'Supernatural' The brothers split up

The season opener of 'Supernatural' left us with Bobby partially paralyzed and Dean completely unable to trust Sam after he chose a demon over his brother. Things couldn't possibly get worse, right?

Of course they can! This is the Apocalypse!

The Winchesters visit a morose Bobby in the hospital and Dean takes a moment to get an X-ray, finding out his ribs have the doctors baffled with all their etching of strange symbols. Castiel calls Dean up and asks where he is, showing up as soon as Dean tells him. When Dean makes fun of him for using the phone, Castiel points out that the etchings on his ribs keep him hidden from ALL angels - himself included. A tidbit that might become useful later.

Bobby finally speaks, demanding that Castiel heal him. Unfortunately, Castiel can't. During the battle to help Sam and Dean, he killed two angels, making him a rebel and outcast from heaven - and without the connection to heaven, he's lost some of his angelic capabilities. Healing is one of them. Bobby is less than thrilled, but Castiel can do little more than apologize. Since he's not there to heal Bobby, he reveals his plan. He doesn't believe they can kill Lucifer without the Archangel Michael - but there is someone else who can. God. To find god, he needs an amulet that burns hot in his presence. Which just happens to be Dean's necklace. He reluctantly hands it over and Castiel departs.

The phone call received is for Bobby. It's Rufus, who reports that he's in a town that has been completely overtaken by demons. Sam and Dean are on their way, arriving to find the one bridge in and out of the place destroyed. The make it the rest of the way on foot and find abandoned cars and bloodstains. And Ellen. She throws holy water in Dean's face and doesn't talk to them until they cross the salt threshold of a make shift stronghold in a church where she's gathered the few survivors. There's not many of them.

She reveals that she also got a call from Rufus and she and Jo came to help but got separated and she hasn't seen either of them since. The brothers decide to lay in supplies by hitting a sporting store and grocery for guns and salt. Dean is uncertain Sam should go and is further against splitting up, but logic overrules worry. Of course, while separated, Sam runs into two teenage demons and has to kill them both. He stands staring at their blood until Dean arrives. Sam struggles with having to go back to killing the human hosts to vanquish the demons, leading Dean to accuse him of debating going back on the blood. Which doesn't make Sam happy.

Sam and Ellen leave to look for Jo, giving Ellen time to ask Sam what's going on between him and his brother. Sam dances around a real answer and is saved by the discovering of smoke from a chimney. Which doesn't make much sense, since demons don't get cold. but they don't have to figure it out before they are jumped by Jo and Rufus. Jo calls Ellen a "black eyed b!tch" before Ellen gets away. Sam is not so lucky against Rufus. He gets tied up and his confusion grows as Jo douses him in holy water and Rufus pours salt in his mouth. But in the shadows lurks a familiar face from the church stronghold.

Ellen makes it back there and talks to Dean about what happened, pointing out that Jo wears an anti-possession charm. They ask the townspeople about weird occurrences and find out the river went wonky, a shooting star streaked across the sky and with the cherry red mustang they passed on their way in town, Dean surmises they are up against one of the four horseman. Specifically, War.

Which is exactly what Sam is finding out as he finds himself engaged in a conversation with War. He tells Sam that getting the townspeople to kill each other with the hallucination that the other side were demons wasn't hard at all. And now he's upping the ante. He fakes Sam attacking him and despite the fact that he's still tied up, Jo and Rufus fall for it and start gearing up for an all out battle. Involving pipe bombs. Meanwhile, War goes back to the church and causes similar havoc there and soon enough battle lines are drawn as he makes everyone see Dean and Ellen as demons too.

So, we have Jo and Rufus holding Sam hostage with a group of townspeople firing guns from a house and another group of townspeople firing back from various places in the street, with Dean and Ellen in the middle. Luckily, the hunters all have some experience on them and soon enough Ellen and Dean get close enough to Jo and Rufus to point out how water, salt, and symbols had no effect but the signs of the horseman were all there. Once that realization hits, the black eyes are gone for them and they can go after their real target. Which is sort of anti-climatic in a sense, as they corner him and cut off the finger he wore a ring upon that he would twist each time he created the hallucinations. He and his red mustang disappear, with Dean holding the ring.  

But all is not well. Sam says he knows that Dean doesn't trust him and admits that he's realized he doesn't trust himself either. And then he suggests they go their separate ways. Against all expectations, Dean agrees, saying that he is spending more time worrying about Sam than focusing on doing the job right. He offers to let Sam take the Impala, but Sam refuses and leaves in some strangers truck. Seriously??


The Funny:

Castiel: I'm going to find GOD. He isn't in heaven. He has to be somewhere.
Dean: Try New Mexico. I hear he's on a tortilla.
Castiel:  He's not on any flatbread.

Bobby: When you find god tell him to send legs.

Dean: Where did you serve?
Man: Fallujah, two tours. Takes one to know one, where did you serve?
Dean: Hell.
Man: Heh. Seriously.
Dean: Seriously. Hell.

OK. HOW could they have split up the brothers?! Does the ring have any powers? Will Castiel find God before Michael finds Dean? How could things get any worse without them actually unmaking the universe?