Supernatural Season 7, Episode 17 recap: Dean’s search for a faith healer

Dean, worried about his brother, goes in search for a faith healer. In Supernatural Season 7, Episode 17, he finds a very familiar face.

After taking in all the souls of Purgatory, we were left with a season of Supernatural without Castiel. However, he returned in Episode 17, as Dean went in search of a faith healer. Here’s a reminder of the events from “The Born-Again Identity.”

Dean searches for a healer

You would have thought after the events of “Faith,” the Winchesters would never go in search for a faith healer again. However, Dean is on the brink of losing his brother. Sam has just one week left if he doesn’t sleep and he ends up knocked over by a car and hospitalized. Despite sedatives, Sam is still awake.

Dean needs to do something, so he heads to Rufus’ cabin to look through all of Bobby’s contacts. That gets him nowhere until the journal topples and the Mackey’s Taxidermy business card falls out. Left with no choice, Dean calls the number and leaves a message.

Mackey has an option: a healer called Emmanuel in Colorado. Hearing that the healer passed a number of tests, Dean heads out. However, he first comes across a demon, who has a woman tied up. Dean reminds the demon of the “hands-off” memo from Crowley, but it turns out that Crowley is more interested in Emmanuel. Dean kills the demon and then sees Emmanuel, who actually looks a lot like Castiel.

Sure enough, Castiel has no memory of being himself or even of being an angel. However, he is grateful that Dean saved Daphne and admits he saw the real face of the demon.

Emmanuel/Castiel agrees to head off with Dean to help Sam. This gives the two time to talk, which is when Emmanuel tells Dean the story of how Daphne found him. Dean is able to offload some feelings, including the fact that he can’t forgive his friend, Castiel, for everything that happened, especially when it’s Castiel’s fault that Sam is in trouble.

When Dean is attacked on the road, Meg shows up, admitting that she doesn’t want Crowley to find out that Emmanuel is Castiel. They don’t trust each other, but they do join together to protect Emmanuel/Castiel.

By the time Dean gets back to the hospital, it’s surrounded by demons. Meg wants to remind Emmanuel that he is Castiel, making it so Cass will help deal with the demons. Dean is worried that Cass could snap with the memories of everything he did. Overhearing the conversation, Emmanuel realizes that he is “Cass,” apologizes for everything he did to Dean, and decides to fight the demons despite not knowing how.

After taking care of the demons, Castiel remembers everything that he did. He believes that he should have died. Dean manages to convince Castiel to help.

Sam’s delirious state

While in the hospital, Sam continues to deal with Hallucifer and everything the torture of the Cage is doing to him. After dropping a sandwich, which he sees covered in maggots, he notices that a patient is watching him from the door. What does she want?

That patient brings Sam a stolen chocolate bar. Hallucifer prevents Sam really connecting with the patient, Marin, as he continues to torment Sam. Afterward, Sam asks one of the orderlies about Marin, who apparently wasn’t brought in because of an accident.

Marin comes back with another chocolate bar, where she tells Sam that she hears her dead brother’s voice. He wants Marin to join him in the afterlife and has even tried to kill her. Sam is able to help deal with the spirit, but after that, one of the doctors suggests that they should try surgery on Sam.

That surgery is electroshock therapy, and Sam starts to panic. He wants to see his brother.

This is when Castiel shows up, preventing the “surgery.” He tries to heal Sam but it doesn’t work. Hallucifer is still there, and Castiel can’t rebuild the wall. However, Cass can shift the problem. As so, Castiel takes on Sam’s hallucinations, leaving a healthy younger Winchester brother.

Castiel is left in the hospital, with Meg there to keep watch as one of the nursing staff. Sam doesn’t want to leave Cass behind with Meg, but Dean has a new-found trust for her. It’s the only option they have right now.

What did you think of Castiel’s return? What were your favorite moments from Supernatural Season 7, Episode 17? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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