After a few weeks off the radar, Benny, everyone’s favorite vampire, returns this week and the fallout from ‘Citizen Fang’ will be felt for quite some time.

Trying to make a life for himself off the grid, Benny’s set up shop in Carencro, Louisiana. On this particular night he’s closing Guidry’s Café for Elizabeth. As she leaves, two shady guys remain and there’s no doubt that one—or both—are trouble. Well, it doesn’t take long to realize the younger of the two, Martin Creaser, is a hunter stalking Benny. As he follows the vampire, Martin crosses the other Café residence with his throat pumping a generous helping of blood from his dead body. Of course Martin knows who did and calls Sam to report his findings. Dean isn’t too keen on Loony Bin Martin 1) being in the game or 2) spying on his Purgatory Pal, but as Sam vociferously pleads his case, Dean only shrugs and promises to take care of things if Benny is back on the juice.

Benny and Dean’s reunion starts off a bit strained

When they arrive in Carencro, after having a bit of an argument (what’s new with these guys?)and talking to Elizabeth at Guidry’s, Dean goes looking for Benny and finds him planting victim number 2. He tells Dean that another vampire, a rogue named Desmond, who ran in the same circles as Benny back in the day, has his sights set on Benny joining his crew. Obviously Benny turned him down and Desmond’s promise was to keep adding to the victim tic sheet until Benny capitulates and joins his fang gang. He refuses to leave town, confiding in Dean that not only is Carencro his home town but Elizabeth’s his great granddaughter (lucky for Dean things didn’t get further than a bit of easy flirting). Dean believs his friend and takes the info back to Martin and Sam, who can’t believe his brother’s trust in a monster. Things get even a bit more harsh when Dean is adamant that Benny’s never let him down; Sam takes the comment to heart and the chasm between the two Winchesters continues to widen. It doesn’t help with sneaky Martin sucker punches Dean so he and Sam can take care of the vampire problem. While Sam’s pissed at Martin’s actions, he’s still ready to take advantage of it.

As he’s driving to hunt Benny, Sam’s second flashback of Amelia is of a conversation between he and Don. The latter tells Sam that both are in some part graced with Amelia’s love and the time will come where she has to choose. All Don asks is that they both respect her decision. This is quite an ironic scene because it encompasses the exact thing Sam refuses to do with his brother, trust Dean’s judgment as it relates to Benny. Yes, it may be hypocritical for Dean to ask for that trust after what he did to Amy (“The Girl Next Door”) but a year in the worst battlefield either brother has known no doubt has changed Dean’s opinion on monsters and their ability to change. In a way, it almost seems as if Sam is jealous of his brother’s relationship with the vampire and will do all he can to disrupt said relationship, be it unconsciously or not.

Back at the motel, a bloodied and groggy Dean wakes up, uncuffs himself and gives Benny a warning that two hunters are coming after him. Benny refuses to leave town and is ready to end the Desmond threat once and for all; he asks for Dean’s help and the elder Winchester agrees.

Sam and Martin are out hunting Benny when Sam gets a text from Amelia asking for his help. He takes off without a word, leaving

The vampire Desmond creeping up behind Dean

Martin high and dry. Not too far away (I’m sure this isn’t the biggest town in the world) Dean and Benny arrive at Desmond’s nest. They split up and, before you know it, the blondie Desmond gets the jump on Dean. After a less than even fight—it wasn’t Dean’s best day—Desmond cuts into Dean’s neck and readies to take his fill. Like he’s done before, Benny’s there for the rescue, separating Desmond’s head from his body. When he sees the blood leaking from Dean’s neck, the predator in Benny whispers to him and the tension is obvious as he forces himself to step away. Dean follows him outside and Benny knows he has to leave. Dean knows that word will get out and those that hear it won’t be so kind as to listen to Benny’s explanation.

As he rushes to Amelia, Sam thinks about his decision to be the ‘good guy’ and allow Amelia her rightful time (according to Sam the martyr) to figure things out with Don. It’s still quite a punch to the gut that, despite him “doing the right thing” seeing Amelia hugged up on the couch in cuddle land with Don.

Benny and Dean have one last moment together with the vampire thanking his friend for never giving up on him. He’s well on his way out of town when the two-bit bastard Martin, right after Dean’s told him to leave well enough alone, calls Benny with an obvious threat to Elizabeth. Benny has to come back and Martin does everything to provoke the vampire, demanding that he be honest with Elizabeth. Benny doesn’t want her to see the dark part of him and lays his head down on the table. Martin approaches and as the blade falls towards Benny’s neck, she screams and the screen  fades to black.

On his own way out of Carencro, Dean gets a call from a bloodied Elizabeth who can only tell him he needs to get back. When he arrives at the café, he offers a shell shocked Elizabeth a towel before entering the dark building. He follows the trail of blood to Martin’s lifeless corpse and knows that his friend was the one behind the killing though is nowhere to be found.

Drowning his sorrows in a few drinks, Sam calls Amelia’s number and realizes it was Dean, using the weakness as a way of getting Sam to back off his witch hunt of Benny. Dean tries to explain the final outcome but Sam’s to blind and pissed to see it, hanging up on his brother before turning to leave. His exit is stalled when he turns into Amelia. “I knew that was you,” she says to Sam, whose only response is to stare in disbelief.

Love, trust, and faith are the primary themes of ‘Citizen Fang’. From Sam’s love for Amelia and his belief of doing the right thing to Dean’s trust in Benny, a creature he would normally kill on sight, continue to be the driving force between the disconnect between brothers. How long has it been since they’ve been able to be amiable towards one another without the underlying tension thrumming beneath the surface? Years. Most likely Dean confiding in Benny has probably been the worse blow of all for an already wounded Sam. We all know it’s easier to trust someone who’s never lied to you than someone who has. It doesn’t matter if the former is a monster who would normally be your enemy and the latter your brother who you’ve been to hell and back with (figuratively and most literally), Sam and Dean’s relationship has been built on so many lies, that it’s difficult to see how they can patch up the torn and crumbling bond between them. But as things escalate with Crowley and his brood, the Winchesters and their allies (and I count Benny among them) really don’t have a choice but to sooner or later, get over these bouts of contention and focus on the goal at hand. If not, bruised feelings and chipped egos will be the least of their worries.

Next Episode: Supernatural is back on January 16th with some heavenly Sheisse is about to hit the fan as Cas returns and in need of the Winchesters to start acting as a team.