Supernatural - S10E11 - There’s No Place Like Home
Previously on Supernatural, ‘The Hunter Games’
The last time we left Charlie (Felicia Day) she walked off into the sunset with Dorothy to Oz to follow her quest for adventure. So it’s a surprise to Sam when, while scanning the internet for suspicious paranormal activity, he comes across a video of Charlie beating up a district attorney. Dean suspects she’s back from Oz and hunting on her own and assumes the district attorney was a demon. When they find Charlie, they are shocked when she tells them why she came back from Oz.
The episode begins with a roughed up district attorney being chased by what turns out to be a very different and very badass Charlie. Even though she got what she came for, she’s still going to torture the DA because it’s a thing.
Dean and Sam are having breakfast and we learn from Dean that until they get answers on the Mark of Cain, he’s on a 12 step program not to backslide, which includes no booze, egg-white omelets for breakfast, green shakes, and eight hours of sleep. While searching for answers they come across a video of Charlie torturing the DA. Dean figures there must be a reason she’s hunting and they decide to talk to the DA. They find out from the DA that Charlie wanted information concerning the accident that killed her parents. The boys are surprised that the case mysteriously never went to trial and the files were sealed. When the DA tried to push for the case, he was bought off by a councilwoman named Barbara Cordry, which is the name he gave Charlie.
The boys find Cordry who quickly dismisses them. They decide to stake out her place thinking Charlie will eventually show. As Dean ponders the existence of kale, Sam is reading up on Charlie. They learn her real name is Celeste and she has a pretty scary psychiatric diagnosis. Dean dismisses it saying if they were evaluated at that age, their prognosis would’ve been worse. He reiterates that she’s a good kid and maintains that there still has to be a good explanation. They hear a scream and rush to find Charlie holding a knife on the councilwoman. The boys try to talk her out of it, but she just insults them. She tries to run, Dean tackles her, but she escapes by putting him in a leg headlock then kicking him in the face. As she drives away, our Charlie who we know and love, drives up in a yellow pinto and proclaims that they should probably catch up.
Charlie explains that there was a war for emerald city in Oz and her side was about to lose. So she made a deal with the Wizard of Oz who said that in order for them to win she had to unleash her true darkness (literally). Now there are two Charlies one bad and one good and they’re both connected, so if they hurt Dark Charlie they hurt her as well. She explains that Dark Charlie single-handedly won the war, but since she did awful things to win the war, Good Charlie wants nothing to do with her. Now Dark Charlie wants to prove herself to Good Charlie by going after the person who killed her parents. The boys suggest that they need to get back to Oz so the wizard can merge them, but Good Charlie tells them that Dark Charlie broke the key to Oz. They ask Good Charlie to hack into the bank account that Dark Charlie got from the councilwoman, but Good Charlie says she can’t hack anymore because it’s a bad thing. Sam suggest she show him how to do it and she seems to be okay with that. They find the owner of the bank account, Russell Wellington, and deduce through his transactions that he was the one who drunkenly crashed his car into her parents and paid to have it covered up. They come up with a plan to have Dean track down Wellington while Sam and Good Charlie go through the Men of Letters archives and find out about the man who discovered Oz.
Sam discovers his name is Clive Dillon. He was trapped in Oz, but left the key. He was eventually rescued and subsequently retired from the Men of Letters when he returned. Good Charlie suspects that he may still be alive (apparently people don’t age in Oz) and living under a pseudonym. They learn the Men of Letters gave Clive Dillon a new name (Michael Carter) and a new home and that he’s still living there. Meanwhile, Dean is stalling by telling Russell Wellington about his dream house. Eventually Dark Charlie shows up and she convinces Dean that she doesn’t want to hurt Wellington just talk to him and make him feel guilty for what he did. Dean buys it and lets her talk to him. Wellington apologizes for what he did, but is not enough for Dark Charlie as she locks the door and proceeds to kill him.
Dean calls Sam and Charlie and tells them that he was too late to save Wellington. Sam tells Dean about Clive Dillon and gives him the address so he can meet them there. Dark Charlie finds Dean at a bar, who’s contemplating a drink. Dark Charlie says Wellington got what he deserved and he knows it. As she checking out the hot barmaid, Dean tells her that her time is short and they found a way back to Oz. He deliberately gives her the wrong address and she tells him that if he doesn’t ask the barmaid out, she will. When Dean sees the barmaid alone she tells him that Charlie snuck out the back door. He goes outside in time to see her stealing baby (Dean’s Impala). Dean calls Sam and warns them about Dark Charlie, but tells them he sent her to the wrong town.
Clive Dillon discloses that he was caught by a coven of witches who used the Key on him and his dark-self became the Wizard of Oz. Clive says without the key they can’t go back to Oz, but if he’s mortally wounded the Wizard will have to come to them. As Dean arrives he hears a gunshot, but Dark Charlie arrives as well and tells him she knew he would lie about the address so she just followed him.
Dean and Dark Charlie get into a fight as a young-looking Wizard of Oz arrives upset.
He quickly subdues Sam while the effects of Dean’s and Dark Charlie’s fight wear on Good Charlie. While the Wizard of Oz is giving his evil villain speech, Clive gets Good Charlie to shoot him, killing both him and the Wizard of Oz. Dean meanwhile get the upper hand on Dark Charlie, loses control, and starts wailing on her.
Only Sam, who’s carrying a crumpled up Good Charlie, gets him to stop. As Sam places the key on Good Charlie (I guess he got that key from the Wizard of Oz) the bodies converge.
Dean is feeling guilty about losing control.
Sam is talking to Castiel about the urgency to find Cain because Dean is getting worst. Charlie tells Dean she forgives him, even though he doesn’t forgive himself. Charlie tells Dean to prove he’s sorry by controlling his darkness and she leaves to follow a lead on the Mark of Cain.
Thoughts
I thought this was a better episode than last week’s as episodes with Charlie always tend to be good. Although the overall tone was still dark (with the introduction of Dark Charlie) Felicia Day did a good job with that aspect and made it compelling. I wish they made Charlie a main cast member as she has great chemistry with both stars, and I think she would be excellent to fill the role of the Bobby character.
