Supernatural S10E14 Recap: The Executioner's Song

The lights are about to go out on the prison floor. One inmate asks if there is any mail for him. The guard tells him just the normal proposals and all, but he said that he was done with those. Tommy asks the guard about his wife, Amanda, telling him that he killed an Amanda once, and he'd kill the guards wife too, but nice and slow. The guard isn't letting Tommy taunt him, he only has a few more days. The guard leaves, as does the watcher on the video, both off for coffee. A dark figure walks the halls, knocking out lights as he goes, stopping before Tommy's door. Tommy knows something is off.. The guard sees the figure on the camera for a moment, and then it disappears.

Cain is inside of Tommy's cells. He's gone by many names, the father who murders is one of them. Tommy has taken 6 lives by the state's account, but 9 by his. Tommy doesn't even try to deny it, instead he tries to strike Cain. Cain appreciates his spirit, but he's come to both punish and kill him. He drives his large knife through his stomach, and the two of them disappear.

Polunsky Unit, the boys head towards the prison, talking about serial killer stats. Dean points out that Sam's zeal in the matter is an illness. They roll up through the gates as Sam tells him the details of the case. Tommy disappeared off death row, which Dean suspects a demon. They head in to see the Warden, in Tommy's cell. Everything was done according to code. There was some sort of magician on the block the warden assumes. He takes them to watch the video feed. The lights flicker, and Dean recognizes the figure. His profile is unmistakable, and the mark throbs.

A phone rings, annoying the demon tied to the chair. Castiel wants answers, and he's willing to slash and torture the demon with his angel blade for answers. The demon gives him vague answers, and Castiel plunges his blade into the useless demon.

Crowley sits listening to a crossroads demon complaining about receiving less credit than he thinks that he deserves in front of his whole court. Crowley grants him what he's groveling for, and Crowley's mother pipes up. She wouldn't grant him. Rowena would go with a more drastic method, to discourage whiners, by cutting the demon in half and nailing his halves to the wall. Crowley's right hand man asks what it will be. Crowley takes his mother's advice, and the demon is drug out of the room to be halved and nailed.

Dean grabs grub. Castiel is still unreachable. Sam has found that in addition to Tommy being a convict, his father was one too, and he also disappeared. Cain may have a vendetta of some sort against the whole family. Castiel finally phones in. He's in Illinois. Sam tells him that they have a lead, that Cain abducted an inmate. Castiel has Tommy's shoe in his hand, he's already dead. Castiel tells him its an educated guess, as Castiel sits in a grove of graves. Dean asks where he is, but Castiel doesn't give them the location, telling them he'll call back. Castiel has company, its Cain.

Castiel wonders what he has done. Cain is just doing a little housecleaning. Castiel points out that he has resisted the mark for so long. After Abaddon's people attacked, and he had to take up arms, he got the hunger back. Cain looks over a fallen teddy. The mark thirsts for all kinds, and soon it will be genocide. Cain plans to wipe out his entire line. If the mark wants blood, he'll give it his. Castiel points out that being Adam and Eve's first born, that's a huge chunk of the world. About 1 in 10, but Cain has time. He asks after Dean. Dean's done good, he took Abaddon, but he's not faring well against the mark, he's struggling with it. Castiel is looking for a cure. There is no cure, but Cain tells him that he will get to Dean in due time. Castiel lowers down his blade ready to strike, but he's not on Cain's list. Cain disappears.

Rowena knows that her son may be tired, but she has something else that she wants. She asks him to assist her in killing the witch that lead the witch hunt against her. Crowley tells her she was laying it a little thick during her con. Rowena claims that she was doing no such thing, she was just being helpful. Crowley sees her transparency. She congratulates him for seeing through her, and that it doesn't matter that she had a motive, they had fun. She thinks that they could have more fun, get out of the dump and take out the witch. Crowley walks away.

Castiel delivers his bad news, not that it wasn't expected. Sam has more names from the sheriff. There's no way to confirm Cain's story, but it does appear that he's wiping out whole families. Tommy was unmarried, but Sam finds that Tommy did have a son, estranged. So far the kid is still alive. Sam doesn't think that Cain would kill an innocent kid, but Castiel knows that he will. Dean is ready to go after Cain and the kid. Dean is prepared to do what needs to be done, to end this by killing Cain.

Dean chooses his weaponry carefully. Sam is still up in arms. Dean has been prepared for this day. When he got the mark, Cain told him that he would kill Abaddon, then one day he'd have to kill Cain too. Sam doesn't understand why he's taking orders from a mad man. He isn't, but he kicked up the trouble, and caused the blood lust looking for the first blade, Cain had come to terms with the mark, lived in peace with it finally. Sam doesn't think that this means he needs to go after him. There is only one weapon that can kill him, the blade. Sam points out what wielding the blade could do to him, he may no be able to come back from that. He knows, but its a risk he has to take.

Rowena plans her take down mission as Crowley looks over her plan. Dean places a call to Crowley, and Crowley is a little too eager to answer it. Dean cuts to the chase, he needs the blade, and Crowley should help since Cain has a kill list which includes Crowley himself. Crowley has no saucy comeback, he's in. Rowena continues on her plans, but Crowley tells her that it isn't happening today. He retrieves the blade from its hiding spot. Rowena isn't happy to think that he's giving the blade to Dean, the one person who could use it against him. She scolds him about him destroying his credibility with this act. They have a much bigger common threat though in Cain, and Crowley ends the conversation. Rowena continues to taunt Crowley about his poor choice in friends.

Outside of the boy's house, he's still safe inside. Dean plans to watch and wait for Cain to show up. Sam cannot believe that they would put a minor in danger. Crowley shows up, and he doesn't like the risk it puts them in. Crowley thinks it would be better to keep the blade out of Dean's hands until they have Cain.

Sam watches the boy from the shadows, while he plays basketball. Sam wants to know what happens when they catch Cain, and kill him. That's a bridge they'll cross when they come to it. Dean said that he would go down swinging, that he had made peace with that, he just didn't realize that day would come so soon. Dean admits that he's scared.

The boy finally finishes playing basketball, as he walks back to his house, he hears someone. It's Cain. He tells the boy that he's there to kill him, but Castiel is there. He tells the boy to run, with Sam pointing the way. Cain finds his action to be useless, they can't stop him. Castiel goes all glowy angel, with no reaction from Cain. He flings aside Castiel's blade, and then Castiel himself. Cain stalks towards the boy. Sam closes them into the barn, and Cain beats on the door for a moment, before appear behind the boy. Big knife in hand, the boy asks Cain not to kill him in the worst bit of acting this show has seen in its 10 seasons. Cain plunges the blade into the boy, and he goes up in a puff of smoke, an illusion spell. The real Austin is long gone. 18^th century magic that Cain recognizes. Crowley comes out of hiding. They've trapped in for the moment. Cain knows it won't hold him for long, but it won't need to. The plan worked, not its Dean's turn. Dean wants everyone to leave, its too big a liability. He'd be too worried about them inside with him and Cain, plus he needs them on the outside to handle whatever comes out of the room in the end. Crowley prepares to hand over the blade, asking what guarantee he will have that he will give it back. Dean admits that if he doesn't give it back, they'll have a much bigger problem. Crowley gives Dean the blade, and after a moment, he's fine and ready to go in.

Dean marches up the stairs of the barn, and prepares for his task. Without looking Cain knows that its Dean who has come for him. He knows what Dean is going to say, that there is still time to lay down his arms, to give up his cause. Dean is past those words. Cain is mental. Cain thinks he's finally hit clarity. He made his deal with Lucifer, killed Abel. He released a stain on the Earth. His whole bloodline is tainted. Not all his descendants are killers, but enough of them are for him to see the good is ridding the world of all of them. Dean asks of Austin. It could go either way with him,but Cain wishes to take no chances. He asks how the blade feels in Dean's hand. It feels like a means to an end. Dean steps into the circle, while Cain taunts him to kill him. Dean stalks closer, taking wild swings at Cain. Cain easily ducks him, knocking him on his back. Dean gets back up to try again. Cain throws him easily form the circle. Dean is hurt, but he's not willing to stop. He lands a few punches. Cain would expect more from him with the blade. Cain manhandles him. He's either much weaker than he thought he would be, or he's holding back. Cain sees that he's holding back, thinking if he does, that he'll be able to walk out with his humanity. There is no resisting the mark forever. Cain tosses Dean around like a ragdoll. It was all a part of his plan. When Dean's pet angel found his burial site he considered ending it all, but it made him think of Dean and his fatal flaws. His courage, his bravado would be his downfall. He let Castiel go, knowing that he would bring into battle the one thing that could kill him, the one thing that he really wanted. The first blade lies on the floor. Dean dives for it, but Cain is too strong and pulls it to him. The blade feels good, and he can't believe he ever had the power to resist it. He tells Dean that he's going kill him because he truly cares about him. He's saving him from his fate. Cain tells him that he's living his life in reverse. His life will end at the death of Sam. Dean knows that will never happen. Cain tells him that first Dean will kill Crowley, he'll feel bad, but he'll explain it away. Then Castiel will be killed. That death will be awful, but the worst will be Sam. Cain comes down on him. He tells him that the death of Sam will turn him into a savage. As Cain brings the blade down on Dean to kill him, Dean pulls the big blade from Cain's coat and slices off his hand. Dean practically begs Cain to tell him that he will stop that he can stop. Cain will never stop. He bows his head in waiting, and Dean is forced to kill Cain. Broken in spirit, Dean stumbles down the steps. Crowley, Castiel and Sam aren't sure what to expect. Crowley asks for the blade back. Dean hads it over to Crowley. Crowley feels betrayed, Dean lied to him. It wasn't the first time today, Dean admits. Crowley wasn't on Cain's list. Dean collapses in Sam's arms.

Crowley returns home to his mother. He doesn't want to hear her I told you so. He sees that she's packed her bags, she's leaving. Crowley thinks its another manipulation on her part. It isn't. He couldn't imagine her disappointment in him. Long ago when they were separated she heard of his death and she mourned. Then years later, miles away, she heard that he had risen to the King of Hell, not by accident, but by manipulation, all by himself. He's not a mother, he doesn't understand the pride she felt, or why her heart breaks now to see what a colossal numb nut he's become. He's got the crown, but he's not a ruler. He runs off every time the Winchesters call. He's no king not anymore. He stops her from grabbing her things, but not from walking away.

Sam thinks what Dean did was incredible. If he can do what he did without losing himself, then that's cause for hope. Dean isn't sure. Castiel has hid the blade in a safe place. Dean is in some desperate need of sleep, but he's far from okay. Castiel asks Sam how Dean is, and Sam knows that his brother is in real trouble.