Supernatural: "Time Is on My Side" (Episode 315)

Dr. Benton, I presume?

Well, that was something I didn't see coming. But what exactly did happen at the end there? Guesses, anyone? I won't say much more “above the fold” for the spoiler-phobes out there, but does any one want to place bets on how this season will end? They seem to be writing themselves into a bit of a corner here, but I have faith in Kripke and crew to have something interesting, yet satisfying, up their sleeves for us. Even if they're not going to get any help from the colt.

We begin with an interesting shot following two men leaving the gym. You won't see any of this artsy stuff on Smallville. One of them is our buddy “That Guy,” who we love in his previous roles on Stargate: Atlantis and The 4400 (thank god I don't have to recap that show any more) and I'm sure numerous other Vancouver based cable and netlet TV series. It's not long before That Guy is jumped while he's getting into his Saab and stuffed into his own trunk. He should have been carrying pepper spray like a little girl.

"That Guy"When we next see him, he's bleeding all over the floor of the emergency room at the hospital. He's holding his guts and a nurse approaches trying to help. She insists that there's nothing that she hasn't seen before and forces him to move his hands. Something falls out with a wet plop and the nurse screams her head off.

Storm clouds. Titles.

Elsewhere, Sam and Dean are going about their usual day, torturing some demon with holy water, trying to extract some information from him about who might hold the ticket for Dean's soul. Surprise, the demon is not being very forthcoming. He's more afraid of the one Dean's looking for than of anything that Sam and Dean might be able to do to him. They've had enough and they exorcise him right back to Hell.

Later, Sam has a bit of a diversion for the two of them. Zombie hunting! Dean's bit surprised as he's been so gung-ho to, you know, save his life. Turns out that guy from the beginning died at the hospital, but he was covered in bloody fingerprints from a guy that's been dead since 1981. Dean doesn't want to die in three weeks, but would these guys pass up the chance to do some zombie hunting? No way!

Seriously, do they spend all their money on dry-cleaning?In the morgue, the Winchester boys are dressed in their well-pressed suits. The coroner is suspicious of the boys, but still shows them how the liver was precisely removed by someone with skill, not chewed out by a zombie. Well, there goes that fun. The boys go looking for other victims of organ theft and find an extremely cranky man missing a kidney. He tells them of his fleeting memory of being operated on – steeped in his own style of sarcasm.

Later though, Sam comes up with a theory very fast based on the fact that the surgeries were sewn up with silk and the fact that the wounds were full of maggots to eat the bad tissue. Dean loses his appetite – almost. It's old school surgery techniques. Sam has already IDed the killer as Doc Benton from Papa Winchester's man-diary. Doc was obsessed with living forever and may be harvesting parts from the people he kills so he can keep on going. Dad tried to kill him but didn't quite get the job done.

Elsewhere, a jogger gets kidnapped and his excellent heart monitor comes in handy to note his state of health to the viewer as creepy Doc Benton proceeds to take his still beating heart out of his chest before his very eyes. He dies (if you didn't guess).

At the hotel, Sam has a lead on where Benton might be, but Bobby calls with a tip on where to find Bella. There's a reclusive hunter that gave him a tip that Bella had been in contact with him. Dean wants to head out immediately, but Sam wants to finish the job with Benton. Dean is convinced that the colt is his only chance, but Sam thinks the key to immortality that Benton has discovered may save Dean from the pit. Sam knew what was going on from almost the beginning. It doesn't sit well with Dean, not at all. Sam thinks he'll use the immortality pill as well to get out of dying from Dean welching on the deal. But Dean knows the only way to get out of the deal is to take out the demon that holds his ticket. And with that, they part ways with Sam staying on the path of Benton and Dean heading out after Bella, and hopefully the colt.

I wonder if that "X-Files" movie is going to be any good...When Dean gets to the home of the reclusive hunter, played by our friend Mr. X from The X-Files, no amount of talking will get him in the door, but luckily he has the bottle of Johnny Walker Blue that Bobby recommended that he take. Later, as they share the bottle, Mr. X lets Dean know that he knows a lot of things about a lot of people, including Dean's deal with the devil. He tells him that the colt isn't going to save him. Even if he gets out of this one, something else will get him down the line. If he does manage to live, then he ends up exactly like Mr. X, reclusive, hiding behind security cameras and an unhealthy suspicion of everyone. Mr. X tells him where to find Bella and a little something extra that he was able to dig up from an earprint. Turns out earprints are just as good as fingerprints, but don't really hold up in court. Mr. X hit it up and got a hit in England. He shows Dean a folder of confidential files on Bella.

Elsewhere, Sam manages to find Doc Benton's cabin, although why he waited until dark is beyond me. He manages to find Benton's book... and one of his victims still alive. As Sam tries to make his escape and save the girl at the same time, Benton raises his ugly head. They narrowly escape in the car, running Benton over in the process. But Benton pops back up and manually corrects his broken neck.

"If I wanted to hit you, I would have."In Vermont, Dean pays a visit to our old friend Bella. She tells him how she sold the colt, but he doesn't believe her. As he searches the room, she tries to sneak out and Dean almost puts a bullet in her right then. Dean's thinking that he'll kill her in cold blood. He reveals that he knows all about Bella killing her parents ten years ago and inheriting all their money. In a random flashback we learn that Bella was abused by her father. Bella doesn't let any of this on to Dean though. Dean notices the talisman that she has above her door to ward off demons and puts two and two together, but we the viewer don't realize this quite yet. As Dean leaves, Bella snags a receipt out of Dean's pocket, which just happens to be the hotel where Sam is staying. She calls someone and lets them know that her plan worked and she is on Sam's trail (must be Lilith).

Dean calls Sam and Sammy lets him know that the colt's gone, but Sam tells him how he's got the formula for immortality and it's not black magic, it's just pure, weird science. Sammy doesn't get to say much more, because Benton has tracked him and snatches him away.

A little bit of the ole ultra-violence.After the break, Sammy is having a Clockwork Orange moment as Benton prepares to take Sam's eyes. He remembers Papa Winchester and he's been reading about himself in the man-diary. As Benton starts to dig into Sam's eyes, Dean fills Benton up full of lead – but it's no good. The guy's immortal, but Dean stabs him with a knife that was dipped in chloroform. This takes Benton down but doesn't kill him. Benton pleads for his life, offering the boys the formula for his immortality. Sam almost takes him up on it as it would buy them a ton of time. Dean isn't having it though, he won't be a monster.

They take Doc Benton and bury him alive, chained into an old refrigerator as a metal coffin. A real bitch for someone that will live forever. I wonder if this is the last that we'll see of Benton?

Back at the hotel, Bella sneaks in and puts some bullets into the boys, or rather their blow-up doll stand-ins. The phone rings (how would Dean time that) and she learns how Dean figured the whole thing out from the talisman above the door. He knows that a demon is after her and the hell-hounds are going to take her away. She made a deal with a demon to kill her abusive parents, but now her ten years are up and they wanted her to kill Sam. She's out of time and nobody can help her anymore. She knows about Dean's deal though, because his ticket is held by the same demon that holds hers: Lilith. Bela hopes that at least maybe Dean can kill the bitch. And with that, Bela's time is up. The hell-hounds sound and as Bela awaits her fate, we cut to black.

NEXT WEEK: The hell-hounds are coming!