10.05 Fan Fiction
Title | Fan Fiction |
Episode # | Season 10, Episode 5 |
First aired | November 11, 2014 |
Directed by | Phil Sgriccia |
Written by | Robbie Thompson |
On IMDB | Fan Fiction |
Outline | When Dean and Sam investigate the mysterious disappearance of a teacher at an all girls school, they are shocked to find a musical being adapted based on the Carver Edlund Supernatural series. |
Monster | Calliope Scarecrow |
Timeline | |
Location(s) | Flint, Michigan (St. Alphonso's Academy) |
« Previous Episode | Next Episode » |
Contents
Synopsis
Then
A blank computer screen begins typing "Supernatural 'Pilot' created by Eric Kripke."
Now
A young girl sits on a couch on a stage when a prop ghost descends, Maggie and Siobhan enter the room playing Sam and Dean Winchester in the play Supernatural: The Musical. The director, Marie, yells cut and admonishes Siobhan for not wearing the Samulet. Siobhan doesn't like to wear it because it keeps hitting her in the lip. The teacher, Mrs. Chandler, is tired of the drama and decides to end the play. However, as she leaves the auditorium she is attacked and disappears. Marie, who has decided the show must go on, is worried about the title card for the play.
Meanwhile, Dean polishes Baby and then tells Sam that he has found a case regarding a missing teacher. Sam, while skeptical (and worried), agrees to check it out.
The boys arrive at the all-girls school and enter the auditorium as that was the last place the teacher was seen. Upon entering, the boys overhear someone saying “Idjits” over and over, and then see Kristen as "Castiel" say “Ass-butt” and throws a fake Molotov cocktail. On stage, Siobhan as "Dean" sings “The Road So Far.” The boys are flabbergasted. Marie approaches them, hoping they are from the publisher. Sam flashes his fake FBI badge, but then notices that "Sam" and "Dean" are doing the same thing on stage and stops Dean. Sam explains they are investigating the disappearance, but Dean interrupts saying there is no singing in Supernatural. Maeve firmly states that this is Marie's interpretation. Dean scoffs, if there is singing in Supernatural, it would be classic rock. Sam turns the conversation back to the case, and Dean goes to Mrs. Chandler's office with Marie while Sam gets a behind the scenes tour with Maeve.
Dean checks out the props for the play and then questions why "Sam" and "Dean" are standing so close. Marie says they are practicing the B.M. scene—the boy melodrama scene. Dean wants to know why they are standing so close together. “Reasons” responds Marie coyly. “You do know they're brothers?” Dean queries. He then demands they move apart.
Dean and Marie arrive in Mrs. Chandler's office, and Dean asks about the robot head. Marie says it is part of Act II and even though there is no space in Supernatural, Marie says her work is inspired by Carver Edlund's books. Dean calls it what it is: fan fiction. Marie says she wrote her own ending because she didn't like how things were left at the end of "Swan Song," but Dean, who claims to have access to the unpublished works, proceeds to tell her what really happened. Marie laughs at what she calls the worst fan fiction she has ever heard. Dean then sees Siobhan and Kristen, as "Dean" and "Castiel" hugging. Marie says they are a couple in real life, but they do explore Destiel in Act II.
As Sam and Dean leave the auditorium, Sam teases Dean with the possible portmanteau like “Deastiel” and “Samstiel”. They decide there isn't a case and leave the school. Later that evening, Maggie walks out of the play because she believes that if it isn't canon it should not be in the show, and she is going to go the principal about ending the play. As she leaves, she is attacked by the same monster that took Mrs. Chandler, only this time, Marie sees the monster.
Sam and Dean return to the school to investigate the new disappearance. Sam says they found the same flower at both scenes. Then, Marie tells them her story—that she saw a scarecrow take Maggie. Sam and Dean tell them the truth, and while Marie and Maeve don't believe they are the Winchesters, they are willing to accept that monsters are real. Marie then told them about her version of the scarecrow for the play, and they wonder if it is a Tulpa. They decide to burn the scarecrow in the hopes of ending the problem.
Marie and Dean head to the boiler room to take care of the scarecrow, and Sam and Maeve continue to research the flower that was found at the scene. After burning the scarecrow, Sam deduces that the monster of the week is Calliope, the Muse. Calliope wants the show to go on, and then she eats the author.
Upon hearing this, Marie panics. Even though Dean doesn't believe in this interpretation of Supernatural, he gives Marie a pep talk, and she agrees to move forward with the show. Since Maggie is missing, Marie will play "Sam". Meanwhile, Sam has secured weapons, wooden stakes, to kill Calliope.
Marie, Dean and Sam inspect the cast before the show begins, and Dean finds out that his amulet is called the Samulet. Sam asks about Chuck, but Marie doesn't like including the author in the narrative. She hates the meta episodes, to which Sam and Dean agree. Dean reiterates that he doesn't agree with this version of the story, but he supports Marie's vision, and tells the cast to “kick it in the ass.”
The show begins with “The Road So Far.” The scarecrow appears and attacks Sam. They both disappear before Dean can reach them from the other side of the stage. Sam wakes to find himself locked in the basement with Mrs. Chandler and Maggie. Calliope appears and pins Sam to the wall. She tells Sam that this show was something special because the story's actual inspiration is here. Despite the second act with robots and tentacles, the show has everything: life, death, resurrection, redemption, but above all family, all set to music you can really tap your toe to.
Meanwhile, the show goes on. "Castiel" sings “I'll Just Wait Here Then,” as Dean and Marie wait for the scarecrow to reappear. This is followed with “A Single Man Tear.” Half-way through the song, the scarecrow reappears. Dean attacks him and a fight ensues. As Dean fights the scarecrow on stage, Maggie hits Calliope which allows Sam to grab the wooden stake and stab Calliope. At the same time, after Dean is thrown by the scarecrow, Marie, as "Sam," grabs the wooden stake and stabs the scarecrow. Both Calliope and the scarecrow burst into purple goo. The audience gives a standing ovation. Marie and Siobhan take a bow. Intermission.
Backstage, Dean congratulates Marie on a job well done. He tells Marie to keep writing because he has his version of the story but she also has hers. As Dean turns to leave, Marie admonishes him for throwing away the Samulet, but Dean responds that he doesn't need a symbol to remind him how he feels about his brother. However, Dean takes the fake Samulet that Marie offers, and after an exchange of "Bitch/Jerk," Dean joins Sam to watch the last act. A B.M. moment occurs as "Sam" and "Dean" drive off in the Impala proclaiming it is “the two of us against the world.” Sam looks at Dean: “what she said.” The cast, including "Adam", sing “Carry On Wayward Son,” as Sam and Dean look wistfully on.
The boys share a meaningful look as Dean hangs the fake Samulet on the rear view mirror, and then they drive off in the Impala. Meanwhile, back in the auditorium, someone has claimed the ticket left for the publisher. Marie approaches the man and asks what he thought of the show, Chuck replies “not bad.”
Characters
- Sam Winchester
- Dean Winchester
- Chuck Shurley
- Marie
- Maeve Scott
- Calliope
- Scarecrow
- Maggie
- Mrs. Chandler
- Siobhan Flannery
- Kristen
Definitions
- Acting in Unison
- Alcohol
- Aliases
- Bitch/Jerk
- Costumes & Disguises
- Dean's Amulet
- Dean's Hair
- Deleted Scenes
- Deities
- Deity Death List
- Destiel
- Devil's Trap
- Ghostfacers
- Harvelle's Roadhouse
- Idjit
- Impala
- Improvised Lines
- John's Journal
- Meta Episodes
- Queer and Gender Diverse Characters
- Redemption
- Sam/Castiel
- Sammy
- Samulet
- The Supernatural Books
- Supernatural: The Musical!
- They're Brothers
- Title Card
- Tulpa
- Unconscious
- We Got Work to Do
- Wincest
Music
- "Sundown" by Gordon Lightfoot
- (playing as Dean is fixing up the Impala)
- "The Road So Far" by Jay Gruska, Tim Pierce & Alyssa Lynch
- (sung by Siobhan/"Dean" in the play)
- "I'll Just Wait Here Then" by Jay Gruska, Tim Pierce & Nina Winkler
- (sung by Kristen/"Castiel" in the play)
- "A Single Man Tear" by Christopher Lennertz, Cameron Stone, Alyssa Lynch & Katie Sarife
- (sung by Siobhan/"Dean" & Marie/"Sam" in the play)
- "Carry On Wayward Son" by Jay Gruska, Vivien Amour, Alyssa Lynch, Kelli Ogmundson, Katie Sarife, Rachel Warkentin & Nina Winkler
- (sung by the cast of the Supernatural play; also played in 1.21 Salvation, 2.22 All Hell Breaks Loose: Part Two, 3.16 No Rest for the Wicked, 4.22 Lucifer Rising, 5.22 Swan Song, 6.22 The Man Who Knew Too Much, 7.23 Survival of the Fittest, 8.23 Sacrifice and 9.23 Do You Believe in Miracles?)
Quotes
Dean: There is nothing here to even remotely suggest there isn't a case. Boom.
Sam: C'mon man.
Sam: I mean I gotta say, it's kinda charming. The-the production value, and the... (noticing Dean's face) No? No. No. I'm gonna check for EMF, you-you look for, uh cursed objects.
Marie: Oh, uh they're rehearsing the "BM" scene.
Dean: The bowel movement scene?
Marie: No, the boy melodrama scene... You know the scene where the boys get together and their driving or leaning against Baby, drinking a beer, sharing their feelings. The two of them alone, but together -- bonded, united, the power of their pain is-
Dean: Why are they standing so close together?
Marie: Reasons.
Dean: You know they're brothers, right.
Marie: Well, duh. But subtext.
Marie: And robots, and some ninjas, and then Dean becomes a woman... It's just for a few scenes.
Marie: Wow.
Dean: Yup.
Dean: Okay, well first of all, the play's not dumb.
Maeve: I thought you didn't believe in this interpretation.
Dean: Yeah, I don't. Like at all. But you do, okay. And I need you to believe in it with all you got. So we can kill Calliope and save all your friends. Can you do that.
[hands him the Samulet prop]
Marie/"Sam": The two of us against the world!
Chuck: Not bad.
Trivia & References
- Godspell is a musical based on the biblical Gospel of Matthew written by Stephen Schwartz.
Sam: What? I was a theater kid.
Dean: Barely. You did Our Town, which was cool. But Then you did that crappy musical.
Sam: Oklahoma? Hugh Jackman got cast off of Oklahoma.
Dean: You ran tech, Wolverine.
Sam: Shut up.
- It was first mentioned by Dean in 1.16 Shadow that Sam had appeared in a school production of the play Our Town.
- Australian actor Hugh Jackman appeared in a West End production of Oklahoma!, which lead to Bryan Singer casting him as Wolverine in X-Men. He has played the role of Wolverine in ten movies and counting.
Sam: Lloyd Webber.
- Andrew Lloyd Webber is an English composer responsible for musicals including Jesus Christ Superstar and Cats. Dean mispronouncing the name was revealed to be an ad-lib by Jensen.
- In fandom, when two people/characters are paired together in a relationship in fan works, or in a canonical relationship, it's customary to form a portmanteau out of their names. In Supernatural, the most popular pairings are between Dean and Castiel (Destiel), and Sam and Dean (Wincest)—a mash-up of Winchester and incest. The pairing of Sam and Castiel is known as Sastiel or Sassy.
- Charlie Kaufman is an American screenwriter and director known for post-modern work often with authorial insertion, in films such as Adaptation and Being John Malkovich.
- The Outsiders is a novel by S.E. Hinton who is a fan of Supernatural and a regular visitor to the set. The girl on the couch at the very beginning of the episode is also reading a copy of The Outsiders. Another allusion to this book was in 4.13 After School Special where Sam's high school English class was reading and doing classwork based on the novel.
Maeve: I want to believe.
- "I Want to Believe" was the tagline for the TV series The X-Files.
Maeve: FBI hunters?
Dean: Yeah.
Maeve: You guys are X-Files.
- A reference to the FBI agents Mulder and Scully who investigated paranormal and strange activity in The X-Files.
- Burning Man is a week-long annual event that takes place in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy.
- To "Gird your loins" means to prepare and strengthen oneself for what is to come.
- This is a quote from the movie Ghostbusters.
- A reference to an exchange in Kindergarten Cop. When Arnold Schwarzenegger's character complains of a headache and a kid says it might be a tumor, Arnold repeats, "It is not a tumor. It is not a tumor!"
- Orphan Black was a Canadian science fiction series, starring Tatiana Maslany who played all the major characters who were clones.
- Barbra Streisand is a singer and songwriter, author, actress, film producer, and director.
"Mary": Actually, I was hoping we'd do Wicked.
Dean: Yeah, that would have been easier.
- Wicked is a musical based on the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which is an alternate telling of The Wizard of Oz, essentially a transformative work. Writer of this episode Robbie Thompson also wrote 9.04 Slumber Party which was also a retelling of the Oz story.
Maeve: Did he just quote Rent?
Marie: Not enough to get us in trouble.
Dean: Now you get out there and kick it in the ass!
- Rent is a musical by Johnathan Larsen. It was adapted for film by Stephen Chbosky who is a friend of Robbie Thompson.
- Kick it in the ass! was the catch phrase of Supernatural producer and director Kim Manners, who died in January 2009. It has been used a number of times in the show as a tribute to him.
- Gallagher is a comedian who was known for smashing watermelons in his act, which lead to audience members in the first few rows to wear ponchos when attending shows.
- "Through the looking glass" is an idiom used to mean when something is not as it seems.
- The wendigo was featured in 1.02 Wendigo and the priest costumes were used in 1.14 Nightmare.
Minutiae
Siobhan doesn't want to wear the amulet in the play as she says it keeps hitting her lip. This is what Jensen said in Supernatural: The Official Companion Season 5
- "The thing was heavy... it's a solid piece of brass. I would forget to change it out with the rubberized one every now and again when I was doing stunts and I've lost chips of my teeth from the horns hitting my mouth. After four seasons of wearing it around my neck I was glad to get rid of it."
- According to Robbie Thompson, Dean messing up Andrew Lloyd Webber's name (to "Andrew Floyd Webber") was an ad-lib by Jensen.
- Jensen tweeted about one improvised moment: "Hey all you "FanFic" writers out there...that look into the camera wasn't scripted. Just sayin. #WinkWink #Supernatural200thEpisode"
- "Fun Fact, my 1st day on #Supernatural writers kept referring to 'The B.M.' scene... I was SO confused."
Marie: Well, Duh. But subtext.
- Dean's line harks back to his response in 4.18 The Monster at the End of This Book when he and Sam discover the existence of Slash fans on the message boards for the The Supernatural Books.
Marie: Oh, I love him, I do, but honestly the author inserting themselves into the narrative thing, it's just not my favorite. I kind of hate the meta stories.
Sam & Dean: Me too.
- Supernatural has featured a number of Meta Episodes, most famously 5.08 Changing Channels and 6.15 The French Mistake, in which Sam and Dean have not fared well.
- References to the 200th episode: The boys are staying at the Route 200 Motel in room 200. There is a $2.00 pancake breakfast advertised at the school.
- Siobhan tells Marie that she removed the amulet due to it hitting her in the lips. This was the same reason Jensen gave for wanting to stop wearing the Samulet behind-the-scenes, as it would constantly hit his face during takes.
- "Dean's" hair is blonde. It is often described thus in fan fiction and its color is a topic of debate in fandom. See Dean's Hair.
- Mrs. Chandler has a plaid phone case.
- Sam hastily puts his badge away and gets Dean to do the same when he notices the "Sam and Dean" on stage also have fake FBI badges.
- Dean and Marie both remark that "Carry On Wayward Son" is a "classic."
- There's a painted backdrop backstage of the exterior of Harvelle's Roadhouse.
- There's a sign behind Siobhan and Maggie as they're rehearsing the B.M. scene that points to Lawrence, Kansas (Sam and Dean's hometown) and Sioux Falls, South Dakota (where Bobby's house was located).
- Dean breaks the fourth wall and gives an annoyed look to the camera after learning about Destiel.
- Before the musical starts, Dean turns Kristen/"Cas"'s tie around, as Castiel always has his tie on back to front.
- The musical staging uses "poor man's process" (PMP) just like the real show does. PMP describes techniques such as moving lights past a stationary car, or rocking the car back and forth to simulate a moving car.
Kristen/"Castiel": Yes. I'll just -- ...wait here, then.
- This exchange of dialogue before the song "I'll Just Wait Here Then" also occurs between Dean and Castiel in the episode 5.04 The End.
- "We derive a lot of energy from all of the fan support out there. It's very much meant to work on that level."
Similarly, writer Robbie Thompson describes the episode as,
- "a love letter to you guys, the fans."
Misha Collins expresses disappointment that he wasn't able to be in
- "the 200th episode, because it's such a milestone and it's such a big deal," despite emailing Carver with the request.
Jared's ask of Carver prior to this episode was,
- "Please don't make us sing," and his hope that he and Jensen would "remain true to Sam and Dean in the situation"
while Jensen's reaction was to go to Carver's office,
- "The first time in I think 200 scripts I went and sat down in the showrunners office and said, ‘What in god's name are you doing?!'" He goes on to explain, "I guess I had been aware of this 'fan fiction' for a while and I felt like maybe if I ignored it, it would eventually go away." After discussing the episode with Carver though, Jensen was mollified. "It was better than I could have ever hoped," he says in the article. "I never should have even sat down in that office, so Jeremy, I'm sorry."
Sides, Scripts & Transcripts
- 10.05 Fan Fiction (transcript)
- Fan Fiction script (Yellow Collated)
Promotion
- Plot Spoilers by Hypable
- Character Spoilers from TVLine
- Spoilers from EW
- Interview with Robbie Thompson with Danielle Turchiano
- Interview with Jeremy Carver with Danielle Turchiano
- Interview with Cast and Crew via IGN
- Inside the Official, Bromantic 200th Episode Celebration by TVLine
- Jared, Jensen and Robbie Tease the 200th Episode with ScreenFad
- Promo Pics from KSiteTV
- Promo
- Extended Promo
- Sneak Peek from Variety
- Sneak Peek
- Robbie on writing the return of Chuck by EOnline
- Winchester Radio's podcast discussion on this episode with special guest Jim Beaver