'Supernatural' Season 8, Episode 15: 'Man's Best Friend With Benefits' Recap

‘Supernatural, Season 8, Episode 15, ‘Man's Best Friend with Benefits’

In a dark alley, a police officer arrests a prostitute. However, after he cuffs her, rather than taking her in, he strangles her, digging his thumbs into her neck until it ruptures.

The officer wakes up, the scene seemingly being a dream. He goes to make himself some coffee, and finds a bloody shirt in his trash.

Sam and Dean arrive at a motel, having received a call from the police officer, James Frampton. Dean tells Sam that it’s not too late to opt out of the trails for closing the door to hell. He says he’s ready, and Dean leaves.

Outside the motel room, there is scratching at the door. Sam opens it and finds a Doberman wanting to be let in. He opens the door, and the dog runs in and jumps on his bed, eager for a belly rub. As he’s petting the dog, Dean returns, and he tries to stall him.

“Okay, before you get pissed off, look, I just want you to know this isn’t my fault. She just showed up at the door, okay? Didn’t track in any mud. Just wanted her belly scratched. I figured maybe she can stay tonight and we try to find her home tomorrow?”

Sam opens the door to reveal a woman lying in the bed where the dog was, wearing the dog collar.

“She can stay the night.”

Sam tells Dean that 2 minutes ago, she was a dog. They go on the defensive. She tells them she’s not a Shapeshifter, but a witch’s Familiar. She says her name is Portia, and she belongs to their friend James Frampton. Dean is in disbelief, because he didn’t know James was a witch. Portia reassures them that James wasn’t a witch when they met, but he became a witch because of them.

She says that James needs their help, because something started happening. Dean expresses his hatred of witches. Portia convinces him to give James a shot.

In a swanky witch club, James meets with Spencer, and explains his haunting dreams and the physical pain they cause. Spencer tells him he needs to see someone about it, or to take a break. James also reveals that he thinks he’s pushing Portia away.

Portia tells Sam and Dean that she and James can communicate telepathically, but lately James has blocked her out. She fears that he’s trying to hide something from her, and that it was her who had contacted the Brothers on his behalf.

James has another dream, this time killing a blind man.

The Brothers visit James, and he and Portia get into an argument. He doesn’t think it’s any of their concern. Dean chastises him for getting into witchcraft. James reveals that the people he kills in his dreams are actually dying and feels completely responsible. Dean offers that James could be hexed by a rival witch and forced to do it. James says it’s possible, but he doubts it.

The Brothers offer to help, but James must be put under house arrest (chained up).

In the motel, Sam researches James and the murders, and confirms that they happened just as James said. Dean brings all of the ingredients for a witch killing spell (which, last time they used, didn’t go as planned).

Dean brings up the trials again, and Sam gets angry, saying Dean doesn’t trust him, but quickly realizes that Dean doesn’t trust anyone but himself. They agree to drop it.

Dean says that once he gets the spell together, they can’t hesitate to use it. Whether it’s James or some other witch. Sam expresses his concern.

The Brothers drop by the police station and talk to Ed Stoltz about the murders. Sam reveals some evidence that was “missed”, but Ed dismisses the evidence, saying sometimes things get missed and to leave it alone.

Portia brings Dean to the swanky witch club to ask if anyone knows anything. Dean asks Portia how James found him, but she said Familiars find the witches, not the other way around.

Portia is called over by a Familiar named Phillippe LeChat, which triggers Dean’s cat allergy. He asks her about James, saying there’s a lot of buzz going on about him. James’ friend Spencer arrives, and Dean asks about a spell where one witch can control another. Spencer hasn’t heard of such a thing. Spencer and his cat Familiar Phillippe depart, after expressing their concern for James.

Sam calls Dean with information, saying the blood found on James’ shirt matched that of victim #3, which proves he killed him.

That night, Portia helps chain James into his bed. She regrets having to do it. The proceed to kiss and get hot and heavy, which causes James to drop his telepathic guard, allowing Portia to see what he’s done in his dreams.

Sam and Dean arrive at his house, witch killing spell in hand. They enter his bedroom and get ready to trigger it, but Portia stops them, saying it’s not James. She tells them that she saw the kills, but nothing else. No motive, no preparation, nothing. She begs them to investigate further before killing him.

Sam drops by the police station again and is met by Ed Stoltz again. Ed pressures Sam to leave the case alone, but Sam knows they’re covering something up. The tech guy has a folder with James’ name on it.

Dean and Portia meet with a rogue warlock named Drexil. He confirms there’s no witches controlling other witches on the street. He says that there is a lot of talk about James going Jack the Ripper, though. The witches can’t let him get arrested and exposed, and will give him the choice to either leave, or kill himself. And if he doesn’t kill himself, they’ll do it for him.

In James’ house, Dean shares info he found with Sam; there’s a spell for implanting memories into another person’s mind. Sam shares his info, regarding the tech guy and the cover-up.

James says that he can help them get into the station, into the locked room, via astral projection, but he needs to be unchained for it to work. Sam says they’ll unchain him on one condition – he takes them with him.

The three project into the locked room and find all the information they police have been gathering against James. Including witness reports signed by Phillippe LeChat. They return to their bodies, and James realizes that Ed is building a case against him out of revenge, and Phillippe was helping him.

James grows angry and attacks Sam and Dean. He sends Portia away. He storms down to the swanky witch club and attacks Phillippe. He asks him why, and he says that his master, Spencer, made him do it. A direct command. As they talk, Spencer breaks Phillippe’s neck.

James asks if Ed put Spencer up to it, and he says no. He did it because of Portia. He wanted Portia as a Familiar, but she chose James and had sex with him, which infuriated him. Sam and Dean arrive, which triggers Spencer to attack them. James and Spencer have a magic fight.

Sam and Dean try to trigger the witch killing spell, but Spencer magics into their heads and forces them to relieve some of their most painful memories. As they suffer, Portia arrives and attacks Spencer, allowing Sam and Dean to trigger the spell, which destroys him.

Outside the motel, James and Portia say they are going to flee the city because of the case Ed built against them. Portia says she’ll miss them.

Dean and Sam drive away, and Dean admits he was wrong about Sam being ready for the trials. He says he trusts him and will stand by him. As he says this, Sam coughs up blood, but hides it from Dean.