Sam and Castiel go to the home of Oliver Bryce. Oliver has them join hands around a table and they perform a séance.
In Heaven, Bobby looks up when Sam's voice comes over his radio, asking for help.
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Twenty-four hours earlier, Sam hears Dean screaming and goes to investigate. Dean is having a nightmare of the Mark and calling Sam's name, and then settles back down.
Later, Dean wakes up and goes to the bunker's main room. Sam says that there's no sign of supernatural activity for them to investigate, and suggests that they go into Wichita to see a movie. Dean is interested until Sam says that it's a French art firm, and then gives it a pass. Sam warns that he won't be back until the next day and then meets Castiel on the road. He explains that Dean is getting worse and they both realize what they have to do.
In Hell, a naked Rowena is in her room painting symbols on her body. Crowley comes in and hastily looks away. Once she puts on a robe, Crowley wonders why she hasn't been nagging him in several days. Rowena says that she's dating an assistant manager, Trent, and Crowley quickly leaves rather than hears about his mother's sex life. Once he's gone, Rowena takes out a hidden knife.
Dean makes a call but no one wants his help on a hunt.
Sam and Castiel go to the playground but the guardian angel tells Castiel that he isn't allowed to pass through. Hannah enters the guardian's human host and tells Castiel that they know he wants to see Metatron to get help for Dean. She warns that Metatron won't help unless he's freed, and they can't risk letting the former Scribe of God escaping. Three angels emerge from the trees and Sam hastily pulls Castiel away, warning that he can't win against them. the angel wonders what they're going to do now, and Sam tells his friend that they'll have to break Metatron out of prison.
In Hell, Rowena tracks down the demon who runs the switchboard for blood calls. She asks if he can determine where Crowley was when he called Hell after the Winchesters captured him. The demon is eager to please his ruler's mother, but admits that he can only narrow it down to a ten-mile area.
Dean goes to a bar and has the bartender, Donnie, bring him a beer and some food. Three college students are playing pool, and Dean goes over to play them a game for $20 stakes.
Sam and Castiel go to Oliver's home and Sam explains that Oliver was a famous child psychic in the 50s. The American Men of Letters found him and trained him how to use their gift before Abaddon wiped them out. Oliver answers the door and reads Sam's mind to realize who he is. He's unable to read Castiel's mind, and lets them in. They explain that they need Oliver to contact their inside man in Heaven so that they can break Metatron out, and Sam thinks hard about what they'll do if Oliver refuses to help them. The psychic quickly agrees.
Dean loses the first game, missing several easy shots. He asks for a rematch against his opponent, Ty, but ups the stakes to $300. Ty and his friends scrape together enough money to match Dean's $300 and they start playing.
Oliver uses Bobby's hat to get a psychic fix on Bobby in Heaven. In Heaven, Bobbi is reading about Tori Spelling and drinking whiskey when Sam's voice comes over the radio, asking for his help.
After winning the second game, Dean collects Ty's $300. Ty figures that he hustled him and Dean cheerfully admits that he did. He goes into the restroom and Rowena enters the bar. As Dean rinses off his face, he looks in the mirror and his eyes briefly turn black. They go back to normal and Dean dismisses it as his imagination.
Sam explains to Bobby what Dean has been going through, and admits that Dean is in a bad place. Castiel wants Bobby to escape his personal Heaven, open the gate to earth, and then help him find Metatron. The angel admits that once Bobby escapes, the other angels will track him down. Bobby worries that he's been out of the game too long and can't pull it off, but figures that they can't do anything to him now that he's dead.
Dean comes back out and finds Rowena waiting for him. She has Donnie, Ty, and Ty's two friends under a spell and sends them to attack Dean. Dean knocks Ty down and prepares to impale him with a pool cue, but gets control of himself just in time. He knocks out the other three men and Rowena activates the runes on her body. The spell washes over Dean but has no effect, much to her surprise. Dean threatens to cut her throat and demands answers, and Rowena says that she's there to save Crowley. She wants to eliminate Dean because he's a good influence on her son, and warns Dean that if he doesn't let her go then she'll let her spell burn out the four men.
Castiel tells Bobby to search his room for something that doesn't belong. Looking around, Bobby finds a loose thread in the rug. He pulls it up and a panel opens in the wall. When he goes through, he finds himself in a white hallway with hundreds of Bobby rooms, each one holding another Bobby in his private heaven. An alarm goes off as the angels realize that Bobby has escaped.
Rowena returns to Hell and uses her knife to cut herself up. She then goes to Crowley and claims that Dean did it. Clearly skeptical, Crowley asks why she went after Dean, and Rowena admits that she went there to kill him. Crowley points out that the Mark protects its owner, and Rowena says that she can remove it like any other curse. However, she admits that she doesn't know how to... yet. Crowley insists that he has the Winchesters right where he wants them, but Rowena warns that the demons will think Crowley weak if he lets the brothers get away with attacking her. Angry, she tells her son to stop making excuses and act like a king.
Sam and Castiel park near the playground and wait for Bobby to make his move.
As the angels move in, Bobby releases the other Bobbys and then rallies them against the angels. As the Bobbys hassle the angels, Bobby escapes in the confusion.
Crowley teleports into the bar and Dean casually asks if they're going to do it.
Following Castiel's directions, Bobby opens Door 42 that leads to Earth. Sam tackles the guardian angel and Castiel leaps through the portal into Heaven. As they go to Metatron's cell, Bobby realizes that Castiel and Sam are going behind Dean's back to free Metatron.
Dean tells Crowley how Rowena is lying, and Crowley says that his mother thinks that he's gone soft. Dean agrees, and wonders why Crowley puts up with Rowena ordering him about. Crowley says that they're family, and Dean tells the King of Hell that a wise man once told him that family is through the good and the bad, not just because they want something. He asks Crowley if that sounds like Rowena.
When Castiel and Bobby get to the prison, Metatron reminds Castiel that he promised to never help Dean again. However, when Castiel says that Dean doesn't know that they're there, an intrigued Metatron points out the keys. Castiel then takes Metatron to Earth, and Metatron immediately starts giving orders. He reminds them that he knows where Castiel's grace is and how to remove the Mark, and he has leverage. Castiel cuts his throat with an angel knife and takes his essence, and then Sam shoots him in the leg. As Metatron moans in pain, Castiel points out that he's mortal now that his grace is gone, and promises that Sam will blow his brains out if he doesn't answer their questions. Metatron explains that it takes god-level power to remove the Mark, and they have no access to it. When Sam asks about the river he mentioned in their last encounter, Metatron admits that he made it up to play for time. Sam prepares to shoot him and Metatron says that he can lead them to Castiel's grace.
Crowley goes to Rowena's quarters and tells her to get out. She reminds him that she's her mother, but Crowley says that Rowena may have given birth to him but she was never her mother. Crowley tells her that he's not going to give into her again and wonders if she would care about him at all if he wasn't the King of Hell. Rowena promises to watch everything her son has burn, and Crowley tells her that she has five minutes to get out of Hell.
When Sam returns to the bunker, Dean says that he played some pool and Sam says that the movie was good. He then goes to his room and reads the letter that Bobby gave to Castiel to deliver. Bobby warns that going behind Dean's back may not be a good idea, but he figures that Dean will understand. He tells Sam that he knows he's a good man and will make the right choice. Bobby finishes by saying that getting Sam's call was the best thing that happened to him in Heaven.
Castiel drives off with Metatron.
On Earth, Rowena walks down a street alone.
Crowley sits in his throne room.
The angels come to see Bobby.
Sam puts Bobby's letter away.
Written by Gadfly on May 22, 2016