4.20 The Rapture

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Jimmy Novak.jpg
Title The Rapture
Episode # Season 4, Episode 20
First aired April 30, 2009
Directed by Charles Beeson
Written by Jeremy Carver
On IMDB The Rapture
Outline Castiel is ordered back to Heaven, leaving his vessel -- Jimmy Novak -- to rediscover his life.
Monster Demons
Timeline
Location(s) Pontiac, Illinois
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Synopsis

Dean is sitting on a jetty, fishing, in a very peaceful scene. Castiel appears next to him and says he has something important to tell Dean. Dean realizes he is dreaming, but Castiel warns him that even in his mind someone may be listening, and gives Dean an address at which to meet him.

When Dean and Sam arrive at an old factory site, it is obvious a violent fight has occurred, and when they see symbols similar to the ones Anna used in 4.10 Heaven and Hell to banish Castiel and Uriel, they understand that the battle was between angels. They find Jimmy Novak there — the man who has been Castiel's vessel.

While eating his first meal in "months," Jimmy tells Sam and Dean he knows nothing of what Castiel wanted to tell Dean and has very few memories about being possessed. His only desire is to return to his wife and daughter.

In flashback, we see how Jimmy, an observant Christian, was contacted by Castiel. He demonstrated his existence by performing miracles, such as protecting Jimmy while he plunged his hand into boiling water. Jimmy's wife Amelia Novak fears he is mentally unbalanced and pleads with him to seek treatment. He refuses and, standing outside his front door, offers himself to Castiel's service, at which point Castiel possesses him. When his daughter comes out on the porch a moment later and asks "Daddy," he replies "I am not your father," and walks away, not to return for over a year.

Back in the present, Sam lays out the facts of why Jimmy needs to stay with them — regardless of his lack of knowledge as a vessel for Castiel, demons will be after him and he will only draw them to his family. Despondent, Jimmy sneaks out that night when Sam leaves the motel room to consume the last of the demon blood he is carrying in a flask. When Sam called Ruby earlier, desperate for more blood, she didn't answer.

Sam and Dean take off to find Jimmy, and Anna visits them and tells them Castiel was pulled out of Jimmy and taken back to Heaven. She says she does not know the reason, but it is not a good situation for Castiel. Anna warns that demons will indeed be pursuing Jimmy, as he may know the important information Castiel was going to tell Dean. Anna also observes that Sam seems different.

Jimmy arrives home to a cautious and cool welcome from his wife, who hasn't seen or heard from him for a year. After talking with him though, she lets him stay for a meal with her and their daughter Claire. During the meal, their neighbor Roger stops by and reveals himself as a demon. Dean and Sam turn up in time to rescue the family, although Sam is unable to use his weakened powers to exorcise any of the demons.

Jimmy accepts that he must separate from his family, and Dean and Sam steal a car for Amelia and Claire to leave in. Shortly after, Jimmy gets a call that his family has been captured by demons.

Jimmy and the Winchesters travel to where the demons are holding the Novaks. Jimmy pleads to the heavens for Castiel not to abandon him, but he and the boys are captured by the demons, one of whom is possessing Amelia.

The demon that possessed Amelia shoots Jimmy in the gut and orders the other demons to kill Claire. At that moment, Castiel possesses Claire, who quickly attacks the demons, destroying them. Sam and Dean join in the fight, and Sam takes the opportunity to bite one of the demons and drink her blood, which is seen by Dean and Castiel, to their horror. He uses his recharged powers to exorcise the demon possessing Amelia.

As Jimmy lies dying, Castiel, still possessing Claire, comforts him. Castiel tells Jimmy that Claire is like her father — something in her blood makes her special, and he will use her as his vessel. Jimmy pleads with Castiel to leave Claire and possess him instead, despite Castiel's warnings that it will be painful and that he will never die or age. Jimmy agrees and Castiel accedes to his wishes.

As Castiel leaves, Dean asks him what it was he wanted to tell him, but Castiel rebuffs him, saying he doesn't serve man... or Dean; only Heaven.

Back on the road, Sam waits for a response from Dean about the revelation of his blood drinking. Dean seems weary and won't talk about it. Sam gets a call from Bobby, saying he needs to see them — unbeknownst to him arranged by Dean. They get to Bobby's place, and he pretends to show them something in his panic room, but it is a ruse to trap Sam in there.

Characters

Definitions

Music

None

Quotes

Sam: You remember anything about being possessed? Anything at all?
Jimmy: Yeah, bits and pieces. I mean, angel inside of you, it's kinda like being chained to a comet.
Dean: You remember when our job was helping people? Like, getting them back to their families?

Sam: You think I don't want to help him? I'm just being realistic. I mean, hell, we're doing him a favor.
Dean: How?

Sam: Dean, if we want to question the guy, you can damn well bet the demons do, too.
Jimmy: I don't think that you do understand. I've been shot and stabbed and healed, and my body has been dragged all over the Earth. By some miracle, I'm out, and I am done. I've given enough, okay?
Dean: Well, you look terrific.

Anna: Um, yeah, not the most appropriate time, Dean. You let Jimmy get away?

Dean: Talk to ginormo here.
Jimmy: So, I want to help you. I'm about to lose my family here if you don't tell me how... Please, Castiel, just talk to me. What do you want from me? Yes, I understand. Promise my family will be okay and I'll do it... Then, yes.
Jimmy: I was – I was confused, Amelia. I was completely delusional. And I thought – I thought God was calling me to something and I thought that it was important, and I was wrong. I was such an idiot. Heaven, Hell... none of that matters. The only thing that's important to me is you and Claire. And I – I can't undo what I've done. But I just wanna come home again.
Sam: Don't you get it? Forever. The demons will never stop. You can never be with your family. So you either get as far away from them as possible or you put a bullet in your head. And that's how you keep your family safe. But there's no getting out and there's no going home.
Dean: Well, don't sugarcoat it, Sam.
Jimmy: Castiel, you son of a bitch! You promised me my family would be okay. You promised you were gonna take care of them. I gave you everything you asked me to give. I gave you more. This is the thanks I get? This is what you do? This is your heaven? Help me, please. You promised, Cas. Just help me... Typical.
Castiel: I wanna make sure you understand. You won't die or age. If this last year was painful for you, picture a hundred, a thousand more like it.

Jimmy: It doesn't matter. You take me. Just take me.

Castiel: As you wish.
Sam: Right. Look, at least let me explain myself.

Dean: Don't. I don't care.
Sam: You don't care?

Dean: What do you want me to say, that I'm disappointed? Yeah, I am. But, mostly, I'm just tired, man. I'm done. I am just done.

Trivia & References

The title of the episode refers to the rapture, which is a term used to describe the events surrounding the second coming of Christ, specifically where the faithful is called to Heaven. In recent years it has featured in several Christian movies including the films of the popular Left Behind series of novels. It was also the subject of the 1991 film The Rapture, starring David Duchovny and Mimi Rodgers, who worked together on The X-Files, on which Kim Manners, David Nutter and John Shiban all spent some time.
Dean: Anna used something like that to wish the angels back to the cornfield.
Reference to the 1961 Twilight Zone episode It's a Good Life starring Billy Mumy.
The name Jimmy Novak may be referencing Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak who starred together in the Hitchcock movie Vertigo, which is about a woman who is not whom she appears to be. There is also a real Jimmy Novak who is a Chicago radio host who used to run a segment called "4:20 Hit of the Day."
Sam: What the hell happened back there? It looked like an angel battle royale.
Battle Royale is a 2000 Japanese film in which high school students are forced to kill each other.
Dean: You think he's lying? What, you wanna go Guantanamo on the guy?
A reference to Guantanamo Bay detention camp, where the U.S. government holds suspected terrorist without charges, and has become infamous for its torture and general abuse of prisoners.
Amelia: Oh, you're such a liar. Like I didn't think you'd bring Heckle and Jeckle, hmm?
Heckle and Jeckle are animated cartoon crows created by Paul Terry in 1946.
Amelia: Oh, Sam. It's easy to act chivalrous when your Wonder Girl powers aren't working, huh? Now for the punch line. Everybody dies.
Wonder Girl is a reference to the DC Comics character, who was a protégé of Wonder Woman in two of her incarnations.

Minutiae

It was during the filming that Misha, Jared and Jensen got up to some mischief on location, according to an interview Misha did with Buddy TV:
"We went and shot at an abandoned warehouse last week, and Jared, Jensen and I did get scolded for breaking some windows." In Collins' defense, he did mention that the windows were asking for it.
While there was no music used during the opening scene, the closed captions read, [Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Green River" playing] and then the opening lyrics were quoted:
"Well, take me back down where cool water flows,
Let me remember things I love..."
Jimmy Novak is from Pontiac, Illinois - the town near where Dean was buried and came back to life in 4.01 Lazarus Rising.
The episode ended with the words "Soon" followed by a series of clips from the final two episodes of the season.

Sides, Scripts & Transcripts

Promotion

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