My first thought? I hate Dean in brown plaid. But that has nothing to do with anything, does it?

This episode is where Sam takes the reins, and strongarms Dean into his way of thinking. It’s very dramatic!

THEN!

Jack is supposed to kill Chuck! And Chuck is off killing all the other worlds we’ve gotten to know over the years. Billie might be the big bad? Sam and Dean get all yelly in Baby.

NOW!

Amara is enjoying a famous hot Icelandic spa when she looks up and sees an asteroid storm above her. “Welcome home, brother.”

Castiel on the phone with Sam: that rumor about a god killing spell was just that, a rumor. Sam is all, rats!

Dean enters, and Sam gives him the silent treatment.

Our beautiful boys are still fighting over how this whole thing is gonna go down, when they hear a commotion in the other room. It’s Amara, raiding the fridge for beers!

She gathers the Winchesters (including Jack) and tells them Chuck is back. She wants to know the plan, because last time Chuck had four archangels to cage her. Dean says we have a Jack. Amara seems uncertain about the veracity of this plan.

Dean walks with Amara on her way out. He asks if they can count on her, and she reminds him that they will always help each other. Oh, season eleven.

Amara peaces out, and Dean feels that familiar pang of guilt, knowing he has been lying to her about this whole plan.

Jack asks Sam if he’s angry with him. He’s still such a puppy. Sam isn’t angry, but wishes that Jack had been upfront with them. Sam tells Jack that sacrificing yourself for humanity is brave, but he still disagrees with the plan. Jack just stares at Sam like the little puppy he is.

Dean is ready to head off to Santa Fe for the final trial, but Sam says he’s not going. Dean says they have to go, it’s in Death’s book, and Sam is all, I am not blindly following some ritual, just because someone tells me to.

Sam and Dean fight again. Dean is determined to follow Billie’s plan at any cost, while Sam points out that they have never followed someone else’s plan. They have always fought for family, when Dean barks, “Jack’s not family.”

I think everyone in the room, and all the fandom felt that. It hits like a ton of bricks. We see the tiniest of cracks in Dean’s determination to kill Chuck at whatever cost. Dean tries to explain himself, that he cares about Jack, but he’s not like Sam or Cass.

We hear Jack’s “Ahem”, interrupting the boys, and telling them he’s ready to go. Awkward!

Dean and Jack take off, and have a very awkward drive to New Mexico.

Castiel shows up at the bunker, and tells Sam he would have stayed behind too. They get to work, looking for another way.

Amara is out enjoying a lovely day in the woods when Chuck shows up, “Hey, sis.” he grins.

So that was all prologue, I guess? The format of the episode weirdly changes, and I’m just gonna go with it.

AMARA:

Chuck asks Amara for help. He says that he can’t do a hard reset without her. She’s all NO. Chuck is sure the Winchesters have gotten to her, but she says she’s not on anyone’s side. They take a stroll through nature, and Amara tries to convince him that destroying it all the beauty of nature would be a shame.

Amara accuses Chuck of wanting to evaporate everything because the Winchesters won’t play his game, but Chuck denies it. He says all of it just reminds him of his failures. Why did he make everything carbon-based? Why not silicon? He needs a fresh start. He thinks humans are the worst, boring, and ruin everything they touch.

(I mean, don’t get me started)

Amara snaps them to Heaven. Chuck is not impressed. A crew of adoring angels arrive, wanting autographs, and tossing out compliments. They are so excited!

Chuck quickly gets annoyed by them, and snaps them away (not dead, just away). Amara thought that their love and devotion would sway him, but Chuck rolls his eyes, makes a raspberry (child!), and says he’s not really into the adoration train anymore.

Amara tries to talk to him about balance, but his refusal to join her makes her snap them both to a room in the bunker. Chuck mocks Oooooh, the bunkerrrrrr, but he can’t snap out of there. The Winchesters have found a way to bind him, and they are staying right there until Chuck either agrees to Amara’s idea, or the Winchesters, et.al., will cage him. Chuck is pissed, and tells Amara that they can’t hold him forever.

DEAN:

Back on the road, Dean tries to apologize to Jack about earlier comments. Jack is stoic, and tells Dean he understands. Dean still feels bad, you can see it on his face.

They arrive in Santa Fe, and get out the car in front of Jim’s Gems. This is where Billie sent them, and before they can get the puzzled looks off their faces, a man and woman open the door, and invite them in.

Turns out the guy is Adam, the first man, and the woman is Seraphina. They are lovey dovey hippy types, and after some uncomfortable PDA, Adam escorts Jack to the back room for the final trial. Jack asks if he’s really the first human, and Adam tells him that they thought they deserved getting kicked out of the garden. Then Chuck abandoned them, and moved on to his sons (Cain & Abel).

Dean is left with Seraphina, and she tells Dean to relax, Jack will pass the last trial. She saw it in a vision while tripping on mushroom tea.

Adam tells Jack that they’ve been waiting 300,000 years to put this plan into play. He shows Jack a case full of crystals and rocks, and tells Jack he needs to tell him which of those rocks has been touched by God. Jack begins picking them up and observing them.

Seraphina tells Dean that this moment was meant to be. Dean seems a little dubious.

Jack decides that all the rocks were touched by God. That their very existence is divine, because God is in everything. Adam is all, Right On.

Jack is all I DID IT, as he rejoins a waiting Dean. This kid.

Seraphina stabs Adam in the gut, and rips out one of his ribs. Dean is all WHA…?

Adam explains that the rib has enough power to create life, or, in this case, destroy life. Once Jack absorbs it, it fuses his grace and soul into a metaphysical supernova, and he will collapse into a black hole that nothing can escape. Once it starts, he can’t stop it, so use it at the right time.

Dean seems uneasy about all of this, and I am all Won’t This Suck In Everything Else Around It Too???

Back on the road, Adam’s rib securely stashed in a baggie, Dean can’t keep his mouth shut any longer.

Dean pulls over, and apologizes for reals to Jack. He explains that finding out about Chuck was like finding out he weasn’t alive. Like his whole life he was never really free. But now he sees a shot at living a life without all this crap on their backs. He thanks Jack for going ahead with the plan, sincerely and true. Jack is all, You’re Welcome.

Dean’s phone buzzes, and IT”S TIME.

Jack takes the rib out of the baggie, and lets it absorb into his hand, triggering Jack’s glowy golden angel eyes.

SAM:

Sam tosses a book on the floor in frustration, and Castiel comes in and picks it up. They commiserate. They wonder if maybe Dean is right, but Sam thinks the whole thing feels wrong.

Sam remembers that Sergio was looking for a ‘key to death’ back when Sam was still connected to Chuck via gunshot wound. Thinking that this key would get Sam an audience with Billie, they scrounge the bunker for it. After digging through box after box, Castiel finds a black box with a red skull (Bingo!), and Sam has found the Holy Grail? (lol) Sam grabs the key and reads the Latin inscription on the box. The key shimmers, and a door opens in the brick wall behind them.

Cass volunteers to accompany Sam, but Sam tells him he needs to stay back and stall Dean if he gets back first. Castiel tells Sam that his internal moral compass is functioning perfectly, and Sam steps into Death’s library.

There are dead reapers scattered on the floor, as Sam cautiously makes his was to the stacks. We hear a reaper screaming, and thudding to the ground. Sam finds another reaper begging at the feet of Rachel Miner still playing the Cosmic Entity, telling her that Billie won’t come.

Rachel (I’m not typing out cosmic entity a thousand times) spies Sammy sneaking out, and snaps him back to her. She wants a word with Billie, who seems to be pulling the levers behind the scenes, working to take God’s place, and putting everything back where it belongs. Angels back to Heaven, demons back to Hell, etc., etc. Order is Billie’s thing, ya know. Rachel doesn’t like that she keeps being bothered, and just wants to go back to sleep. But she has trust issues after Castiel’s escape, and Billie rescuing Jack. Billie has been adamant that Sam stays alive, because she needs him. Rachel decides maybe hurting Sam will get Billie to come back to library.

Sam, seeing his opening, lies his ass off, saying that Billie is on Earth, and that she sent him to the library for God’s death book. He says Billie will honor her promise once God and Amara die, Rachel can go back to sleep.

Rachel buys what Sam’s selling, and being someone who loves to sleep too, I get how Sam’s story would be tempting to believe.

Sam heads back to the bunker, Chuck’s book of death in tow. Castiel tells him that Chuck and Amara have arrived, and they have to move now. Sammy is all, no no no, we have to stop it!

Amara is trying to talk some sense into Chuck, but he just tells her to shut up.

Sam finds Dean leading a clearly distressed Jack down a hallway towards Chuck and Amara. He tries to stop them by talking some sense into them.

Sam tells Dean the condensed version of how Billie is planning to take over, but Dean is determined to kill Chuck, no matter what!

Sam uses his massive body to stop Dean from continuing, and begs Dean to listen to him.

Chuck narrates to Amara what’s happening on the other side of the door.

Dean tells Sam and Castiel that Jack has already lit the fuse, they don’t have time for anything else.

Castiel:

Chuck keeps narrating, and a grin creeps across his face. This is my ending, he gloats, my real ending. Amara looks at him, horrified.

In the hallway, Dean is desperate to finish the task, and pulls his gun on Sam!

Castiel: “Dean, don’t!”

Amara is all you planned this? Chuck is all, duh, I’m omniscient! They think they can kill me?

Dean and Sam are yelling, and when Dean doesn’t back down, Sammy takes a swing. Dean pops him one, and Sam falls to the ground.

Chuck tells Amara that they don’t want to cage him, they want to kill him, and they want to kill her too. Amara is alarmed, not entirely sure she should believe him.

Sam and Dean struggle and fight, while Chuck tells Amara that Dean lied to her. Dean finally gets his footing and tells Cass and Jack to go.

But Sam is all DON’T.

If Billie takes over, everyone goes back to where they belong. Bobby and Charlie go back to an apocalypse world that doesn’t exist. Eileen goes back to being dead. (Castiel goes back to Heaven, but Sam doesn’t mention this!)

Dean starts to break, knowing Sam is right, but he strengthens his resolve, insisting that Chuck has to go.

Chuck convinces Amara that humans aren’t worth it.

Dean says he would trade all those people’s lives it if they can get rid of Chuck once and for all.

Sam asks:

Chuck convinces Amara to join him, literally, so they can have balance. Chuck absorbs his sister, getting all her power with it. Ruh-roh!

Dean is fighting tears, and the tears are winning. He says Chuck has to die, because he can’t live like this anymore. Sam says he knows Dean feels like that now, but to please trust him.

Sam makes his case.: “My entire life, you’ve protected me. From dad. From Luficer. From everything. I didn’t always like it, you know? But, it’s the one thing in the whole world I could always count on. It’s the only thing I’ve ever known that was true. So please, put the gun away. Just put it away. We’ll find a way, Dean. You and me. We always do.”

Both brothers cry, and Dean finally uncocks his gun and puts it away. YAY

Jaren and Jensen are fabulous in this. Hoo-boy, show is not gonna let us off easy, is it?

But before the brothers get a chance to hug or whatever, Chuck blasts his way out of his binding. He storms towards them, mad that they are so stubborn and broken. He can’t believe they are trying to stop him again! He tells the group that he is done with the lot of them.

GOOD, says everyone.

Chuck is all, I couldn’t care less about any of you, and have fun watching Jack die. Chuck peaces out. Jack falls to his knees, as his eyes flicker.

WELL! An actual vengeful god would have smote them all right then and there, but I guess Chuck wants to watch our boys suffer a little first. That tracks.

It was nice to have little Sammy Winchester pull his brother from the brink. I have ideas on what this exchange will lead us to in the end, but I am usually wrong about these things, so I will keep it to myself.

NEXT!

Off they go to get some reapers! Some familiar faces come along for the ride.