13.21 Beat the Devil

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SPN-1321.jpg
Title Beat the Devil
Episode # Season 13, Episode 21
First aired May 3, 2018
Directed by Phil Sgriccia
Written by Robert Berens
On IMDB Beat the Devil
Outline With the help of Rowena and Gabriel, the Winchesters and Castiel finally get to Apocalypse World, but not everything goes according to plan.
Monster Lucifer
Vampires
Timeline One day after 13.20 Unfinished Business
Location(s) Lebanon, Kansas
Apocalypse World
Northeastern Kentucky
Dayton, Ohio
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Synopsis

Dean, Sam, Mary, Castiel, and Jack are sitting around the map table eating pizza. Dean is being teased because he's on his seventh piece and Mary shares that she and John used to refer to him as their "piglet." Sam and Mary clear the table together and head towards the kitchen. Once in the corridor, Sam pauses to ask her how she is feeling after the trauma she suffered in Apocalypse World. Mary confesses that she always knew Sam and Dean would save her and Jack. The happy reunion is interrupted, however, as Sam’s alarm goes off and we learn that the family gathering was just Sam’s dream.

Later, in the Bunker library, Sam and Dean are packing while Rowena gathers the ingredients for the spell to open the rift to the Apocalypse World. Gabriel -- whom, we learn from Castiel, has been in Dean’s room to extract his grace in private -- arrives with the pitiful amount of archangel grace that he’s managed to extract. Despite everyone’s doubts, Gabriel assures them it is enough and the grace does open the rift, but all too quickly the doorway wilts and closes again, leaving Gabriel emasculated and the team out of all non-Lucifer options.

While Sam, Dean, and Cas discusses Lucifer in the kitchen, Rowena and Gabriel pass the time first by discussing the rift failure as a thinly-veiled impotency talk, then by shamelessly flirting as Gabriel feels the need to prove himself. This leads to them being disturbed in the middle of doing ‘something’ behind a bookshelf when the Winchesters and Castiel return to the library. Awkward glances are shared and Dean quickly stutters out that Sam has a plan.

In an unknown bar, Lucifer is moaning to a barman about his failed plans for domination and lack of a relationship with his son. When the barman slips up and uses Jack’s name during the conversation, Lucifer becomes suspicious, so Gabriel gives up on his disguise and morphs back into himself. Lucifer tries to run out the front door, only to find himself running back through the exit door. Puzzled, Lucifer looks up and finds himself confronted not only by the brother he thought he'd killed but also Rowena, who binds him with magic. They reveal that they have spiked Lucifer's drinks with a magical roofie. Despondent, Lucifer does not fight at the prospect of having his grace stolen and being killed. Gabriel however, chooses to knock Lucifer unconscious with the butt of his archangel blade.

After regaining consciousness in the Bunker, Sam explains their plan to slowly drain Lucifer of his grace to keep the rift open for longer than 24 hours. Castiel slashes Lucifer’s throat and he is left slowly leaking grace into Rowena’s spell bowl as Sam, Dean, Castiel, and Gabriel head through to Apocalypse World. Stuck in his humiliating situation, Lucifer decides to try and bait Rowena, first by attempting to make her believe the others are being sexist by leaving her behind. When that fails, he sings loudly and off tune to grate at her.

In the Apocalypse World, Castiel suggests Gabriel takes over Heaven when they return, as it needs a new leader; Gabriel is unconvinced Heaven would want a screw up like him. Meanwhile, Dean comments on Sam’s obviously lighter spirits, which Sam puts down to the fact that they are so close to finally getting Jack and Mary back. Sam and Dean's brief moment of hope is shattered by the scream of someone in peril. They rush to the aid of a woman and man, Maggie and Floyd, who are being attacked by what turns out to be a starved vampire. Maggie and Floyd tell them they are also on their way to Dayton, to the outpost set up by Mary and Jack, but the tunnel shortcut they attempted to use is home to a dangerous vampire nest. Knowing their time is limited, the Winchesters agree the tunnel is their only real choice, and they tell Maggie and Floyd that they will protect them if they wish to come along.

Meanwhile, Rowena is still stubbornly not rising to Lucifer’s goading, forcing him to begin mocking her for the disappointing fight she put up against him when he ‘killed’ her. Rowena's anger eventually gets the better of her and she reveals that Jack is about to see his fathers – Sam, Dean, and Castiel – and how Lucifer is nothing to him. This infuriates Lucifer enough to allow him to break her bindings, and he attacks Rowena, promising to kill her quickly, Rowena blasts him away from her... straight through the rift. Despite her immediate inclination to run, Rowena can’t bring herself to abandon everyone and she stays to work on finding a way to keep the rift open.

The Winchesters, Castiel, Gabriel, Floyd, and Maggie head into the tunnel, where they soon face a couple of vampires and easily dispatch them. The tunnel opens up into a central chamber and they find their exit blocked by fallen rocks. As Cas and Gabe begin clearing the way, their party is attacked by a swarm of vampires. Floyd is dragged off while trying to help Maggie. As Dean goes to her aid, Sam is overwhelmed and knocked to his knees. As he cries out for Dean, one of the vampires holding him bites into his carotid artery, killing him. Dean cries out and quickly dispatches the two vampires attacking him, but he is too late as Sam’s lifeless body is dragged off by the vampires who slaughtered him. Castiel races after him but returns sharply and stops Dean venturing further down the tunnel, telling Dean that there is nothing to be done. Against his protective instincts, Dean continues on to the camp to find his mother and Jack. Maggie, who also lost Floyd to the vampire attack, tries to comfort Dean but all he sees is flashbacks of Sam dying and we see a glimpse of Sam’s lifeless body and unseeing eyes.

Finally, they reach the heavily-warded camp. Castiel is unable to enter until Gabriel breaks the warding for him, which brings the attention of some armed and defensive resistance fighters. Cooler heads soon prevail as Mary and Jack arrive and are reunited with Dean. When Mary asks Dean where Sam is, the only response he can give is to cry, which is all the information she needs.

Back in the tunnel, Sam suddenly gasps back to life and discovers Lucifer next to him. Lucifer explains that Sam can either accept certain death by the vampires, again, or he can see his family again by helping Lucifer bond with Jack by confirming that he was the one who brought Sam back to life. Sam is left with little choice as Lucifer says he will find Jack either way.

At the camp, Jack is angrily pacing and raving at Castiel and Gabriel for failing to save Sam. Dean tells Mary that he has to rescue Sam’s body from the cave so that he can have dignity in death. Dean is about to set off when the angel warning alarm sounds, and Sam walks through the camp entrance. He smiles at his loved ones but when he sees their expressions change, his face portrays the shame he feels for bringing Lucifer to their doorstep, who smugly greets Jack with “Hello, son.”

Characters

Definitions

Music

  • "Search and Destroy" (Instrumental) by All Good Things (Extreme Music)
(plays during the recap of previous events)
  • "Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin
(playing in the bar as Lucifer drinks his sorrows away)
  • "Gwine to Run All Night, or De Camptown Races"
(sung by Lucifer to annoy Rowena)

Quotes

Sam: Obviously, I wanna get Mom and Jack back. It's all I want. It's all I can think about. But we've been down this road before. Teaming up with Lucifer --

Dean: We're not teaming up with him.
Castiel: We just need his grace.
Sam: Oh, 'just.'
Dean: We've trapped his ass before.
Sam: Yes, and every time, it ends up the same way, with the Devil being on the loose again.

Castiel: Look, Sam, I was used by Lucifer, too. It was the worst possible violation. So I-I'm not taking your reluctance lightly, but he is already out there, and we've been ignoring it and avoiding dealing with him because we're afraid. We let Lucifer out of the Cage, and he has never stopped being our responsibility.
Lucifer: Oh, hey, Sam. Oh, look at this. All the people I love to torture in the same room. What's the occasion, guys? Ah. Okay, I think I see what's going on. You're planning a trip to save Mother Mary, and you need my grace. Is that about it?

Castiel: Good guess.
Lucifer: Okay, you could've done this back at the bar. Could've drained me, killed me. What's this really about? Humiliation? Revenge?
Sam: Ah, those are just bonuses. See, we got a lot of work to do back in Apocalypse World, but not a whole lot of time to do it. So I realized something. I realized we could use you.
Rowena: Koth Munto Nuntox!
Sam: Use you not to just crack the door open, but to keep it open. So we're gonna drain you. We're gonna keep on draining you.
Dean: Like a stuck pig.
Gabriel: Grace on tap. Sorry, bro.

Sam: And then, when we get back, then we'll kill you.
Castiel: This world is, um, is obviously glutted with angels. But back home in our world, you know, it's -- it's just Naomi and a handful of others. They're trying to keep the lights on, but Heaven's dying, Gabriel.

Gabriel: Are you serious?
Castiel: Very.
Gabriel: And you think I could fix it? Gosh. I skipped out on Heaven, Castiel. They wouldn't want me back. As far as they're concerned, I'm a screwup. Hell, as far as I'm concerned, I'm a screwup.

Castiel: Well, Heaven's been run into the ground by upstanding angels. Perhaps a screwup is just the change we need.
Dean: You seem different since we got here.

Sam: Really?
Dean: Yeah, like you're... lighter, happier, more energetic.

Sam: I don't know. Maybe it's just, you know, Mom and Jack and... You know, I mean, we've been working at it so hard for this for so long, and now we're finally here. We're close. Can't you feel it?
Dean: Tell me, what makes a blood sucker look like that?
Floyd: Starvation. When Michael's armies started to wipe out the humans, they didn't think about monsters or what happened to 'em when their food source dried up. Turns out, not eating makes them wild. Nothing but pure, stupid appetite.
Lucifer: Hey, come on, Red. I'm just trying to have a good time with you. Like last time. You remember that? When I surprised you at your hotel room? Oh. I mean, I even wanted you to put up a fight. I wanted a little bit of a tussle, but... you froze. You choked. So I choked ya. What was that like, burning to death? You know, I can't get that smell out of my nose, that... ashy reek of burnt up ginger!

Rowena: Shut your mouth!
Lucifer: Oh!

Rowena: You want to get inside my head, twist the knife? Two can play that game. Do you know what your grace is making possible right now? The heartfelt family reunion of Sam, Dean, Cas, Mary, and your very own son Jack. That's right. Your wee boy's over there, and he'll be so glad to see his three fathers. Of course, as far as he's concerned, they are his father. And you? You're nothing to him. Or me. Or anyone now. Nothing.
Rowena: Fine. This isn't how you wanted things to work out, but yes, Rowena, thanks to you, Sam and Dean'll be trapped in some sort of nightmare universe with the Devil himself. And you're the only person who might be able to devise a way to keep the door back home open for them. But... Sorry, boys. Au revoir, bon voyage, not my problem. Bollocks! Bums bollocks.
Lucifer: I want what you already have -- a relationship with my son. Okay, there was a time that I would, you know, just grab him, but... I've grown.

Sam: Yeah, sure you have.

Lucifer: I have, Samuel. I want my son, and you're gonna help me.
Lucifer: Look, Sammy, I'm -- I'm not asking you to -- to like it or to like me. All I'm asking is that you acknowledge the truth, that I was the one who brought you back to life, that I was the one who lifted you from the darkness and into the light. Okay? Apocalypse World, Michael's armies -- you really think you and your family can handle that stuff alone? You need me.
Lucifer: Hello, son.

Trivia & References

Gabriel grabs the book titled Laying Pipe: A Beginners Guide to Plumbing and Pipe Fitting. "Laying pipe" is a euphemism for having sex, which Gabriel engages in with Rowena soon after picking up the book.
Gabriel: Think they'll be much longer?

Rowena: The Three Amigos? With their bro hugs, pep talks, and melodrama? Count on it.

Three Amigos is a 1986 comedy starring Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short as three movie stars mistaken for real life heroes.
The vampire that attacks Maggie and Floyd appears strikingly similar to Count Orlok from the 1922 silent film Nosferatu.
Sam: But we drained you.

Lucifer: So how did I have the juice to pull off my little Lazarus trick? Uh, that's a long story, but I was basically tracking you here, and then I came across a handful of Michael's angels and I... ate 'em. I guess it's not really a long story, is it?

In the Christian New Testament, Lazarus of Bethany was a man who was raised from the dead by Jesus and whose story is recounted in the Gospel of John.
Sam: What do you want?

Lucifer: What do I want? I want what everyone wants. I want a personal apology from Pop. I want rerun-free, year-round episodes of Drag Race.

RuPaul's Drag Race is a reality TV show hosted by the eponymous RuPaul in which drag queens compete for the title of America's Next Drag Superstar. At the time of this episode's airing, Drag Race ran in the same time slot on a different channel.
There are a number of references to the fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. In the novel, the Fellowship has to choose between taking a safe route around a mountain, or the more treacherous path through the tunnels. They choose the tunnels, where they are attacked by Orcs. One of their members, Gandalf, succumbs during the attack, but is later resurrected. During ADR for the episode, Richard Speight did the line, "You shall not pass!" which Gandalf says during the climactic battle. Watch it here.

Minutiae

Michael Patric, who played Floyd, previously played Deputy in 7.05 Shut Up, Dr. Phil.
Trevor Lerner, who played Bartender, previously played the uncredited Octovamp Victim in 7.14 Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie.
Gabriel: Just sayin’. I heard your, uh, magical unbinding didn’t take, that you got knocked back down a peg. Maybe it’s you who are off your game.
Gabriel is referencing the end to 13.19 Funeralia, where Rowena tells Sam after attacking Billie / Death:
"I fought Death and lost. I feel tired, weaker, I don’t know if it’s forever... Sam, what have I done?"
This is the seventh time Sam has died. The six other times Sam has been killed include:
While he was resurrected, Sam's death continues the trend of a featured or recurring character meeting a grisly end in the 21st episode. Previous deaths starting in season nine included: Abaddon (9.21), Charlie Bradbury (10.21), Metatron (11.21) and Eileen Leahy (12.21).
According to writer Bob Berens, the "droopy" rift was director Phil Sgriccia's "so dumb it's great" idea.

Sides, Scripts & Transcripts

Promotion

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