Supernatural Season 6, Episode 18 recap: Finding a phoenix

Sam and Dean head to the past again in Supernatural Season 6, Episode 18. This time they’re on the lookout for a phoenix, and here’s everything that happened.

It was another trip to the past for the Winchester brothers in Supernatural Season 6, Episode 18. This time they were on the hunt for a phoenix, but they’d gain far more than they ever thought possible. Here’s a look back at the episode, titled “Frontierland.”

The episode starts with a hunt through the Campbell family library, which happens to be hidden under Samuel’s study. The Winchesters and Bobby want to find a way to defeat Eve, and they come across a mention of “Mother” and being burned by the ashes of a phoenix. The problem is there’s no such thing as a phoenix, right?

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Wrong! Dean finds Samuel Colt’s journey, which mentions the man shooting a phoenix at Sunrise, Wyoming. Now they need to travel back in time to 1861. Sure that Castiel can help, Dean prays to him but one of his lieutenants, Rachel, shows up instead and she isn’t happy about being near the Winchesters.

Finally, Castiel does turn up and he agrees to send the Winchesters to the past. There’s a catch. They can only be there for 24 hours or they’ll be trapped there forever.

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The real Old West

Dean is naturally excited about heading to the Old West, but he soon realizes that it’s nothing like the movies. The whiskey is bad and the saloon girls definitely aren’t healthy. But Dean tries to make the most of it.

The Winchesters are also uneasy about the hanging of a man called Elias Finch for killing his wife, but they have to head to the saloon for answers from an old man who “knows everything.” And he certainly knows enough. The old man saw Samuel Colt pass through four years ago but hasn’t seen him since.

It turns out Colt is building a railroad in the middle of nowhere. The Winchesters know that this has to be the track that makes up the giant devil’s trap that surrounds that gate to Hell back in Supernatural Season 2.

The revenge of a phoenix

Shortly after, the judge who had read Elias Finch’s sentence is killed. The sex worker he’s with swears that Elias’ ghost was the one that killed him, and the Winchesters notice that the judge has been burned to ashes. The phoenix isn’t a bird, but a man who is out for revenge against those who executed him.

The Winchesters have to split up. Dean needs to protect the sheriff and his deputy while Sam heads out for Samuel Colt. Unfortunately, nobody wants to form a posse with Dean to get Elias and the sheriff ends up dead. You bet your bottom dollar that Dean ends up becoming the new town sheriff.

The deputy is trying to run away from “Elias’ ghost,” but Dean decides that the deputy needs to act as bait. To keep the deputy safe for the time being, Dean locks him in a cell. It turns out that Elias can’t touch iron without being burned, which explains why he couldn’t escape his shackles before his execution.

Elias shares the real story of the events that led to his execution. He was just trying to live a normal life with a human wife. The deputy assaulted his wife and then shot her and Elias. Of course, he couldn’t die and it was easier pinning the murder on Elias. While Dean is touched, he still needs to kill the phoenix.

Sam gets the Colt

Meanwhile, Sam manages to find Samuel Colt’s cabin, where Samuel is. After a quick test with holy water, Sam refreshingly tells Samuel the whole truth and asks for the Colt. Of course, Samuel says that he’s no longer hunting and won’t be killing a Phoenix. When Sam demands the Colt, Samuel tries to say that he lost it gambling, but Sam knows the truth. He needs that gun.

With Colt in hand, Sam manages to get to the sheriff station in time for Elias to attack Dean and the deputy, shooting the deputy and forcing Dean to jump out of a window to protect his own life.

Sam manages to give Dean the Colt, allowing Dean to chase after Elias. It’s high noon, a standard Old West time for a duel. Elias’ bullet misses and Dean manages to kill the phoenix. Just as Dean gets to Elias’ ashes, Castiel pulls the Winchesters back to the future. Dean has an empty bottle in his hand.

Castiel’s actions in the present day

While all this happens, Rachel confronts Castiel about what he’s doing to best Raphael. Not happy with his actions, Rachel pulls out an angel blade and attacks. She manages to wound Castiel but not kill him. He kills her before getting to Bobby’s for help.

In his state, he can’t get the Winchesters back from the past. He needs to touch Bobby’s soul, even though it could mean Bobby explodes, to save Sam and Dean. Unable to lose anyone else, Bobby agrees to this.

Getting the phoenix ashes

After everything, the Winchesters think that all has been for nothing. That is until the doorbell rings and there’s a young man from a courier service with a package for “Sam Winchester.” It’s been around forever, and sure enough, it’s from Samuel Colt.

Samuel had found Sam’s phone that he’d shown earlier and got the address and date. He picked up the phoenix ashes and mailed them to the hunter.

With that, it was time to look at a way to take down Eve.

What did you think of the trip to the past? What was your favorite moment from “Frontierland?” Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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