Supernatural season 9, episode 10 “Road Trip” aired tonight, as Dean made some desperate moves to rescue Sam.
So what happened in the Supernatural mid-season premiere?
A hunter, a demon, and an angel walk into the NSA
The episode opens with Dean giving Kevin a hunter’s funeral before returning to the empty bunker where he finds Kevin’s phone. Grief and guilt in lethal doses for one Dean Winchester.
Later, Castiel arrives at the bunker and Dean brings him up to speed. The two come up with a plan to try to hack Gadreel in order to talk to Sam, the way the angels hacked into Heaven’s most adorable angel’s programming in season 8. However, they’ll need demonic help, so they turn to Crowley.
The king of Hell’s price is fresh air, and, despite Castiel’s reservations, Dean agrees to a field trip. However, the quirky trio is spotted and their location is passed on to Abaddon.
The three end up at a financial firm that acts as an NSA front, where Crowley planted a mole. This demon fills Crowley in on what he’s been missing and, after admitting to playing both sides of Hell’s turf war until a winner is declared, tracks Gadreel and the Impala down.
Paying the price
Meanwhile, Metatron is drinking a martini at a bar being tended by a familiar face (hello Tahmoh Penikett, it’s nice to see you) when Gadreel arrives with the angel and demon tablets.
Deus ex Metatron, for his part, claims to have flipped a switch upstairs so there will be no more prophets after Kevin then gives Gadreel a new target. Gadreel is none too happy with this arrangement, but Metatron tells him to be a good little angel and kill who he’s told.
Further complicating matters is that Gadreel’s next target turns out to be his BFF from angel prison. His BFF’s got a family and wants nothing more than a second chance. He tells Gadreel that there’s a price for getting the thing you want and that it’s worth paying.
Of course those words seal his fate since what Gadreel wants most is to reclaim his honor; Dean and Castiel find the vessel’s corpse when they arrive at the house. Dean finds Gadreel washing his hands of blood in the kitchen and distracts him long enough for Cas to knock him out.
A demon and an angel walk into a Winchester
Gadreel wakes up bound to a chair. According to Cas, Sam’s internal burns have mostly healed and he should be able to heal the rest of the damage. Gadreel, of course, refuses to leave Sam’s body and says he’s locked Sam away in a dream. Despite Dean and Crowley’s threats, Gadreel says he’s doing what he has to.
Dean replies that he is as well and turns the main event over to Crowley. In a super unpleasant montage, Gadreel screams in Sam’s voice as Crowley shoves needles into his forehead.
Dean walks away, unable to continue watching. He asks Cas how he’s doing for a distraction. Cas replies that he’s okay and Dean apologizes for kicking him out of the bunker and not telling him about Sam. Cas empathizes, but the chick flick moment ends when Crowley calls them back in. Gadreel is unconscious and Crowley has hacked into his programming.
Gadreel reveals his name and Castiel is furious because Gadreel’s failure to protect Eden led to God leaving, the Archangels taking over, the Apocalypse, etc. Dean pulls him back, though, and Gadreel revives just in time to mock Dean some more.
Dean needs a Plan B, but Cas can’t get into Sam without his consent. In an unexpected Plan C, Crowley offers to go in himself in exchange for his freedom. Desperate, Dean has Cas burn off Sam’s tattoo and unlocks Crowley. And into Sam goes Crowley with a code word (Poughkeepsie).
In Sam’s head, Crowley gives Sam the code word and tells him the truth about what’s going on. When Sam hesitates, Crowley shoots him; since Sam’s dreaming, he’s fine. Crowley then pushes Sam to remember everything Gadreel has seen. Sam remembers — and Crowley even has a surprising moment of compassion when he tells Sam that it was Gadreel, not him, who killed Kevin — and Crowley urges him to cast Gadreel out.
Gadreel appears and beats on Crowley for a bit before Sam intervenes. As Sam fights, Gadreel says he might be holding Sam together and casting him out could kill him, but Sam doesn’t hesitate to take control and eject him.
Another season, another separation
Back at the bar, Metatron is still drinking when Gadreel returns to Tahmoh Penikett. Once Gadreel is gone, Crowley also exits and Sam is — finally — alone in his body once more. Of course, there’s no time to celebrate since Abaddon, who got their location from Crowley’s mole, arrives.
Crowley tells the Winchesters to leave and faces Abaddon himself. Abaddon orders her men to kill Crowley, but they balk. Crowley replies that the conflict between them isn’t a fight for Hell; it’s a campaign.
Across town, Cas heals Sam, who is still pretty out of it. It will take time and several stages to fully heal him, but it’s doable. Dean wants to know what Sam’s thinking, but Sam mostly just sounds tired when he replies that he’s pissed that Dean took his choice to die away from him.
Meanwhile, Dean takes full responsibility for Kevin’s death and intends to hunt Gadreel alone because he’s taken Crowley’s point about his allies having short lifespans to heart.
Sam says he won’t stop him but that he’s missing the real problem. Dean asks what that is, but Sam just tells him to leave since it’s apparently too cold and wet for a heart-to-heart on the Impala. Cas stays behind with Sam while Dean drives off for yet another wise separation between the brothers.
