15.12 Galaxy Brain
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| Title | Galaxy Brain |
| Episode # | Season 15, Episode 12 |
| First aired | March 16, 2020 |
| Directed by | Richard Speight, Jr. |
| Written by | Teleplay: Robert Berens Story: Meredith Glynn Robert Berens |
| On IMDB | Galaxy Brain |
| Outline | Dark Kaia's return leads Sam and Dean on a daring rescue mission, along with Jody, Castiel, and Jack. |
| Monster | God |
| Timeline | Four weeks after 15.09 The Trap |
| Location(s) | Earth 2 Sioux Falls, South Dakota Lebanon, Kansas The Bad Place |
| « Previous Episode | Next Episode » | |
Contents
Synopsis
Four weeks ago on Earth 2:
Chuck walks into a "Radio Shed" and over to a display of TVs. The clerk describes all the options for tvs and asks what Chuck is looking for. Chuck says he is looking for an audience, “In the Beginning, it was just me and Sis...” Chuck describes how he made the world and then made lots of other worlds, as some of these worlds appear on the TV screens. Chuck realizes that the other Sam and Deans in the other worlds don’t “spark joy” the way Sam and Dean of our world do; our Sam and Dean challenge, disappoint, and surprise Chuck. Chuck has an epiphany that he needs fewer worlds and begins destroying all his other worlds save ours.
Sioux Falls, Our World, present day:
Sheriff Jody Mills is looking at a dead steer. When Alex calls to say dinner is getting cold, Jody says the cattle mutilation is not a monster but human cruelty. Jody sees someone in the barn and when she goes to investigate, she is knocked out by a hooded figure.
In the Bunker, Sam, Dean, and Cas are discussing Jack’s deal with Billie. Sam is concerned that Jack doesn’t have a soul, has been in the Empty for months, and they don’t have a sense of what he’s thinking or feeling about all of this. Cas says he trusts Jack. Dean agrees that he thinks Billie’s plan is the way forward and that even if she isn’t telling them the whole plan now, Billie has a plan.
Meanwhile, Jack is in the Reading Room and notices the Sam, Dean, and Mary’s initials carved into the table. Jack wanders into his bedroom and Merle, a Reaper, appears. Jack has been “praying” to Billie, but as she’s busy, Billie sent Merle to find out what Jack wants. Jack wonders why Billie hasn’t helped him earlier. Merle asserts that Billie knew that Jack could handle the Grigori and that Cas would save him. Merle says that Jack needs to follow the rules: lay low, wait for instructions, and don’t use his powers. Jack agrees. Sam walks in and and tells Jack how glad they are he is back.
Dean and Cas are having a drink and discussing Kelly’s faith in Jack’s goodness. Cas shares how he was so lost after Chuck killed Jack and how he just knew that Jack’s story wasn’t over. They toast to Cas being right. Dean proposes a toast to revenge, too. Dean is excited about the possibility of Chuck being killed by his grandson and how fitting that is. Suddenly, Jody calls and tells Dean she’s in trouble and to come get her.
Sam and Dean arrive at the barn where Jody is being held. As they release her, Sam and Dean are attacked by Dark Kaia. She asks about her spear and Dean's promise to get her back to her world, “The Bad Place.” With Jody’s help, they subdue Dark Kaia and find out she wants to go back to her world because it’s dying. Dark Kaia is dreaming about her dying world through the eyes of Kaia who is alive and stuck in the dying world. Jody is distraught that they left Kaia behind.
Back in the Bunker, Cas and Jack are playing Connect Four. Sam, Dean, Jody, and Dark Kaia return and after chaining Dark Kaia to the kitchen table, they begin to search the lore and check magic supplies for a way to get Kaia back without using Jack’s powers. Jack’s finds a spell, but one of ingredients is the heart of a mandragora. Sam and Dean chuckle; John Winchester killed the last mandragora and recounted it in his journal under “A Hunt in Fargo.” Jack leaves to help Jody and Cas look through the stores in the bunker; Sam and Dean realize they are stuck without angel grace.
As Jody inventories magic ingredients, Cas leaves a voicemail for Sergei. Cas asks if Jody has told Claire about Kaia being alive. Jody tells Cas that Claire, who is Claire is out of cell phone range in Yosemite, loved Kaia and has spent years looking for revenge. Jody knows that Claire would do anything to save Kaia, but there’s no time to get her involved and she’s hesitant in case a rescue fails. Jack has overheard this whole exchange and goes to talk to Dark Kaia. Jacks apologizes for not being able to do more, but Dark Kaia angrily rebukes Jack. Jack asks why Dark Kaia came to this world. Dark Kaia envied Kaia and her “peaceful” world, but Dark Kaia has realized she doesn’t understand this world; she pleads for Jack’s help. Jack dreamwalks to see Kaia in the other world.
Jack tells Sam and Dean he will save Kaia because he saw that she’s running out of time. Merle appears to remind Jack of the rules and that risking their plan to save one life is “Winchester dumb.” Merle threatens to tell Billie; Jack tells Merle to go tell Billie, but that while she’s gone, he’s going to open the rift and save Kaia. Jack convinces Merle that not telling Billie and working with them to save Kaia is a better plan than Billie finding out that Jack went ahead with saving Kaia on Merle’s watch. Merle agrees and says the first step is to temporarily fix the cosmic warding in the Bunker that Amara destroyed.
After they upgrade the warding, Sam and Dean pack for going through the rift. They acknowledge that they are taking a risk, but that it also feels good disobeying cosmic entities and doing the dumb, right thing. Cas asks Jody to stay behind. He is concerned that if something happens to Jody, Claire will be devastated and Jody reluctantly agrees. Jack opens the portal and Sam, Dean, and Dark Kaia go through.
In Dark Kaia’s world, Sam, Dean, and Dark Kaia are surrounded by creatures with red glowing eyes. Sam and Dean start to fight but Dark Kaia stops them; the creatures are not after them but are afraid of what’s happening in the world. They find Kaia in Dark Kaia’s hut. Dark Kaia chooses to stay behind as a rolling, thundering fog with lightening washes over Dark Kaia and her world.
Sam, Dean, and Kaia arrive back in the Bunker. Jody embraces Kaia. After changing into some of Jack’s clothes, Jody invites Kaia back to Sioux Falls to live with her. Kaia asks is Claire will be there and Jody says “soon.” Jody and Kaia leave.
Merle thinks the warding worked and kept Jack’s use of his powers off Chuck’s radar. Suddenly, Billie appears and kills Merle with Death’s scythe. Billie is disappointed that Jack is already bending the rules. Billie sees the big picture and that saving one life is nothing in the grand scheme. Billie tells them all the worlds, but this one, are dying. Billie tells them that when she became Death, she inherited Death’s knowledge and Death’s library. God has a book in Death’s library. Billie tells them that God didn’t write his own death, the books write themselves. The details in each book are only known by Billie and whoever she lets read them. It’s God’s only weakness. Sam and Dean are in God’s book as the messengers of God’s destruction.
In the Radio Shed, Chuck is watching the dying worlds on the wall of tv screens. Chuck gets up to leave and the Clerk asks if he and his world will be spared. Chuck tells him it will be fine and leaves the store. In the sky, with two moons, flaming meteors falling to Earth, one landing directly on the Radio Shed.
Characters
- Sam Winchester
- Dean Winchester
- Castiel
- Jack Kline
- Chuck / God
- Sheriff Jody Mills
- Alex Jones
- Billie / Death
- Kaia Nieves
- Dark Kaia
- Merle
Definitions
- Alcohol
- Alternate Universe
- Angel Lore
- Apocalypse
- The Bad Place
- Canids
- Chuck's Endings
- The Colt
- The Cosmic Balance
- Crew Cameos
- Death's Library
- Death's Scythe
- Dreamwalking
- Hugs
- Hunters
- Good Talk
- John's Journal
- Kaia's Spear
- Men of Letters Bunker
- Monsters
- Nephilim
- Portal
- Prayer
- Reapers
- Season 15 Callbacks
- Soullessness
- Spells
- Table of Death
- Warding Sigils
Music
- "Pop Tart Heart" by Louden Swain
- (playing on the radio in the Earth 2 Radio Shed store)
- "Mary Mack" by Yadira Guevara-Prip
- (sung by Kaia Nieves in the Bad Place)
Quotes
Clerk: Sir, this a Radio Shed.
Chuck: Dean says I'm not going to get the ending I want. And I don't know. Maybe -- I -- I mean that shouldn't matter, right? I've gotten what I want from hundreds of Sams and Deans. I could get what I want from a hundred more. And I don't care. Those other toys they don't -- they don't... spark joy. But Sam and Dean... the real Sam and Dean... they do. They challenge me... They disappoint me... They surprise me. They're... the ones.
Clerk: How 'bout a stereo?
Dean: Which part -- Jack's deal with death? Or the part where she's got him eating angel hearts?
Castiel: What sounds good to me is Jack fulfilling his destiny.
Dean: Well, way I see it, that promise expired the minute you hurt our friend.
Merle: Yeah, I've been watching you screw up. One measly life on the line, and you're ready to risk it all? That's not just dumb. That's Winchester dumb.
Sam: Honestly? Feels like we're taking a big, probably stupid risk. Feels good. Disobeying cosmic entities, doing the, uh... dumb right thing? Feels like we're back.
Billie: When I was a reaper, I believed in the rules. But then you killed me. And when I became Death, I inherited Death's knowledge... and Death's library. And in Death's library, everyone has a book. Even God.
Dean: So God can die?
Billie: He didn't. The books write themselves. After God made the world, He couldn't stop. He wanted more. But He needed to create a perfect harmony -- a Swiss watch so that this world could keep tick-tick-ticking in His absence. He had no choice but to build Himself into the framework. It's His only weakness.
Dean: So Chuck doesn't know what's inside the book?
Billie: No one can read their books unless I let them.
Sam: What about Jack? He's in God's book?
Trivia & References
- Earth-Two, a parallel world in the DC Multiverse; the home of DC's Golden Age heroes.
Dean: What are the ingredients?
Jack: Basic stuff -- crystals, herbs, and the, uh... "liver of a mandragora."
- Stregheria is a form of witchcraft with roots in South Europe, as well as a connection to Italian Americans. Mandragora are a type of familiar demons that appear as dolls to act as counselors to sorcerers in times of need. Mandragora is also the latin name of a plant genus of the nightshade family whose members are also known as Mandrakes which have been used in various supernatural practices throughout history.
- The "snap" is the term used to refer to the actions of Thanos in snapping his fingers while wearing the Infinity Gauntlet and wiping out 50% of all living things. It is also a reference to Chuck's affinity for snapping his fingers when he wants someone to die or disappear.
Minutiae
- "At the beginning of the season, Jared and Jensen spoke with the writers about the final season. Most of the convo was about the ending, but when loose ends came up Jensen made a point of wanting part 2 of the Dark Kaia spear saga. I felt it was important because Dark Kaia’s promise to Dean in 14.09 was so loaded, and we never resolved it. (The plan was to do it in S14 but it didn’t happen.) That Jensen agreed it mattered gave me some steam to push for it."
- "I don’t think they knew that part. I think with Jensen it came down to tracking the fact that Dean had broken a promise onscreen, wanting that resolved— mixed with, I suspect, that he’d enjoyed shooting his last fight with DK."
- The "failed spin-off" comment is in reference to Wayward Sisters. Writer Robert Berens tweeted after the episode "The arc of S1 of Wayward Sisters was always going to be broadly Dark Kaia vs the WaywardSisters, culminating in Kaia’s rescue and Dark Kaia’s tragic defeat. I always wanted to make that death right. But with limited real estate on #Supernatural I had resigned myself to Kaia just being dead. It was only by embedding it in S15 stories (Chuck, Jack’s return to the Bunker, Billie’s plan) it felt like it was possible to tie that loose end in a relevant and appropriate way. In addition, Chuck destroys the Bad Place in the episode which had been created for the Wayward Sisters spin-off.
- Billie casually greeted everyone in the Bunker with a simple "Hello, boys." just as Crowley and Rowena greeted the Winchesters on occasion in previous seasons.
- We Got Work to Do is a repeated refrain throughout the show, first uttered at the end of 1.01 Pilot.
