9.15 thinman

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SPN915.jpg
Title #thinman
Episode # Season 9, Episode 15
First aired March 4, 2014
Directed by Jeannot Szwarc
Written by Jenny Klein
On IMDB #thinman
Outline While working a case involving a murdered teenage girl, Sam and Dean once again cross paths with the Ghostfacers.
Monster Thinman
Timeline Six months since 8.23 Sacrifice
Location(s) Springdale, Washington
Lebanon, Kansas
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Synopsis

A teenage girl, Casey Miles, is taking selfies in her bedroom when she notices a mysterious figure in the background. As the lights go out, she hides in her closet and calls 911. While she is talking, a hand holding a knife appears behind her. Blood begins to pour through the closet doors.

Sam is doing research in the library when Dean comes in and tells Sam that he will be back. When Sam questions him about his leaving, Dean says he found a case, but he wasn't going to take Sam because he doesn't know what Sam wants. Sam wants to come along, so the boys head to Washington.

Sam and Dean, as FBI agents, visit Casey's house and speak with her mother. As the boys ask the usual questions, the mother knows all about “fritzing” and cold spots because she spoke with "Supernaturalists." Sam and Dean are curious about who she spoke with.

The Ghostfacers, Harry and Ed, are sitting in a diner, and Harry is obsessing about his ex-girlfriend's Facebook page when Sam and Dean sit down with them. The boys exchange some witty banter with the Ghostfacers, and Sam and Dean warn them to leave town. In the meantime, the busboy gets in trouble with his manager for not doing his job properly.

The boys return to the motel to research, and Sam checks the Ghostfacers website where they discover the Ghostfacers' latest obsession: Thinman. The boys argue about whether they are hunting a ghost or Thinman. Meanwhile, Ed and Harry return to Casey's bedroom to record some footage for their fans. They continue to discuss Harry's ex-girlfriend. A frustrated Ed says they should bail on the case, but Harry insists they need to find Thinman to make all the haters eat their words.

As the boys continue to research at the motel, Dean is still skeptical of the Thinman legend. They wonder how the photo ended up online, so they head to the police station to gather more information. They get assistance from Deputy Tom Norwood who has also been talking to the Ghostfacers about the possibility of a supernatural killer.

That night, at the diner, the manager is going through receipts when a mysterious figure comes up behind him and slits his throat.

The next day, Sam and Dean arrive at the diner to find the Ghostfacers are also there to investigate. Dean confronts Ed and Harry, about Thinman and the possibility that they created another Tulpa. Deputy Norwood shows them the security footage where a mysterious “Thinman” figure kills the restaurant manager.

Harry wants to search the woods for Thinman, but Ed isn't so sure. He suggests that Sam and Dean should take over because two people are dead. Harry insists on continuing the hunt.

At the motel, Sam and Dean are tossing around ideas and discussing the case. Dean brings up how when, as kids, they pretended to be Superman and Batman. They reminisce and laugh about how they jumped off the shed and Sam broke his arm, and how Dean rushed him to the hospital on the handlebars of his bike. Dean and Sam share a moment before the tension returns and Harry interrupts.

While Harry is in the woods looking for Thinman, Ed tells Sam and Dean his story. Harry was becoming wrapped up with his new girlfriend so Ed made up Thinman to keep Harry in the game. Sam insists that Ed tell Harry the truth because secrets ruin relationships. Meanwhile, Harry is attacked by Thinman who slashes him across the stomach. Sam, Dean, and Ed come to his rescue, and then they discover tire tracks which the boys think may belong to whoever is pretending to be “Thinman.”

Ed tells Harry the truth about Thinman, and Harry is really, really mad. Harry says he can't trust Ed, and Ed leaves. Sam arrives and talks to Harry about secrets and whether they are forgivable. Sam believes this is something that Harry needs to decide for himself. Dean comes in and says they have a lead on the tire tracks so Sam and Dean leave. Then, Harry and Ed decide they will work together to fix the mess that Ed has created, so they follow Sam and Dean.

At a warehouse, the boys meet Deputy Norwood who then tasers them from behind and ties them up. He then reveals that he and his friend, Roger, the busboy, are behind Thinman. They plan to kill Dean and Sam in order to continue the legend. Roger, disguised as Thinman, prepares to cut Dean's throat while Norwood records the act. A frantic Sam works to pick the lock of his handcuffs so that he can save Dean.

However, before any slicing occurs, a noise distracts Norwood and Roger who go to investigate. Ed and Harry trap “Thinman”, but then Norwood captures Ed and Harry. When they return to where Sam and Dean were cuffed, they see that Sam and Dean have escaped. The boys attack Norwood and Roger. Dean captures Roger and coldly kills him. When Norwood pulls a gun on Sam and Harry, Ed shoots him to save Harry.

Harry and Ed discuss their relationship, and Sam and Dean watch as the Ghostfacers break up over a situation that mirrors their own. Harry leaves with the boys as Ed sadly watches them. In the Impala, Harry laments that he thought Ed would always be there and they would grow old together. It's obvious that Sam and Dean can relate, but they say nothing.

Characters

Definitions

Music

  • "This House Is a Hotel" by The Wind + The Wave
(playing in Casey Miles' bedroom before she is killed)
(plays as Sam and Dean discover the Ghostfacers van; also played in 3.13 Ghostfacers)
  • "Gwine to Run All Night, or De Camptown Races"
(hummed by Deputy Norwood as he prepares the camera)

Quotes

Harry: Ah, the Winchesters. Yay.

Ed: Says nobody...

Harry: Ever!
Harry: Say hola to my little pistola.

Dean: Am I supposed to be impressed with that treasure trail or the lady gun you got hiding in your, uh, pants there?

Harry: Uh... Both? Look, whether you like it or not, we are handling this situation.
Dean: What the hell's a Thinman?

Sam: I don't know. Um... Whoa. Check that out, though. That does kind of look like whatever was behind Casey Miles, right?

Dean: Or Garth if somebody shaved his face off. Big whoop.
Ed: Two people are dead -- really dead. And I just keep thinking that, you know, maybe Sam and Dean should just take over.

Harry: First of all, hell no. And -- and quit raining on my rainbow.
Ed: Rainbows can't happen without rain.

Harry: Don't try to use science with me. This is about a-a feeling. And we can't quit when we're so close to finding Thinman and finally making up for everything we've lost because of...what we do.
Harry: Well, the lore says that Thinman hangs out by trees, and the woods is where trees hang out. Two kills in town -- local woods is the best bet.
Dean: You know what video would have gone viral, if we still had it? When you were five and you got dressed up as Batman and you jumped off the shed because you thought you could fly.

Sam: After you jumped first.
Dean: Hey, I was nine and I was dressed up like Superman, okay. Everybody knows that Batman can't fly.
Sam: Well I didn't know that. I broke my arm.
Dean: I know you did. Then I drove you to the ER on my handlebars.... good times.

Sam: ...yeah they were.
Ed: If I tell Harry, he's gonna leave the Ghostfacers.

Sam: Listen, if you don't tell him, he's gonna leave anyway. Trust me here. Secrets ruin relationships.
Ed: Okay, well, I'll just tell him when the time is right.
Dean: Time's right now, chief.
Ed: Well, he's -- he's not here. Uh, he's -- he's out in the woods, uh, searching for Thinman.
Sam: Okay, because Thinman, or whatever the hell this thing is, has killed two people, and now Harry is in the woods alone.

Ed: Well, actually, it's more like "wood," um, 'cause I dropped him off by some trees behind a grocery store. Guys, come on. He's gonna be fine. Guys?
Harry: I just got punched right in the feels.
Dean: So you’re Thinman? That would make sense if it didn’t look like you just ate a fat camp.
Ed: It’s Scooby-Doo time, douchebag. Take off the mask. I know you’re not Thinman. You’re just a me-me.

Harry: Ed, it’s pronounced meme.
Ed: It’s spelled M-E-M-E though.
Harry: The second E is silent.

Ed: You’re a me-me. A man meme. And I invented you.

Trivia & References

The title of the episode "#thinman" refers to the meme generally known as the "Slenderman," often called the internet's first urban legend. The meme was spawned by a "paranormal pictures" Photoshop contest on the Something Awful (SA) Forums. The idea may have in turn been inspired by the German legend of the Tall Man. The hashtag in the title is used on Twitter to help other users search for terms.
Dean: All right, shut up and listen. This is how it's gonna go. You two clowns are gonna get into that mystery machine outside, and you're gonna leave town or I'm gonna put holes in your knees.
The Mystery Machine was the van which Scooby-Doo and his fellow supernatural investigators - Daphne, Velma, Fred and Shaggy traveled around in.
Harry: Oh my god, Menudo! Will you guys relax? We know what we're doing.
Menudo was a successful Latino boy-band from the 1980s.
Dean: Really? And what about the rest of the Bad News Bears, huh? Where's the -- where's the fat one? And -- and the girl? There was a girl, right?
The Bad News Bears was a 1976 movie about a terrible Little League baseball team.
Harry: Okay. I've waited all my life for this. Amazon me, bitches.
A reference to the online retailer Amazon.com, where Sam and Dean can purchase a copy of the book The Skinny on Thinman which Ed and Harry authored.
Harry: Fifty Shades of whey too much protein!
A reference to the erotic romance novel Fifty Shades of Grey.
Dean: Yeah, because everything started on the internet is true. Like, uh, oh, the shark attacking a helicopter - they write the book on that one, too?
A reference to Helicopter Shark, which was a widely-circulated photo in 2001 which showed a great white shark leaping out of the water, attacking military personnel climbing into a helicopter.
Dean: Well, you know, people still see Elvis all over the damn place.
A reference to the purported sightings of Elvis all over the U.S. after his death.
Harry: When we find Thinman, are they gonna be on Dr. Phil?

Ed: No.
Harry: We're gonna be on Dr. Phil.

Dr. Phil is a self-help guru, with a syndicated television show.
Sheriff: I figured it wouldn't hurt to go a little "Medium," you know? Uh...two counties over, folks were combing the place for a poor little dead boy back in August. The cops let a psychic do her thing. Shish, bang, boom—found a body a day later.
Medium was a TV series about a medium who works to solve crime with the District Attorney's office.
Sam: When did "viral" go from that baby chimp falling out of a tree to killer Candid Camera?
Candid Camera was a long running hidden camera/practical joke reality show, that first aired in 1948.
Dean: This all sounds like Sad Times at Bitchmont High. What does this have to do with the case?
Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 high school coming-of-age comedy. It is pretty much guaranteed to be one of Dean's favorite movies.
Harry: You crashed the Jenga Tower of our lives. I was gonna get married. I left her to run around with you, living some lie.
Jenga is a game that involves balancing wooden blocks to make a tower, and then removing blocks strategically to add to the top of the tower, without collapsing the structure.
Dean: So there was no teleporting, just a couple of douchebags doing a Scream thing.
In the Scream movie franchise, a masked person kills people in the manner of horror movies, with the usual twist being that there are two killers wearing the mask.

Minutiae

The diner Sam and Dean meet the Ghostfacers in in Springdale, Washingon is called Johnny's Apple Country Diner. The manager, Trey's, name is a reference to writer Trey Callaway who invented the characters of Ed and Harry in 1.17 Hell House.
The names of the authors of the fake reviews on the book the Ghostfacers write about Thinman are actually names of Supernatural crewmembers:
Jenny Klein, who wrote the episode, can be seen in the background of the motel hallway near the end of the episode.
This is one of only four episodes to date where the monsters are human, the others being 1.15 The Benders, 2.07 The Usual Suspects, and 4.11 Family Remains.
This is the third time Dean has reiterated his views on dealing with people i.e. humans.
Dean: Yeah, well, like I said, people are sick.

The first instance was in 1.15 The Benders:

Dean: Well, that’s the point. You know, with our usual playmates, there’s rules, there’s patterns. But with people, they’re just crazy.
Dean: I’ll say it again—demons I get. People are crazy

The second was in 4.11 Family Remains:

Dean: Wow, a story ripped from an Austrian headline. Humans, man. So she's been locked up her whole life?

Sides, Scripts & Transcripts

Promotion

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