The Gamblers
Written by: Meredith Glynn & Davy Perez
Directed by: Charles Beeson
Air date: January 30, 2020
Sam and Dean head to a bar in Alaska to play a divine pool game where they can regain their luck. Meanwhile, Castiel attempts to track down a murderer, but ends up meeting with an unexpected person.
Tropes
- Back from the Dead: Jack was resurrected by Billie after she made sure that God had left Earth.
- Beat Still, My Heart: Jack kills, rips apart, and eats the hearts of Grigori to make himself stronger.
- Cosmic Plaything: The episode reveals that not even pagan gods were spared from this. Fortuna tells the brothers that she and her kind were created by Chuck as a source of entertainment and to take the blame whenever something bad happened to the world. However, Chuck eventually decided that he had enough fun with them and hid behind "whatever religion has the best syndication deal".
- Drama-Preserving Handicap: Jack still has all his powers, meaning he could have effortlessly toasted the Grigori who caught him if he chose to. However, this would draw God's attention to Jack and probably intervene to kill him again.
- Dramatic Irony: Jack and Billie plan to kill God to remove the negative influences he's been perpetuating since time immemorial. The audience knows from Season 11 (back when Chuck still presented himself as a helpful ally) that doing this will pull the plug on reality itself. But Jack and Billie don't know that for obvious reasons. Although it is heavily implied that Jack isn't just going to simply kill Chuck, but take his place.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Fortuna may be a pool hustler who's stealing luck from her patrons, but she's only skimming from the bets. She herself plays an honest game of pool and doesn't rig any games in her favor and is at least a graceful loser when she is beaten by Dean in his first game before it's revealed who she is.
- Heel–Face Turn: Fortuna shuts down her bar and frees the patrons because she is impressed by Sam and Dean's valor. She also gives extra luck to Sam and Dean to help them in their fight against God.
- Kill the God: This is Billie's ultimate plan. Jack says that Billie told him he can grow stronger by eating the hearts of Grigori angels, strong enough to eventually kill God.
- Lady Luck: Under her Roman name of Fortuna, she's the hostess of the pool hall.
- Look Both Ways: After losing his final game, Leonard follows his coin into the road and is immediately hit by a truck.
- Re-Power: The boys get their Plot Armor back by the end of the episode.
- Retcon: The pagan gods are retconned to be inferior creations of God, rather than simply pre-Judeo-Christian gods long forgotten by their worshipers. Fortuna handwaves this by stating that it's been so long ago, most have forgotten how they came to be.
- Secret Test of Character: Sam and Dean lose the game to Fortuna, but she reveals that she considers them to be heroes and restores their luck anyway.
- Semi-Divine: Fortuna employs her half-human son in the bar to instruct new travellers about the game.
- Serial-Killer Killer: Jack has turned into this, eating the hearts of Grigori, a class of angels who themselves were devouring human souls, in order to gain enough power to potentially kill God Himself.
- Stating the Simple Solution: When Dean complains about the constant heartburn he's gotten as part of his and Sam's "normal people" schtick, Sam comments that he can just change his diet.
- Two Lines, No Waiting: The episode is divided between the Winchesters' adventure at the pool hall and Castiel investigating Jack's return.
- Wham Line: When Jack explains why he was eating the hearts of the Grigori:Jack: The hearts were just the beginning. They made me strong, but not strong enough. If I do exactly what she says, if I follow her plan, then I'll get stronger and...I'll be able to kill God.
- While You Were in Diapers: Dean tries to reassure Sam about his chances by saying he's been slinging pool since before Sam was born. Sam points out that's a little hyperbolic, since Dean is only four years older than his brother.
