The sadness continues on Supernatural, “Jack in the Box,” as Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) try to come to terms with Mary’s (Samantha Smith) death. It’s very clear that Jack (Alexander Calvert) has burned his soul away, but he does fell bad about what he did to Mary. So maybe there’s a little bit of his soul still in there.
Then
Castiel (Misha Collins) has been worried about Jack since Michael died. And Jack has been acting strangely, almost like, he doesn’t really care what happens to others. Except for his family of course. So when he accidentally killed Mary, he ran. He’s scared of what Sam and Dean think. And to make matters worse, Jack is projecting a image of Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino) to work out what he’s thinking. That’s the last person who Jack should be talking to.
RELATED: Read the Latest Recap of SUPERNATURAL, “Absence”
Jack Now

Sam and Dean continue to memorialize their mother, holding a service for other hunters to remember her. Dean gives the eulogy, emphasizing Mary’s kindness and bravery. During the toast, a hatchet comes out of nowhere and hits one of the guys in the back. Turns out the guy is a wraith. It’s good thing Bobby (Jim Beaver) shows up to kill the guy.
After the service, Bobby checks on the boys. Sam is holding up well, but Dean seems to be A-okay. Sam suggests they sit for a drink and talk about their mom, but Dean is kind of talked out. Bobby pulls out some beers and asks what exactly happened to Mary. Before Sam can answer, Dean shows up to let them know he’s leaving. Sam wants him to stay to talk about Jack and Dean says they will eventually.
Bobby wants to talk about Jack now. He believes there’s only one way to handle the kid and Castiel agrees. They have to find Jack and help him. Wait. No. Bobby wants to find Jack and kill him. His reasoning is that Jack no longer has any humanity in him. That leaves one thing left…Lucifer. Castiel believes Jack doesn’t know if what he did was wrong. Bobby argues that an unstoppable monster who doesn’t know right from wrong has to be put down. Meanwhile we see Baby parked on a back road somewhere in the woods and Dean is sitting by himself, crying.
Jack in His Head
Jack sits alone, thinking about that day Mary died. He calls for his mom, asking her to tell him what to do. He gets dad instead. Jack knows that Lucifer is a figment of his imagination, but he discusses his situation with him anyway. He wants to tell Sam and Dean that it was an accident and he tried to bring Mary back. He wants to remind them that they’ve made mistakes too. Lucifer is straight with the kid, saying the Winchesters don’t love him. They hate him now. He can’t go back after what he did. He’s alone now. Jack can only depend on himself and Lucifer now.
Castiel goes to Heaven to look for Naomi (Amanda Tapping), but finds Duma (Erica Cerra) instead. Duma informs him that she locked up Naomi. Naomi let the Empty invade Heaven and has to pay the consequences. Castiel says he needs her help finding Jack. He explains how Jack burned through his soul saving everyone in the bunker. Castiel says Jack is on the run from the Winchesters. He thinks Jack will be okay with the right guidance. Duma walks away, saying she will do what she can, but she has a strange look of interest on her face.
Dean returns to the bunker and finds Sam tracking Jack. He wants to find the kid before Bobby and his people do. Sam is also struggling with his feelings about Mary’s death. They know there’s a Heaven and they know their mom is in a good place with their dad. But Dean doesn’t really want to talk about it. Instead he reminds Sam that there wasn’t enough left of her to bring her back. Who’s brooding now?
Jack in Service

Duma finds Jack to tell him that Mary’s death wasn’t his fault. It was an accident and he deserves redemption. She says his mother and Heaven knows that Jack has a glorious destiny. She starts talking about how there was a time of moral order in the world and God would punish those who didn’t bad things, disrespecting Heaven. It all fell apart when God left. She says he couldn’t save Mary Winchester, but he can change things by saving people and make the world better. And the real kicker…Sam and Dean would happy.
Jack’s first task it pay a visit to a college professor who preaches atheism. Duma is with him and they try to convince the professor that there is a heaven. And he is a heretic. Duma tells him to announce that everything he writes is false and that God is good. The professor refuses. When he tries to call security, Jack kills him by turning him into salt.
Back at the bunker, Castiel reports that the angels will make every effort to find Jack. Which doesn’t mean much to the Winchesters. However, if there’s anyone who can benefit from Jack’s powers, it’s the angels. And they may have already found him.
Sam tells the guys about two separate incidents that sound a little too biblical. The college professor turned into salt. A few hours later, a TV evangelist died after she fell through a crevice in the Earth. Sounds like a sinkhole, but the ground closed up after she fell in. The evangelist was being investigated for stealing money through fake charities. Of course it’s angels, but no ordinary angel has that kind of power. There’s only two with that kind of power: Chuck and Jack.
Jack in Heaven
Duma takes Jack back to Heaven. She says if they work as a team, they can restore the glory of Heaven. Jack wonders if that will make the Winchesters happy. Duma gives a vague answer, knowing they would probably disapprove. Duma gives Jack a new test. Heaven is short on angels and only God can make new ones. But Jack has the power to take the souls of willing humans and forge them into angels. To motivate him, Duma takes Jack to God’s prayer room to listen to prayers on Earth. He sits in a big chair and listens to many prayers in many languages.
One prayer stands out from the rest. A woman prays to God, sending gratitude for his gifts and deliverance unto Heaven and the greater glory. The woman is leading a prayer group. Jack appears and asks if they all want to go to Heaven and become angels. That is their greatest wish and Jack can make it happen. He shows them his power and angel wings. The group is so mesmerized that they don’t see another man walk into the room.
The man is visiting pastor. Jack asks if he wants to go too, but the pastor is skeptical of Jack. When he tells Jack that he doesn’t believe him, Jack says not to interfere with Heaven’s work. The pastor tries to be the congregation’s attention and Jack knocks him down. Jack cites a Bible verse about a man eaten by worms. Worms start emerging out of the pastor’s face. As he lays on the ground screaming, the congregation disappears.
Jack in Trouble

Castiel and the Winchesters hear about the pastor and race to question him. The pastor is distraught, but tells them about what happened at the church. The guys don’t give much solace, but confirm that it was Jack at the church. The pastor says Jack took his congregation to Heaven to become angels. After they leave the room, another worm emerges from the pastor.
Outside the room, Castiel says the bible verse is about a man eaten by worms when he did not give glory to God. The guys know that Heaven is guiding Jack’s actions for their own preservation. When they get back to the bunker, Dean states that they don’t have a choice but to stop Jack once and for all. They can’t kill Jack, but they can contain him.
Dean wants to put Jack in the Ma’lak box that he built for Michael. There are wards on the box that could contain an Archangel so it should work on Jack. But, Jack has to voluntarily get inside. This means that Sam has to be the one to talk him into it. Dean wants Sam tell Jack that its only until they finish the spell that will fix his soul. Of course, there is no spell, so Sam has to really sell it. If Dean has to do it, he will lose it on Jack.
Jack in Prayer
Castiel goes to the playground and asks the guard to open the portal to Heaven. The guard informs Castiel that Heaven is closed to him. That doesn’t stop Castiel from demanding to be let in. The guard pulls out an angel blade to stop Castiel.
Meanwhile, Jack is in the prayer room, making new angels. The Guard walks in with Castiel behind him. Duma acts like she is happy to see Castiel, but she’s also very nervous. Castiel asks to speak to her.
At the bunker, Sam begins praying to Jack. He says some bad things happened, but they are family. Bad things happen in families sometimes, but the only way to move forward is to talk it out. Jack hears Sam’s prayer. Sam asks to see him. He says Mary and Jack’s mom would want that. Sam says they just want things to be the way they were.
Castiel accuses Duma of using Jack to solidify her hold on Heaven. Duma says she is saving Heaven and the world. She says she can’t control Jack, but she can guide him. Castiel doesn’t like how Duma is using him, saying Jack is powerful, but he’s still just a child. He starts to leave, saying he taking Jack with him, but Duma stops him. She threatens to end Mary and John Winchester’s peaceful Heaven if Castiel takes Jack. So Castiel kills her. He calls for Jack as he returns to the prayer room.
Jack is Forgiven

Jack shows up at the bunker, happy to hear from the brothers. He says he’s working with the angels to purify the world and make angels, but he misses them. Dean says they miss him too and they want to clear things up. Jack says he regrets the ‘accident’…what happened to Mary. He explains that Mary kept saying he didn’t have a soul and he didn’t want the no soul thing to become an issue. Jack says he snapped and it was over quickly. He wishes it didn’t happen.
Dean is barely holding it together. He doesn’t like that Jack is calling Mary’s death, “the accident.” But he plays along and says they understand and they forgive Jack. Sam asks if that’s what Jack wants. Jack says he wants things to go back to how they were. He’s happy that they understand.
Dean says they found a way to fix his soul, but they need to keep him safe so there are no more ‘accidents.’ Sam chimes in, emotional about what they are doing. He says he wants Jack to be safe from others and himself, until he’s better. They take Jack to the Ma’lak box. Dean explains the purpose of the box. Jack understands and agrees to get in the box to keep everyone safe. He asks how long before he can get out. Sam promises it won’t be long. Jack trusts them and lays down in the box. Dean closes it, locks it, and they leave the room and lock that too.
Jack in the Box
Sam asks if they really have to leave Jack in the box forever. Of course Dean says yes, but Sam doesn’t know if he can do it. Dean quickly changes the subject, saying the scotch is pretty good. Sam redirects saying he didn’t think it would end for Jack this way. Dean says Jack was a long shot, but Sam reminds him that long shots are their thing.
Jack realizes that the brothers have left the room. Lucifer shows up, telling Jack that the Winchesters played him. Trust is a two way street, so if the Winchesters trusted him, why did they lock him up? Lucifer says they didn’t tell him the specifics of the spell, the outcome or how long it would take. He’s basically screwed.
Lucifer says Jack is too naive and trusting. He says Jack is no longer useful to them and he killed their mother. Jack will spend eternity in a box. Jack gets upset and tries to open the box. Lucifer laughs at him, saying he has to better than that to get out.
The Power of Jack

Castiel returns to the bunker to report what Duma was doing to Jack. He wants to find Jack to let him know that Duma was manipulating him. They inform Castiel that Jack is in the bunker, in the storage room, and locked in the Ma’lak box. Dean says he agreed to get in the box because he knew it’s what was best for everyone. Castiel gets upset, accusing Dean of manipulating the kid and asks if they are trying to forget about him. Dean wishes he could forget Jack, after what he did to them. He says Castiel knows what Jack can do and this is the only way to stop him.
Jack uses his full power to melt the wards on the Ma’lak box, while Lucifer laughs. The guys hear an explosion and run to the storage room. Alarms start going off and the earth begins to shake. The explosion destroyed the storage room. The guys see a pair of glowing eyes coming at them. Jack?
RELATED: Catch up on SUPERNATURAL Season 14 Here!
Thoughts
Whoa! Talk about family squabble. I don’t like it. All season long, they make us fall in love with this boy, make him sick, then give him back, and then rip our hearts by taking away his soul. Might as well rip out Dean’s soul with it, because I’m not liking Dean right now. You can’t turn Jack into a villain like that. Please tell me he will have some redemption before it’s all over.
- INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE Recap: (S02E07) I Could Not Prevent It - June 24, 2024
- INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE Recap: (S02E06) Like the Light by Which God Made the World Before He Made Light - June 17, 2024
- INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE Recap: (S02E05) Don’t Be Afraid, Just Start The Tape - June 10, 2024