11.05 Thin Lizzie

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SPN-1105.jpg
Title Thin Lizzie
Episode # Season 11, Episode 5
First aired November 4, 2015
Directed by Rashaad Ernesto Green
Written by Nancy Won
On IMDB Thin Lizzie
Outline While investigating a possible haunting at a B&B that was once the family home of Lizzie Borden, Sam and Dean come to find that Amara has had a hand in the recent series of murders.
Monster Amara
Soulless Human
Timeline
Location(s) Fall River, Massachusetts
Lebanon, Kansas
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Synopsis

At a bed and breakfast in Fall River, Massachusetts, a young couple are talking about how the room they’re staying in is creepy—it’s supposed to be where the ‘heavy’ paranormal action happens. When the lights start flickering and go out they glance around then look at each other, then the closet door starts to creak open. The guy opens it but finds nothing there. He turns around to let his girlfriend know, when he see a cloaked figure standing behind her who drives an axe into the girl’s back. He runs for the door, but its security chain is keeping him from being able to escape, and he is killed. The plaque on the door says ‘Lizzie’s Room.’

At the Bunker, Dean walks into the library asking Sam if he has a location on the Darkness. Sam tells him he thought he found something, but it turned out to be an incident caused by half a town eating rabid possum meat. He’s quick to steer the conversations toward a possible hunt, telling Dean about the couple killed at the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast Museum. He says Lizzie allegedly killed her father and step-mom in that house in 1892 but was acquitted. Dean is skeptical, believing it to be some psycho fan or maybe even just a competent murderer. Then he guesses it's about Sam’s serial killer obsession. Sam points out that with two people dead and no leads on Amara, they should check it out. Dean finally accepts that Sam won’t let this go, and asks Sam what they should do about Cas. Sam informs Dean that Cas has started to binge-watch another TV show.

At Lizzie's Bed and Breakfast Museum, the boys overhear the man at the reception desk trying to convince the person on the phone to keep their reservation. After he hangs up the boys approach, trying to glean any information from him, but the man won’t tell them anything unless they get a room. While he is accepting their money, his mother starts yelling at him for not canceling the bakery delivery when they don’t have any guests. Dean makes a crack about how it can be hard working with family. After being told they have their pick of any room, they choose Lizzie’s, the one the couple was murdered in. Sam says that since they are now paying guests, he wants information on that night. The manager tells them everything was normal until they heard the screams. Dean asks about the couple—they were local kids and the guy was a descendant of the original Bordens.

When Sam and Dean walk into Lizzie’s room they are visually assaulted by doilies and pink floral, much to Dean’s dismay. When the boys notice only one double bed, Sam is quick to tell Dean that he is not giving up Lizzie’s room and Dean will need to get another. As they’re looking around, Sam turns on the EMF meter and it immediately starts buzzing. Sam notices that the EMF reads nothing when he goes into the closet to poke around.

As the boys split up and start investigating the entire inn, they start finding the causes for the ‘paranormal’ activity: speakers in the walls, an EMF generator in the attic, and a timer attached to the lights to cause the flickering. Sam and Dean to agree that there are no ghosts occupying the house. Sam is still not convinced that the killer of the couple was entirely human. Dean says they can talk about it somewhere else and they leave.

Back at the inn, the manager's mother, Mrs. Kemper, is closing up and preparing for bed. When she goes back into her room, she is axed and killed as well.

Sam is back in the bed and breakfast, disguised as an FBI agent, talking with Detective Madsen, while Dean is in the woman’s room checking over the body and sweeping the room for EMF, which is clear. After Dean sees that there is no EMF he joins Sam and the detective, introducing himself as Agent Gabriel. Dean tells the detective that he saw a man taking photos of the building outside, but the man ran away when he tried to approach. The detective knows exactly who he is talking about and tells them his name is Len and that they went to high school together. The detective claims Len is harmless, but says he’ll send an officer over to get a statement. Sam tells him not to worry and that they’ll drop by.

On their way to Len’s house, Dean tells Sam there is nothing there that says it’s a ghost or anything that’s their “thing.” Sam says even if it’s not their usual gig they may be dealing with a serial killer. Before Sam has a chance to respond, he gets a call from the detective about another axe murder away from the inn. The boys decide to split up with Sam taking the new murder.

Sam is talking to Detective Madsen while the body is being rolled away. Madsen says that the babysitter found the body in the driveway while Jordie, his son, was inside. While Sam is talking to the babysitter, the wife, Mrs. Pinsky, comes in and acts very distant. She refuses to speak to Sam and demands he leave. The babysitter glances at him in apology, and Sam steps out. Dean is inside Len’s house looking at all his Lizzie Borden memorabilia. While talking to Len he is interrupted by Len’s computer going off, and Len runs to shut down the chatroom he was supposed to be hosting about the axe murders. Meanwhile, Sam is still outside the newest victim’s house, talking with the detective about the case. He is suspicious about the wife’s reaction to her husband’s death. Detective Madsen is insistent that she’s in shock and everyone reacts differently to loss. Sam remains unconvinced.

While Dean is waiting for Len to finish shutting down the chatroom, he sees a piece of paper half-hidden underneath a newspaper with a sketch on it. Upon closer inspection, he see it’s the Mark of Cain. When Dean turns around, Len is standing behind him and Dean immediately starts to question him about where he’s seen it. After Len initially tries to lie about it, Dean is able to get him to reveal the truth. Len tells him that while he was at Lizzie’s house a couple nights ago trying to capture a picture of Lizzie’s ghost, he saw a girl looking in through the window. He tells Dean she said her name was Amara, and she looked about 12 years old. He says that the mark was on her shoulder and he thought it could be a birthmark or scar. When Dean asks him if he knows where Amara is now, Len tells him he doesn’t but he wants to know why Dean is looking for her. When Dean says he is not at liberty to say, Len freaks, grabbing his suit and begging him to help find her. When Dean demands to know why, Len says that Dean won’t believe him. Len says that Amara did something to him—he doesn’t eat, sleep, or even dream, and all the things he used to love now leave him cold. Dean quickly realizes that Amara consumed Len’s soul, but doesn’t tell Len. Len tells Dean he was at the inn looking for Amara so she can fix him.

Sam is still in the driveway of the axe victim, talking on the phone with Dean. Dean tells him that Amara is in town, she is older, and she probably sucked out Len’s soul. Dean and Sam discuss Amara’s growth and power. Dean tells Sam that Len’s neighbors say he’s been home since he came back from when Dean saw him at the B&B, so he’s not their murderer. Sam is quick to remind Dean that they want to save everyone, that they can't kill Len just because he’s soulless. Dean wonders why Len hasn’t killed anyone when Jenna killed her grandmother right after losing her soul. Sam says maybe not everyone who is soulless turns into a killer. Dean isn’t convinced and says they have to watch him. Then he tries to convince Sam that it should be Sam to tell Len that he is soulless since Sam has been there before. Sam vehemently disagrees. After they bicker back and forth, they agree to not tell Len. Sam says there is probably someone else who Amara got to as well: the murderer. He tells Dean how weird the wife of the last victim acted. Sam believes she is probably the one who lost her soul and picked up an axe.

The following morning, Sam and Dean are outside the last victim’s house. Sam rings the doorbell but it looks like no one is home, so he calls Sydney the babysitter and asks if she knows where Mrs. Pinsky and her son Jordie Pinsky are. The babysitter tells Sam the wife has a ‘special friend’ and gives him his address. When they get there Len is in the back of the car, talking incessantly about all the things he used to love that he doesn’t care about anymore and all the things that used to bother him that now don’t. He says he feels weird. When Sam asks what he means, Len tells them that he feels like there is something hatching inside him, something with wings. Dean sends Sam a look that Len catches and starts quizzing Dean about. Dean finally gets fed up with it as he gets out of the car. Looking through the open window of the Impala, he tells Len he doesn’t have a soul. Despite Sam’s displeasure with how bluntly Dean revealed this to Len, Sam answers Len’s questions, saying that getting a soul back doesn’t really happen. Len nods and takes in this information, saying he is glad that at least now he knows. Then Dean handcuffs Len’s hand to the outside door handle.

Going inside the house, Sam and Dean know that the wife is there because her car is in the driveway. Seeing furniture overturned through the window, the boys go into the house with their weapons out. They split up and scour the house; Dean goes down to the basement. While Sam is looking around the main floor, Dean finds the wife and boyfriend, dead with their throats slashed. Then he gets knocked out by the butt of a shotgun. Meanwhile, Sam finds the son tied up in a closet. While helping him out of his bindings, he places his weapon down. When the boy looks behind Sam, Sam turns around and the babysitter is there cocking a shotgun and aiming it at him. Sam raises his hands.

Dean comes to and realizes that he and Sam are now tied up. Sam informs Dean that it is Sydney the babysitter who’s lost her soul, not the mom. Sydney tells the boys that they are an offering for Amara. Dean asks how she met Amara. Sydney starts telling them that her boyfriend dumped her, so she was at a bar, and as she left she saw Amara in the parking lot. Amara does something to her before she sucks out Sydney’s soul—Sydney said it was bliss. She goes on to tell them her parents were abusive, and with Amara she didn’t remember the pain or memories. She tells them she killed the couple because that was the guy who'd dumped her, she killed the woman who ran the B&B because Sydney used to work there and she screwed her out of two weeks’ pay. Then she starts on the boy’s parents, saying she was going to take care of Jordie.

Dean sees Sam is almost out of his bindings and starts provoking Sydney with questions about Amara. When Sydney strikes Dean with the shotgun, Sam jumps from his chair and grabs a wrench from the workbench. Sydney fires the shotgun at Sam, who ducks just in time. Sydney collapses—Len is standing behind her with a bloody axe. Disbelieving he just actually killed someone, Len hands the axe over to Sam.

While Sydney is lying on the floor bleeding out she tells them, "The Darkness is coming, it’s so peaceful. It’s coming for all of us." Sam goes to the backyard where Jordie is sitting on the porch steps. Sam asks him about any family he may have. At first, Jordie is silent but once Sam shares a little bit about how his mom died and his dad was distant, Jordie tells him there is Aunt Cathy who visits at Christmastime.

Dean is in the living room with Len, whose hand is wrapped from where he pulled his hand out of the cuffs. He is upset by his own lack of caring about anything and tells Dean that he is going to turn himself in as the axe murderer so he can’t hurt anyone. He tells Dean it is only a matter of time; he can feel something dark growing inside him.

Later, Dean and Sam are leaning against the Impala, eating hamburgers and talking about Len turning himself in and how everyone reacts differently to losing their soul. Sam goes on to tell Dean that he gets a pit in his stomach every time he thinks about the Darkness, saying they only know the tip of the iceberg of what she can do to people. Dean thinks that finding Amara might not be so hard at the rate she’s growing and consuming souls. As they get into the car and leave, we see Amara walk towards the side of the road, out of sight of the car as it drives away. She bids Dean farewell, saying she’ll see him soon.

Characters

Definitions

Music

  • "Daisy Bell (Vocal Version)" by Harry Dacre & Mark Gasbarro
(plays on the phonograph during the teaser)
  • "Sceptered Isle" by Gordon Giltrap & Richard Leigh Harris (5 Alarm Music)
(playing at the Lizzie Borden B&B while Sam and Dean question Mason)
  • "Fluff" by Andy Gabbard
(playing from inside Molly's Hatchet Room when Sydney meets Amara in the parking lot)

Quotes

Dean: Alright, I'm gonna go check out the rest of the inn, 'cause now I got grandma all over me, so...
Sam: You don't think Len is our Lizzie Borden, do you?

Dean: No, I talked to his neighbors, except for me seeing him at the B&B he's been here all night. So, we can't kill him, because he hasn't done any thing yet.
Sam: Dean we don't want to kill him, we want to save people, remember?

Dean: Right. Your new rules.
Sam: There's no sensitive way to tell someone their soul has been sucked out by a prehistoric tween.
Sam: Yeah, so, the murders started right around the time Len saw Amara, right? The wife of the last victim -- Dawn Pinski -- had this bizarre reaction to hearing her husband got minced. I mean, like she couldn't care less. That's kinda the way I felt the whole time I was soulless.
Dean: Oh yeah, you were one chilly droid.
Len: You looked at Sam like you guys know what's wrong with me.

Dean: You don't have a soul, alright. Amara sucked it out.

Sam: Dean! You wanna be a little more blunt?
Sydney: How did-how did you do that? I feel like-I feel like ecstasy, orgasm, chocolate cake. You're an angel.
Amara: Do I look like a whiny winged suck up?
Sydney: The Darkness is coming, it's so peaceful. It's coming for all of us.
Len: I picked up my thumb like it was a mini hot dog.
Dean: Len, I'm not gonna lie. That's worrisome.
Sam: You know I get this, like, pit in my stomach anytime I think of her -- the Darkness. I think we only know the tip of what she is, what she does to people. You know Len was freaked out by her, but Sydney -- Sydney couldn't get enough. The bliss she was talking about, you know? What was it like for you? Did you feel like that with Amara?

Dean: No. Nah, I mean it was quiet, you know, until she started hatching killers and rallying monsters to raise armies.
Sam: So that's how we have to find her, huh? Follow the bodies?

Dean: You got a better idea? We could follow the crazy you been seeing. With the rate Amara's growing, sucking souls and gettin' stronger, she may not be that hard to find.
Amara: Bye Dean. I'll see you soon.

Trivia & References

"Thin Lizzie" is a reference to the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy and accused murderer Lizzie Borden.
Wendy: And now we're in The Shining.
The Shining is a horror movie based on a novel by Stephen King, about a writer who moves with his family to a remote hotel with a dark past.
Dean: What do you wanna do about Cas?

Sam: Oh he's knee-deep in binge watching The Wire, he just started season two.

The Wire is a drama series set in Baltimore, which ran for five seasons from 2002. Written by former police reporter David Simon, and has been lauded for its analysis of the structural issues that shape urban life. It is impossible to watch just one season.
Sam: Yeah but we still don't know how that couple got axed. I mean, how did the killer get in and out?

Dean: I don't know. Why don't we Sherlock that over a beer and lobster roll, I gotta get out of this doily coffin.

Sherlock refers to the famous Victorian detective from the novels by Arthur Conan Doyle.
Sam and Dean use the aliases Agents Collins and Gabriel, a reference to Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel of Genesis.
Dean: Uh-huh, and you capture any Caspers with that thing?
Casper refers to the famous cartoon character Casper the Friendly Ghost.
Detective Madsen: Four axe murders in two days, no leads. Whole town's panicking like it's the Purge.
The Purge is a 2013 science fiction/horror film that takes place in a near future, where for one night all crimes—including murder—is legal.
Dean: It ain't Wheaties she's eating, I'll tell you that much.
Wheaties is a breakfast cereal.
Dean: Because you've been there, you speak the language. He doesn't even know he's been Hoovered yet.
Hoover is a brand of vacuum cleaner. "To Hoover" has become a generic term for vacuuming cleaning in some countries.
The bar Sydney is leaving when she meets Amara is called Molly's Hatchet Room, a reference to the rock band Molly Hatchet.
Dean: Len loses his heart, Sydney loses her head. What, are we looking for the Cowardly Lion next?
In The Wizard of Oz, the character of the Tin Man had lost his heart, the Scarecrow had lost his brain and the Cowardly Lion his courage.

Minutiae

This was the first episode written for Supernatural by writer Nancy Won.
On set, Jared Getner who played Len was referred to as "little Jared."
Lizzie Borden was previously mentioned in 8.22 Clip Show. In that episode, Dean found a file in the Bunker revealing that Lizzie had been possessed by a demon and the Men of Letters had documented it along with every other possession for the past three hundred years.
Coincidentally, Jared has the same birthday as Lizzie Borden—July 19.
The couple killed in the inn mention the Ghostfacers, suggesting Ed and Harry are back working together after their break-up in 9.15 #thinman.
Dean: Wait a minute, I know what this is. This has something to do with your freaky fetish for serial killers.

Sam: It's not a fetish...

Sam's fascination with serial killers was previously mentioned on 10.14 The Executioner's Song.
As can be seen on the flyer Dean reads, the address of the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast and Museum is: 230 Second Street, Fall River, MA, 02721. This is also the real-life address of the real-life Lizzie Borden House (A Bed and Breakfast & Museum).
Finn Wolfhard who played Jordie Pinsky would go on to play Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things, and the young Richie Tozer in IT (2017).
Finn Wolfhard on set
Wolfhard2.JPG

Deleted scene: The deleted scene for this episode included on the Season 11 DVD and Blu-ray is a short scene where Detective Madsen muses aloud to Dean, wondering how Len could become a serial killer as Sam hands Jordie off to a nearby police officer. Read the transcript here.

Sides, Scripts & Transcripts

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