Supernatural - S12E18 - The Memory Remains

Previously on Supernatural, “The British Invasion”

Thanks to “Mick”, the Winchesters take a trip to Wisconsin and sort out why a demon with a head of a goat abducted a drunk dude in the woods. At this point in the show, it should have been proven that when a drunk person dies in the woods from a demon, they do not make a sound. Even local law enforcement couldn’t care any less; Sam and Dean have to contend with an ineffective Sheriff Barrett Bishop (Steve Boyle) that appeared more concerned with his wood work than a missing person. In spite of his best friend witnessing the malevolent local legend Black Bill smack his pal unconscious - and ultimately becoming his next victim - it’s just another day in Tomahawk.

Sam and Dean don’t take kindly to the uncaring attitudes of the townsfolk and completely miss the obvious AF clues around them (hello! Look at the plant’s symbol! Good grief…) Between the dubious behavior of Sheriff Bishop, the indifferent meat packing plant supervisor or the sudden appearance of a very human looking “Black Bill”, this case looking more like a not-so supernatural psycho getting his kicks from bashing heads in, right? …right?

Well we were all proven wrong when Dean and Sam break in investigate the old Bishop residence and discover the Sheriff may not be abiding to the law he’s supposed to enforce. Guess what, we’re wrong again! Turns out Sheriff Bishop’s family is practically responsible for Tomahawk’s existence. Everything within town limits was once owned wholly by the Bishops, thanks chiefly to their association with Moloch, an ancient god of fire that required child sacrifices if lowly humans sought his gifts.

Fortunately for the Bishops (unfortunately for the citizens of Tomahawk), they captured Moloch and he promised them great fortune if they continued to give him blood sacrifices. As generations passed, the Bishop patriarch would kidnap an employee and open his veins so his bankroll stayed in the black. The “tradition” ceased once the Sheriff inherited the legacy; disgusted by his family’s murderous history, Barrett sold off most of the Bishop holdings and if it wasn’t for plant manager Pete (Ryan McDonald), the plant would have been shuttered months ago.

So there you go, the history of Tomahawk, Wisconsin… a town we’ll likely never see again in the series.

Eventually we learn that Pete and Sheriff Barrett have more in common than expected, Moloch the fire goat god is loose but Sam has the Colt, so you can imagine how that ended. Ultimately this week’s storyline was unimportant to the grand narrative and barely kept my curiosity. If there was any silver lining for enduring that macabre family feud, it’s in the final moments of the episode when Dean pondered if the Winchesters will be remembered for their efforts. Sam curtly replied “No” but how could they not? For one, the angels and demons couldn’t forget them if they tried. There was a series of books loosely based on their exploits. Plus they’ve created a legacy with Jody, Garth, Donna Hanscum, Claire and Eileen. It may not be as grandiose as Dean may want, but the right people know how many times they’ve saved the world.

Speaking of legacies, the Men of Letters automatically suck air through their teeth whenever anyone mentions the Winchesters. For all their flaws, the MoL cannot deny that Sam and Dean had saved the world a handful of times and it eats them up. Now that Dr. Hess had taken over the American operation, she tasked Ketch (David Haydn-Jones) to bug the Winchester bunker and acquire all pertinent intel. Arthur’s team was thorough in their sweeps and managed to leave without a trace, but not before the head-serial-killer-in-charge took a small memento for his efforts: an old picture of little Dean with his mom.

It seems Ketch is more off his rocker than we thought. Apparently it’s less friends with benefits and more Fatal Attraction when it comes to Mary. Ketch may be deadset to follow Hess’ orders but it’s clear he too had his doubts about the Men of Letters’ methods after consorting with Mary. Yet his behavior remains high on the creep-o-meter. I’m not saying Arthur is a good guy by any means, but I feel Ketch will have one of those last minute redemption moments that’ll pull the Winchester’s fat out of the fire yet again before he goes down with the rest of the MoL American leadership.