‘Supernatural’ 13x15 recap: ‘A Most Holy Man’ is a most unsatisfactory filler

“Supernatural” season 13 episode 15 is less than an hour of double and triple-crossing from affluent black market traders and collectors. “A Most Holy Man” is a filler noir episode that leaves much to be desired.

Spoilers for “Supernatural” 13x15 “A Most Holy Man” are up ahead. The episode aired in the US on Thursday on The CW and will air in Australia on Monday on Channel Eleven.

The episode started with someone stealing the skull of St Peter in a convent in Malta. Back in the bunker, while Castiel (Misha Collins, who is not in the episode) was in Syria to try to get a fruit from the tree of life, it’s up to Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) to get some blood of a most holy man. The items were ingredients to opening the alternate world where Mary Winchester (Samantha Smith) and Jack (Alexander Calvert) were trapped in.

After researching online, Sam came across the name Margaret Astor (guest star Leann Lapp), a rare artefact vendor who took a fancy to Sam. She did not have what they were asking for, so she directed them to collector Richard Greenstreet (guest star Dominic Burgess) instead. Greenstreet claimed he had the blood of St Ignatius, but he knew the boys couldn’t afford whatever price he would ask them for, so he proposed a trade. He wanted the Winchesters to steal the stolen skull (from the Malta monastery) in exchange for the saint’s blood.

With little choice but to agree, the Winchesters set out to find who stole the skull, leading them to a hotel in Seattle. They were too late, though, as they found the thief already dead in his hotel room. Another religious artefact collector, Santino Scarpatti (guest star Al Sapienza) had them sent to him, telling them that they should collect the skull for him instead of working for Greenstreet. Again, with little choice, the boys had to agree.

When they went back to the hotel, Sam found a piece of paper in the dead man’s room, but he was knocked unconscious by another mystery fellow. That man was then knocked out by someone else in an alley. The brothers got a hold of him, and he confessed he’s a priest named Father Lucca Camilleri (guest star Massi Furlan) and was assigned to retrieve the stolen skull. Father Lucca then teamed up with the brothers to get the skull back.

The piece of paper turned out to contain a tracking number for a package shipped from Malta. The new clue led them to a place where Astor and her henchman were meeting with the skull’s buyers, Greenstreet and Scarpatti. Sam decided to join the auction, but as with dealing with unquestionable characters, the group started betraying and killing one another, only leaving Sam, Dean, Father Lucca and Greenstreet alive. Greenstreet was arrested, while the trio escaped with the skull.

As they were bidding Father Lucca goodbye, they learnt that the priest was awarded by the pope for his good works. He was called “a most holy man.” The boys had asked for his blood, allowing them to complete their mission after all.

‘Supernatural 13x15’ review

As filler episodes go, this one is one of the least exciting. Written by Andrew Dabb and Robert Singer, and directed by Amanda Tapping, the episode showed black market dealers and collectors who appeared to be so inept they not only had their name posted online, they also did not take precautions when meeting with their fellow crooks. It was like watching newbies who had money trying their hands at collecting expensive and illegal items.

Also, where did Sam get a suitcase full of money at a moment’s notice? Maybe the Impala had an emergency cash stash that had over half a million dollars. Maybe.

The boys, who have had faced the worst creatures on Earth and in another universe, even having breakfast in their bunker with God himself, appeared to be out of their elements with the human villains. Several times during the episode, they were threatened, cornered and left with no choice but to comply. It seemed they had let the rich kids bully them because they weren’t in the same social class. It was frustrating to watch the most feared hunters reduced to beta characters among ordinary humans.

“A Most Holy Man” had a satisfying ending but little else. “Supernatural” will return in the US on March 29 (the following Monday in Australia) with “Scoobynatural,” a cartoon crossover of the popular “Scooby-Doo.”