7.09 How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters
{{Episode |Infobox=
| |
| Title | How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters |
| Episode # | Season 7, Episode 9 |
| First aired | November 18, 2011 |
| Directed by | Guy Bee |
| Written by | Ben Edlund |
| On IMDB | http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1995124/ |
| Outline | |
| Monster | Leviathans |
| Timeline | |
| Location(s) | Wharton State Forest, The Pine Barrens Hammonton, New Jersey |
| [[{{{prevep}}}|« Previous Episode]] | [[{{{nextep}}}|Next Episode »]] | |
|Synopsis= Something kills and eats a camper in the Wharton State Forest, and Dean, Sam, and Bobby squat in an abandoned house while they investigate that and a number of missing persons reports. Dean complains about their living conditions over the last few weeks, but Bobby is insistent that they need to follow Frank Devereaux's advice and stay off the grid while the Leviathans are after them. Dean, though, is fed up and points out that the world is always on the verge of ending—maybe it wants to end. Bobby tells him not to think about it.
Sam's research uncovers conflicting reports about a creature dubbed the Jersey Devil hiding in the forest, so their first stop is to interview a park ranger. Chief Ranger Rick Evans meets them at a Biggerson's Restaurant, and they question him about the state police's conclusion that a bear is behind the camper's death. As he eats a Turducken sandwich, he tells them that a bear wasn't behind it. Also, he and his assistant, Phil, have been finding partially eaten animal remains in the woods for a while now. When Rick mentions that he hasn't seen or heard from Phil in a while, Sam asks Rick if Phil could be missing. Rick is strangely unconcerned—just says that he should probably report it and continues eating his sandwich.
Bobby arrives at Biggerson's from the morgue and tells Dean and Sam that the wounds on the camper's body don't seem to have been caused by a Leviathan, a werewolf, or a wendigo. They take a break for lunch, and Dean happily devours his Turducken sandwich as Sam fills Bobby in on what they learned from Ranger Rick. They decide that something weird is definitely going on and that they need to search the woods themselves. Before they go, their unaccountably aggressive waiter shouts at his manager and storms out.
Once in the woods, Bobby's hunting and tracking skills quickly lead them to Ranger Phil's mangled body hanging from a tree. They call Ranger Rick, who arrives at the scene after dark and again seems strangely calm and disconnected. He uses his radio to call for backup just before he's snatched by something fast moving. Bobby, Dean, and Sam raise their weapons, but are too slow. Bobby urges them to turn off their flashlights and then closes his eyes to better hear the sounds the creature makes as it starts to eat Ranger Rick. Eyes still closed, he shoots his .30-30 rifle up into the trees... and hits his target.
What falls out of the tree is a thin man with a strange blue tint to his skin and clouded eyes. He appears to be dead from Bobby's single bullet, but, once they get him back to their base of operations, he revives and jumps up to attack. They pump him full of bullets until he falls dead, and then Dean pulls a wallet out of his pants. According to his ID, he was once a 235 lb. man named Gerald Browder.
While Dean watches, Bobby and Sam perform an impromptu autopsy on Gerald's body and are disgusted by the procedure, which uncovers a strange blue goo throughout his body, disturbing stomach contents, and an extremely swollen adrenal gland. Dean is unaffected, however, and insists on heading back to Biggerson's Restaurant for dinner, where he orders another Turducken sandwich. As Bobby and Sam research Gerald on Sam's laptop, Dean seems unconcerned. Instead, he's strangely intent on his sandwich. When Sam and Bobby look around the restaurant they realize that everyone else is just as focused on eating Turducken sandwiches, and Sam snatches Dean's so that they can leave to investigate what's left of it.
Back at the abandoned house, Dean is irritated that Sam and Bobby won't let him eat his sandwich. He says that he feels fine—great, even. For once he's not upset about Castiel or the Leviathans because he just doesn't care anymore. Sam says that he sounds stoned, and Bobby points out that he's acting just like Ranger Rick and the rest of the dinner crowd at Biggerson's. They're still arguing when the half-eaten Turducken sandwich suddenly erupts with blue goo.
|Characters=
- Sam Winchester
- Dean Winchester
- Bobby Singer
- Dick Roman
- Dr Gaines
- Edgar
- Susan
- Ranger Rick Evans
|Pad_of_Definitions=
|Music=
|Quotes=
Sam: Someone's got to do it.
Bobby: What the hell's a glamper?
Dean: Sam?
|Trivia_References=
Motel 6 is a major chain of budget motels with more than 1,000 locations in the United States and Canada. Its tagline "We'll leave the light on for you" has been a part of its advertising campaign since 1988.
Ranger Rick is a children’s nature magazine that is published by the National Wildlife Federation for 7–12-year-olds, as well as the title character of the magazine.
Bambi is a 1942 animated Disney movie about a young fawn called Bambi, whose mother is killed by hunters.
Big Bird is a very tall, very yellow, avian character from Sesame Street. See Sam's height for other references. Ken is boyfriend to Barbie, known for his plastic good looks.
