14.13 Lebanon

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SPN-1413.jpg
Title Lebanon
Episode # Season 14, Episode 13
First aired February 7, 2019
Directed by Robert Singer
Written by Andrew Dabb
Meredith Glynn
On IMDB Lebanon
Outline When Sam and Dean find an object with the ability to grant their deepest desire, they believe they finally have a solution for Michael, but are soon shocked by the sudden arrival of their father.
Monster John Wayne Gacy
Zachariah
Castiel
Timeline February 7, 2019
2003
Location(s) Lebanon, Kansas
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Synopsis

Sam and Dean visit a pawn shop looking for the skull of Sarah Good. The owner, Terry, shows them his store of supernatural goods, including dragon's breath. When Terry takes out Sarah Good's skull, the Winchesters reveal that a hunter named Bart Kemp was murdered for it. Terry takes the perfume bottle of dragon's fire and uses it to spray a large flame at the Winchesters, but Sam manages to shoot him. Sam and Dean decide to take the dragon's breath, along with everything else in Terry's shop, back to the Bunker.

Outside the Lebanon Vista movie theater, a group of teenagers share strange stories about the Winchesters. Stacy tells Max she will see her later at "the thing." Before leaving, Stacy remarks that whoever the Winchesters are, they have an awesome car, which gives Max the idea to steal the Impala in an attempt to impress her.

Sam and Dean are in the liquor store when they see the Impala being stolen. They quiz the woman at the post office, who directs them to the diner where Stacy's mother Caitlin works. At the diner, the cook tells the boys about a house on Route 36 where the local kids go to party.

The kids at the party house go through the items they found in the Impala. From an old cigar box, the ghost of John Wayne Gacy emerges and terrorizes a teen boy named Ethan, attacking him in the bathroom, which sends Ethan quickly running out the house. When a girl, Bea, chases after Ethan, she alerts Sam and Dean as to what happened. When Sam and Dean go inside the house, Sam quickly notices Gacy's cigar box and gets to work trying to burn it. Just as Gacy manifests before Dean, Sam is able to set the box aflame as Eliot, Max, and Stacy rush into the house to witness Gacy's spirit burn away. Sam and Dean explain to the kids that monsters and ghosts are real, but that they cannot tell anyone.

At the Bunker, Sam has identified the Baozhu -- a pearl with the power to grant wishes by giving a person their heart's desire -- among the items confiscated from the pawn shop.

Dean wishes on the Baozhu in the hope of ridding Michael from his mind. A figure appears and attacks them and is revealed to be their father -- John Winchester -- from 2003. They talk about everything that's happened since his death: how they saved the world multiple times, discovered the truth about the Men of Letters from their grandfather, and live in the Bunker with Castiel and Jack. Mary returns and they reunite for the first time since her death in 1983.

Sam is concerned about what ramifications John's return will have, while Dean just wants to spend time together and have a family dinner. While he looks through the lore books, John talks with Sam about their fight the night Sam left for Stanford. Sam tells John that while he thinks about him a lot, he never thinks about their fights. Sam felt bad about how he never got to say goodbye before finding John on the floor in the hospital. Sam acknowledges that John did the best he could for them.

Sam agrees to go with Dean into Lebanon to buy ingredients for dinner. Strangely, people they know in the town don't recognize them. Then they see an FBI "Most Wanted" poster for Dean, and find an online video that shows Sam is an internet-famous corporate lawyer who espouses kale and says he has no time for family. They theorize this is the effect of removing John from the timeline in 2003.

Meanwhile, Zachariah and Castiel from 2003 appear in the diner and interrogate the teenagers and Caitlin to find out who is meddling with time. Sam and Dean arrive, allowing the townspeople to escape. Castiel doesn't recognize Sam and Dean, and attacks them. Sam manages to kill Zachariah and uses the banishing sigil to send Castiel away.

Back at the Bunker, Dean explains to John the consequences of his presence, including that Mary would never have been brought back from the dead. John agrees he needs to return to the past. He also tells Dean that he never meant for his sons to have to live the hunter life, as it was supposed to end between the yellow-eyed demon and him. He wanted Dean to have a normal life and have a family of his own, but Dean asserts that he has a family. After sharing their first meal as a family, they gather around for one last tearful goodbye. As John holds Mary's hand, Sam smashes the Baozhu, sending John back to 2003. As a result, everything goes back to normal. The wanted poster of Dean gets replaced by a poster advertising a marathon. Stacy and Max are walking down the street holding hands while Eliot is excited knowing that the Winchesters hunt monsters. Soon after, Castiel arrives at the Bunker, notices the trio's wounds, and asks what happened to them. Dean replies "Well, there's a story."

As John wakes up in the Impala back in 2003, he gets a call from Dean. He tells Dean that he had "one hell of a dream" and that he will see Dean soon.

Characters

Definitions

Music

  • "When I'm Big" by Arveene and Misk
(playing at the house party when Max arrives with the boxes from the Impala)
  • "Real Thing" by The Silverman Brothers
(playing as Eliot shows up to the party to warn Max and Stacy about Sam and Dean)
  • "Till It Shines" by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
(plays over the montage of the Winchester family eating their final dinner)

Quotes

Eliot: I mean, think about it. Where did they even come from? Them or their weird sidekick with the trench coat. And what about that kid with the dumb Bambi look on his face all the time?
Sam: Listen, Jack and Cas are out with Jules and her crew, but when they get back, they can give us a hand cataloging all of this.
Sam: I-I know you need -- or you want some sort of rational explanation for what happened here, but... there isn't one. My brother and I, we hunt things. Evil things that shouldn't exist.
Dean: And we are damn good at what we do.
John: So, you saved the world?

Dean: More than once.

John: Then it's all true. God, the Devil, you boys smack in the middle. Now you live in a secret bunker with an angel and Lucifer's kid.
Sam: Dad... for me? That fight... that was a lifetime ago. I don't even remember what I said, and -- I mean... yeah. You know what? You did some messed-up things. But I don't... I mean, when I think about you... and I think about you a lot... I don't think about our fights. I think about you... I think about you on the floor of that hospital. And I think about how I never got to say goodbye.

John: Sam. Son. I am so sorry.

Sam: I'm sorry, too. But you did your best, Dad. You fought for us, and you loved us, and... that's enough.
Dean: Basically, uh, if you don't go back, Sam never gets back into the life, um, and Mom, she, uh...

John: What?
Dean: Well, without everything that we did -- with God, The Darkness -- she never comes back. Sam thinks that she'll just fade away.

John: Okay. I mean, me versus your mom? That's not even a choice.
John: Dean. I, uh -- I never meant for this.

Dean: Dad, we pulled you here.
John: No, son. My fight. It was supposed to end with me, with Yellow Eyes. But now you -- you are a grown man, and I am incredibly proud of you. I guess that I had hoped, eventually, you would... get yourself a normal life, a peaceful life, a family.

Dean: I have a family.
John: All right. Near as I can tell, we have two choices. All right, we can think about what's coming. Or we can be grateful for this time that we have together. Now, me... I choose grateful. So, to whatever brought us together, we owe you one. Amen.
Sam: Once we send Dad back... it's like none of this ever happened. He -- He just goes back to -- to... to being Dad.

Dean: You saying you wish things would be different?
Sam: Don't you? Can you imagine -- Dad in the past, knowing then what he knows now? I... I think it would be nice.

Dean: Yeah. I used to think that, too. But, uh... I mean, look, we've been through some tough times. There's no denying that. And for the longest time, I blamed Dad. I mean, hell, I blamed Mom, too, you know? I was angry. But say we could send Dad back knowing everything. Why stop there? Why not send him even further back and let some other poor sons of bitches save the world? But here's the problem. Who does that make us? Would we be better off? Well, maybe. But I got to be honest -- I don't know who that Dean Winchester is. And I'm good with who I am. I'm good with who you are. 'Cause our lives -- they're ours. And maybe I'm just too damn old to want to change that.
John: My girl. I miss you so damn much.

Mary: Me too.
John: You two. You take care of each other.
Sam: We always do.
Dean: Good to see you, Dad.
John: Yeah. I am so proud of you boys. I love you both so much.

Dean: I love you, too.
John: Dean. No, I'm okay. I just... I just had one hell of a dream. Yeah. No, it was a good one. I'm on my way back. I'll see you soon.

Trivia & References

This was the 300th episode of Supernatural. A party to celebrate was held for the cast and crew on the 16th November 2018. See 300th Episode Celebrations for a round-up of all the celebrations. Supernatural is the longest running U.S. sci-fi show ever on television.
Dean: The skull of Sarah Good. She was executed during the Salem Witch Trials.
Sarah Good was one of the first three women to be accused of witchcraft and was hung along with four other women during the Salem Witch Trials.
Terry: Now, this -- it's called Chrysaor. Supposed to be able to cut through anything. Sliced up your pal real good with just one swing, but you -- oh, you're a big boy. You might take some work.
The Chrysaor was the golden sword of Sir Artegal in Edmund Spenser's epic poem The Faerie Queene.
Dean: They always talk too much.
A reference to the trope of Evil Gloating, or monologing, in which the villain indulges in a long speech that often either reveals their plan or allows the hero time to escape or fight back. In this scene it may also be a call back to the scene in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indiana Jones is confronted by a sword-wielding assassin, whom Indiana just shoots.
Beetlejuice, All Saints' Day, and Hell Hazers are playing at the Lebanon Vista movie theater when Sam and Dean arrive in town.
Sam: Dean, listen to this -- uh, hangman's rope, fairy dust, John Wayne Gacy's cigar box.

Dean: So we're talkin', like, 31 Flavors of weird, huh?

A pervasive occult belief is that a hangman's noose has mystical abilities, such as healing various ailments.
John Wayne Gacy was a real serial killer who became known as the "Killer Clown" due to his dressing as the character Pogo the Clown for children's parties. He was executed at Stateville Correctional Center on May 10, 1994. He was reportedly cremated which is why his ghost is tied to the old cigar box. Incidentally, Gacy was indirectly referenced by Dean in 2.05 Simon Said after seeing Andy's van. He also asked Martin Creaser if his clown drawings were "original Gacy's" in 5.11 Sam, Interrupted.
"31 Flavors" is a nickname for Baskin-Robbins, who are known for their 31 flavors slogan.
Sam: Listen, Jack and Cas are out with Jules and her crew, but when they get back, they can give us a hand cataloging of all of this.
The hunter Jules is named after the Managing Editor of the Supernatural Wiki, Jules Wilkinson, who, along with her crew, is rather fond of cataloging aka maintaining the SuperWiki. The character Jules also appeared in 14.03 The Scar.
Sam: You're not gonna believe this. It's called the Baozhu. It's one of eight ancient Chinese treasures. I-It's a pearl that grants wishes.
The Baozhu is one of the Eight Treasures or Eight Precious Things. The wish-granting pearl or flaming pearl symbolizes the granting of wishes.
Among the artifacts in the pawn shop can be seen a hockey mask like that worn by Jason Voorhees, the villain of the Friday the 13th horror franchise. In 2008, Jared starred in a remake of Friday the 13th .
Dean: According to the Internet, you run a law firm and love kale. Wait till you check out your, uh, wannabe TED Talk.
TED Talks are short presentations people can make that cover any topics, which are posted online for free distribution.
Dean: Well, I mean, I'm still hunting, but you're Internet famous. So, what -- is there two of us running around here?

Sam: No, I don't think so. I think it's a temporal paradox. We pulled Dad here from 2003, right? So time is self-correcting. Our timeline is changing to this new one.

A temporal paradox, is a time-traveling principle, specifically the "grandfather paradox", where something that is changed in the past will affect the future.
Zachariah: Earth -- where you're always stepping in something. Come on, Constantine.

Castiel: I don't understand that reference.

This is a reference to the famous comic book character John Constantine. Castiel's outfit -- a rumpled suit and tie and trench coat -- are based off of Constantine's long-standing look.
Castiel also said that line in 5.13 The Song Remains the Same. Gadreel said a variation of it in 9.23 Do You Believe in Miracles?
Zachariah: Yeah, we sensed a -- well, let's call it a disturbance in the Force. And in Heaven, well, we're -- we're not super fond of those.
This is a reference to the Force in Star Wars, which is the energy field which connects all things.
Zachariah: So, I'm going to ask one more time -- who's been playing "Back to the Future"? And you're going to tell me, or he -- What's the phrase I'm looking for? He -- oh -- murders you all.
Back to the Future is a trilogy of movies from the 1980's about a young man who goes on a series of adventures in a time traveling DeLorean, altering history due to his actions for both the better and the worse.
Zachariah: What did you do, Sam? What did you do? Sam. Speak, Ubu, speak.
"Speak, Ubu, speak" is a reference to the vanity card for production company Ubu Productions which would speak the phrase "Sit, Ubu, sit. Good dog." at the end of the programs they produced.

Minutiae

Original score by Jay Gruska.
Jared and Jensen are the only actors to appear in all 300 episodes of Supernatural. However, Jensen only appears as Dean Winchester in 299 episodes.
John Winchester's age at the time of 2.01 In My Time of Dying would have been 52 years old. With Jeffrey Dean Morgan's return to Supernatural in "Lebanon", he is now the same age as John Winchester was in his last appearance. However, as John was pulled from 2003, Morgan is playing John 3 years younger than he actually is.
One of the early reported ideas for the 300th episode at Comic-Con 2018 was for it to be done from the perspective of the town's people of Lebanon, Kansas, and see their perceptions of Sam and Dean in the town. An element of this idea was retained with the teenager Eliot talking about Sam and Dean's mysterious nature, as well as the Winchester's interactions with the clerk at the liquor store, Jackson, and the mail woman, Marta.
On Twitter, actor Zenia Marshall who played Stacy, dubbed the ship of Max and Stacy "Stax."
The monkey on the counter in the pawn shop is the same monkey that used to be on the bar in Harvelle's Roadhouse, and was last seen in Rocky's Bar in Dean's subconscious.
In Lebanon, the Winchesters are well known in the town and go by the aliases Sam and Dean Campbell. Campbell is Mary's family name. Also, in 7.07 The Mentalists, the Campbell brothers, seen in a photograph, also existed and specialized in paintings and writings said to be produced by spirits. They were Allen Campbell and Charles Shrouds and were actually a gay couple who posed as brothers.
Sam and Dean appear to have become something of an urban legend to the kids of the town who note their strange actions, including the times Sam and Dean have driven around with a living being in the Impala trunk.
The liquor store in Lebanon sells Family Business Beer, which also featured in Rocky's Bar.
A Castle Storage facility can be seen near Main Street in Lebanon, Kansas.
The Impala is stolen again and taken on a joyride in this episode. In 11.04 Baby, the car was stolen while the Winchesters were at a restaurant, but they were unaware of the theft as it was returned by the thief, their parking valet, when they were done eating.
The current date is given as February 7, 2019, the same day that the episode aired. In Lebanon it is known as "Skip Day" when the kids skip school. Ironically some fans skipped school or work to watch the 300th episode.
Sam and Dean appear to be driving a black 1956 GMC 100 -- most likely one of the many classic cars to be found within the Men of Letters Bunker's motor pool. John previously drove a black 1986 GMC Sierra Grande after handing the Impala's keys off to Dean. The truck also has the Kansas license plates that were on John's truck: CSG 8R3.
Sam and Dean come up against the ghost of serial killer John Wayne Gacy. This is the second time that they've come up against the ghost of a famous serial killer, having faced the ghost of H.H. Holmes in 2.06 No Exit.
Dean: A serial killer clown. I mean, this is, like, the best/worst thing that's ever happened to you, you know, 'cause you love serial killers, but you hate clowns.
It has previously been established that Sam is fascinated with serial killers and has a paralyzing fear of clowns.
The fight between John, Dean, and Sam in the dark recalls the fight in the dark between Sam and Dean in Sam's apartment in 1.01 Pilot.
John: Then it’s all true. God, the Devil, you boys smack in the middle. Now you live in a secret bunker with an angel and Lucifer's kid.
John's line about Sam and Dean being "smack in the middle" recalls a similar line said by Bobby Singer in 1.22 Devil's Trap:
"The storm's coming, and you boys, your daddy – you are smack in the middle of it."
John: And you've done this whole time travel thing before?

Dean: A few times. Actually, uh, our grandfather, your dad -- he's the one that helped us find this place. I think he'd be real happy to know you're finally here.

Sam and Dean have time traveled in 4.03 In the Beginning, 5.13 The Song Remains the Same, 6.18 Frontierland, 7.12 Time After Time, and 11.14 The Vessel. In 8.12 As Time Goes By, Henry Winchester had fled through time from 1958 to escape the grasp of the Knight of Hell Abaddon, who later killed him in 2013. Henry was a member of the Men of Letters, who tells Dean he intended to induct John into the order when he was old enough. Henry gave the boys the Box which contained a key to the Bunker, which they located with the help of Larry Ganem.
Dean: Dad, none of this would have happened without you.

John: It's good. It's fine. I-I went out takin' out Yellow Eyes. I mean, that was the point, right? I mean, get the thing that killed Mom.

The Winchesters' referred to Azazel as "The Demon," "The Yellow-Eyed Demon" or "Yellow Eyes." His name -- Azazel -- was only revealed by the demon Casey to Dean after John's death in 3.04 Sin City, however John knew to use the Sigil of Azazel to summon the demon, hinting that he knew of Azazel's name. While John was aware of the Princes of Hell, as noted in his journal, it is not known if he was aware that Azazel was one of them.
Lebanon, Kansas, causes some form of interference with angels, making the area seem "muddy" to their senses.
The Winchesters are shown to carry angel blades in sheaths on their belts.
In the alternate timeline, Dean is wanted for assault, murder, and credit card fraud, and discovers he has a lot of beheadings on his record. Dean's mugshot in the alternate timeline is the same one that was taken in 2.19 Folsom Prison Blues. Sam runs his own law firm, loves kale, and is Internet famous. Castiel is still a loyal and unquestioning soldier of Heaven. As the war with the Darkness never happened, Mary Winchester was never resurrected and remains dead. Additionally, Castiel uses Jimmy Novak as his vessel despite not needing to possess him in 2008 to safely communicate with Dean.
TED Talk Sam mentions not having enough time for a family life, suggesting that in the alternate timeline Sam never ended up marrying Jessica Moore even without Dean dragging him back into hunting.
In the alternate timeline, Castiel is wearing his original trench coat which his current self discarded in 9.01 I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here.
The alternate timeline Castiel's introduction to the restaurant patrons is almost identical to how he introduced himself to Dean during their first meeting in 4.01 Lazarus Rising down to shattering the lights and displaying his wings. The major difference is that this Castiel is much more menacing in his introduction.
This version of Zachariah is killed for the second time on the series. His death in this episode mirrors his death in 5.18 Point of No Return where he makes the mistake of getting in the face of a Winchester to taunt them, putting himself within their striking range. The Apocalypse World Zachariah was also killed by Jack Kline in 13.14 Good Intentions.
This is the first episode in which John tells Sam and Dean he loves them, and the third time Dean has directly told a family member he loves them, after Mary in 12.22 Who We Are and Sam in 14.11 Damaged Goods. Dean also said "I love you" to his memory of Mary in Heaven in 5.16 Dark Side of the Moon. Sam had previously told Dean he loves him in 5.11 Sam, Interrupted, albeit while heavily drugged up, as well as indirectly to young John in 5.13 The Song Remains the Same when he is talking about his and Dean's upbringing.
It's shown that in 2003, the Impala was still owned by John Winchester. It would be two years before he discovers Azazel had resurfaced and goes off to hunt him alone, leaving the Impala to Dean. The 2003 Impala is distinguished by the KAZ 2Y5 license plate, and the side spotlights, which were removed from the Impala in 3.10 Dream a Little Dream of Me by director Steve Boyum and never replaced.
As in 2.22 All Hell Breaks Loose: Part Two, Sam and John share a tearful nod before John disappears.

Sides, Scripts & Transcripts

Promotion

Interviews

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