3.11 Mystery Spot

Air Date: 14 Feb 2008

Teaser

Closeup of Sam's closed eyes.

Radio

Heat of the moment

Sam's eyes snap open.

INT. Hotel ROOM - DAY

Sam sits up in bed.

Radio

Telling you what your heart is

Dean: Rise and shine, Sammy!

Dean is sitting on the other bed, tying his shoes.

Sam: Dude. Asia?

Dean: Come on, you love this song and you know it.

Sam: Yeah, and if I ever hear it again I'm gonna kill myself.

Dean turns up the volume.

Dean: What? Sorry, couldn't hear you.

Radio

It was the heat of the moment

Dean starts bopping along. Sam shakes his head.

Radio

Heat of the moment

Heat of the moment

Showed in your eyes

INT. BATHROOM

Dean gargles loudly and long. Sam tries to ignore him long enough to brush his teeth. Dean grins.

INT. Hotel ROOM

Sam: Whenever you're ready, Dean.

Dean pulls out a black bra.

Dean: This yours?

Sam glares. Dean laughs, rummages in the bag some more, and pulls out a gun.

Dean: Bingo.

Dean goes past Sam to the door.

Dean: Now who's ready for some breakfast?

INT. DINER - DAY

The door chimes as Sam and Dean enter. CASHIER gives Mr. PICKETT some change.

CASHIER

Drive safely now, Mr. Pickett.

Mr. PICKETT

Yeah, yeah.

COOK in background

Order up.

Sam and Dean find a booth.

Waitress: Can't stay unless you order something, Cal. You know the rules.

CAL passes her some change.

CAL

Some coffee.

Dean notices a poster on the wall.

Dean: Hey. Tuesday. Pig in a poke.

Sam: You even know what that is?

Waitress, whose nametag says DORIS

You boys ready?

Dean: Yes. I'll have the special, side of bacon and a coffee.

Sam: Make it two coffees and a short stack.

DORIS

You got it.

Dean: I'm telling you, Sam, this job's small fry. We should be spending our time hunting down Bela.

Sam: Okay, sure, let's get right on that-where is she again?

Dean: Shut up.

Sam: Look, believe me, I want to find her as bad as you do. In the meantime, we have this.

Sam pulls out some papers.

Dean: All right, so this professor.

The headline on the newspaper clipping reads "MISSING - DEXTER HASSELBACK LAST SEEN IN BROWARD, FLORIDA".

Sam: Dexter Hasselback was passing through town last week when he vanished.

Dean: Last known location?

Sam: His daughter says he was on his way to visit the Broward County Mystery Spot.

Dean turns over a flyer. The front has a large question mark and the words "Broward County Mystery Spot". The back says "E=MC2?", "A=πR2?", and "F=GM1M2/R22?" below the lines Dean reads aloud.

Dean: Where the laws of physics have no meaning.

DORIS arrives with a tray with two coffees and a bottle of hot sauce.

DORIS

Two coffees, black, and some hot sauce for the-

DORIS gasps as the hot sauce falls off the tray and smashes on the floor.

DORIS

Whoops. Crap! Sorry. Cleanup!

EXT. STREET - DAY

A dog barks as Sam and Dean pass. Dean grabs the Mystery Spot flyer from Sam's hands.

Dean: Sam, joints like this are only tourist traps, right? I mean, you know, balls rolling uphill, furniture nailed to the ceiling, they're only dangerous to your wallet.

Sam: Okay, look, I'm just saying, there are spots in the world where holes open up and swallow people. The Bermuda Triangle, uh, the Oregon Vortex-

Dean: Broward County Mystery Spot?

Sam: Well sometimes these places are legit.

Dean: All right, so if it is legit, and that's a big-ass if, what's the lore?

Sam: Well-

Dean collides with Blonde Girl, who is carrying a stack of paper.

Blonde Girl

Excuse me.

Sam: The lore's pretty frigging nuts, actually. They say these places the magnetic fields are so strong that they can bend spacetime, sending victims no one knows where.

Dean: Sounds a little [i]X-Files[i]to me.

Sam and Dean pass two MOVERS trying to get a desk in a door.

MOVER 1

Told you it wouldn't fit.

MOVER 2

What do you want, a Pulitzer?

Sam: All right, look, I'm not saying this is really happening, but if it is, we gotta check it out, see if we can do something.

Dean: All right, all right, we'll go tonight, after they close, get ourselves a nice long look.

INT. MYSTERY SPOT - NIGHT

The hallway is neon green with a black double spiral painted on the walls and door. The door opens to reveal Sam and Dean with flashlights. Sam closes the door behind them. They move up the hallway. Sam pulls out the EMF reader. Dean shines the flashlight around and up onto a table, lamp, and ashtray attached upside-down to the ceiling.

Dean: Wow. Uncanny.

Sam examines another table with a wine glass and a poultry dinner, this one at an angle to the floor. They both move on.

Dean: Find anything?

Sam, holding the unresponsive EMF meter

No.

Dean: You have any idea what you're looking for?

Sam: Uh, yeah.

Dean raises his eyebrows.

Sam: No.

Dean shakes his head. They both shine flashlights around other parts of the room.

OWNER

What the hell are you doing here?

Sam turns to look. Dean points his flashlight and handgun at the voice. The OWNER has a gun aimed at Dean. Dean points his gun elsewhere.

Dean: Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa, we can explain.

The OWNER points the gun at Sam.

OWNER

You robbing me?

Sam: Look, nobody's robbing you, calm down.

The OWNER points the gun back at Dean.

Don't move!

Dean: Just putting the gun down.

The OWNER fires. Dean falls.

Sam: Dean!

Sam rushes to Dean. Dean struggles to breathe.

Sam: Hey!

Sam looks at the OWNER.

Sam: Call 911.

OWNER

I-I didn't mean to-

Sam: Now!

The OWNER leaves.

Sam: Hey, hey, oh, no, no, no, not like this...

Dean goes still. His eyes close. Sam watches, devastated.

ACT ONE

Closeup of Sam's closed eyes.

Radio

Heat of the moment

Sam's eyes snap open.

INT. Hotel ROOM - DAY

Sam sits up in bed and stares around.

Radio

Telling you what your heart is

Dean: Rise and shine, Sammy!

Dean is sitting on the other bed, tying his shoes. Sam stares at him, then at the clock radio.

Radio

The heat of the moment

Showed in your eyes

Dean: Dude. Asia.

Sam keeps staring, breathing hard.

Sam: Dean.

Dean: Oh, come on, you love this song and you know it.

Dean turns the volume up and starts bopping along, exactly like the first time. Sam stares after him.

INT. BATHROOM

Dean gargles loudly and annoying. Sam drinks some water, swishes, and spits. Dean notices Sam's lack of reaction and spits out his mouthful.

Dean: What?

Sam: I don't know.

Dean: You all right?

Sam: I think I-

Sam pauses.

Sam: Man, I had a weird dream.

Dean: Yeah? Clowns or midgets?

INT. DINER - DAY

The door chimes as Sam and Dean enter. CASHIER gives Mr. PICKETT some change.

CASHIER

Drive safely now, Mr. Pickett.

Mr. PICKETT

Yeah, yeah.

Sam and Dean find a booth. Sam is staring around, bewildered.

Waitress: Can't stay unless you order something, Cal. You know the rules.

CAL passes her some change.

CAL

Coffee.

Dean notices a poster on the wall.

Dean: Hey. Tuesday. Pig in a poke.

Sam glances between Dean and the poster.

Sam: It's Tuesday?

Dean: Yeah.

DORIS

Are you boys ready?

Dean: Yes, I'll have the special, side of bacon and a coffee.

Sam stares for a minute.

Sam: Uh, nothing for me, thanks.

DORIS

Let me know if you change your mind.

Dean: I'm telling you, Sam, this job's small fry. We should be spending our time hunting down Bela.

Sam stares after DORIS.

Dean: Hey.

Dean snaps his fingers at Sam.

Dean: You with me?

Sam: What?

Dean: You sure you feeling okay?

Sam sighs.

Sam: You don't-you don't remember? Any of this?

Dean: Remember what?

Sam: This. Today. Like it's-like it's happened before?

Dean: You mean like déjà vu?

Sam: No, I mean like, like it's really happened before.

Dean: Yeah. Like déjà vu.

Sam: No, forget about déjà vu. I'm asking you if it feels like, like we're living yesterday all over again.

Dean: Okay, how is that not dé-

Sam, angry

Don't, don't say it! Just don't even...

DORIS arrives with a tray with one coffee and the hot sauce.

DORIS

Coffee, black, and some hot sauce for the-oops! Crap!

Sam notices the hot sauce wobble on the tray and catches it as it falls. DORIS gasps. Sam stares at the bottle in his hand and gives it back.

DORIS

Thanks.

DORIS puts down the bottle and leaves.

Dean: Nice reflexes.

Sam doesn't say anything.

EXT. STREET - DAY

The dog barks as Sam and Dean pass. Sam stares back over his shoulder.

Dean: Sam, I'm sorry, but I don't know what the hell you're talking about.

Sam: Okay, look, yesterday was Tuesday, right? But today is Tuesday too.

Dean: Yeah. No. Good. You're totally balanced.

Sam: So you don't believe me?

Dean laughs and collides with Blonde Girl.

Blonde Girl

Excuse me.

Dean: Look, I'm just saying that it's crazy, you know, I mean, even for us crazy. Dingo ate my baby crazy. Hey, maybe it was another of your psychic premonitions.

Sam: No, no way, way too vivid. Okay, look, we were at the Mystery Spot, and then-

Dean: And then what?

Sam: Then I woke up.

Sam and Dean pass the MOVERS.

MOVER 1

Told you it wouldn't fit.

MOVER 2

What do you want, a Pulitzer?

Sam: Wait a minute! The Mystery Spot. You think maybe it-

Dean: Maybe what?

Sam: We gotta check that place out, man. Look, just, go with me on this, okay?

Dean: All right, all right, we'll go tonight, after it closes, get ourselves a nice long look.

Sam realizes what Dean said and whips around.

Sam: Wait, what? No.

Dean: Why not?

Sam: Uh. Let's just go now. Right now. Business hours, nice and crowded.

Dean: My God, you're a freak.

Sam: Dean.

Dean: Okay. Whatever. We'll go now.

Dean walks a few feet ahead of Sam and looks to his right as he enters the street. A car slams into him from his left.

Sam: Dean!

Sam rushes to Dean.

Sam: Dean, no, no, no.

Dean has blood on his face and is barely moving. Sam turns him over and picks him up.

Sam: Come on, Dean.

Mr. PICKETT leans out of the now-stopped car. Sam stares at him, then back at Dean.

Sam: Hey. Dean.

Dean isn't moving.

Sam: Dean. Dean.

Closeup of Sam's closed eyes.

Radio

Heat of the moment

Sam's eyes snap open.

INT. Hotel ROOM - DAY

Sam sits up in bed and stares around.

Radio

Telling you what your heart is

Dean: Rise and shine, Sammy!

Dean is sitting on the other bed, tying his shoes. Sam stares at him.

Radio

The heat of the moment

Showed in your eyes

INT. BATHROOM

Dean gargles loudly and annoying. Sam watches.

INT. DINER - DAY

Dean: Hey. Tuesday. Pig in a poke.

Sam: Would you listen to me, Dean? Because I am flipping out.

DORIS

Are you boys ready?

Sam: He'll take the special, side of bacon, coffee, black, nothing for me, thanks.

DORIS

You got it.

Dean: Sammy, I get all tingly when you take control like that.

Sam: Quit screwing around, Dean.

Dean: Okay, okay, I'm listening. So, so you think that you're in some kind of a what again?

Sam: Time loop.

Dean: Like [i]Groundhog Day[i].

Sam: Yes, exactly, like [i]Groundhog Day[i].

Dean, nodding

Uh-huh.

Sam: So you don't believe me.

Dean: It's just a little crazy, I mean even for us crazy, you know, like, uh-

Sam: Dingo ate my baby crazy?

Dean: How'd you know I was going to say that?

Sam: Because you said it before, Dean, that's my whole point.

DORIS

Coffee, black, and some hot sauce for the-whoops! Crap.

Sam catches the hot sauce and hands it back to DORIS without looking.

DORIS

Thanks.

DORIS puts down the hot sauce and leaves.

Dean: Nice reflexes.

Sam: No. I knew it was going to happen.

Dean: Okay, look, I'm sure there's some sort of an explanation-

Sam: You're just going to have to go with me on this, Dean, you just have to, you owe me that much.

Dean: Calm down.

Sam: Don't tell me to calm down. I can't calm down. I can't. Because-

Dean: Because what?

Sam: Because you die today, Dean.

Dean: I'm not gonna die. Not today.

Sam: Twice now I've watched you die, and I can't. I won't do it again, okay? You're just going to have to believe me. Please.

Dean: All right. I still think you're nuts, but okay, whatever this is, we'll figure it out.

Sam nods.

EXT. STREET - DAY

The dog barks as Sam and Dean pass. Dean collides with Blonde Girl.

Blonde Girl

Excuse me.

Sam and Dean pass the MOVERS.

MOVER 1

Told you it wouldn't fit.

MOVER 2

What do you want, a Pulitzer?

Dean: And you think this cheesy-ass tourist trap has something to do with it?

Sam: Maybe it's the real deal, you know? The, the magnetic fields bending spacetime or whatever.

Dean: I don't know, it all seems a little too [i]X-Files[i]for me.

Sam: Well I don't know how else to explain it, Dean!

Dean: All right, all right, we'll go tonight after they close, get ourselves a nice long look.

Sam: No no no no no, we can't.

Dean: Why not?

Sam: Because you-

Dean: I what?

Sam doesn't say anything.

Dean: I die there?

Sam: Blown away, actually.

Dean: Huh. Okay, we go now.

Dean starts forward. Sam rushes after him and grabs him before he runs into the street. Mr. PICKETT's car zooms past.

Mr. PICKETT

Stay out of the way!

Sam and Dean stare after the car.

Dean: Wait, did he?

Sam: Yesterday, yeah.

Dean: And?

Sam: And what?

Dean: Did it look cool, like in the movies?

Sam: You peed yourself, Dean.

Dean: Of course I peed myself. Man gets hit by a car, you think he has full control over his bladder? Come on!

Dean is careful to look both ways before they cross the street.

INT. MYSTERY SPOT - DAY

OWNER

Boys, I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. We could use all the good ink we can get.

Sam: How long have you owned the place, Mr. Kopiak[?]?

OWNER

My family's been guarding the secrets here since you don't want to know when.

Sam: So you'd know if anything strange happened.

OWNER

Strange? Strange happens here all the time. It's a Mystery Spot.

Sam: What exactly does that mean?

OWNER

Well, uh, it's where the laws of physics have no meaning.

Sam, angry

Okay, like how?

OWNER, grinning

Take the tour.

Dean: The guy who went missing, Dexter Hasselback, he take the tour?

OWNER

Uh, uh, hold on a minute, what kind of article is this?

Sam: Just answer the question.

OWNER

The police scoured every inch of this place. They couldn't find that man. I never seen him before. We're a family establishment-

Sam gets in the OWNER's face.

Sam: Listen to me. There is something weird going on here. Now do you know anything about it or not?

OWNER

Okay. Look. Guys. Um. Give me a break. I bought the joint at a foreclosure auction last March, all right? Hell, I used to sell bail bonds.

Sam stares at him, stony-faced.

Dean: Okay, Kojak[?], let's get some air.

Dean steers Sam outside.

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

Dean: I hate to say it, but that place is exactly what I thought. Full of crap.

Sam: Then what is it, Dean, what the hell is happening to us?

Dean: I don't know. All right, lemme just, so, every day I die.

Sam: Yeah.

Dean: And that's when you wake up again, right?

Sam: Yeah.

Dean: So let's just make sure I don't die. If I make it to tomorrow, then maybe the loop stops and we can figure all this out.

Sam: You think?

Dean: Worth a shot. I say we grab some takeout and head back to the motel, lay low until midnight.

Sam nods.

Dean: All right, good. Who wants Chinese?

Dean starts walking again and gets two steps before being flattened by a falling desk. The MOVERS, one holding the other end of the snapped rope and the other up in the window, and Sam stare.

Closeup of Sam's closed eyes.

Radio

Heat of the moment

Sam's eyes open.

INT. Hotel ROOM - DAY

Sam sits up in bed and stares around.

Radio

Telling you what your heart is

Dean is sitting on the other bed, tying his shoes. Sam stares at him.

Radio

The heat of the moment

Sam lies back down and tries to breathe.

Radio

Showed in your eyes

It was the heat of the moment

ACT TWO

INT. DINER - DAY

Dean: I still think you're nuts, but whatever this is, we'll figure it out.

Sam: Thanks.

Dean: So. Uh. You're stuck in [i]Groundhog Day[i]. Why? What's behind it?

Sam: Well, first I thought it was the Mystery Spot. Now I'm not so sure.

Dean: What do we do?

Sam: Try to keep you breathing, try to make it to tomorrow. That's the only thing I can think of.

Dean: Shouldn't be too hard.

Sam: Yeah, right, Dean, I've watched you die a few times now and I can't ever seem to stop it.

Dean: Well, nothing's set in stone. You said I order the Same thing every day, right?

Sam: Yeah. Pig in a poke, side of bacon.

Dean turns to DORIS, who is standing by the window to the kitchen, talking with the COOK.

Dean: 'scuse me, sweetheart.

DORIS turns.

Dean: Can I get sausage instead of bacon?

DORIS

Sure thing, hon.

Dean: See? Different day already. See, if you and I decide I'm not gonna die, I'm not gonna die.

DORIS brings over Dean's food.

Dean: Thank you.

Dean stabs a sausage with his fork and bites in. Sam grins. Dean starts to choke.

Sam: Dean. Dean?

Closeup of Sam's closed eyes.

Radio

Heat of the moment

Sam's eyes open.

INT. Hotel ROOM - DAY

Sam sits up in bed and stares around.

INT. BATHROOM - DAY

Dean pokes his shampooed head around the shower curtain.

Dean: You mean we can't even go out for breakfast?

Sam: You'll thank me when it's Wednesday!

Dean: Whatever that means.

Dean disappears behind the shower curtain.

INT. Hotel ROOM - DAY

Sam looks out the window. He hears Dean yelp, followed by a thud.

Closeup of Sam's closed eyes.

Radio

Heat of the moment

Sam's eyes open.

INT. Hotel ROOM - DAY

Dean bites into a takeout taco.

Dean: These tacos taste funny to you?

INT. Hotel ROOM - DAY

Radio

Heat of the moment

Sam sits up in bed.

Dean plugs in an electric razor and is electrocuted.

Closeup of Sam's closed eyes.

Radio

Heat of the moment

Sam's eyes open.

INT. MYSTERY SPOT - NIGHT

Establishing shot of the neon-green-and-black spiral hallway.

Several thuds. Sam is breaking down the walls with an axe. Dean grins at the OWNER, who is duct-taped to a chair.

Dean: Everybody's fine, nobody's gonna get hurt, okay? Sammy?

Sam stops and turns.

Dean: Maybe you should drop the axe and let this guy go, what do you say?

Sam: Something's gotta be going on here. I intend to find out what.

Sam goes back to swinging the axe.

Dean: Place is tore up pretty good, dude. Time to give it a rest.

Sam: NO! I'm gonna take it down to studs.

Dean, standing up

Sammy, that's enough, give me the axe.

Sam offscreen

Leave it, Dean.

Dean offscreen

Give it.

Sam offscreen

No, you give it.

Dean offscreen

Let it go.

Sam offscreen

No.

Dean offscreen

Let it go, come on!

Sam offscreen

Dean, leave it, please-

The OWNER is splashed with blood.

Sam: Dean?

Thud. The OWNER tries to yell through the duct tape.

Closeup of Sam's closed eyes.

Radio

Heat of the moment

Sam's eyes open.

INT. DINER - DAY

The door chimes as Sam and Dean enter. CASHIER gives Mr. PICKETT some change.

CASHIER

Drive safely now, Mr. Pickett.

Mr. PICKETT

Yeah, yeah.

Sam bumps into Mr. PICKETT as they pass.

Waitress: Can't stay unless you order something, Cal. You know the rules.

CAL passes her some change.

CAL

Coffee.

Sam and Dean sit down in a booth. There's a Man at the counter with pancakes and maple syrup-he's been in the background of the hot sauce scenes but this time he's noticeable.

Dean: Hey. Tuesday. Pig in a poke.

Sam puts a set of keys on the table. Dean looks at them, then at Sam.

Dean: What are those?

Sam: The old man's. Trust me, you don't want him behind the wheel.

DORIS

You boys ready?

Dean: Uh, yes, we are. I'll have the special, side of bacon and a coffee.

Sam: Hey, Doris? What I'd like is for you to log in some more hours at the archery range. You're a terrible shot.

DORIS

How'd you know that?

Sam: Lucky guess.

Dean: Okay, so you think you're caught in some kind of what, again?

Sam: Time loop.

Dean: Like [i]Groundhog Day[i].

Sam: Doesn't matter. There's no way to stop it.

Dean: Jeez, aren't you grumpy.

Sam: Yeah, I am. You wanna know why? Because this is the hundredth Tuesday in a row I've been through, and it never stops. Ever. So yeah, I'm a little grumpy. Hot sauce.

Dean: What?

DORIS arrives with the coffee and hot sauce.

DORIS

Coffee, black, and some hot sauce for the-whoops! Crap!

Sam catches the hot sauce and slides it across the table.

DORIS

Thanks.

Dean: Nice reflexes.

Sam: I knew it was going to happen, Dean. I know everything that's gonna happen.

Dean: You don't know everything.

Sam: Yeah, I do.

Dean and Sam in unison

Yeah, right. Nice guess.

Sam: It wasn't a guess.

Dean and Sam in unison

Right, you're a mind reader. Cut it out, Sam. Sam.

They lean towards each other simultaneously.

Dean and Sam in unison

You think you're being funny but you're being really really childish! Sam Winchester wears makeup. Sam Winchester cries his way through sex. Sam Winchester keeps a ruler by the bed and every morning when he wakes up he-

Dean throws up his hands.

Dean: Okay, enough!

Sam: That's not all. Randy the cashier? He's skimming from the register. Judge Myers? At night he puts on a furry bunny outfit.

JUDGE MYERS, overhearing, knocks over his glass.

Sam: Over there, that's Cal. He's gonna rob Tony the mechanic on the way home.

Dean: What's your point?

Sam: My point is I've lived through every possible Tuesday. I've watched you die every possible way. I have ripped apart the Mystery Spot, burnt it down, tried everything I know to save your life and I can't. No matter what I do, you die. And then I wake up. And then it's Tuesday again.

EXT. STREET - DAY

Sam: Dog.

The dog barks as Sam and Dean pass.

Dean: There's gotta be some way out of this.

Sam: Where's my dang keys?

They pass Mr. PICKETT.

Mr. PICKETT

Where's my dang keys?

Sam: Excuse me.

Dean collides with Blonde Girl.

Blonde Girl

Excuse me.

Dean: She's kinda cute.

Dean puts out a hand to stop Sam.

Dean: Hey. All the times we've walked down this street, I ever do this?

Dean goes back to Blonde Girl.

Dean offscreen

'scuse me, miss!

Sam, staring after him

No.

Blonde Girl gives Dean one of her papers. For the first time we can see that there is a picture and the word "MISSING".

Dean: Hundred Tuesdays and you never bothered to check what she was holding in her hands?

Sam shrugs. Dean holds up the flyer.

Dean: It's the guy who went missing.

Sam stares at the name "DEXTER HASSELBACK" under the picture from the newspaper clipping.

Sam: Yeah?

Dean: That's his daughter back there.

Sam grabs the flyer and runs after Blonde Girl.

Sam: Ma'am?

The dog growls and barks at Dean.

Dean: Hey buddy! Somebody need a friend? Good boy-aaah!

Closeup of Sam's closed eyes.

Radio

Heat of the moment

Sam's eyes open.

INT. DINER - DAY

Dean is eating and Sam is on the laptop; behind them the Man with the pancakes is reading a newspaper. A thing of pink syrup is visible next to his plate.

Sam: So the police report says Dexter Hasselback is a professor, but that's not all he is.

Dean: What is he?

Sam: I talked to his daughter. Guy's quite the journalist. Columns in magazines, a blog.

The Man leaves.

Sam: He writes about tourist attractions. Mystery spots, UFO crash sites-he gets his kicks debunking them. I mean, he's already put four of these places out of business. Here.

Sam turns the laptop to face Dean. Onscreen is the biography of the author of the blog "The Hasselback Report" with a picture of Hasselback and a headline Dean reads aloud.

Dean: Dexter Hasselback, truth warrior? More like a pompous schmuck, you ask me.

Sam: Yeah, tell me about it. I mean, I've read everything the guy's ever written, and he must have weighed a ton, he was so full of himself.

Dean: When'd you have time to do all this research?

Sam: COme on.

Sam packs up the laptop. They get up. Dean laughs.

Sam: What?

Dean: I just, it's just funny, you know, I mean, this guy spends his whole life crapping on Mystery Spots and then he vanishes into one. It's kinda poetic, you know, just desserts.

Sam: You're right, that is just desserts.

Sam notices the Man's abandoned plate; it has a partial pancake and pink syrup.

Dean: What's wrong?

Sam watches the Man walk by the diner windows.

Sam: Guy has maple syrup for the last hundred Tuesdays, all of a sudden he's having strawberry?

Dean: It's a free country. Man can't choose his own syrup, huh? What have we become?

Sam: Not in this diner. Not today. Nothing in this place ever changes. Ever. Except me.

Closeup of Sam's closed eyes.

Radio

Heat of the moment

Sam's eyes open.

INT. Hotel ROOM - DAY

Sam sits up in bed and stares around.

Radio

Telling you what your heart is

Dean: Rise and shine, Sammy!

Dean is sitting on the other bed, tying his shoes. Sam looks around.

Radio

The heat of the moment

Showed in your eyes

INT. DINER - DAY

The Man is eating pancakes with maple syrup. Behind him, Dean is eating and Sam is watching the Man.

Dean: So you think you're caught in some kind of what, again?

Sam: Eat your breakfast.

The Man leaves. Sam follows.

Dean: What's in the bag?

Dean follows Sam.

EXT. STREET - DAY

The Man walks down the street. Sam grabs him, slams him into the fence, and puts the tip of a wooden stake at his throat.

Man: Hey!

Sam: I know who you are. Or should I say, what.

Man: Oh my god, please don't kill me.

Dean: Uh, Sam?

Sam: It took me a hell of a long time but I got it.

Man: What?

Sam: It's your MO that gave you away. Going after pompous jerks, giving them their just desserts-your kind loves that, don't they?

Man: Yeah, sure, okay.

The Man glances nervously at the stake.

Man: Just put the stake down!

Dean: Sam, maybe you should-

Sam: No! There's only one creature powerful enough to do what you're doing. Making reality out of nothing, sticking people in time loops-in fact you'd pretty much have to be a god. You'd have to be a Trickster.

Man: Mister, my name is Ed Coleman, my wife's name is Amelia, I got two kids, for crying out loud I sell ad space-

Sam: Don't lie to me! I know what you are! We've killed one of your kind before!

TRICKSTER

Actually, bucko, you didn't.

ACT THREE

Continuation of the previous scene.

Sam: Why are you doing this?

TRICKSTER

You're joking, right? You Chuckleheads tried to kill me last time. Why wouldn't I do this?

Dean: And Hasselback, what about him?

TRICKSTER

That putz? He said he didn't believe in wormholes, so I dropped him in one.

The TRICKSTER laughs.

TRICKSTER

Then you guys showed up. I made you the second you hit town.

Sam: So this is fun for you? Killing Dean over and over again?

TRICKSTER

One, yes. It is fun. And two? This is so not about killing Dean. This joke is on you, Sam. Watching your brother die, every day? Forever?

Sam: You son of a bitch.

TRICKSTER

How long will it take you to realize? You can't save your brother. No matter what.

Sam: Oh yeah? I kill you, this all ends now.

TRICKSTER

Oh-oh, hey, whoa! Okay. Look. I was just playing around. You can't take a joke, fine. You're out of it. Tomorrow, you'll wake up and it'll be Wednesday. I swear.

Sam: You're lying.

TRICKSTER

If I am, you know where to find me. Having pancakes at the diner.

Sam looks at Dean, then back at the TRICKSTER.

Sam: No. Easier to just kill you.

TRICKSTER

Sorry, kiddo. Can't have that.

The TRICKSTER snaps his fingers.

Closeup of Sam's closed eyes.

Radio

Promise me I'll be back in time

Sam's eyes snap open.

INT. Hotel ROOM - DAY

Sam sits up in bed and stares around.

Radio

Gotta get back in time

Dean: What, you gonna sleep all day?

Dean is standing by the bathroom sink.

Sam: No Asia.

Dean: Yeah, I know. This station sucks.

Radio

On a roll of the dice

Sam stares at the clock radio. It says WED. Sam gasps.

Sam: It's Wednesday!

Dean: Yeah, usually comes after Tuesday. Turn that thing off, will you?

Sam, grinning

What, are you kidding me? This isn't the most beautiful song you've ever heard?

Dean: No. How many Tuesdays did you have?

Sam throws a long-sleeved shirt over his T-shirt.

Sam: I don't know. I lost count. Hey, wait. What do you remember?

Dean: I remember you were pretty whacked out of it yesterday and then I remember running into the Trickster. But no, that's about it.

Sam: All right. Pack your stuff, let's get the hell out of town. Now.

Dean: No breakfast?

Sam: No breakfast.

EXT. PARKING LOT - DAY

Dean pulls a shotgun out of the secret compartment, puts it in a duffel bag, closes the compartment, puts the bag in the trunk, and closes the trunk. He hears someone behind him.

Dean: You sure we should just let the Trickster go?

Dean turns to face the person; it's CAL, not Sam. CAL is pointing a handgun at Dean.

CAL

Gimme your wallet.

Dean: Whoa whoa whoa, buddy, just relax.

CAL

I am relaxed!

CAL is not relaxed.

Dean: Okay, all right, nobody wants this to end the wrong way, let's talk about it a sec.

INT. Hotel ROOM - DAY

Sam is packing. His head snaps around when he hears a gunshot.

Sam: Dean!

EXT. STREET - DAY

CAL runs around the corner. Sam hurries down the motel exterior stairs. Dean is on his side on the asphalt, blood on his shirt. Sam runs to him.

Sam: No, no, no no no, hey, hey, come on, not today, not today, this isn't supposed to happen today, come on-

Sam realizes Dean isn't moving. He closes his eyes and waits. Nothing happens. He opens his eyes. Dean is still dead.

Sam: I'm supposed to wake up.

ACT FOUR

EXT. ROAD - NIGHT

A car, probably the Impala, drives across the screen. The caption at the bottom reads "Six Months Later".

INT. CAR - NIGHT

Sam is at the wheel. Throughout this montage, he barely has any expression. The sound of a phone ringing.

V.O. Sam: It's Sam. Leave me a message.

Beep. While Bobby speaks, flashes of Sam shining a flashlight around, the outside of a building, Sam firing a gun.

V.O. Bobby

Sam? It's Bobby. Heard about that demon thing you took care of in Death Valley. Nice job. Been about three months we talked, though. Be nice to hear your voice. Give a call. I'm here.

Beep.

EXT. MOTEL LOT - NIGHT

INT. Hotel ROOM - NIGHT

Sam opens the room door. He pulls off his overshirt; his T-shirt is bloodsoaked. He cuts up through the bloodstain to reveal a bleeding wound. He pours hydrogen peroxide on it and goes into the hole with a pair of something resembling tweezers, with which he pulls out a bullet. He stitches the wound.

INT. Hotel ROOM - NIGHT

Sam is eating.

Beep.

V.O. Bobby

Sam? Bobby again. Look, I'm worried about you.

Sam cleans a gun, facing a wall of maps and newspaper clippings and security-camera stills featuring the Trickster, arranged in neat lines with none overlapping.

V.O. Bobby

Just tell me you're not sitting alone somewhere obsessing over this damn Trickster. Call me, Sam. We can find it together. No one man should take something like this on alone. You hear me? By the way, that vampire nest in Austin, hell of a job.

Closeup of Sam's eyes. He sits up stiffly and makes the bed with military precision. He goes into the bathroom and brushes his teeth.

Beep.

V.O. Bobby

Sam? It's Bobby. I found him.

INT. MYSTERY SPOT - NIGHT

Bobby is kneeling on the floor turning the pages of a book, which is dead center of a chalked diagram with three candles and three bowls of unidentified substances. Sam enters the room behind him. Bobby stands.

Bobby: It's good to see you, boy.

He hugs Sam, who doesn't respond. Bobby pulls back.

Sam: What are we doing here, Bobby?

Bobby: Well, it's the last place we're sure the Trickster worked his magic.

Sam: So?

Bobby: So you want this thing? I found a summoning ritual to bring the Trickster here.

Sam: What do we need?

Bobby: Blood.

Sam: How much blood?

Bobby: Ritual says near a gallon. And it's gotta be fresh, too.

Sam: Meaning we have to bleed a person dry.

Bobby: And it's gotta be tonight. Or not for another fifty years.

Sam: Then let's go get some.

Sam turns to leave. Bobby doesn't move. Sam notices and turns back.

Bobby: You break my heart, kid.

Sam: What?

Bobby: I'm not gonna let you murder an innocent man.

Sam: Then why'd you bring me here?

Bobby: Why? Because it was the only way you'd see me! Because I'm trying to knock some sense into you! Because I thought you'd back down from killing a man!

Sam: Well, you thought wrong. Leave the stuff, I'll do it myself.

Bobby: I told you, I'm not gonna let you kill a man.

Sam, shouting

It's none of your damn business what I do!

Bobby: You want your brother back so bad?

Bobby leans down and pulls a knife out of his bag. He holds it up to Sam.

Bobby: Fine.

Sam eyes the knife.

Sam: what are you talking about?

Bobby: Better me than a civilian.

Bobby holds the knife out to Sam.

Sam: You're crazy, Bobby. I'm not killing you.

Bobby: Oh, now I'm the crazy one. Look, Sam, I'm old, I'm coming near the end of my trail. But you can keep fighting. Saving folk. But you need your brother. Let me get him back to you.

Sam: Bobby-

Bobby: You and Dean, you boys are the closest thing I have to family. I wanna do this.

Sam takes the knife.

Sam: Okay.

Bobby: Good.

Bobby turns around and goes to his knees.

Bobby: Just make it quick.

Sam waits.

Bobby: Do it, son.

Sam: Yeah, okay, Bobby.

Sam pulls a stake out of his shirt.

Sam: But you wanna know why?

Sam grabs Bobby around the throat and shoves the stake through his back. The tip comes out Bobby's chest.

Sam: Because you're not Bobby.

Sam twists the stake. Blood spurts out of the wound.

Bobby goes still and falls forward. Sam lets go of him, then stares at Bobby's corpse. Nothing happens.

Sam: Bobby? Bobby! Bobby!

Bobby's corpse vanishes. The stake falls over, then shoots over Sam's shoulder into the hand of the TRICKSTER. Sam turns to face him.

TRICKSTER

You're right. I was just screwing with you. Pretty good, though, Sam. Smart. Let me tell you, whoever said Dean was the dysfunctional one has never seen you with a sharp object in your hands. Holy Full Metal Jacket.

Sam: Bring him back.

TRICKSTER

Who, Dean? Didn't my girl send you flowers? Dean's dead. He ain't coming back. His soul's downstairs doing the hellfire rumba as we speak.

Sam: Just take us back to that Tuesday-er, Wednesday-when it all started. Please. We won't come after you, I swear.

TRICKSTER

You swear.

Sam: Yes.

TRICKSTER

I don't know. Even if I could-

Sam: You can.

TRICKSTER

True. But that don't mean I should. Sam, there's a lesson here that I've been trying to drill into that freakish Cro-Magnon skull of yours.

Sam: Lesson? What lesson?

TRICKSTER

This obsession to save Dean? The way you two keep sacrificing yourselves for each other? Nothing good comes out of it. Just blood and pain. Dean's your weakness. And the bad guys know it, too. It's gonna be the death of you, Sam. Sometimes you just gotta let people go.

Sam: He's my brother.

TRICKSTER

Yup. And like it or not, this is what life's gonna be like without him.

Sam: Please. Just-please.

TRICKSTER

I swear, it's like talking to a brick wall. Okay, look. This all stopped being fun months ago. You're Travis Bickle in a skirt, pal. I'm over it.

Sam: Meaning what?

TRICKSTER

Meaning that's for me to know and you to find out.

The TRICKSTER snaps his fingers.

Closeup of Sam's closed eyes.

Radio

Promise me I'll be back in time

Sam's eyes snap open.

INT. Hotel ROOM - DAY

Sam sits up in bed and stares around.

Radio

Gotta get back in time

Dean: What, you gonna sleep all day?

Dean is standing by the bathroom sink brushing his teeth.

Dean: I know, no Asia. This station sucks.

Radio

On a roll of the dice

Sam checks the clock radio. It says WED.

Sam: It's Wednesday.

Dean: Yeah, usually comes after Tuesday. Turn that thing off.

Sam throws off the covers and goes to pull Dean into a hug.

Dean: Dude, how many Tuesdays did you have?

Sam: Enough. What, uh, what do you remember?

Dean: I remember you were pretty whacked out of it yesterday. I remember getting up with the Trickster. That's about it.

Sam nods.

Sam: Let's go.

Dean: No breakfast?

Sam: No breakfast.

Dean: All right, I'll pack the car.

Sam: Wait, you're not going anywhere alone.

Dean: It's the parking lot, Sam.

Sam: Just-just trust me.

Sam, dressed, zips closed a bag. Dean opens the door, then turns back.

Dean: Hey, you don't look so good. Something else happen?

Sam says nothing for a moment.

Sam: I just had a really weird dream.

Dean nods.

Dean: Clowns or midgets?

Sam looks up. Dean grins. Sam tries to smile. He picks up his bag. Dean leaves. Sam follows, stopping at the door to look back at the unmade bed. Sam turns off the light and closes the door.