It's Sam to the rescue on Supernatural Season 15 Episode 17. Was there ever any doubt that this was not going to go down according to plan?

And what a plan it was! One that would have Billie taking over for Chuck. No wonder she has so many thoughts on the issue. It's her power play. But is that a good reason to follow her rule?

It was really nice to step away from the monster mash to visit the big topics again, wasn't it?

Dean was so overcome with anger and resentment about his life in Chuck's hands that he was blackened with rage. He was singularly focused on the end and jumped so eagerly into Billie's plan, that it almost worked.

But we lost something important along the way.

After meeting Adam and Serafina, I can't say that I would be down to hang with them. Adam is as wracked with pain and anger as Dean despite his hippie existence. 

That kind of darkness, the kind that Dean and Adam harbor for God, flies in the face of everything they should believe in. They lost sight of what they had in their quest for destruction.

Adam: That's your choice?
Jack: Yes. And the others. All of them. They're just rocks, but their existence makes them divine because God is in everything.
Adam: Right on. At least he should be.

• Permalink: Right on. At least he should be.

It's interesting that Amara, as the darkness, appreciated what Chuck created more than he did. He lost the ability to stop and smell the roses, to enjoy the humans, to revel in his creation.

At first, I thought that Amara might be reluctant to carry out her part of the plan, but her faith in Dean and her belief they had something special, something that Chuck didn't write, no less, was crushed when Chuck told her the truth.

Chuck: You hear that?
Amara: What.
Chuck: Dean. Brought to the edge of doubt. His sense of duty. His rage winning out in the end.

• Permalink: Dean. Brought to the edge of doubt. His sense of duty. His rage winning out in the end.

Betrayal by Dean sucked the fight right out of her. Within seconds, she put her hand into Chucks, and he absorbed her, even more powerful that he was just moments earlier.

Even worse, Dean, already played by Billie, was also played again by Chuck, who had written the entire scenario from top to bottom, Dean's betrayal and Billie's plan seemingly a part of it.

If I got that wrong, please correct me. It sure seemed like Chuck knew Billie wanted to take him over and that it was all crafted to get Amara and himself to become one again.

Because of his anger, Dean lost an ally that truly cared for him, enough to resurrect his mother, for goodness sakes. 

And bless Sam, with his caring heart and love of family, all of their family, Jack included. Dean never quite gelled with Jack, and when Jack killed Mary, he kind of wrote him off even if he was soulless at the time.

But Sam never lets go of family. He loves entirely, and allowing Jack to walk off to his death hurt him as much as it would have if Dean or Cass sacrificed themselves. His determination to find another way finally paid off.

The only way. Our one shot. Our last chance. Do you ever get tired of saying stuff like that?

Sam

• Permalink: The only way. Our one shot. Our last chance. Do you ever get tired of saying stuff like that?

The worst part of it is that Jack is on his way to becoming the black hole. Chuck seemed to know what was going on with Jack, and after Amara brought up his first children, now I wonder if Chuck knew what Adam and Dean were up to with Jack, too.

How else could he know that Jack was going to die? He didn't seem even remotely concerned about a rip in space opening before him that would swallow him whole.

My hope is that Amara can still pull away from Chuck if given the opportunity, or, at the very least, that her part of the balance will knock some sense into him, maybe allowing him to see his creations as the success they are.

Could he have been writing stories for them because he was missing that balance? Will there be a lingering effect on him after being rejoined with Amara? We can only hope.

Billie is going to be one pissed off woman, and she's seen scraping her scythe along the wall to prove her power or some such thing in the preview for Supernatural Season 15 Episode 18. 

I always knew Billie was bad news, but it never dawned on me that she would be able to literally take over for God. But there are always soldiers trying to topple their leaders, so why would death be any different?

Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles are acting the hell out of their final scenes, and their emotions are raw as they say goodbye to the characters they've played for 15+ years.

Sam begging Dean to see another way and trust him like he'd trusted Dean his entire life was the kind of stuff that has always gotten the brothers through their toughest times.

I also appreciated seeing The Empty was borrowing Meg's body again.

Rachel Miner has always been a thrill on the show, and I adore that they've made it easy for her to be a part of the show even with her debilitating multiple sclerosis. Being immobile doesn't diminish from her capacity to slay in the slightest.

They'll be pounding home the importance of what they've done over the years and the many people they've saved so many ways with yet more returns before the bitter end of this beloved series, and if the episodes are as smartly paced as this one, we'll be a mess before the finale.

Make sure you watch Supernatural online just because we all want more Winchester goodness, and drop your thoughts on this powerful episode in the comments.

The switch has been flipped, and there's no turning back for our heroes until they've achieved their destiny.

Just what that is still remains to be seen, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.