Atomic Monsters
Written by: Davy Perez
Directed by: Jensen Ackles
Air date: November 7, 2019
Sam and Dean investigate the mysterious death of a cheerleader and the disappearance of another, both apparently being the work of vampires.
Tropes
- All Just a Dream: The opening sequence is a nightmare that Sam is having.
- Back for the Dead:
- Benny Lafitte makes an appearance since "The Werther Project" so we can see him die again in the opening.
- Becky Rosen returns for the first time since "Season Seven, Time for a Wedding!", only to get snapped out of existence by Chuck, though he says she's just "banished."
- Bait the Dog: Chuck appears to Becky and is his pre-"Moriah" dorky self. He even takes valid criticism of his writing from her and seems happy that she is being honest, but this is only an act to get an ego boost from Becky. When he realizes she is not going to do that, he snaps her and her family out of existence.
- The Bus Came Back: Becky and Benny.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Billy calls his parents out for covering up his girlfriend's death and kidnapping another girl for her blood, as well as caring more about him going to a good college.
- Face Death with Dignity: Billy flatly tells his parents to put out the story he ran off and that he, Sam and Dean "are going for a ride. That's how it works, right?" as he knows it's better to die before becoming a true monster. His final scene shows him on his knees in the woods, with Dean swinging down a machete behind him. The scene cuts to black before we can see it make contact.
- I Did What I Had to Do: Billy's parents are willing to kidnap and murder to protect their son, even die for it.
- I Need A Drink: Billy's mom's response when his dad just says "listen to your mother" when Billy and his mom were arguing.
- In Medias Res: The episode opens with an evil Sam leading demons in attacking the bunker.
- Internal Reveal: Becky finds out that Chuck is God, and he's evil.
- Parents as People: Billy's parents so badly want for their son to live a normal, better life despite being a vampire. But as much as they want to deny it, that can never happen.
- Red Herring: Tori, the #3 cheerleader, seems like a natural suspect for the killing and disappearance, but her wearing braces means she can't be a vampire.
- Reduced to Dust: Chuck reduces Becky and her family to dust. It's unclear what really happens, though Chuck does tell Becky, shortly before she vanishes herself, that he merely "banishes" them away.
- Sanity Strengthening: Becky returns but she has undergone therapy and is happily married and has children. She is also channeling her love for the Supernatural books into a valid source of income and is clearly in a much better place.
- Tragic Monster: Billy is horrified at what his vampiric impulses have made him do and the way his parents helped to cover it up. He sacrifices himself to protect them.
