5.21 Two Minutes to Midnight
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Title | Two Minutes to Midnight |
Episode # | Season 5, Episode 21 |
First aired | May 6, 2010 |
Directed by | Phil Sgriccia |
Written by | Sera Gamble |
On IMDB | http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1626754/ |
Outline | |
Monster | Pestilence, Death |
Timeline | |
Location(s) | Davenport, Iowa; Chicago, Illinois |
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Contents
Synopsis
Dean and Sam are at Bobby's place, arguing after Sam has revealed his plan to let Lucifer possess him as a way of getting him into Lucifer's Cage. Dean's phone rings - it's Castiel who following his heroic efforts at the warehouse in Van Nuys, appeared on a shrimping boat off Delacroix Island, Louisiana. He is now is hospital, and has little of his angel powers left and is experiencing what it feels like to be human. He apologises to Dean for thinking he would say yes to Michael.
Based on the information they got from Brady, the boys track Pestilence to a Nursing Home where he is brewing up a cocktail of diseases in a patient. Alerted to the Winchesters' arrival by a demon, he spreads disease through the hospital causing everyone to die, and the boys reach him in a deathly state. Just as they appear doomed, Castiel appears and cuts the ring from Pestilence's hand. Before he disappears, Pestilence warns that "it's too late".
Back at Bobby's, Team Free Will are wondering what to do next, when Bobby reveals that Death will next appear in Chicago. When questioned about how he knows this information, Crowley arrives and it is revealed that Bobby sold his soul in order gain this information, although Crowley states he intends to return it and is only keeping it as "insurance" so that Sam and Dean don't turn on him.
Sam tells Dean that he doesn't think saying "Yes" to Lucifer is in fact a bad plan and he thinks he's the weakest out of them all. However, he also states that this is the only plan they have so there's no choice in the matter. Crowley interrupts them to tell them that Niveus Pharmaceuticals is distributing a vaccine for Swine Flu; which is actually the Croatoan virus.
Meanwhile, in Chicago, a storm rages through the city as Death arrives. A bystander accidentally bumps into him and almost immediately drops dead from the contact.
Castiel laments his newfound humanity and how useless he now feels, although Bobby quickly reprimands him for these thoughts considering he is still trapped in a wheelchair. Sam ponders how complicated their lives have gotten, and remembers the old days when they used to "just hunt Wendigo's. Crowley gives Dean Death's Scythe in order to kill Death and also reveals that he gave Bobby back the use of his legs in their deal.
On the way to the Niveus warehouse, Sam and Bobby unveil their plan for Sam to say "Yes" to Lucifer in order to trap him back into Hell. Despite Sam's thinking, Castiel ensures that it is not exactly a bad plan, although he says that there are first a number of things Sam will need to know. The first is that Michael has taken Adam to be in vessel in lieu of Dean. The second is that in order to take in Lucifer, Sam will need to consume more demon blood then he ever has before as the demon blood strengthens the vessel, which is exactly what has happened with Nick's body.
Sam, Bobby and Castiel arrive at the warehouse and immediately get to work stopping the trucks from leaving the warehouse, however, the demons inside infect a number of people with the Croatoan virus to attack them. Sam rushes through the warehouse quickly looking for survivors and dispatching the infected.
Meanwhile, Dean and Crowley search for Death in Chicago, eventually finding him in a pizzaria littered with dead bodies. Dean approaches him alone with the scythe but Death quickly takes it from him and thanks him for returning it. Dean sits with Death who says he has been waiting to speak with Dean for a long time. Death tells him that he considers Dean, the angels and the entire planet insignificant as he is as old as God (or perhaps even older, as neither can recall) and that one day he will reap God himself.
Dean is surprised to discover that Death does not actually care for Lucifer at all and is only working for him because of a spell that keeps him chained to Lucifer's will to be used as a weapon. Death agrees to give Dean his ring in order to chain up Lucifer again as long as Dean does whatever it takes to get it done; which means Dean must let Sam say "Yes" to Lucifer and jump into the pit. Dean agrees to this and acquires Death's ring and instructions on how to use the rings.
Back at Bobby's, Dean places the four rings in position and they immediately magnetize. Dean tells Bobby he actually lied to Death about Sam saying "Yes". Although Dean says they can't believe Death, Bobby is not so sure. Bobby tells Dean that he watched Sam save almost a dozen people back at the warehouse and he never let up for even a moment. He admits to Dean that they've always been unjustly hard on Sam even though, through all the criticism, Sam has been fighting hard since he was twelve years old.
Bobby also says he knows that Sam has got a deep darkness in him but he also has a lot of good in him too, which he knows will mean Sam will either beat Lucifer or die in the process. Dean says he knows this which prompts Bobby to ask what he is afraid of more; losing the war or losing Sam.
Characters
Definitions
- Demon Killing Knife
- Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
- Horsemen's Rings
- Lucifer's Cage
- Croatoan virus
- Demonic Possession
- Vessel
- Zombies
- Death's Cadillac
- Death's Scythe
- Demon Blood
- Reaper
- Niveus Pharmaceuticals
- Team Free Will
Music
O Death (played when Death first appears in Chicago, gets out of his car and walks down the street.)
Quotes
Pestilence: No. You're going to die. In 4...3...2... [Celeste vomits on him a la Linda Blair in "The Exorcist" and dies] Interesting.
Dean: Well, he's Pestilence so he probably looks sick.
Pestilence: [laughs] Are you kidding me?
Nurse: They have a track record with Horsemen.
Pestilence: You mean my brothers, what they did to my brothers. The only reasonable thing to do here is to take it out on their healthy young asses.
Nurse: We're under strict orders not to kill the vessels.
Bobby: Chicago is about to be wiped off the map. Storm of the millennium. Sets off a daisy chain of natural disasters. Three million people are gonna die.
Dean: You sold your soul?
Crowley: More like pawned it. I fully intend to give it back.
Dean: Well then give it back!
Crowley: I will.
Dean: Now!
Sam: Did you kiss him?
Dean: Sam!
Sam: Just wondering.
Bobby: [awkward silence] No!
Crowley: [coughs, shows photo of him and Bobby kissing on his iPhone]
Bobby: Why'd you take a picture?
Dean: Yeah, but not just for giggles. That was step one. Step two is the vaccine. You think...?
Crowley: I know. I'll stake my reputation that vaccine is chock full of Grade A farm-fresh Croatoan virus.
Sam: Simultaneous countrywide distribution. That's part of the plan.
Crowley: Relax. All deals are soul back or store credit. We'll catch Death in the next doomed city.
Dean: Millions, Crowley! Millions of people are about to die any minute!
Death: As old as God. Maybe older. Neither of us can remember anymore. Life, death, chicken, egg – regardless, at the end, I’ll reap Him too.
Dean: God? You’ll reap God?
Death: Oh yes. God will die too, Dean.
Dean: This is way above my pay grade.
Death: I suppose it can stay. I like the pizza.
Dean: Pretty much...
Bobby: Look, Sam's got a... darkness in him, I'm not saying he don't. But he's got a helluva lot of good in him too.
Dean: I know.
Trivia & References
A reference to Austin Powers's arch-nemesis. His lair changes in the three Austin Powers movies.
A reference to Eunice Kennedy Shriver. In addition to founding the Special Olympics she was a member of the famous Kennedy family, sister of John, Bobby, and Ted Kennedy, and mother of Maria Shriver.
This line is somewhat similar in tone and substance (but not necessarily exact detail) to comments by Agent Smith in The Matrix:
A reference to 1.02 Wendigo.
Dean: How do you know?
Crowley: Have you met me? Because I know. Also, the block is swarming with reapers.
Somewhat of an ironic statement considering the many times Dean has cheated death. See Dead...or are they?.
Minutiae
Sides, Scripts & Transcripts
Promotion
- Misha Collins Tweeted live during the episode for the CW's Watch And Tweet Week
- Episode title via supernaturalfansonline.com
- Synopsis Spoiler TV
- Promo teaser - song is O Death