Stories are very important on Supernatural this week. Literally, the Scribe of God likes reading stories.  In “The Great Escapist” things work out pretty well for the good guys as Kevin and Castiel both get reunited with Sam and Dean (after some unpleasant torture). We also start to learn more about what’s actually happening to Sam and we discover the third and final trial.

Of course even in an episode that’s mostly good, Crowley still finds more power and a restaurant full of people is slaughtered. This is Supernatural, after all, where every good thing must be accompanied by at least two bad things.

The Story of Sam

Sam is basically on death’s door for the entire episode this week. Whatever the trials are changing in him is pretty bad. The brothers get a video message from Kevin that was automatically sent if he didn’t check in every week, which means he’s probably dead (luckily, he’s not). The message is brutal but awesome as he’s angry, but also gives them all the info he decoded from the Tablet because he understands how important it is.

The research reminds Sam of a Native American symbol, leading the boys to Colorado. Once there we learn how Sam is being changed. He can hear Metatron, like he has some kind of connection to him. And he suddenly starts to remember details from his very early childhood with perfect clarity. He tells Dean that he’s being purified.

By this point I’m now 99 percent sure that my theory about Sam being turned into God’s vessel is correct. The fact that Metatron literally compares writing a book to “becoming God” only adds to my belief.

The boys meet the Scribe of God and learn that he knows nothing. Like, he doesn’t even know who the Winchesters are. He’s avoided any and all connections to the angel world, preferring to stay in and do nothing but read as many stories as possible (I guess he never got around to Carver Edlund’s oeuvre), because he’s fascinated by what humanity has done with God’s gift of life. Needless to say, Dean isn’t so pleased that Metatron has been sitting on the sidelines, finding joy in all the horror instead of helping out.

The Story of Naomi

Castiel is still on the run from Naomi and the angels, hiding out in various Biggerson’s across the world. The fact that they’re all the same confuses the other angels and lets Cas stay one step ahead of them.

Naomi is sick and tired of playing games, so she has her angel minions slaughter everyone in the Santa Fe Biggerson’s so, when Cas comes back there, he’s compelled to stop. He gets captured and tortured, but Cas vows that he won’t talk.

The Story of Crowley

Meanwhile, Crowley is keeping Kevin locked up in a fake sound stage designed to look like the houseboat, having a fake Sam and Dean convince him he’s still working with them to find out what he knows. The whole thing is delightfully elaborate and helps Crowley learn all about the three trials to close the Gates of Hell.

Crowley then finds out about Naomi and Cas because he has an angel spy, so he shows up at Biggerson’s with a gun filled with bullets made out of angel-killing swords. That’s a pretty kick-ass weapon.

Crowley threatens Naomi then takes Cas back to his lair. He figures out that Cas didn’t bury the Angel Tablet, he hid it inside his own body. So a few disgusting moments later, Crowley yanks the Angel Tablet out of Castiel’s body and now he has the A-Bomb of weapons.

The Story of Kevin

Kevin quickly figures out he’s being tricked by Crowley, so he sends fake Sam and Dean into a Devil’s Trap (the giveaway was that they were too polite). Crowley shows up to taunt Kevin about how he has the Angel Tablet and doesn’t need him anymore. Just as Crowley is about to kill the prophet, a bright light arrives and zaps Crowley down.

It’s Metatron, who finally decides to get in the game and helps bring Kevin back to Sam and Dean. Kevin also brings along the other half of the Demon Tablet, but he doesn’t need it because he already translated it.

The third trial is to cure a demon. Um, good luck with that.

The Story of Cas

Finally, Cas is able to escape Crowley’s lair and winds up in the middle of the road, right in front of the Impala. So not only did Sam and Dean get Kevin back, they also got Cas back. I guess everything worked out for the best. Except for all those innocent fatties who just wanted some Smart-Heart, Beer-Battered Tempura Tempters at Biggerson’s. They got their eye sockets burned out.

Next week on Supernatural: Crowley tries to kill everyone Sam and Dean have ever saved while the boys watch a movie that may or may not be about them torturing Abaddon. Something tells me the episode titled “Clip Show” is gonna get weird and meta.

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(Image courtesy of the CW)

John Kubicek

Senior Writer, BuddyTV

John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire DiariesSupernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.