12.04 American Nightmare

Title	American Nightmare
Episode #	Season 12, Episode 4
First aired	November 3, 2016
Directed by	John F. Showalter
Written by	Davy Perez
On IMDB	American Nightmare
Outline	After a woman dies from what appears to be stigmata wounds. Sam and Dean investigate a devout religious family living off the grid, who are hiding a dangerous secret.
Monster	Gail Peterson
Timeline
Location(s)	Mason City, Iowa
[[{{{prevep}}}|« Previous Episode]] | [[{{{nextep}}}|Next Episode »]]

Characters

• Sam Winchester
• Dean Winchester
• Mr. Ketch
• Abraham Peterson
• Gail Peterson
• Elijah Peterson
• Magda Peterson
• Beth Roberts

Definitions

• Aliases
• Aquarian Star
• Costumes & Disguises
• EMF
• Hugs
• Impala
• Men of Letters
• Palm Readers/Psychics
• Sammy
• Table of Death
• Telekinesis
• Unconscious
• Witches

Music

• "Golden Dunes" by The Budos Band

(playing on iPod as Ricky Copeland is killed)

• "Down in My Heart" by Paloma Kwiatkowski

(sung by Magda Peterson as Sam and Dean leave the Peterson home)

• "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho" by Paloma Kwiatkowski

(sung by Magda Peterson as Sam comes to)

Quotes

Sam: So what's the word? Cas have anything?

Dean: Yeah. Good news, there's nothing on angel radio and Heaven's still on lock down. So rogue angel is out.
Sam: Bad news?

Dean: Cas is chumming it up with Crowley. They're hunting Lucifer together. That's right. One's an angel, one's a demon and apparently they solve crimes.

Gail: Do you know God gentleman?
Dean: Oh yeah. Yeah, we're besties.

Sam: So what happened to your daughter, was that God's plan?

Gail: Yes.
Sam: She didn't have to die. She was sick, if you had taken her to a doctor.
Gail: God does not-

Sam: God doesn't care what kind of life you live. Trust me. And God didn't kill your daughter. You did.

Sam: Magda. Magda Peterson?

Magda: That's not my name. I'm not Magda. I'm the Devil.

Sam: No. No you're not. Your're really not.

Sam: Magda. You're not the Devil, you're just psychic. There are others out there like you, like-like me. I had powers too. I get visions sometimes and I can move things with my mind.

Magda: You can do that?

Sam: Well, no. Not anymore, I don't think. But it didn't make me the Devil, it just made me who I am.

Sam: Magda that wasn't your fault. You are not the Devil, you're not evil. And it's scary. I know it's scary. But you can learn to control it, you don't have to hurt anyone ever again.

Dean: Sorry I missed all the psycho.
Sam: Yeah, and you thought our family was crazy.

Magda: I've called my aunt in California. I'm gonna be staying with her.

Beth: She has a ranch. Lots of wide open country.

Dean: Well, that's great. You know sometimes in order to figure things out a person needs space.

Sam: Magda. I know it doesn't feel like it now. But, you're gonna be all right. You can do this. You will do this. Just remember. That power, it doesn't control you. You control it. If you ever need anything. Anything. Call, me okay? I'll be there.

Dean: Think you made the right call back there letting her go?

Sam: I hope so. I mean Magda didn't know what she was doing, she had no idea. I think she deserves a second chance. What did Beth want?
Dean: She gave me her number. Her personal number.
Sam: You were gonna shoot her.
Dean: Yeah. Kinda weird, kinda hot.
Sam: Hey, did you mean what said back there?

Dean: Yeah. You were right. This whole Mom thing. It's-I mean we get her back and then she leaves, I hate it. But I get it. I do. I guess I'm just working through some of that crap. I'll just try to be less of a dick about it.

Trivia & References

Sam and Dean use the aliases Fathers Penn and DeNiro as priests. References to actors Sean Penn and Robert DeNiro who also pretend to be priests in the movie We're No Angels. And James Morrison and Ray Manzarek as social workers, a reference to Doors singer Jim Morrison and keyboard bass player Ray Manzarek.

Dean: So, Lucifer. The lord of evil, the angel of light, is now the master of butt rock. He jumped into Vince Vincente.

Sam: The victim's skull was filled with a goopey mush.

Dean: That Carl paints quite the picture. What can do that?
Sam: I got nothing.
Dean: Me neither. Well, maybe we should focus on the case and less of the Dr. Phil crap.

Dean: Well, that was easy.

Sam: What?
Dean: What? The Wicked Witch of the West in there. Miss 'positive energy,' wanted a bigger office, did a little hoodoo. Boom. I say we put a witch-killing cap in her ass and call it a day.

Dean: So, weird creepy off-the-grid Children of the Corn people. I'm in.

Dean: She hates the way we were raised. She hates the fact that we are hunters. Maybe she starts walking and doesn't stop, you know. She obviously has zero interest in keeping this family together.

Sam: Well, you know sometimes families do better with a little time apart.
Dean: Yeah, who? The Mansons?

Gail: Olivia Sanchez was a papist. But at least she believed in God.

Minutiae

William MacDonald, who played Abraham Peterson, previously played Sheriff in 5.08 Changing Channels.

Sides, Scripts & Transcripts

• 12.04 American Nightmare (transcript)

Promotion

• Synopsis
• Promo
• Sneek Peak