7.03 The Girl Next Door

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Title The Girl Next Door
Episode # Season 7, Episode 3
First aired October 7, 2011
Directed by Jensen Ackles
Written by Andrew Dabb
Daniel Loflin
On IMDB The Girl Next Door
Outline Sam disappears to follow a lead on a case with clues that are identical to a case he solved as a kid. A creature has been killing low-life thugs and taking their brains for dinner.
Monster Kitsune
Leviathans
Timeline October 6, 2011
October 27-29, 2011
Location(s) Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Whitefish, Montana
Bozeman, Montana
Spokane, Washington
Lincoln, Nebraska (1998)

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Synopsis

Directly following 7.02 Hello, Cruel World, Dean wakes up in Sioux Falls General Hospital just as his broken leg is being set. He tells the nurse that he and his brother have to leave as soon as possible, but she tells him that he's not going anywhere. Dean struggles, but falls unconscious.

When Dean next wakes up, his right leg is in a cast, and a fully-healthy and very much alive Bobby is entering his hospital room. Dean remembers the nurses saying that Sam was being taken for an MRI, so Bobby goes to find him while Dean gets dressed. Their plan is to meet at the ambulance dock. Dean, though he's high on morphine, stumbles there on crutches, narrowly avoiding the Leviathans that are there posing as staff. The Leviathan impersonating Dr. Gaines receives a call alerting him to the Winchesters' arrival at the hospital, but he is too late to stop Bobby from driving away in a stolen ambulance with Dean and an unconscious Sam.

Three weeks later, Dean and Sam are in Whitefish, Montana, in an old cabin that belonged to Rufus. Bobby brings Dean the keys to the Impala and then tells them both that a lot of hunters have been encountering the Leviathans. They're like shapeshifters, but they bleed black goo and like to eat people, and so far nobody's found anything that can kill them. While they talk, Sam spaces out, but grabs his scarred palm to snap himself out of it. Dean is concerned that Sam's not all there, but Bobby tells him that his brother is healing and that he has to trust him. He leaves to go round up a couple of book stashes that he had hidden outside his house, and Dean sends Sam out for food and snacks.

At the general store, Sam notices a newspaper with the headline Ice Pick Killer Strikes Again. He adds the paper to his purchase and charges it all to a credit card with the name Lemmy Kilmister. Meanwhile, at the credit card company, an leviathan employee - Chet - is alerted to the transaction. He immediately calls Edgar and alerts him that Sam and Dean have made a purchase in a shop in Montana.

Back at the cabin, Sam waits until Dean is asleep to read the newspaper story about the "ice pick killer." He flashes back to 1998, when he was doing research and advising Dean and his father, John, over the phone about a kitsune in Lincoln, Nebraska. Apparently, kitsune look human, but sprout claws so that they can tear into their victims behind their ears and feed on their brains. They need a steady diet of human pituitary glands to survive. Something similar is killing people nearby, all low-life thugs, and Sam decides to investigate it on his own. When Dean wakes up, Sam is gone in the Impala. Dean calls Bobby, who tries to calm him down, but Dean is frantic. He saws off his cast early so that he can go after him.

Near Bozeman, Montana, Sam sits in the Impala in a parking lot by a park. Another car pulls up and parks nearby. As he waits, he remembers meeting a young girl, Amy, at the library where he was researching kitsune back in 1998. She rebuffed his advances until he fought off two other boys who were harassing her. She then invited Sam back to her house, where she examined his swollen eye and then brought him a cold soda. In the fridge, unseen by Sam, were jars holding brains. As they talked, Sam and Amy found that they both had a lot in common, and they kissed. Back in the present time, Sam stalks a young woman as she moves through the woods. She seems to be stalking someone herself, and Sam grabs her before she can attack. It's Amy. She remembers him and tries to defend herself, but Sam is sure that she's the "ice pick killer" and that he just interrupted her hunt. She won't explain herself, and Sam is unwilling to trust her, but before he can do anything she uses her superior strength to knock him unconscious.

As they struggled, Sam was able to grab a few things from her pockets and learn her full alias: Amy Pond. He tracks her to her house and finds her packing a bag, fresh blood on her hand. He tells her that he has to kill her because she's a monster, but she reveals that she's been living a normal life up to now. A mortician in the PTA, she only feeds on the dead, but feeding on the dead is risky for Kitsune, especially for a kid. Her son, Jacob, started dying as a result of eating dead flesh and he needed fresh meat to recover. She promises that she's done killing people because her son recovered, having broken his fever with his last meal.

Dean is following Sam's trail, and learns that Sam is after a kitsune. He catches up to Sam and is waiting for him in his motel room when he gets back from Amy's house. Sam tells Dean that the kitsune is taken care of, but when pressed admits that he didn't kill her. Dean is skeptical that the kitsune won't kill again, so Sam tells Dean about what happened back in 1998. Apparently, Amy's mom was the kitsune that John and Dean were after, and she rushed home with them on her trail. Amy tried to hide Sam from her, but she found him and was going to kill him when Amy stabbed her through the heart, killing her. Because she killed her own mother protecting Sam, he's willing to believe her when she says she won't kill anyone else. He asks for Dean's trust, and Dean says that he believes him and that they can leave the kitsune alone.

Sam and Dean head to Spokane and Bobby plans to meet them there. Once there, Dean claims that he's heading to the pharmacy and drops off Sam at their motel. Instead, he goes to confront Amy, who's been on the run but neglected to change her license plates. Amy tries to convince Dean that she's not going to kill anyone else, but Dean is sure that, as a monster, she'll kill again. He stabs and kills her, and when he turns around he sees her son, Jacob, in the doorway. Dean asks him if he's got anyone to go to — he does — and then if he's ever killed anyone — he hadn't — and finishes by warning him that if he ever does, he'll be back for him. Jacob tells Dean that the only person he plans to kill is him, and Dean welcomes him to try in a few years, assuming he's still alive by that time. Dean leaves the room while Jacob checks on his mom's body.

Back in Whitefish, Chet watches Sam on the security footage of the general store. He calls and tells Edgar that he's on their trail, and then kills and eats the shop clerk (drenched with nacho cheese).

Characters

Definitions

Music

  • "She Was Country" by The Neil Nelson Band
(plays when Sam is buying snacks)
  • "Two Days in February" by The Goo Goo Dolls
(the "cool" song that plays during Sam's flashback of his kiss with Amy)

Quotes

Young Amy: All the coolest people are freaks.
Young Sam: We're always on the road...I've seen the world's biggest Ball of Twine twice.

Young Amy: Three times! Not that big.

Young Sam: Right?
Young Sam: That's my dad and brother in the Impala. You're a monster.
Young Amy: You're a hunter. So you're supposed to kill me? And I'm supposed to kill you?
Leviathan: Plain old people taste fine, but everything is better with cheese.
Sam: Look, I see the way you look at me, Dean - like I'm a grenade and you're waiting for me to go off.

Dean: Sam...

Sam: I'm not going off. Look, I might be a freak, but that's not the same as dangerous.

Trivia & References

"The girl next door" is a term used to describe a cultural stereotype of a young woman who is good-natured and fits accepted cultural norms of femininity. It is the name of many songs and movies, however the one that most closely fits this episode of Supernatural is a Japanese erotic animated movie (i.e. hentai) of the same name in which a man is haunted by the memory of a young woman who helped him when he was injured as a child. This may be a shoutout to the fact that in 7.01 Meet the New Boss Dean is watching "Asian cartoon porn."
The scene in the beginning when Dean falls out of the hospital bed and can't walk is reminiscent of the scene in Kill Bill: Vol 1 where "The Bride" falls out of her hospital bed - having been in a coma for four years - as she tries to escape a sexual abuser.
Dean: Hey, ground control. Sam!
A reference to the David Bowie song, "Space Oddity" -- specifically the lyric "Ground control to Major Tom" -- the song was previously used in 6.09 Clap Your Hands If You Believe..., and Dean referred to Sam as Major Tom in 2.15 Tall Tales.
Dean: Before you bail again - Girl, Interrupted over there - any thoughts?
Girl, Interrupted is a memoir by Susanna Kaysen and the movie based on it, both entitled Girl, Interrupted and depicting Kaysen's stay in a mental health facility. Misha Collins has a bit part in the movie; a more important character is played by Clea Duvall, who co-starred with Jensen in Ten Inch Hero. The season five episode 5.11 Sam, Interrupted was a play on this title. Dean previously referenced the movie in 4.09 I Know What You Did Last Summer.
The aliases used are Lemmy Kilmister (of Motörhead) by Sam and Lars Ulrich (of Metallica) by Dean.
TV Commercial: My Bloodiest Valentine in hell-a-vision 3D.
A commercial for this movie plays while Dean is asleep on the couch. Jensen played Tom Hanniger in My Bloody Valentine 3D.
Dean: Left me here like Jimmy freakin' Stewart.
Dean is referring to James Stewart's leading role in Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film Rear Window as a photographer who breaks his leg and is confined to his home.
The store clerk in Whitefish Mt. Gas-N-Sip is wearing a Batman: Under the Red Hood T-shirt when Dean questions him. Jensen Ackles voiced Red Hood in Batman: Under the Red Hood.
The store clerk in Whitefish Mt. Gas-N-Sip is watching the 1979 The Bugs Bunny/Road-Runner Movie on the T.V.
Young Sam tells Young Amy that his dad never listens to any music written after 1979. This is a reference to the creator of Supernatural, Eric Kripke. He has stated more than once that he never listens to music made after 1979(source), and since he created the show he is also Sam's father of sorts.
Sam: Everyone always thinks you're a freak.

Amy: Sam, you are a freak. But so was, I don't know, Jimi Hendrix and Picasso. So am I. All the coolest people are freaks.

Jimi Hendrix was an American guitarist active in the 1960s.
Pablo Picasso was a Spanish painter.
Bobby tells Sam that he has been speaking Japanese since before he was born in the episode 4.06 Yellow Fever. So given his "profession" and knowledge of Japanese, he definitely should know what a kitsune is. "Kitsune" (狐) is the Japanese word for "fox". It is also the name of a supernatural creature known for trickery and shapeshifting. It commonly appears as a beautiful woman.
Amy is going by the alias "Amy Pond" which is the name of the companion of the eleventh doctor in Doctor Who. In fandom, fanworks that crossover Doctor Who and Supernatural are referred to as SuperWho.
In another Kill Bill reference, the scene at the end when Dean stabs Amy through the heart and turns to see her son, Jacob, in the doorway is similar to Uma Thurman's character who kills a woman with a knife, and when she turns around, she sees that the woman's daughter is in the doorway. She tells her, "It was not my intention to do this in front of you. For that, I'm sorry. But you can take my word for it, your mother had it coming. When you grow up, if you still feel raw about it, I'll be waiting." Watch the two scenes side by side here.
The scene at the very end when the Leviathan kills the store clerk with a bowl of melted cheese is a shoutout to Cheeseheads - a term used to refer to Wisconsin sports fans. Executive producer Jim Michaels commented: "It was a shout out to Wisconsin Cheese Heads! I am a Chicago Bear fan though...So it kills me..." The scene was also reminiscent of one in the TV series Game of Thrones when the character Viserys Targaryen is killed in a similar fashion, only with a pot of melted gold rather than cheese. The end effect is similar though.

Minutiae

Jensen announced at Asylum 6 2011 that he would direct an episode in season 7. As happened in season 6 when he directed 6.04 Weekend at Bobby's, the episode would be the first one shot, to allow Jensen time to prepare, but would not be the first to air. Pre-production started on June 26th and shooting on July 6th.

• Jensen talks about directing the episode at Comic Con 2011.

• Jared talks about being directed by Jensen at Nerd HQ at Comic Con 2011.
After Jared teased on Twitter that he had the first two scripts for season 7 and asked who wanted him to fax them a copy. @CariAnn923 was the first to respond, and Jared did fax her the front page of the script to be shot by Jensen. Portion of the script Jared faxed to @CariAnn923.
A scene from the episode was previewed at the Supernatural Panel at Comic Con 2011. The clip played contained Belle and Sebastian's "The State I Am In" as the "cool song" playing when young Sam and Amy are together, instead of the Goo Goo Dolls song in the final cut.
In an interview with TV Guide, Jewel Staite mentioned that Jensen was an old friend of hers.
Over the loudspeaker in the hospital, 'Dr. Todd Aronauer' is paged. This is a reference to one of Supernatural's producers, Todd Aronauer.
The cabin in Whitefish Montana belonged to Rufus Turner.
Dean is a fan of soap operas, such as Dr. Sexy, M.D., and while he's laid up with a broken leg in Rufus' cabin he is seen watching a telenovela. Bobby also seems invested in the Spanish-language saga.
Whilst staying at Rufus' cabin, Sam, Dean, and Bobby get takeout from Sandy's Chicken.
A credit card customer, David Righton, calls to report strange activity on his account. $775 was charged to a Mistress Magda on May 27, 2011. Chuck called Mistress Magda in 5.22 Swan Song.
 
Pic of Colin and Jensen during filming tweeted by Colin.

This is the fifth episode in which the part of a younger Sam has been played by Colin Ford. The only episodes in which young Sam was not played by Colin were 1.18 Something Wicked, when the character was played by Alex Ferris, and 5.22 Swan Song, when the character was played by Nathan Smith.

In this episode, young Sam would be 15.


In 5.08 Changing Channels, Sam tells Dean that he doesn't know Japanese, however Young Sam is getting all the information on the kitsune from a book written in Japanese.
The documentary playing when Dean wakes up alone is about wildebeests, and the line Here on the Savannah, the wildebeest lounges, lazy and self-content, and is oblivious to the fierce predator that stalks him from the shadows also played in a documentary in 5.15 Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, just before Benny Sutton was murdered.
The cop Sam talks to about the "ice-pick killer" is played by Nicholas Harrison who previously played a rawhead in 1.12 Faith, and Mordechai Murdoch in 1.17 Hell House.
To get to the Gas-N-Sip when Sam has the Impala, Dean drives a 1984 Jeep Grand Wagoneer.
One of the kids outside the library in the flashback is played by Nico McEown who played Lucas Barr in 1.03 Dead in the Water.
It is notable that young Sam's first kiss is with a supernatural creature. In 4.14 Sex and Violence when Dean thinks that Dr. Cara Roberts, whom Sam has just had sex with, is the siren he says "...first it’s Madison and then Ruby and now Cara. It’s like, what is with you and banging monsters?" Madison of course being a werewolf and Ruby a demon. While he did only kiss her, we're counting Amy on the list of women who've slept with Sam Winchester and died.
Whilst filming the scene where Dean punches Sam when he gets back to the motel room, Jensen pranked Jared by having his stunt double - Todd Scott - tackle Jared instead.(source)
Near the end of the episode Sam gets food from a Biggerson's restaurant.
In 2011 a Winchester Bros charity auction item was a 2nd White collated draft of the script donated by Colin Ford. The script was signed by Jensen Ackles, Russ Hamilton, Colin Ford, Kevin Parks, Jared Padalecki, Jim Michaels, and Clif Kosterman. Photo previews of the item are here and here.

Sides, Scripts & Transcripts

Promotion

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