Difference between revisions of "14.06 Optimism"
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+ | In McCook, Nebraska, Harper works in the library. As she is shelving books, Winston surprises Harper. They discuss their plans for a dinner date later. Miles interrupts them, brandishing a stapler to protect Harper. Winston leaves the library, confidently striding along the street. Suddenly, Winston is pulled into the bushes, screaming and with blood flying. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In the Bunker, Dean comes across Jack in the kitchen. Jack says that Sam has gone to meet up with Charlie while Dean was on an overnight run to Mary and Bobby. Jack wistfully comments that Sam and Charlie are probably doing something really exciting. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Sam and Charlie sit in silence in a blue pick-up truck outside Memphis, Tennessee. They are parked across from an empty bus shelter where Charlie says four people have gone missing. Sam plays with a fidget spinner. Sam asks Charlie again about the location and disappearances at the bus shelter. When scouting around, Charlie found some “goo,” which she now has in a jar. Charlie is reading books to figure out what they are dealing with. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Jack tells Dean that Jack was left at the Bunker so that someone would be around when Dean returned. Sam is worried about Dean. Jack tells Dean that what happened with Michael is not Dean’s fault. Dean still blames himself. Jack coughs and jokes that maybe he’s allergic to sitting around doing nothing; he wants to hunt. Sam won’t let Jack hunt so Jack and Cas have been working jobs together. Dean tells Jack that Cas is an insurance policy on those hunts; Sam just wants to keep Jack safe. Jack has found the death in McCook, Nebraska and wants to check it out with Dean. Dean says he’ll go check it out alone. Jack objects: everyone is supposed to hunt with a partner and Jack needs something to do. Jack feels guilty for not killing Michael when he had his powers. Dean reassures Jack that he didn’t do anything wrong. They call Sam and let him know. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In McCook, Dean and Jack, posing as FBI agents, interview a waitress at Winston’s regular breakfast diner. The waitress reluctantly agrees to discuss Winston, after Dean bribes her. The waitress advises them to find Harper because they were courting. In a montage of a construction worker, the waitress, and two local women, Dean and Jack find out that Harper is really sweet, popular, her boyfriend ran off, her bad luck with men, and her love for romance novels. They all agree she’s bad luck. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In the pick-up truck, Sam is worried about Dean. Charlie suggests calling another friend to check on him. Sam says there used to be someone: their Charlie. Charlie says that’s not her. They discuss Charlie’s experience in the Apocalypse World and the Angel War. Charlie was a programmer with Richard Roman Enterprises and lived with the love of her life, Kara. Kara was a cupcake baker. Kara died. Charlies tells Sam that when disaster strikes, society falls apart. Sam tells her “not here.” But Charlie replies “not yet.” | ||
+ | |||
+ | Back in the diner, Dean and Jack are eating pie. Jack wants to know what “courting” means. Dean says when they get back to the Bunker, they’ll have “the talk.” But for right now, they are going to find Harper. When Jack asks how, Dean asks if Jack has ever read a romance novel. | ||
+ | Dean enters the library to begin interviewing Harper about Winston’s death. Harper refuses, but Dean insists. Jack (now in street clothes and not his FBI suit) enters the library, interrupting Dean and Harper by asking for a book. Jack stands up for Harper’s refusal to answer Dean’s questions. Dean calls Jack a “kid” and Jack calls Dean an “old man.” Dean leaves in a huff. Harper, clearly smitten with Jack, thanks him for being chivalrous. Harper has the perfect book, back at her apartment. As they leave the library, Miles wants to know where they are going. Miles objects that Harper is taking a stranger to her apartment. Harper tells him to stop and leaves with Jack. Miles storms off. Having observed all this from Baby, Dean begins to follow Harper and Jack. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Miles is taking out trash in the alley. Dean hears a scream and sees trash cans get turned over. Upon investigating, Dean finds Miles has been killed. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Back in the pick-up truck, Charlie says that she hates hunting. Sam is surprised because Charlie is an awesome hunter. Charlie says the job is too much pain and that this is her last case. She wants to go away to live on a mountaintop or something. Charlie thinks the monster may be a Musca. Sam knows all about Muscas: a hybrid between a man and a fly that no one has ever seen in real life. Charlie’s book describes the goo that an unmated Musca uses to bind people’s bodies and nest. A figure dressed in black and wearing a black beekeeper-like headpiece approaches the bus stop and sits down next to two ladies. The ladies get up and leave. | ||
+ | |||
+ | At Harper’s apartment, Jack sets a trap of a silver coin and holy water for Harper. He says “Christo” under his breath. Harper has no response to any of these things. They sit on the couch and talk. Jack tells Harper that he lives in Lebanon, Kansas. Harper’s family has been in McCook for generations. Harper has a picture of her former boyfriend, Vance, who left town. She asks Jack if he believes in love at first sight. In the bathroom, Jack calls Dean. Jack tells Dean that Harper is not a demon and that he’s 99% sure she’s in love with him. Dean tells Jack about Miles and refutes Jack’s idea that Harper is in love with him. Suddenly, Dean is attacked and drops the call. As Jack and Harper make plans to have coffee, Dean bursts into the apartment. As he barricades the door, Dean explains that he and Jack are not FBI and that they are there to save lives. Dean recognizes the photo of Harper’s ex-boyfriend, Vance, as the zombie creature attacking the door. Vance breaks into the apartment and fights with Dean. Jack and Harper run back to the library to hide. | ||
+ | |||
+ | It’s nighttime and Sam and Charlie are still staking out the bus shelter. Sam tries to convince Charlie not to walk away from people and hunting. The black figure sits down at the bus stop next to a man. Sam and Charlie see the man being dragged down an alley by the black figure. They chase them to a warehouse. Charlie explains that in theory, a brass nail dipped in sugar water will kill a Musca, but since they don’t have that, they will get creative. As they enter the warehouse, Sam and Charlie notice flies buzzing around and the smell of pine cleaner and rotting meat. They split up. Charlie finds the victim, alive, in a pile of other dead victims. As she calls for Sam’s help, she is grabbed by the Musca. Charlie gets free but is momentarily knocked out. Sam rushes to check on her and is attacked by the Musca – fly head on a man’s body now visible. Charlie comes to and stabs the Musca; Sam shoots the musca. They are both covered in goo. The Musca is dead. | ||
+ | |||
+ | During the fight with Dean, Vance pauses and runs out of the apartment. In the library, Harper unlocks the door and lets in zombie Vance. They kiss. Vance chases Jack through the library’s stacks. On the PA system, Harper explains that she comes from a long line of necromancers, she realizes Jack is a hunter, that nothing can get in the way of the first love she and Vance share, and that all the other guys had to die because Vance needs human flesh to live. Dean catches up to Jack while he’s hiding and they hatch a plan. Jack talks to Harper, trying to lure Vance out into the open. Vance rushes Jack, and Dean shoots Vance. They struggle and Jack handcuffs Vance to some pipes. Harper escapes. In the diner, Harper writes Jack a love letter saying that when she finds Jack, she’ll kill him to replace Vance, and they will be together again. The letter is addressed to Jack Smith, Lebanon, Kansas, PO Box. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Driving in the pick-up truck, Sam and Charlie discuss the case. Sam tries to convince Charlie to stay. As Charlie points out the holes in Sam’s argument, we see a group of Muscas arrive at the warehouse and carry out the body of the dead Musca. Charlie agrees to think about staying. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Back in the Bunker, Dean and Jack discuss the case. Dean says Jack did a good job. Jack wants to be allowed to go on hunts. Dean talks about how in hunting, mistakes happen. It’s how you handle yourself after the mistakes and learn from them that matters. Jack adds that it’s also about forgiving yourself for mistakes. Dean agrees to talk to Sam. Jack coughs, spits up blood in his hand, and then passes out on the floor. | ||
Revision as of 09:06, 20 November 2018
Title | Optimism |
Episode # | Season 14, Episode 6 |
First aired | November 15, 2018 |
Directed by | Richard Speight, Jr. |
Written by | Steve Yockey |
On IMDB | Optimism |
Outline | Sam goes on a hunt with Charlie Bradbury and has to confront that she is not the same Charlie he lost. Dean and Jack investigate a series of possible monster-related deaths. |
Monster | Harper Sayles Musca Zombie |
Timeline | |
Location(s) | McCook, Nebraska Lebanon, Kansas Outside Memphis, Tennessee |
« Previous Episode | Next Episode » |
Contents
Synopsis
In McCook, Nebraska, Harper works in the library. As she is shelving books, Winston surprises Harper. They discuss their plans for a dinner date later. Miles interrupts them, brandishing a stapler to protect Harper. Winston leaves the library, confidently striding along the street. Suddenly, Winston is pulled into the bushes, screaming and with blood flying.
In the Bunker, Dean comes across Jack in the kitchen. Jack says that Sam has gone to meet up with Charlie while Dean was on an overnight run to Mary and Bobby. Jack wistfully comments that Sam and Charlie are probably doing something really exciting.
Sam and Charlie sit in silence in a blue pick-up truck outside Memphis, Tennessee. They are parked across from an empty bus shelter where Charlie says four people have gone missing. Sam plays with a fidget spinner. Sam asks Charlie again about the location and disappearances at the bus shelter. When scouting around, Charlie found some “goo,” which she now has in a jar. Charlie is reading books to figure out what they are dealing with.
Jack tells Dean that Jack was left at the Bunker so that someone would be around when Dean returned. Sam is worried about Dean. Jack tells Dean that what happened with Michael is not Dean’s fault. Dean still blames himself. Jack coughs and jokes that maybe he’s allergic to sitting around doing nothing; he wants to hunt. Sam won’t let Jack hunt so Jack and Cas have been working jobs together. Dean tells Jack that Cas is an insurance policy on those hunts; Sam just wants to keep Jack safe. Jack has found the death in McCook, Nebraska and wants to check it out with Dean. Dean says he’ll go check it out alone. Jack objects: everyone is supposed to hunt with a partner and Jack needs something to do. Jack feels guilty for not killing Michael when he had his powers. Dean reassures Jack that he didn’t do anything wrong. They call Sam and let him know.
In McCook, Dean and Jack, posing as FBI agents, interview a waitress at Winston’s regular breakfast diner. The waitress reluctantly agrees to discuss Winston, after Dean bribes her. The waitress advises them to find Harper because they were courting. In a montage of a construction worker, the waitress, and two local women, Dean and Jack find out that Harper is really sweet, popular, her boyfriend ran off, her bad luck with men, and her love for romance novels. They all agree she’s bad luck.
In the pick-up truck, Sam is worried about Dean. Charlie suggests calling another friend to check on him. Sam says there used to be someone: their Charlie. Charlie says that’s not her. They discuss Charlie’s experience in the Apocalypse World and the Angel War. Charlie was a programmer with Richard Roman Enterprises and lived with the love of her life, Kara. Kara was a cupcake baker. Kara died. Charlies tells Sam that when disaster strikes, society falls apart. Sam tells her “not here.” But Charlie replies “not yet.”
Back in the diner, Dean and Jack are eating pie. Jack wants to know what “courting” means. Dean says when they get back to the Bunker, they’ll have “the talk.” But for right now, they are going to find Harper. When Jack asks how, Dean asks if Jack has ever read a romance novel. Dean enters the library to begin interviewing Harper about Winston’s death. Harper refuses, but Dean insists. Jack (now in street clothes and not his FBI suit) enters the library, interrupting Dean and Harper by asking for a book. Jack stands up for Harper’s refusal to answer Dean’s questions. Dean calls Jack a “kid” and Jack calls Dean an “old man.” Dean leaves in a huff. Harper, clearly smitten with Jack, thanks him for being chivalrous. Harper has the perfect book, back at her apartment. As they leave the library, Miles wants to know where they are going. Miles objects that Harper is taking a stranger to her apartment. Harper tells him to stop and leaves with Jack. Miles storms off. Having observed all this from Baby, Dean begins to follow Harper and Jack.
Miles is taking out trash in the alley. Dean hears a scream and sees trash cans get turned over. Upon investigating, Dean finds Miles has been killed.
Back in the pick-up truck, Charlie says that she hates hunting. Sam is surprised because Charlie is an awesome hunter. Charlie says the job is too much pain and that this is her last case. She wants to go away to live on a mountaintop or something. Charlie thinks the monster may be a Musca. Sam knows all about Muscas: a hybrid between a man and a fly that no one has ever seen in real life. Charlie’s book describes the goo that an unmated Musca uses to bind people’s bodies and nest. A figure dressed in black and wearing a black beekeeper-like headpiece approaches the bus stop and sits down next to two ladies. The ladies get up and leave.
At Harper’s apartment, Jack sets a trap of a silver coin and holy water for Harper. He says “Christo” under his breath. Harper has no response to any of these things. They sit on the couch and talk. Jack tells Harper that he lives in Lebanon, Kansas. Harper’s family has been in McCook for generations. Harper has a picture of her former boyfriend, Vance, who left town. She asks Jack if he believes in love at first sight. In the bathroom, Jack calls Dean. Jack tells Dean that Harper is not a demon and that he’s 99% sure she’s in love with him. Dean tells Jack about Miles and refutes Jack’s idea that Harper is in love with him. Suddenly, Dean is attacked and drops the call. As Jack and Harper make plans to have coffee, Dean bursts into the apartment. As he barricades the door, Dean explains that he and Jack are not FBI and that they are there to save lives. Dean recognizes the photo of Harper’s ex-boyfriend, Vance, as the zombie creature attacking the door. Vance breaks into the apartment and fights with Dean. Jack and Harper run back to the library to hide.
It’s nighttime and Sam and Charlie are still staking out the bus shelter. Sam tries to convince Charlie not to walk away from people and hunting. The black figure sits down at the bus stop next to a man. Sam and Charlie see the man being dragged down an alley by the black figure. They chase them to a warehouse. Charlie explains that in theory, a brass nail dipped in sugar water will kill a Musca, but since they don’t have that, they will get creative. As they enter the warehouse, Sam and Charlie notice flies buzzing around and the smell of pine cleaner and rotting meat. They split up. Charlie finds the victim, alive, in a pile of other dead victims. As she calls for Sam’s help, she is grabbed by the Musca. Charlie gets free but is momentarily knocked out. Sam rushes to check on her and is attacked by the Musca – fly head on a man’s body now visible. Charlie comes to and stabs the Musca; Sam shoots the musca. They are both covered in goo. The Musca is dead.
During the fight with Dean, Vance pauses and runs out of the apartment. In the library, Harper unlocks the door and lets in zombie Vance. They kiss. Vance chases Jack through the library’s stacks. On the PA system, Harper explains that she comes from a long line of necromancers, she realizes Jack is a hunter, that nothing can get in the way of the first love she and Vance share, and that all the other guys had to die because Vance needs human flesh to live. Dean catches up to Jack while he’s hiding and they hatch a plan. Jack talks to Harper, trying to lure Vance out into the open. Vance rushes Jack, and Dean shoots Vance. They struggle and Jack handcuffs Vance to some pipes. Harper escapes. In the diner, Harper writes Jack a love letter saying that when she finds Jack, she’ll kill him to replace Vance, and they will be together again. The letter is addressed to Jack Smith, Lebanon, Kansas, PO Box.
Driving in the pick-up truck, Sam and Charlie discuss the case. Sam tries to convince Charlie to stay. As Charlie points out the holes in Sam’s argument, we see a group of Muscas arrive at the warehouse and carry out the body of the dead Musca. Charlie agrees to think about staying.
Back in the Bunker, Dean and Jack discuss the case. Dean says Jack did a good job. Jack wants to be allowed to go on hunts. Dean talks about how in hunting, mistakes happen. It’s how you handle yourself after the mistakes and learn from them that matters. Jack adds that it’s also about forgiving yourself for mistakes. Dean agrees to talk to Sam. Jack coughs, spits up blood in his hand, and then passes out on the floor.
Characters
Definitions
- Alcohol
- Aliases
- Christo
- Costumes & Disguises
- Holy Water
- Hunters
- Impala
- Men of Letters Bunker
- Monsters
- Musca
- Necromancy
- Pie
- Silver
- Silver, Salt, Holy Water Test
- Son of a Bitch
- Table of Death
- Undead
- Zombie
Music
- "Clocksukka" by Stefano Ruggeri (Extreme Music)
- (plays during the recap of previous events)
- "Stayin' Alive" by Bee Gees
- (playing as Winston struts down the street before his death)
- "Honky Tonk Queen" by Selecttracks
- (playing as Dean and Jack enter Dick's Red Rooster Diner)
- "I'll Go On Alone" by Marty Robbins
- (playing in the diner as Harper writes Jack a "love" letter)
Quotes
Dean: Hey. You didn't do anything wrong.
Dean: It's what you do before you start dating.
Jack: Oh, and that's the thing you do before the sex.
Sam: Wait, you -- you did?
Charlie: Yeah. So, your Charlie she... I guess she never met Kara.
Sam: Kara?
Jack: Okay. But if she is, I need to know everything about sex. Go.
Charlie: Why? 'Cause they're the luckiest people in the world?
Sam: No, come on. We just do. We're social animals.
Charlie: Emphasis on 'animals.'
Sam: Yeah, but you're also a hunter. The things that we've seen, it's not so easy to just walk away from it all.
Charlie: Believe me, I've tried.
Sam: Our Charlie tried.
Harper: What? He's my boyfriend. He just gets a little jealous sometimes.
Jack: But he's dead. And stalking you.
Sam: Okay, I know, I know. How about this? Don't leave. Hear me out. Sure, some people can do bad things when they're desperate or scared, but I mean, the guy we just saved, he has a wife, children. I'm not saying all people are good people or even that most people are, but if we help people, then maybe they'll help people and all that. And that's worth it. Even with all the tears and death -- it's worth it.
Jack: And how to not beat yourself up over them?
Dean: You know, Jack, you're pretty smart sometimes. I tell you what -- when Sam gets back, I'll talk to him about getting you out on more hunts.
Okay? In the meantime, we'll get you a crate of cough drops.
Trivia & References
Wanda: Listen, Deep State. Flashing a badge might work on people who don't have a working knowledge of the Constitution but that ain't me. Now I got to go earn some money.
- "Deep state" is often used to refer to an organization that operates within or on behalf of a government, but not in the interests of the people of a country.
- Mighty Mouse is a cartoon superhero who, although small, is mighty.
Charlie: Why? 'Cause they're the luckiest people in the world?
- "People who need people, Are the luckiest people in the world" is a line from the song "People" from the musical Funny Girl made famous by Barbra Streisand.
- Archie refers to Archie Andrews who is a comic book character in an eponymous stable of comics. Archie is a small-town high school senior. At the time this episode aired, a TV series inspired by the comics called Riverdale had just commenced its third season also on the CW.
Minutiae
Sam: Funny. You, uh -- You said something like that to me once long ago about hunting. Not you. Uh, sorry. Our Charlie.
- In 10.18 Book of the Damned, Charlie tells Sam:
- "Brothers. You know, I haven’t been a hunter for very long, but it feels like this is the life. Mostly ends in Sophie’s choices, death, or tears. Usually, all of the above, huh? How did this become my life? I mean, I was gonna own my own start-up, marry ScarJo, invent something cool. Now I’m just… I’m just happy to be alive."
Dean: No, no, no. Creeps like this, you got to get 'em back in their grave. Drive a silver stake through their heart to keep 'em there.
- This method of dispatching zombies has been used in 2.04 Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things and 4.07 It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester. However, zombies raised by Death in 5.15 Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid required headshots, as well as Mother Plum, who was risen by the Black Grimoire in 13.12 Various & Sundry Villains which was an action done on Dean's suggestion.