Timeline (Season 12)

NOTE:

• Days spent on each case include the day after they solve them, if it is shown in the episode.
• Day counts assume one driving day in cases when the boys hear about the case and must travel to the location, unless otherwise stated.
• Day counts count partial days as full days (meaning if an episode starts late at night, that night counts as a day)
• Priority of information sources: A)Dialogue, B)Logic, C)Art/Props Department, D)Other Official Sources, E)Conjecture.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you want the dates to be in chronological time, you will have to add 2 years to all dates listed. (See note before Timeline (Season 6) and Timeline (Season 8) for more details)

Unknown 2016 (Friday) - 12.01 Keep Calm and Carry On

Day Count: approx. 24 hours

Location: The Bunker (Lebanon KS), unknown locations, Aldrich MO

We pick up where we left off. Mary has to Keep Calm and Carry On when she finds out that she’s been resurrected after a 33 year absence. Meanwhile, Sam has been kidnapped by some British people. We travel from where Dean found Mary (which must have been relatively close to the Bunker) to the Bunker, and then to several unknown locations. Sam is also taken to an unknown location. We spend roughly 24 hours in the episode. Dean doesn’t sleep.

• We find out that Sam was taken at 2:12am. Cas is told that he was banished roughly 3 hours away from the Bunker, but it must have been more, because the sun is well risen before he gets back.

Unknown 2016 (Possibly Friday – Sunday) - 12.02 Mamma Mia

Day Count: 3

Location: Aldrich MO, the Bunker (Lebanon KS)

We pick up shortly after we left off. Sam’s still being tortured, Mary, Dean, and Cas are still looking for him. Cas finally finds a lead in an heavily warded farmhouse. Meanwhile, Crowley tries to send Lucifer back to the cage, just after Lucifer finds a new suitable vessel. This episode takes place over 3 days. Dean and Mary travel from the Bunker to Aldrich MO and then back again with Sam. Cas spends the whole episode in Aldrich and then we don’t know where he goes.

• lightly weird timing in this episode. Cas calls Dean to tell him about the farm just after Mary has woken up on the second day. Aldrich is only 6 hours away from the Bunker, but when Dean and Mary are driving there, its dark... which means Mary either slept really late, or they took a really long time leaving the Bunker. They then rescue Sam on the third day. In my opinion, it would have made more sense for the episode to take place over only two days, with Mary and Dean successfully rescuing Sam the same day that Cas figured out where he was – in which case, the car scene being shot at night was a continuity mistake in production.

Unknown 2016 (Possibly Sunday – Wednesday) - 12.03 The Foundry

Day Count: 4

Location: The Bunker (Lebanon, KS); St. Paul MN

There’s a good possibility that we pick up where we left off again with Mary reading John’s journal at night, but the next morning, Mary as found a hunt in St. Paul, MN, and the Winchesters make the trip. Meanwhile, Cas gets a lead on Lucifer and starts tracking him down, Crowley tagging along beside him. The boys travel from the Bunker to St. Paul and then back again, over 4 days.

• We don’t know what time Mary and Cas talk in the opening scene – if it’s past midnight then this episode takes place over 3 days starting on the Monday in the wee hours of the morning.
• It’s an 8 hour trip from Lebanon, KS, to St. Paul, MN. So, conceivably, the Winchesters could have made the trip in one day, and dialogue supports this, so no extra days were added for travel time.
• Mary is up late reading John’s journal, which we saw Sam give her at the end of the previous episode – also at night – so it’s relatively safe to assume that this is the same night. Further evidence – the fact that Sam didn’t know Dean had gotten Mary newspapers to read, also suggests that we’re still following close on the heels of the previous episode, since Sam was not around the Bunker in those episodes, and therefore could not have seen Dean get or give Mary the newspapers. If we ARE following directly from the previous episode, then the final moments of this episode marks only 5 days since Mary was resurrected.

Unknown 2016- 12.04 American Nightmare

Day Count: 3

Location: Mason City, Iowa

Sam and Dean find a family living the American Nightmare when they investigate an odd stigmata death. We spend 3 days with the boys in Mason City, Iowa.

Unknown 2016 - 12.05 The One You've Been Waiting For

Day Count: 4

Location: The Bunker (Lebanon, KS); Fall River, MA

Sam and Dean investigate a case of spontaneous combustion, only for it to lead them to the Thule, and an opportunity to do something that everyone, at one point or another, has thought of doing. The boys spend 4 days in this episode, and drive from the Bunker to Columbus, OH.

Unknown 2016 - 12.06 Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox

Day Count: 2

Location: Sioux Falls, SD; Emerson, MB, Canada

Sam and Dean drop by to see Jody, when she gets a phone call about a friend’s death. They travel with her to the Wake, which is Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox, in Emerson, Manitoba. We spend only 2 days with the boys, driving from Sioux Falls, SD, to Emerson, Man, Canada.

• Just as Jody says, it’s at least a 5 hour trip from Sioux Falls to Emerson.
• The boys “just finished a hunt in Brookings”, SD, just north of Sioux Falls. We didn’t see this Hunt, so time has passed between episodes.
• Dean accuses Mary of only sending them a text “once a week maybe” – which means that several weeks must have passed between her leaving and now for there to be an established trend in communication.

Unknown 2016 - 12.07 Rock Never Dies

Day Count: at least 4

Location: The Bunker (Lebanon, KS); Los Angeles, CA

Team Free Will track down Lucifer, when he decides to take advantage of his current vessel, because Rock Never Dies. We spend at least 4 days with the boys, as Sam and Dean drive from the Bunker to Los Angeles.

• It’s a 20 hour drive from Lebanon KS to the Los Angeles CA.
• Cas complains that “it’s been weeks” hanging out with Crowley, which confirms that several weeks have gone by since 12x03 - Usually, people only say “it’s been weeks” if it’s been at least 3 weeks.
• Sam says that Mary “didn’t know what a cell phone was a month ago” – either Sam is exaggerating for effect, or it’s only been a month since the season opener and Mary’s return, both are possible.

Early December 2016 - 12.08 LOTUS

Day Count: at least 2

Location: The Bunker (Lebanon, KS); St. Louis, MO; outside Indianapolis, IN

Lucifer becomes “LOTUS” when he possesses the President of the United States, causing Sam and Dean to embark on a dangerous plan to exorcise him and send him back to the cage with Rowena’s help. The episode takes place over at least 4 days (but most likely more). The boys travel from an unknown location, to the Bunker, to a monastery in St. Louis, and then finally to where the President is staying outside of Indianapolis, Indiana.

• In 12.19 The Future Sam say that Kelly became pregnant “sometime in early December”, while we don’t know how long Lucifer was POTUS, if we assume that the episode shows us events chronologically, then it would be at the time of this episode.

Late January or Early February 2017 - 12.09 First Blood

Day Count: between 45 and 60

Location: The Bunker (Lebanon, KS); Colorado; Missouri; Lawrence, KS.

Sam and Dean spend between 45 and 60 days in solitary confinement in Colorado, until they draw First Blood in a successful escape attempt. Meanwhile, Mary and Castiel try to deal with their absence. Castiel tries to hunt Vampires in Missouri but fails. Mary takes on several hunts, helping Alicia Banes and her brother in Louisiana, and also making a second attempt in Missouri after Cas confesses his failure there. Eventually, they meet up with the boys in Colorado. At the beginning of the episode, Mary is in Lawrence, Kansas.

• The last time we see Dean’s tally marks on the wall, they indicate that he’s been in confinement for roughly 43 days. In a scene shortly after, when Mary and Cas meet up in the bar, Cas tells Mary that it’s been “6 weeks 2 days and 10 hours” since Sam and Dean were taken. Once Sam and Dean escape, one of the men imprisoning tells us that he’s been doing it his supervisor’s way for “the last 2 months”, so either he’s rounding up, or more days have passed since Castiel spoke to Mary.

February 2017 - 12.10 Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets

Day Count: 2

Location: The Bunker (Lebanon KS), unknown location

Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets, but not enough regrets to stop her from causing problems for one of Cas’ old flights, prompting Cas to try to help long-lost comrades, while Dean and Sam do their best to help. This episode takes place over 2 days. The team drive from the Bunker, to an unknown location, and then back to the Bunker again.

• Dated by having to take place between First Blood and Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell
• Events in Cas’ past take place in Orono, Maine, in 1901

February 2017 - 12.11 Regarding Dean

Day Count: 4

Location: Carroll Country, AR; unknown town near the Mississippi delta, LA

Dean gets hit with an unknown curse, and soon it’s apparent that Dean is slowly forgetting everything Regarding Dean. This episode takes place over 4 days. The boys are in Carroll County, AR, and during the episode travel to an unknown town near the Mississippi Delta, LA.

• Dated by having to take place between First Blood and Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell

~Late February to Early March 2017 - 12.12 Stuck in the Middle (With You)

Day Count: 1

Location: unknown

The entire family tries to take down a demon, only to discover that he’s no ordinary demon. Soon, they all end up in a nearby barn, Castiel is dying, and they’re all Stuck in The Middle (With You). This episode takes place over the course of 1 day in an unknown location.

• They’re ordering their food at the diner at 5:20pm. They infiltrate and prepare to attack the demon after 8pm and before 8:45pm. After the fight, Mary exchanges texts on her phone at 9:03pm. Sam and Dean arrive at the barn at 9:05pm. Crowley arrives at 9:07pm. Crowley tries to talk Ramiel out of attacking at 9:12pm. (Please double-check these times yourself, if they're crucial to know, as I'm unsure whether I recorded them correctly)
• Dated by having to take place between First Blood and Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell
• We find out that “6 years ago” Crowley gave the Colt to Ramiel – this, by the show’s counting, would be after the events of Swan Song in S5 and before S6. (which, if you don’t skip years when counting, would actually be 8 years ago, not 6.)

~Early-Mid March 2017- 12.13 Family Feud

Day Count: at least 5

Location: The Bunker (Lebanon KS); Des Moines, IO; Ohio

Sam and Dean stir up a Family Feud in the MacLeod’s when they’re solution for solving a ghost hunt is to send Gavin MacLeod back in time where he belongs. The boys drive from the Bunker, to Des Moines, IO, to Ohio, and then back to the Bunker again. The episode takes place over at least 5 days.

• See Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell notes for date.
• Mary says that she’s still recovering from the Ramiel incident, which suggests that not much time has passed since it happened, although she’s in a different town than the boys now.

~Mid-March 2017- 12.14 The Raid

Day Count: 5

Location: The Bunker (Lebanon KS); Wichita, KS; unknown location relatively close to Wichita, KS

am and Mary must survive The Raid, as well as Winchester family strife in the aftermath of Mary’s betrayal. Meanwhile, Ketch tries to woo Dean to their cause. Sam travels from the Bunker to an unknown location somewhere relatively close to Wichita, KS. Dean travels from the Bunker to Wichita, and then to Sam and Mary’s location. We spend 5 days in this episode, skipping over 3 of them, and sharing the first with the previous episode.

• Immediately following Family Feud
• see Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell notes for date
• Sam tells Mick that he ran into the Alpha Vampire “5 years ago in Hoople, North Dakota” – this is a reference to There Will Be Blood, which took place in May 2012. (In chronological time, it would have been 6 years ago in 2013, and the show would be in 2019.)

~Late March/April 2017 - 12.15 Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell

Day Count: at least 2

Location: The Bunker (Lebanon KS); Sheridan County, NE; Couer D'Alene, ID

Sam and Dean hunt a Hell Hound in the Sheridan County, Nebraska, which is in fact Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell. Cas, meanwhile, tries to track down Kelly Kline in Couer D’Alene, Idaho. The boys travel from the Bunker to Sheridan Country, and back again. Over a period of at least two days.

• Gwen has gotten her acceptance letter to a veterinary college. College acceptance letters usually go out either in the last two weeks of March or in early April, according to Wikipedia
• Sam confesses at the end of the episode that the hunts they’ve been doing for the last “two weeks” have all been BMoL assignments – which tells us that it’s been at least two weeks since The Raid.
• At the beginning of the episode, we know that Dean hasn’t changed his underwear in four days – which means that they haven’t been at the Bunker for at least that long, but probably longer, as they’ve hunted Ghouls, Wraiths, and a Siren “back to back.”
• It’s 5-6 hour drive from Lebanon, KS, to Sheridan County, NE – usually I’d add a day, but Sam and Dean’s conversation seems to suggest that they planed to leave as soon as Dean took a shower, and it could be that they got home fairly early in the morning and then drove directly to the crime scene (given that the police were still there.)

~Early April 2017 - 12.16 Ladies Drink Free

Day Count: 4

Location: Wisconsin

Sam and Dean try to give Mick some hunting experience, when there’s a possible werewolf attack near a bar in Wisconsin. We spend 4 days with the boys, as they drive from BMoL HQ to Wisconsin.

~Early-Mid April 2017 - 12.17 The British Invasion

Day Count: at least 5

Location: The Bunker (Lebanon KS); unknown locations

It might be a second go around for The British Invasion when the British Men of Letters starts putting pressure on Mick to step up his game. Meanwhile, Sam and Dean, with the help of Eileen Leahy, track down Kelly and Dagon at an unknown location. We spend at least five days in this episode, but most likely more.

• Two days pass between Renny’s death and Dr. Hess coming to town. Also, seemingly, between Renny’s death and Eileen leaving the Bunker, though that’s not explicitly stated.

~Mid-Late April 2017 - 12.18 The Memory Remains

Day Count: 4

Location: The Bunker (Lebanon KS); Tomahawk, WI

Sam and Dean travel to Tomahawk, WI, where The Memory Remains of a series of disappearances over the years. We spend 4 days in this episode with Sam and Dean traveling from the Bunker to Tomahawk, WI, and back again.

After April 18, 2017 - 12.19 The Future

Day Count: at least 2

Location: The Bunker (Lebanon, KS); unknown loacation; unknown location (Heaven's Gate)

We’re not sure what The Future might bring, as Cas returns and everyone tries to track down Kelly and her Nephilim baby. We travel from the Bunker to an unknown location, and then to the unknown location of Heaven’s gate. The episode takes place over at least two days.

• When Sam say that Kelly’s baby is due May 18th, Dean says that gives them less than a month to find her.

Late April/Early May 2017 - 12.20 Twigs & Twine & Tasha Banes

Day Count: 1

Location: The Bunker (Lebanon, KS); Rock River, WY

Sam and Dean join Alicia and Max Banes in a hunt for their mother, and they discover Twigs & Twine & Tasha Banes in Rock River, Wyoming. The episode takes place over the course of one day even with the drive from the Bunker to Rock River.

• It takes 8 hours to get from Lebanon KS to Rock River. If the Banes children called in the morning, then Sam and Dean could have made it there by the evening (which they seemed to, as it was dark by the time Sam got back with the take-away for supper with the Banes.)

Early May 2017 - 12.21 There's Something About Mary

Day Count: at least 5

Location: The Bunker (Lebanon KS), South Carolina; unknown locations

Sam and Dean try to track down mom, while also getting suspicious at a recent spate of Hunter deaths. Meanwhile, There’s Something About Mary that is very much off. We spent at least five days in this episode.

• Sam says that Mary was working a case with Ketch “four days ago”, which is likely the last time they spoke to her in person.
• This likely takes place directly after the previous episode, as Dean would have gone directly to Mary’s last known location as soon as he became worried about her.
• Eileen dies in South Carolina, where they view the body – the drive from South Carolina back to the Bunker in Lebanon, KS, is over 18 hours, which extends the episode timing.

May 2017 - 12.22 Who We Are

Day Count: approx. 3

Location: The Bunker (Lebanon KS); Sioux Falls, SD; unknown location (BMoL HQ)

Sam takes the fight to the British Men of Letters, while Dean rescues Mary. The boys travel from the Bunker, to Sioux Falls, SD – and then Sam travels to the unknown location of the BMoL HQ while Dean travels back to the Bunker. We spent approx. 3 days in this episode.

• It’s only a 5 hour drive from the Bunker to Sioux Falls, so I did not add another day for travel. I DID add a day for the other hunters to arrive at Jody’s house, however. So, if you wanted to believe that those were just the hunters in the area and they got their quicker, then you can subtract a day from the count.

Mid-May 2017 - 12.23 All Along the Watchtower

Day Count: 2

Location: The Bunker (Lebanon KS); North Cove, WA.

Sam, Dean, Mary, and Crowley, race to protect Cas from Lucifer, meanwhile, the Nephilim decides it’s time to be born. The boys drive from the Bunker to North Cove, WA. We spent at least two days in this episode.

• I’m assuming that Kelly gives birth around when Sam predicted she would “May 18th”
• It’s nearly a 24 hour drive from Lebanon, KS, to North Cove, WA. I’m assuming the boys drove straight there, switching out drivers when they needed to rather than stopping anywhere overnight.

All information for this timeline taken from hells_half_acre's SPN Timeline

(Season 13 timeline to come in after Season 13 airs... unless something horrible happens to me, then you're on your own.)