14.01 Stranger in a Strange Land
| |
| Title | Stranger in a Strange Land |
| Episode # | Season 14, Episode 1 |
| First aired | October 11, 2018 |
| Directed by | Thomas J. Wright |
| Written by | Andrew Dabb |
| On IMDB | Stranger in a Strange Land |
| Outline | Sam, Mary, and the Apocalypse World refugees continue their search for Dean. Meanwhile, Castiel's attempt to get information from a demon does not go according to plan. |
| Monster | Demons Michael |
| Timeline | Three weeks after 13.23 Let the Good Times Roll |
| Location(s) | Lebanon, Kansas Detroit, Michigan Duluth, Minnesota |
| « Previous Episode | Next Episode » | |
Contents
Synopsis
A seemingly devout man, Jamil Hamed, is praying to God. After repeating the prayer several times, he opens his eyes and is shocked to suddenly see the Archangel Michael, possessing Dean Winchester. Michael asks Jamil, if he could have anything, want he would want. Jamil responds with the answer of peace, and love, but Michael is adamant he is lying. Michael taunts Jamil with events of his past, fleeing violence in Syria, and cheating on his wife, and decides that Jamil is not worth saving. Michael violently throws Jamil on the ground and proclaims that the one thing he has always wanted is a ‘better world’.
The bunker is busy with activity as Sam returns from Atlanta. Mary tries to assure Sam that they will find Dean, and everything will be ok. Jack and Bobby are practice fighting in the gym as Jack is finding hard to adjust to having no grace or powers. Bobby tells Jack that fighting didn’t come easy to him either but that they have to keep going.
In a bar in Detroit, Castiel meets with a Demon, Kip. He is attempting to get information from the demons about where Dean is and threatens the life of the demon to get it. This threat causes the demon to reveal that everyone in the bar is also a demon, and they ambush Castiel, overcoming him and beating him to the ground.
Meanwhile, Sister Jo is making money from church services. She is visited by Michael who asks her, like Jamil, what it is she wants. Jo responds that she wants lots of nice, expensive things like Dior, Louis Vuitton etc. Once again, Michael thinks she is lying. He tells her that she wants love, to belong, family, and other human things. Michael thinks that to be human is to be disappointing, and he says that Jo is not worth saving.
Sam comforts Jack about losing his powers. He is called away by Mary, who announces that someone is awake that Sam needs to see. Sam leaves Jack and goes down to the dungeon area of the bunker, to see someone sat in the dark with their back to the door. As Sam switches the light on, it is revealed to be Lucifer’s vessel, Nick, still alive with the apparent absence of Lucifer himself. Sam asks Nick if he can remember anything from being Lucifer’s vessel, but it’s only bits and pieces. Nick tells Sam he remembers Michael telling Lucifer that he wanted to “do it right this time”.
Sam gets a call from Kip and threatens to kill Castiel if Sam doesn’t agree to a meeting. He knows it’s a trap but assembles Mary, Bobby, Maggie, and Jack (to Bobby’s concern) as a team to go to the meeting. Kip, meanwhile, tells Castiel that he needs something from Sam and that this meeting is to strike a deal. Kip reveals that he has been visited by Michael, as he tells Castiel that someone asked him ‘what he wants’.
Maryonce again tries to comfort Sam, Sam gets frustrated because he cannot know for sure that they will find Dean. Mary tells him that they have to focus on the positive because if they don’t they will drown in the negative. Bobby tells Jack that he will have his back in the fight, because Jack saved Bobby countless times in the AU.
Sam enters the bar where Kip and Castiel are, alone. Kip reveals that his demons found Maggie and Jack outside, and drags them in. Kip proposes to Sam that they make a deal: Kip would be the king of hell, offer information and help from time to time, in exchange for Sam to let the demons go un-hunted. Kip tells Sam that the demons are afraid of him. Essentially, Kip wants to be Crowley. Sam expresses that they never gave Crowley that deal and tells Kip no to his.
A fight breaks out in the bar, when Mary and Bobby enter shooting at the demons. After Sam stabs Kip and kills him, he shouts to stop the rest of the fighting. He tells the demons that there will be no new king of hell and if any demon tries to take the spot, they would have to go through him. All the demons leave their vessels and flee.
After talking to Sam, Castiel goes to visit Jack in his room. He is bruised and bloody but insists that he is fine. Castiel tells Jack that he did well in the fight at the bar. Jack gets upset and says that he is useless, that he doesn’t have any skills or any power now that his grace is gone and that, ultimately, he doesn’t have anything. Castiel tells him that he has his family, that they’ll find Dean, but they will all do it together.
Sam gets a call from Jo, telling him they have a problem. Michael meets with a vampire whom he tells the Vampire that they will work together.
Characters
- Sam Winchester
- Mary Winchester
- Castiel
- Jack Kline
- Nick
- Bobby Singer (Apocalypse World)
- Michael (Apocalypse World)
- Sister Jo
- Maggie (Apocalypse World)
- Kipling
Definitions
- Alcohol
- Archangel Blade
- Angel Blade
- Angel-Killing Bullets
- Angel Lore
- Angel Wings
- Archangel
- Balls
- Beards
- Binding Link
- Dead Man's Blood
- Demonology
- Demon-Killing Knife
- Demon Smoke
- Detroit
- Devil's Trap
- Devil's Trap Bullets
- Hunters
- Holy Oil
- Holy Water
- Hyperbolic Pulse Generator
- Impala
- Men of Letters Bunker
- Rawhead
- Sam's Bedroom
- Table of Death
- Telekinesis
- Teleportation
- Title Card
- Vampires
- Vessel
Music
- "Shot Down in Flames" by AC/DC
- (plays over "The Road So Far" recap of events)
- "Let Him Walk This Troubled Earth Again" by Yvonne DeVaney
- (playing in the bar as Castiel meets with Kipling)
Quotes
Jamil: Peace. And love.
Michael: If you cared about peace, you never would have never left Syria. You never would have ran and abandoned your friends to die -- and they did die. And if you cared about love, you never would have gone into the broom closet with... What was her name? Darlene. Your wife never would have left and you wouldn't be living in this... rat hole. And that's the problem with you. You're lost... and not worth saving.
Jamil: Wha--wha--what do you want?
Jo: And if you're so smart, what do I really want?
Sam: Yeah, um... I think that maybe it's because the archangel blades were made to kill the archangel inside a-and not the person they, uh --
Nick: Possesses and uses to almost end the world twice?
Castiel: And what is it?
Sam: Stop saying that, please.
Mary: What?
Sam: 'It's gonna be fine,' that everything is going to be fine, we're gonna find Dean, and --
Mary: We are.
Sam: You don't know that. Dean's gone, and we have no idea where he is, or -- or if he's even still alive. You know, Michael could have... burned him out or worse, and...
Sam: Yeah. I've been better. I've been worse. You?
Castiel: I'm -- I'm just sorry. I should never have gone to those demons.
Castiel: Oh, Jack, that's just not true. You've got me. You have all of us. You have your family. And -- And we are going to find Dean, and we are going to beat Michael and we are going to do it together. We -- Because that's what we do.
Trivia & References
- "And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land."
- "And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land."
Jamil: Who are you?
Michael: Oh, we've never met but you've read all about me. How does it go? Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and His messengers and Gabriel and Michael then indeed Allah is an enemy to the disbelievers.
- Michael is quoting from the second chapter of the Qur'an, Surah Al-Baqarah (2:91-101).
Sam: It was, uh -- It was a bust. The woman who claims she saw an 'angel.' Let's just say I think she had one too many hits of the brown acid, you know?
- "Brown acid" is a reference to a type of acid that was being passed around at Woodstock '69, that the concert organizers suggested people stay away from as it was not deemed to be "good". Listen to the announcement here.
- "If you see something, say something" is a slogan for the U.S. Homeland Security, which urges people to report suspicious behavior in the hopes of preventing possible terror attacks.
Jack: Was that Gandhi?
Bobby: Probably. Yeah, somethin' like that. Yeah
- Bobby's quote comes from a speech the character Rocky Balboa gives to his son in the eponymous 2006 film.
- Mahatma Gandhi was an Indian activist who used nonviolent civil disobedience to free India from British colonial rule.
Kip: Oh, sausage and brisket, pork ribs, no sauce, well done. My apologies for the lingo, but when in Rome... I was surprised you wanted to meet here.
- "When in Rome" is a reference to the proverb "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." Attributed to Saint Ambrose, the phrase suggests a person should follow the customs of a place they are visiting.
Michael: People keep calling me that.
- Derived from the Hebrew mīkhā'ē'l, the name Michael translates to "Who is like God?"
Michael: Sounds more complicated than it is.
Jo: Why would he say 'yes' to you?
Michael: Love.
Jo: Really? That's very Hallmark Channel. So I'm just gonna go now.
- Hallmark Channel is a network known for its family oriented programming and films. Daneel has a movie called "The Christmas Contract" coming out on the Hallmark Channel in December 2019.
Jo: I don't know. Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton.
- Chanel, Dior, and Louis Vuitton are designers of high-end fashion and fashion accessories.
- Beyoncé is one of the foremost and influential musical creators of the 21st century. Velma Dinkley was also obsessed with Sam's "giant linebacker shoulders" in 13.16 Scoobynatural, and notably Sam's hair has something of its own status in fandom.
Kip: That is a very good question. What do I want? You know, I don't know if you are aware or not, Sam, but Hell's in a bit of a pickle, you know, with Crowley dead and Asmodeus Kentucky fried, which means--
Sam: I don't care.
- Asmodeus's death being described as him being "Kentucky fried" is a reference to his resemblance to Colonel Sanders, having been dubbed Evil Colonel Sanders by Dean Winchester (and the fandom) in season 13.
- Genghis Khan was a 12th century Khan who lead the Mongol invasions that conquered most of Eurasia.
Maggie: Stab them with the pointy end?
- Maggie's response is a reference to a line in Game of Thrones. In the second episode of the first season, Jon Snow gives the young Arya a sword and tells her that to use it she should "stick them with the pointy end."
Sam: Uh, Ketch. He's in London searching for the Newton-Dee Hyperbolic Pulse Generator.
Castiel: The what?
Sam: It's the -- it's the magic egg that kicked Lucifer out of the President. I thought we could use it on Michael, but Ketch can't find it. So, that's another dead end, which is just awesome.
- Newton and Dee may be references to mathematician, astronomer, theologian, author, and physicist Sir Isaac Newton, and mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, and occult philosopher John Dee. The term "hyperbolic" comes from the the mathematics principal of hyperbola, and it was Dee who "discovered" the Enochian language.
