Warning: This post contains spoilers for the Supernatural episode “The Foundry.” If you haven’t watched it yet, jump into the Impala and drive away.

Adjusting to being alive after decades of being dead is going to take time, and we see Mary Winchester wrestling this change in the latest episode of Supernatural. “The Foundry” showed us Mary’s not settled. She hasn’t seemed quite comfortable since she’s returned, so I can see why Dean is dismissive. The “Dude, she’s been in heaven for decades, she just needs time” argument is compelling. But, the always more sensitive Sam sensed her troubles ran deeper. Guess who was right?

Before I get any further, can I point out this was the first episode when I realized saying “the Winchesters” doesn’t limit the conversation to only Dean and Sam anymore? They’ve been getting by okay-ish on their own, but it’s a huge deal for them to have their mother back, and to be part of a bigger family again. Of course, it was a sad realization for me to have in this particular episode.

Mary attempted a tried and true method to cope with her issues: she threw herself into work, using a newspaper to find a case. Incidentally, the jokes about her unfamiliarity with technology got real old real fast. Her tactics may not be widely used or as speedy as what Sam can do with a computer, but they’re effective. At the same time, she can see her lack of knowhow is a hindrance. Think of what a blow the revelation must be to her ego. She was a damn good hunter back in the day, and when she tries to escape into her old profession, she learns she’s no longer the best because the world kept moving ahead without her. Insert sad face here.

The case fell into the classic salt and burn category. I’m always happy to see a return to the roots, as it were, and watch the brothers battle a ghost. Ghost problems are their bread and butter, and how they got started when they were baby hunters. Though it’s never my first choice to feel scared, I do like seeing Supernatural occasionally dipping its toes into more horror than mystery. It hearkens back to the spooky tone of season one and brings a change of pace since the series is more about the big picture arcs these days.

Once they learned the basics of the mysterious happenings in Minnesota, Sam turned to the internet and researched the lore until he thought he had an answer. When Mary tried to point out his explanation didn’t fit the case, Dean and Sam mansplained to her. Guys! Those idjits were so patronizing towards Mary; I wanted to punch them. If she wouldn’t have been there, Dean and Sam would have taken goodness knows how long to figure out what was up.

Mary, of course, didn’t stand for their nonsense. She was smart enough to play along with their instructions and struck out on her own as soon as she had a chance. She used the same playbook she followed when she was young, and her careful methods led her to the solution. She got to the bottom of the problem, and with just a little help from Dean and Sam, she saved the day. She might not have thrown the match on the bones, but the victory was hers and the boys didn’t try to say otherwise.

Elsewhere in the Supernatural-verse, Castiel and Crowley ended up working together as Agents Beyoncé and Jay Z (yeah, Cass needs some help with his aliases) to try to track down Lucifer. They bumbled through their search, and by the time they tracked Lucifer, Rowena had handled the problem. Lucifer should have been smart enough to realize Rowena wasn’t really going to make his vessel stronger, but he’s just arrogant enough that she was able to pull one over on him. I’ve had a lot of issues with Rowena over the seasons, but I have to give her credit for always reaching higher and consistently coming out on top.

Now, about the ending. Sigh. With so much of the case being about lost children and parents, I knew Mary was going to make some kind of drastic decision at the end. She said being around the adult Dean and Sam only made her realize how much of their lives she had missed out on; her days with them remind her of every moment she lost seeing her kids grow up. So, instead of sticking around to soak up the time she’s been granted with her sons, she decided to leave. It’s a trite road to take, and I was this close to rolling my eyes.

I sympathized with the sullen looks on Sam’s and Dean’s faces, but at the same time… We had to go here already? She’ll be back, and there are other ways to handle her transition back to life.

What do you think of Mary deciding to leave? Is anyone else annoyed about the avocado toast hate? Share your thoughts with me in the comments.

Images: The CW