Review – “Mystery Spot”

Sam sits up in bed, awakened to “Heat of the Moment” on the radio. “Rise and shine, Sammy!” says Dean enthusiastically, tying his boots on his bed. “Dude, Asia?” asks Sam. “C’mon, you love this song and you know it!” says Dean cheerily. “And if I ever hear it again, I’m going to kill myself,” says Sam grumpily. “What did you say, I can’t hear you!” says Dean, deliberately turning up the music. Sam smiles indulgently as Dean points a finger at him and begins bopping his head and lip-syncing to the song, In the bathroom, the brothers brush their teeth; Sam, spreading odd-tasting toothpaste on a pink brush while Dean noisily gargles, grinning at him. Ready to go, Sam stands impatiently in the doorway, wondering when Dean will finish. Dean picks up a black bra. “This yours?” he asks, before finding the gun he was looking for. “Bingo,” he says, “now, who’s ready for breakfast?”


They enter a diner as a man behind the counter is giving an old man change and saying, “Drive safely now, Mr. Pickett.” “Yeah, yeah,” replies the old man, annoyed. Doris, a waitress, says, “Can’t stay unless you order something,” Cal. “Coffee,” he says. Dean and Sam sit in a booth. Dean spies the Tuesday special hanging on the wall–Pig in a Poke–and decides to order it. “Do you even know what that is?” asks Sam. Doris comes over and Dean orders the special plus a side of bacon and coffee. Sam orders coffee and a short stack. Dean insists the job here is small fry; he wants to hunt down Bela, but Sam reminds him they have no idea where she is. So, says Dean, looking over a pamphlet for the Mystery Spot, we will look for Professor Dexter, who his daughter says was on his way to the Broward County Mystery Spot when he disappeared. Doris brings over Dean’s coffee and hot sauce on a tray, but drops the latter on the floor. She apologizes to the brothers, and loudly calls for cleanup.

On their way down the street, a friendly dog barks at them; Dean takes the pamphlet and tells Sam places like the Mystery Spot are just tourist scams. There are spots around the world that swallow people, Sam reminds him–the Bermuda Triangle, Organ Vortex–sometimes these places are legit. A woman bumps into Dean, says “Excuse me” and goes on her way. Dean looks over his shoulder to check out the pretty blond. “What’s the lore?” asks Dean. “Some of these places the magnetic fields can bend space/time,” explains Sam, “and send these people God knows where.” “Sounds a little X-FILES to me,” remarks Dean. They pass two men trying to wrestle a large desk into a too-small door. “Told you it wouldn’t fit,” one says to the other. “What do you want, a Pulitzer? asks the other. The Winchesters agree to go to the Mystery Spot that night, get a good long look.

We see a green hallway with a circular pattern starting in the center and moving out, around and around. Creepy, cheesy organ music plays. Sam and Dean have broken into the Mystery Spot, where a table is nailed to the ceiling. Sam waves around his EMF device. Dean sarcastically asks, “Do you have any idea what you’re looking for?” Sam does not. Dean gazes skeptically at a shark head mounted like a moose head on the wall. A nervous man with a gun suddenly appears, accusing them of trying to rob him. As Dean is putting his gun down, the man accidentally pulls the trigger on his, mortally wounding Dean. Sam gathers his brother in his arms and orders the man to call 911. “No. . .no, not like this,” mourns Sam, but Dean dies in his arms, his eyes wide open.

Sam awakens to the exact same scenario as the previous Tuesday–Dean, alive, turns up Asia’s “Heat of the Moment” and dances his way to both of them spitting into the sink. “I had a WEIRD dream!” says Sam. “Clowns or midgets?” asks Dean.

Diner – Mr. Picket, Cal, Pig in a Poke–and Dean orders the Tuesday special. Finding out it’s AGAIN Tuesday, Sam orders nothing. When Dean brings up hunting down Bela, Sam asks, “You don’t remember any of this?” “Like deja vu?” asks Dean. “No,” says Sam, “like it’s REALLY happened before?” “Like deja vu?” repeats Dean. “Like we’re living yesterday all over again,” says Sam. Dean starts to repeat “deja vu,” but exasperated, Sam stops him. Sam catches the hot sauce before it hits the floor. “Nice reflexes, remarks Dean. Sam gives him a frustrated look.

Sam stares after the barking dog as Dean apologizes for not understanding what he’s talking about. Dean again bumps into the pretty blond: “Excuse me,” she says. This is crazy even for us, says Dean, “crazier even than dingo ate my baby crazy.” “We were at the Mystery Spot,” explains Sam, “then I woke up.” They pass the two guys with the desk, repeat. Sam insists they check out the Mystery Spot again, but when Dean wants to go after closing, Sam refuses with a shudder; they’ll go now, during business hours. “Freak,” says Dean. They start to cross the street, Dean in front, but he’s immediately struck by Mr. Pickett, who stops, glances out the window irritably, and continues on his way. Sam scoops his bloody-faced, motionless brother into his arms, shakes him. “Dean. . .Dean!” he calls, but his brother is dead.

HOTEL! SAM AWAKENS! TUESDAY! ASIA! DEAN! GARGLING! PIG IN A POKE! At the diner, Sam begs Dean to listen to him, “I’m freaking out!” He quickly orders the special with a side of bacon and coffee for Dean, nothing for himself. Dean teasingly says, “I get all tingly when you take control like that.” “Quit screwing around,” says Sam desperately. Dean gets more serious as Sam explains that, like in GROUNDHOG DAY, Sam is in a time loop. “It’s crazy even for us,” says Dean. “Dingo ate my baby crazy?” quotes Sam. “How did you know I was going to say that?” asks Dean. “You said it before, Dean, that’s my whole point,” says Sam. The waitress puts down Dean’s coffee and Sam catches the hot sauce–again–because, as he explains to Dean, he knew it was going to happen. Sam finally confesses: “Twice now, I’ve watched you die, and I can’t, won’t do it again. You’re just going to have to believe me–please.” “OK,” agrees Dean gently, realizing how upset his brother is. “Even though I think you’re nuts.” Sam takes a deep breath and finally looks calmer. Poor Sam! He was so desperate to convince Dean that this was REALLY happening. He had to tell him the truth, that Dean had already died twice, and he couldn’t go through this again. One thing we know about Dean. he won’t see his baby brother suffer, so that was enough for him to take this seemingly silly situation seriously. Both Jensen and Jared, the latter especially, turned in amazing performances in this episode!

DOG! BLOND! DESK GUYS! Dean and Sam discuss that the cheesy Mystery Spot might be the center of all this trouble. Although Dean thinks it’s too X-FILES, he agrees to go after it’s closed and get another look. Explaining to Dean that he has already been “blown away” there, Sam wants to go now–but first Sam must stop Dean from being struck by Mr. Pickett, who yells from the window, “Stay out of the way!” Seeing Sam’s face, Dean figures out that he was killed this way yesterday. “Did it look cool, like in the movies?” asks Dean with a smile. “You peed yourself!” says Sam, watching the grin fade from his brother’s face. “Of course I peed myself,” says Dean, “man gets hit by a car, you think he has full control over his bladder? Come on!” He looks both ways and carefully crosses the street.

Mystery Spot – Posing as reporters, the brothers talk to Mr. Carpiak, the owner of the Mystery Spot–who shot Dean on an earlier Tuesday. Mr. Carpiak, thinking he’s getting some good, free publicity, tries to spout the company line–“Where the laws of physics have no meaning”–but when they ask about the man who went missing, he wants to know what kind of article they’re writing–the cops scoured every inch of his place and couldn’t find that man, this is a family establishment. Sam, upset, gets right in Mr. Carpiak’s face and says, “Listen! There’s something weird going on here–do you know anything about it or not?” “I bought the place at a foreclosure sale last month,” protests Mr. C. Glancing at Sam’s half-crazed face, Dean says, “OK, Kojak, let’s get some air.” Mr. Carpiak watches them leave, nonplused.

Out on the street, Dean gives Sam a big I told you so about what a scam the Mystery Spot is. So what’s happening to us, then? demands Sam. Dean recounts, “Every day I die, that’s when you wake up again. So let’s make sure I don’t die–if I make it to tomorrow, the loop stops.” “Ya think?” wonders Sam. Dean suggests they get some Chinese, go back to the motel and lay low until midnight. Sam agrees. Dean turns. “Who wants Chinese?” he asks. At that very moment, a desk falls on him from above, leaving only his lower legs sticking out. One desk carrier gazes down ruefully from a window, the other from the door, at the broken rope. Sam gazes down, horrified, in disbelief–Dean is dead–again! Sam sits up slowly in his bed. Asia. Dean alive. Tuesday.

Diner – Dean promises a stunned-looking Sam they will figure out how to get him unstuck from GROUNDHOG DAY. “Thanks,” says Sam, without much hope. “At first I thought it was the Mystery Spot, now I’m not so sure. We keep you breathing, try to make it to tomorrow, that’s the only thing I can think of.” “Shouldn’t be too hard,” says Dean. “I’ve watched you die a few times now,” says Sam, “I haven’t ever been able to stop it.” “Nothing’s set in stone,” says Dean, who orders sausage instead of bacon with his Pig in a Poke. “Different day already,” says Dean confidently, “if you and I decide I’m not gonna die, I’m not gonna die.” Sam smiles hopefully–until Dean chokes to death on his first bite of sausage.

Dean, taking a shower, asks Sam if they can’t even go out for breakfast. “You’ll thank me when it’s Wednesday!” yells Sam over the running water. “Whatever that means,” says Dean. Sam, glancing out the window, hears a loud sound as Dean falls–and dies–in the bathtub.

SAM AWAKES! ASIA! TUESDAY! Dean, mouth full, munching a taco at the table in their hotel room, asks, “These tacos taste funny to you?”
SAM AWAKES! ASIA! TUESDAY! Dean plugs in a razor and electrocutes himself in the bathroom.

SAM! ASIA! TUESDAY! Sam destroys the Mystery Spot with an ax while Dean assures the Duct-taped gagged and bound Mr. Carpiak that no one will get hurt and everybody’s fine.” He gently suggests Sam give it a rest, but Sam refuses, yelling, “Something is going on here, I intend to find out what! I’m going to take it down to the studs!” When Dean tries to take the ax away from Sam, one brother’s blood ends up all over Mr. Carpiak’s face. Guess which one? “DEAN?” cries Sam.

Sam and Dean enter the diner where Mr. Pickett is being told to drive safely again and Cal orders coffee. Dean notes it’s Pig in a Poke Tuesday and that Sam has stolen Mr. Pickett’s car keys. “Trust me, you don’t want him behind the wheel,” says Sam. Waitress Doris comes over. Dean orders his usual and Sam tells her to log in more hours at the archery range–“You’re a terrible shot.” Puzzled, she asks, “How do you know that?” “Lucky guess,” he says. Dean grins. Sam doesn’t. Once again, Sam is apparently explaining, in a dead voice, about the time loop–this is his HUNDREDTH Tuesday in a row! I could just cry imagining all the ways he’s seen his brother die. It must be killing him by now! “Hot sauce,” says Sam. “What?” asks Dean. The hot sauce falls from Doris’ tray and into his outstretched hand. I know EVERYTHING that’s going to happen, insists Sam. Dean and Sam, together, in sync: “Right, you’re a mind reader. Cut it out Sam, Sam! You think you’re being funny but you’re being really, really childish. Sam Winchester wears makeup. Sam Winchester cries his way through sex. Sam Winchester keeps a ruler by the bed and every morning when he wakes up he–okay, enough!” Sam also knows a good deal about the townspeople: “Randy, the cashier? He’s skimming from the register. Judge Meyers? At night he puts on a furry bunny outfit. Over there, that’s Cal. He’s gonna rob Tony the Mechanic on the way home.” Sam has burnt down the Mystery Spot, but no matter what he does, “You die–and then I wake up, and it’s Tuesday again.” “There’s gotta be some way out of this,” insists Dean. They pass Mr. Pickett, searching his pockets. “My dang keys,” says Sam. seconds before the old man repeats it. Dean bangs into the blond. “Excuse me,” she says. “She’s kinda cute,” remarks Dean, then turns and asks, “Hey, all the times we were walkin’ down the street, I ever do this?” He turns and runs after her. “Excuse me, Miss!” “No,” realizes Sam. Dean takes one of her flyers and checks out her bod before turning back to ask Sam, “A hundred Tuesdays and you never bothered to check what she was holding in her hands–the guy we’re missing?–that’s his dauighter back there.” Sam runs after the woman. The friendly dog that always barked at the boys barks at Dean. “Hey, Buddy,” says Dean, “somebody need a friend?” He strolls to the dog, who apparently kills him.

SAM! ASIA! TUESDAY! Sam tells Dean that Dexter Hasselback is a professor and journalist who likes debunking places like the Mystery Spot, putting them out of business. He calls himself a Truth Warrior. He was a pompous schmuck, like Dean says, very full of himself. Sam has read a lot about him, and finds it amusing that this man spends his whole life crapping on mystery spots and now he disappears in one–just desserts. Sam notices one customer who has had maple syrup for the past hundred Tuesdays but on this day switched to strawberry. “Free country,” says Dean. “No,” says Sam, “nothing in this place ever changes, except me.”
SAM! ASIA! TUESDAY! Diner – Sam stares at a gray-haired businessman sitting at the counter. He’s once again explained to Dean about the time-warp, but simply orders his older brother, “Eat your breakfast.” When the man gets up and leaves, Sam follows him. Dean rises, too, asking, “What’s in the bag?” Dean hastily pays and follows Sam out. Outside, Sam slams the man against a fence. “I know who you are!” says Sam, pressing a wooden stake against the man’s throat, “or should I say WHAT.” Oh my God, don’t kill me!” the man begs. “Sam,” says Dean warningly. “It took me a hell of a long time, but I got it,” says Sam, “going after pompous jerks, giving them their just desserts–your kind loves that, don’t they?” “Sure, OK,” the man blathers, “just put the stake down!” Dean urges Sam to comply. “NO!” shouts Sam. “There’s only one creature powerful enough to do what you’re doing! You’d have to pretty much be a god–or a Trickster!” The guy tries to tell them he’s Ed Colman, with a wife and two kids, but when Sam says, “I know who you are–we’ve killed your kind before,” the face reverts to the Trickster they THOUGHT they had killed. “Actually, bucko, you didn’t.” Dean looks at the Trickster, astounded.

“Why are you doing this?” demands Sam breathlessly, still holding the stake to the Trickster’s throat. “You’re joking, right?” asks Trickster. “You tried to kill me last time–why wouldn’t I do this?” “What about Hasselback?” asks Dean. “That putz?” says Trickster, “he said he didn’t believe in wormholes–so I dropped him in one.” LMAO! Trickster laughs; when the other two don’t join him, says, “Then you guys showed up. I made you the second you hit town.” “So this is funny for you?” asks Sam, furious. “Killing Dean over and over?. . .yes, it is fun,” admits Trickster,” and two, this is SO not about killing Dean–this joke is on YOU, Sam, watching your brother die, every day, forever. . .” “You son-of-a-bitch,” accuses Sam. “How long will it take you to realize,” says Trickster, “that you can’t save your brother–no matter what.” Dean swallows a lump in his throat. “Oh yeah?” asks Sam, “I kill you, this all ends now.” He presses the stake into Trickster’s neck to prove his point. Trickster says, “If you can’t take a joke, you’re out of it–tomorrow, you wake up, it’ll be Wednesday, I swear.” “You’re lying,” says Sam. “If I am, you know where to find me,” says Trickster, “having pancakes at the diner.” Sam and Dean look at each other, measuring the deal. “No,” decides Sam, “Easier to just kill you.” “Sorry, kiddo,” says Trickster, and snaps his fingers.

Sam awakens! The song on the radio is “Back in Time” by Huey Lewis and the News. Dean, brushing his teeth, irritably asks Sam, “Are you going to sleep all day?” “No Asia,” notes Sam. “Yeah,” says Dean, this station sucks.” Sam glances at the radio. “It’s Wednesday!” he notes excitedly. “That usually comes after Tuesday,” Dean agrees, “turn that thing off, will ya?” “This isn’t the most beautiful song you’ve ever heard?” asks Sam, elated. “No,” says Dean grumpy, “Jeez, how many Tuesdays did you have?” “I lost count,” says Sam, slipping on his shirt, “What do you remember?” “You being pretty whacked out yesterday,” replies Dean, “then us running into the Trickster, but that’s about it.” “Pack your stuff, let’s get out of here,” says Sam, “NO breakfast!”

Outside in the parking lot, Dean packs things from the trunk in his duffle. Assuming Sam is behind him, he asks, “Are you sure we should just let the Trickster go?” Turning, he sees Cal, waving a gun, demanding his wallet. “Relax, buddy,” urges Dean. “I AM relaxed,” Cal assures him. “Nobody wants this to end the wrong way, let’s talk about it a sec,” says Dean reasonably. Packing up in the hotel room, Sam hears a gunshot. “Dean!” he shouts. Cal runs away. Sam races downstairs from the room to find Dean lying on the ground, bleeding heavily from a wound to his chest. “No, no, no no no no no,” groans Sam, racing to kneel and gather Dean in his arms. “Not today,” protests Sam, “this isn’t supposed to happen today. Come on.” He closes his eyes like a little kid, then opens them. “I’m supposed to wake up,” he murmurs, beginning to cry. He presses his face into his dead brother’s shoulder and sobs.

Six months later – Sam drives the Impala, a cold, dead look in his eyes. His phone rings, picked up by voicemail, it’s Bobby, who praises him for the demon thing he took care of in Death Valley. There is a montage of Sam shooting things, demon eyes, investigating with a flashlight, over him driving the Impala and Bobby asking him to please give him a call because it’s been a long time since they have spoken. Sam takes a weapon from the trunk, which is now Marine-perfect in its arrangement. Sam enters a motel room, takes off his jacket, lifts up his bloody t-shirt, extracts a bullet from his chest (left side) and sews up the wound. He eats a meal and cleans a gun like an automaton while Bobby’s voice on his phone expresses worry, asking Sam to call and tell him he’s not sitting alone somewhere obsessing over the Trickster’s whereabouts. On the wall in front of him, Sam has methodically placed papers, maps and photos of the Trickster.

“Call me, Sam,” begs Bobby, “we can find him together–no one man should take this on alone. By the way, that vampire nest in Austin, hell of a job.” Sam awakens, sits straight up in bed, brushes his teeth, listens to Bobby’s voicemail says, “Sam–I found him.” In the Broward County Mystery Spot, Sam finds Bobby kneeling before candles, a book and symbols on the floor. Bobby rises and hugs him. “It’s good to see you, boy,” he says. Sam, stoic, says, “What are we doin’ here, Bobby?” “This is the last place the Trickster worked his magic,” says Bobby, “so I found the summoning ritual to bring the Trickster here.” “What do we need?” asks Sam. “Blood,” says Bobby, “near a gallon, fresh.” “Meaning we’ve got to bleed a person dry,” notes Sam. “Gotta be tonight, too,” says Bobby, “or we can’t do this for another 50 years.” “Then let’s go get some,” says Sam, heading out. “Kid, you break my heart,” says Bobby, “I’m not going to let you murder an innocent man.” “Then why did you bring me here?” asks Sam. “Because it was the only way you’d see me,” says Bobby, “because I’m trying to knock some sense into you–because I thought you’d back down from killin’ a man!” “You thought wrong,” says Sam coldly, “leave the stuff, I’ll do it myself.” “I told you,” says Bobby, “I’m not gonna let you kill a man.” “It’s none of your damn business WHAT I do!” shouts Sam. They look at each other for a long moment. Bobby reaches into his bag and brings out a knife. “You want your brother back so bad, fine,” he says, handing the knife to Sam, “better me than a civilian. “You’re crazy,” says Sam, “I’m not killing you.” “I’m old and coming near the end of my trail.” says Bobby, “you need your brother–let me give him back to you. You and Dean, you’re the closest thing I have to family. I want to do this.” Sam agrees, his face working with emotion. Bobby turns away from him and kneels. “Just make it quick,” he whispers, “do it, son!” “OK, Bobby,” says Sam, and reaches into his jacket for the stake and thrusts it into Bobby’s back so hard it bursts through his chest, “but you wanna know why. . .because you’re not Bobby.” Bobby grimaces and groans with pain, falling forward.

Sam stares, waiting. “Bobby?” For a few agonizing moments, he fears he is wrong, and his voice is raw and terrified: “Bobby!” Then the figure on the floor morphs into the Trickster, who leaps up to face Sam, holding the stake in his hand. “You’re right,” he says, “I was screwing with ya. Pretty good, Sam! But lemme tell ya–whoever said DEAN was the dysfunctional one has never seen YOU with a sharp object in your hands–ho ho ho ho, Full Metal Jacket!” “Bring him back,” begs Sam. “Who, Dean?” asks Trickster, “didn’t my girl send you the flowers? Dean’s dead. He ain’t coming back. His soul’s downstairs doing the hellfire rumba as we speak. “Just take us back to that Wednesday when it all started, please,” says Sam. “we won’t come after you, I swear.” “I don’t know,” says Trickster, “I could, but that don’t mean I should, Sam, there’s a lesson here that I’ve been trying to drill into that thick Cro Magnum skull of yours–this obsession to save Dean, the way you two keep sacrificing yourselves for each other–nothing good comes out of it, just blood and pain. Dean’s your weakness, and the bad guys know it, too. It’s gonna be the death of you, Sam. Sometimes, you just gotta let people go.” “He’s my brother,” says Sam thickly, tears in his eyes. “Yup,” says Trickster, “and like it or not, this is what life is gonna be like without him.” “Please,” begs Sam, “just. . .PLEASE.” Shaking his head, Trickster sighs, “It’s like talking to a brick wall! OK, look, this all stopped being fun months ago, you’re Travis Bickle in a skirt now, I’m over it.” “Meaning what?” asks Sam. “Meaning that’s for me to know, and you to find out,” replies Trickster, snapping his fingers.

Sam awakens to “Back in Time” and Dean brushing his teeth. I know, no Asia, complains Dean, this station sucks. Sam notes it’s Wednesday, ignores Dean’s order to turn off the music, climbs out of bed wraps his arms around his big brother, hugging hard and tight. “How many Tuesdays did you have?” asks Dean. “Enough,” answers Sam, near tears, releasing Dean to ask, “What do you remember?” “That you were pretty whacked out yesterday, and catching up with the Trickster,” replies Dean, “that’s it.” “Let’s go,” says Sam emotionally. “Breakfast?” asks Dean. “No breakfast,” says Sam firmly. “I’ll go pack the car,” says Dean. “You’re not going anywhere alone,” insists Sam. “It’s the parking lot!” protests Dean. “Just trust me,” says Sam. (Later) Sam is zipping up his suitcase when Dean enters, “You don’t look so good, remarks Dean, “something else happen?” “I just had a really weird dream,” says Sam. “Clowns or midgets?” asks Dean with a grin. Sam smiles wanly in return, following his brother out. He pauses to look at the bed in which he awakened for over 100 terrible Tuesdays, his face downcast, turns off the light and closes the door.

I’m not going to ply you with questions on this one. Well, just one – How did this episode make you feel for Sam?

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