Houses of the Holyby Michaela
We open in Providence, Rhode Island, with a dishevelled looking woman smoking and watching TV in an extremely untidy apartment strewn with rubbish, clothes and figurines of angels. She flicks between the channels and lands on one with a television evangelist talking about the Lord being with people. She rolls her eyes and switches off the TV, but as she does so the lights starts to flicker. She frowns, but before she can do anything the TV flares back to life as the evangelist says “you don't have to suffer”. He asks if she can “hear those angels signing”. She tries to turn it off again, but it stays on. She is clearly afraid and stands up, backing up against the wall as the whole apartment starts to shake. Pictures fall off the wall, ornaments fall and break, and she covers her ears with her hands, terrified. Suddenly she sees a bright, dazzling, white light with a figure almost visible in the middle of it. She stares at it, transfixed and mutters “Oh my God.”
We now see the same woman, looking cleaner and tidier than before, sitting on a bed and reading a book. She turns as someone enters the room and says good morning and that “You're not the usual guy”. We see the person is Sam, dressed in the white uniform of a nurse or orderlie. He's holding a clipboard and smiles as he says he's just filling in. He walks round the bed and asks the woman – Gloria – how she's feeling today. She replies that she's never felt better. Sam doesn't seem entirely convinced and asks her “No disturbances lately?”. She jokes that he's asking if she's “Stark raving cuckoo for cocoa puffs?”. Sam looks a little embarrassed and says that's not what he meant, but Gloria tells him it's alright – she knows what people must think. As Sam sits down and says he'd like to know what she saw, we learn from Gloria that she stabbed a guy straight through the heart after an angel told her to do it - that it was God's will. She talks about seeing the bright white light and being filled with a feeling she can't describe. She says that she helped God smite an evil man and that she was chosen for redemption. Sam gently asks if the angel gave Gloria this man's name, and she replies no, that it just told her to wait for a sign. And the next day she saw it, right on the man's doorstep. She says the angel told her that this man was “guilty to his deepest foundations”. Sam is clearly still not convinced.
We cut to Dean who is lying down wearing headphones that are blasting out rock music, with a blissful look on his face. He appears to be vibrating and we see he's on a Magic Fingers bed that offers “Tingling relaxation and ease”. He's clearly enjoying himself. Sam comes into the room but Dean doesn't notice him. Sam looks exasperated and hits Dean's leg to get his attention. Dean jumps a little and acknowledges him, saying that Sam has to try this as “There really is magic in the Magic Fingers”. Sam looks totally uncomfortable and says that Dean is enjoying it far too much. Dean says it's not his fault Sam has him on lockdown and that he's bored out of his skull stuck in the motel room. Sam retorts that he's not the one who was all over the 11 o'clock news holding up a bank, and that it's far too risky for Dean to go anywhere near a Government facility right now. Dean grunts and goes back to enjoying the bed as Sam walks away in disgust.
At that moment there is a pinging noise and the bed stops vibrating. Dean looks disappointed and says that was his last quarter. He takes the headphones off and gets up, asking Sam if he has any more quarters. Sam says no. As Dean joins him by the bathroom, where Sam is washing his hands, he asks if Sam got in to see that “Crazy hooker”. He's obviously referring to Gloria. Sam says yes he did, and that he's not so sure she's crazy. Dean gives him a 'you're kidding me' look and asks if she seriously believes she was touched by an angel, to which Sam replies that she had the whole works – blinding light, feelings of spiritual ecstasy, everything. He also says that even though she's living in a locked ward she seems totally at peace. Dean replies with sarcasm that Sam is right – she sounds completely sane. Dean asks about the man she stabbed – Carl Gully – and Sam says he can't find anything on the guy. He had no criminal record, worked in a campus library, was a member of his local church and had lots of friends. Dean replies that in that case Gloria is just the standard issue whacko who killed in the name of religion, but Sam disagrees. He says Gloria is the second person in town to murder because an angel told them to. This can't be a coincidence. Dean says it may be supernatural, but angels? Definitely not. Sam asks him why not and Dean says, emphatically, because there is no such thing. Sam looks at him incredulously and says that there is ten times the lore on angels as there is on anything else they've ever hunted. Dean dryly retorts that there's a ton of lore on unicorns too – in fact he hears that they “Ride on silver moonbeams and shoot rainbows outta of their ass”. Sam looks shocked and says “Wait, there's no such thing as unicorns?” Dean replies that's cute, as Sam can't help but grin. Getting back to the subject, Dean says there's just some legends that you file under bullcrap. Sam is pretty surprised that Dean has angels on the 'bullcrap' list and asks him why. Dean becomes deadly serious as he says it's because he's never seen one. He believes in what he can see. Sam disputes this, as they've seen things most people could never even dream of. Dean says that's his point, they've seen them with their own eyes – hard proof. He says in all this time he's never seen anything that looks like an angel, and that it's strange that they've never crossed paths with one or come across anyone who has. He says it's a demon, or a spirit that's finding people who are “One fry short of a happy meal” and tricking them into killing people. Dean actually seems pretty adamant as he says all this – almost emotional. Sam looks a little taken aback by what Dean is saying and definitely not as convinced that angels don't exist. Dean is keen to both change the subject and get out of the motel room and asks if they can't go back and see Gloria's apartment. Sam says he's just been there and found nothing. Not even any “Fluffy white wing feathers?” asks Dean with mock seriousness. Sam ignores the jibe and tells him that Gloria did say she saw a sign right beside Carl Gully's doorway. Dean jumps on this idea and says they should check it out.
We see the Impala pull up outside an ordinary looking house. They both get out and Dean goes halfway up the steps, looking at a large angel figure on the porch. He turns back to Sam and says dryly that he thinks he's found it – the sign from up above. He goes up to the porch and has a look round, saying as he comes back down that he's learned a valuable lesson – “Always take down your christmas decorations after new years or you might get filleted by a hooker from God”. Sam doesn't look impressed but says he's “Laughing on the inside”. Sam looks at the outside of the house and spots a gate leading to the back yard. They go round and stop beside the door that leads into the cellar. Sam says that Gloria did say they guy was guilty to his very foundations and they wonder if she meant that literally. They open the doors and go down into the cellar. It seems pretty normal, but as they look round Sam spots marks on the wall that look like claw marks. He spots something in the plaster and when he digs it out it's a human fingernail. He shows it to Dean and they both start digging in front of where the marks are. They uncover a human skeleton. Clearly Carl Gully wasn't as innocent as he'd seemed. Dean admits that whatever spoke to Gloria knew what it was talking about, but still refuses to believe it was an angel.
We cut to a guy lying on a bed drinking whiskey. Suddenly the lights start to flicker and the room begins to shake, just like it did with Gloria. He looks frightened until he sees the same figure in a bright light. As he looks at it he smiles and looks peaceful. We next see him walking along the street and the figure appears again, this time in front of a house. He looks at it and smiles, nodding as if hearing something. He crosses the street as the light fades and we see a stone fountain with an angel on it where the figure had been standing. He goes up to the door of the house and knocks on the door. A man answers and the guy says his name is “Zach”. The man is slightly confused and asks if he can help him, just as Zach pulls out a knife and stabs him. The man falls to the floor, dead.
Dean is back in the motel room, listening to a police scanner. He occasionally glances at the Magic Fingers bed longingly. Sam comes back in and Dean asks him straight away if he's brought quarters. Sam looks from Dean to the bed and shakes his head in disgust, saying he's not enabling Dean's sick habit. As he throws Dean a bag with food in it he says Dean is like a rat in a lab that pushes the pleasure button instead of the food button until it dies. Dean looks indignant and says that's ridiculous, he eats. As Sam sits down Dean tells him he has news. Sam says so does he and Dean lets him go first. It turns out three students had disappeared off the college campus where Carl Gully worked and in all the cases, the last place they were seen was the library. Sam starts to remark that Gloria's angel got it right, but Dean immediately calls him on referring to it as an angel and Sam says fine, whatever this thing is, but before he can finish Dean interrupts and says this 'thing' has struck again. He tells Sam that while he was listening to the police radio he heard a report of a local drunk – Zach Smith – who went up to a stranger's house and stabbed him in the heart. Sam guesses that Zach then gave himself in to the cops and confessed. Dean says yes - “Roma Downey made him do it”. Sam shakes his head, grinning slightly, as Dean produces a post-it and says that he got the victim's address.
We see the same house with police tape round it, and Dean and Sam jump over the back fence. Sam expertly picks the lock on the window and they climb in to look around. Sam is trying to crack the password on the guy's computer to get into a locked folder. He looks triumphant as he finally gets into it and then frowns as he says it just seems to contain a lot of emails from a lady called Jennifer. The frown deepens as he reads them and they realise that Jennifer is in fact a thirteen year old girl. Dean looks disgusted and says he doesn't want to hear this. Turns out the guy – Frank - was planning to meet this girl that day, and that Zach had killed him just in time. Dean remarks that it's pretty convenient timing. As Dean looks around he says that it's almost like this spirit is some kind of do-gooder. Sam remarks “Sort of like an avenging angel?” and Dean rolls his eyes. Sam pushes on though, saying how else does Dean explain three guys, all seemingly unconnected, all stabbed through the heart and at least two of them they now know were “World class pervs”. As Dean listens he picks up a piece of paper and asks Sam which church Carl Gully belonged to. Sam says it was Our Lady of the Angels. Dean says of course that'd be the name. As he shows Sam the paper we see it's a church newsletter for that very same church – looks like Frank was also a member.
We cut to the church. Dean and Sam are talking to the priest – Father Reynolds - about joining, saying they just don't feel right if they don't go to church every Sunday! Father Reynolds seems a little sceptical and quizzes them about where they lived before and the local parish priest there. Dean makes a guess at the name and gets it wrong, but Sam steps in and says that all that matters is they are here now. Father Reynolds reluctantly agrees, saying they could certainly do with some young blood. Dean asks him about the neighbourhood and the murders, in a roundabout way, and Sam brings up the angel scenario. Father Reynolds says the killers are poor misguided souls to think God's messenger would incite them to murder. Dean looks pleased and says does that mean he doesn't believe in “Those angel yarns?”. Father Reynolds however replies that he absolutely believes in them, it kind of goes with the job description. Sam points out a painting on the church wall and asks if it's of the Archangel Michael. Father Reynolds says yes it is, and goes on to describe him as a “Fighter of demons, a force against evil with his flaming sword”. Dean looks disconcerted, as this ties in with what they've been experiencing so far. Sam looks slightly pleased and says so they're not really the Hallmark card version then? - that they're fierce and avenging. Father Reynolds says that's true to some extent, but he prefers to think of them as more loving than wrathful although a lot of the scriptures paint them as God's warriors. Sam looks kind of smug. Outside the church they thank Father Reynolds for speaking with them. As they walk down the steps Dean notices a collection of flowers and candles by the bottom and asks him about them. He says that they are for Father Gregory, who was a priest there. He goes on to explain that Father Gregory was killed right there on the steps a few months ago, shot for his car keys. He is interred in the church crypt. Father Reynolds says he was a good friend and that he didn't even have time to administer the last rites to him. He tells them that ever since Father Gregory died, he's been praying for deliverance from the violence and the bloodshed in the neighbourhood – they could use some divine intervention. Both Dean and Sam seem to be considering what this could mean. Dean says that it's starting to make sense – a “Devoted priest dies a violent death? That's vengeful spirit stuff right there”. Sam disagrees, saying that the murders also started around the same time that the Father Reynolds was praying for deliverance. Dean looks frustrated and asks Sam what his deal is. He admits that he's a sceptic but wants to know since when has Sam been “Mr 700 club?”. Dean says that next Sam's gonna start praying every day, to which Sam replies that he does. He has done for a long time. Dean looks completely shocked and doesn't know how to respond. After looking at Sam for a moment he seems contemplative, and says “The things you learn about a guy”. Clearly wanting to change the subject, Dean leads them back into the church to check out Father Gregory's grave. As Sam follows Dean into the crypt he suddenly hears something. Stopping, he turns round to look at a large statue of an angel. The angel begins to shake and then the same bright light we've seen before appears. Sam stares at it incredulously.
The next thing we see is Dean coming back out of the crypt, clearly looking to see where Sam has got to. Sam is lying on the floor unconscious and Dean runs over, dropping to his knees and calling Sam's name. Sam comes round and Dean asks if he's ok, sounding really worried. Sam says he's fine and manages to get up with Dean's help. They go back into the main part of the church and Dean sits Sam down in one of the pews. He says that Sam saw it, didn't he, and Sam says yes – he saw an angel. Dean takes out a flask and offers him a drink. Sam refuses, but Dean takes a long swig himself. Sam says this feeling of peace and grace washed over him when he saw the angel. Dean says ok, maybe the should “Get you some glow sticks and a nice Dr Seuss hat”. Sam is annoyed, saying he's serious – it knew who he was. Dean dryly says it wouldn't be the first spirit to be able to read a person's mind. He goes on to guess that it told Sam he was personally chosen to smite some sinner and that he just has to wait for some “Divine bat signal”. Sam says yes, actually, and Dean says that's great – did Sam ask what this bad guy is supposed to have done? Sam says the angel told him that he hasn't done anything yet, but that he will. Dean mutters that he doesn't believe this, getting up to pace in front of Sam. Sam is getting agitated now, saying that the angel hasn't been wrong yet. Something awful is going to happen and he can stop it. Dean is also getting angry now, saying that Sam is supposed to be bad too – should Dean be stopping him right now? As the exchange gets even more heated, Sam wants to know why Dean just can't accept the possibility that it could be an angel. That this could be God's will. Dean stares at him for a moment, before going to sit down again. He says he gets it – Sam has faith, and he's glad for him. Maybe it makes things easier But you know who else used to have faith like that? Their Mom. Dean tells Sam that she used to say to him as she tucked him in that angels were watching over them. He looks emotional as he says that in fact that was the last thing she ever said to him. Sam looks surprised, and says Dean never told him that before. Dean says that's because she was wrong. There was nothing protecting her. “There's no higher power, no God – only chaos and violence, and random unpredictable evil that comes out of nowhere and rips you to shreds”. Dean is just about holding it together as he says this and both of them are clearly feeling the emotion of the conversation very strongly. Dean says if Sam wants him to believe in this stuff then he's going to need to see some hard proof. Does he have some? Sam cannot answer that, as he doesn't. Dean does though – he has proof that they're dealing with a spirit. He takes Sam back into the crypt and shows him that Wormwood is growing over Father Gregory's grave. It's a plant associated with restless spirits and the only place it's growing is over that particular grave. Dean says it's proof that it's definitely Father Gregory doing this. Sam is still not convinced – he doesn't know what to think. Dean says ok, he'll give him more proof. They'll summon Gregory's spirit. Sam looks shocked and asks him how they are going to do that. Are they supposed to have a séance in the church? Dean says yes, they have a séance ritual in John's journal and all they need are a few bits and pieces. Sam says that's great, “I hope Whoopie's available”. Dean seems unconcerned by Sam's scepticism and says that if they do the ritual and it is Father Gregory, he'll show up and they can put him to rest. If it really is an angel like Sam believes, nothing will happen. Dean says it's one of the perks of the job – they don't have to operate on faith, they can know for sure. Sam reluctantly admits that he does want to know for sure.
We cut to a shot of them coming out of a shop, Sam carrying a brown paper bag. He complains that they've never gone quite so “Ghetto” with spellwork before – a Spongebob Squarepants mat instead of an alter cloth? Dean shrugs and says they'll just place it Spongebob side down. As they walk towards the Impala, Sam looks across the street and sees a guy waiting at the crossing. Behind him is the bright light that Sam saw in the church. It's the sign he's supposed to wait for. He tells Dean what he can see, which Dean can't, and starts to go across to the guy but Dean stops him. He says what is Sam gonna do – kill him because a ghost told him to? That's insane. Sam says he's not gonna kill him, he just knows he has to stop him somehow. Dean says “Define stop?”. The guy is getting into a car and Sam pleads with Dean, saying he knows that the guy is gonna hurt someone. The have to do something. Dean agrees, and they walk back to the Impala. Dean gets in but Sam's door is still locked. He leans down to the window, telling Dean to open the door. Dean refuses though – he says he's got this one, Sam needs to go back to the church and do the seance. Dean says he isn't gonna let Sam kill anyone and drives off, leaving Sam standing on the sidewalk looking unhappy and worried.
We see Dean following the guy. He pulls up next to a woman and gets out, giving her some flowers. She gets into the car and they pull away, Dean still following them.
Back at the church crypt Sam has set up the stuff for the séance and is lighting the candle. He reads Latin from John's journal and throws something on the candle which makes the flame flare up. Just at that moment Father Reynolds walks in and asks what Sam is doing. He looks at the stuff laid out and looks horrified. Sam looks flustered and says he can explain. He pauses, desperately thinking, and then says ok – maybe he can't. He tells Father Reynolds that it's a séance and Father Reynold says how dare he do this in a house of God, to which Sam replies that if it makes him feel any better it is based on an early Christian ritual. Clearly it doesn't, as Father Reynolds grabs Sam's arm and starts to drag him out of the crypt. Sam pleads with him to just hold on, and at that moment we see the crypt filling with the bright light. Father Reynolds looks amazed, and says it is an angel? Sam looks disappointed as he says no – it's just Father Gregory. Sure enough the bright light fades and we see a priest standing there. Father Reynolds says “Thomas?”, and the priest smiles saying he's come in answer to his prayers.
We cut to Dean briefly, still following the car driven by the guy Sam was supposed to kill.
Back at the church Father Gregory asks Sam what he's doing there – he sent him on his path and he should hurry. Sam says he's sorry, but Father Gregory isn't an angel. Father Gregory says of course he is and Sam gently repeats that he's not – he's just a man, a spirit, and he needs to rest. Father Gregory refuses to believe that though, insisting he is an angel. He recalls his last moments when he was shot and says that he felt no pain, but that suddenly he could see everything. He saw Father Reynolds praying and crying, and he came to help him. Father Reynolds says help him how?
We cut to Dean again as he turns onto another street, but the car he's been following has disappeared. He looks round frantically, slamming his hand on the steering wheel in frustration as he curses at having lost the car.
Back in the crypt Father Reynolds looks horrified as he asks if these murders were because of Father Gregory. Father Gregory replies that he heard the word of God, and he told him smite the wicked. Father Reynolds disagrees, saying he is driving innocent people to kill, but Father Gregory says those innocent people are being offered redemption. He says to Sam that people need redemption, don't they, and Sam looks uncomfortable, obviously considering his own alleged destiny. Father Reynolds asks how he can call this redemption, but Father Gregory says he can't possibly understand. The rules of man and the rules of God are totally different things. Sam says that those people are locked up, and Father Gregory says they are at peace. They've beaten their demons and he's given them the keys to heaven. Father Reynolds protests that this is wrong – this is vengeance. He says Father Gregory is lost and misguided, he is not an angel. Men cannot be angels. Father Gregory looks confused, saying that can't be right. Father Reynolds prayed for him to come. Father Reynolds says sadly that he prayed for God's help – not for this. He says what Father Gregory is doing is wrong. “Thou shalt not kill – that is the word of God”.
We now see the car Dean was following parking in an alleyway. The girl inside asks why they've stopped and the guy leans over and tries to kiss her. She pulls away and says she thought they were supposed to be going to a movie, but this angers the man and he slaps her, hard. She gasps and tries to open her door but he has locked them. He says he's sorry, he's never done this before. She begs him not to hurt her as he pulls out a knife. He attacks her and she struggles, but suddenly the drivers window breaks and we see Dean reaching in and grabbing the man. He slams his head against the steering wheel, seemingly knocking him out as the woman screams. Dean leaps across the hood and opens the girl's door, helping her out. She is sobbing and terrified. He asks her if she's ok and she says yes, thank God, just as the car starts up and pulls away. Dean asks her if she's got a cell phone and tells her to call 911 as he runs back to the Impala and screeches off after the car.
Back in the crypt Father Gregory is upset, still finding it hard to believe what Sam and Father Reynolds have told him. Father Reynolds pleads with him to let them help him, to let him give him the last rites. Father Gregory eventually nods and Father Reynolds starts to say the words as he makes the sign of the cross. Father Gregory's image starts to flicker and he looks afraid. Father Reynolds tells him it's ok, to rest. As he continues with the last rites we see Father Gregory start to glow with the bright light again and then slowly he disappears. Sam looks touched by what he has just seen.
We cut back to Dean chasing the car at high speed, putting the Impala through some amazing manoeuvres. The engine roars spectacularly as they tear through the streets, running red lights and narrowly avoiding collisions. Dean is clearly determined not to let the guy get away. As they cut across some wasteland and career back onto the road the guy is busy looking in his rear view mirror to see if Dean is still there. As he looks back at the road, a truck in front of him swerves and the metal pipes it's carrying start to slide off the back. He brakes but one of the pipes bounces on the road and goes through the windshield like a spear. Dean slams on the brakes and does an emergency stop, just avoiding hitting the car. He gets out and walks apprehensively over to the car. As he looks through the window we see the pipe has impaled the guy straight through the heart – he is dead. Dean looks stunned and a little horrified.
We see Sam in the motel room, packing up their stuff. Dean walks in and asks him how his day was. Sam looks upset. He quietly says that Dean was right, it wasn't an angel it was Gregory. Dean looks almost upset by this too and takes the flask out again to have a drink, offering it to Sam who this time accepts. They both sit down and Sam says that he just wanted to believe, so badly. He says that it's so damn hard, what they do. There is so much evil out there in the world he feels like he could drown in it, and when he thinks about his destiny and how he could end up. Dean cuts him off, saying that he doesn't need to worry about that – he's watching out for him. Sam is touched and says he knows he is, but Dean is just one person and he needed to think that there was something else watching too. Some higher power, or greater good. And that maybe he could be saved. Sam is almost in tears at this point and Dean is looking emotional as well. Sam tries to pull himself together though, and says all that was just clouding his judgement though and Dean was right – they have to go with what they know and what they can see with their own two eyes. Dean says it's funny Sam should say that, his voice sounding rough with emotion, as Gregory's spirit gave Sam some good information. He says he barely got there in time and Sam asks what happened. Dean explains that the guy is dead. Sam hesitantly asks if Dean killed him and Dean says no, but he'll tell Sam one thing “The way he died – if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes I'd never have believed it.” Sam looks at him, almost apprehensive, and asks Dean what he saw. Dean thinks for a moment, looking away, before turning back and holding Sam's gaze as he says “Maybe - God's will.” All Sam can do is look at him, stunned by the turn of events.
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