SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL

Lucifer's prison has been opened by Sam's successful attempt to kill Lilith. As the gate to Hell fully opens, the Winchester brothers are rescued by an unknown force and teleported into a plane, watching in horror the start of the Apocalypse. In an encounter with the prophet Chuck it is revealed that Castiel was blown to pieces by an Archangel. When they try to figure out what to do next, they are attacked by their old enemy Meg and a possessed Bobby. The brothers learn that there is a weapon strong enough to defeat the Devil—Michael's Sword. They set off to find it, but instead burst upon Zachariah, who reveals that Dean is in fact Michael's Sword, the human vessel of the Archangel Michael. However, he refuses to provide his mind and body for the angels' plans even when Zachariah threatens to kill Sam and Bobby. As Zachariah begins to torture Sam and Dean, Castiel, miraculously revived, appears and tells him to leave. Meanwhile, Lucifer is trying to convince his own vessel, a man whose family has been slaughtered by a killer, to let him take over his body so he can face God and seek justice. 

 GOOD GOD, Y'ALL

Bobby is still in the hospital and quite bitter about being in a wheelchair. When Castiel arrives, Bobby orders him to heal him, but Castiel says he's been cut off from Heaven. He tells Dean that he wants to find God, the only one who can defeat Lucifer. Castiel borrows Dean's pendant, which has the ability to indicate God's presence by glowing brightly. Suddenly, Bobby receives a frantic call from his hunter friend Rufus, who is in a town swarming with demons. Sam and Dean go to the town and can't find Rufus, but instead find Ellen Harvelle. She and Jo have been hunting together and Jo has disappeared like Rufus. When they do find Jo and Rufus, they appear to be possessed by demons—and strangely, they seem to think Sam, Dean and the others are also possessed. In fact, the demons are no demons at all, but hallucinations brought about by War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Sam and Dean hunt him down and cut off his ring finger, because his ring controls the hallucinations. In the end, Sam tells Dean he thinks that they should go their separate ways, and so they part. 

 FREE TO BE YOU AND ME

 Not sure he trusts himself anymore, Sam decides to give up hunting and live a "normal" life. At night, his dead girlfriend Jessica visits him and tells him that people can never change despite their efforts. Dean, intending on stopping the Apocalypse, continues hunting on his own and teams up with Castiel to find the Archangel Raphael, as Castiel believes Raphael knows God’s location. They find Raphael's vessel and lure him out, but are no closer to finding God's location. Raphael even claims that God is dead. After fighting off fellow hunters who wanted him to drink demon blood in order to exorcise some demons, Sam gets another late-night visit from Jessica, who turns out to be Lucifer disguising himself as Sam's deceased girlfriend all along. He says that Nick's body was just Plan B, and that his true vessel is supposed to be Sam. He is convinced that eventually, without any trickery or lies, Sam will agree to be his vessel, although Sam adamantly disagrees.

 THE END

Sam calls Dean late at night and says that he wants to rejoin Dean in the battle of the Apocalypse, but Dean tells Sam that they're better off apart. Later, Dean awakens five years in the future in an abandoned city and is attacked by humans who have been infected with a demonic disease, the Croatoan virus. After Dean has escaped the assault, Zachariah appears to him and explains that this world is the result of Dean saying no to being Michael's vessel. He then discovers a group of survivors led by his future self. When he sneaks into the camp, he is captured by his future self, who explains that the virus is Lucifer's endgame for destroying mankind. Supposedly, Sam did not survive the showdown. Later it is revealed that Sam didn't die, but did in fact say yes to Lucifer, thus letting him in. After having acquired the Colt from demons, Future Dean plans on killing Lucifer and ending the Apocalypse. Walking straight into a trap, Future Dean is killed by Lucifer. Lucifer reveals that, whatever choices Dean will make, he will always end up in the same situation. Lucifer leaves and Zachariah appears, teleporting Dean back to the year 2009. When Dean refuses to be Michael's vessel, even after he's seen what his decision might result in, Zachariah attempts to persuade him with force. Castiel saves Dean from Zachariah's wrath just in time. Ultimately, Dean and Sam reconcile and decide to begin hunting together again. 

 FALLEN IDOLS

Sam and Dean are reunited and on the hunt again. They reach a small town and investgate a string of very strange murders. A man who has found James Dean's car "Little Bastard" is found dead as if he has been involved in a major car crash. Another man is murdered by someone who looks just like Abraham Lincoln. Suspecting that the murders are the work of famous ghosts, the boys do research at the local wax museum where Sam is attacked by what seems to be the ghost of Mahatma Gandhi. Shortly afterwards, two girls report to the police that their friend was kidnapped by Paris Hilton, which leaves the brothers speechless. After finding peculiar seeds in the victims' stomachs, they break into the museum's construction area where they do find Paris Hilton—who is in fact a pagan god in disguise, trying to settle down after its old home, a deep forest in Eastern Europe, has been cut down. By touching their possessions, the god can turn itself into famous people and kill their fans in order to feed on their blood. While fighting the Leshi, Dean references Padalecki's and Hilton's role in House of Wax, saying he has never seen it. In the end, Sam kills "Paris Hilton" with an iron axe. Before leaving town, Dean tells Sam that starting the Apocalypse isn't his fault alone as he himself had broken the first seal and that they shouldn't think about the whole vessel thing too much but instead fight together. 

 I BELIEVE THE CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE

In Alliance, Nebraska, people are being killed by practical joke devices such as itching powder and joybuzzers. On top of that, a very odd looking Tooth Fairy extracts a man's teeth. It turns out that an eleven-year-old boy named Jesse is the reason for all of this. Everything he believes becomes reality. After searching his birth records, Sam and Dean find out that the boy was adopted, so they visit his biological mother, who lives across the state. She tells the brothers that she was impregnated by a demon possessing her and gave up her child for adoption after giving birth to him. Castiel informs the Winchesters that Jesse is an Antichrist, a being half human, half demon, imbued with essentially unlimited powers. Therefore, an Antichrist would be Lucifer's special weapon in the war against Heaven and, as a serious threat, needs to be eliminated. However, Sam and Dean believe that Jesse would not turn evil if he is taken somewhere safe. When they try to convince Jesse to come with them, the demon which conceived him interferes and pins them to the wall. It is again possessing Jesse's biological mother. After listening to the demon, Jesse renders it unable to speak in order to hear what Sam has to say. Sam tells Jesse that he has a choice and that it will haunt him forever if he makes the wrong decision. After that, Jesse exorcises the demon from his mother. Pretending he wants to say goodbye to his foster parents, he goes upstairs and vanishes into thin air, protected by his powers, which makes it impossible to track him down. 

 THE CURIOUS CASE OF DEAN WINCHESTER

Mysterious deaths caused by inexplicable aging lead Sam, Dean and Bobby to a warlock named Patrick, who gambles for high stakes. He challenges people to a poker game in which they don't play for money, but for life years represented by magical poker chips. Bobby sees this game as an opportunity to escape his wheelchair and accepts Patrick's challenge. Losing the game, he begins to age rapidly. Dean wants to save Bobby and challenges the warlock to win back Bobby's lost years to prevent him from dying. He bets 50 years, of which he uses 25 to reverse Bobby's aging process. However, Dean can't keep up with the warlock's poker skills and loses, which causes him to age. Together, the Winchester brothers and Bobby try to find a way to save Dean. They get unexpected help from Patrick's accomplice, who thinks that living forever is not natural and causes too much pain. She gives them a spell, one which can reverse the effects of Patrick's magic. Sam challenges the warlock to a poker game while Bobby and Dean perform the ritual. One ingredient of the spell is a trace of Patrick's DNA, so they use a toothpick supposedly used by him. The spell turns out to be ineffective since the toothpick was not really used by Patrick. When frantically searching for another object with the warlock's DNA on it, Dean suffers a heart attack, but Sam wins the game just in time to save Dean. 

 CHANGING CHANNELS

While investigating a homicide apparently executed by the Incredible Hulk, Sam and Dean are trapped inside TV land. They suspect the Trickster is the reason for it, and attempt to track him down. Sam suggests they ask the Trickster for help fighting the Apocalypse, and Dean reluctantly agrees. They encounter him several times, but are unable to trap him until Dean remembers a warning from Castiel about the Trickster, which leads the brothers to believe the Trickster is in fact a far more powerful creature than a simple demi-god. They manage to lure him and trap him in a burning circle of holy oil. Since the Trickster is unable to escape, it confirms their suspicions that he is actually an angel. He applauds them and admits he's actually the Archangel Gabriel, who voluntarily fell from Grace several years before as he grew tired of watching his brothers fight each other. He trapped Sam and Dean because he wants them to agree to be Lucifer's and Michael's vessels, respectively, in order to end the Apocalypse. Gabriel also states that the lives of Sam and Dean mirror the lives of Lucifer and Michael, since Sam rebelled against his father while Dean remained obedient. Dean still refuses to say yes to becoming a vessel, but before they leave, he frees Gabriel from his trap and accuses him of simply being too afraid to stand up against his own family. 

 THE REAL GHOSTBUSTERS

Following a text message from Chuck, Sam and Dean arrive at a hotel, which is the site for a Supernatural fan convention. They find out that it was their over-enthusiastic fan Becky who sent the message, and have to deal with several Sam and Dean wannabes participating in a fictitious ghost hunt. After a convention attendee is seriously injured by real ghosts, the Winchester brothers start researching and find out that there's a real ghost haunting the hotel, whose name is Leticia Gore. Gore, who supposedly killed four children by scalping them, was the orphanage caretaker. Together with two copycat Winchesters they set out to find Leticia's bones to salt and burn them. When accomplishing their task they accidentally set the ghosts of the boys free. They find out that in fact the three boys killed Leticia's son and that only the caretaker was able to keep them under control. With Leticia gone the vengeful spirits lock all participants in the hotel and wreak havoc on them. Sam and Dean ask Chuck to keep everyone in the auditorium while they deal with the ghosts, using an actress/Hooters waitress to assume the role of Leticia Gore in order to control the children's ghosts. However, the plan fails when her cell phone rings, identifying her as a human. The ghosts attack Sam and Dean, but are destroyed by a pair of Winchester imposters, who were able to salt and burn the children's bones just in time. Upon leaving the hotel, Becky reveals to Sam and Dean that Bela did not give the Colt to Lilith, but instead gave it to her subordinate, Crowley. 

 ABANDON ALL HOPE...

Castiel finds Crowley, and with Jo's help the brothers enter his house. To their surprise Crowley shoots his henchmen and gives them the Colt, stating that he wants Lucifer dead because he believes that eventually Lucifer will kill all demons after he destroys humanity. Back at Bobby's place, Bobby photographs himself, Sam, Dean, Ellen, Jo and Castiel, as he believes that this might be their last night on Earth. When the team arrives in Missouri, Castiel sees Reapers everywhere. He tries to find out why they are there and is subsequently captured by Lucifer, who tries to convince Castiel to join him, while showing that his own temporary vessel Nick, overpowered by Lucifer's presence inside him, is dying. Meg arrives and sends hellhounds after the brothers and the Harvelles, and while trying to help Dean, Jo is fatally wounded. While taking shelter in a hardware store, Dean calls Bobby, who tells him the Reapers are in town because they are waiting for their boss to show: Death, one of the Four Horsemen. Realizing she won't recover from her wound, Jo suggests they build a bomb to blow up the hellhounds, using her as bait to lure the hellhounds inside. Ellen volunteers to stay behind, too, so she can let the hellhounds in and set off the bomb while Dean and Sam escape. After a tearful goodbye with Dean, Jo dies in Ellen's arms, who then blows up the building, killing herself and the hellhounds. The brothers find Lucifer in the middle of summoning Death. Dean shoots Lucifer point blank with the Colt. However, he heals instantly and reveals that there are only five beings the Colt can't kill—and he happens to be one of them. Lucifer sacrifices a dozen demons to summon Death, stating that "they're just demons". Meanwhile, Castiel manages to free himself from his trap and takes the brothers to Bobby's. There, Bobby throws the picture showing them all into the fire, and, together with the brothers, grieves silently over the deaths of Jo and Ellen. 

 SAM, INTERRUPTED

A former hunter named Martin, who has been admitted into a mental hospital, calls Sam and Dean for help with investigating a case. The brothers get themselves admitted as patients to check out the mysterious creature that has been attacking patients and has made their deaths look like suicide. They find out that they are dealing with a Wraith, a creature that feeds on human brains and disguises itself as a human. The only way to identify a Wraith is through a mirror, which reveals its true form. As the days go by, the Winchesters find themselves hallucinating. After an attempt to kill the hospital's Chief of Medicine, whom they suspect to be the monster, Sam is locked up and sedated with a heavy dose of tranquilizers. Despite his mind being paralyzed by the tricks the Wraith plays on it, Dean is able to figure out that the Wraith must be the nurse who gave them their medical check-up at the beginning, disturbing their minds after touching them. He finds her just as she is attempting to suck Sam's brain dry. After killing her and lifting the curse, the brothers flee from the mental institution. 

 SWAP MEAT

 Gary, a teenage nerd, meets Dean and Sam and conjures up a body-switching spell, exchanging bodies with Sam. Thrilled with his new looks, Gary takes advantage of his new appearance by hitting on women and drinking alcohol. He meets up with Dean, who at first does not realize Sam is not the real Sam. The two start working on a case and kill a ghost together. Meanwhile, Sam is stuck in Gary's body and has to deal with his strict parents and high school. He finds out that Gary owns a book with satanic symbols all over it and sets off for his locker at high school. After he has retrieved the book, he is shot by Gary's friend Trevor with a tranquilizer gun. He and another friend of Gary's called Nora take him to a basement and reveal that they have made a pact with a demon, who offered them everything they wanted in exchange for Sam and Dean. Trevor conjures the demon, who possesses Nora and kills Trevor. She goes after Gary and tries to persuade him to meet Lucifer and "answer one little question" with yes, which would let the Devil into his true vessel. Gary refuses and, with Dean's help, exorcizes the demon. In the end, Gary reverses the spell and the boys take him home. Before leaving, Sam tells Gary that he should be glad to have a normal life and a family, but when he and Dean get into the car, he states that Gary's life "sucked ass", yet Dean counters by saying that perhaps they themselves just don't know the good things they're missing out on.

 THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME

The fallen angel Anna has escaped from her prison in Heaven and is planning on killing Sam in order to prevent the Apocalypse. She calls Sam and Dean and asks them to meet her, but instead of the brothers she encounters Castiel, who doesn't believe she has escaped but suspects there is something she is not telling them. Anna seems very evasive and disappears without revealing much of her plans. Later, Castiel meets up with the Winchesters and tells them that Anna has traveled back in time to stop Mary and John Winchester from conceiving Sam. The three also travel to the past, which weakens Castiel considerably. When knocking at their parents' door, Mary recognizes Dean from his earlier visit and tells them to leave immediately, suspecting something bad is bound to happen. John, however, is thrilled to meet "relatives" from Mary's side of the family and invites them in. Anna poses as John's employer and calls him at home, telling him to come to the garage he works at. After arriving there, he is attacked by Anna. The brothers and Mary come to rescue him, and Sam is able to drive Anna out of the building by using a magical sigil. They flee to a shelter, where Dean has a talk with Mary, in which he reveals that he and Sam are her sons and that she has to leave John in order to prevent her sons from being born. Suddenly, Anna and a younger Uriel rush into the house, attacking the Winchesters which allows Anna to kill Sam. Just as Anna is about to kill Mary, the Archangel Michael, having possessed John's body, enters the room and burns Anna to death. He reveals that Cain and Abel are the brothers' ancestors and that their destiny as Michael and Lucifer's true vessels has been set since those ancient times. He then revives Sam, erases Mary and John's memory and sends the brothers back to their time. 

 MY BLOODY VALENTINE

When couples start eating each other to death, the brothers investigate and find angelic marks on the victims' hearts. They call Castiel, who suspects a Cupid to be responsible for the deaths. Castiel summons the Cupid and asks him about the strange incidents, but the angel of love says he is only acting on higher orders, but that killings are not his work. After examining another victim's body, Sam follows a suspicious man and confronts him. Sam fights him and grazes him with Ruby's knife, which reveals that he is a demon. The demon flees and leaves his briefcase behind, and Sam finds his addiction to demon blood return. Soon, people start dying from binge eating or alcohol poisoning, and Castiel develops a weird craving for red meat, which leads them to believe that one of the Four Horsemen, Famine, who causes people to give in to their desires, is behind the deaths. They open the briefcase, which contains a human soul. Castiel states that Famine harvests the souls of the people he killed and consumes them. Later, Dean and Castiel set out to face Famine and cut off the finger on which he wears the ring containing his power. They lock up Sam in order to prevent him from giving into his cravings and follow the demons who harvested a soul for Famine to devour. Meanwhile, demons enter the room where Sam is chained up. Sam breaks free, attacks the demons and satisfies his thirst. When Dean and Castiel arrive at the diner in which they suspect Famine to dwell, Castiel enters the building in order to attack Famine, but is held up by his desire for food. Dean walks in and is assaulted by the demons guarding Famine. Famine then states that Dean is not responding to his curse because he is empty inside and there is nothing that can satisfy his hunger. When Sam suddenly appears, Famine offers him the demons guarding himself, but Sam refuses. He exorcizes them, and Famine devours their essences. Sam tries to use his powers on the Horseman, but Famine states that Sam's abilities will not work on him. Instead of killing the Horseman himself, Sam uses his powers to destroy the demons Famine had just swallowed, effectively killing Famine. In the end, Dean and Castiel lock Sam in Bobby's panic room in order to detox the demon blood out of his system. When Dean cannot bear to listen to Sam's screams anymore, he walks outside and prays to God for help.

Note: Jensen Ackles (Dean) starred in the 2009 3D remake of the Canadian slasher film My Bloody Valentine.

 DEAD MEN DON'T WEAR PLAID

 Sam and Dean investigate Bobby’s hometown where the dead are rising from the grave, but instead of attacking humans they are happily reuniting with their families. The brothers turn to Bobby for help, but he tells them not to worry about it and to leave town. Suspicious, Dean investigates further and comes face to face with Bobby’s dead wife, who seems to have no memory of what has happened to her. Once the zombies start turning evil, the boys urge Bobby to kill his wife before she kills him. Bobby refuses because he wants to spend a few happy hours with his resurrected wife and says that as soon as she turns evil he will take care of it. Shortly after, his wife shows signs of becoming a flesh-eating zombie. Weakened by the disease, she lays down to rest and tells Bobby that she actually remembers her demonic possession and death. She also delivers a message from Death. After killing her, Bobby helps the brothers fight off the zombies. They succeed and rid the town of the plague. In the end, Bobby reveals that the rise of the dead took place in his hometown because Death wanted to break his spirit since he stands in the way of Lucifer's plans.

 DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

Ambushed by angry hunters, Sam and Dean are killed and sent to Heaven. Castiel, talking through a TV, explains to the brothers that Zachariah is searching for them. The Winchesters' task is to find the Angel Joshua, who is rumored to be talking to God. Trying to escape from Zachariah's persecution, Sam and Dean re-live the happiest moments of their lives. On their way they meet Ash, living in an illusional Roadhouse. He says that the people sent to Heaven are rewarded for their good deeds with a replica of their happiest memory. They also encounter Pamela, who states that being dead and in Heaven is not so bad, after all. Eventually, Zachariah finds the brothers and begins to torture Dean, saying that he is sick of being condemned by his fellow angels because he cannot handle "one little human." However, he is stopped by Joshua, who claims to be acting on orders from God. Joshua tells the brothers that God does not want their help. It is revealed that He is the one who put them on that airplane in Sympathy for the Devil, brought back Castiel and now granted them salvation in Heaven. Joshua then returns them to Earth with their memories, where the brothers meet Castiel and tell him everything. Castiel curses God and gives Dean his amulet back, stating that it is useless now. As the brothers leave the motel, Sam tries to convince Dean that they can still stop the Apocalypse. Before walking out the door, Dean throws his amulet into the trash can, leaving faith at the door. 

 99 PROBLEMS

Sam and Dean are cornered by demons, but saved at the last minute by Rob and his townspeople, who are aware of the Apocalypse and have been training to fight and kill demons. The small town is very religious, and the brothers meet Pastor Gideon, who introduces them to his daughter Leah. She has supposedly been receiving visions from angels and guiding the townspeople on their fight against evil forces. When Leah tells the townspeople to kill "evil" citizens in order to be granted salvation in Heaven, the brothers realize that she is actually the Whore of Babylon, a creature from Hell that emerges during the Apocalypse and tries to condemn as many people as possible to eternal punishment in Hell by tricking them into committing Deadly Sins. Unfortunately, she can only be killed by a special stake and by the hands of a true servant of Heaven. So the brothers unite with Castiel and convince Pastor Gideon that his daughter is dead and has been replaced by a demonic creature that has to be killed and that he is a true servant of Heaven. They apprehend the Whore, but the pastor is knocked out. Leah escapes and talks the townspeople into believing that her father is a demon. Dean fights her and manages to stake her with the sacred staff, proving that he is a true servant of Heaven. Sam is quite surprised at this fact and asks him if he is going to do something stupid like letting in Michael. In the end, Dean goes to meet Lisa and tells her that, in the next few days, she's going to see horrifying and unbelievable things on TV, but she needs not worry because he is going to make arrangements to protect her and her son, Ben. He also confesses that if he could, he would live his dream of having a happy family. Lisa is terrified and asks Dean to stay, have a beer and relax for a while, but Dean refuses, although he would very much like to do so. 

 POINT OF NO RETURN

Dean begins to think the only way to stop Lucifer is to say yes to Michael, but the angels decide they don't need him anymore. Instead, Zachariah uses Dean and Sam's half-brother, Adam, to serve as Michael's vessel as he is related to the Winchesters by blood. Castiel rescues Adam as he revives and brings him to see his brothers and Bobby. But Adam has no problem being Michael's vessel as the angels promised to reunite him with his deceased mother and Sam tries to talk him out of it. Since Dean still has the intention to accept the Archangel, Castiel and Sam lock him in a cell but Dean tricks Castiel into releasing him and escapes. Adam is convinced by Zachariah to act his part and he leaves voluntarily. Dean is chased down by Castiel and the angel knocks him unconscious and takes him back. Upon going with Zachariah, Adam discovers that the angels have fooled him into tricking Dean to become Michael's vessel. Sam trusts Dean not to give himself up to the angels and releases him to help rescue Adam. Castiel goes inside the warehouse and confronts a group of angels, using incantations on his body to banish himself and the angels away while Dean and Sam enter. They attempt to take Adam with them but are confronted by Zachariah. The angel tortures both Sam and Adam to force Dean to say yes. Dean relents and tells Zachariah to summon Michael. However, Dean reveals he's made a few conditions in order to have Michael possess him, with the first being Zachariah will be killed by Michael. To be sure, Dean surprises and kills Zachariah himself. As Michael descends, the three brothers flee but Adam is trapped inside. Dean is unable to go back in to save Adam due to the searing heat and light, and when he enters the room moments later, the room holding Adam has disappeared. Later, Dean apologizes to Sam for his decision and tells his brother they will take the fight to them, whether they be angels or Lucifer. 

 HAMMER OF THE GODS

Sam and Dean end up in a seemingly one-star motel at the side of the road, but it turns out to be a five-star hotel with staff who are a little too friendly for the brothers liking. They soon discover strange things happen at the hotel and guests are disappearing one at a time. They are soon trapped by the staff, who turn out to be a group of gods, including Kali, Ganesh, Mercury, Zao Shen, Baron Samedi, Odin, and Baldur, and who want to use them as bargaining chips to stop the Apocalypse. Dean and Sam are soon joined by Gabriel under his Loki persona, who is willing to help them out. While he distracts Kali, Dean and Sam try to free the other trapped guests, however Kali is on to Gabriel and steals his sword and kills him. The brothers make a deal; release the guests and they will help the gods kill Lucifer. The gods reluctantly agree and Dean leads the hostages outside and stumbles upon a very much alive Gabriel, who explains the sword was a fake. He tells Dean he can't kill Lucifer because he's his brother, and Dean goes back inside the hotel. Lucifer arrives and kills all the gods but Kali. Gabriel shows up to help the brothers and sends them away. As he faces Lucifer for the first time in centuries, Gabriel tells him he's not loyal to him or Michael, but to humans, because despite their flaws, they're always willing to try harder and forgive. As Gabriel makes his move, Lucifer is onto him and kills him. Outside, Dean and Sam watch a movie Gabriel gave to them, in which the Archangel explains to them that they can't kill Lucifer, but they can trap him back in Hell. All they need are the four rings that belong to the Horsemen to do this. As Dean and Sam set out to find them, Pestilence is revealed to be on Earth. 

 THE DEVIL YOU KNOW

 Dean and Sam encounter Crowley while on the trail of Pestilence. Both brothers are angry at Crowley for giving them the Colt which did not work on Lucifer. Crowley mentions that he's being hunted down by his fellow demons and tells the brothers that he knows where the last two rings can be found. He directs them to Brady, the demon Handler for the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. However, Crowley will only show the way if Sam does not go with them. Later, Sam and Bobby have an argument over Sam intending to trick Lucifer back into Hell by letting Lucifer possess him. Dean meets Brady, the demon-possessed CEO of a pharmaceutical company, who is under Pestilence's orders. Dean tries to trick Brady with a proposition but the demon does not buy it, intending to just kill Dean. However, Crowley gets the drop on Brady and knocks him unconscious. Dean is warned by Crowley that Sam and Brady have a history; Brady is in fact Sam's classmate from college. The Handler possessed Brady since sophomore year, and deliberately introduced Jessica to Sam to put Azazel's plans into motion. Sam is furious and wants to kill Brady but Dean stops him. While Crowley is away, Sam traps Dean in the bathroom as he plans to kill Brady. Brady goads Sam into killing him but Sam manages to calm himself and leave. Crowley returns after killing a nest of demons and making it look as though Brady joined his side. However, Crowley is tracked down by a hellhound. Crowley escapes, leaving Dean, Sam and Brady in the hideout. While Dean attempts to fight off the hellhound, Crowley returns with his own hound against the other hound. After the four of them escape, Brady gives up the location for Pestilence. Dean then allows Sam to finish Brady off. Later, Crowley appears to Bobby and tells him he will reveal Death's location in exchange for his soul.

 TWO MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

Dean and Sam finally hear from Castiel again, but he cannot go to them because his "batteries" are drained and he has no more power; he's now practically human. Dean and Sam go after Pestilence, and nearly die from a hailstorm of diseases. Castiel shows up (he took a bus) and cuts off the Horseman's finger, using the last of his angelic strength to resist Pestilence's plagues. He takes the ring, but not before Pestilence tells them that "it's too late." Upon rejoining with Bobby, the brothers learn how Bobby "pawned" his soul to Crowley in exchange for Death's location. Crowley explains that Bobby's soul is his insurance, and that he won't give it back until everything has cooled down. It turns out the deal includes a bonus; Bobby can walk again. The group splits up; Sam, along with Castiel and Bobby, head out in order to find and contain the Croatoan virus (disguised and being distributed as a swine flu vaccine). On the way, Castiel hears about Sam's plan concerning Lucifer and surprisingly encourages him. However, he warns Sam that Michael has already found a human vessel; Adam. The battle between Michael and Lucifer will commence if Sam isn't able to resist possession. At the shipping warehouse, the three are able to contain the virus and shoot those who have been infected by it. Meanwhile, Dean goes with Crowley to find Death and get the last ring. They locate Death in Chicago, which according to Bobby is about to be wiped out by the storm of the millennium. As the rain starts, Death and Dean meet in a pizza parlor, where Death explains that he is tied to Lucifer through a spell. This is the only reason he didn't try to find Dean, but has instead had to wait for him. He offers to give him his ring, but there is one condition; agree to Sam saying yes to Lucifer so they can lure him into the trap. He'll also spare Chicago. ("I like the pizza.") Dean agrees, receiving the ring and instructions on how to use all four of them to trap Lucifer. Upon returning, he tells Bobby he lied to Death's face, but Bobby says that Death is Death, and asks Dean if he's more afraid to lose, or to lose his brother. 

 SWAN SONG

Chuck begins to narrate the life and times of the Impala and the boys life inside of it. Chuck reveals their time spent in the Impala and how they made it their home throughout the years before and after they began hunting. Remembering a comment made by Lucifer in the future, Dean realizes that the fallen angel is in Detroit. Sam and Dean confront Lucifer, who knows of their plan to use the Horsemen's rings to trap him back in his cage. Despite this, Sam offers himself as a vessel, hoping that he can overcome Lucifer's control and throw himself into the prison. Lucifer is too strong, and Sam disappears in his body. As Lucifer tries to make Sam happy by killing the demons sent by Azazel to manipulate him during his childhood, Dean learns from Chuck the time and location of the final battle between Michael and Lucifer. The following day at the battleground—Stull Cemetery in Lawrence, Kansas—Lucifer tries to talk Michael out of fighting, but he refuses. However, Castiel interrupts the fight by banishing Michael with holy fire. An angry Lucifer kills Castiel, and then snaps Bobby's neck when he shoots him. He then starts brutally beating Dean, but stops when he notices an old army man of Sam's inside the Impala revealed earlier during Chuck's narration. Sam remembers his life growing up with Dean, and manages to take control of his body. He uses the rings to reopen the door to the cage, and prepares to jump inside. Michael returns and tries to stop him, but he too is pulled into the pit while grappling with Sam. Castiel, resurrected again as an angel, heals Dean and brings Bobby back to life. He returns to Heaven, hoping to bring order now that Michael is gone. As Dean attempts to move on, he seems to turn his back on hunting and returns to Lisa. Chuck smiles after finishing his narration of the story, and vanishes into thin air. Later that night, a streetlight flickers out and Sam is revealed outside Lisa's home, looking in the window at the "family" eating dinner together.