9.07 Bad Boys

Title	Bad Boys
Episode #	Season 9, Episode 7
First aired	November 19, 2013
Directed by	Kevin Parks
Written by	Adam Glass
On IMDB	Bad Boys
Outline	A new chapter in Dean's past is revealed when he gets a phone call from an old friend regarding a possible haunting.
Monster	Ghost
Timeline
Location(s)	Lebanon, Kansas Hurleyville, New York (1995 & 2013)
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Synopsis

Three boys are playing hide and seek at night in an old barn, and when Jack the caretaker comes in to enforce curfew, his flashlight flickers, the air grows cold, and a tractor roars to life and kills him.

In the Bunker, Dean gets a call from Sonny about the caretaker's death, and he agrees to take the job. In 1995, John Winchester had been on a rugaru hunt, Dean had disappeared, and John sent Sam to Bobby Singer's house for a while, telling Sam that Dean was lost on a hunt. In truth, Dean gambled away the food money, been arrested for stealing food to feed Sam, and served time at Sonny's Home for Boys, which John felt was just punishment.

The Winchesters drive to Sonny's, where Dean recalls his first meeting with Sonny.

1995
Young Dean sits handcuffed on the couch, while a deputy with a black eye recounts Dean's theft to Sonny. When Sonny notices marks on Dean's arms, thinking they were from the fight with the deputy, but Dean off-handedly claims a werewolf did it, and Sonny believes him. Dean is loathe to admit why he stole the food, and Sonny explains how the boy's farm teaches discipline as a substitute for jail.

Present Day
Sonny recounts Jack's death and other strange occurrences, flickering lights, rattling doors, and Dean asks to search the barn while Sam checks the house. Noticing some hoodoo carved into a bedpost, Sam finds Dean's old bed, and talks to Ruth about whatever haunts the farm. Meanwhile in the barn, Dean's EMF meter gives a high reading, and meets Timmy Conroy. Timmy shows off his action figure, and admits that Jack yelled at the kids a lot, and that he was playing in the barn when Jack died. The original farm owner had wanted to kill Jack for allegedly sleeping with his wife, murdered his wife, got a lifelong prison term, and died recently. Ruth believes the farmer's ghost killed Jack in revenge, so the Winchesters go to salt and burn the farmer's bones. However, the next day Ruth is drowned in her own bath, the door sealing shut so that Sonny is unable to rescue her.

Dean insists on eating at Cus's Place, where Robin is their waitress.

1995
Sonny takes young Dean out to eat at Cus's Place, offering Dean a permanent home at the farm since Dean is making friends, excelling in school, and made the wrestling team. Sonny asks Dean about the occult symbols on his bedpost and the salt around his bed, and Dean leaves it at "It's a family thing." Sonny shares his own story about being in a gang that landed him a prison sentence, and questions Dean's loyalty to family, just as a young Robin takes their order.

Present Day
Robin takes their order, and Dean asks if she remembers him. She appears not to know him, and, embarrassed, Dean rushes out of the diner. Sam knows they had some connection, but just then Dean gets the call about Ruth's death, and they drive back to the farm. Sonny says Ruth's rosary beads went missing, and Sam goes to look through employee records while Dean talks to the other kids. Dean breaks up a fight between Timmy and two bullies, who insist they're innocent of Ruth's death. Later, the two bullies are doing yard work, and one of them nearly loses a hand when trying to remove Ruth's rosary beads from the lawnmower. Timmy is seen watching the whole incident from the second story window, where a black hand rests on his shoulder.

Sam sees Dean's wrestling award. After Dean confirms that the bully will recover, Sam reports that Timmy had been found abandoned in a warehouse, and thus far is one of the few people unharmed on the farm. They suspect a ghost possession. Sam investigates the barn, where he finds an attic filled with Timmy's drawings outlining his mother's death. There had been a car wreck, and the mother had pushed Timmy from the burning car.

Dean walks into Robin about to give Timmy a guitar lesson.

1995
Young Dean and young Robin sit on the couch, where Dean admits he doesn't enjoy the family business, but that John expects him to follow in his footsteps. Robin commiserates, not liking the idea of taking over the family diner, and Dean confesses his love of cars, and how he'd like to be a mechanic. Touched by his words, Robin kisses him, and though Dean is bemused, they kiss some more.

Present Day
Dean asks Robin to leave, insisting she's in danger for reasons he can't explain, and she admits that she'd never forgotten him.

1995
Young Dean and Robin are kissing, making plans for the school dance, and Dean claims he'll never leave her.

Present Day
Dean grabs Robin and tries to leave, but the front door shuts and Timmy appears, apologizing for being unable to control his mother's ghost. She's been haunting Timmy since her death to protect him from perceived threats. Dean manages to stall the ghost with iron, and Sam makes a salt circle around Robin. Dean burns the action figure, thinking it's the last link between Timmy and his mother, but it fails to stop her, and the salt ring breaks. Dean convinces Timmy to drive his mother's ghost away, and when Timmy tells the ghost to leave, she reverts to her original form and vanishes.

Robin and Dean part on friendly terms. Sam asks Dean why he left the farm, when he was obviously so happy there, and Dean insists he didn't fit in.

1995
Young Dean dresses for the school dance, when Sonny walks in saying John is waiting outside to take him home. Sonny offers to tell John no, but Dean looks out the window and sees young Sam in the Impala, and tearfully tells Sonny he has to go back.

Characters

• Sam Winchester
• Dean Winchester
• John Winchester
• Sonny
• Robin
• Timmy Conroy
• Timmy's Mother
• Ruth

Definitions

• Dean's Amulet
• EMF
• Flashbacks
• Get this
• Ghosts
• Hugs
• Impala
• Iron
• Law Enforcement Officers
• Men of Letters Bunker
• Pentagram
• Redemption
• Rugaru
• Salt
• Werewolves

Music

• Ellens Gesang III, D. 839, Op. 52: No. 6, Ave Maria by RFCM Symphony Orchestra

(plays on the radio as Ruth is being killed)

• "Stone in Love" by Journey

(plays when young Dean and Robin are making out)

Quotes

Sam: You were here for two months and Dad couldn't find you?

Dean: Oh, no. He found me. He found me quick. But he left me here 'cause I lost our money.
Sam: You were 16. You made a mistake.

Dean: Yeah. I made the mistake. Look, I know how you think. None of this was Dad's fault.

[regarding the marks on Dean's arms]

Sonny: Deputy do that? What, your old man? Well, then, how'd you get it?
Young Dean: Werewolf.

Sonny: Okay.

Dean: Hey, kid, what are you doing in here by yourself?

Timmy: Fighting monsters.
Dean: What kind of monsters?
Timmy: All sorts, with Bruce the Monster Smasher.

Dean: Hm. Is that a cape? Little impractical for smashing monsters, huh? You know, you could choke—

Dean: That means our little field trip to the cemetery was a bust. Sonny, is there anything else weird you can remember?
Sonny: What, 'cause we're not chest-deep in weird already, boys?

Young Dean: I want to be a rock star, but... I also really like cars.

Young Robin: Being a mechanic seems rough.

Young Dean: What? No, no. Not at all. Cars are freaking cool as hell. Fixing them is like a puzzle, and the best part is when you're done, they leave, and you're not responsible for them anymore.

Dean: Well, as you can see, I did not run off to become a rock star.
Robin: Mm... I don't know about that. You look pretty rockin' to me, Dean Winchester.

Dean: I guess we didn’t know everything we thought we did at 16.

Sam: You just got lucky? Kind of like you did with this place. I mean, here I was thinking this was the worst part of your life, and it turns out it was the best. Why'd you ever leave?

Dean: Never felt right.
Sam: Really?

Dean: It was two months, Sam, okay? And I couldn't wait to get out of here. I don't know what to tell you. It wasn't me.

Sonny: Oh, look at you. You clean up good!

Young Dean: Thank you. You know, uh... I've never actually been to one of these school dances before.
Sonny: Yeah. Look, about that, Dean, your old man's outside... and, man, he's really something. I tried to tell him what a big night it was for you, Dean, and ask him if he could come back later, but he just said to tell you he had a job, said you'd know what that means... You know, after I got out of jail, this place gave me a second chance, and it's done the same for you, too... So if you want, I'll stick my neck out for you, and I'll fight for you to stay.

Young Dean: Sonny... Thank you -– for everything. But I have to go.

Sam: Dean, thank you — for always being there. For always having my back. I know it hasn’t always been easy.
Dean: I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.

Trivia & References

"Bad Boys" is also the name of a 1983 movie about a kid played by Sean Penn who is sent to reform school for killing a gang member, where he must deal with the dead man's vengeful brother.

Sam picks up and starts reading The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum. It is the sequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz which Sam gave to Dorothy before she and Charlie returned to Oz at the end of 9.04 Slumber Party.

Dean: I knew you'd get hungry, so... I tried taking the five-finger discount at the local market and got busted. I wasn't on a hunt. They sent me to a boys' home.

Five-finger discount is a slang term for stealing.

The first name that Sam peels off of Dean's old bed at the boys home is Kevin P., a reference to the episode director Kevin Parks.

Dean: All right, Casper... where are you at?

The title character in the famous cartoon series Casper, the Friendly Ghost which was created in the 1950s.

Dean: Let's try that again. If you're gonna be a man, you got to learn how to shake like one, okay? So give me your best kung fu grip. Good. Now look me straight in the eye. Let me know that you mean business. Shake as hard as you can. That's it. You shake like that, you'll be all right. Hey, Timmy, did you know Jack who worked here?

Kung-Fu Grip was a feature introduced in G.I. Joe action figures in the 1970s, which allowed the hands to grip objects like weapons and climbing ropes.

Dean: Hey! Either of you touch him ever again, I'm gonna go all Guantánamo on you. Understand me? You get the hell out of here. Go on! Get.

A reference to Guantanamo Bay detention camp, where the U.S. government holds suspected terrorist without charges.

Dean: All right, so hard-ass counselors, bullies, all bite the dust, but Timmy's still standing. So, what are we talking? We got ourselves a Damien on our hands?

Damien is a character appearing in the The Omen and its sequels. He was the Antichrist - the son of Satan and a jackal.

Minutiae

Filming Locations: Map of known filming locations.

Live tweets from writer Adam Glass, director Kevin Parks, various cast members and Orlando Jones (from Sleepy Hollow)

This episode was shot 5th but aired 7th.

Dylan Everett, who plays Young Dean in this episode, also plays Young Dean in 10.12 About A Boy (however, in that episode Dean is 14 and not 16) and in 11.08 Just My Imagination (where "Young Dean" is 13).

Dylan is the second Everett to play a version of Dean. In 5.07 The Curious Case of Dean Winchester, an 80-year-old Dean was played by the late Chad Everett; no relation.

Erin Karpluk, who plays Robin, previously played Monica Holt, the mother of Rose, one of the Special Children in 1.21 Salvation. She also appeared in the finale of the series Dark Angel, which Jensen also appeared in.

The ghost of Timmy's mother is played by two actors: Alika Autran who appeared in the disfigurement makeup, and Jennifer Oleksiuk who plays the character just before she vanishes. It took 3 hours to apply the ghost makeup to Alika each day - and 3 hours to remove it by Mike Fields and Geoff Redknap of Lindala Schminken FX Inc.

Karin Konoval plays Ruth the role of the housekeeper in this episode also played Mrs. Curry the housekeeper in 4.11 Family Remains. She famously played the mother of the incestuous family in The X-Files episode "Home."

Writer Adam Glass was born in Georgia but he grew up in Liberty, near to Hurleyville where this episode was set. His high school sweetheart was called Robin and Ruth is his grandmother's name.

This episode takes place in 1995, when Dean is 16 and Sam is 12. It is set about 2 years before the events of the flashbacks to 1997 in 4.13 After School Special - by which time Dean had some mad kissing skills. In this episode Dean is wearing the amulet which Sam gave him in 1991 when Dean was 12.

Originally Dean was written as 14, but upon seeing Dylan Everett on screen, the crew decided he looked older, and used ADR to change the age to 16 in post-production.

Dylan Everett has brown eyes, but Jensen has green eyes.

Sam and Dean encountered werewolves when they were quite young (2.17 Heart). In the episode in 1995, Dean tells Sonny the bruises he has are from a werewolf. In 1997, Sam writes an essay for English class about a werewolf hunt his family was on the previous summer (4.13 After School Special).

In 4.04 Metamorphosis, Dean appeared to not know what a rugaru was, but here it transpires that he knew that John was on a rugaru hunt in 1995.

The 'Sonny's Home for Boys' house was used before in 4.03 In The Beginning as the Whitshire Farm.

Dean's Champion Plaque in Wrestling (135 lbs category) was awarded to Dean on April 20th, 1995.

Writer Adam Glass stated that the kiss with Robin wasn't Dean's first, but before that he hadn't had many.

Sam is wearing the same shirt he was wearing at the end of 5.16 Dark Side of the Moon. When Dean arrives at Sonny's he is wearing an AC/DC t-shirt.

The murderer who died in prison and who Sam and Dean salt and burn was Harold Wasserlauf. Wasserlauf is the maiden name of writer Adam Glass' grandmother. On his gravestone it shows his middle name as Ross, and his death date as March 1st. Ross is Jensen's middle name, and March 1st is Jensen's birthday

Sides, Scripts & Transcripts

• 9.07 Bad Boys (transcript)
• Bad Boys Script (Writer's 2nd Draft)

Promotion

• Title and Character information by Spoiler TV
• Promo pics by seat42f
• Official Synopsis by the CW
• Sneak peek
• Promo
• Interview with Blake Gibbons (Sonny) by Examiner
• Click here to listen to Winchester Radio's discussion of this episode

Episode Meta

• Chan, Suzette. 2014. Supernatural Talk: Tarts talk about 9.07: Bad Boys. Sequential Tart, January 20; archive link
• Scott, Lyda. 2013. TV Review: 'Supernatural' - 'Bad Boys.' Blogcritics, November 24; archive link