The Heroes’ Journey Recap

EPISODE:
The episode opens with Dean and Sam doing routine things – Dean is picking up groceries at a small market in town, and Sam is cooking dinner. However, the brothers seem to be experiencing bad luck. Dean realizes he has a toothache, the credit card he tries to use to buy groceries gets declined, he almost gets run over by a skateboarder, and he gets a parking ticket for parking in front of a fire hydrant. Meanwhile, Sam burns dinner, burns his hands trying to move a pot (without using oven mits or a potholder), and breaks a bunch of dishes.

The brothers regroup back at the bunker and realize something strange is happening. The credit card that got declines was hacked by Charlie 5 years earlier, and has never failed to work before. As they’re talking, Sam starts sneezing and they realize he seems to be catching a cold.

Suddenly, Dean’s cell phone rings. It’s Garth asking for help.

While the brothers are driving to Garth’s house, they discuss their situation. Sam initially believes that they’re just having a “bad day”, but Dean is convinced that it’s something more, and Chuck must be behind it. Sam also mentions the fact that Castiel is in heaven to find out if the angels have any information that can help with the Chuck situation. When the brothers are about 10 miles from Garth’s house, the Impala suddenly breaks down, forcing them to walk the rest of the way.

When the Winchesters reach Garth’s house, it’s the next day. Garth is at home, feeding his toddler twins (Castiel and Sam), while his older daughter, Gertie (who seems about 6 years old), plays nearby. After introductions, Garth takes the brothers to an upstairs bedroom. Bess (Garth’s wife) is taking care of her cousin, Brad, who is unconscious on the bed. Brad is a pureblood werewolf, like Bess. Apparently, he was dumped near Saint Cloud, Minnesota, and left for dead. When Dean recognizes cuts on the man’s arms, Bess says the wounds are from a wraith’s spike. Dean suggests that they should question Brad when he wakes up. He tries to eat a piece of candy and grimaces in pain. When Dean reluctantly confesses to Garth that he has a toothache, Garth insists on taking a look. Meanwhile, Bess talks Sam into taking a home remedy for his cold.

Garth takes Dean downstairs to an office that he uses for dentistry. Garth reminds Dean that he studied dentistry before he became a hunter (and killed the tooth fairy), so after settling down, he finished his dental degree and now provides dental care for werewolves (who probably can’t go to regular dentists). Dean initially protests having an exam, but when Garth finds 17 cavities, Dean relents. Garth breaks out the nitrous oxide and repairs Dean’s damaged teeth (while Dean apparently has a drug-induced dream about tap dancing like Fred Astaire).

Meanwhile, upstairs in the kitchen, Sam agrees to take Bess family cold remedy, which is mostly cayenne pepper. The concoction leaves Sam writhing on the floor, but afterward he seems to feel better.

Later, the brothers have both recovered and they explain their “issue” with bad luck to Garth. They must confess that “God”, who is a writer that has been writing their story, is angry with them. Garth explains that the “heroes” of the story always suffer in big ways (like losing loved ones), but heroes also never have to deal with mundane things, like tooth decay and parking tickets. The group surmises that because the Winchesters are no longer the “heroes” of Chuck’s story, they have been downgraded and are forced to deal with everyday headaches like normal people.

While the group is talking, Brad wakes up and calls for Bess. Everyone rushes upstairs, and Brad reluctantly confesses what happened. He says there’s a “Fight Club” type of arena in Belgrade, Minnesota, where monsters fight for money. The matches are streamed on the dark web, and most of the audience is also monsters. Against Garth’s advice and despite their current bout of bad luck, the brothers head to the location (after Garth helps them get new spark plugs for the car).

During the trip to the monsters’ warehouse, Dean apparently eats several grilled cheese sandwiches (Bess made them food for the drive). Shortly after the brothers arrive and begin searching the place, Dean becomes violently ill – apparently he is now lactose intolerant. While Dean is vomiting, he gets taken prisoner. Sam apparently does, too, and they both end up locked inside the fight cage.

As the Winchesters ponder their situation, the fight club manager, Cutty, enters to talk to them. Cutty says he could’ve killed them, but he wants to see them “at their best”, so he plans to force them to fight Maul, a very large, super-powerful vampire. The Winchesters end up locked in side-by-side cages while awaiting their fight.

Later that night, the place is filled with spectators. As the Winchesters watch in horror, the bloody fights begin. Dean manages to remove a nail from his cage and tries to use it to pick the lock, but it doesn’t work. Right before the brothers are supposed to fight, Garth sneaks into the place and frees them. He also secretly plants C4 explosives in several locations, so he can blow the place up and kill all the monsters.

Once Garth and the brothers are outside, Garth pushes the detonator and the place explodes. Unfortunately, Maul survives and comes after them. During a humorously cartoonish fight scene, the brothers are ineffective against Maul, but Garth eventually kills the creature with a machete.

EPILOGUE:
The next day, the Winchesters day farewell to Garth and his family. The brothers thank Garth for saving their lives, and tell him that he is a hero. On their way out, Garth tells the brothers about a place in Alaska that supposedly can help if someone is down on his luck. Garth gives the location, but doesn’t know anything else about the place. Once the brothers are in the car, they talk about their options. They agree that even if there’s something in Alaska that can help them, there’s probably a catch. However, with Chuck on the loose, they don’t think they have a choice, so they agree to head to Alaska to check the place out.