Difference between pages "4.18 The Monster at the End of This Book" and "4.19 Jump the Shark"

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|Infobox=
 
|Infobox=
 
{{InfoboxEpisode
 
{{InfoboxEpisode
|image= [[Image:4-18 The Monster At The End Of The Book promo Pic.jpg|350px]]
+
|image=[[Image:Promo pic for 4-19 Jump The Shark.jpeg|350px]]
|title= The Monster at the End of This Book
+
|title=Jump the Shark
|episode= Season 4, Episode 18
+
|episode= Season 4, Episode 19
|firstaired= April 2, 2009
+
|firstaired= April 23, 2009
|director= [[Mike Rohl]]
+
|director= [[Phil Sgriccia]]
|writer= '''Teleplay:'''<br>[[Julie Siege]]<br>'''Story:'''<br>Julie Siege<br>[[Nancy Weiner]]
+
|writer= [[Andrew Dabb]] and [[Daniel Loflin]]
|imdb= [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1222604/ The Monster at the End of This Book]
+
|imdb= [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1222605/ Jump the Shark]
|download= [http://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/the-monster-at-end-this-book/id291088594?i=311017535 iTunes], [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0024OG3F6 Amazon.com]
+
|download= [http://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/jump-the-shark/id291088594?i=313712652 iTunes], [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027GO128 Amazon.com]
|outline= [[Sam]] and [[Dean]] meet a writer who has visions about their lives.
+
|outline= [[Sam]] and [[Dean]] meet a young man who reveals himself to be their half-brother.
|motw= [[Lilith]]
+
|motw= [[Ghouls]]
 
|timeline=  
 
|timeline=  
|location= Kripke's Hollow
+
|location= Windom, Minnesota
|map= 
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
|Synopsis=
+
|Synopsis =
While investigating a haunting, a comic shop proprietor assumes Sam and Dean are in a role playing game. He shows them [[The Supernatural Books|a series of books]] called ''Supernatural'' by Carver Edlund.
+
[[Sam]] and [[Dean]] are waking up by a lake, "Two hours from anywhere," when they receive a call on one of [[John's cell phone]]s that Dean has kept. It is a young man named [[Adam Milligan]] looking for John, and claiming to be his son.  
  
The boys are shocked to find that the books document their life over the past four years. They discover an online fandom - with both [[Sam Girls]] and [[Dean Girls]] and [[Slash]] fans - and track down the [[Sera Siege|woman responsible]] for publishing the books. She is wary of them until they reveal their extensive 'knowledge' of the characters, and that they even have tattoos like the characters in the books. The publisher reveals the books were written under a pseudonym by [[Chuck Shurley]]. Chuck Shurley is astonished to be confronted by his "creations." He reveals the stories comes to him in visions. His latest vision has revealed that [[Lilith]] will visit Sam, and that they will have a night of "fiery demonic passion".
+
Sam and Dean travel to Windom, Minnesota. Sam does research and confirms that Adam actually exists. [[The Journal|John's Journal]] confirms [[John Winchester|John]] visited there in 1990, but the following pages have been ripped out.  
  
While Sam seems keen to confront Lilith, Dean thinks they should avoid her by doing the opposite of everything Chuck has foreseen. While hiding out in a motel room surrounded by [[hex bag]]s to hide him from Lilith, Sam asks Chuck if he knows about him drinking [[demon blood]]. Chuck says he does, and he confronts Sam about why he is doing it.  
+
Dean is unimpressed and assumes Adam is possessed or some sort of supernatural creature, but Adam doesn't react to the [[silver]] or [[holy water]] Dean discreetly tests him with. He and Sam come to believe that Adam is human and their brother. In January 1990, Adam's mother, [[Kate Milligan]], met John Winchester in Windom, Minnesota, when he came into the hospital where she worked as a nurse after he was injured during a hunt. Adam was born on September 29th, 1990, although he didn't have any contact with John until he was twelve.  
  
Meanwhile Dean is trying to avoid doing what Chuck foretold, but the events keep coming to pass whatever he does. Dean accuses Chuck of withholding information and attacks him, but is stopped by [[Castiel]] who reveals Chuck is a [[prophet]] of [[God]], and that his books will one day be known as the Winchester Gospels.
+
Adam's mother has gone missing, which is why Adam was trying to contact John. At Kate Milligan's house, Dean finds scratch marks leading to a vent under her bed, and in the vent he finds human remains. Sam checks local papers and finds out that in 1990 John Winchester was in town investigating 17 grave robberies in the town. In an old news photo, John can be seen in the background. Recently the grave robbing has recommenced along with the disappearance of Kate and a local man - Joe Barton. Dean learns from his widow that Joe was a police officer on the grave robbery case 17 years ago and had helped John kill the thing responsible for the robberies.
  
Dean returns to the motel to find Sam has burned the hex bags so that Lilith will find him. Frustrated, Dean threatens to leave, but changes his mind and just storms out into the parking lot. Desperate, Dean starts to pray and Castiel appears. Castiel gives Dean information on how to stop Lilith, revealing that Chuck is protected by an [[archangel]] who will intervene if Chuck is threatened. By putting Chuck in the same room with Lilith, the archangel appears and Lilith flees.
+
Dean is envious of the time John spent with Adam, but when he recognizes that John tried to shield Adam from hunting, he clashes with Sam, who is keen to train Adam as a [[hunter]]. Dean goes to investigate the graves while Sam starts to train Adam.
  
Following the confrontation with Lilith, [[Zachariah]] appears to Chuck after he has another vision. While it is not revealed what Chuck saw, he wants to warn Sam and Dean, but Zachariah tells him not to. Chuck threatens to kill himself, but Zachariah says they will only bring him back to life. In despair, Chuck asks what he should do. Zachariah replies, "Do what you always do. Write".
+
While crawling deep into the crypts, something traps Dean. While trying to escape, he finds the bodies of Joe Barton and Kate and Adam Milligan. Adam and his mother were killed by [[ghouls]] in revenge for the killing of their parent ghoul by John Winchester. Ghouls take on the form and memories of the last person they ate, so the Adam ghoul had called John's phone in order to lure him to the town, only to find out that he died. They decided to kill Sam and Dean in John's place.
  
|Characters=  
+
The ghouls attack Sam and start to drain his blood. Dean returns in the nick of time, blasts the head of ghoul-Kate, and beats in the skull of the ghoul that looks like Adam. Dean insists that the real Adam be given a [[Hunter's Funeral Pyre|hunter's send-off]] in the form of a funeral pyre similar to that given to John by his sons.
 +
 
 +
|Characters =
 
* [[Sam Winchester]]
 
* [[Sam Winchester]]
 
* [[Dean Winchester]]
 
* [[Dean Winchester]]
* [[Castiel]]
+
* [[John Winchester]]
* [[Chuck Shurley]] aka Carver Edlund
+
* [[Adam Milligan]]
* [[Zachariah]]
+
* [[Kate Milligan]]
* [[Lilith]]
 
* [[Sera Siege]]
 
  
 
|Pad_of_Definitions=  
 
|Pad_of_Definitions=  
Line 43: Line 42:
 
* [[Alcohol]]
 
* [[Alcohol]]
 
* [[Aliases]]
 
* [[Aliases]]
* [[Angel Lore]]
 
* [[Apocalypse]]
 
* [[Archangel]]
 
 
* [[Costumes & Disguises]]
 
* [[Costumes & Disguises]]
* [[Dark side]]
 
 
* [[Dean's Amulet]]
 
* [[Dean's Amulet]]
* [[Dean Girls]]
+
* [[Dean's Leather Jacket]]
* [[Demon Blood]]
+
* [[Gank]]
* [[Demonology]]
+
* [[Ghouls]]  
* [[Fictional Locations]]
+
* [[Holy Water]]
* [[Grenade Launcher]]
+
* [[Holy Water in the Face]]
* [[Hex Bag]]
+
* [[Hunter's Funeral Pyre]]
 
* [[Impala]]
 
* [[Impala]]
* [[Led Zeppelin]]
+
* [[John's Cell Phone]]
* [[Mary Sue]]
+
* [[John's Journal]]
* [[Meta Episodes]]
+
* [[Law Enforcement Officers]]
* [[Prophet]]
+
* [[Monsters]]
* [[Sam Girls]]
+
* [[Photo Album]]
* [[The Supernatural Books]]
+
* [[Rock, Paper, Scissors]]
* [[Television Without Pity]]
+
* [[Salt]]
* [[Title Card]]
+
* [[Shapeshifter]]
* [[Wincest]]  
+
* [[Silver]]
* [[Winchester Gospels]]
+
* [[Unconscious]]
  
|Music=
+
|Music=  
* "Leave All This Behind" by Sonny Ellis
+
* "Reaching Higher" by Nathan Williams
:''(plays while Sam and Dean discuss Lilith in the diner)''
+
:''(plays when Sam and Dean meet Adam at the diner)''
 +
* "A Little Bitty Tear" by Burl Ives
 +
:''(plays while Dean is at the bar)''
  
 
|Quotes=
 
|Quotes=
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
'''Clerk:''' You're asking questions like the building's haunted. Like those guys from the books. What are they called? Uh... Supernatural. Two guys, use fake IDs with rock aliases, hunt down ghosts, demons, vampires. What are their names? Uh... Steve and Dirk? Uh, Sal and Dane?<br>
+
'''Adam:''' Uh, is this John?<br>
'''Sam:''' Sam and Dean?<br>
+
'''Dean:''' He can't come to the phone. Can I help you?<br>
'''Clerk:''' That's it!<br>
+
'''Adam:''' No no no—I really—I need to talk to John. This is Adam Milligan. He knows me.<br>
'''Dean:''' You're saying this is a book?<br>
+
'''Dean:''' Well, sorry to be the one to break this to you, pal, but John died more than two years ago.<br>
'''Clerk:''' Books. It was a series. Didn't sell a lot of copies, though. Kind of had more of an underground cult following. Let's see. Um... Ah. Yeah. That's the first one, I think.
+
'''Dean:''' Who is this?<br>
}}
+
'''Adam:''' I'm his son.
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
'''Dean:''' Everything is in here. I mean everything. From the racist truck to – to me having sex. I'm full-frontal in here, dude. How come we haven't heard of them before?<br>
 
'''Sam:''' They're pretty obscure. I mean, almost zero circulation. Uh, started in '05. The publisher put out a couple dozen before going bankrupt. And, uh, the last one – No Rest for the Wicked – ends with you going to hell.
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
'''Dean:''' There are 'Sam girls' and 'Dean girls' and – what's a 'slash fan'?<br>
+
'''Sam:''' I mean, Dad would be gone for weeks at a time, and he wasn't exactly a monk. I mean, a hunter rolls into town, kills a monster, saves the girl... sometimes the girl's grateful.<br>
'''Sam:''' As in... Sam-slash-Dean. Together.<br>
+
'''Dean:''' Well, now I’m thinking about Dad sex. Stop talking.<br>
'''Dean:''' Like, together together?<br>
+
'''Sam:''' Maybe he slipped one past the goalie.<br>
'''Sam:''' Yeah.<br>
+
'''Dean:''' Dude!
'''Dean:''' They do know we're brothers, right?<br>
 
'''Sam:''' Doesn't seem to matter.<br>
 
'''Dean:''' Oh, come on. That... That's just sick. We got to find this Carver Edlund.
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
'''Sera:''' Oh, my god! That was one of my favorite ones, because Dean was so... strong... and sad and brave. And Sam... I mean, the best parts are when they'd cry. You know, like in – In "Heart," when Sam had to kill Madison, the first woman since Jessica he really loved. And in "Home," when Dean had to call John and ask him for help. Gosh... if only real men were so open and in touch with their feelings.
+
'''Sam:''' We could all die, Dean. Even if we do kill this thing, there are tons of other freaks that want revenge, on Dad, on us. What if they find the kid instead and he's not ready?
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
'''Chuck:''' Well, there's only one explanation. Obviously I'm a god.<br>
+
'''Sam:''' Being a hunter isn't a job, Adam. It's life. You're pre-med. You got a girlfriend, friends? Not anymore you don't. If you're really gonna do this, you can't have those kinds of connections, ever. They're weaknesses. You'll just put those people in danger, get them killed.
'''Sam:''' You're not a god.<br>
 
'''Chuck:''' How else do you explain it? I write things and then they come to life. Yeah, no, I'm definitely a god. A cruel, cruel, capricious god. The things I put you through – The physical beatings alone.
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
'''Chuck:''' I am so sorry. I mean, horror is one thing, but to be forced to live bad writing... if I would have known it was real, I would have done another pass.
+
'''Dean:''' 'Hunting is life. You can't have connections.' Dad gave you that exact same speech, remember? It was just before you ditched us for Stanford. You hated Dad for saying that stuff, and now you're quoting him?<br>
 +
'''Sam:''' Yeah, well, turns out Dad was right.<br>
 +
'''Dean:''' Since when?<br>
 +
'''Sam:''' Since always. Dean, when I look at Adam, you know what I see?<br>
 +
'''Dean:''' A normal kid.
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
'''Dean:''' 'Sam tossed his gigantic darks into the machine. He was starting to have doubts about Chuck, about whether he was telling the whole truth.'<br>
+
'''Dean:''' I think it's too late for us. This is our life. This is who we are, okay? And it's fine. I accept that. But with Adam, he's still got a chance, man. He can go to school. He could be a doctor.<br>
'''Sam:''' Stop it.<br>
+
'''Sam:''' What makes Adam so special?<br>
'''Dean:''' 'Stop it, Sam said.' Guess what you do next. 'Sam turned his back on Dean, his face brooding and pensive.' I mean, I don't know how he's doing it, but this guy is doing it. I can't see your face, but those are definitely your 'brooding and pensive' shoulders. You just thought I was a dick.<br>
+
'''Dean:''' What, are you jealous of the kid?
'''Sam:''' The guy's good.
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
'''Dean:''' This is the guy who decides our fate?<br>
+
'''Dean:''' Dad didn't have a choice with us, okay? But with Adam, he did. Adam doesn't have to be cursed.<br>
'''Castiel:''' He isn't deciding anything. He's a mouthpiece – a conduit for the inspired word.<br>
+
'''Sam:''' He's a Winchester. He's already cursed.
'''Dean:''' The word? The word of god? What, like the new new testament?<br>
 
'''Castiel:''' One day, these books – they'll be known as the Winchester gospel.
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
'''Dean:''' This isn't a story anymore. It's real! And you're in it! Now I need you to get off your ass and fight. [''inspirational music plays''] Come on Chuck.<br>
+
'''Sam:''' Silver. No wonder none of the tests worked. You're not shapeshifters. You're ghouls.<br>
'''Chuck:''' [''music stops''] No friggin' way.<br>
+
'''Kate:''' You know, I find that term racist. Mmm. Fresh meat. So much better than what we're used to.
'''Dean:''' Okay, well then, how 'bout this -- I've got a gun in my pocket, and if you don't come with me, I'll blow your brains out.<br>
 
'''Chuck:''' I thought you said I was protected by an archangel?<br>
 
'''Dean:''' Well, interesting exercise. Let's see who the quicker draw is.
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
'''Sam:''' The point is, she's scared. I could see it. Lilith is running.<br>
+
'''Dean:''' Adam was our brother. He died like a hunter. He deserves to go out like one.<br>
'''Dean:''' Running from what?<br>
+
'''Sam:''' Maybe we can bring him back. Get a hold of Cas, call in a favor.<br>
'''Sam:''' Don't know. But she was telling the truth about one thing.<br>
+
'''Dean:''' No, Adam's in a better place.
'''Dean:''' What's that?<br>
 
'''Sam:''' She's not gonna survive the apocalypse. I'll make sure of that.
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
'''Chuck:''' What am I supposed to do?<br>
+
'''Dean:''' You know, I finally get why you and Dad butted heads so much. You two were practically the same person. I mean, I worshiped the guy, you know? I dressed like him, I acted like him, I listen to the same music. But you were more like him than I will ever be. And I see that now.<br>
'''Zachariah:''' What you always do. Write.
+
'''Sam:''' I'll take that as a compliment.<br>
 +
'''Dean:''' You take it any way you want.
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
|Trivia_References=
 
|Trivia_References=
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
The title of this episode is a reference to the ''Sesame Street'' tie-in book ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monster_at_the_End_of_This_Book The Monster at the End of This Book: Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover.]'' The book features Grover trying to stop the reader from reaching the end of the book, where he knows there is a monster. Finally, the monster at the end of the book is Grover himself.  
+
The title of this episode is a reference to the colloquialism, [http://www.tvguide.com/jumptheshark "jumping the shark,"] which refers to the point at which a show resorts to dramatic plot changes, novelty casting or similar devices in a desperate attempt to reinvigorate the show, while ironically signaling that the show has probably passed its use-by-date. The term comes from an episode of ''Happy Days'' in which the Fonz actually jumped over a tank of sharks on water skis.
 +
In a [http://www.tvguide.com/News/Supernatural-casting-news-1002550.aspx TV Guide interview] [[Eric Kripke]] said of the episode title:
 +
:"When we were breaking the story about the third Winchester brother, we knew the fans would scream that we had jumped the shark. Of course, adding a new sibling or relative to an established series is a classic and cherished shark jump, Cousin Oliver being the patron saint of the practice. Anyway, it became clear that we should beat the fans to the punch and title the episode, "Jump the Shark." Though rejected titles included: "When Leo Joined Growing Pains," or "The Raven Symone Episode."
 +
:"For fans who are worried that we are truly jumping the shark... watch the episode, decide for yourself. Personally, I don't think we're gassing up the motorcycle quite yet, but you tell me. And stay tuned for next season, when the boys take trips to London and Hawaii (haunted Tiki dolls!) and Sam and Ruby get married. And Ted McGinley joins the cast as the thoughtful (but hot!) college professor."
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
The boys use the aliases of "Agents DeYoung and Shaw." Dennis DeYoung and Tommy Shaw are members of the rock band [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styx_(band) Styx.]
+
The boys meet [[Adam Milligan]] at a café called Cousin Oliver's. Cousin Oliver was a young kid added to the cast of ''The Brady Bunch'' in its last season.  
}}
+
Adding a young kid to a cast is called doing a [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CousinOliver Cousin Oliver] and is often seen as a sign of the show [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/JumpingTheShark jumping the shark].
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
+
 
The comic book shop guy mistakes Sam and Dean for LARPers &mdash; people involved in a [[LARP|Live action role-playing game]].  
+
On the wall of Cousin Oliver's café are a number of photos of water skiers, as well as a poster advertising a water skiing stunt show starring a Fonzerelli. This is another more specific jumping the shark reference, name checking Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzerelli, who jumping the shark was named after.
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
When the comic book shop owner suggests "Sal and Dane" as one of the possible names for the brotherly duo, this could refer to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sal_Paradise Sal Paradise], the narrator of the novel ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Road On the Road]'' by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Kerouac Jack Kerouac.] ''[[Supernatural]]'' was somewhat inspired by ''On the Road'' naming Sam and Dean after its two main characters Sal and Dean, though Eric Kripke decided he didn't like the name ''Sal'' for one of the leads and changed it to Sam.
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
The cover of the ''Supernatural'' book features a character strikingly similar to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabio_Lanzoni Fabio], who became famous as a model on the cover of romance novels.<br>
 
[[File:SPNFront.jpg|left|300px]]
 
[[Image:Fabio.jpg|right]]
 
<br clear="all">
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
'''Dean:''' Although Simpatico says the demon storylines are trite, cliched and overall craptastic...
 
:''Simpatico is the name of a poster on the [[Television Without Pity]] message boards.''
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
'''Dean:''' There's Sam Girls and Dean Girls and... What's a slash fan?<br>
 
'''Sam:''' As in Sam slash Dean, together.<br>
 
'''Dean:''' Like together, together? They do know we are brothers right?<br>
 
'''Sam:''' Doesn't seem to matter.<br>
 
'''Dean:''' Well that's just sick!<br>
 
:''[[Sam Girls]] and [[Dean Girls]] are fans dedicated to one or other of the brothers.
 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slash_fiction Slash] fanfiction is stories written by fans depicting characters in a same-sex romantic and/or sexual relationship. In the Supernatural fandom, Sam/Dean is known as [[Wincest]].''
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
The idea of ''Supernatural'' being a fictional construct is an example of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_wall breaking the fourth wall.] Many of the references here, (e.g. the boys crying a lot, the books having a small readership, and the references to the fan base) are of course referring to the TV series.  
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
'''Sam:''' What's Carver Edlund's real name?<br>
 
'''Publisher:''' Oh no. Um. No. Sorry, I can't.<br>
 
'''Sam:''' We just want to talk to him. Y'know, get the "Supernatural" story in his own words.<br>
 
'''Publisher:''' He's very private. Just like Salinger.<br>
 
:''Salinger is a reference to author [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._D._Salinger J.D. Salinger]. Salinger, who died in 2010, was famous for being a hermit was fairly anti-social.''
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
While not named in the episode, the publisher's name was Sera Siege, named after writers [[Julie Siege]] and [[Sera Gamble]] - as mentioned in this [http://www.tvguide.com/News/Supernatural-Questions-Answered-1002240.aspx interview by Sera Gamble.]
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
The list of book titles matches the list of episode titles: "Supernatural", "Wendigo", "Phantom Traveler", "Bloody Mary", "Skin", "Hookman",  "Bugs", "Home", "Asylum", "Scarecrow", "Faith", "Route 666", "Nightmare", "The Benders", "Shadow", "Salvation", "Bloodlust", "Croatoan", "Heart", "Sin City", "Fresh Blood", "Mystery Spot", "Jus in Bello" and "No Rest for the Wicked."
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
Carver Edlund, the pen name used by Chuck Shurley, is an amalgam of the names of ''Supernatural'' writers [[Jeremy Carver]] and [[Ben Edlund]]. At one point he asks Sam and Dean if "Phil put them up to it," possibly referring to co-executive producer and director [[Philip Sgriccia]].
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
'''Chuck:''' Is this some kind of Misery thing? Ah, it is, isn't it? It's a Misery thing!
 
:''In the Stephen King novel [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misery_(novel) Misery], writer Paul Sheldon is held captive, tortured and forced to write for his 'number one fan' Annie Wilkes.''
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
In Chuck Shurley's house there are framed copies of the covers of the real ''Supernatural'' comics [[Origins 3|Origins #3]] and [[Origins 4|#4]].
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
Chuck referred to his book about the "bugs" ([[1.08 Bugs]]) and "ghost ship" ([[3.06 Red Sky at Morning]]) as "simply bad writing." [[Eric Kripke]] himself said that the episodes in question was one of their weaker episodes of season three in the ''[[Supernatural: The Official Companion Season 3]]''.
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
'''Chuck:''' It's very Vonnegut.<br>
 
'''Dean:''' Slaughterhouse Five-Vonnegut or Cat's Cradle-Vonnegut?<br>
 
'''Sam:''' What?<br>
 
'''Chuck:''' It's Kilgore Trout-Vonnegut. I wrote myself into it. I wrote myself, in my house, confronted by my characters.
 
:''Kurt Vonnegut was an American writer. In his book Breakfast of Champions, he wrote himself into the book, as well as a recurring character called [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilgore_Trout Kilgore Trout] (a science fiction writer based on the real writer Theodore Sturgeon), who confronts the author character.''
 
:''When an author writes her/himself into a story, it is known as self-insertion. A particular form of this in fanfiction is the [[Mary Sue]].''
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
'''Chuck:''' It was too preposterous. Not to mention arrogant. I mean, writing yourself into the story is one thing, but as a prophet? That's like M. Night-level douchiness.
+
'''Adam:''' Okay, so... basically, you're saying that every movie monster, every nightmare that I’ve ever had, that's all real?<br>
:''A reference to writer [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._Night_Shyamalan M. Night Shyamalan] who has appeared in small cameos in his movies. In the film Lady in the Water Shyamalan cast himself as a writer whose work would "change the world" - an instance of what many critics saw as a [[Mary Sue]].''
+
'''Dean:''' Godzilla's just a movie.
 +
:''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla Godzilla] is of course the King of the Monsters.''
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
'''Waitress:''' Well, if you like burgers, Oprah's girlfriend said we have the best bacon cheeseburgers in the country.
+
[[Dean]] uses the alias "Agent Nugent," a reference to rocker [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Nugent Ted Nugent.] He used this alias before in the [[Pilot]].
:''A reference to Gayle King when she did her America's Best Burger episode on The Oprah Winfrey Show.''
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
'''Dean:''' That's exactly what you're gonna do, okay? And no research. I don't care what you do – use the Magic Fingers or watch Casa Erotica on Pay-Per-View.
+
The fact that Adam is a pre-med student may be a reference to the historical pattern of medical students being the primary human body thieves, originating in the days when human dissection was illegal or cadavers were very hard to get by legal means.
:''[[Casa Erotica]] was the [[Porn|porn]] Sam watched in [[2.04 Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things]].''
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
|Minutiae=
 
|Minutiae=
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
[[Nancy Weiner]] &mdash; a writer's assistant on the show &mdash; came up with the idea for the episode. Kripke talked about the process of developing the episode at [[Comic Con 2009]] ([http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/1875456 Source]).
+
[http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20270843_3,00.html An ''Entertainment Weekly'' article] said of Jake Abel: "The actor playing the new sibling is a Wincest buff's dream — he looks so much like Padalecki and Ackles he could be their magical gay offspring."
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
At [[Comic Con 2009]] Kripke said "he has a "tempestuous, loving, conflicting" relationship with the online Supernatural fan community, and that the meta episode "The Monster at the End of This Book" gave him a chance to lovingly make fun of them ([http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2009/07/comiccon-supernatural-panelists-talk-lucifer-the-apocalypse-and-returning-characters.html Source]).
+
In a tribute to [[Kim Manners]], [[Sam]] and [[Dean]] were staying at a hotel called Kelsey Manor. A display card in the room advertises happy hour at the Sonny Buono lounge and features a pic of a mustached [[Kim Manners]]. At the [[Salute to Supernatural L.A. 2009]], Jensen and Jared mentioned that in honor of Kim the crew had undertaken a mustache growing competition. There were also upside down "KM" carved into the wooden paddle parts of the room divider in the motel room.<br>
}}
+
[[Image:Kim.png|left|300px]]
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
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<br clear="all">
The title sequence for the episode featured a montage of images from covers of the ''Supernatural'' books featured in the episode and ended with a title card "Supernatural by Carver Edlund."
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0636105/ Michael P. Northey], who played the comic shop clerk, played Riley, Jake Gray's boss in the movie ''[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0406706/ Devour]'', which starred [[Jensen Ackles]].
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0870535/ Keegan Connor Tracy], who played [[Sera Siege]] previously played Karen Giles in [[2.07 The Usual Suspects]].
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
The comic book store was called Golden Comics.
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
The now-bankrupt publisher of the ''Supernatural'' books was "Flying Wiccan Press: Publishers of Quality Science Fiction and Graphic Novels."
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
[[Sam]]'s LSAT score was 174.
 
 
}}
 
}}
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
'''Dean:''' Everything is in here, from the racist truck to me having sex. I'm full frontal in here, dude.
 
:''The book Dean is reading relates the events of [[1.13 Route 666]].''
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
''[[Dr. Sexy M.D.]]'' is  mentioned by the publisher as one of the reasons the ''Supernatural'' books went out of print. This is on of the TV shows featured in [[5.08 Changing Channels]].
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
[[Dean]] confirms his two favorite songs are "Ramble On" and "Traveling Riverside Blues", both tunes performed by [[Led Zeppelin]]. (The latter was originally made famous by [[Robert Johnson]].)
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
Sam and Dean reveal their anti-possession tattoos to the publisher to demonstrate they are real fans, and she reveals her own. In an interview with [http://firefox.org/news/articles/1254/1/Interview-Sera-Gamble-Producer-and-Writer-for-quotSupernaturalquot/Page1html Firefox News] in March 2008 [[Sera Gamble]] said "I'll be convinced we're truly a cult hit when a fan gets the same tattoo." Many fans already had!
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
[[Chuck]] foreshadows his divinity/[[God|real identity]]), which is further hinted at in [[5.22 Swan Song]]:
 
'''Chuck:''' Well, there's only one explanation. Obviously I'm a god.<br>
 
'''Sam:''' You're not a god.<br>
 
'''Chuck:''' How else do you explain it? I write things and then they come to life. Yeah, no, I'm definitely a god. A cruel, cruel, capricious god. The things I put you through -- The physical beatings alone.
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
Lilith is possessing a dental hygienist from Bloomington, Indiana.
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
The diner was called Kripke's Hollow, possibly a reference to Stars Hollow, the fictional town in ''Gilmore Girls,'' which featured one of Jared's first big roles. The Kripke refers to series creator [[Eric Kripke]].
 
}}
 
{{TriviaQuote |Text=
 
This was the first episode of ''Supernatural'' that did not involve a death of any kind. The second was [[4.21 When the Levee Breaks]] and the third was [[10.17 Inside Man]].}}
 
 
  
 
|Sides_Scripts_Transcripts=
 
|Sides_Scripts_Transcripts=
* [[4.18 The Monster at the End of This Book (transcript)]]
+
* [[4.19 Jump the Shark (transcript)]]
  
|Promotion=  
+
|Promotion=
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiJh675NBpw Episode Promo 1: 4.18 The Monster at the End of This Book]
+
* [http://deanbean08.livejournal.com/16096.html#cutid1 Promo Pictures]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOdlTGDfR2k Episode Promo 2: 4.18 The Monster at the End of This Book]
+
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQRDzv4KCCo Episode Promo: 4.19 Jump the Shark]
* [http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/04/03/the-cws-supernatural-beats-the-devil-posting-best-18-34-ratings-since-october-2006/15889 Episode gets best ever ratings on CW]
+
* [http://www.tvguide.com/JumpTheShark/Supernaturals-New-Kid-1003030.aspx?rss=object Kripke talks about the episode title and the episode concept] from TV guide
* [http://darklydean.livejournal.com/13707.html Fan photos taken during the filming of the episode] by darklydean
+
* [http://www.tvguide.com/News/Supernatural-casting-news-1002550.aspx Casting and plot spoiler] from TV Guide
 +
* [http://www.sfuniverse.com/2009/04/18/supernatural-jump-the-shark-clip/ Promo Clip]  
 
}}
 
}}
  
[[Category:Canon]][[Category:Episodes|0418]][[Category:Season 4]]
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[[Category:Canon]][[Category:Episodes|0419]][[Category:Season 4]]

Revision as of 13:19, 29 May 2018


Promo pic for 4-19 Jump The Shark.jpeg
Title Jump the Shark
Episode # Season 4, Episode 19
First aired April 23, 2009
Directed by Phil Sgriccia
Written by Andrew Dabb and Daniel Loflin
On IMDB Jump the Shark
Outline Sam and Dean meet a young man who reveals himself to be their half-brother.
Monster Ghouls
Timeline
Location(s) Windom, Minnesota
[[{{{prevep}}}|« Previous Episode]] | [[{{{nextep}}}|Next Episode »]]

Synopsis

Sam and Dean are waking up by a lake, "Two hours from anywhere," when they receive a call on one of John's cell phones that Dean has kept. It is a young man named Adam Milligan looking for John, and claiming to be his son.

Sam and Dean travel to Windom, Minnesota. Sam does research and confirms that Adam actually exists. John's Journal confirms John visited there in 1990, but the following pages have been ripped out.

Dean is unimpressed and assumes Adam is possessed or some sort of supernatural creature, but Adam doesn't react to the silver or holy water Dean discreetly tests him with. He and Sam come to believe that Adam is human and their brother. In January 1990, Adam's mother, Kate Milligan, met John Winchester in Windom, Minnesota, when he came into the hospital where she worked as a nurse after he was injured during a hunt. Adam was born on September 29th, 1990, although he didn't have any contact with John until he was twelve.

Adam's mother has gone missing, which is why Adam was trying to contact John. At Kate Milligan's house, Dean finds scratch marks leading to a vent under her bed, and in the vent he finds human remains. Sam checks local papers and finds out that in 1990 John Winchester was in town investigating 17 grave robberies in the town. In an old news photo, John can be seen in the background. Recently the grave robbing has recommenced along with the disappearance of Kate and a local man - Joe Barton. Dean learns from his widow that Joe was a police officer on the grave robbery case 17 years ago and had helped John kill the thing responsible for the robberies.

Dean is envious of the time John spent with Adam, but when he recognizes that John tried to shield Adam from hunting, he clashes with Sam, who is keen to train Adam as a hunter. Dean goes to investigate the graves while Sam starts to train Adam.

While crawling deep into the crypts, something traps Dean. While trying to escape, he finds the bodies of Joe Barton and Kate and Adam Milligan. Adam and his mother were killed by ghouls in revenge for the killing of their parent ghoul by John Winchester. Ghouls take on the form and memories of the last person they ate, so the Adam ghoul had called John's phone in order to lure him to the town, only to find out that he died. They decided to kill Sam and Dean in John's place.

The ghouls attack Sam and start to drain his blood. Dean returns in the nick of time, blasts the head of ghoul-Kate, and beats in the skull of the ghoul that looks like Adam. Dean insists that the real Adam be given a hunter's send-off in the form of a funeral pyre similar to that given to John by his sons.

Characters

Definitions

Music

  • "Reaching Higher" by Nathan Williams
(plays when Sam and Dean meet Adam at the diner)
  • "A Little Bitty Tear" by Burl Ives
(plays while Dean is at the bar)

Quotes

Adam: Uh, is this John?

Dean: He can't come to the phone. Can I help you?
Adam: No no no—I really—I need to talk to John. This is Adam Milligan. He knows me.
Dean: Well, sorry to be the one to break this to you, pal, but John died more than two years ago.
Dean: Who is this?

Adam: I'm his son.
Sam: I mean, Dad would be gone for weeks at a time, and he wasn't exactly a monk. I mean, a hunter rolls into town, kills a monster, saves the girl... sometimes the girl's grateful.

Dean: Well, now I’m thinking about Dad sex. Stop talking.
Sam: Maybe he slipped one past the goalie.

Dean: Dude!
Sam: We could all die, Dean. Even if we do kill this thing, there are tons of other freaks that want revenge, on Dad, on us. What if they find the kid instead and he's not ready?
Sam: Being a hunter isn't a job, Adam. It's life. You're pre-med. You got a girlfriend, friends? Not anymore you don't. If you're really gonna do this, you can't have those kinds of connections, ever. They're weaknesses. You'll just put those people in danger, get them killed.
Dean: 'Hunting is life. You can't have connections.' Dad gave you that exact same speech, remember? It was just before you ditched us for Stanford. You hated Dad for saying that stuff, and now you're quoting him?

Sam: Yeah, well, turns out Dad was right.
Dean: Since when?
Sam: Since always. Dean, when I look at Adam, you know what I see?

Dean: A normal kid.
Dean: I think it's too late for us. This is our life. This is who we are, okay? And it's fine. I accept that. But with Adam, he's still got a chance, man. He can go to school. He could be a doctor.

Sam: What makes Adam so special?

Dean: What, are you jealous of the kid?
Dean: Dad didn't have a choice with us, okay? But with Adam, he did. Adam doesn't have to be cursed.
Sam: He's a Winchester. He's already cursed.
Sam: Silver. No wonder none of the tests worked. You're not shapeshifters. You're ghouls.
Kate: You know, I find that term racist. Mmm. Fresh meat. So much better than what we're used to.
Dean: Adam was our brother. He died like a hunter. He deserves to go out like one.

Sam: Maybe we can bring him back. Get a hold of Cas, call in a favor.

Dean: No, Adam's in a better place.
Dean: You know, I finally get why you and Dad butted heads so much. You two were practically the same person. I mean, I worshiped the guy, you know? I dressed like him, I acted like him, I listen to the same music. But you were more like him than I will ever be. And I see that now.

Sam: I'll take that as a compliment.

Dean: You take it any way you want.

Trivia & References

The title of this episode is a reference to the colloquialism, "jumping the shark," which refers to the point at which a show resorts to dramatic plot changes, novelty casting or similar devices in a desperate attempt to reinvigorate the show, while ironically signaling that the show has probably passed its use-by-date. The term comes from an episode of Happy Days in which the Fonz actually jumped over a tank of sharks on water skis.

In a TV Guide interview Eric Kripke said of the episode title:

"When we were breaking the story about the third Winchester brother, we knew the fans would scream that we had jumped the shark. Of course, adding a new sibling or relative to an established series is a classic and cherished shark jump, Cousin Oliver being the patron saint of the practice. Anyway, it became clear that we should beat the fans to the punch and title the episode, "Jump the Shark." Though rejected titles included: "When Leo Joined Growing Pains," or "The Raven Symone Episode."
"For fans who are worried that we are truly jumping the shark... watch the episode, decide for yourself. Personally, I don't think we're gassing up the motorcycle quite yet, but you tell me. And stay tuned for next season, when the boys take trips to London and Hawaii (haunted Tiki dolls!) and Sam and Ruby get married. And Ted McGinley joins the cast as the thoughtful (but hot!) college professor."
The boys meet Adam Milligan at a café called Cousin Oliver's. Cousin Oliver was a young kid added to the cast of The Brady Bunch in its last season.

Adding a young kid to a cast is called doing a Cousin Oliver and is often seen as a sign of the show jumping the shark.

On the wall of Cousin Oliver's café are a number of photos of water skiers, as well as a poster advertising a water skiing stunt show starring a Fonzerelli. This is another more specific jumping the shark reference, name checking Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzerelli, who jumping the shark was named after.
Adam: Okay, so... basically, you're saying that every movie monster, every nightmare that I’ve ever had, that's all real?

Dean: Godzilla's just a movie.

Godzilla is of course the King of the Monsters.
Dean uses the alias "Agent Nugent," a reference to rocker Ted Nugent. He used this alias before in the Pilot.
The fact that Adam is a pre-med student may be a reference to the historical pattern of medical students being the primary human body thieves, originating in the days when human dissection was illegal or cadavers were very hard to get by legal means.

Minutiae

An Entertainment Weekly article said of Jake Abel: "The actor playing the new sibling is a Wincest buff's dream — he looks so much like Padalecki and Ackles he could be their magical gay offspring."
In a tribute to Kim Manners, Sam and Dean were staying at a hotel called Kelsey Manor. A display card in the room advertises happy hour at the Sonny Buono lounge and features a pic of a mustached Kim Manners. At the Salute to Supernatural L.A. 2009, Jensen and Jared mentioned that in honor of Kim the crew had undertaken a mustache growing competition. There were also upside down "KM" carved into the wooden paddle parts of the room divider in the motel room.
Kim.png

Sides, Scripts & Transcripts

Promotion