About A Boy
Episode 10.13: Halt and Catch Fire
About A Boy
Episode: 10:12
Airdate: February 3, 2015
Directed by Serge Ladouceur
Written by Adam Glass
DEAN IS TURNED INTO HIS 14-YEAR-OLD SELF—Looking to get Dean out of the bunker, Sam finds a case for him and Dean to investigate – people are disappearing into thin air with only their clothes left behind. Sam and Dean suspect fairies or angels, but the truth turns out to be much more shocking – Hansel from Hansel and Gretel lore, is kidnapping people and turning them into their younger selves to placate the evil witch.Unfortunately, Dean finds this information out the hard way after he becomes Hansel’s next victim and reverts to his 14-year-old self. |
- Homeless Man - "May, 2003. Those suckers, they grabbed me and they probedme...everywhere. I'm talkin' everywhere, and I mean everywhere."
- Young Dean - "Hey, we got any grenades?"
- Sam - "Turns out JP was about 3 days from getting evicted. His landlord said the guy blasted Neil Diamond 24-7 and that his bathroom was 'like staring into the devil's butt'."
Dean - "That's vivid."
Sam - "And accurate. I saw it."
Dylan Everett (Young Dean) |
Mark Acheson (Hansel) |
Kelly O'Byrne (Tina) |
Madeline Arthur (Young Tina) |
Jason Wingham (JP) |
Braydon Brown (Young JP) |
Lesley Nichol (Katja/The Witch) |
Nels Lennarson (Bartender) |
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Christiaan Westerveld
(Homeless Man)
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- How many other witches have the Grand Coven dispatched to find Rowena? Will Rowena end up needing help or protection from the Winchesters? Why is the Grand Coven looking for her?
- Is there another witches' spell that can remove the Mark?
- Should the Winchesters have tried to stop Tina from leaving on her own?
- The Grand Coven has witches (possibly all over the world) looking for Rowena.
- Sam believed in the Easter Bunny until he was 11 1/2 years old.
- This episode takes place after "There's No Place Like Home", during which Dean has temporarily given up drinking. When he drinks his first shot of whiskey at the bar, it's his first drink in over a week. After he drinks it, he seems more aware of the Mark -- he looks at his arm and holds it as if suddenly the Mark is affecting him somehow.
- Dean's room number at the bunker is #11.
- Dylan Everett's birthday is the same as Dean Winchester's -- January 24th.
- Dylan Everett was 20 years old when this episode was filmed, although he portrays a much younger Dean.
- Dylan Everett also played young Dean in "Bad Boys" (Season 9). Dean was 16 in that episode.
- Mark Acheson, who played Hansel in this episode, also played the tooth fairy in "I Believe the Children Are Our Future" (Season 5).
- Nels Lennarson, who played the bartender in this episode, also played Walt (the hunter who shot Sam and Dean) in "Dark Side of the Moon" (Season 5).
- Alien abduction is rarely mentioned in Supernatural, and is always discussed as a hoax. It was addressed briefly at the beginning of this episode, but was also visited in "Tall Tales" (Season 2), and "Clap Your Hands if You Believe" (Season 6).
- Dean and Tina were abducted outside the Round Up Bar and RV Park. There is actually a Round Up RV Park in Oklahoma, but it doesn't seem to have a bar by the same name.
- Dean and Tina reminisced about the Royale Motel in Scranton, Pennsylvania. There is actually a "Royal" Motel in Hermitage, PA, but it is nowhere near Scranton.
- In this episode, Dean and Sam are staying at the Paradise Motel. The motel sign is very distinctive and colorful:
Supernatural filmed at this same motel in "Blood Brother" (Season 8):
"Blood Brother" took place in Enid, Oregon; the current episode takes place in Pendleton, Oregon. There is actually a Paradise Motel in Oregon, but it's in Salem. There is also a Paradise Motel in British Columbia, Canada (where the show is filmed), but it's in Sicamus, which is about 5 hours away from Vancouver. The sign for the actual Paradise Motel looks very different, so the set designers may have manufactured this colorful sign for these two episodes.
- The episode title "About a Boy" refers to the 2002 movie by the same name. In the movie, a young boy teaches an immature man how to behave like an adult.
- Dean tells Sam that it's about time their job got an "R rating" (i.e. "Restricted"). This refers to the Motion Picture Association of America's film rating system for movies, in which a film containing nudity would be rated as restricted; viewers younger than 17 must be accompanied by an adult.
- Dean tells Sam that he has "3 hots and a cot" at the bunker, so he doesn't need to leave. This expression refers to having 3 hot meals per day and a cot to sleep on; it originally referred to living conditions in jail or prison.
- Florsheim is a popular line of dress shoes for men.
- When Tina and Dean are at the bar, Tina says that if someone is getting drunk early in the day, their life must be a regular "Charlie Foxtrot". This is military jargon for something that is a disaster.
- "Cheers" was a 1980s era sitcom about a neighborhood bar and its regular patrons.
- "One Direction" is a pop boy band based in London, UK.
- Justin Bieber is a musical performer popular with younger audiences.
- In alchemy and witchcraft, yarrow flowers can be used for many purposes, including healing.
- Neil Diamond has had a long career as a singer, musician, and songwriter since the 1960s.
- Taylor Swift is a musical performer popular with younger audiences.
- "Sabrina" refers to Sabrina the Teenage Witch; she is a fictional witch from 1960s and 70's era comic books. The character was also featured in a 1990s television movie.
- "Underoos" are a line of undergarments for children; cartoon and comic book characters are often depicted.
- The "Fountain of Youth" is a fictional spring whose water can supposedly restore one's youth.
- Hansel is one of the fictional characters from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel, published originally in 1812. The story is about a brother and sister who are captured by a witch who wants to cook and eat them. In the original fairy tale, Gretel kills the witch by shoving her into her own oven. In this Supernatural episode, Dean kills the witch in the same way.
- This episode takes place in Pendleton, Oregon.
- The witch refers to "AMBER alerts and milk cartons". AMBER alert is a national child abduction alert system, and faces/descriptions of missing children are sometimes printed on milk cartons to increase visibility to the public.
- Dean talks about how the witch "Kentucky fries" her victims. This refers to the popular fast food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (or "KFC"), well known for its fried chicken.
- Sam tells Dean it's good that he didn't "hulk out". This refers to the comic book character "The Incredible Hulk" who is a mild-mannered scientist that turns into a large humanoid creature when he gets angry or upset.
- "Ashes and Rain" -- by The James Gang (plays during the montage when Dean is alone in his room)
- "If it Don't Feel Right" -- by Josey James and Waylon Jefferson James (plays when JP is being thrown out of the bar)
- "Only a Matter of Time" -- by Headwater (plays when Dean is at the bar talking to the bartender)
- "Fever for Rock and Roll" -- by Bob Bradley and Steve Dymond (plays when Dean and Tina are talking at the bar)
- "Shake it Off" -- by Taylor Swift (plays as Dean and Sam drive away at the end of the episode)
Scroll below to see the discussion thread for this episode.
Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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spnfanforever | Let's all talk about "About A Boy" here!(page: 1 2 3) | 57 | Feb 16 2015, 2:35 PM EST byspnfanforever | ||
Thread started: Jan 28 2015, 4:54 AM EST Watch
Hey Guys,
Here's another chance to see young Dean! Fairytale episodes have been good before so let's hope this one doesn't buck the trend! 🙂 Here's your chance to sound off with your hopes and fears for "About A Boy" and your thoughts about this episode after it airs... Let us know what you think... And then tell us what you loved and what didn't you like so much about the episode after it airs... SFF |
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