War of the Worlds Recap

Asmodeus:
In Crowley’s former lair, Asmodeus is meditating, trying to locate Jack. He is interrupted by a demon lackey, who arrives to urgently report that there is no update on Jack’s location, and that the demons have used all their resources but still can’t find him. Asmodeus suggests that the Winchesters must have found a creative way to hide the Nephilim, but his demon flunky says that the Winchesters no longer have the boy. The demons apparently have a hunter on their payroll, who told them that the Winchesters are also frantically looking for Jack.Later, we see Asmodeus and his demons torturing a person. The man is apparently the desk clerk from the Stampede Motel and RV Park (where Dean, Sam, Castiel, and Jack stayed when they investigated the ghoul case in “Tombstone”). When Asmodeus asks the man what miracles he saw and what happened to the Nephilim, the man doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He does, however, tell the demon about some FBI agents who stayed at the motel for a few days, and paid their bill in cash. He swears that he doesn’t know anything else, so Asmodeus has one of the demons kill the man.

Asmodeus orders his demons to clean up the "mess" and prepares to leave the room, when he is suddenly weakened by an invisible force. A demon rushes to his aid, and he tells the demon that he senses something, but it isn’t Jack.

Lucifer:
In the AU, Michael has Lucifer out of the cage, but is still holding him captive. The brothers continue throwing verbal barbs at each other, but then Michael tells Lucifer that he is working on a way to open the rift and enter the other world. Michael tells Lucifer that he has a prophet who has been devising a plan. The doors open and Kevin Tran walks in.

We learn that Kevin has found a spell in the angel tablet that can open the rift, but the ingredients include archangel grace, which Michael has been unwilling to provide. Michael steals some of Lucifer’s grace for the spell. The theft leaves Lucifer weakened, but not totally powerless.

Later, Kevin has all the ingredients and performs a spell to open the rift. Lucifer is there, but is being restrained by two of Michael’s goons. Lucifer tries to talk Kevin out of continuing the spell, but Kevin says that Michael has promised to take Kevin with him to paradise-world; and besides, he’s a prophet so he has no choice except to do what Michael says. Kevin performs the spell, and the rift opens, but the shock wave it creates when it opens distracts the two angels restraining Lucifer. He hits them and wrestles himself free in time to jump through the rift before it closes behind him. Michael is furious, but Kevin explains that the spell apparently only allows one person to cross over. Livid, Michael orders Kevin to fix the problem.

Meanwhile, Lucifer lands on a sidewalk in the middle of a city. He quickly realizes that he can’t smite people and doesn’t seem to have any powers.

Dean and Sam:
Later, the Winchesters arrive in the town where the most recent murder occurred. They watch surveillance footage of the area where the victim was killed, and Dean notices that someone who looks like Arthur Ketch follows the woman down an alley right before she is abducted. The Winchesters realize that Ketch must somehow be alive.

As they’re talking, a woman walks up to them and calls them out by name. She tells them that her name is Daniela and that she’s a witch. She says that she knows they don’t like witches, but she also knows that they help people who are in trouble, and that she needs help.

The Winchesters follow Daniela to a cabin/safe house in the woods. She tells them that she escaped from the murderer they’re looking for. When the Winchesters say they don’t believe her, she shows them the wounds on her neck and chest, where the killer tortured her with a knife to get her to talk. He was apparently looking for Rowena Macleod, and he refused to believe Daniela when she repeatedly told him Rowena is dead. While Daniela was being tortured, she managed to get hand free, so she put a temporary spell on the murderer and escaped. When the Winchesters ask if the man had a British accent, Daniela says that he did. And when Sam shows her a picture of Ketch, she identifies him.

Daniela asks them to help her hide until they catch the killer. But the Boys instead use her as bait to lure the murderer to the cabin.

Later that night, Daniela “appears” to be alone in the cabin when a smoke bomb-device is tossed down the chimney and releases gas/smoke into the room. Daniela is overcome by the fumes and collapses to the floor. As this happens, the killer kicks in the door and (wearing a gas mask) uses an automatic weapon to spray the room with bullets.

Before the killer can get to the witch, he is hit in the neck with a tranquilizer dart and falls to the floor unconscious. Sam helps the witch outside while Dean removes the killer’s mask; we see that it is Mr. Ketch.

Back at the bunker, the Winchesters have Ketch tied to a chair and have been beating him for information. They want to know how he’s alive, but he says he doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Dean also notices that the tattoo that was on the back of Ketch’s hand is missing. When Dean comments about having the tattoo removed, the killer says he never had a tattoo, and then seems to realize what is happening.

The man tells the Winchesters that he is Alexander Ketch – Arthur’s twin brother. He says that he studied at Kendrick’s just like Arthur did, but he fled before completing the final initiation to become a British Man of Letters (BMOL). He says that he has been in hiding from the BMOLs and that if they ever found him, they’d kill him. He has been working as a sort of mercenary hunter – killing monsters for a fee. When the Boys ask why he is targeting witches, and Rowena in particular, he replies that he is killing witches because it’s what hunters do.

Later, Sam researches Alexander Ketch, and discovers that there is a complete paper trail that seems to back up the man’s story. Sam seems to believe the story, but Dean does not, although they can’t figure out how Ketch is alive if he’s lying. Sam talks to the prisoner, who tries to explain that Arthur was simply a company man doing his job. He also says that if Arthur was alive, he’d probably admit regret for the things he did to Mary and to their family.

While the Winchesters re considering their options, Dean gets a phone call from the manager at the Stampede Motel, who tells him (thinking he's calling a law enforcement officer) that their desk clerk went missing right after a man fitting Asmodeus’ description showed up asking lots of questions about them and about Jack. Dean tells Sam that they need to find Jack as quickly as possible, and as he’s talking he’s surprised to see Alexander Ketch out of most of his restraints and standing in the room eating a sandwich.

Sam has apparently freed their hostage, noting that there was no bathroom where he was being held. Dean retorts that he doesn’t care, and tells Sam to lock him up again. Ketch says that he understands Dean's anger towards him, considering what Arthur Ketch did to them and to their mother. He then asks how Mary is doing. Dean hesitates for a second but then replies that Mary is fine and again asks Sam to put their prisoner back in restraints.

Castiel:
Elsewhere, Castiel is at the heaven gate playground, talking to Duma, his contact. We learn that the angels do not have Jack, but they want him, too. Apparently, the recent wars and fighting have depleted their ranks, and there haven’t been any new angels created since Chuck did it at the dawn of creation. Without Jack’s help, the angels believe they may go extinct.

The angels believe that they can convince or compel Jack to work for them, so they want Castiel to help them find him. Castiel refuses, and a fight breaks out. As this is happening, Lucifer appears. He tells Duma to leave Castiel alone. When she hesitates, Lucifer shows the group his red eyes to demonstrate his power.

The angels flee, but the demonstration clearly weakens Lucifer, who sinks onto a bench, coughing and catching his breath.

Castiel is amazed that Lucifer is back and is curious about why he seems weakened. He demands to know how Lucifer escaped the AU. Lucifer is amazed that Castiel is alive, since he knows he killed him. They have an awkward exchange, during which Lucifer tries to convince Castiel that although they are enemies, there is a threat on the way that endangers all creation. Reluctantly, Castiel agrees to talk further to Lucifer.

Later, we see Castiel and Lucifer talking at a bar. They have apparently been talking for a while. Lucifer tries to convince Castiel that the Michael in the AU is a monster who is more powerful than the Michael that was here; and that Michael will destroy this world just like he destroyed the other one. Lucifer wants Castiel to join forces with Jack, so the three of them can defeat Michael. He believes their combined power is the only way to stop Michael, since Chuck is gone and no other force is powerful enough. Castiel doesn’t trust Lucifer and is reluctant to expose Jack to him. Lucifer wonders aloud why he can’t detect Jack, but Castiel doesn’t have an answer and finally has to admit that he doesn’t know where Jack is. Lucifer persists with his urging to work together, but Castiel insists he needs to talk to Dean and Sam.

Castiel sneaks away from Lucifer long enough to call Dean, but Lucifer finds him and cuts the conversation short. All Cas has time to tell Dean is that there have been some interesting developments, before Lucifer hangs up the phone. Dean surmises that something is wrong and the Winchesters decide to track Cas’ cell phone signal. They lock Alexander up again before they leave.

Castiel and Lucifer continue talking at the bar, and Castiel defends The Winchesters for trying to train Jack and help him understand his powers. As they’re taking, Asmodeus and his goons show up. Asmodeus kills the bar’s only other patron, and exchanges verbal barbs and insults with Lucifer before using telekinesis to fling Castiel and Lucifer into the wall. Asmodeus senses Lucifer’s lack of power, and takes Castiel and Lucifer prisoner.

The Winchesters arrive at the bar some time later. The place is dark and seems deserted, but before they can finish searching, they are attacked by Asmodeus’ demons. Dean and Sam manage to kill all the demons except one, who is preparing to kill Dean when Alexander Ketch shows up, overpowers the demon and kills him.

The Winchesters are surprised that Ketch was able to get free, but Ketch explains that he had a hidden lock pick, freed himself, stole a motorcycle from the bunker’s garage, and followed them. Dean looks at the man curiously and draws a gun on him. Dean tells Ketch that he has fought with Arthur Ketch enough to know his moves, and the look on his face when he talked about their mother gave him away.

Reluctantly, Ketch admits that his IS Arthur Ketch, and the paper trail/twin brother part was a lie. When the BMOLs had Rowena prisoner many years ago, he'd learned of the sigil on her body that prevents her from dying. He forced Rowena to implant the sigil in him in exchange for agreeing to free her. So although he was indeed shot in the head, he was able to resurrect himself. Unfortunately, the sigil only works once before it has to be recharged, which is why he’s looking for Rowena. Also, because Ketch is considered a deserter by the BMOLs, if they ever find him, they will kill him. So he has indeed been working as a mercenary hunter, using the fake name of Alexander Ketch.

Dean tells Ketch that Lucifer killed Rowena, but Ketch doesn’t believe she’s really dead. When Dean asks Ketch why he followed them and didn’t just run, Ketch suggests to Dean that maybe he is one of the good guys, and that they were simply soldiers in opposing armies during a war. Dean doesn’t seem to buy it, but before he can do anything, Ketch explodes a smoke device and obscures himself long enough to get out of the bar. Dean shoots him in the shoulder on the way out. Ketch barricades the door after himself, but the Winchesters follow him out just in time to watch him ride away on the motorcycle.

Castiel and Lucifer:
The Winchesters are in their car, and Dean calls Castiel back. Dean tells Cas that they came looking for him, but they ran into a bunch of demons. He asks Cas where he is and what’s going on. Unfortunately, Asmodeus is imitating Castiel on the other end of the line, so Dean isn’t really talking to Cas at all. Asmodeus (pretending to be Cas) tells Dean that he is alright and that he tried to warn them about the demons, but couldn’t get a signal. He also says that he’s following a lead and will fill him in when he knows more; then he hangs up.

After Asmodeus hangs up, we see that Lucifer and Castiel are both in cages in Asmodeus’ lair. We also see that Asmodeus is talking to Arthur Ketch (whose arm is in a sling from being shot). Asmodeus tells Ketch that Lucifer is useful, and Castiel can become helpful with the Winchesters, but with Michael on the way he needs to find Jack. Ketch voices his agreement, and we see that he has agreed to look for Jack on behalf of the demon.