In Madison, Wisconsin, Wes Bailey returns home and his wife Erica greets him. Wes points out that she's dead, and Erica tells him that she was but now she's back. Erica says that she missed him and then stabs him in the stomach, killing him.
At the bunker, Sam returns with food and Dean tells him that he's working on a case about Wes. A neighbor said that she saw Erica leave the crime scene. Sam suggests that they go and take Jack along, but Dean refuses. He tells Sam to get used to the fact that Mary is dead, and Sam insists that Jack is a good kid and asks Dean to give him a chance.
Once Dean agrees, Sam goes to Jack's room and finds him watching Star Wars on his laptop. He invites Jack to come with him, and Jack immediately says no. Jack figures that Sam is using his powers to get Sam back, and Sam explains that Mary is trapped on the other side and they might be able to open the door with Jack's powers. He admits that they want to save her, but if it doesn't work then it's okay because he cares about Jack. Sam assures Jack that he won't let Dean kill him, and says that Dean respects effort.
The brothers and Jack drive to Madison and Dean confirms that Erica died six months ago from a heart attack. They explain about ghosts and revenants to Jack, and sees the neighbor who saw Erica. Dean tells Jack to stay in he Impala, and they talk to the neighbor. She assures them that the woman she saw was Erica, and the brothers notice that Jack has gone into the Bailey house. The Winchesters go in and Sam asks if he thought anything. He points out Wes' blood on the carpet, and Sam explains about an EMF meter. There's no activity and Dean figures that it's a revenant.
That night, the trio goes to Erica's grave and Dean orders Jack to dig. Dean tells Jack that he's not going to go easy on Jack and drinks a beer. They open the coffin and find Erica's body, ruling out a revenant. Dean salts the bones and burns them, and Jack wonders if Kelly could be a ghost. Sam explains that they burned her body.
Castiel walks through the void but finds no one and gets no response.
A woman, Gloria Simon, is driving when her tire blows out. She calls Roadside Assistance and then sees a boy, Scotty, in her rearview mirror seated in the back of her car. Gloria turns and the boy lunges at her.
The next day, the police are securing the crime scene. Sam confirms that the Roadside Assistance heard Gloria talking to someone named Scotty, and Scotty drowned in 1996. There's no EMF, and Dean wonders what Wes and Gloria had in common.
Castiel continues walking and a figure emerges from the void liquid.
The trio goes to the police department, and Dean sends Jack to get food. The police report shows that Wes and Gloria were seeing the same grief counselor, Mia Vallens. The police have Gloria's grief diary, and it talks about catharsis. Wes felt the same way. Jack comes back with hot dogs and Dean suggests that Mia might be a medium. They go to her home office and a man, John Driscoll, comes out. He casually says hello and Jack cheerfully says hello back.
Inside, Mia's receptionist tells them that it's the end of the day. Mia comes in and Jack says that he's lost his mother recently. Sam says that it's their mother, and Mia ushers them into her office. She invites them to talk about their feelings, and Dean asks what catharsis is. Sam says that Gloria referred them to her, and Mia tells them that Gloria wasn't supposed to talk about her. She asks if they have a journal, and asks why Dean is there if he thinks that psychiatry is a fraud. Sam says that Dean isn't processing his grief, and Dean insists that he is. Dean tells Mia that Sam is delusional and won't admit that Mary is dead, because then it will be real and he has to deal with it. They start arguing and Sam storms out.
Outside, Sam gets a glass of water and notices an area upstairs marked "private". He goes up and finds blood on the balustrade. Going into the bathroom, he finds bloody handprints on a bath curtain, and pieces of a flesh-like substance in the tub.
Mia points out that Dean upset his mother so much that Sam had to leave, and Jack is terrified of Dean. Dean insists that they're simpatico, and Jack echoes his words. Mia isn't convinced and says that Dean is taking out his anger on everyone around him. Sam comes in, gun aimed at Mia, and says that she's a shapeshifter. Mia admits that she's a shapeshifter, but says that she's never killed anyone. She shifts into the people that they've lost so they can say goodbye. The Winchesters explain that Wes and Gloria are dead, killed by people who look like them, and Mia says that she has an alibi when Wes was killed.
Castiel senses someone near him and tells them to show themselves. The figure takes the image of Castiel and says that he's a cosmic entity. The entity says that the nothing that existed before God. Angels and demons come there when they die, and the entity asks why Castiel is awake when nothing ever awakes there. When Castiel woke up, it woke up and the entity doesn't like being awake. Castiel figures that the Winchesters made a deal, but the entity says that they would have had to talk to him and they haven't. He then grabs Castiel's head and drains his memories, as Castiel screams.
Dean confirms Mia's alibi and Mia figures that she knows who is killing her patients. She shows them a photo of a shifter, Buddy, and says that they got together when she was young. Buddy liked hurting people, and Jack asks if he hurt Mia. Mia agrees and says that she left, and Buddy said that he liked the look on people's faces when they realized that they had nothing left when he was done with them. The doctor admits that she's trying to make up for what both of them did, and Sam asks who else has access to her files. Mia suggests that her assistant Tom is the likely person, and Dean goes to check it out and Jack insists on going with him.
Dean and Jack drive to Tom's house. Jack says that Sam told him about his plan to bring Mary back, and Dean tells him that Sam's plans don't always work out. He tells Jack to stay in the Impala and goes in. Once Dean confirms that Tom isn't Buddy by testing him with a silver dollar, he lets Sam know. Sam checks Mia's security cam footage and asks what her patients think when she shows up. Mia tells him that people don't care as long as they get closure, and figures that Sam never got the chance to say goodbye to Mary. They see John's eyes flare on the footage, and Mia explains that he only started seeing him a few weeks ago.
Once Castiel recovers, he asks the entity what he wants. The entity says that he wants to sleep and can't if Castiel is awake. He considers throwing Castiel so far into the Empty that he won't come back, but Castiel figures that he can't and demands that the entity send him back to Earth. When Castiel says that the Winchesters need him, the entity tells him that he knows what Castiel fears and there's nothing for Castiel on Earth. He shows Castiel images of all the suffering he underwent on Earth.
Dean and Jack return to Mia's home and Mia says that Sam went to John's house on his own. Dean is surprised that Sam didn't call him, and Jack asks to talk to Mia privately while Dean calls Sam. Once they're alone, Jack explains that the Winchesters aren't his real brothers and his mother died when he was born. He shows Mia Kelly's video and asks Mia to take her form just once. Mia has him shut his eyes and then takes on Kelly's form. "Kelly" hugs him and Jack explains that he wants to believe that he's good, but he's hurt people without intending to. Most of the time he doesn't feel anything, and that's why he thinks that maybe he's a monster. "Kelly" tells him that what he does matters, not what he does, and even monsters can do good in the world.
Sam finally calls Dean back and says that Buddy is gone and John is dead. Buddy, shifted into Dean's form, looks down at the unconscious Dean and figures that it was too easy.
Mia reverts to her normal form and hugs Jack. "Dean" comes in and picks up a poker, and then knocks Jack out. Buddy then rips off Dean's face.
The entity kicks Castiel and tells him to just go back to sleep and save himself. Castiel tells him that he's already saved, and the entity kicks him again. Undeterred, Castiel tells the entity that he is awake and will stay awake, and keep the entity until they both go insane. The angel demands that the entity release him.
Buddy handcuffs Dean to the fireplace, and Dean wakes up and tries to wake up Jack. When Buddy goes over to him, Mia tries to delay him. Jack wakes up and Dean tells him to snap the cuffs, and when Jack says that he can't, Dean tells him that Sam believes in him. Meanwhile, Buddy tells Mia that she's a monster and says that she's going to kill Jack and Dean or she dies. Mia invites Buddy to shoot her, and Sam pulls up outside and comes in. Buddy prepares to shoot him and Dean yells a warning, and Buddy kicks him unconscious. He then impersonates Dean's voice and tells Sam to come in.
As Sam comes in, Jack screams in rage and blasts Buddy into the air with his powers. The bullet heads for Sam, and Jack deflects it. When Buddy gets up, Sam shoots him dead.
Later, Mia tells the trio that they can and she'll take care of Buddy's corpse. She says that she just wanted to help people, and Jack tells her that he did.
Back at the bunker, Jack is getting a glass of water in the kitchen. Dean comes in and tells Jack that he did good, and Jack smiles. After giving Sam a beer, Dean apologizes for what he said and admits that maybe Sam is right about Jack. Sam isn't so sure, and wonders if Dean is right about Mary and Sam is in denial. Dean tells him not to say that Mary is dead. He asks Sam to keep the faith for both of them because right now he doesn't believe in anything.
Castiel wakes up in a field and realizes that he's back on Earth.
Written by Gadfly on Nov 3, 2017