Fitchburg, Wisconsin: A girl is abducted by a scary figure through her window. Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) argue over the coordinates sent by Dad (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Dean thinks they're being sent there cos it's something worth killing. Dean: "...I'm the oldest. I'm always right." Sam notices the time and how there aren't any children around in the playground, but there is one child there. Sam and Dean ask a woman (Erica Carroll) about the children and how children are getting sick. The parents think it's something contagious, well they were right, cos it was catchy. Sam doesn't want to use the fake ID at the hospital as it says bikini inspector on there. Dean: "All about confidence Sammy."
Sam introduces himself as Dr Jerry Kaplin and Dean sniggers when the nurse (Stacee Copeland) asks for ID. Dean notices an old woman in the wheelchair and an upside down cross on the wall. Dr Hydecker (Adrian Hough) was about to call the CDC. Think it's pneumonia but the children aren't responding to antibiotics. It only spreads though families with children and one sibling after another, which should have set alarm bells ringing. Dean talks with a parent, Mary was affected and Bethany was next. The window was open the second time round but was closed when she was put to bed. Dean thinks something opened the window. There aren't any EMF readings and Sam finds a handprint on the ledge outside the window at their house.
Dean has a flashback to the same print. He calls Dad but he doesn't pick up and he's left Sam with Dean again to look after. Dad tells him to watch out for Sammy. Dean: "Shoot first asks questions later." That's where he learned to do that. Dean realizes why Dad sent them here, he needs for Dean to finish the job. Sam surmises it's a Shtriga (Jeannie Brockway) and Dean doesn't know much. He tells Sam that Dad hunted one in Fort Douglas about 16 years ago which Sam doesn't remember. Dean believes the Shtriga is the same one from before, the one that got away. Dean however tells Sam nothing about what happened.
They check into the motel and Dean asks for "two Queens."
Michael: "Yeah I bet." Dean asks what he said. He pours milk out for his brother and Dean flashes to feeding Sam. Dad will come at night and Sam hates Spaghetti Os. Dean hasn't had any cereal but he gives it to Sam. Sam searches for info on the Shtriga and finds it originates from Albania. Legends date back to Ancient Rome and it feeds on spiritus vitae: breath of life force essence. It prefers children as they have a stronger life force. Dean says it's vulnerable when it feeds. Sam asks if there's anything else and again Dean doesn't tell him.
It adopts a human form when not feeding and is usually an old woman and that's how the legend about old crones began. The addresses when marked on the map reveal the hospital as the centre prompting Dean to recall the old woman who was too obvious (missing the doctor seeing as he also works at the hospital, so it could have been any of the staff.) Dean looks at her and she asks "Who the hell are you?" She sleeps with her eyes open. She wants the cross fixed and has asked four times. The Shtriga appears at the motel and takes Michael's (Colby Paul) brother, Asher. Michael blames himself and he should have closed the window, but that wouldn't have made any difference. Dean being a big brother also knows how he feels.
Dean drives their mother, Joanna (Venus Terzo) to hospital and comments he's going to kill it. Sam's discovered the same thing happens in other towns, like Ogdenville and North Haverbrook, which if anyone is familiar with the Simpsons will find these towns are mentioned and are on the Simpson's Monopoly board as monorail stations. It appears every 15-20 years. Children fall into comas and die. Sam looks at the photos of the doctor at the bedsides taken in 1893 and discovers it's the same doctor Hydecker at the hospital. Doctor tells Dean, "Nothing's more important to me than these kids." Oh stop trying to be clever.
Dean tells Sam they can't shoot him in the hospital and he doesn't have his gun, he has to eat. Sam: "Getting wise in your old age Dean." Dean says they'll use Michael as bait as it'll come after him tonight. Sam doesn't think that's a good idea. If he disappears it'll be years before it returns. Dean blames himself and Sam is angry Dean's been lying to him from the start. Dean has another flashback. It was their third night in a rubbishy room and he needed air so he left Sam alone in his bed. When he returned he saw it trying to feed on him and he was too slow, he couldn't shoot it. Dad fired but it escaped. Dad was angry and he couldn't find the Shtriga. Dad didn't talk about it again, but Dean says: "He looked at me different - which was worse."
Dean regrets disobeying an order and almost getting Sam killed. That's why he's such a stickler for orders and it's not just cos he wants to do the right thing by Dad, but disobeying almost lost Sam as a result. So it's not just that he wants to be like Dad as Sam used to say. They can't use one of them as bait as Sam suggests, since it has to be close enough to feed. Michael said it had a black robe and thought it was a nightmare. Dean: "Sometimes nightmares are real." As we know from their world. Dean doesn't know if Asher will get better but they have to kill it, it's what they do. Sam apologizes for giving Dean hell over following orders and now realizes why he does it. Dean: "Oh God kill me now." In another one of his outbursts so they don't have to get all touchy feely.
Dean sees it come in, he fires at it and it grabs Dean, throws him against the wall and takes Sam. Dean fies through its head and shoots three times. Michael is fine and so are the others. Hydecker hasn't come in today at the hospital. Sam: "Michael will always know there are things out there in the dark, he'll never be the same. Sometimes I wish I could have that kind of innocence." Dean: "If it means anything, sometimes I wish that you could too."
An episode delving into their past once more as children and why Dad was so protective of Sam. But he depended too much on Dean looking after Sam all the time and how he would just dump Sam on Dean to watch over him. Dean had to grow up before his time. At least we get an explanation why Dean follows orders so much cos to him, Dad knows best, which isn't what Sam believes. Now he knows better too.
The old woman's room at the hospital is 237, which is the room number in movie, The Shinning. Also used again in the season 2 episode Playthings. Erica Carroll who played the nurse at reception also played a nurse in the earlier season 1 episode Faith.
No comments:
Post a Comment