Death Takes a Holiday - Recap

In Greybull, Wyoming, Jim Jenkins and his friend leave a bar after a night of fantasy football. A mugger pulls a gun and demands their money. When Jim resists, the mugger shoots him and Jenkins collapses to the ground, dead. The mugger runs off and Jim’s friend examines the corpse… only to discover the bullet hole isn’t bleeding and Jim is seemingly alive and well.

Sam gets a call from Bobby telling him about the situation. Sam follows up on it and discovers that no one in Greybull has died in the last week under circumstances where they should be dead. Dean is too busy eating to express much interest. When Sam starts to leave, Dean asks if he wants him to go along, and refers back to when Sam said Dean was too weak and was holding him back. Sam says that it was the siren that forced him to say that, not what he truly believes. Dean is skeptical but goes along with him.

The brothers talk to Jim, who thinks what happened to him was a miracle. They ask but he doesn’t have any idea what they mean when they ask him if he’s been at a crossroads or made a deal with someone. Dean does some research and learns that the last person who died, a ten-year-old boy named Cole Griffiths, passed away ten days ago. Sam figure that the local Reaper is on strike so that no one can die. They go to the cemetery and try to raise Cole’s spirit, but Dean wonders if they’re doing the right thing, since the “dead” people will die for real. He points out that they’ve both died and come back, but Sam notes that they’re not normal. The groundskeeper confronts them and accuses them of being devil worshippers. When they try to leave, he reveals that he’s Alastair in a new host body. He telekinetically slams Dean aside but discovers that Sam is more powerful than ever. Sam drives Alastair out of the host body and into the night.

The guys go back to their hotel and Sam lies about the fact he’s still using his powers to drive out demons. Dean doesn’t believe him and tells him not to assume he’s stupid. They get a call from Bobby, who explains that the demons have kidnapped the local Reaper. The demons plan to use a ritual involving the sacrifice of a Reaper under a solstice moon to open one of the remaining Seals. The angels don’t seem to be involved, and they realize they’ll have to take on the demons themselves. Since only the dead and dying can see a Reaper, Dean suggests that they become ghosts. They call Pamela Barnes, who reluctantly agrees to help them. She explains that they’ll need to practice once they become spirits so that they can learn how to affect the physical world.

Pamela performs the ritual and the Winchesters leave their bodies. They wander the streets of Greybull but don’t find any sign of demons. They do spot Cole Griffiths in his bedroom window and go to talk to him. In the house, Cole’s mother visits her dead son’s room, sensing his presence. He throws a soccer ball at her and she flees. Sam and Dean come in and find the boy, who is well aware that he died of an asthma attack. Cole explains that a Reaper showed up to take him but he refused to go. Black smoke then appeared and took the Reaper away. Cole starts to tell them that he knows where the black smoke is, but the lights flicker and Cole disappears. They go back to his room but a Reaper is waiting for them: Tessa. She kisses Dean, bringing back his memories of the time he was injured and in a coma, and Sam made his deal to bring Dean back. They try to warn Tessa about the abducted Reaper but she insists she has to do her duties.

Sam goes up to talk to Cole, who refuses to tell him where he saw the black smoke. Sam lies, promising that Cole won’t have to leave the house once death works normally again. Downstairs, Tessa talks about Dean as the “one who got away.” He wonders if he should have gone with her after all, given everything that has happened since. Tessa explains that she knows about the angel-demon struggle but doesn’t care. Sam brings Cole down and the boy explains that he saw the black smoke at the funeral home where he was kept. Suddenly the black smoke enters the house and takes Tessa.

The guys start practicing with their abilities. Cole, who has been at it a lot longer shows them how to focus their emotions to move objects and teleport. Once they think they’re ready. Sam and Dean go to the funeral home. It’s covered with demonic script that only spirits can see, but they’re not sure what it signifies. They go inside and dispose of one demon, but another one surrounds them with an iron chain. Alastair, in yet another host body, comes in. He shoots Dean with rock salt, causing him to temporarily dissipate. Sam tries to use his powers but Alastair points out that he can’t without occupying his physical body. As Dean recorporates, Alastair explains that two Reapers must be sacrificed to open the Seal. He reveals that the two comatose Reapers are sealed within a ward.

At the hotel, the blind Pamela watches over the brothers’ bodies. She hears someone prowling around and locks the door, then feels the wind blowing in through a now-open window.

Alastair recites an incantation and uses a scythe to kill Greybull’s local Reaper. He prepares to kill Tessa but the brothers focus their emotions on the chandelier overhead.

Pamela taunts the demon to attack her, then runs to Sam’s body and whispers into his ear what’s happening. At the funeral home, Sam hears her voice and realizes she’s in trouble. He and Dean bring down the chandelier, severing the edges of the ward. Tessa teleports away from Alastair and removes the iron chain. Sam disappears and Tessa grabs Dean and they teleport outside.

The demon attacks Pamela, stabbing her in the stomach. Sam reoccupies his body and uses his power to send the demon back to Hell. Pamela clutches at her wound but then realizes that she can’t die.

As Dean goes to the hotel, Alastair confronts him. A bolt of white lightning slams down, teleporting Alastair away. Castiel appears and explains that the Winchesters have succeeded and the Seal is intact. Now they have Alastair as a prisoner. When Dean wonders why the angels didn’t get involved, Castiel explains that the demonic script kept them from entering the funeral home. He impersonated Bobby and called Sam to get the brothers involved. When Dean wonders why the angels didn’t come to them, Castiel points out that they usually do the exact opposite of what is asked. Dean asks that the “dead” townspeople be spared because they’re good folk, but Castiel says that Dean is an exception and the others will have to die normally. He disappears and Tessa arrives to ask Dean for help.

Tessa and Dean go to Cole, and Tessa explains that as long a Cole is there, his mother will sense him and be unable to move on. Dean warns him that if he stays, his mother will be gone one day but Cole will be trapped. Cole agrees to let go and steps into Tessa’s embrace, disappearing. Cole’s mother can sense that her son has moved on. Dean tells Tessa to look after Cole, and she warns him that although the angels have given him a second chance, he shouldn’t believe in miracles.

Pamela performs the spell to return Dean to his body. Her stomach wound starts bleeding as Tessa goes back to work. Pamela curses Bobby for ever introducing her to the brothers, then asks for one final hug from Sam. As he does so, she whispers in his ear that she sensed what he did to the demon, and that his good intentions won’t matter. As she dies in Sam’s arms, dean asks what she said but Sam remains silent.

Pamela completes the incantation to restore Dean to his body. Her wound starts bleeding again and they realize that Tessa is back doing her job. Pamela curses Bobby and then whispers to Sam that she knows what he did to the demon, and warns that his good intentions don’t matter. Dean asks what Pamela said but Sam doesn’t answer.

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