10.21 Dark Dynasty

Title	Dark Dynasty
Episode #	Season 10, Episode 21
First aired	May 6, 2015
Directed by	Robert Singer
Written by	Eugenie Ross-Leming Brad Buckner
On IMDB	Dark Dynasty
Outline	While investigating a murder, Sam and Dean realize they are dealing with another member of the Styne Family. Frustrated with how long Rowena is taking deciphering the Book of the Damned, Sam calls in Charlie to help in the decoding; forcing Castiel to play referee between the two.
Monster	Styne Family
Timeline
Location(s)	Omaha, Nebraska Lebanon, Kansas Shreveport, Louisiana Fall River, Massachusetts
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Synopsis

In Omaha, a young woman arrives for what she believes is a research study on eyesight. However, Eldon Styne has plans to harvest her eyes. When Eldon attempts to kiss the woman, she is not receptive and begins screaming for help. The screams catch the attention of the janitor working on the floor, forcing Eldon to quickly kill her and make his escape by jumping out of the third story window, but not before being spotted by the janitor.

Sam is getting desperate as he realizes the Mark is continuing to affect Dean. At the abandoned distillery, he expresses his frustration to Rowena that she has so far failed to decipher the Book of the Damned, but she claims that she is stymied because Nadya's Codex is encoded.

In Shreveport, Louisiana, the head of the Styne family -- Monroe Styne -- rebukes Eldon for leaving a witness and nearly being caught in the process of a harvest. He tells Eldon he must make reparation by retrieving the Book of the Damned and killing the Winchesters. After Eldon leaves, Eli Styne questions the wisdom of sending Eldon on the mission. Monroe reminds Eli that he is no better because he let Charlie escape, and that he should find her and keep an eye on Eldon.

At the Bunker, Sam returns to a curious Dean who wonders where he has been. When Sam is not forthcoming with truthfully answering Dean's questions, he quickly changes the subject by asking what Dean has been up to. Dean tells him he's been looking into the Styne family but has not been able to find records beyond 200 years ago. The murder of the woman whose eyes were removed has caught his eye – mainly because the killer escaped unharmed after jumping from a third story window.

Sam agrees that they should investigate the case the next day. That night, he sneaks out to meet Charlie and plead for her help in decoding the Codex. He confesses that he didn't destroy the Book of the Damned because he sees it as their only remaining chance to save Dean. Charlie agrees, although she is reluctant to do so behind Dean's back and to work alongside Rowena. Sam takes Charlie to where Rowena is working and has Castiel come to watch over them. Castiel advises Sam that not telling Dean what they are doing is a bad idea, but Sam insists Dean has given up, that he would try to talk Sam out of doing this, and that this is the only way to save him.

At the scene of the murder, Sam and Dean review security footage with the building manager, and Sam spots the Styne family crest tattooed on Eldon's wrist. Charlie tries to call Sam but he ignores the call. After the Winchesters leave, Eldon arrives and demands to know what the manager told them. He insists he didn't reveal anything, but Eldon kills him anyway.

At the distillery, Rowena taunts Charlie about her inexperience. She describes Sister Agnes, the nun who wrote the Book of the Damned. She wanted to remove curses and she based her work on the principle that to cure one curse, you had to inflict another one. She was eventually burned alive by the church as a heretic. Rowena tells Charlie what she can intuit about Charlie just by looking at her, and she is accurate. Rowena says there are parallels between the two women and proceeds to list them: they both had difficult and lonely childhoods, had absent parents, look to themselves for direction, are outside the mainstream, and "sexually progressive". Rowena derides Charlie's devotion to the Winchesters. Charlie rejects any similarity between herself and the witch and states that Sam and Dean are her family. Rowena warns Charlie that her loyalty to them will be her downfall.

As Dean and Sam return to the Bunker, Dean tells Sam he's glad that at least the Book of the Damned is beyond the reach of the Stynes – still believing Sam burned it. The Winchesters do not notice Eldon Stynes following them. Rowena and Charlie continue to argue and not cooperate on their common task, which prompts Castiel to call Sam and urge him to come over and take control of the situation. However, Dean answers the phone. Castiel lies, badly, about why he is ringing. Dean confronts Sam about what Castiel is up to, but Sam denies knowing anything. Dean doesn't challenge him further, and decides to go out to buy pizza.

At Crowley's Lair, Crowley questions the hamster Olivette for any dirt on Rowena. Olivette reveals that Rowena had a demon lover, and when Crowley asks if she knows anything else, Olivette reveals one more bit of information on a person for which Crowley sends a minion out to search for.

As Dean leaves the pizza place, Eldon and a henchman attack him. Despite being outnumbered, Dean takes them out and then captures Eldon. Back at the Bunker, Dean chains up Eldon, and he and Sam interrogate him. Eldon boasts about the Styne dynasty, and how they have been profiting out of causing societal chaos for 1,000 years, although he admits that their power has diminished since the Book of the Damned was stolen 80 years ago. Sam leaves to take a call from Cas who warns him that Charlie wants to leave to escape Rowena's toxic presence and concentrate on decoding the Codex on her own. Meanwhile, Eldon tells Dean about his family's work in bioengineering and surgical enhancement, finally revealing the provenance of the family name – Frankenstein.

As Dean prepares to torture Eldon, he agrees to talk in exchange for the Book of the Damned. Dean tells him it was burned, but Eldon tells Dean that it's impossible to destroy the book because it is protected and warded by powerful magic. When Dean leaves the room to confront Sam regarding this, Eldon rips off his own arm and escapes.

As Cas takes Rowena into another room to allow Charlie time to work in peace, Cas realizes that Charlie has left the distillery, and is working on the Codex in a motel, which she finally manages to decode. However, Eli Styne has managed to track her and calls Eldon who goes to meet him. Dean tries to track the blood trail Eldon's arm stump left behind but loses him and then confronts Sam about lying to him about burning the Book of the Damned. Just then, Cas calls again to tell them that Charlie is gone. Dean is furious that Sam has involved Charlie. She calls as Eldon Styne is pounding on her door, and she locks herself in her motel room bathroom. Dean implores her to hand over her notes to Eldon, to give him whatever he wants, but she tells him she can't do that and uploads, then emails, Sam the deciphered code instead. As Eldon finally breaks down the door, she smashes her computer tablet on the sink and draws her knife to confront Eldon.

When the Winchesters arrive at the motel, they find the room wrecked from a violent fight, and Charlie dead in the bathtub.

Characters

• Sam Winchester
• Dean Winchester
• Castiel
• Crowley
• Charlie Bradbury
• Rowena
• Olivette
• Eldon Styne
• Eli Styne
• Monroe Styne
• Demon Minion
• Sister Agnes

Definitions

• Alcohol
• Angel Blade
• Book of the Damned
• Charlie's Code Breaker
• Curse
• Devil's Trap
• Enochian
• Frankenstein (family)
• Hunters
• Impala
• Iron
• Mark of Cain
• Men of Letters Bunker
• Nadya's Codex
• Needham Asylum
• Star Wars
• Styne (family)
• Warding Sigils
• Witches

Music

None

Quotes

Dean: Well, you look like crap on toast.

Sam: I just haven't really been sleeping well.
Dean: Is there a woman you haven't mentioned?
Sam: A woman?
Dean: Well, I'm just saying you weren't here when I went to bed last night, you been running off on your own a lot these past couple of weeks.
Sam: I do that.
Dean: You actually don't.

Sam: Dean, we don't always do the exact same thing at the exact same time. Remember when you went off and snuffed that vampire nest by yourself?

Dean: Well, there's pretty much what we do know, that they screwed with financial markets, they helped Hitler get started, along with god knows what else -- probably disco. But you go back to the 1800s, and the trail goes dead. There's nothing in the research, there's nothing online. It's like the family just popped up one day.

Charlie: Well, Dean wanted it burned, so is he pissed? Of course. He doesn't know. Geez! The two of you.
Sam: Charlie, he's not himself. He's not. He would try and stop me. He's given up. Look, I called in an expert to -- to use the codex, but it turns out it's sort of... encoded also, so I thought you might help... move things along faster.

Rowena: I thought I was clear, Samuel. I requested more time, not an assistant.
Sam: And I thought I was clear, Rowena. Charlie is not your assistant. You're hers.

Rowena: And you studied your craft where?

Charlie: Mostly a joint called Más Java. It has excellent Wi-Fi.
Rowena: I have not heard of this institution, and I know all the great global centers of witchcraft.

Charlie: Makes sense, 'cause I'm not a witch. I'm a nerd. And I know all the great centers of nerddom.

Rowena: Hell's bells. More distractions? What are you? Witch or nerd?

Castiel: Angel.

Rowena: Beg pardon?

Rowena: Does he know that the first rule is don't tell your brother what we're doing?

Castiel: Wait -- Dean doesn't know? Sam, this never ends well.
Charlie: That's exactly what I said.
Sam: Okay, everyone take a breath. Look, we're up against it, okay? And we've all been up against it before, and we know there are times when every choice sucks. Now, us... lying to Dean... is the choice that sucks the least. We have to make this work. Please.
Charlie: Okay, yeah. For Dean.
Sam: Cas?
Castiel: Okay. For Dean.
Sam: For Dean.

Rowena: Barely know the man.

Crowley: Just for once, I wish you trolls would bring me some good news. 'Sire, Missouri has boils.' Something cheerful.

Charlie: I actually don't see our similarities all that much.

Rowena: Because you're young and good and I'm ancient and evil? Is that it? What? Let me tell you about you -- a difficult and lonely childhood. Tragedy, absent parents. Always outside the mainstream. Sexually progressive. Living in your own head for solace and direction. Yeah, but still, we are pretty different. I read you the minute I saw you. And I'm sure you're learning that the line between good and evil is quite flexible. But we part company when it comes to blind devotion. Case in point -- the Winchesters. You've made them the family you don't have. Foolish.
Charlie: Sam and Dean are like my brothers. I love them.

Rowena: I know. And that steadfast loyalty will be your undoing, my girl.

Sam: Uh, what about you? How you doing?
Dean: Oh, you mean the thing? Yeah. Yeah. You know, some dark thoughts, creepy visions, violent urges. Same old same old. I'm happy I got a murder to focus on, though.

Charlie: I am doing my best, but with her criticizing, breathing down my neck, trying to sign me up for team witch -- oh, oh, and moaning how the one good year for music was 1723 -- I-I am going crazy.

Castiel: I know.
Charlie: No, I mean, she is evil.

Castiel: She is a wicked witch, so by definition --

Dean: Cas?

Castiel: Sam.
Dean: No, it's Dean. What's up?
Castiel: Nothing. I'm just, uh... Just staying in touch. Like I do.
Dean: Something on your mind?

Castiel: No. This call is pointless. My ride's here.

Sam: See, our family business is putting guys like you out of business.
Eldon: Oh. It's impressive. Let me tell you about my family business. You're in way over your heads. The family is vast -- spread over the world. And that power that you mentioned doesn't come from the book. It comes from intelligence and will. The book facilitates. Stock market dive, recession, 9/11 -- any of them ring a bell? Arab Spring. Didn't even break a sweat.

Rowena: Once she has children of her own, she'll know all about betrayal.

Castiel: You have a child?
Rowena: Do I have a child? The King of Hell. That's all. The King.

Castiel: Crowley is your son? Well, that explains a lot. I'm sure that was quite a challenge.

Dean: Charlie has the damn Book of the Damned?!

Charlie: No, I don't have it. I just, I-I just -- I have my notes.
Sam: Then give them your notes, Charlie! Give them the code -- whatever they want!
Dean: Charlie, I don't know what the hell is going on, but you need to listen to me. Give whoever that is whatever they want. You understand? Charlie?!

Charlie: I can't do that, Dean.

Trivia & References

Charlie works in this episode to decode Nadya's Codex. Actor Felicia Day had previously starred as a character called Codex in the web series The Guild which she created.

Charlie was wearing a Legend of Zelda t-shirt this episode.

Charlie: Why are we meeting here? I could've come to the Death Star.

Charlie is referring to the Men of Letters Bunker as the Death Star - a moon-sized battle station which houses a laser that can destroy a planet from Star Wars.

Demon: Nice grouping.

The demon telling Crowley "nice grouping" after stabbing a bunch of darts into his chest is a reference to this scene from Young Frankenstein.

Rowena: Agnes was a hermit nun... And as mad as a hatter. Made it her business to undo curses.

"Mad as a hatter" is a colloquial English phrase used to denote someone who is crazy. While most assume the phrase is a reference to the Hatter character from Lewis Carol's Alice in Wonderland, the earliest use of the phrase came decades before in 1829.

Rowena: To cure one curse, Agnes had to know how to inflict another. They live side-by-side in the magic world. One cannot be without the other.

Charlie: Sure, sure. Like, uh, a binary system.

A binary system denotes two objects in space (usually stars) that are so close that their gravitational interaction causes them to orbit about a common center of mass.

Eldon: Yeah, well... as mighty as I'm sure your little family is, mine is a juggernaut. We're not ordinary men. We're Spartans.

Spartans were soldiers of Sparta who were trained from an early age to be warriors.

Eli: A dump called the Blackbird Motel. Registered under the name Carrie Asimov.

All of Charlie's alias' are a combination of the first name of a character from a Stephen King Novel (in this case the eponymous lead character of Carrie) and the family name of a science fiction author. Here it is Isaac Asimov.

Minutiae

Dean questioning if Sam has been sneaking out to see a woman is a reference to how he would sneak off to meet with Ruby during Season 4.

Apps for "Moondor" and the Supernatural novels can be seen on Charlie's tablet. Moondor was the LARPing kingdom Charlie was queen of in 8.11 LARP and the Real Girl.

A clue to the Styne's true identity as the House Frankenstein can be spotted in the family crest, first seen in 10.18 Book of the Damned which bares a striking resemblance to the Frankenstein family crest seen in Young Frankenstein.

There was lot of fan outrage over Charlie's death which was seen as an example of fridging. A number of articles were written about it. Showrunner Jeremy Carver was confronted about the issue by a fan at the Supernatural panel at Comic-Con 2015.

• Supernatural’s Ongoing Fridging Problem Isn’t a Laughing Matter by The Mary Sue
• Ugh, Supernatural. You Really Didn't Have to Go There by io9
• Dear 'Supernatural' writers, what were you thinking? by geekgirldiva

Sides, Scripts & Transcripts

• 10.21 Dark Dynasty (transcript)

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