Supernatural Season 1, Episode 12 recap: Dean learns to have faith

Photo Credit: Supernatural/The CW/Sergei Bachlakov Image Acquired from CW TV PR

What would you do if your brother has just days to live? Sam learns how far he is willing to push the boundaries in Supernatural Season 1, Faith.

Supernatural Season 1 introduced us to ghosts, monsters, and crazy people. Up until Episode 12 we’d mostly faced urban legends and lore with slight twists. We learned about vengeful spirits and how to get rid of them. Wendigos became real creatures and we understood more about Native American culture.

Faith was where we took a step away from the supernatural. There was more focus on faith, religion, and belief. Here’s your recap for Supernatural Season 1, Episode 12.

Dean is hurt on a hunt

After weeks of fans watching the Winchesters put themselves in danger, Dean was finally injured. While rescuing two children from a rawhead, Dean accidentally electrocutes himself. The prognosis is bad. Dean has weeks to live and his heart is irrevocably damaged.

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While Dean may be willing to accept that, Sam isn’t. He gets onto the phone to everyone he knows and jumps into lore and books. He’s willing to push the boundaries to get his brother back to full health. So it’s not surprising when Sam announces that they’re going to Nebraska, where there’s a specialist.

It turns out that specialist is Reverend Roy Le Grange, and not quite a specialist in the way Dean thought. He’s a faith healer and practices out of a tent. Dean is an instant skeptic, but Sam promises to have enough faith for the two of them.

Healing isn’t quite what the Winchesters expect

When Dean is chosen from the crowd, he certainly is healed at the hands of Roy. But Dean can’t shake the feeling that there was something bad about it. The man in a suit above him creeps him out. But Sam wants them to be happy. When they get to the hospital, they find out that Dean is definitely fully healed. There’s no sign of any previous damage, but then the bad news comes out.

There was a runner earlier the same age as Dean who had died of a heart attack. Dean is certain that it has something to do with his healing so urges Sam to check it out.

Sure enough, Sam learns that the guy who died was certain that he was being followed. He also died at the exact time that Dean was healed.

While Sam does this, Dean pays a visit to Roy but doesn’t quite get the answers he hopes. On the way out, he learns about Layla Rourke (guest star Julie Benz) and her brain tumor. She and her mother have been going to Roy’s sermons for months, hoping that he will heal her tumor. Time is of the essence as she has just six months to live.

Photo Credit: Supernatural/The CW Image Acquired from CW TV PR

The hand of a reaper

When Dean learns about the runner, he’s certain that he knows the creature he saw. It was a reaper. That’s the only thing that can take and give life and will stop time when he does it. Only those who he is coming for can see them. But for a reaper to work like this, it has to have been done through black magic.

Sam realizes that one of the altar crosses is possibly one of black magic. Now they need to find the spell book that Roy is using. Of course, the Winchesters debate the legalities and moralities of killing Roy. Dean wants to, but Sam says that they can’t kill a human. It doesn’t take long for the Winchesters to work out that those Roy believes are immoral are the ones killed for those who need healing.

When Layla’s name is called, Dean reluctantly stops the sermon so they can save the next victim. However, the reaper is still after the next victim and the Winchesters realize that it hasn’t been Roy this whole time. It’s Sue-Ann who is controlling the reaper and there must be another altar.

Next: 7 best lines from Supernatural Season 1, Episode 12, Faith

At the house, Sam finds the altar and destroys him. It’s not enough, especially when Sue-Ann locks him in the house. Back at the tent, Dean becomes the potential victim. Luckily, Sam gets back to the tent in time to release the reaper from Sue-Ann’s control and Dean’s life is spared. The reaper turns on Sue-Ann and Layla can’t be healed.

In the end, the Winchesters leave, knowing that Layla will die of her tumor. There’s a turning point from Dean, as he shares that he will pray for Layla. After calling that a miracle in itself, she leaves.

What did you think of the episode? Did you enjoy this turning point in Dean’s beliefs? Share in the comments below.

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