Death Takes A Holiday is the 15th episode of Season 4. It aired on March 12th, 2009.
Summary[]
|
There was something about being there... It felt pure. This episode summary is an official CW press release. It may contain errors. DO NOT CHANGE! |
Sam and Dean investigate a small town where people are cheating death. They discover the Reapers have gone missing so they turn to Pamela (guest star Traci Dinwiddie) for help. She sends them into the spiritual world to find answers and they come face to face with Alastair (guest star Christopher Heyerdahl), who has been kidnapping all the Reapers in order to break another seal.
Plot[]
Two men walk out of a bar. As they round the corner, a younger man steps out, pulls out a gun and demands their wallets. A man is outside putting trash out when this is going on. He drops the dumpster lid and the loud noise startles the mugger and the gun goes off. One of the men falls to the ground and his friend frantically tries to revive him. The shot man suddenly sits up and pulls open his jacket to reveal the bullet wound; he's not even bleeding. They both stand up, surprised that he's alive.
At a restaurant, Sam on the phone with Bobby. Dean glances over when he hangs up, then comes to the table to join him. Sam states that Bobby found a case. A small town where nobody has died in over a week. Dean questions on why that's unusual and Sam tells him it's the way they're not dying. Once man was shot in the heart, yet got up and is still walking around, despite being shot point blank. Another man was in hospice with terminal cancer, and he got up and left. Dean wonders if people are making deals and Sam thinks he might be right. Sam tells Dean to get his food to go and Dean stays sitting. He questions Sam if he really wants Dean to go with him, because he doesn't want to hold him back. Sam irritatingly apologizes to him again, saying he already told Dean that what he said was because he was under the sirens influence. He asks Dean if they're going to get over it, and Dean states that it's done.
Dean and Sam are in the house of Jim Jenkins, the man who was shot, posing as bloggers. Jim thinks that what happened to him is a miracle because angels are watching over him. Dean and Sam question him about if he'd been in a crossroads recently or if he's met anyone with black or red eyes. He denies anything like that happening to him.
Dean's at the hotel when Sam comes in. Sam explains that the cancer survivor they heard about was clinically dead. His wife had pulled the plug on him and, instead of dying, he got up and walked out. He's currently taking her out for their anniversary. Sam asks Dean if he's made any progress and Dean tells him about a boy named Cole Griffith. He was the last person to die in the town. Dean points out that since they can't find any evidence of demon deals happening that maybe the problem is that there is no one to lead them further after they're dead. Sam says that it might be because there are no reapers around. Dean wants to know how they can find out and Sam suggests they talk to the boy Cole. Since he was the last person to die, he might have seen something.
Later that night they are setting up a ritual around Cole's grave while discussing what will happen when they do find a way to fix what's going in the town. Dean's upset because he feels that the people don't deserve to die. Sam states he agrees but points out that there's a natural order. Dean scoffs at his statement and tells him that they get around the natural order all the time. He forcefully says that they're no different than anyone else. Sam tells him that they're completely different because he's got demon blood in himself, and Dean's been to hell and back. A man comes along and interrupts them. He wants to know what they're doing and thinks it looks like Devil worship. Sam tells the man they're leaving and the man states that they're not going anywhere. Dean realizes it's Alastair. Alastair flicks Dean away and then tries to do the same to Sam. However, instead of being thrown back, Sam stalks toward him. Alastair comments that Sam has obviously been hanging out with his demon whore. Sam waves his hand and Alastair gets thrown back against a tree. Sam begins to try to exercise the demon, but Alastair smokes out before he can get very far.
Back at the hotel, Sam asks Dean how he's doing. He tells him he's in pain, but he's fine. Dean wants to know what happened with Alastair after he got knocked out. Sam tells him that as soon as Alastair realized he couldn't fling him away, Alastair left. Dean wants to know why Alastair wasn't able to affect him like last time and Sam claims ignorance. Dean tells him that he knows Sam wants to keep secrets but that he doesn't want Sam treating him like an idiot while he does it. Sam denies keeping any secrets. Dean says whatever. Sam tells Dean that Bobby called with some information. Bobby agrees that the local reaper has gone missing. Bobby found reference in an arcane version of Revelations to a ritual involving killing a reaper under the solstice moon, which happens to be the next night, breaks another seal. Dean wonders how they kill a reaper and Sam says that the demons must have a way.
Dean comments that the angels haven't shown up and they could actually use their help on the case. However, since they're nowhere to be found, they'll have to take care of the situation themselves. Sam points out that they can't see the reapers, only ghosts can, and Dean tells him that they'll have to become ghosts.
Pam shows up at the hotel. She wants to know who came up with the idea of astral projection and Dean raises his hand. Pamela points out that what they are essentially doing is ripping out their souls, just so they can wander around the spirit world. Dean says it doesn't matter because it's where the reaper is, so they have to do it. Pamela tells them that this action is crazy, and Dean says it'll work if you know what you're doing. Pamela states that they have no idea what they're doing, and Dean says that's why they called her. Pamela tells them that she's sick of being drawn back into their angel-demon war and she wants nothing more to do with it. Dean says that this is about the end of the world, which means no more of the things that she enjoys and that they need her help.
Sam closes the curtains as Dean sets up the candles. While waiting for them to finish setting up, Pamela asks them how they plan to do anything. They'll be incorporeal and unable to physically interact with anything. Dean says they'll figure it out because the ghosts are always kicking their butts. Pamela tells him that those ghosts have had a ton of time to learn that stuff. Dean snarkily says they'll have to cram then. She tells them both to lay down and close their eyes.
Sam and Dean enter the astral plane.
Pamela says some Latin words and then tells them to get going. Dean sits up thinking it didn't work and wants to know what they try next. She doesn't answer. Dean looks across at Sam's bed, where Sam is still laying. He turns around to see Sam standing behind him, too. He looks beside him and sees himself, laying on the bed. Pamela reminds them that she has to bring them back. She tells Sam that she's going to whisper the incantation into his ear, then whispers "You have got a great ass." When Sam grins, Dean asks him what she said.
Fun with astral projection.
Outside, the boys are walking together, and a jogging woman runs right through Sam. Dean laughs and sticks his hand through Sam's chest to test it out. Sam tells him to get his hand of his body and Dean calls him a prude, then tells him "Come on." After walking around town for several hours, they still haven't found any signs of the demons. They start to pass by a house when Sam asks why a kid in the window is staring directly at them, like he can see them. Dean points out that he can, because the kid looking at them is the last person who died in the town, Cole Griffith. The boy flickers and disappears.
In the house, Cole's mother enters his room. She calls out to him, stating she knows he's still there because of things being moved. A soccer ball on his night table starts to spin, then flies at her. She screams and runs out of the room, right through Sam and Dean, who are just coming in. Dean yells at Cole to stop and wants to know how he's moving things. Cole demands to know who they are. Sam tells Cole that he's dead and Cole sarcastically tells him he already knows that. Surprised, Sam tells him that they just want to talk to him.
Downstairs, they watch as Cole's mom pours herself a drink. Cole tells them about how he died. He had an asthma attack because he stayed outside in the cold all day. He was in his room and tried to call out for his mom, but he couldn't. The next thing he knew he was standing over his body. That was when Cole saw the reaper the first time. The reaper wanted Cole to go with him, but Cole didn't want to. Sam asks how he got rid of him, and Cole says he didn't, a bunch of black smoke did. Cole says he hid in the closet and when he came back out, both the reaper and the black smoke were gone. Dean asks if he knows where the black smoke went and Cole says he doesn't know, but he does know where it is now. At that moment the lights start flickering and Cole says they're back, disappearing without telling Sam and Dean who he's talking about. There's a sudden gust of wind, and they see a white shape heading down the stairs towards them. Sam realizes it's another reaper just as the shape coalesces and becomes Tessa. She greets Dean warmly, which makes him confused.
Dean asks if they know one another, and Tessa tells him that they go way back. Dean says she'll have to remind him. Tessa comes forward and kisses him. Images flash of the time they spent together in the hospital after the car accident they were in with their father, when the trucker demon tried to kill them several years before. She pulls away and Dean calls her by her name, Tessa. Sam questions how Dean knows her, and Dean explains that she was the reaper that was after him in the hospital after the accident. Tessa tries to leave them and go up and reap Cole's soul but the boys state that she can't take him yet. When Tessa questions why, they explain that the demons in town already kidnapped one reaper and that Cole knows where they are. Tessa tries to say it doesn't matter because the town is "off the rails" and it needs to be straightened out, but Dean says that she needs to leave. If she doesn't then she could be kidnapped as well.
Tessa says that she doesn't care and just wants to do her job. Behind them, Cole's mother comes in, picks up her keys, and leaves. Sam tries to tell Tessa to leave town as well, but she refuses, stating again that she's going to fix the chaos that the town is in. Sam gets her to agree to at least hold off on starting until they find out where the demons are. Before he goes in search of Cole, Dean asks Sam what he's going to say, and Sam tells him "Whatever it takes." Sam leaves Dean and Tessa standing together near the stairs.
Upstairs, Sam finds Cole sitting in the closet of his room. He sits down outside telling Cole he understands how confusing and scary everything must be for him. Cole refuses to tell him where the black smoke is because he's afraid if he gives them the information they want, he'll have to leave his mom. Sam promises Cole that if he helps them, he'll never have to leave her.
Back downstairs, Tessa is expressing her surprise that they're together again. Dean wants to know why she's so fascinated by it, and she tells him he's the one that got away, which pretty much never happens to her. Dean hesitates, then asks her if he can tell her a secret. Tessa asks him who she's going tell. Dean explains that for an entire year after their experience together, he always felt like he was missing something. Now that he remembers her, he knows it was her and the fact that he didn't just leave with her when she first wanted him to. He really regretted it and wished he had just left. He would have been able to avoid the pain he'd gone through with losing his father and Sam. However, Dean also says that none of it matters because of everything that's happened now.
Tessa asks if he feels that way because of the angels, and Dean shows surprise that she's aware of what's going on. Dean explains that despite all of the horrible things he's done, the fact that someone upstairs decided he was worth a second chance makes things different is a miracle. He's not sure how it makes him feel though.
Sam clears his throat and walks in with Cole. Cole tells them that he saw the black smoke in the funeral home, during his funeral. Suddenly, the lights start flickering. The door bursts open, and black smoke floods into the room and disappears, taking Tessa with it. The boys express frustration at their helplessness and inability to interact with the physical world due to the fact that they're ghosts. They both look at Cole, realizing that he can teach them how to haunt like other ghosts.
Outside, Dean is focusing on a little windmill. Cole tells him that he needs to concentrate. Dean looks harder at the windmill, and it moves around once, to which he suddenly stops and lets out a gasp. Cole asks him if he pulled a muscle. Dean glares at Cole and aggravatedly tells him to show them what he's got. Cole looks at the windmill with concentration, and it starts spinning wildly. After a moment more, the swing on the porch sways back and forth, and the chimes start moving. Dean and Sam are amazed, but Cole tells them it's not even the good stuff.
Back inside the house, Cole punches Sam in the stomach. He tells the boys that if they want to physically hit something, they have to use their anger. Cole taunts them by punching them both several times, until Sam suddenly reaches out and grabs his arm, stopping him. Cole suddenly disappears from in front of Sam and reappears behind them both. Dean excitedly exclaims that he has to teach them how to do it.
Later, the boys arrive at the funeral home to see that it is covered in blue symbols. Dean wants to know why no one is reacting to the writing, and Sam points out that it's likely that someone has to be in "the veil" to be able to see it.
Inside, they find a strange symbol on the floor, and both reapers are laying inside. A demon is in the room across from them. Dean disappears, then reappearing next to the man, punching him, only to disappear again. The demon turns again, this time to see Sam, who punches him, then both boys are attacking him. He backs up and gets behind a coffin sitting nearby. Dean happily comments that being a ghost is awesome. Just as they cross over the threshold of where the demon is now standing, another demon comes in, pulling a big chain with him. The first man vaults the coffin and grabs another chain, and they quickly hook them up so Dean and Sam are inside. Sam says it's iron and there's no way for them to get out. After a moment, Alastair walks in and asks the buys if they had trouble finding the place.
Alastair walks closer, picking up a shotgun. He cocks it, then shoots Dean. Dean disappears. Alastair taunts Sam about not being able to use his mojo on him and Sam tells him to go to hell. Alastair says that he has, but they just keep sending him back. Alastair explains that he has to kill death twice to break the seal. During their conversation, Alastair keep shooting them with rock salt. He shoots Sam with the rock salt. Dean points out that shooting them makes no difference because it won't kill them.
In the motel room, Pamela is sitting, waiting. She hears a creak behind her, and quickly stands up and goes to the door, locking it. She can hear a strong wind coming in through the window now.
Alastair prepares to break a seal.
Alastair is holding a sharp sickle against one of the reapers throats. Dean questions where he got the sickly and Alastair explains that he got it from the horseman "Death" and that he and his three pals are looking forward to the coming apocalypse. Alastair says an incantation, then slices the reapers neck. There is high wind, thunder and lightning. He puts the dead reaper down and then heads for Tessa, pulling her up by the collar. The boys start concentrating on a chandelier on the ceiling above, trying to get it to fall. Alastair begins speaking, as the boys desperately concentrate on the lamp.
In the motel, Pamela has shut the window. She turns around and moves away saying she knows someone is in the room. She pulls back a curtain, but there is nothing behind it. She turns away, and as she moves back towards the boys, a man steps forward. She senses him and runs for the bed, beginning to speak the words in Sam's ear to wake him up, but the man grabs her leg and pulls her back.
Meanwhile, Sam and Dean manage to make the chandelier fall, scraping away part of the symbol on the floor. Tessa disappears out of the hands of Alastair. She unhooks the chains, and the boys and her disappear. Outside the funeral home, Dean and Tessa reappear, but Sam is not there. Tessa asks where he is. Dean tells her to go, and he'll find Sam himself.
In the motel room, the demon and Pamela continue to fight. She scrambles forward and calls the incantation into Sam's ear again. The man throws her onto the mantle, and as she's getting back down, he pulls a knife on her and stabs her in the stomach. Sam sits up. He jumps up, and with one hand sends the demon flying against the wall. He clenches his fist, and the demon pours from the body, burning up on the floor. He runs to Pamela, who starts laughing. Pamela points out that, right now, she can't die in this town. She tells Sam to make her a drink.
Dean is hurrying down a dark street when suddenly Alastair appears and tells him he can't run from him. He approaches Dean, but suddenly a bolt of lightning comes down from the sky and strikes him, and he's gone. Castiel appears before him and congratulates them on stopping the seal from being broken. When Dean asks where the angels were, Castiel explains that the warding they saw on the funeral home was angel proofing. Castiel explains that that was the reason he called in Sam and Dean in the first place. The call that they received telling them about the case was actually Castiel, not Bobby. Dean tells Castiel that if he needed their help, he should have just asked. However, Castiel says that Dean always does the opposite of whatever he asks. Dean wants to know what happens now because people are going to start dying again. Castiel tells him that "To everything there is a season." Dean asks why he can't make any exceptions and Castiel says there are no exceptions to be made. He tells Castiel that he made an exception for Dean and Castiel tells him he's different. Tessa comes back and tells Dean she needs his help.
Tessa and Dean try to convince Cole to go with her.
In Cole's house, his mother is looking at his baby book. Cole is watching her as she cries. Tessa greets the boy and tells Dean to thank his brother for nothing. Tessa talks to Cole, pointing out the fact that his mother is still sad because she can feel him there. Since he won't let go, she'll always be in pain because she can't let him go either. Cole asks Tessa what's next and Dean steps in and tells Cole that she won't answer. But he explains to Cole how he needs to go with Tessa because one day his family will be gone and there will be nothing left for him to care about anymore. He tells Cole that they're all scared and that's okay.
Cole looks back one more time at his mother, then nods at Tessa and walks forward. She hugs him, and he disappears in a bright light. His mother looks up, as if feeling something different. Dean tells Tessa to look after Cole and Tessa tells him he should look after himself. She tells him that she's been around death her entire existence and the one thing that she knows is that people tell lies. They lie about where someone goes after they die, or the fact that the person is at peace. Tessa tells him that there really are no such things as miracles. She thinks his idea that the angels have something good in store for him, and the fact that he has been given a second chance, is unrealistic. He needs to trust his instincts because he knows something bad is coming and he needs to be prepared for it. Dean hears Pamela's voice speaking.
As she finishes speaking the incantation in Dean's ear, Sam helps her sit down. Sam says that they've got to talk to Tessa into holding off reaping until they can get Pam help. Pam tells him that it's too late and she pulls her hand away and blood pours out of the wound. Dean sits up with a gasp, and sees Pamela taking a drink from her flask, her hand over her stomach. He asks what happened and Sam asks where Tessa is. Instead of telling Sam he turns to Pam and tries to apologize. Sam says she doesn't deserve this, and Pam angrily agrees. She tells them to do her a favor and tell Bobby to go to hell for ever introducing her to them.
With her dying breath, Pamela whispers to Sam to reconsider his choices.
Dean tells Pamela to calm down because she's going to a better place and Pamela calls him a liar. Pamela pulls Sam close and whispers in his ear. She tells him she knows what he did to the demon, and she can feel what's inside of him. Whatever his intentions are, they are not good no matter what he thinks. She starts coughing again, this time bringing up blood, then slowly dies. Dean calls out to her then asks Sam what she said to him.
Characters[]
Main Cast[]
Recurring Cast[]
Guest Stars[]
Co-Stars[]
- Misha Collins as Castiel
- Christopher Heyerdahl as Alastair
- Traci Dinwiddie as Pamela Barnes
- Alexander Gould as Cole Griffith
- Mike Dopud as Jim Jenkins
- Andrew Wheeler as Alastair and Alastair's temporary vessel
- Viv Leacock as Pete Hensley
- Maya Massar as Mara Griffith
Featured Supernatural Beings[]
- Angel (Castiel)
- Archangel (Lucifer, referenced only)
- Crossroad Demon (mentioned only)
- Death Omen (Cole Griffith)
- Demons (Alastair's Henchmen; Ruby, referenced only)
- Ghosts (Sam and Dean Winchester through astral projection)
- Horsemen (Death and Pestilence, mentioned only)
- Primordial Entity (God, mentioned only)
- Psychic (Pamela Barnes)
- Reaper (Unnamed Reaper, Tessa)
- White-Eyed Demon (Alastair)
Continuity[]
- Tessa makes her second appearance.
- Tessa restores Dean's memories of their first meeting back in season two's In My Time Of Dying.
- Dean makes reference to the things Sam said in the last episode Sex and Violence.
- Pamela, last seen in Heaven and Hell, dies helping Sam and Dean cross the veil. Ironically, she calls Dean a liar when he says she’s going to a better place though later in the series, in Dark Side of the Moon, we see she is in heaven and tells Dean he was right.
Trivia[]
- IMDb lists Cole Griffith's mother as Mara Griffith.
- The end credits begin by dedicating Season 4 to director Kim Manners, (January 13, 1955 - January 25, 2009)
Deaths[]
- Cole Griffith (Human, mentioned only)
- Cole Griffith (Ghost)
- Jacob
- Pamela Barnes
- Jim Jenkins
Featured Music[]
- "Perfect Situation For A Fool" by George Highfill and Jai Josefs
Cultural References[]
- Dean references House M.D. after Sam asks how he's doing after Dean is injured by Alastair.
- "You want some aspirin?" "No thanks, House."
- Pamela compares the ongoing demon-angel war to the socio-economic classes from The Outsiders while Dean and Sam ask her to help them travel the astral plane.
- "I'm sick of being hauled back into your angel-demon, Soc-Greaser crap."
- Cole references the film The Sixth Sense when he calls Sam "Haley Joel" after Sam attempts to ease him into the idea that he's dead, not realizing that Cole was well aware of that fact.
- Dean references the franchise The Karate Kid.
- "Yeah, sure I'll meet you at Mr. Miyagi's."
- Dean makes a reference to the film Ghost with Demi Moore.
- Dean says to Cole “Dude you are so Amityville”. This is a reference to Amityville, New York and the book The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson.
Quotes[]
- Dean: I'm so feeling up Demi Moore.
- Sam: Police say Mr. Jenkins was shot in the heart at point blank range by a 9MM.
- Dean: And he's not a doughnut?
- Dean: You don't see the irony in that? I mean, you and me. We're like the poster boys of the unnatural order. All we do is ditch death.
- Sam: I'm infected with demon blood. You've been to hell. Look, I know you want to think of yourself as Joe the Plumber, Dean, but you're not. Neither am I. Sooner you accept that the better off you're gonna be.
- Dean: Joe the Plumber was a douche.
[Dean and Sam as ghosts, Dean stick arm through Sam's chest]
- Dean: Am I making you uncomfortable?
- Sam: Get out of me.
- Dean: You're such a prude.
- Tessa: You don't remember me?
- Dean: Honestly if I had a nickel for every time a girl said that.
- Tessa: You're the one that got away, Dean.
- Dean: Are you trying to make a move on me?
International Titles[]
- Brazil: A Morte tira férias (Death Takes a Holiday)
- German: Der Tod macht Urlaub (Death takes a Holiday)
- Hungarian: A halál és a fiúcska (The Death the the Little Boy)
- Polish: Śmierć bierze urlop (Death Takes a Holiday)