13.08 The Scorpion and the Frog

Title	The Scorpion and the Frog
Episode #	Season 13, Episode 8
First aired	November 30, 2017
Directed by	Robert Singer
Written by	Meredith Glynn
On IMDB	The Scorpion and the Frog
Outline	A crossroads demon offers Sam and Dean a spell to locate Jack, in exchange for their assistance on an unusual heist.
Monster	Barthamus
Timeline
Location(s)	Cambridge, England Lebanon, Kansas
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Synopsis

Cambridge, England – A woman uses the confusion of closing time to access the Staff Only portion of the Cambridge Museum. When a passcode does not work, she muscles her way through the locked door. She finds what she is looking forward in some old parchments. When a guard interrupts, it is revealed that she is a demon as it leaves her and possesses the guard, who takes the documents and leaves. The possessed guard meets the crossroads demon Barthamus in a dark alley and hands over the documents. The guard’s inquiries about what reward Asmodeus will bestow is swiftly answered with death by angel blade.

At the Bunker, Dean is cleaning his gun when Sam enters relaying that he has talked to Cas, Jack is still missing and no word on Ketch. Dean’s phone rings - it is who knows they are looking for a Nephilim and has something that they may find useful. The Winchesters quickly pick up that he is a demon. The business demon, then sets up a meeting.

On their way, Dean discusses with Sam about how demons are not to be trusted and after Crowley, he swore he would never work with one again. Barthamus declares that he replaced Crowley as the King of the Crossroads when Crowley became the King of Hell. He tries to ingratiate himself by offering Dean pie and giving Sam an authentic spell to track a Nephilim. But, it is only half the spell and he needs the Winchesters’ help. Dean refuses, but Bart appeals to Sam to research the spell.

At the Bunker, Sam tells Dean that the spell does check out. It’s Canaanite. King Solomon commissioned it to keep tabs on the Queen of Sheba who was half angel. Dean brings up that things like this usually go wrong. Sam replies that they don’t have a choice. They agree to meet Bart.

Bart and two people are waiting, impatiently. Bart expresses confidence the Winchesters will show right before they arrive. Bart introduces his companions, Smash a young woman and an excellent safecracker, and Grab, a demon who can get past any Supernatural security system. Dean surmises that this is a heist. Bart relays the particulars of the score. The mark is Luther Shrike, the item is a mahogany box locked in a safe that can only be opened by a man that has been to Hell and back. Since Dean went to Hell because of a deal, his blood is what is needed. When Sam asks what is in the trunk, Bart refuses. When the Winchesters start to decline, Bart threatens he will give the spell the Asmodeus. The Winchesters go off to discuss, deciding that they must go along with it, but plan on killing Bart as soon as possible. They go back the Bart, Smash, and Grab to plan.

Meanwhile, an Asmodeus demon warns Luther that Bart is coming, and wants to deal. Luther instead exorcises the demon, saying he will be ready and he doesn’t take orders.

Baby then pulls up to the gate with Sam driving, while Dean and Smash hide in the back. Under the guise of selling a family heirloom, the gates open. Halfway to the house, Dean and Smash get out. Sam and Dean tell each other not to get dead, then go their separate ways. Sam goes to distract Luther while Dean and Smash go to summon Grab bypassing the warding. They bond over a super caffeinated soft drink while Dean wonders why she works for a demon. When the spell is done, Grab instantly appears. He reveals that Dean’s blood will be a dousing rod to find the vault. For a moment, the spell Grab doesn’t seem to work, when suddenly, Dean’s arm starts pulling him toward the vault’s location.

Meanwhile, Sam enters Luther’s house. They talk about Luther’s collection, Sam corrects him about a piece. Then the “heirloom” is revealed: Ruby’s knife. Dean is still a human compass but is worried about Sam, confusing Grab. They finally find come to a storm cellar. Grab refuses to enter. So Dean leads after Smash opens it. Inside, during negotiations, Luther reveals he knows that Sam is a distraction and thinks he’s a demon. A fight ensues. Sam stabs Luther with Ruby’s knife, but it’s discovered Luther’s immortal. Luther knocks Sam out and leaves.

At the vault, Dean is distressed that he has to put his hand in a statue’s mouth (there might be spiders) to open it. He panics further as it grabs his hand, but it simply pricks his finger. The door opens, Smash steps in and is saved from a deadly dart by Dean.

Just then, Luther arrives, kills Grab, and makes his way down. Smash racks him and flees. Dean asks about Sam, and after being reassured, he shoots Luther to no avail. Then Sam runs in informing Dean that Luther is immortal, so Dean knocks him out.

After Luther refuses to help, Sam has a crazy idea. They strap Luther to a chair and roll him through the chamber to “collect” darts, clearing the path.

Meanwhile, Smash (Alice) has made it to the gate, only to be stopped by Bart. She tells him everyone is dead, the mission a failure. But Bart won’t let her go. So, as the Winchesters ponder how to get into the safe, she appears. They figure she is doing this because of a deal, and offer to help. She feels she must take care of herself.

They retrieve the trunk, but notice Luther is no longer tied up. They quickly try to escape only to be met by Luther in a big, red pickup. He tries to run them down, but is no match for Dean’s driving and Sam’s shooting. During a standoff, Luther discloses that he sold his soul to Bart to save his son’s life, but his son dies later anyway. Then he has the Winchesters open the trunk to reveal Bart’s bones. Without warning, Bart appears and decapitates Luther. He congratulates everyone and offers the Winchesters the other half of the spell. They refuse. Bart grabs Alice and threatens to kill her. The Winchesters concede and slide the bones over. Bart sends an apologetic Alice to retrieve the bones. Dean surreptitiously indicates to Alice to look in the trunk, where his has secretly placed a lighter. Bart goes up in flames as Alice burns the bones, unfortunately burning the rest of the spell.

After the Winchesters see Alice off on a bus they return to the bunker. Dean opens beers for them and asks if Sam is ok. Sam replies that he is not, they failed to find a way to locate Jack and he’s worried. Dean reassures him that they will keep looking until they find him, because that’s what they do. Sam expresses relief to hear Dean talk like that. And they clink their beers in a toast.

Characters

• Sam Winchester
• Dean Winchester
• Alice aka "Smash"
• Barthamus
• Grab
• Luther Shrike

Definitions

• Alcohol
• Aliases
• Angel Blade
• Crossroads Demon
• Deals and Pacts
• Demon Smoke
• Devil's Trap
• Exorcism
• Holy Oil
• Holy Water
• Impala
• Pie
• Men of Letters Bunker
• Nephilim
• Ruby's Knife
• Sam Drives the Impala
• Silver
• Spells
• Table of Death
• Unconscious
• Warding Sigils

Music

None

Quotes

Dean: You know what 'miracles' are called from demons? I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it's not 'miracles.'

Sam: How about this? Let's just hear the guy out.

Dean: All right, and after that, we kill him.

Barthamus: I'm a crossroads demon, Sam. After Crowley's promotion to King of Hell, the crossroads demon. Helping people is what I do. My raison d'etre.

Dean: Well, see, here's the thing. When a demon asks us to jump, we don't say 'how high.' We just ice their ass.
Barthamus: How very Dean of you.

Dean: Look, whatever game Bart is playing, I-I-I don't wanna play it, but Sam, you know that these things don't usually go our way.
Sam: Doesn't matter. Jack is out there, in the world, and he's alone, and he's scared, and he's dangerous. And if this is our chance to find him, we have to take it.

Dean: All right, well, I've seen this movie a thousand times. Some asshat too fancy to get his hands dirty plans a job, swears it'll all go smooth, and it does until bang! And everything goes screaming off the rails, and it's our asses You know he's going to screw us over first chance he gets.

Sam: Not if we screw him over first. Listen, we want that spell, right? I mean we need that spell. We definitely don't want Asmodeus getting his hands on it. So, let's do this. Have him hand over the other half of the spell.
Dean: And then?

Sam: And then, like you said. We kill him.

Sam: Dean? Don't get dead.
Dean: You too.

Dean: I mean, there could be anything in there. Anything, right? There could be spiders. There could be the spiny blade thing. Snakes. Spiders. You don't even know, do you? Correct. I -- how about this? What if I cut myself, put it on, like, a little piece of paper? We'll just wad it up and throw it in the mouth, okay? Okay.

Sam: Look, it doesn't have to be that way.

Dean: You know, we could help you.

Alice: No, you can't. I gotta take care of me.

Barthamus: Let me see if I understand. You two do-gooding idiots are willing to welch on our deal. Throw away the only chance you have at finding your boy, because I killed a 200-year-old blackmailing piece of garbage, is that it?
Dean: Yeah, that. And we just don't like you.

Dean: You okay?.

Sam: Yeah, not really. Not exactly the best day, you know?
Dean: Well, it's not the worst. We did save somebody. That felt good.
Sam: Yeah. Yeah, it did. But back to square one with Jack.
Dean: We'll figure something else out. And if that doesn't work, then we'll move on to next, and then whatever's after that. We just keep working, 'cause it's what we do.
Sam: It feels really good to hear you talk like that again.

Dean: I'll drink to that.

Trivia & References

The Scorpion and the Frog is a fable in which a scorpion asks a frog to ferry it across a river. The scorpion promises not to sting the frog, rationalizing doing so would mean they would both drown. As the frog is taking the scorpion across the river, the scorpion stings the frog. Before the frog dies, it asks the scorpion why it stung. The scorpion simply replies that it was in its nature to do so.

One of the paintings the demon can be seen passing by in the museum is St. Jerome and the Angel of the Judgment.

Dean: All right, so what are we talkin'? Your favorite My Little Pony.

Sam: It's, uh, John Dortmunder. We -- we emailed about my family heirloom.

John Dortmunder is the name of a fictional character in the novels of Donald Westlake. He is a criminal whose careful plans usually go awry.

Dean: Hey, Winona. The '90s called. They'd like their shoes back.

Dean is referring to actor Winona Ryder, who was something of a style icon in the 1990's, and whom "Smash" evokes, particularly with her flower-patterned Doc Marten boots.

Luther: Ever see a 'fang of the basilisk?'

Sam: Actually, that's not, um... So, whoever sold this to you had it wrong. Uh, basilisk fangs are hollow. This is actually a gorgon tooth. Still really cool though. You know, I would love to see more of your collection.

The basilisk is a snake-like creature from European mythology. Gorgons are creatures from ancient Greek legend which resemble women with snakes for hair.

Dean: There was supposed to be a safe, not some Dollar Store Indiana Jones crap.

In the Indiana Jones movies, the titular hero often faces elaborate puzzles which must be solved in order for him to reach his goal. Indiana is also famously afraid of snakes.

Dean: Well, looks like gun beats knife, so how about you hand over the safe, and then we'll all be home in time to watch Game of Thrones.

Shrike: I'm more of a book guy.

Richard Brake who plays Leonard Shrike played the Night King in seasons 4 and 5 of fantasy TV series Game of Thrones based on the books by George R.R. Martin.

Sam: Wing it? Dean, these -- these aren't like the lasers in Entrapment. There are infinite possible combinations and pressure-released darts.

Dean: Did you just say Entrapment?
Sam: I don't know. I mean, I don't -- I don't watch a whole lot of those kind of movies.
Dean: Yeah, but you saw Entrapment?
Sam: ...Catherine Zeta Jones.

Entrapment is a 1999 heist movie starring Catherine Zeta Jones and Sean Connery. In its most famous scene, Zeta-Jones must contort her body under and over a series of laser beams in order to avoid setting off alarms during a robbery.

Dean: Whoa. Look who decided to show. Why'd you cottontail?

To "cottontail" is a phrase referencing the cottontail rabbit, and means to turn tail and run away.

Sam: You sold your soul.

Alice: And if I could take it back, I would. But sorry, Charlie. I can't. So here I am. And as long as I keep working for him, Bart never collects. So you gonna let me do my thing or what?

"Sorry Charlie" is the catchphrase of Charlie the Tuna, mascot for the Starkist brand of tuna.

Minutiae

In the Cambridge Museum, a poster can be seen advertising an exhibition called "Reflections of the Pacific" by Monique Mees. Monique Mees is the name of one of the painters on the show, and a visual artist.

The safe is branded "Fitzmartin's" and is named after Andrew Dabb's assistant Meghan Fitzmartin.

On a very rare occasion, Dean gets a slice of pie and actually gets to eat it.

Sides, Scripts & Transcripts

• 13.08 The Scorpion and the Frog (transcript)

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