Supernatural delivers a strong episode with “Into the Mystic,” written by Robbie Thompson and directed by John Badham. Thompson’s layered narrative, complemented by the direction and strong performances, make the episode a delight.
The episode begins with a flashback to County Cork, Ireland, thirty years ago. Parents are dancing to a song as their baby lies in a nearby crib. The father hears screams, and blood runs from his eyes. The mother seems to recognize what’s happening and begins casting a spell. A monster appears and attacks the father; his head now crushed and bloody, it feeds on him. The monster interrupts the spell, throwing the mother against the wall, and the baby screams. Just as the monster goes for the baby, the mother activates the spell by cutting her wrist. The monster screams and disappears. The baby’s crying, and blood runs from her ears. The mother collapses onto the floor.
Post title card, Sam (Jared Padalecki) is in bed, tossing and turning as he remembers how Lucifer (Mark Pelligrino) taunted him during their altercation in the cage. He finally gets up; we next see him in the kitchen, cleaning his guns. He’s clearly been up for a while.
Dean (Jensen Ackles) comes into the room, wearing his robe and carrying a paper. He thinks he’s found a case, but Sam doesn’t react. Sam hasn’t left the bunker in days, but Dean insists that working a job will help, especially since this one is only fifteen minutes away. Sam asks “What about the Darkness? What about Cas?” Dean answers, “Full needed here. Cas will be fine. He always is.”
Of course, we know that Castiel is anything but fine now that Lucifer is using him as a vessel. The scene shifts to Lucifer (Misha Collins) feeding ducks in a park. An angel catches sight of him and stares and, very clumsily and not at all unobtrusively, begins following as Lucifer walks along a nature path. Lucifer tells the angel, “I come in peace, brother…I’m out of that cage to save you all – Lucifer ex machina.” The angel doesn’t believe him, so Lucifer snaps his fingers, exploding him instantly. Collins blends his performance with the Pellegrino’s incarnation well, and this entire scene is amazing to watch. It’s also heartbreaking to realize that this isn’t Castiel, and we don’t know what Cas’s state is right now.
The Winchesters arrive at the Oak Park Retirement Living community. Dean suggests, “Maybe we ought to make a reservation…” But Sam doesn’t exactly embrace the idea: “We should be so lucky to live long enough.” While Dean speaks with Arthur, the manager, and meets Mildred (Dee Wallace), Sam investigates the crime scene; there’s a lot of blood, and the EMF reader is off the charts.
Dean learns that Arthur’s living at the center since his wife left him via an emoji-filled text. Sam learns that Harold had been stealing Viagra from other residents, which Dean later terms a “real dick move.” Dean’s research uncovers that Jake Townshend had accused Harold of stealing his pension checks from other residents, and they conclude that Jake may be a vengeful spirit. Dean pockets a bottle of Viagra when Sam’s not looking.
The scene shifts to the Winchesters digging up Townsend’s grave. Dean takes a break and questions Sam’s earlier comment about retirement. This time, when he asks Sam if he’s okay, his brother finally answers truthfully: No. He admits that his time in the cage brought things up. Dean promises, “Lucifer’s never getting out. You are never going back. Case closed.” It’s rather fun knowing something that Dean and Sam don’t, and we know that not only is Lucifer out, but the narrative set up practically promises a showdown between Satan and Sam.
The brothers toss salt and gasoline on the corpse. Dean says, “It’s kind of nice to be back on the case…get your mind off of things?” Sam answers, “Just burn the bones so we can go home.” Dean lights the book of matches, and they watch the body burn.
However, at the Center, Arthur’s talking with Mildred when he hears screaming. Mildred can’t, though. Lights flicker, and Arthur beats his head against the window to alleviate the sounds. The monster from the opening scene appears behind Mildred as Arthur crashes through the glass and falls to the ground. The monster follows and begins feeding on him. Mildred looks through the shattered window, sees the monster, and screams.
The Winchesters question a shaken Mildred, who tells them about seeing a monster. She mentions that she saw a ghost years ago and no one believed her then. Dean assures her that they believe her and that everything will be okay. When he grasps her hand; she doesn’t want to let go. Sam catches sight of the maid, so while Mildred and Dean talk further, Sam speaks with the maid, Marlene (Shoshannah Stern), whom he learns is deaf and wasn’t working when the victims died. However, when the brothers exchange what they’ve learned, Marlene observes from a distance, and her perspective is conveyed in subtitles: They’re discussing feeding times.
Dean’s research yields that the monster is a malevolent banshee: only the victims can hear their screams, and they travel through the mist and prey on the vulnerable. A gold blade can kill it, and Dean has one at the bunker. Sam stays at the center to figure out who the next victim is. From an upstairs window, Marlene watches as Dean drives away.
Dean enters the bunker and is immediately on alert: He pulls his gun, and noise filters down the hallway. He investigates and finds who he thinks is Castiel in the storeroom. Lucifer has to school his expression into a resemblance of Castiel before he can turn around, and Collins portrays this progression clearly.
Dean chastises Castiel for not getting in touch for days and then showing up and “wrecking the joint.” Lucifer says, exaggeratedly, “I’m sorry,” and explains that he’s looking for lore on the Darkness. He, rather whiningly (which I guess is Lucifer’s take on Castiel’s willingness to admit his mistakes), bemoans missing his chance to kill Amara. Dean understands: “Saying your going to kill her is one thing, but actually doing it is something different.” Lucifer asks what he means. “Tell me everything,” he says, in a manner that resembles Dean’s, “Talk to me” in “Hunteri Heroici” (8×8). History has proven that Dean talks with and confides in Castiel; Lucifer takes full advantage of that relationship here.
At the Center, Sam meets with the ever-delightful Mildred. He’s learned that she has a heart condition, which may make her vulnerable to the banshee. He tells Mildred the truth, that he and Dean are brothers who hunt monsters. Mildred’s not surprised: “You two were too cute to be FBI agents.” She’s safe in the daytime, but he promises that they’ll protect her. Before he leaves, he asks about Marlene, but Mildred says the maid named Marlene is on vacation. She adds that if there is a new staff member who’s deaf, she’d love to meet as she needs to practice signing.
Sam spots “Marlene” and follows her into the laundry room. It’s a trap: She slams her bleeding hand onto a sigil drawn onto the wall, pinning Sam against the wall behind him. She advances on Sam, her gold blade drawn. She knows that he and Dean were talking about feeding time. Sam promises, “We’re not banshees; we’re hunters.” He tells her to test him, so she cuts his hand with the blade, and he bleeds. She releases him from the spelled trap.
“Marlene” is actually Eileen Leahy; the opening scene occurred in her infancy. A hunter named Lillian found her and took her in. Eileen says she was trained more than raised and prefers working alone because she has trust issues. She shares the notes from Lillian’s journal. Sam relates well to her, and it’s so great to see Sam make a friend. Beyond their upbringing and current career, Sam learns that they have another thing in common: Eileen is also a Men of Letters legacy.
Lucifer suggests that Dean and Amara are connected by the Mark and that’s why he couldn’t kill her. Dean says, “It’s more than that.” Lucifer looks more intrigued at that and asks, “Attraction?” Dean looks perplexed, and Lucifer says admonishingly, “Dean.” “I know – I know,” Dean says, “Whatever it is, attraction, connection – I gotta tell you, man, it scares me. I don’t know that I can stop it. I don’t know that I can resist it.” Once more, we have Dean reiterating that whatever’s going on with Amara is not something he’s consenting to: The connection scares him, and he feels compelled to behave the way he is. The Dean and Amara relationship isn’t one of romance; it’s one compulsion and control.
Lucifer puts his hand on Dean’s shoulder and says, “It scares me, too.” In a very un-Castiel like maneuver (because Cas does not risk Dean), Lucifer adds, “In the end, it may help draw her out. This could be a good thing.” Dean looks surprised, but his phone rings before he has to answer. Sam asks Dean to look up Eileen’s grandfather, Edward Durban II, in the Men of Letters files to confirm her story. While Sam and Dean discuss strategy, Eileen and Mildred converse in sign: Mildred tells her, “I got dibs on the other guy. You can have the tall one.”
Dean’s concerned about using Mildred as bait, and Sam teases, “So does this mean that she has a shot?” Dean answers that he always had “a thing for Blanche from Golden Girls.” He’s surprised when Sam quips back that he’d always had a thing for Sophia. It’s worth noting here that Sam’s pointed teasing about Dean’s concern for using Mildred as bait emphasizes the stark contrast to Lucifer’s willingness to use Dean as bait to draw Amara out. I suspect we’ll see more of these un-Cas-like decisions as we lead up to the Casifer reveal.
Dean says that he’s on the way. He tells Cas and adds, “Listen, about what we talked about, let’s just keep that between you and me – until we know more, okay?” Lucifer starts to protest, but Dean cuts him off, asking, “Cas, just – trust me?” Lucifer agrees. “Alright. But the next time you face Amara, you won’t be alone.” Dean says, “Thanks, Cas.” But as Dean walks away, Lucifer smiles evilly – this cannot bode well.
Meanwhile, Sam and Eileen continue to bond. Sam copies the symbols she used, and they talk about valuing family, seeking revenge, and what comes after that revenge is achieved. The two have so much in common, and I hope we see Eileen again. Here, their conversation gives Sam an opportunity to talk about his own family relationships, and he speaks highly of Dean (something he hasn’t always done), telling Eileen, “He’s had my back every step of the way, even when I let him down.”
Dean arrives and meets Eileen. Mildred comes into the room and leads Dean to a couch at the other end of the room. She wants him to watch the sunset. He says the view’s “not bad.” “Not bad?,” Mildred asks. “Honey, it’s almost as gorgeous as you are.” She asks him when was the last time he just watched the sunset without thinking of monsters, and he can’t answer. Mildred’s worried that this may be her last sunset, and Dean reassures her, and then asks her questions about her life. “You want to know the secret to living a long and happy life?,” she asks. “Actually, yes I do,” Dean answers seriously. She pats his chest. “Follow your heart. You do that and all the rest just figures itself out.” Dean clearly has a growing appreciation for retired life, and his thoughtfulness in this scene seems significant.
The sun sets, and Dean gets up. He hears something, but Mildred doesn’t. He calls for Sam, and Mildred realizes he’s experiencing the banshee’s screams like Arthur did. Blood begins running from Dean’s eyes: The banshee is here for him.
As Sam and Eileen battle with the banshee, Dean beats his head against the wall repeatedly and with increasing force. Sam and Eileen are both thrown across the room 
but Eileen signs to Mildred, “The symbol!” Mildred grabs a knife, slices her hand, and slams it against the symbol. The spell pins the banshee against the far wall, and Eileen kills her. Dean collapses – he’s survived the assault, though his head is bloody, and his eyes and ears are bleeding. Sam signs his thanks to Eileen.
The next day has the foursome walking out of the Center. Sam and Eileen discuss what happened. “It felt like… just another kill. It didn’t bring my parents back – nothing will.” Sam clearly understands. They share small talk, and he tells her to stay in touch. Their interactions are very cute, and I like their dynamic a lot. Dean walks with Mildred, and she says, “If there is one thing I have learned in all my years on the road, it’s when somebody’s pining for somebody else. Don’t try to hide it now, follow your heart.” Dean protests, “Well, I am single and I am ready to mingle, so…” “Well, then you know where I live,” she says. Mildred and Eileen watch as the Winchesters walk to their car, and Mildred signs, “They look even better walking away.”
Back at the bunker, Sam’s in the kitchen. He throws Dean a beer when he comes into the room. Sam asks if Cas is gone, and Dean says he guesses so. “There was something a little off about him,” Dean observes. Sam doesn’t take that seriously, though, and quips about Cas always being a little off. He offers, on a more serious note, that being close to Lucifer probably affected Cas, too. Dean lets the topic go.
Unlike at the grave, Sam acknowledges that Dean was right and that getting back on the job helped. Sam finally talks to Dean, explaining that Lucifer showed him a “highlight reel of my biggest failures… I should’ve looked for you when you were in Purgatory. I should’ve turned over every stone, but I didn’t. I stopped. And I’ve never forgiven myself for it.” Dean tells Sam that he has and that they’re together, “so shut up and drink your beer.” Dean holds his head; the ringing from the banshee’s assault is still affecting him.
As Sam’s leaving the room, he stops and asks, “Banshees go after the vulnerable, right? So why’d it go after you?” Dean says, “You’re overthinking it…” and claims the banshee was acting in self-defense because it saw his gold blade. His tone doesn’t allow for any arguments, and Sam accepts it and heads on to bed.
In his room, Sam adds the Oak Park Retirement Living brochure to his box of keepsakes. Dean looks more troubled as he goes to bed; his brow’s furrowed, and his posture’s tense. Sam curls up comfortably in his bed and looks peaceful. Dean sits up on the edge of his bed, and he looks upset. He scrubs his hands through his hair and stares off into the distance.
I really enjoy this Monster of the Week episode. Mildred and Eileen are a breath of fresh air, and the monster story line works well, too. We haven’t seen malevolent banshees before. I’m curious about several things: Will we see Eileen again? (Please – and Mildred too.) Why is Dean pining? (I can think of a few reasons, and none of them concern “Amara.”) Perhaps even more importantly, what exactly does “pining” mean in this context? Howard was vulnerable because of his physical health, Arthur because of his emotional; why is Dean vulnerable? How exactly does Lucifer plan to manipulate Dean to his advantage? And what does he have planned for Sam? I’m loving Collins’s interpretation of Lucifer, though I miss Castiel terribly, so I’m also wondering when the Winchesters will realize what’s happened to their friend.
There are so many possibilities for this back half of season eleven, and I’m anxious to see how everything plays out. This week, we see the return of Jody Mills, Claire Novak, and Alex Jones. Supernatural airs Wednesdays at 9 pm ET on the CW Network.