14.16 Don't Go in the Woods

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SPN-1416.jpg
Title Don't Go in the Woods
Episode # Season 14, Episode 16
First aired March 21, 2019
Directed by John Fitzpatrick
Written by Davy Perez
Nick Vaught
On IMDB Don't Go in the Woods
Outline While Sam and Dean investigate a creature killing people in the woods, they leave Jack to his own devices.
Monster Kohonta
Timeline
Location(s) Polk City, Iowa
Lebanon, Kansas
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Synopsis

Inside a car parked in Big Creek State Park, Barbara and Tom are making out, when Barbara hears whistling. Tom assures her it’s just the wind, when suddenly the car door is opened. It’s Sheriff Mason Romero -- Tom’s father. As the two begin to argue, Barbara excuses herself and goes to the nearby toilet block to give them space. As Barbara sits down in a stall, she hears whistling and a monstrous hand appears over the top of the door. Her screams alert Sheriff Romero and Tom. Not finding her in the bathroom, Sheriff Romero looks in the woods. He thinks he sees a human-like shape, but trips and hits his head while giving chase. When he wakes up, he hears Tom's screams. He has found Barbara dead from a horrific bite on her neck.

At the Bunker, Sam is researching at the kitchen table when Dean comes in for coffee. Sam tells him about the case of Barbara's death and that a lot of people have gone missing over the years in the park where she died. They agree to take on the case. As Sam goes to get Cas, Dean tells Sam that Castiel has taken some time away from the Bunker. Sam suggests they take Jack, but Dean expresses concern due to Jack’s returned powers. When they go to talk to Jack, Sam wants to tell him of their concerns, but instead Dean comes up with the excuse of not leaving the Bunker unattended and also asks Jack to go shopping for supplies.

In Polk City, Iowa, Sam and Dean pose as FBI agents with the sheriff and get access to Barbara's body. It's obvious that the bite marks aren’t consistent with the coyote story. Sam also notices burns around the wounds. They undertake some research and Sam discovers it’s a Kohonta -- a local Native American legend said to be a twisted creature that roams the woods and craves "sweet mortal flesh." The burns on the body are due to the creature being so hungry that it vomits up stomach acid.

Meanwhile, in Lebanon, Jack arrives at the mini-mart, but it’s closed for lunch. Stacy, Max, and Eliot, who is watching the Ghostfacers, pull up. They greet Jack, and as Eliot talks about the Ghostfacers, the trio let Jack know that they are aware of the existence of monsters. Jack is relieved, because he says he hates lying. Stacy has the keys to open the mini-mart as she works there, so they let Jack in. Eliot keeps questioning Jack about ghosts and monsters, which Jack gladly answers. While checking out, Stacy and Max invite Jack to hang out with them later at an old farmhouse.

In Big Creek State Park, a couple -- Fitz and Sara -- are walking in the woods at night when they hear odd whistling. They turn to see a creature and start running. Fitz trips and falls. The monster is upon him quickly, its stomach acid drooling out of its mouth and hitting Fitz in the face as he screams.

At the Sheriff's office, Tommy comes in to talk to his dad about hunting the "coyote" because it could hurt others and he feels the need to do something. Right then, a deputy comes in to relay the news of the missing hiker. In the woods, Sam and Dean are already talking to the surviving hiker, who tells them about the whistling. The sheriff arrives and orders everybody out -- including Sam and Dean.

At the farmhouse, Stacy and Max are studying for the SAT's, and Eliot is studying a book on monsters, when Jack arrives carrying a load of lore books from the Bunker. As Jack talks with the girls about the music they are listening to, Eliot asks Jack about how demons look. Jack reveals they don't have horns and look like smoke and can possess anyone, and tells them he has killed a demon. Outside Jack shows the others his angel blade. He tries to show them how to throw it into a tree, but misses despite repeated attempts. Finally, Jack uses his powers to show off, sending the blade first into the tree and then, after retrieving it, causing it to fly around in the air. As the weapon zips around them, the kids get frightened, but despite repeated pleas, Jack refuses to stop. Unfortunately, Stacy steps into the path of the blade and gets stabbed deeply in her abdomen. Max tries to comfort her while Eliot calls 911. Jack intervenes and uses his power to heal Stacy. However, the damage was done -- Max, Stacy, and Eliot tell a confused Jack to leave and stay away.

While Sam and Dean are hunting in the forest for the Kohonta, they hear the ominous whistling that the victims have reported. They look around for the monster, only to have Sheriff Romero press his shotgun into Dean’s neck. They quickly come to the realization that the sheriff knows something, so Dean disarms him.

Upon questioning, the Sheriff Romero tells them the story of a white family of settlers that experienced a hard winter; the oldest son, Henry Parker, survived by eating his family. Driven mad with hunger, he attacked the nearby Native American tribe, so they cursed him and made him into the Kohonta. They bound him to the forest, but over time people forgot and forgot to be cautious.

Sheriff Romero gets a call from Tommy who says he's going after what he thinks is the coyote. Romero is frantic to save his son, so the Winchesters offer to help. The Sheriff reveals that the monster can be killed with a silver knife to the heart. Tommy gets attacked in the Parker cabin, but his father arrives in time to save him. While Romero fights the Kohonta, Dean carries Tommy out. The Kohonta gets the upper hand until Sam comes in, shooting it, turning his attention to Sam. Dean comes back and gets its attention with his flashlight. He then draws it out the door, allowing Romero to stab it in the heart with Sam's silver knife. As Dean and the Sheriff watch, the monster melts into a puddle of green goo.

While being loaded into the ambulance, Tommy asks if they got the coyote, and Romero tells his son "yes." Before they leave, Sam suggests Romero tell Tommy the truth.

On the way home, Sam tells Dean that he shouldn’t have lied to Jack and they need to be honest with him. Dean retorts that Jack said he was fine, but Sam points out that when they were kids they said the same thing to their Dad, just to keep him happy. When they arrive at the Bunker, Dean comes clean with Jack that they are worried about his powers. Jack promises not to use his powers without permission. Sam asks if anything happened while they were gone, and Jack lies and says that nothing did.

Characters

Definitions

Music

  • "The Devil You Know" (Instrumental) by Blues Saraceno (Extreme Music)
(plays over the recap of previous events)
(playing on Eliot's phone as he watches a Ghostfacers video)

Quotes

Dean: What you looking at? Porn? Sex tapes? Nip slips?

Sam: The Internet is more than just naked people. You do know that, right?

Dean: Not my Internet.
Eliot: Zombies are real?

Jack: Well, no. Not really. It's kind of disappointing. But there are other monsters.
Eliot: Like what?

Jack: Oh, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters -- I've seen one of those -- djinn, rugaru -- That's a funny name. Yeah. Wraiths, sirens, demons, ghouls. All sorts of things.
Eliot: Do demons really look like this?
Jack: No. They don't have horns. They actually look like smoke, unless they've possessed a human. Then, they can look like me or you... or anybody.
Dean: We hunt things. Fight things and kill things people don't understand. So... Kohonta. Talk.
Sheriff Romero: I didn't think it was real. The Kohonta was a tribal legend, an old story. I haven't heard about it since I was a kid. But then I saw it the night Barbara was killed.
Sheriff Romero: They say that boy not only ate his family, they said he went... mad with hunger. He went after my people, and then when my tribe caught him, they... Killing him would have been too easy. They wanted that boy to suffer. For his crimes against our people, crimes against nature. They cursed him. He's doomed to roam the woods... always starving. And if he didn't feed... his body would eat itself. The Kohonta aren't born. They're made.
Dean: Well, it's a good thing. Like I said, we hunt these things.
Dean: Knowing about monsters and fighting 'em are two different things.

Sheriff Romero: So you make that choice for everybody? Imagine telling them. Imagine the lives you could save.

Sam: No. No. It doesn't work like that. People die. Even when they know how to fight, people still die.
Dean: So, telling the kid -- you think that's the best idea?

Sam: What? You don't?

Dean: It doesn't make his life any better, you know? Do what we always do. When in doubt, lie.
Sam: And do you think you really took care of it the right way?

Dean: Jack said he was fine.

Sam: Yeah. He's a kid. And when we were kids, how many times did we tell Dad that we were fine just to make him happy?
Dean: It was crappy of us not to tell you. You know, we were trying to be nice. 'Cause we care about you. But because we care about you, you deserve the truth.

Sam: You understand that? Jack?

Jack: I understand. I won't use my powers without permission. Promise.

Trivia & References

According to writer Nick Vaught:
Jack: Did you know Article 246 of the Haitian criminal code officially makes it against the law to turn a human into a zombie?
It is in fact illegal in Haiti to turn a person into a zombie:
"It shall also be qualified as attempted murder the employment which may be made against any person of substances which, without causing actual death, produce a lethargic coma more or less prolonged. If, after the person had been buried, the act shall be considered murder no matter what result follows."
Dean: We don't want to leave the Bunker empty. In case, uh, Mom or... some of the other hunters call and need help, so... And this place is long overdue for a restock. So, uh, your mission, should you choose to accept -- made you a list.
"Your mission, should you choose to accept it" is a line from the Mission: Impossible series, used when agents are given their assignments.
Max: Is that what's his name? Bambi?
Bambi is a wide-eyed innocent baby deer from the Disney movie of the same name. Eliot previously referred to Jack as "Bambi" in 14.13 Lebanon.
Stacy: I feel... bad for him.

Max: Same. I mean, living with a bunch of dudes. Their whole place must smell like beer, Kleenex, and Old Spice.

Kleenex is the brand name for a type of facial tissue, in this case the reference is to their use to clean up ejaculate following masturbation. Old Spice is an aftershave.
Max: Do you ever, like, hang out?

Jack: Well, we have movie nights on Tuesdays. Dean usually picks. I've seen Lost Boys like 36 times.

The Lost Boys is a 1987 horror comedy about two brothers who encounter a gang of vampires, and the pair of brothers who hunt them.
Jack: I like The Who.

Stacy: Who?
Max: Oh, my aunt listens to them. They're... old.
Jack: Well, Dean says any music made after 1979 'sucks ass.'

The Who is an English rock band that was formed in 1964. In 7.03 The Girl Next Door, a young Sam tells Amy Pond that his dad "doesn't listen to anything recorded after 1979." this sentiment is also held by series creator Eric Kripke.
Max: So, how do you use it?

Jack: Well, there are standard hand-to-hand combat moves. Like a lightsaber. Or you can throw it, like... this.

A lightsaber is a prominent weapon from Star Wars. Jack was seen watching Star Wars: Clone Wars in 13.04 The Big Empty and in 13.23 Let the Good Times Roll, Lucifer said he and Jack could go anywhere in the Universe "like Star Wars" and claimed he could even make him a lightsaber.
Eliot: Dude! Are you like... a Jedi or something?

Jack: Kinda.

Jedi are an ancient order in the Star Wars universe who wield much power. When watching Star Wars: Clone Wars, Jack commented that he didn't like Anakin, who was a young Jedi who turned to evil and became Darth Vader.
Dean: So what the hell is this thing?

Sheriff Romero: It's not what. Who. The Parker family, they were some of the first white settlers around here. They set a homestead up in these woods -- the cabin.
Sam: And then?
Sheriff Romero: Things went bad. There was a hard winter. Their oldest son, Henry, survived... but he did things.
Dean: What kind of things? Like Donner Party?

The Donner Party was a group of American pioneers which became famous for engaging in cannibalism to survive. The Donner Party was also mentioned in 1.02 Wendigo as an example of how a wendigo is made. One Donner Party member appeared in the novel Supernatural: Fresh Meat as a wendigo.
Dean: Whoa. That was like full-on "Raiders."
A reference to the climax of the 1981 Indiana Jones movie Raiders of the Lost Ark, when the Ark of the Covenant is opened, causing all the Nazis to liquefy, just as the Kohonta does.
Dean: This hunt, we, we didn't want you coming along because we didn't want you using them.

Sam: Not yet. Not for now. You know, you just got 'em back, Jack. We want to make sure you're comfortable with them again before you...
Dean: Before you go all X-Men.

In Marvel comics, the X-Men get their abilities from a gene mutation, known as the X gene.

Minutiae

This episode had a number of firsts for the Supernatural crew. It is the first story credit for writer's assistant Nick Vaught, the first directing credit on the show for editor John Fitzpatrick and the first episode of scripted TV to be edited by assistant editor Marty Skibosh and Jessica Chandler stepped in as assistant editor.
Patrick Roccas, who played Deputy #2, previously played Angel #2 in 7.21 Reading Is Fundamental.
Dean references the events of 13.06 Tombstone and Jack accidentally killing Lenny the security guard while discussing why he doesn't want Jack on the hunt with them.
The Ghostfacers video Eliot is watching appears to be the same one from 4.17 It's a Terrible Life.
The book Eliot is reading before Jack arrives at the house is titled Monsters, Myth & Magik by Jerry Wanek.
While talking with Max, Stacy, and Eliot, Jack references Buddy the shapeshifter from 13.04 The Big Empty, and Dagon when he mentions having killed a demon.
The story behind the creation of the Kohonta is similar to the creation story for a wendigo told in 1.02 Wendigo, with the difference of the Kohonta being cursed before its cannibalism reaches the point where it would transform into a wendigo.

Sides, Scripts & Transcripts

Promotion

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