phone away. He tells her that she did a great job with Alicia and Max, and says that they're happy. Tasha asks about Dean growing up in the life and his mother, and he says that it's complicated. She tells him that when children grow up, they realize that their parents are just people.
Mary checks her voice mail and hears Dean's call. She hangs up, and overhears Ketch on the phone in Mick's office. He tells the caller that the package is in the lottery and recites the lot number. Ketch tells the caller that they'll talk when he gets in, and Mary's phone goes off. She goes in to see Ketch, claiming that she uses Mick's computer for email. Mary sits down and logs in, and sees a message from Mick saying that he'll be in London a few more weeks.
Sam returns with the food, and throws Dean a look. Dean follows him out to the hallway, and Sam shows him a missing poster with Rick's face on it. Rick has been missing a month, and Dean figures that they can handle it without the Banes. As the brothers leave, down the hallway the owner is in her room tending to a wooden figure.
Mary calls Dean and gets his voice mail. She leaves a message apologizes for not being there for Dean and Sam, but says that she will be once she finishes what she's doing.
Sam and Dean go to the cellar and find it unlocked. They go downstairs and Dean reluctantly leads the way down.
Max tells Alicia and Tasha that he has a date with the local bartender, and takes the car keys before leaving.
The Winchesters find the dead Andy and Rick, covered in a sheet and their heart ripped out. Nearby is Tasha's corpse under a sheet, dead the same way. Max comes down and sees Tasha's body, and breaks into tears.
Mary goes to the storage room and looks up the lot number. She opens up the case and finds Mick's body inside. Mary goes out and sees Ketch coming, and quickly goes the other way before he can see her. The security system won't let her through the door, but a soldier comes out and Mary slips in before Ketch can see her. There are files on all of the American Hunters, and video files on Dean from the bunker. Mary calls Dean's number and tells him to call her because they have a problem.
When Mary goes out, Ketch is waiting there. He says that her handprint doesn't open the room because it's not for her, and Mary asks him why Mick's body is in a box. Ketch claims that a werewolf attacked him, and Mary points out that Ketch was shot in the head. When she tries to walk out, Ketch tells her that Mick was weak and not one of them. He shoves Mary down and tells her that they will do whatever it takes to rid the world of monsters. Mary breaks his arm and punches him in the face, but he knocks her down and says that he's been cleaning up after Sam and Dean for months. Ketch tells Mary that it's the end of the American Hunters. However, he tells Mary that he can keep her safe if she plays nice. Mary head-butts him and he knocks her back, and Mary puts on a pair of Enochian brass knuckles. She uses them to knock him down and walks out... and Ketch tasers her unconscious.
Max goes into Tasha's room, grabs her, and demands to know what she did to Tasha. Sam holds Alicia back and tells her what they found, and casts a revelation spell. "Tasha" convulses and says the room at the end of the hall. The owner senses magic and snaps her fingers, warning Andy.
Max goes to the room and Rick steps out. When he steps forward, max casts a spell knocking him out the window. Dean looks out the window and sees "Rick" convulsing, and wood-breaking noises coming from his broken limbs.
The Tasha creature collapses.
Max and Dean break into the owner's room, and she calmly slams Dean back into a chair with a magical gesture.
The Tasha creature goes into more convulsions, making twig-breaking noises. Andy comes in.
The owner--the borrower witch--tells Max that she's lucky to have found such an impressive witch. She hopes that he'll take the deal the last witch wouldn't.
Sam punches the Andy creature, breaking its wooden neck. It snaps it back into position.
The witch explains that she's reaching the end of her life but sold her soul for power. She will go to hell unless she finds someone to take her magic.
The Andy creature throws Sam across the room.
The witch says that Tasha found her and she offered her her power. However, Tasha refused so the witch made her into one of her creatures. The doll she made has all of Tasha's memories, but they do what the witch wants just like Andy and Rick. Max refuses, stands up against the witch's magic, and casts a spell to choke her.
Andy chokes Sam.
The witch shrugs off Max's magic and points out that if he kills her then her dolls will fall apart. She offers Max her power and in return, Tasha will stay with Max and Alicia forever. When Dean tries to persuade Max otherwise, the witch silences him and asks Max if she has a deal as she takes off her ring.
Alicia knocks Andy off of Sam. Tasha gets up and stabs Alicia in the chest, and then turns to Sam.
The witch tells Max that if he takes the rig then the deal is done. Max starts to take it, but Dean picks up his gun and shoots the witch in the chest with a witch-killing bullet.
Andy and Tasha advance on Sam... but then dissolve into ash. He goes to Alicia and says that they'll get her help.
Max wonders why Dean shot the witch, and Dean says that the deal was with a demon and Max would have lost his soul. Sam yells for Dean, and Dean and Max go to the room. They arrive just as Alicia dies, and Max goes to his sister's body.
Later, Sam and Dean go outside to check on Max. They warn him that once the shock is over, the grief will hurt. Max figures that he could have saved his mother and sister if he had taken Alicia safely, and doesn't want to hear what the brothers have to say. Dean tells him that they have to burn the bodies, and Max says that he'll do it because he should. He tells the Winchesters to leave, and they go.
As Sam and Dean drive back to the bunker, Sam tells Dean that he did the right thing. Dean isn't convinced, and talks about how the Banes were a loving family like the one they should have had. Now it's gone. Dean points out that they did terrible things to save each other, and wonders who he is to stop Max. Sam assures Dean that Max will be all right, but Dean isn’t convinced.
Max casts a spell to transfer Alicia's consciousness into the wooden figure. He tells her that they have to go, and she goes before she can see the real Alicia's body. Max casts a spell to incinerate the body and leaves.
Once Sam dozes off, Dean checks his voice mail and hears Mary's messages. He tells Sam that they have a problem, but Sam doesn't wake up.
Ketch fastens Mary to a chair and wakes her up. He wishes that she could have been as ruthless as he hoped, and tells her to remember that he gave her a choice. Mary wonders what happens next, and her cellphone rings. Toni turns off the cell phone and says that Mary is an asset, takes out a notebook, and says that it's time for them to begin.
Written by Gadfly on May 5, 2017