14.20 Moriah

Title	Moriah
Episode #	Season 14, Episode 20
First aired	April 25, 2019
Directed by	Philip Sgriccia
Written by	Andrew Dabb
On IMDB	Moriah
Outline
Monster	Chuck Shurley / God
Timeline	Immediately after 14.19 Jack in the Box
Location(s)	Lebanon, Kansas The Empty
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Characters

• Sam Winchester
• Dean Winchester
• Castiel
• Jack Kline
• Chuck Shurley / God
• Billie / Death
• Cosmic Entity
• Mrs. Kline
• Constance Welch
• Mary Worthington
• John Wayne Gacy

Definitions

• Alcohol
• Angel Blade
• Angel Lore
• Angel Wings
• Archangel Blade
• Bloody Mary
• Clowns
• Costumes & Disguises
• Deals and Pacts
• Death's Scythe
• Demonology
• The Empty
• The Equalizer
• Ghosts
• Impala
• Iron
• Mirror Folklore
• Men of Letters Bunker
• Nephilim
• Smiting
• Soul
• Soullessness
• Table of Death
• Telekinesis
• Teleportation
• Woman in White
• Zombies

Music

• "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas

(plays during "The Road So Far" recap of events; also played in 1.21 Salvation, 2.22 All Hell Breaks Loose: Part Two, 3.16 No Rest for the Wicked, 4.22 Lucifer Rising, 5.22 Swan Song, 6.22 The Man Who Knew Too Much, 7.23 Survival of the Fittest, 8.23 Sacrifice, 9.23 Do You Believe in Miracles?, 10.23 Brother's Keeper, 11.23 Alpha and Omega, 12.23 All Along the Watchtower and 13.23 Let the Good Times Roll)

• "God Was Never on Your Side" by Motörhead

(plays over the closing montage of spirits from Hell being released)

Quotes

Dean: Sam, I know this isn't easy, okay? He -- I know how much he meant to you. He meant a lot to me. He was family. But this? This is not Jack anymore. He's hurting, he's killing people. This isn't gonna be easy, but we're gonna have to do the hard thing. We're gonna have to do the ugly thing. Ain't like it's the first time, though, right?

Woman: I am the stapler queen.

Dean: EightPackMommy.

Sam: What?
Dean: Yeah, she's got this blog. Yeah, you know what? Your kids aren't that cute. And that gluten-free popover looks like crap because there's no gluten in it. I'll stop talking.

Sam: Probably a good plan.

Chuck: You see, this is why people need to lie. It's good. Keeps the peace, you know?

Castiel: Seems like an odd stance for... you.

Chuck: Is it? I'm a writer. Lying's kinda what we do.

Chuck: Listen, you guys know me. I'm hands-off. I built the sandbox -- you play in it. You want to fight Leviathans? Cool. You got that. You want to go up against -- what was it? -- the "British Men of Letters"? Okay. Little weak, but okay. But when things get really bad, like the Apocalypse or the Other Apocalypse, that's when I have to step in.

Sam: He doesn't have a soul.

Dean: And whose fault is that?

Sam: Mine. I'm the one who brought him back, and I brought him back because he's family. And then he came back and he burned his soul off to save us -- you and me. And now what? You... Now you -- you want my permission? You want me to say I'm cool with losing him and losing you all at once? 'Cause I can't do that. I won't say that, 'cause I... No. I've already lost too much.

Sam: Do you watch us? When you're not here, are -- are you... watching us?
Chuck: Yeah. I mean, you're my favorite show.

Sam: He's saying he's been playing us. This whole time. Our entire lives. Mom, Dad -- everything. This is all you because you wrote it all, right? Because -- Because what? Because we're your favorite show? Because we're part of your story?

Chuck: Okay, Dean, no offense, but your brother is stupid and crazy. And that kid is still dangerous. So pick up the gun. Pick it up... pull the trigger... and I'll bring her back. Your mom.
Dean: No. No. My mom was my hero. And I miss her, and I will miss her every second of my life, but she would not want this. And it's not like you even really care. 'Cause Sam's right. The Apocalypse, the first go-around, with Lucifer and Michael -- you knew everything that was going on, so why the games, Chuck, huh? Why don't you just snap your fingers and end it?!

Sam: And every other bad thing we've been killing been dying over -- where were you? Just sitting back and watching us suffer so we can does this over and over and over again -- fighting losing people we love? When does it end? Tell me.

Chuck: Fine! That's the way you want it? Story's over. Welcome to The End.

Jack: What's happening?
Billie: Yeah, about that. We should talk.

Trivia & References

Moriah is the mountainous region in the Book of Genesis where Abraham was to sacrifice his son Isaac to God.

Sam: Mirror Universe builds facial-recognition software. They've got contracts with -- with basically every law-enforcement agency on the planet.

The use of the name "Mirror Universe" for this company may be an allusion to Chuck's later confirmation that he has created many many Earth's within a multiverse. In Star Trek series the Mirror Universe is one where people are the opposite versions of themselves.

Dean: Nerds.

Sam: Takes one to know one.
Dean: What?
Sam: You. Come on, man. You're always calling me a geek, but you know every word to every Led Zeppelin song -- backwards and forwards -- you can discuss in detail every major rock drummer between '67 and '84 and... You watch "Jeopardy!" every night.
Dean: Okay. All right. Yeah. But I'm nothing like these, you know, gaggle of Zuckerbergs.

Mark Zuckerberg is a tech entrepreneur who co-founded Facebook.

Man #1: Hey. I'm sleeping with your wife.

Man #2: I know. Kinda into it.

A reference to the fetish known as cuckoldry or "wife watching."

Dean: Tell me who your favorite singer is.

Sam: What? You...
Dean: Look, I know you say it's Elvis, but we both know that's crap, so tell me who your favorite singer is.
Sam: Well, it's like you said, it's Celine Dion. I mean Celine Dion. It's Celi-- Dean, every time I try and say "Elvis," it comes out --
Dean: The sad, horrible truth.

We have previously known little of Sam's musical tastes except that a song by Jason Manns was playing on his iPod in 4.01 Lazarus Rising, and his enjoyment of '80s hair bands such as Bon Jovi and Vince Vincente and Ladyheart. This is the first time we hear that he claims rocker Elvis Presely as his favorite singer. Celine Dion is a Canadian singer. Her song "My Heart Will Go On" featured in the episode of the same name.

Newscaster: In what was supposed to be a speech on farming subsidies, the President instead spent more than two hours disclosing his entire tax history, deep ties to Russia and North Korea and a quote "demon deal" he made with someone named Crowley.

A reference to current events of 2019 with President Donald Trump who was also referenced by Sam in 13.23 Let the Good Times Roll. While unable to lie, President Trump apparently reveals the truth about his contested tax returns, his ties to Russia and North Korea and that he made a deal with Crowley. However, Chuck erasing everything done under Jack's truth compulsion means that only Sam and Dean remember this.

Chuck: Okay, look. I get it. All right, I'm the deus from the machina, and you have questions. So, great. Go.

Deu Ex machina literally translates as "God in the machine" and refers to a narrative device whereby there is an unexpected, and often contrived, resolution to a plot.

Castiel: What is that?

Chuck: I'm thinking of calling it... the Equalizer! Or... the Hammurabi. No? All right, cool. That's cool. Cool.

Hammurabi was the sixth king of the First Babylonian Dynasty, reigning from 1792 BCE to 1750 BCE. He is known for codifying lawswith an empahsis on the physical punishment for perpetrators of crimes, rather than the compensation of victims.

Chuck: Lookit, the -- the -- the gathering storm, the gun, the -- the father killing his own son. This is Abraham and Isaac. This is epic!

The story of Abraham and Isaac is from the Hebrew Bible and features in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions. In the biblical narrative, God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on Moriah. Abraham undertakes to do the deed, but is interrupted by an Angel. He then sees a ram caught in a bush and sacrifices it instead.

Minutiae

Brandyn Eddy, who played Break Room Man, previously played an uncredited Pitching Demon in 10.14 The Executioner's Song.

Travis Turner, who Short Guy, previously played Joe Silver in 6.19 Mommy Dearest.

During the closing scene, several ghosts previously defeated by the Winchesters appear including Constance Welch, Mary Worthington and John Wayne Gacy.

Sides, Scripts & Transcripts

• 14.20 Moriah (transcript)

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