Destiny's Child
Written by: Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming
Directed by: Amyn Kaderali
Air date: March 23, 2020
Sam and Dean contact Anael to seek out the Occulta, a weapon said to be powerful enough to defeat God, finding out that she once formed an alliance with Ruby, their old deceased demon ally-turned-enemy, to keep the weapon's location a secret.
Tropes
- Alternate Self: Another version of Sam and Dean arrive in the prime universe, fleeing the destruction of their own.
- Bittersweet Ending: Jack's soul is restored, increasing his raw power level, but the return of his emotions leaves Jack wracked with guilt over killing Mary.
- Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: The returning female characters whom Team Free Will interact to get the Occulta fit this: a redhead (Sister Jo), blonde (the Shadow impersonating Meg), and brunette (Ruby).
- The Bus Came Back:
- Genevieve Padalecki returns as Ruby for the first time since "Lucifer Rising" nearly eleven years ago. Genevieve was last seen playing As Herself in "The French Mistake" nine years previously.
- Rachel Miner also makes a comeback since her last appearance in "Goodbye Stranger" seven years ago, though she portrays The Shadow instead of Meg Masters.
- Cut Lex Luthor a Check: In the universe that the alternate Sam and Dean come from, John turned hunting into a literal family business, one which eventually turned the Winchesters into millionaires.
- Flat "What": Dean's reaction upon hearing that their alternate counterparts get paid to hunt monsters.
- A Form You Are Comfortable With: The Shadow, as usual. This time, it takes the form of Meg, possibly to further screw with Castiel.
- Genius Loci: Castiel says "You are the Empty" when he recognizes the Shadow.
- Loophole Abuse: The Shadow agreed to not claim Castiel until he was truly happy, but still takes full advantage of him visiting the Empty to torture him.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After having his soul restored, Jack is overwhelmed with guilt at having killed Mary.
- Only Mostly Dead: Cas has Jack drain most of his life force in order to allow him to visit the Empty.
- "Rashomon"-Style: Jo and Ruby tell two different versions of how they made their deal over the Occulta.
- Retcon: Back in Season 5, the Garden of Eden was stated to be the center of Heaven. Here, it's now a separate Pocket Dimension that no one's been in since Adam and Eve were kicked out. Although, Joshua does say that the center of Heaven shapes itself to whatever its mortal visitors imagine it to be. Some do see Eden, but others picture God's throne room. For Sam and Dean, it was the Cleveland Botanical Garden they once visited as kids.
- Jo/Anael had previously stated that she started healing humans for money after the Fall in the Season 8 finale, four years after Ruby died. According to this episode, she's been doing it at least since Ruby was still possessing Katie Cassidy, and presumably a lot longer than that. Alhough, given her character, it's possible that she was lying previously, or she's lying now.
- Rich Kids: Sam and Dean's alternate selves get paid to hunt monsters, and consequently have been pampered throughout their lives.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
- After setting up the Winchesters to get killed in Hell, Jo packs up her operation and heads for the hills.
- Alternate!Sam and Dean are sent off to Brazil to get out of the way of the fight with God. And they leave the bunker quickly after Dean realizes they took Baby for a drive.
- Snakes Are Sinister: Jack meets the serpent in the Garden of Eden, which may or may not be tied to Lucifer. It's an albino breed too.
- Twin Switch: Sam and Dean leave their doppelgangers in the bunker to impersonate them so that Chuck won't find out what they're doing.
- Upper-Class Twit: The alternate Sam and Dean, who in their reality are heirs to a hunter-based MegaCorp fortune. This is especially true of Alternate!Sam, as while Alternate!Dean quickly adjusts to Prime!Sam and Dean's simpler lifestyles, his brother takes more time to get used to it.
