2.20 What Is and What Should Never Be

Promotional image for 2.20
Title	What Is and What Sould Never Be
Episode #	Season 2, Episode 20
First aired	May 3, 2007
Directed by	Eric Kripke
Written by	Raelle Tucker
On IMDB	http://imdb.com/title/tt0987715/
Outline	After Dean is attack by a djinn, he wakes up in a world where he is no longer a hunter.
Monster
Timeline
Location(s)	Joliet, Illinois; Laurence Kansas.
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Synopsis

In an abandoned warehouse, Dean is attacked by a djinn his is hunting. He wakes up next to a beautiful girl, and wanders around an unfamiliar apartment. He calls Sam, who is studying his law books, only to find Sam thinks he is drunk.

Dean discovers he is in Laurence, Kansas and drives to his childhood home to find his mother alive. The past has changed – there was no demon attack, no fire. John died the previous year of a stroke, in his sleep.

The next day Dean revels in suburban life, spending time with his mother and mowing the lawn. Sam and Jessica arrive – they have flown in from California for Mary’s birthday. That night at dinner in a restaurant, Sam and Jess announce their engagement, During the celebrations Dean is distracted when he sees a young woman, who he had glimpsed on the street earlier.

At home, Dean is keen to go out and spend time with his girlfriend, Carmen, and Sam and Jess. Sam confronts Dean over his behavior, - he and Dean are not close, and he doesn’t understand Dean’s friendly demeanor.

Back at his apartment, Dean starts enjoying his life with Carmen. However, later that night he sees a news broadcast that leads him to discover that all the people he remembers saving, are now dead. The ghostly woman appears to him again, and Dean sees images of dead people in his closet. Distraught Dean visits John’s grave, and anguishes over why it is his job to sacrifice things in order to save people.

Dean is caught by Sam as he breaks into Mary’s house to steal a silver knife, pretending that he needs it to pay a gambling debt. Sam insists on accompanying Dean, and they drive to Illinois, to the abandoned warehouse.

There they find the girl Dean has been seeing being held captive by the djinn. She appears to be hallucinating. Dean has flashes of images and he starts to suspect that he too is also being held by the djinn and everything he has experienced is an illusion. Dean decides that if he is in a dream and he kills himself he will wake up. Sam tries to dissuade him, and then Mary, Carmen and Jess appear, imploring him to stay and be happy.

In the real world, Dean wakes up as Sam is rescuing him. The djinn attacks, but Dean kills it. They find the girl Dean kept seeing, weak but still alive.

Back in their motel, Dean is still in pain from the life he glimpsed. Sam tries to convince him that all the people they have saved make their sacrifice worthwhile.

Timeline and Location

The episode starts and ends in the Joliet, Illinois.

Dean's alternate reality occurs in Laurence, Kansas

Characters

• Dean Winchester
• Sam Winchester
• Mary Winchester
• Jessica Moore
• Carmen

Music

• "What a Wodnerful World" by The Ramones: played as Dean mows the lawn
  
• "Mr Saturday Night" by Lynrd Skynrd: played as Dean drives back to Illinois
  

See the Music page also.

Quotes

Sam: I thought it was supposed to be a fantasy. Dean: It wasn't. If Mom never died, you and me would've never gone hunting and you and me, you know. Sam: Yeah. Well, I'm glad we did.

Pad of Definitions

None as of 3 May 2007.

Trivia

• In the alternate reality, Dean wears a gold chain with a pendant rather than his amulet.

References

• The episode title What Is and What Should Never Be references the Led Zeppelin song "What Is and What Should Never Be" from the 1969 album Led Zeppelin II
  

Scripts, Sides & Transcripts

• 2.19 Folsom Prison Blues (transcript)