The boys are headed North in search of their luck and Cas is about to get a very welcome surprise when he works a case on his own. Defeating Chuck is going to take all hands on deck and, from the looks of it, they might just have an advantage now.
Note: This recap may contain spoilers!
We had an even split of storylines during the episode, with one centered around the boys’ trip to Alaska in hopes of regaining their luck and the other centered around Cas’ discovery of someone he thought was long gone. It was a nice mixture and the threads tied together quite nicely in the end.
First up, Dean and Sam headed to Alaska based on Garth’s tip. They need to regain the luck that Chuck took away from them, if only because they would be dead without it. We got a glimpse at the fabled location right from the start, as a guy named Leonard tried and failed to win a game of pool at a bar named Lurlene’s. The cost was both his luck and his life. And soon after the boys get a hint about the bar’s location, so they headed there to try their hand at the deal.
What they find is a mystery and a man named Pax setting up the bets. Yes, they can arrange a game, but be warned that losing could be costly. The game deals with magical coins that house the player’s luck and if the player doesn’t walk away before the coin is drained, then they might end up dead before they make it home. Dean takes the risk and plays against a patron named Moira, winning right off. Being headstrong isn’t going to do them any good, as Sam tries to warn, but Dean pushes for one more game. And he gets a chance to play against Joey Six, who originally took out Leonard. Unfortunately, Joey’s a little headstrong himself and doubles down on his bet, only to lose it all. His luck runs out, his lung cancer comes back, and death is calling for him.
That’s when the mystery unfolds even more. Dean takes the car to test his luck and promises to leave when he gets back. However, all of Joey’s built-up luck isn’t in the coin and they’re no better off than they were before. That’s when Sam figures out the Roman goddess of luck, Fortuna, is skimming the winnings. They don’t know which of the patrons is the famed goddess, but there’s one way to draw her out. After they find out Pax is her son, they put a knife to his throat and make Fortuna reveal herself. Turns out, it was Moira all along. And she’s open to a rematch, but not against the elder Winchester. No, she’s got her sights set on Sammy and he’s happy to take up her bet.
As the first game goes on, the boys get a little more insight into the world Chuck created. She explains how Chuck was mad that humans were worshiping nature instead of him, but then decided to create the gods to take the blame of humans’ bad luck, everything that went wrong in their lives. And when that didn’t pan out either, he just hid behind whatever the most popular religion of the time was. Not a nice guy, that Chuck.
With Moira suitably distracted with her tale, Sam wins the first game. But then she doubles down for a second game and finally agrees that Sam can play for the patrons’ luck, as he requested. It’s an honorable action, but one that Sam loses out on. Admitting defeat, the Winchesters retreat to their car and ready themselves to take the unlucky journey home. However, their actions touched something in Moira. She was so taken with the boys, the fact that heroes still exist, that she shuts down the game and frees all the patrons. And she also provided a coin to replenish Dean and Sam’s luck, along with the advice on how to defeat Chuck. “Don’t play his game. Make him play yours.”
And perhaps they’ll be able to do just that, with the help that Cas discovered during their time away. He was working a case over in Oklahoma, thanks to a call from a local cop. It appears that Jack is not only back in the land of the living, but he’s also killing humans and eating their hearts. Well, as Cas soon discovers, it’s not quite what it appears. Yes, Jack’s killing people, but they’re actually Grigori in disguise and they’ve been using the humans they were sworn to help. So, really, Jack’s on an honorable path of vengeance, right? Whatever his motivation, Cas saves him from being tortured by the latest angel he had targeted and they had a lovely reunion to boot.
Back at the bunker, there’s an even larger emotional reunion when the boys return and find their adopted son alive and well. He tells them what’s been happening. Billie kept Jack hidden in The Empty until Chuck went off-world. Jack knows he has to stay hidden and not use his powers, else Chuck kill him again, but he also knows his grandfather is afraid of him. If he gets strong enough, he knows he can kill God. And with Jack in their corner, perhaps the Winchesters have a fighting chance again. Whatever happens, it’s nice to see the family back together again.
Rating: 5 / 5 Stars
Screencaps by SupernaturalWiki
