7.21 Reading Is Fundamental (Transcript)
Written by: Ben Edlund
Directed by: Ben Edlund
Air Date: 4 May 2012
NOW
Suite No. 5 in C minor by Johann Sebastian Bach plays. We see a close-up of a framed National Scholastic Society certificate in the name of KEVIN TRAN. The camera pans along the wall, revealing many other certificates.
INT. – TEENAGER’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
KEVIN is playing Bach on a cello.
INT. – ABANDONED BUILDING – NIGHT
SAM and DEAN enter a large unlit room carrying flashlights and bags, including the case they stole from DICK ROMAN in 7.20 The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo. SAM puts the case on a table and DEAN puts a duffel bag down on the floor. SAM opens his laptop. DEAN walks over to the case on the table.
INT. – TEENAGER’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
KEVIN’s cell phone rings. He continues to play until an alert on his computer pops up with the message “Cello Practice Complete.” He then puts the cello aside and answers the phone.
GIRL
Hey, Kevin.
KEVIN
Princeton just adjusted its acceptance rate down to 8.7% for 2013.
INT. – GIRL’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
An Asian-American GIRL is sitting on her bed talking on the phone.
GIRL
Breathe, Kevin. Are you studying?
INT. – KEVIN’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
KEVIN
I'm talking to you.
An alert on KEVIN’s computer screen reads “Elective Period 14:55”.
KEVIN
I'll start on probability and statistics in 14 minutes.
The scene switches between KEVIN’s and the GIRL’s bedrooms.
GIRL
I hate probability.
KEVIN
Tomorrow's my last chance to get a perfect math score.
GIRL
Your S.A.T.s are great!
KEVIN
Channing, everybody's S.A.T.s are great. I have to do perfect.
CHANNING
Who knows? The essays are at least as important.
KEVIN hits some buttons on his computer and brings up a document headed “College Admission Essay.” The rest of the document is blank.
KEVIN
I have absolutely nothing to say.
CHANNING
I know. I know what you mean. I read one by a kid who got into Cornell. He didn't have any arms or legs or anything. He had to type the whole thing with his mouth. It was beautiful.
KEVIN
I am so screwed.
CHANNING
You know, no matter what, one day, college isn't going to matter anymore.
KEVIN
You're out of your mind.
INT. – ABANDONED BUILDING – NIGHT
SAM is unwrapping the piece of clay in the case. He takes it out and puts it on the table. DEAN walks over with a tool box.
DEAN
That's a lot of fuss over a caveman lego.
SAM
Yeah. Well, whatever Dick wants is bricked up inside that.
DEAN takes a mallet out of the tool box, hands SAM a pair of safety glasses and puts some on himself.
DEAN
All right.
DEAN hits the clay once. Thunder claps.
INT. – KEVIN’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
KEVIN’s blank college admission essay is still on the screen. KEVIN, who is standing, opens an energy drink and takes a sip. Lightening flashes and thunder claps.
INT. – ABANDONED BUILDING – NIGHT
DEAN hits the clay again. Lightening flashes and thunder claps.
INT. – KEVIN’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
KEVIN takes another drink.
INT. – ABANDONED BUILDING – NIGHT
DEAN
That sound like somebody saying, "No, wait – stop," to you?
SAM
Uh... Yeah. Yeah.
DEAN
Yeah. [shrugs] Oh, well.
DEAN hits the clay several more times.
INT. – KEVIN’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Lightening flashes.
INT. – ABANDONED BUILDING – NIGHT
DEAN continues to hammer at the clay.
EXT. – SKY – NIGHT
White light radiates from above the clouds and seems to erupt as the thunder roars.
INT. – ABANDONED BUILDING – NIGHT
DEAN continues to hammer at the clay.
INT. – KEVIN’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Kevin looks up as more lightening flashes.
INT. – ABANDONED BUILDING – NIGHT
DEAN continues to hammer at the clay.
EXT. – SKY – NIGHT
Bolts of lightening shoot down from the clouds.
INT. – KEVIN’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
The lightening reaches into KEVIN’s room and strikes him. He yells as he is lifted off the ground.
INT. – ABANDONED BUILDING – NIGHT
DEAN lifts an inscribed stone tablet out of the broken clay casing.
INT. – KEVIN’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
KEVIN is suspended in the air by the lightening as pieces of the roof swirl and fall around him. He drops to the floor, which is covered in broken glass. White light flashes behind his closed eyes.
INT. – ABANDONED BUILDING – NIGHT
DEAN turns the tablet over.
INT. – KEVIN’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
KEVIN lies on the floor as white light shines behind his closed eyelids. We see close-ups of some kind of hieroglyphics and when the camera returns to KEVIN there is no longer white light in his eyes. His body jerks on the floor and then goes still.
SUPERNATURAL (Title Card)
ACT ONE
INT. – HOSPITAL – NIGHT
CASTIEL lies in bed with his eyes closed as lightening flashes and thunder claps. MEG, who is pretending to be NURSE MASTERS, is sitting by his bed listening to music and reading a magazine. MEG raises her eyes from the magazine to see that CASTIEL has sat up. He turns to look at her.
EXT. – GEOTHRIVE CONSTRUCTION SITE – NIGHT
Lightening flashes and thunder claps. A large billboard reads “Geothrive Inc. – Planning Your Future With Pride!”
INT. – OFFICE – NIGHT
EDGAR the Leviathan and another man are looking at design plans.
EDGAR
I don't know. I think the line might panic when they turn this corner, see the blade assembly up ahead.
EDGAR’s phone rings and he takes it out of his pocket. The display reads “Dick Calling.”
EDGAR
Strange, isn't it, that someone would choose to be named "Dick"?
Lightening flashes as EDGAR answers the phone.
EDGAR
Yes?
INT. – KEVIN’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
KEVIN lies on the floor amidst broken glass. His phone rings. As he begins to stir, the call goes to voice mail.
KEVIN’S RECORDED MESSAGE
This is Kevin Tran's voicemail. Please leave a message.
KEVIN’S MOTHER
Kevin, it's Mom. I know you're at school [KEVIN opens his eyes] already, about to take the test. [KEVIN sits upright.] And I know all your hard work will net the results…
KEVIN’s clock reads 10:22.
KEVIN
22! [He gets to his feet.]
KEVIN’S MOTHER
…we've discussed, but like Dr. Ender said…
KEVIN
Wait!
KEVIN’S MOTHER
…don't obsess on the quote unquote perfect.
KEVIN
No. No. No!
KEVIN grabs a shirt and looks at his calendar on his computer.
KEVIN’S MOTHER
That's just a nice feather in our cap, if we get it. Now, Kevin, we're about to finish up our last seminar. [KEVIN puts his shirt in a bag.] My flight's confirmed for 7:00, so I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow. Love you, honey.
White light flashes and appears in KEVIN’s eyes. We see close-ups of the hieroglyphics interspersed with KEVIN’s face.
INT. – ABANDONED BUILDING – DAY
DEAN, who is lying on the ground, wakes. The news is playing.
REPORTER
...At a lost to explain the continent-wide storm system that appeared seemingly out of nowhere, blanketing a good part of the nation in freak lightning displays.
DEAN stands up. SAM is listening to the news on his laptop at the table.
REPORTER
Here with Dr. Marlon Price of the U.S. Meteorological Survey at a press conference earlier today.
DR MARLON PRICE
Baffled? No, I'm not baffled. [DEAN washes his face at the sink.] Frankly, I'm offended. This is not the way weather behaves.
REPORTER
Power outages and related damages to electronic equipment have been reported from as far east as Cape Cod [indistinct]…
A metal cup near DEAN moves.
DEAN
Bobby? Bobby, that you?
SAM
Think so. [He holds up a flashing EMF reader.] But that whole adventure at Roman's seems to have drained his batteries.
DEAN
So, what? We start the storm heard 'round the world?
SAM
When we broke this thing [SAM touches the stone tablet] open last night, every maternity ward within a hundred-mile radius got slammed. Looks like any woman in the last month of her pregnancy went into labor.
DEAN
Hmm. [DEAN picks up the tablet.] This one goes out to all the ladies. So, heavyweight signs, omens – what do we got?
SAM
I assume it's writing. But I've never seen anything like it, ever. And it doesn't match anything in any book or online.
DEAN
All right, so big daddy chomper lands here, he grabs himself some Dick... and then he starts secretly underwriting university departments, pouring money into digs – all for this. Why?
SAM
No clue. We do know that he will be tearing new ones until he gets it back, though. Look, we got to take a minute, hole up somewhere safe, find out what we've got.
DEAN
Rufus' cabin, then?
SAM
Yeah.
DEAN
This time, I'm doing the shopping.
SAM’s phone rings.
SAM
It's Meg.
SAM answers the phone. The scene switches between SAM and DEAN in the abandoned building and MEG in the hospital.
SAM
What?
MEG
What up, Bullwinkle? Just a little FYI call. Your boy's awake.
SAM
What? [to DEAN] Cas is awake.
DEAN
When? [SAM puts the phone on speaker and holds it out.] When?
MEG
Last night about eight.
DEAN
And you waited till now to call us?
MEG
I've been busy with Cas. He's just a tad different than when he dozed off, 'kay?
DEAN
What do you mean, different?
MEG
Hey, Seacrest, guess what – not a nurse. Just playing one on TV. Want answers? Start driving.
MEG hangs up.
SAM
Great. So, Indiana?
DEAN
Yeah. Eight o’clock last night.
SAM
Yeah. Same time we opened up that thing.
We see close-ups of the hieroglyphics and KEVIN’s eyes, lit by white light.
CAR – NIGHT
KEVIN is driving. He swerves.
KEVIN
Ahh! Ahh!
KEVIN’s phone rings.
KEVIN
Ahh!
He answers the phone. The scene switches between KEVIN in the car and CHANNING in her bedroom.
KEVIN
Who?
CHANNING
Kevin? Where were you today? You missed the test!
KEVIN
I...
CHANNING
And student council and quartet.
KEVIN
I had to take my mom's car. I-I think I had a seizure or something. [White light flashes in his eyes.] I've been chosen. It's my birthright.
CHANNING
Oh, my God, Kevin, all the pressure you've been under. This isn't one of those overachiever-teen meltdowns, is it?
KEVIN
I'm supposed to keep going. I'm not allowed to stop.
CHANNING
What do you mean, "not allowed"? [KEVIN puts down the phone.] Is someone with you? They didn't make you take your mother's car, did they? Kevin?!
KEVIN makes a right-hand turn and heads west.
