3.05 Bedtime Stories

Title	Bedtime Stories
Episode #	Season 3, Episode 5
First aired	November 1, 2007
Directed by	Mike Rohl
Written by	Cathryn Humphris
On IMDB	Bedtime Stories
Outline	Sam and Dean investigate a series of murders based on fairy tales.
Monster	Vengeful Spirit
Timeline	October 2007
Location(s)	Maple Springs, New York
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Synopsis

Now that the Colt has been restored and can kill demons, Sam argues with Dean that they should use it to kill the crossroads demon, in an effort to release Dean from his deal. Dean is in staunch opposition to the idea, as it may put Sam’s life in danger. He deflects the argument by asking Sam for details of the killings that they are on their way to investigate; they suspect a werewolf may be responsible.

In Maple Springs, the boys visit the survivor of an attack that killed his two brothers. Despite prompting from Sam and Dean, he describes an ordinary man as the killer – not a werewolf. The next victim is a woman who was attacked when she and her boyfriend got lost in the woods, and were offered pie by a seemingly sweet old lady who then proceeded to drug and attack them, viciously stabbing the woman’s boyfriend. When Sam and Dean question her, she reports seeing a young girl at the window of the house.

Sam and Dean check the old lady’s house, and find high EMF readings, indicating a spirit of some sort was present. Sam speculates that the cases resembles fairy tales – the three brothers as the Three Little Pigs, and the woman and her boyfriend as Hansel and Gretel – and that maybe a spirit is controlling the people involved in the murders.

Dean is skeptical, but then they see a pumpkin and some mice outside a house. Inside, just as in Cinderella, they find a young woman whose step-mother has suddenly chained and beaten her. Dean sees the spectre of a young girl; when he follows her she disappears, but leaves behind an apple.

The boys start trying to find a girl who may have gone missing or been killed in the area, but to no avail. They return to the hospital to check for children there and find that one of the staff, Dr. Garrison, has a daughter, Callie, who has been in a coma since she was eight. They find him reading fairy tales to a young woman, who looks exactly like an older version of the spirit Dean saw. They find out that she swallowed bleach which led to her condition, and speculate that she was poisoned by her step-mother, and that her spirit has become increasingly enraged and is acting out fairy tales in an attempt to get attention.

Another victim is brought to the hospital - an old woman whose granddaughter has disappeared. Fearing another attack, Dean takes off to find her, leaving Sam to explain their suspicions to Dr. Garrison. He rejects Sam’s assertions at first, but does admit his daughter’s spirit has appeared to him. Meanwhile Dean finds the young girl but he is attacked by the man who has kidnapped her.

Dr. Garrison is made distraught by Sam’s story that his wife may have poisoned his daughter, but when Callie’s spirit appears and confirms it, he accepts the truth. At that moment his daughter dies, and the spirit disappears, now at rest. The man attacking Dean returns to his normal self, confused as to what has happened. As Sam and Dean bid farewell to Dr. Garrison, he expresses regret that he couldn’t let Callie go earlier, something Dean suggests that Sam needs to do.

That night Sam sneaks out of the motel room and summons a crossroads demon. She taunts him, suggesting part of him will be relieved when Dean dies. He threatens her with the Colt but she explains that killing her won’t break Dean’s deal, as the contract is held by a demon more powerful than her. Sam shoots her anyway – killing the demon and the young woman it was possessing.

Characters

• Sam Winchester
• Dean Winchester
• Dr. Garrison
• Callie
• Crossroads Demon

Definitions

• Aliases
• The Colt
• Costumes & Disguises
• Crossroads
• Dean's Amulet
• Demonology
• EMF
• Fairy Tales
• Get this
• Haley Joel Osment
• Impala
• Led Zeppelin
• Possession
• Sammy
• Table of Death
• Vengeful Spirits
• Werewolves

Music

None

Quotes

Dean: Tell me about the psychotic killer. C'mon, Sam, tell me about the psychotic killer.

Dean: Yeah, also definitely not werewolf behavior.

Sam: So, what? Demon? Attacker could've been possessed.
Dean: Why would a demon stop halfway through an attack?
Sam: I think that, uh... Could've... Yeah, I got nothing.

Dean: Me neither.

Dean: Actually those guys were a little chubby. Well, wait, I thought those things ended with, uh, everybody living happily ever after?
Sam: No, no. Not the originals. See the Grimm Brothers' stuff was kinda the folklore of its day, full of sex, violence, cannibalism. Now, it got sanitized over the years, turned into Disney flicks and bedtime stories.

Dean: Trances I get, but fairy tale trances? That's bizarre even for us.

Sam: You remember Cinderella? With the pumpkin that turns into a coach, and the mice that become horses?
Dean: Dude, could you be more gay? Don't answer that.

Dean: So... Little girl, shiny red apple. I'm guessing that means something to you, fairy tale boy?

Sam: I think it's Snow White.

Dean: Snow White? Ah I saw that movie. Or the porn version anyway, 'cause there was this wicked Stepmother? Woo, she was wicked.

Dean: Hey, you find a way to stop Callie, all right?

Sam: What about you?

Dean: I'm gonna go stop the Big Bad Wolf. Which is the weirdest thing I've ever said.

Crossroads Demon: We were having such a nice conversation. Then you had to go and ruin the mood.

Sam: If I were you, I'd drop the wisecracks and start acting scared.

Crossroads Demon: It's not my style... That's not the original Colt. Where did you get that?

Crossroads Demon: Oh. All this tough talk. I have to tell you, it's not very convincing. I mean, come on Sam. Do you even want to break the deal?

Sam: What do you think?
Crossroads Demon: I don't know. Aren't you tired of cleaning up Dean's messes? Of dealing with that broken psyche of his? Aren't you tired of being bossed around like a snot-nosed little brother? You're stronger than Dean. You're better than him.

Sam: Watch your mouth.

Crossroads Demon: Sam, I'm just a saleswoman. I got a boss like everybody. He holds the contract, not me. He wants Dean's soul, bad. And believe me. He's not going to let it go.

Sam: You're bluffing.
Crossroads Demon: Am I? Shoot me, if it'll get you off. But the deal still holds, and when Dean's time is up, he's getting dragged into the pit.
Sam: Then who's your boss? Who holds the contract?
Crossroads Demon: He's not as cuddly as me, I can tell you that.
Sam: Who is it?

Crossroads Demon: I can't tell you. I'm sorry Sam. But there's no way outta this one. Not this time.

Trivia & References

The episode opens with a shot of a sign for a real estate development that says "Once Upon a Time." Once upon a time is somewhat of a cliche phrase in English literature, particularly in the context of fairy tales, where it is typically used to start the story.

The three chubby construction workers who are attacked are a reference to "The Three Little Pigs." One was a brick specialist, one was a wood specialist, and they mention the wood being of such bad quality that a big gust of wind would knock the house over -- all references to the original tale.

While posing as detectives, Dean and Sam use the aliases "Detective Plant and Detective Page." Robert Plant and Jimmy Page are both members of Led Zeppelin.

Kyle: Th-there was one more thing he had a- a tattoo on his arm of a cartoon character. Umm... it's, uh, it's the guy who's chasing the Roadrunner—

Dean: Wile E. Coyote!

The "Big Bad Wolf" in this episode has a tattoo of the Wile. E. Coyote - a Warner Brothers cartoon character who is in perpetual pursuit of the Roadrunner. These characters are referenced again in 8.08 Hunteri Heroici.

The old woman attacking the hikers, Ken and Julie, is a reference to "Hansel and Gretel."

Sam: See the Grimm Brothers' stuff was kinda the folklore of its day, full of sex, violence, cannibalism. Now, it got sanitized over the years, turned into Disney flicks and bedtime stories.

The "Grimm Brothers" were authors from Germany who published popular folktales in the 1800s, many of which have now become Disney films, albeit highly watered-down versions of the originals.

Dean: All right, maybe it is fairy tales. Totally messed-up fairy tales. I tell you one thing, there's no way I'm kissing a damn frog.

A reference to "The Frog Prince."

Sam pointing out the pumpkin on a porch that has a rat crawling past it and him saving the teenage girl whose step-mother has chained her to the oven are references to "Cinderella."

Sam deduces that Dean being given an apple by Callie is a reference to "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves."

The "Big Bad Wolf" makes another appearance attacking an elderly woman, which is a reference to "Little Red Riding Hood" which Dr. Garrison is reading to Callie.

Dean: Could be like Mischa Barton. Sixth Sense not the O.C.

In the movie The Sixth Sense, Mischa Barton plays the ghost of a young girl who was poisoned by her mother. She seeks to communicate this fact with Haley Joel Osment. In the TV series The O.C. Mischa played Marissa Cooper.

Dean: Hey, you know fairy tales, I know movies. She played the pasty ghost. You know the, uh, remember the mom had that thing you know, where you keep the kid sick so you get all the attention?

Sam: Oh yeah yeah yeah, uh, Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. Huh, could be.

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy is a psychiatric disorder wherein a person feigns, exaggerates, or induces illness in another, usually a parent to a child, to gain attention or some other benefit.

Minutiae

Filming Locations: Map of known filming locations.

The Crossroads Demon was played by Jared Padalecki's girlfriend at the time, Sandra McCoy. They both starred in the 2005 movie Cry Wolf.

Dean researches in the Cumberland County Central Library.

Sides, Scripts & Transcripts

• 3.05 Bedtime Stories (transcript)
• Bedtime Stories storyboards Scenes 1-4
• Casting Sides for Crossroads Demon
• Casting Sides for Dr. Garrison

Promotion

• Promo #1
• Promo #2

Episode Meta

• 3.05 Bedtime Stories: Once Upon a Time … by bardicvoice (November 2007); archive link, spn-heavymeta
• Bond, Silvia. 2007. Two Somewhat Grim Brothers: "Bedtime Stories" Season 3, Episode 5. Pink Raygun, November 5; archive link
• Tosenberger, Catherine. 2010. "Kinda like the folklore of its day": Supernatural, fairy tales, and ostension. Transformative Works and Cultures, no. 4. https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2010.0174.