Playthings



Summary
A little girl has an imaginary friend who turns out to be an evil spirit.

Recap
A delivery truck pulls up to the Pierpont Inn. Inside, a woman and a man are walking up the stairs, the woman says “Most of the stuff is up here.” “I still can’t believe they’re closing this place,” says the man. “You know my parents got engaged here. My grandparents, too.” “A lot of people did,” she says. “The boxes are at the end of the hall. Need any help?” He says he’s fine and goes on by himself. Two little girls are sitting at the top of the stairs, and one says “He’s gonna take our toys?” “Only the ones you don’t play with anymore,” her mother says. “It’s not like you don’t have enough already.” “Son of a bitch,” says the other little girl sitting there. “Son of a bitch,” copies the first, Tyler. “Watch your mouth,” says her mother. “Maggie said it first,” the Tyler quickly says. “Watch your mouth, too, Maggie,” says the mother.

Tyler goes into her room and over to a big dollhouse. Her entire room has dolls in it. She puts one of the dolls into a chair and then goes on to put more of them into their beds, saying good night to them as she does. Then she goes back and sees that the chair is now empty. She looks around the house and then finds the doll lying at the bottom of the stairs with its head twisted around. She hears a scream outside her room.

Her mother is on the phone, talking to someone urgently. The packing man is next to her on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. He’s dead, his head twisted around. There is a doll lying next to him. Her mother tells her not to look, but she stays anyway.

Peoria, Illinois. There are missing posters of Ava Wilson on the walls of the motel. Sam is talking to Ellen on his cellphone as Dean comes in. “Okay, thanks Ellen,” says Sam, hanging up. Dean asks what she had to say, and Sam replies nothing, and me, I’ve been checking every database I can think of, Federal state and local. Nobody’s heard anything about Ava. She just… into thin air, you know. What about you?” “No, same as before. Sorry man,” replies Dean, handing him a coffee. “Ellen did have one thing,” says Sam. “A hotel in Cornwall, Connecticut. Two freak accidents in the past three weeks.” “Yeah, what does that have to do with Ava?” asks Dean, walking over to his bed. “It’s a job,” Sam replies. “A lady drowned in the bathttub, and then a few days ago, a guy falls down the stairs, head turns a complete 180. Which isn’t exactly normal, you know? Look, I don’t know, Dean. It might be nothing. But I told Ellen we’d think about checking it out.” “You did?” Dean says, taking off his jacket and sittting down. “You seem surprised,” says Sam. “Well yeah it’s just, you know, it’s not the patent Sam Winchester way, is it?” Dean answers. “What way is that?” asks Sam. “I just figured after Ava, there’d be – uh, more angst, and uh, droopy music, and staring out the rainy windows… yeah I’ll shut up now,” he finishes, seeing Sam’s unamused look. “I’m the one who told her to go back home,” says Sam, standing up. “And now her fiance’s dead and some demon has taken her off to God knows where, you know? We’ve been looking for a month now, and we’ve got nothing. So I’m not giving up on her, but I’m not going to let other people die either. We gotta save as many people as we can.” “Wow,” says Dean. “That attitude is just way too healthy for me. I’m officially uncomfortable now. Thank you.” He looks at Sam for a minute, and then says for him to call Ellen and tell her they’ll take the job.

Sam and Dean are getting out of the car in front of the inn. “Dude, this is sweet!” says Dean enthusiastically. “We never get to work jobs like this.” “Like what?” asks Sam. “Old school haunted houses! Fog, secret passage ways… sissy British accents…” Dean replies as they head up to the door. “Hey, wait second,” says Sam before Dean knocks. “I’m not so sure haunted’s the problem.” “What do you mean?” asks Dean. “See this pattern here?” says Sam, pointing at a pattern on the top of one of the urns. He says it’s a five-spot. “Five-spot?” says Dean. “That’s used for Hoodoo spellwork, isn’t it?” Sam says yeah, if you fill it with bloodweed you have a powerful charm to ward off enemies. Dean says he doesn’t see any bloodweed. “Don’t you think this place is a little too – uh – white-meat for Hoodoo?” Sam shrugs. “Maybe.”

Inside the woman, Susan, comes out and asks them if she can help them. “Yeah, we’d like a room for a couple of nights,” says Dean. Maggie and Tyler come running out of a side door and accidentally run into Sam. Susan apologizes, and Sam says it’s no problem. “Well, congratulations,” says Susan. “You could be some of our final guests.” Dean chuckles a little and replies, “That sounds vaguely ominous.” “No, I’m sorry, I mean we’re closing at the end of the month,” Susan corrects, then looks at them. “Let me guess. You guys are here antiquing?” Dean blinks at her for a second, but Sam nods and Dean asks her how she knew. “Oh, you just look the type,” she smiles. “So, uh, king sized bed?” Dean gapes at her for a second before Sam speaks up and says, “Uh no, no, two singles, we’re just brothers.” “Oh,” she says. “I’m so sorry.” “What’d you mean we looked the type?” asks Dean, but Sam quickly cuts in and asks her about the urn on the front porch, asking her where she got it. She answers she doesn’t know, it’s been there forever. She hands Dean the key, and asks Sherwin, an older man in a suit, to show them to their rooms, and he immediately smiles and says, “Let me guess – antiquers?”

They walk up the stairs, Sherwin pulling all their bags behind him. Dean asks if he wants some help but he replies no. Sam comments about the hotel closing, and Sherwin starts telling them about how it used to look like a palace. He says two different vice presidents were there, his parents worked there, and he practically grew up there. He says he’s going to miss it, and then unlocks their door for them. They go in and when Dean turns to shut the door, Sherwin is still standing there, his hand out. “You’re not going to cheat out on me, are you boy?” Dean sighs and reaches for his wallet.

Sam is looking at some papers as Dean is exploring the room. “What the -,” he says, looking up at a large dress hanging on the wall. “What?” asks Sam. “That’s normal,” replies Dean. “Why would anyone stay here? I’m surprised they kept in business this long.” “Alright, victim number one, Joan Edison, realtor, handling the sale of the hotel, and victim number two was Larry Williams, moving some stuff out to Goodwill.” “Well there’s a connection, they’re both tied up in shutting the place down,” Dean says. “Yeah, maybe someone here doesn’t want to leave, and they’re using Hoodoo to fight back,” says Sam. Dean wonders if it’s Susan, but Sam says it doesn’t seem likely as she’s selling the place. “So what then, Sherwin?” asks Dean. “I don’t know,” Sam replies. “Of course the most troubling question is why do these people assume we’re gay,” Dean says. “Well you were kinda butch,” Sam says. “Probably thought you were over-compensating.” Dean smiles at him, “Right.”

The boys walk down the hall, and Sam finds another urn with Hoodoo inside. Dean knocks on the door nearest them and Susan answers it, then asks them if everything’s okay with their room. They both answer quickly that yes, it’s great. She tells them that she was just in the middle of packing and starts to close the door when Dean suddenly spots something and says, “Hey, are those antique dolls? ‘Cause this one – this one here, he’s got a major doll collection back home.” Sam gives him a look, but Dean just says, “Don’t you, huh?” Sam turns resignedly and says, “Big time.” “Big time,” repeats Dean, smiling. “Do you think he could – we could come in a take a look?” “I don’t know,” she says, but Dean quickly cuts in “Please? I mean, he loves them. He’s not gonna tell you this, but he’s always dressing them up in these little tiny outfits and… you’d make his day. She would, huh? Huh?” Sam glares at him but then turns slowly to Susan and replies, “It’s true.” “Okay,” she says. “Come on in.” They go in and Dean looks at all the dolls, saying “Wow. That’s a lot of dolls. They’re nice, I mean, they’re not super creepy at all.” Susan says she supposes they are a little creepy, but they’ve been in the family forever and have a lot of sentimental value. Sam meanwhile as at the big doll house, and asks her what it is, the hotel? “That’s right,” she says. “An exact replica, custom built.” Sam notices the doll laying at the bottom of the stairs and picks it up, then says, “His head got twisted around. What happened?” “Tyler, probably,” Susan answers. At that moment Tyler comes in and tells her mother that Maggie’s being mean. “Tell her I said to be nice, okay?” says her mother. Sam comes over saying “Hey Tyler. I see you broke your doll. Want me to fix it?” “I didn’t break it,” she says. “I found it like that.” Sam suggests that maybe Maggie did it, but Tyler says firmly that neither of them did it, as Grandma would get mad if they did. “Tyler, she wouldn’t get mad,” says Susan, but Dean quickly says “Grandma?” “Grandma Rose,” says Tyler. “These are all her toys.” “Oh,” says Dean. “Where’s Grandma Rose now?” “Up in her room,” says Tyler as we are shown the silhouette of an old woman sitting in a room with some light coming in the window. Sam starts to say he’d love to talk to her about her incredible doll collection, but Susan quickly interrupts saying no. “I mean, I’m afraid that’s impossible.” She tells them that her mother’s been very sick and she’s not taking any visitors.

Outside, Dean asks what Sam thinks about the dolls, the Hoodoo, and the grandmother. “Well dolls are used in all kinds of Hoodoo,” he says. “Like curses, binding spells…” “I think maybe we found our witch doctor,” says Dean. They separate Sam is going to look at old obits and Dean is going to see what he can find out about the grandmother.

Susan is talking to a man who has come from the company who bought the hotel, and she asks him what kind of renovations they’re planning. He replies that they’re going to demolish the hotel.

Tyler is playing with her dolls and teaset. There is a doll sitting on a bed in exactly the same position as the actual man from the sales company is in his own room. A door behind the doll starts to open, and at the same time the same thing is happening with the man. Tyler suddenly turns around and looks at the dollhouse and sees that the doll is now hanging from its neck. The same thing has happened to the sales man, he is hanging from the fan in his room.

Sam looks out the window and sees police and ambulances taking the man away. Dean is outside and asks Susan what happened. Susan replies that a maid went in to change the sheets and he was just hanging there. “That’s awful,” says Dean. “He was a guest?” “He worked for the company that bought the place,” she says. “I don’t understand.” “What?” asks Dean. “We’re just getting a lot of bad luck around here,” she says. “Look, if you’d like to check out, I’ll give you a full refund.” “No thanks,” replies Dean. “I don’t scare that easy.”

Dean comes up and closes the door, then tells Sam, who is sitting in a chair in the corner, that there’s been another one, some guy just hung himself in his room. “I saw,” Sam answers. “We gotta figure this out, and fast,” Dean says. “What did you find out about Granny?” “You’re bossy,” Sam says. Dean looks at him. “What?” Sam shrugs. “You’re bossy. And short.” Then he laughs. “Are you drunk?” asks Dean. “Yeah. So?” Sam replies. Dean looks around and sees a bunch of empty glasses. “Stupid,” Sam says behind him. “Dude, what are you thinking? We’re working a case,” Dean says angrily. “That guy who hung himself. I couldn’t save him,” Sam says. “What’re you talking about? You didn’t know, you couldn’t have done anything,” Dean says. “That’s an excuse, Dean,” Sam says. “I should’ve found a way to save him. I should’ve saved Ava, too.” “Well you can’t save everyone, even you said that,” says Dean, but Sam hits the table next to him, making Dean stop. “No, Dean, you don’t understand, alright? The more people I save, the more I can change.” “Change what?” asks Dean. “My destiny, Dean!” says Sam. “Alright, time for bed, come on, Sasquatch,”says Dean, moving over and pulling Sam to his feet. “I need you to watch out for me,” says Sam. “I always do,” says Dean. “No, no no. You have to watch out for me. And if I ever turn into something I’m not… you have to kill me.” “Sam…” begins Dean, but Sam stops him. “Dean, Dad told you to do it, you have to.” “Yeah well Dad’s an ass,” says Dean. “He never should’ve said anything. I mean you don’t do that, you don’t lay that kinda crap on your kids!” “No he was right to say it!” says Sam. “Who knows what I might become! Even now, everyone around me dies.” “Well I’m not dying. And neither are you, now come on.” Dean pushes Sam down onto his bed. “No, Dean, you’re the only one who can do it,” says Sam, holding on to Dean’s jacket so he can’t move away. “Promise.” “Don’t ask that of me,” says Dean quietly, but Sam continues “Dean, please. You have to promise me.” Dean looks at him for a moment and then says “I promise,” reluctantly. “Thanks,” says Sam. “Thank you.” He starts to put his hand on Dean’s head but Dean shoves him off and pushes him the rest of the way onto the bed. Then he backs up and sits down.

Later he walks downstairs to the bar, where Sherwin is. The older man asks him if he found any good antiques, but Dean replies no, he got distracted. Sherwin offers him a drink, and he takes it. “So, poor guy, eh? Hung himself?” says Dean. “That kind of thing seems to be going around lately,” says Sherwin. “Yeah,” says Dean. “I heard about the other ones. It’s almost like this hotel is… cursed, or something.” Sherwin replies that every old place has it’s spilled blood, and if people only knew what’s gone on in some of the rooms they check into… “You know a lot about the place, don’t you?” says Dean. “Down to the last nail,” Sherwin replies. “I’d love to hear some stories,” Dean says. “Boy, you should never say that to an old man,” says Sherwin.

They are walking down a hall, Sherwin is showing Dean some pictures. He talks about how the hotel has been in the family for a century. Dean asks about Rose and what’s wrong with her, but Sherwin replies it’s not her business to say. Then he shows Dean a picture of a little girl, Rose, sitting in the lap of a dark-skinned woman. The woman has the same symbol around her neck as the boys saw on the urns. “Who’s that?” asks Dean. “That’s her nanny, Marie,” replies Sherwin. “She looked after Rose more than her own mother.”

The next morning, Sam is in the bathroom, leaning over the toilet and groaning. Dean comes in and, grinning, asks him how he’s feeling, then says he guesses mixing drinks wasn’t such a gangbuster idea. “Hey, I bet you don’t remember a thing from last night, do ya?” he asks. “I can still taste the tequila,” Sam groans, and Dean nods and then says, “You know there’s a really great remedy for a hangover, it’s a greasy pork sandwich served up on a dirty ashtray.” “Oh I hate you,” says Sam. “I know you do,” Dean smiles. “Hey, it turns out when Grandma Rose was a tyke she had a Creole nanny who wore a Hoodoo necklace.” “So you think she taught Rose Hoodoo?” asks Sam. “Yes I do,” Dean replies. “Alright,” says Sam, getting up. “I think it’s time we talked to Rose, then.” “You need to brush your teeth first,” says Dean, walking away.

They knock a the same door as before and when no one answers, Sam picks the lock and they go in. There is a door nearby the room with the dolls and they go in. There’s a set of stairs and they go up. They see the old woman sitting her chair. “Mrs. Thompson?” says Sam. “Mrs. Thompson?” There is no answer. He goes around to face her and says they’re not here to hurt her. Then he stops. “Rose?” She just sits there looking at him. Sam goes over to Dean. “This woman’s had a stroke.” “Yeah but Hoodoo’s hands on. You gotta mix herbs and chant and build an altar.” “So it’s not Rose. Maybe it’s not even Hoodoo.” “Yeah, she could be faking,” says Dean. “What do you want to do, poke her with a stick?” says Sam. Dean nods. “Dude! You’re not going to poke her with a stick!” says Sam. Suddenly Susan comes in. She is angry and when they say they just wanted to talk to Rose, Susan says that the old woman is scared out of her wits. “I want you out of my hotel in two minutes, or I’m calling the cops,” she says, and they leave right away.

Tyler and Maggie are playing jacks on the floor when her mother comes in and asks if they’ve started packing yet. “No,” replies Tyler. “Why not?” asks Susan. “I don’t want to move,” says Tyler. “Yes, I know, but we have to,” says her mother. “Maggie says we’re not allowed to move,” says Tyler. “Yeah,” says Maggie. “Tyler, enough,” says Susan. “Maggie is imaginary. You are too old to have an imaginary friend and I am done pretending.” She walks away. “I don’t like her,” says Maggie.

Susan is carrying boxes out to the car. Sherwin is nearby in his own car and says he can help her with the boxes, but she says she’s got it and he leaves. Tyler is playing up in the playroom when suddenly the swing on the tiny swingset starts swinging. A wind picks up outside where Susan is and she sees the swings swinging by themselves. She walks over. Suddenly the seesaw starts moving as well. The one up in the playroom is doing the same thing. Outside, Susan’s car suddenly starts up. It is sitting right behind her, facing her. Susan reaches out her hand and stops the seesaw from moving. More of the playground equipment starts moving and as Susan backs up, she notices the car behind her start moving. She starts to run and just as it is about to hit her, Sam jumps out from the side and knocks her aisde. She is fine, and they go inside.

“What the hell happened out there?” she asks them. “You want to the truth?” asks Dean. “Of course,” she replies. “Well at first we thought it was some sort of Hoodoo curse. But that out there? That was definitely a spirit.” “You’re insane,” she says. “It’s been said,” says Dean. “I’m sorry, Susan. We don’t exactly have time to ease you into this, but we need to know when your mother had the stroke,” says Sam. “What does that have to do with anything?” she asks. “Just answer the question,” Sam answers. “About a month ago,” she says. “When the killings began,” says Sam. “See?” he says to Dean. “So what if Rose was working Hoodoo, but not hurt anyone, to protect them?” “She was using the five-spot urns to ward off a spirit,” Dean says. “Right, until she had a stroke and she couldn’t anymore,” Sam finishes. “Oh, I don’t believe this,” Susan says. “Listen, sister, that car didn’t try to run you down by itself, okay,” says Dean. “I mean, well I guess it did, technically, but the spirit can… forget it.” “Just believe what you want,” says Sam. “But the fact is your family is in danger, so you need to get everybody out of here. Your employees, your mother, your daughters, everybody.” “Um,” says Susan, “I only have one daughter.” “One?” says Sam. “I thought Tyler had a sister named Maggie,” says Dean. “Maggie’s imaginary,” replies Susan. The boys exchange glances and then Sam asks her, “Where’s Tyler?”

Maggie is standing in front of Rose, and she is saying that Tyler’s going to stay with her, and there’s nothing Rose can do about it. Tyler comes in and says “Maggie, don’t! We’re not supposed to bother Grandma.” “I know,” says Maggie. “Let’s go play.” “Can we have a teaparty?” asks Tyler. “We can have lots of tea parties. Forever, and ever and ever.”

Susan and the boys run into the room, Susan calling Tyler’s name. Tons of the dolls are broken and thrown around the room. “Oh my God,” says Susan. She calls for her a bit longer, and then says “She’s not here!” “Susan, tell us what you know about Maggie,” says Sam. “Uh, not much. Tyler’s been talking about her since Mom got sick.” “Okay, did you ever know anybody by that name?” asks Sam. “No!” she says. “Think, think,” says Dean. “Somebody who could have lived here, might have passed away…” “Oh my God, my mum, my mum had a sister named Margaret,” says Susan suddenly. “She barely spoke about her.” “Did Margaret happen to die here when she was a kid?” asks Sam. “She drowned in the pool,” says Susan. They leave the room, but there is a little doll that looks just like Maggie watching them.

Tyler and Maggie are standing on the very edge of the swimming pool, looking down into it. It is half full, and there is a cover on top of it. “I don’t like it up here,” says Tyler. “I’m scared.” “It’s okay,” says Maggie. “All you have to do is jump.” “I can’t swim,” says Tyler. “I know,” replies Maggie, “but it won’t hurt. I promise. And then we can be together. Forever. And no one will bother us.” “Why don’t you just come with me and Mommy?” asks Tyler. “Because I can’t leave here. And you can’t leave me,” Maggie says. “Please? I don’t want to be alone.”

Sam, Dean, and Susan are running towards the pool. They come to it but the doors are closed and the glass is too thick to break. The boys pound at the door and Maggie suddenly hits Tyler’s hand so she lets go and falls into the pool. Dean asks if there’s another door, and Susan tells him around back. They run, leaving Sam at the other dor. He can’t break it so he starts breaking the glass with an urn that’s neraby. Tyler finally manages to come to the surface but Maggie pushes her back down and says, “It’ll all be over soon.” Dean is trying to break down the other door, but it won’t fall down. Suddenly Maggie hears someone calling her name, and she disappears. But Tyler isn’t moving. Sam finally breaks the door and jumps into the pool. He gets Tyler and swims to the edge of the pool just as Dean finally breaks in the door and they run down. Sam puts Tyler on the edge, but she doesn’t move. Then as they all watch in horror she suddenly coughs and wakes up. Sam asks her if she sees Maggie anywhere, but she replies that she’s gone.

Maggie is standing in front of Rose. “You’d really do that for me?” she says. “Yes. If you did, I’d let them go. But I don’t understand. You kept me away, for so long. I thought you didn’t love me anymore.” Rose just looks at her. “Okay,” says Maggie. “Little sister.” She strokes Rose’s cheek.

Susan is going upstairs to get Rose. Sam and Dean wait downstairs. “I don’t get it, did Maggie just stop?” says Dean. “Seems like it,” says Sam. “Well where the hell did she go?” wonders Dean. Suddenly they hear a scream from upstairs. They run up to see Rose lying dead in her chair.

“Paramedics say it was another stroke,” says Susan as they watch them taking away Rose’s body. “You think Margaret could have had something to do with it?” “We don’t know,” says Dean. “But it’s possible,” says Sam. “Susan, I’m sorry.” “You have nothing to apologize for,” she says. “You’ve given me everything.” Then she turns to Tyler, who is coming out of the hotel. “You ready to go, kiddo?” she asks, and Tyler nods. “So Tyler you’re sure Maggie’s not around anymore,” asks Dean. “I’m sure. I’d see her,” replies Tyler. “Well I guess whatever’s going on, it must be over,” says Dean. “You two take care of yourselves, alright?” says Sam, and then Susan hugs Sam. “Thank you. Both of you,” she says, and then the two of them get into a taxi and leave. Dean comments that he thinks Susan liked Sam, and Sam replies “Yeah, that’s all she needs.” “Well you saved the mom, you saved the girl. Not a bad day,” says Dean. “Course you know I could’ve saved her myself, but I didn’t want you to feel useless.” Sam laughs. “Alright, I appreciate it.” “It feels good, getting back in the saddle, doesn’t it?” says Dean. “Yeah,” says Sam. “Yeah it does. But it doesn’t change what we talked about last night, Dean.” “We talked about a lot of things last night,” says Dean. “You know what I mean,” says Sam. “You were wasted,” says Dean. “But you weren’t,” replies Sam. “And you promised.” The boys look at each other for a bit, and then they get into the car. Dean looks like he’s going to say something, but then he doesn’t, and they drive away.

We hear giggling, and up in Rose’s old room there are two little girls playing now, Maggie and Rose.

Featured Supernatural Being

 * Ghost

Quotes
Dean: "Ya' know, she could be faking."

Sam: "Yeah, what do you want to do, poke her with a stick?"

(Dean nods.)

Sam: "Dude, you're not poking her with a stick."

Dean: "Of course, the most troubling question is why do these people assume we're gay?"

Sam: "Well, you are kind of butch. They probably think you're overcompensating."

International Titles

 * Finnish: Nukkeleikki (Doll Play)


 * French: Maggie et Rose (Maggie and Rose)


 * German: Spielsachen (Playthings)