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7.17 – The Born-Again Identity

Details

7.17 – The Born-Again Identity

DETAILS

Writers: Sera Gamble
Director: Robert Singer
First aired: Friday, March 23th, 2012

MISHA COLLINS RETURNS! — Lucifer (guest star Mark Pellegrino) drives Sam (Jared Padalecki) to the breaking point and Sam ends up in a mental hospital. Desperate to save his brother, Dean (Jensen Ackles) calls every hunter he knows for help. One of the hunters gives him the name of a healer who turns out to have a very familiar face (guest star Misha Collins).

Robert Singer directed the episode written by Sera Gamble.

Recap

RECAP

Recap:

A sleep-deprived Sam is running down railroad tracks and into an alleyway, and a drug dealer tells him to go away. Lucifer keeps talking to Sam, keeping him awake. When Sam tries to walk away, the dealer offers him something to doze off. Sam takes it and tries to go asleep, but jerks awake. Lucifer is still there, and when Sam tries to run away from him, he enters traffic and is hit by a car.

Dan arrives at the hospital and asks to see his brother, but Dr. Kadinsky refuses and explains that Sam has had a psychotic episode and is locked up on their psychiatric floor. They are observing him so that they can determine how to treat him, and Dean tells Kadinsky that the non-sleep thing is new. Kadinsky takes Dean to see Sam, who is resisting the sedatives. Sam is still seeing Lucifer, and Dean tells him that he’ll get him help. Sam isn’t convinced, reminding him that the last healer they found was using a Reaper, and tells Dean not to bother because there’s no hope. Dean considers and then walks out.

Back at the motel, Dean calls everyone that he can to find help using Bobby’s address book. He has no luck and goes to get a beer, and a light wind blows the card of Mackey’s Taxidermy Shop out of the address book. After a moment, Dean leaves a message at the shop’s answering machine.

Lucifer continues to haunt Sam, who meets with Kadinsky. The doctor informs him that he is preparing Sam for torture and then transforms into Lucifer, who reminds him that the locked ward is just like the cage they spent together in Hell. That night, Sam tries to eat but sees maggots crawling in his food. He looks up and sees a female patient look at him briefly before walking away.

Mackey finally calls Dean back and says that he’s heard of a man named Emanuel Allen who roams around healing people. The hunter figured that Emanuel was a monster and called the healer’s wife, Daphne. She told Mackey that Emanuel would see him, and Emanuel came to see him, bypassing all of his tests and traps. Emanuel healed Mackey’s injured right eye and tells Dean that he’s convinced the man is real.

The woman, Marin, comes to see Sam and offers him a candy bar before leaving.

Dean goes to Daphne’s home and asks for Emanuel. A man greets him at the door and says that Daphne is resting. However, Dean sees Daphne tied up and the man reveals that he’s a demon and attacks. Dean stabs him with the demon-killing knife and then discovers that Emanuel has arrived… and he looks just like Castiel.

Emanuel goes inside and frees Daphne, and explains that he saw the demon’s real face. Dean explains that there are numerous demons and is surprised that Emanuel knows nothing about them, and asks him to help Sam.

At the psych ward, Lucifer continues to keep Sam awake and boasts that his madness has won. An orderly, Marcus, comes in with food and Sam asks him about Marin. The orderly refuses to talk about Marin but says that she didn’t come there due to an accident. Once he leaves, Lucifer goes back to setting off firecrackers.

As Dean drives Emanuel to the hospital, he asks about Daphne. Emanuel explains that she was out hiking when she stumbled across him, naked and confused and wandering in the woods. She claimed that God led her to him, and Emanuel has no memories of his life before that. However, he says that he doesn’t feel like he might have been a bad person.

Marin comes to see Sam, who is still struggling to stay awake. She leaves him a stolen candy bar and starts to go, and Sam invites her to stay and share. Marin accepts and says that she’s been there five weeks. He notices the bandages on her neck and asks what the matter is, and Marin tells him that she feels depressed and suicidal, and wants everything to be over for her. She asks about Sam and he admits that a voice is keeping him awake, and Marin says that she hears a voice as well. Sam notices on her burns, asking if the voice told her to do it, and Marin insists that her dead brother was the one who told her to set the fires and kill herself to be with her, or he’ll do it for her.

Emanuel asks about Sam’s problem and says that he can call spiritual illnesses as well as physical ones. He realizes that Dean is angry and that the person responsible betrayed him, and senses that he’s killed a lot of people. Looking at Emanuel, Dean says that he thought that the person responsible is dead. He mentions Castiel by name and says that he’s having trouble dealing with it, and Emanuel assures him that he’s only human. He doesn’t respond to the name “Castiel” other than to say that it’s unusual.

The next morning, Dean stops at a convenience store to make a call on his cell phone and has Emanuel wait in the car. Inside, a demon attacks him and he kills it with the knife. The phone is destroyed in the fight, and two more demons come at Dean. They attack him and Dean drops the knife, but someone comes in, stabs one, and drives the other one out. However, a surprised Dean realizes that it’s Meg the demon, not Emanuel.

Meg explains that she has been tracking down Emanuel and was surprised to discover that he looks like Castiel. Dean tells her not to give anything away and Meg admits that she’s still not on good terms with Crowley. She promises to dispose of Crowley, but admits that right now there’s a price on her head and she needs friends. Dean isn’t interested, figuring that Meg wants to turn Emanuel into a weapon, but she figures that it’s in their best interests to work together. Dean agrees but says that they’re going to Sam first, and then asks for his knife back. Outside, Emanuel recognizes Meg as a demon but Dean tells her that she’s a friend of sorts. She hints that she’s met Emanuel before and starts flirting with him, and Dean gets them on the road.

Sam approaches Marin in the hall, apologizes for upsetting her, and asks her about the fire. He assures her that he believes she didn’t start it, and offers to help her deal with her brother. Lucifer watches, smirking, as Sam asks Marin about her brother. She explains that he died a year ago and only she can hear him, and she feels chills when he manifests. When Sam says that it must have felt good to hear her dead brother at first, Marin admits that she missed him and it felt good, but then her brother started to get mad and yell at her. Sam says that he can banish the ghost and that Marin has to trust him because it’s her only chance. Marin shows him a string bracelet that her brother gave him, that he bled on, and Sam asks if she has a lighter.

Meg and Dean travel in silence and Emanuel finally asks if there’s something he should know. They insist that they don’t.

Marin returns with a lighter that she stole from the orderly, and Sam creates a circle of salt. Lucifer blows it away and Sam tells her that Marin will have to do it on her own. Once she rebuilds the circle, Sam gets into it with her. The ghost of her brother appears and begs her not to do it, but Marin says that she has to. Sam takes the bracelet and burns it and the spirit disappears, and then tells Marin to go. She thanks him and leaves, just as the orderlies arrive and sedate him. Later, Sam wakes up and Kadinsky examines him, and says that they have to consider a surgical solution.

Dean, Emanuel, and Meg arrive outside the hospital and discover that demons have surrounded the building. Emanuel and Meg both wonder what Dean plans to do, and Dean pulls Meg off to the side. She wants to tell Emanuel who he really is, even though they don’t know how he will react. Emanuel hears them and comes over, and Meg tells him that he’s an angel. Emanuel wonders why they wouldn’t tell him, and Dean says that it’s bloody and corrupt. When Meg says that Dean and Emanuel used to be friends, Emanuel admits that he doesn’t remember Dean. Meg tells him to smite every demon in the parking lot, but Emanuel says that he doesn’t remember how. He finally agrees to try, but Dean doesn’t think it will work out well.

Emanuel walks into the parking lot and touches one of the demons on the head. His hands glow with angelic fire and Emanuel/Castiel starts to remember everything. He disposes of the other demons in short order, and Dean and Meg come down. Castiel turns to them and says that he remembers everything. He asks why Dean didn’t tell him that Sam is dying because of him, and walks away, blaming himself or everything.

Marcus takes Sam to a treatment theater and explains that they’re going to perform electroshock therapy. He then turns the device up to full and puts the headpiece on him, and reveals that he’s a demon.

Dean tells Castiel that he did the best he could at the time, but Castiel says that there’s no defense for what he did. He reminds Dean that they didn’t part as friends and deserve to die, and wonders why he walked out of the river if he couldn’t fix things. Dean says that maybe he came back so he could fix things, and gets out the coat that he died in.

Marcus continues torturing Sam, but Castiel arrives and kills him. He switches off the power and apologizes to Sam for breaking the wall in his mind, and then touches his forehead. Sam sees him as Lucifer and insists that he’s not real, while Castiel says that he’s sorry.

Later, Dean and Castiel visit Sam, who is still seeing Lucifer and has withdrawn entirely from reality. Castiel explains that Sam’s mind is too far gone and he can’t fix it. However, he realizes that he can shift the problem. He tells Dean that it’s better that way, touches Sam’s head, and draws red veins of energy into his own body. Sam snaps back to normal but now Castiel sees Lucifer and backs up in horror.

Sam and Dean have no choice but to leave the hospital, leaving Castiel behind as a patient for his own safety. Sam isn’t convinced that working with Meg is a good idea, but Dean warns him that they don’t have a choice. Meanwhile, Meg meets with Kadinsky and convinces him that he should hire her as a doctor at the hospital.

TV.com

Guest Stars

GUEST STARS

Jared Padalecki Jared Padalecki Sam Winchester
Jensen Ackles Jensen Ackles Dean Winchester
Misha Collins Misha Collins Castiel
Mark Pellegrino Mark Pellegrino Lucifer
Rachel Miner Rachel Miner Meg Masters
Bill Dow Bill Dow Doctor Kadinsky
Kacey Rohl Kacey Rohl Marin
Johanna Marlowe Johanna Marlowe Daphne Allen
Mark Pawson Mark Pawson Allen House Demon
Eli Goree Eli Goree Marcus
Kai James Kai James Marin’s Brother
Shaine Jones Shaine Jones Demon Medic
Ryan McDonell Ryan McDonell Dealer (as Ryan McDonnell)
Toby Levins Toby Levins Mackey
Shaun Omaid Shaun Omaid Passerby
Videos

TRAILER/CLIPS

TrailerClip

Music

MUSIC

“Good Morning”
(sung after the sleeping pills Sam takes fail to get rid of Hallucifer)

“Wake Up Little Susie” by The Everly Brothers
(plays when Hallucifer lights firecrackers in the ward)

“Turn into Earth” by The Yardbirds
(plays when Cas smites the demons and regains his memory)
Thanks to Superwiki

Quotes

QUOTES

Hallucifer: Tell the nice tweaker you’d be sleeping right now if the devil would leave you alone.
Dean: If I don’t find something…
Sam: Then I’ll die.
Hallucifer: Oh – you’re upsetting me!
Emmanuel/Castiel: Your friend’s name was Cas? That’s an odd name.
Marin: I saw you yesterday, you didn’t look too happy with your in flight meal.
Meg: You’re an angel.
Castiel: I’m sorry – is that a flirtation?
Dean: This ain’t going to go well.
Meg: I dunno, I believe in the little tree topper.
Trivia

TRIVIA

The episode title “The Born-Again Identity” is a play on the 2002 spy thriller movie The Bourne Identity (which was based a novel of the same name by Robert Ludlum). In the film, the main character Jason Bourne, played by Matt Damon, finds himself suffering from amnesia, and attempts to discover who he is. Along the way he finds he has a number of skills – speaking multiple languages, proficiency in hand-to-hand combat – that give him clues to his identity. The film was previously referenced in 6.22 The Man Who Knew Too Much.
..

Hallucifer: Tell the nice tweaker you’d be sleeping right now if the devil would leave you alone.

Tweaker is a slang term for someone who is addicted to crystal meth.

..

 

The bar through the windscreen is reminiscent of the death scene in 2.13 Houses of the Holy where a pole bounces through a windscreen and impales a man.
..
It is not possible to die from lack of sleep. However, severe mental and physical disturbances do occur. The record for the longest a person has gone without sleep without stimulants is Randy Gardner. His record is 264.4 hours (11 days 24 minutes).
..

Doctor: You’re Sam Smith’s brother?

Dean and Sam are using the aliases given to them by Frank in 7.06 Slash Fiction.

..

 

Dean: It’s not like the guy’s freaking Norman Bates.

Norman Bates was the serial killer in the Hitchcock movie Psycho, who killed his mother, kept her corpse in his house and assumed her identity. Previously mentioned in 5.19 Hammer of the Gods.

..

 

Dean: Quit being Dalai-friggin-Yoda about this. Get pissed!

Dean has mashed up the names of two individuals known for their equanimity in the face of challenges – the spiritual leader of Tibet Dalai Lama (whose name he mispronounces) and Jedi Master Yoda.

..

 

Sam: It’s all snake oil.

Snake oil is a derogatory term used to describe fraudulent medical practices.

..

 

Sam: Last faith healer we hooked up with had a reaper on a leash.

Sam is referring to the events of 1.12 Faith, in which he tried to find a faith healer for the stricken Dean.

..

 

Hallucifer: Narcissistic personality disorder. Okay, now this one I could have.

Narcissistic personality disorder is a condition characterized by egocentrism, arrogance, entitlement, a desire for control, and a lack of empathy. It is thought to be a way of compensating for a severe sense of personal imperfection and unworthiness. In 5.11 Sam, Interrupted which took place in a mental hospital, Dean’s hallucinated doctor tells him he is “paranoid schizophrenic with a narcissistic personality disorder and religious psychosis”.

..

 

While Dean is trying to find help for Sam, Bobby’s journal inexplicably falls on the floor, and a card for “Mackey’s Taxidermy” falls out. Mackey in turn leads Dean to Castiel. This is the third time such an event has occurred – a possible hint that Bobby’s ghost is around. The other two events were Dean’s beer disappearing in 7.11 Adventures in Babysitting and a helpful paper moving to the top of a pile in 7.13 The Slice Girls.
..
While running away from Hallucifer in his sleep-deprived state, Sam gets a phone call from Lars Ulrich. Lars Ulrich is the drummer for American heavy metal band, Metallica.
..

Emmanuel: [about the demon] I saw his face. His real face.

In 3.16 No Rest for the Wicked, Dean, in the last 24 hours of the year he was given after his crossroads deal, could see demons’ real faces:

Dean: I could see its face, its real face, under that one.

..

Meg: Dean, Dean, Dean. You got some ‘explaining to do!

“Lucy, you’ve got some ‘explaining to do!” was a catchphrase of Lucy’s husband Ricky Ricardo in the ’50/’60s sitcom I Love Lucy starring Lucille Ball.
Luci is a fandom nickname for Lucifer, first used by Gabriel in 5.19 Hammer of the Gods.

..

 

Meg: You sure we wouldn’t be safer traveling with a full-throttle angel?

A reference to the 2003 movie Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, which was directed by executive producer McG.
One of Sam’s hallucinations is that his sandwich is full of maggots. In 3.09 Malleus Maleficarum, a witch’s target nearly chokes to death after discovering that his burger is full of maggots.
..

Meg: (to Cas) That was beautiful, Clarence.

A reference to angel Clarence from It’s A Wonderful Life. The name was previously used by Meg in 5.10 Abandon All Hope….

..

 

Hallucifer: [about The Three Little Pigs] I see that third little pig was smart. Went out and got some bricks.

In 3.05 Bedtime Stories, a man survived an attack that killed his two brothers by hiding next to some concrete blocks in a violent recreation of the Three Little Pigs.

..

 

Doctor: Welcome to the team, Nurse Masters.

Meg is using the name of her season 1 meatsuit, Meg Masters.

..

#WelcomehomeMisha trended on Twitter before the episode.
..
In the beginning of the episode, Hallucifer says that Sam has been awake for five days.
..
Marin, the patient who is being haunted by her brother, is played by Kacey Rohl, the daughter of Mike Rohl who had directed ten episodes of Supernatural at the time of airing.
..
Dean’s phone number is 785-555-0128. 785 is the Area Code for the northern half of Kansas, including Lawrence (the boys’ birthplace).
..
Emmanuel lived in Colorado.

Superwiki

Spoilers

 

EPISODE SPOILERS

Episode Spoilers can be read HERE

Episode Schedule

Thu, Oct 10 15.01 - Back and to the Future - Season Premiere
Thu, Oc 17 15.02 - Raising Hell
Thu, Oct 24 15.03 - The Rupture
Thu, Nov 7 15.04 - Atomic Monsters
Thu, Nov 14 15.05 - Proverbs 17:3
Thu, Nov 21 15.06 - Golden Time
Thu, Dec 05 15.07 - Last Call
Thu, Dec 12 15.08 - Our Father, Who Aren’t In Heaven
Thu, Jan 16 2020 15.09 - The Trap
Thu, Jan 23 2020 15.10 - The Heroes' Journey
Thu, Jan 30 2020 15.11 - The Gamblers
Mon, March 16 2020 15.12 - Galaxy Brain
Mon, March 23 2020 15.13 - Destiny's Child
Thu, Oct 08 2020 15.14 - Last Holiday
Thu, Oct 15 2020 15.15 - Gimme Shelter
Thu, Oct 22 2020 15.16 - Drag Me Away (From You)
Thu, Oct 29 2020 15.17 - Unity
Thu, Nov 05 2020 15.18 - Despair
Thu, Nov 12 2020 15.19 - Inherit the Earth
Thu, Nov 19 2020 15.20 - Carry On - Series Finale

* This Schedule might change as new info come.

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