10.15 The Things They Carried
Title | The Things They Carried |
Episode # | Season 10, Episode 15 |
First aired | March 18, 2015 |
Directed by | John Badham |
Written by | Jenny Klein |
On IMDB | The Things They Carried |
Outline | While looking into a strange murder, Sam and Dean run into Cole, who reveals he has a connection to a suspect. While investigating, the three learn they are dealing with an offshoot of the Khan worm when Cole is infected by it. |
Monster | Khan Worm |
Timeline | |
Location(s) | Fayetteville, North Carolina Lebanon, Kansas |
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Contents
Synopsis
In Fayetteville, North Carolina, a girl is hanging upside down from the ceiling as a shadowy figure approaches down a corridor and slits her throat proceeding to drink her blood. Back at the bunker Sam is reading a page on biblical and far-Eastern studies and the Mark of Cain which he is quick to hide. Dean presents the case of a female soldier whose organs and blood was drained and marrow sucked from her bones. Sam isn’t eager to work the case, but agrees to anyway admitting it could be their kind of thing.
In the car, Dean states that they need to “face the truth” that there is no way around the mark, and he will someday become like Cain and he must keep doing what they do; fighting monsters with Sam’s help for as long as possible. Sam says nothing. At the local police department, they say they have already closed the case and that it was a special forces officer Rick Willis whose finger prints were found all over the scene. After the murder, he drank gasoline then set himself on fire. It’s the third suicide in 6 months and Dean believes it's demonic possession.
Ricks wife reveals that he had been out of character and had an abnormally large thirst for water, drinking from the hose and bath while his skin was drying out. She also mentions Rick’s friend Kit Verson may have the same problem. Kit’s wife initially says Kit’s been fine, but later admits that he too has been very thirsty and has been missing since the night before, something that wasn’t like him.
As the boys are leaving the house, Cole arrives saying that he has been Kit’s friend since they were children and he'd come to help. He questions why they think Kit needs investigating and insists on going with them. Sam and Dean only agree after Cole reveals his friend works military intelligence, allowing them to find out Kit’s previous mission. He makes it clear he’s there to protect his friend, not wanting to hunt him, Sam and Dean insist Kit may not be Kit anymore.
Meanwhile, Kit stumbles into a store and begins to guzzle water. When the store employee tries to stop him, he slits his throat with a wine bottle he smashed and starts to drink the blood off the floor.
Discussing the case, they conclude it’s not a demon and Cole receives word that the last mission was to rescue an American POW from a cemetery in Iraq. The message has a video from Willis’ head cam showing the soldiers storming a building searching for a Major Matt Jones. Jones attacks the two men and is killed. As they see this, Sam get an alert about the murder at the Gas-N-Sip. Kit’s wife phones Cole after hearing about the attack, saying that Kit may have killed that man and asks Cole to save him. She informs them that Kit sometimes went to his dad’s old cabin up north. Cole tells the boys Kit needs help, Dean says if he’s a monster he has to die and Cole leaves the boys saying he’ll stay with Jemma but instead heads to the cabin alone. Sam and Dean see him sneak off and follow him.
Cole arrives at the cabin and is attacked by Kit who tells him he can’t stop. As he has Cole pinned to the ground, a worm-like creature crawls from Kit’s mouth into Cole's. Right when Sam and Dean arrive, a second worm falls from Kit’s mouth and is quickly killed by Dean. Kit flees the building while Cole tells Sam that something went down his throat, Dean realizes it’s a type of Khan Worm and that they have to electrocute Cole to get the worm to leave his body. Dean decides to help Cole while Sam goes to find Kit.
Dean begins to shock Cole but nothing happens, he tries twice more but becomes afraid that he will kill Cole if he carries on and concludes that electrocution must not work on this type of Khan Worm. They discuss what they know about the worm and decide that it needs water to survive, so to drive the worm out they must dehydrate Cole quickly.
Elsewhere, Kit is at his house and attacks his wife saying he can’t stop himself, he’s about to infect her when Sam arrives and knocks him out.
On the phone, Dean tells Sam about his dehydration theory—Sam is skeptical and suggests shooting—Dean insists on trying to save them first. Sam reluctantly agrees and ties Kit up, explaining what is happening to Kit’s wife Jemma.
At the cabin, Dean and Cole continue to try to sweat out the monster. Cole wonders if this was what his father felt like and says he understands why Dean killed him. He says that Dean should kill him too if he turns. Dean is angry and says that that means giving up and they had to “fight harder than they ever had”. Cole asks to be tied to the chair but instead hits Dean and dashes for the water bottle getting only a few gulps before Dean stops him. He tells Dean he can’t fight it, but Dean insists that he can.
At Kit’s house, Sam and Jemma realize that Kit has gotten loose and has killed the power. They search the house and are attacked by a deranged Kit, leaving Sam pinned to the floor with his gun out of reach.
With Dean distracted by Sam not answering his phone, Cole again attacks Dean leading to a struggle where the Khan Worm emerges and is quickly killed. Dean tells Sam to bring Kit over quickly as the dehydration worked but Sam responds that it's too late, he’d had to kill Kit. He tells Cole he’s sorry, but Cole says he understands and will help Jemma cover up the death. Cole thanks Dean for not letting him give up and says he’s looking forward to going home to his family. After Cole leaves, Dean tells Sam not to blame himself for Kit but Sam says he can’t help it. Dean replies that “sometimes you can do everything right but the guy still dies." As Dean walks away, Sam begins to realize he may not be able to save his brother.
Characters
Definitions
Music
None
Quotes
Sam: Hey.
Dean: Porn?
Sam: What? No it was nothing.
Dean: Hey look no judgement from me, just not where we eat.
Sam: Dude, it wasn't porn.
Dean: Hey man we're right there with you, okay. Kit's a hero.
Dean: But if he's a monster, we gotta put him down.
Cole: That's the way it's gonna have to be, huh?
Cole: I'm sorry, I should have let the machete brothers cut my friend's head off.
Cole: Hell. I have a wife, a kid and an upside-down mortgage to get back to. Whatever it takes Dean-o.
Dean: Well, good times.
Dean: Maybe, he was human before he was a monster.
Cole: I get it, why you did it Dean. My Dad wasn't my dad anymore, if I go down that same road, I want you to do that to me too.
Sam: I can't help it Dean, it feels crappy.
Dean: I know it does.
Sam: I tried, I did, I tried. But I couldn't save this one.
Trivia & References
- Wadi Al-Salaam is the name of the cemetery in Najaf, Iraq. It is the largest cemetery in the world. It has been in operation for 1400 years, and over five million people are buried there.
- Kung-Fu Grip was a feature introduced in G.I. Joe action figures in the 1970s, which allowed the hands to grip objects like weapons and climbing ropes.
Dean: No. No, we're done playing 'Operation.'
- Operation is a game of physical skill for hand-eye coordination. The game requires players to remove various plastic ailments with a pair of tweezers without touching the edge of the cavity opening, and causing a buzzing noise.
Dean: You're the one who said everything has got a weakness; so I figure take a schvitz, kill a freak, call that a day.
- A sweat lodge is the place where native American people conducted ceremonial steaming rituals.
- Schvitz is a Yiddish word meaning sweat, and usually refers to a communal sauna.
Minutiae
- "#Supernatural family, there are families who need our help, brave men and women who face struggle when returning from military service… Super proud of my cousin, Air Force pilot @viper_poison. He recommended a few Veterans charities, please donate, if you can to Fisher House Foundation and Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust.
Sides, Scripts & Transcripts
Promotion
- Synopsis by KSiteTV
- Promo Pics by KSiteTV
- Promo
- Supernatural's Travis Aaron Wade previews Cole's return, Sam's Stockholm Syndrome by Samantha Highfill for EW (March 18 2015)
- Extended Promo
- Sneak Peek
- Winchester Radio's podcast discussion on this episode