Ouroboros
Written by: Steve Yockey
Directed by: Amyn Kaderali
Air date: March 7, 2019
The Winchesters, Castiel, and Jack turn to Rowena for help with their current case, a flesh-eating killer who stays ahead of them at every turn. But there are longer-term problems. Dean is barely keeping it together with the strain of Michael in his head, and Jack continues to burn away his soul.
Tropes
- Achilles' Heel: Gorgons cannot detect angels or something similar to them, which is why Noah's message does not mention Castiel or Jack.
- And I Must Scream: Noah paralyzes his victims with a venom that leaves them unable to speak, or to move anything but their eyes.
- Animorphism: As part of their plan to get antivenom from a vet's office, Rowena turns Jack into a dog.
- Body Surf: Michael vacates Dean's body, and the mind where he was imprisoned, to take Rowena as his vessel.
- Call-Back: Rowena does not fear Michael's death threat, recalling Billie's notebook that promises her final death would be at the hands of Sam, as revealed in "Funeralia". Indeed, she lives to the end of the episode; instead of directly killing Michael in Rowena's body (the usual way for disposing of angels/demons), Jack goes to the trouble of exorcising him from Rowena first, therefore sparing her life.
- Character Death:
- Michael kills most of the hunters in the bunker, including Maggie, immediately breaking a promise he made to Rowena.
- Michael himself is dead by the end of the episode, if Jack is to be believed.
- Depraved Bisexual: All of Noah's victims in this episode are men, and as shown in the case of a closeted trucker, his method of prey is highly sexualized. However, he says that he feeds on women as well, but they've gotten more cautious over the years.
- Disc-One Final Boss: Michael, the Assumed Big Bad of the season is killed off with still a third of the season to go.
- Exact Words: As it turns out, all the angels need for them to be invited into their vessels is a show of affirmation. It doesn't have to be a literal "yes". Rowena merely nods after being offered to host Michael and it is sufficient for her to do so.
- Food Porn: Subverted in a way that would make Hannibal proud. We're treated to a series of lovingly-filmed close-ups of veggies being chopped, pasta on the boil, onions sizzling, clearly a gourmet dinner in the works... then the Monster of the Week reaches over to the dead guy on his kitchen table and
pulls out his liver to pan-fry it. - Gender Bender: Michael again possesses a woman, this time Rowena.
- Halfway Plot Switch: The gorgon case is wrapped up around the episode's midpoint. After that the main threat is from Michael.
- Medusa: Naturally, Rowena mentions the world's most famous gorgon while explaining to the boys about them.
- Off with His Head!: Noah's fate, as that's the only way to take down a gorgon.
- Seers: Eating eyeballs gives Noah the power to see the future. The fact that he's still blocked from seeing angels gives Team Free Will an opening.
- Undercover as Lovers: As part of their plan to get antivenom from a vet's office, Sam and Rowena pretend to be a bickering couple.
- Wham Episode: Jack regains his powers after burning Michael and declares that the latter is dead.
