Thinman Recap

Springdale, Washington.

A teenage girl is snapping selfies with her cell phone in her bedroom. She thinks she hears something downstairs and calls out to see if her mom's there. No answer. She keeps shooting photos and stops to look at what she's already taken on her phone. She sees a figure behind her in the photo; all dressed in black with a distorted face. He's in the next photo too.

She turns around and sees him behind her just as the room goes dark. She hides in her closet and calls 911. She says there's someone in her room. She is crying too hard to give the operator her location. A knife appears from behind her in the darkened closet and blood pours from the louvered doors out into her room.

Elsewhere...
At the bunker, Dean has his duffle bag slung over his shoulder and tells Sam he's headed out; to Washington; he caught a case. Sam asks if Dean wants him to come along. Dean asks if Sam wants to come. Sam asks since when would he not want to go on a hunt? Dean tells him that lately, up is down with him and he really doesn't know what Sam wants anymore. Sam kind of sighs in frustration and gives Dean a bit of an odd, pained look.

Dean says, okay, if Sam wants to come, fine. He pulls out the info. on the case and hands it to Sam. A girl was murdered in her locked room. Dean shows Sam the photo with the figure behind the girl. Sam thinks it looks like it might be a ghost caught on camera.

Awkwardness ensues as Dean asks if Sam's coming along and Sam asks Dean if it looks like he's staying. (For God's sake, Sam, just stop dancing around everything!). Sam gets up and goes with Dean.

They get to Washington and drive up to the girl's house. They talk to her mom. The carpet in her daughter Casey's room is soaked with blood. Sam talks to the mom as Dean looks around. Sam asks about paranormal-type activities. The mom volunteers that there wasn't anything out of the ordinary; no cold spots either.

Dean is surprised to hear her voluntarily mention cold spots. She explains that after the police found nothing, and she couldn't afford a private investigator, when the "supernaturalists" called and offered to help for free, she accepted.

Of course Sam and Dean really want to know who these "supernaturalists" are. She says these guys had answers that no one else had. They would be coming by later that day. She said she owes it to her daughter to listen to what they might have to say.

Sam and Dean find the Ghostfacers van outside. Harry and Ed are sitting inside a diner. Ed is excited that they have two more followers thanks to a library interview they did. Harry seems distracted. Ed tries to get his attention.

Harry is obsessing over a posted photo of his ex-girlfriend with what looks like a guy's arm around her. Ed tries to calm him down; saying it could be a platonic arm.

Sam and Dean slide forcefully into the booth with Harry and Ed, trapping them there. Harry kind of rolls his eyes.

Harry: "The Winchesters. Yeay."
Ed: "Says nobody."
Harr: " Ever" (eye roll)

Dean tries to tell them how it's going to go, telling them to get into their mystery machine van and get out of town or he'll put a bullet in their knees.

A waiter approaches asking if Sam & Dean want anything. Dean just asks for the bill. The manager comes up and gives the waiter a hard time because he found a dirty plate. He tells the waiter to get back there and re-wash everything.

Harry and Ed tell Sam and Dean that they don't scare them.

Harry pulls up his shirttail revealing a pearl-handled pistol stick in his waistband and says "Say 'ola' to my little pistola."

Dean asks if he's supposed to be impressed by "that treasure trail or your lady gun".

Harry says Dean should be impressed with both. He says he and Ed are handling the situation.

Dean says he only sees a couple of fame whores looking to film a mom who just lost her kid.
Ed says they are investigators and they have every right to be there. Sam and Dean say they'll just get in their way or get someone else killed if they insist on working the case.

Harry gets offended and insists they know what they are doing. Dean asks where the rest of the Ghostfacers team are. Ed says they were dead weight (but they're still alive) so they dropped them. Dean says a ghost will kill Harry and Ed in two seconds flat. Harry says it's so not a ghost that caused Casey's death and acts like it's cute that Sam and Dean think it's a ghost.

Sam reluctantly says he'll bite; what do THEY think it is?

Harry's not telling. Sam and Dean leave with a few final threats. As they go, Harry says, "50 shades of whey too much protein."

Sam gets on the computer back at the hotel and finds the Ghostfacers' site. It says they wrote a book "The Skinny on Thinman". Dean wants to know what the hell a Thinman is. Sam keeps reading. There are a bunch of photos on the site of a tall, thin, faceless figure appearing in the background of otherwise normal photos. Sam says it looks like the figure in the photo with the murdered girl. Dean comments that it looks like Garth (super-skinny) if someone shaved his face off.

Sam reads...Thinman is an urban legend started on the web. The figure lurks in the background of people's lives until he's ready to kill them. Dean mocks the veracity of the internet.

Sam says it's kind of like Bigfoot; people believe it and post photos about supposed sightings.
Dean is sure it's a ghost that killed the girl.

Dean reminds Sam that they found EMF. Sam says it might be because they were close to power lines.

Sam says it can't be the same ghost that everyone is seeing; ghosts don't really move around like that.

Dean reasons that they don't know what to expect now that the veil is all messed up thanks to the angels falling. Sam says the Thinman sightings date back a few years; before the problems with the veil.

Dean still dismisses him. He's sure that the Ghostfacers and their Thinman theory can't be right because the Ghostfacers aren't experts on crap. Dean opens his own laptop and Sam asks what he's doing. Dean responds that he's checking local papers for deaths that may have led to a ghost. Not only are they at odds, but Sam looks a bit miffed that Dean isn't just letting him do the research this time.

Next...
the Ghostfacers are in the bedroom of the murdered teenager. They have a camera rolling and are setting up and overly-dramatic rendition of what happened there so they can film it. Ed is trying to speak into the camera but Harry is distracted, still Facebook stalking his ex. Harry finds that his ex changed her relationship status to "it's complicated" and Harry wonders what that even means. Ed tries to talk him out of it. Harry apologizes and comes to help Ed film.

Harry tells Ed they are so close to finding Thinman. Ed looks unsure. Ed says this is serious; the Winchesters are here...maybe they should just bail on this case. Harry says they can't let those jock straps steal their glory. No one cares what Sam and Dean think; they don't even have a Twitter. Harry says they have to find Thinman...all the people who doubted them...if they find Thinman, they'll be proven right to have given up everything to search for this creature.

They start filming again. Ed emerges from the closet with a dramatic narration. Harry think it's gold and it's going to lead to them getting lots of women. The girl's mom enters to see them carrying on and is definitely not happy about it. Harry and Ed try to appear professional.

Back at the hotel, Sam and Dean are facing eachother at the table, each with their own laptops. Dean is trying to make his case for a ghost. Sam is trying to make a case for Thinman. Sam says someone will die and then a photo will pop up a few weeks later with Thinman in the background. He says that's what'shappening according to the lore. Dean says it's according to the idiots. Sam does admit the photos look fake, but Casey's photo wasn't doctored; whatever the creature was, it was really behind her.

Dean's frustrated. Dean wants to know how Casey's photo ended up online. Sam says it was originally posted to a Thinman fan forum but can't tell who posted it. Dean can't believe this thing has fans.

Sam and Dean go to the sheriff's office. But the sheriff is gone. The deputy gives them the box of info. on the case. Sam finds Casey's cell phone with a crack in it. The 911 call was made before midnight, but the photos weren't posted until around 2:00am. No way the teenager could have posted them herself.

The deputy says maybe it was Supernatural. Turns out Harry and Ed have already been there.

Elsewhere; at the diner, the manager is counting receipts after closing. There's a knock at the front door. He looks outside and sees no one. He resumes counting and hears some more knocks. He turns on his computer and looks at the security camera. He sees a figure flash across the view of the parking lot, then the camera view switches to the room he's in. He sees a thin figure in black with no face behind him on the monitor. He slowly turns and the thing is right next to him. It quickly slashes his throat and he falls to the floor dead.

The next day, Sam and Dean are on the scene of the murder at the diner. Harry and Ed are already there.

The deputy says he thought it wouldn't hurt to have Harry and Ed there to take a look. Cops had used psychics before. Sam goes to check the security footage. Dean goes to give Harry and Ed a hard time.

Harry asks what Dean can possibly do to them (when Dean tries to threaten them again) and suggests he might tell the deputy that Sam and Dean aren't really FBI. Dean tries to reason with them asking how playing paparazzi at a crime scene really helps anyone. Harry says they do it for the bloggers and the believers. For those who need just a little proof to know Thinman is real. Dean asks if they ever considered it was a Tulpa (something that is brought to life by the strength of people's belief in it). Ed says that can't be it because those thousands of people
don't agree than Thinman is any one thing. They all have different ideas about what it is. Therefore it can't be a Tulpa.

Dean asks if they know what Thinman is. Ed says it's part man, part tree...he tries to continue but it's obvious that Ed is just making crap up.

Sam calls them over to look at the surveillance. It shows the Thinman figure slashing the throat of the manager. The doors were locked; Trey, the recently-deceased manager, locked them a few moments before the attack. Harry says it's obvious that Thinman can teleport.

Ed comments he didn't get a single blip on his EMF.

Dean agrees that maybe it's not a ghost. Harry and Ed quickly retreat.

As they drive in the Ghostfacers van, Harry is excited that someone close to the diner posted something about the Thinman attack on the Ghostfacers blog. Ed wonders who it is but Harry doesn't care. He's excited that they might be closing in on the creature. Harry says he's going to find Thinman tonight.

Harry's sure Thinman is in the woods and he wants to go looking. Ed is nervous. He thinks maybe they should hand it over to Sam & Dean. Harry will have none of it. He wants to find Thinman, thinking it will make up for everything they've lost because of the lives they've chosen.

Ed tries to talk him out of it. Thinks they should leave it to the pros. Harry says they ARE the pros. Harry has his night vision glasses on and asks Ed to take him to the woods; any woods.

Back at the motel, Sam and Dean are trying to reason through the whole thing. Something that can teleport...but can't be a crossroads demon...Sam finds that the video of Trey getting killed is already online. Dean says of course it is; people want to watch someone getting killed because they are sick. Sam laments that viral videos used to be cute puppies and now they're videos of murders.

Dean smiles and asks Sam "You know what video would have gone viral?" He proceeds to bring up something that happened when they were kids. Sam dressed up as Batman and jumped of the roof of the shed thinking he could fly. Sam points out that Dean dressed up first; as Superman. Dean says THAT made sense because Superman can fly and everyone knows Batman can't fly. Sam says he didn't know; he broke his arm. Dean smiles, remembering he drove Sam to the ER on the handlebars of his bike. Sam smiles. Dean looks at Sam with a caring look and suddenly Sam remembers he's supposed to be mad at Dean over the whole Gadreel possession and he completely shuts down. Dean looks hurt. Connection broken.

There's a knock at the door and Ed barges in. He has something to tell Sam and Dean. He says after he tells them, the case is theirs.

Elsewhere, out in the "woods" (really the trees behind a local supermarket), Harry is narrating his adventure as a "solo" Ghostfacer. He's investigating a possible Thinman habitat in the woods. Harry says that out in the woods, a man can lose his marbles being so close to the blade of doom, but lucky for us, Harry is really good at marbles (I love Harry).

Back in the hotel room...Ed is telling Sam and Dean that everyone in the Ghostfacers left to pursue other interests. But Harry's girlfriend called the Ghostfacers "stupid" and Ed couldn't let that happen. Ed says Harry was going to leave Ghostfacers to be with his girlfriend, so Ed needed to give him a reason to stay.

Ed made up Thinman.

Back in the "woods"...Harry is searching. A thin black figure appears from behind a tree near him.

Back in the hotel room...Dean is making sure he understands that the whole story is crap; made up by Ed. Ed Photoshopped it. He faked one case and then someone else posted a photo and he and Harry went after it. Ed loved having a following and Harry was so into it.

Sam tells Ed that he needs to tell Harry the truth about all of this.

Ed says they've become the Thinman guys and without the Thinman, they're just guys. Ed says that if he tells Harry, Harry will leave the Ghostfacers.

Sam is insistent; he tells Ed he HAS to tell the truth because, trust him, secrets RUIN relationships and if Ed doesn't tell Harry, Harry will leave anyway. Dean gives Sam a very knowing sideways glance. Obviously getting that Sam is talking about them.

Ed says he'll tell Harry when the time is right. Dean says that the time is right NOW. Ed admits that Harry's not actually with him; he's out looking for Thinman in the woods behind the supermarket. Sam is worried because whatever the Thinman is, it's actually killed people.
Ed, sure it's only something he made up, tells them he's sure Harry will be fine. Sam and Dean rush out to find Harry.

Out in the "woods"....Harry is filming with his hand-held camera (I love that we see through the lens; we see what Harry is seeing, and the battery is almost drained; like they never really quite have anything well-planned). Harry comes across some sticks on the path and says, "What
we have here is a formation of sticks in the shape of...a pile." (LOVE THAT!) Harry says it could have been left there for them by Thinman. He turns away and turns back to see the pile of sticks has been scattered by an unseen force. Harry points the camera at himself and says dramatically that we are not alone. In the camera screen, he sees the Thinman's melted face appear next to him.

The Thinman slashes at Harry with a knife, but Harry gets free and runs. He's cut in the stomach. He runs right into the path of the Impala which skids to a stop. Sam and Dean see Harry clutching his abdomen, blood oozing through his fingers and rush to help him as he collapses. Ed can't quite believe what he's seeing.

Sam bandages Harry up. Harry's excited that Thinman's real. Sam says they found tire tracks. Harry can't understand why because he was cut by Thinman and Thinman doesn't drive. He's sure it's Thinman.

Everyone but Harry knows Ed made it all up.

Later, in Harry and Ed's motel room, Ed has told Harry the truth, but Harry can't believe Ed never told him the truth sooner. Ed says he was afraid Harry would be mad. Harry says he IS really mad. He tells Ed " you crashed the Jenga tower of our lives". Harry points out that he left his girlfriend, who he was going to marry, to run around with Ed living some lie. Ed says that at least they were living it together. Harry thinks that's weak. Ed thinks he saved Harry from a boring job working for his girlfriend Dana's dad. (Dana? As in "Dana Scully"; just wondered if that was a nod to the X-Files.) Ed thinks he saved Harry. Harry can't believe Ed. He thinks the only thing Ed saved him from was a nice, normal, decent life.

Ed asks if maybe Harry could call Dana and try to reconcile. Harry says that won't work since she has someone new as evidenced by her posted photo.

Ed suggests that maybe they should keep the Thinman thing going for the fans; they'll never know he made it all up. Harry says he'll know. Ed made him look like a fool. Ed says they'll get through this; they'll debunk Thinman and just go back to Ghostfacers. Harry says he can't. He can't trust Ed anymore.

Ed gets teary. Ed says he'll do whatever Harry needs. Harry won't talk to him. Or look at him.

Ed finds Sam in the hall. Sam asks how it went. Ed can't really talk about it. Sam goes in to talk to Harry.

Sam asks Harry if he's okay. Harry responds that he just got punched "right in the feels". Sam sits down. Harry says that Ed wants him to pretend like it's something he should just get past. Sam says he knows how Harry feels; that there are things you can forgive, and things you can't. Harry asks which one this is. Sam says Harry has to figure that out for himself.

Dean comes in saying he's got a lead on the tire treads found at the site of the Thinman attack on Harry if Sam wants to come check it out with him. Sam looks at Harry and Harry looks away.

Out in the hall, Dean tells Sam the tire tracks belong to a Geo Metro. Sam looks completely thrown for a loop. There's only one car like this in town. It belongs to someone named Roger who works night security at the mill outside of town. Sam can't figure out how something can teleport AND have a job and a car. They leave to check it out.

Ed has been listening around the corner. He brings coffee back to the room he shared with Harry. Harry points out that Sam and Dean are out cleaning up Ed's mess. Ed admits it IS his mess and he should be the one out cleaning it up. Harry says Ed would only make it worse if he tried to help. Ed says this time he really wants to step up. He wants to help Sam and Dean.
Ed says he can make it right. Harry looks like he's going to leave, but responds that THEY can make it right.

Sam and Dean find the sheriff's deputy near the scene. They had said they'd take care of it, but the deputy showed up there anyway. They pull their guns and pick the lock on the warehouse where the night watchman supposedly works (who owns the Geo Metro). Suddenly, Sam and Dean drop to the ground as the sheriff's deputy tazes them from behind.

When Sam and Dean come to, they are tied up inside the warehouse. The deputy is setting up lights and camera equipment. Dean asks if the deputy is Thinman; doesn't make sense since the deputy is kind of a heavy guy. The deputy continues to set up a backdrop and get ready to film. The deputy is singing to himself. Dean asks Sam to please make him stop singing.

Sam tries to get the deputy into a conversation. The deputy's name is Norwood. Sam asks him how he was able to teleport. He responds that it was a team effort. A tall, thin, faceless man walks up next to him and Sam and Dean regard him with extreme curiosity. The figure takes off his mask; it's the waiter from the diner.

Sam wants to know why he killed the people he killed. He responds that his boss was a jerk and Casey wouldn't go out with him. So he set her up with his knife. Dean notices the sheriff, wrapped in plastic and dead on the ground a short distance away. The deputy says the sheriff wouldn't give him the time off he asked for. So they killed him. The deputy says Roger (the waiter) did the killing; he's the psycho, the deputy says he's just the visionary. Everyone underestimates him. He knew the truth the whole time.

Sam is working at his restraints.

Roger says Dean, who's so attractive, can't possibly know what it was like to grow up facing rejection all the time. Sam encourages Dean with his eyes to try to keep Roger and Norwood talking. Dean asks how the two of them met. They said they were both into conspiracy theories and noticed how the Thinman legend blew up on the message boards. Roger says blogging was fun, but they wanted more.

Dean says doing this doesn't make them Thinman; it makes them copycat killers. Roger insists that this DOES make him Thinman. Dean's not going to be able to tell anyone anything else because Dean will be too dead to talk. Norwood plans to film Roger as Thinman killing Sam and Dean and post it online.

Roger puts his mask back on and gets behind Dean. Norwood says, "action!" and Roger prepares to cut Dean's throat. Dean actually looks like he's braced and ready to die. Sam yells out, "don't!". They hear a noise somewhere else in the building. Roger and Norwood quickly put duct tape over Sam and Dean's mouths and go to investigate the noise.

Harry and Ed enter the building with flashlights. They split up. Harry ends up face-to-no-face with the Thinman who cuts him with his knife. Harry calls out to Ed saying "he got me!".

Thinman/Roger has his knife to Harry's throat when he feels Ed poking the barrel of a pistol to the back of his head. Ed says it's "Scooby Doo time douchebag...take off the mask."

Ed says he know this guy isn't Thinman...he's just a me me. Harry is in pain, but tells Ed that's
pronounced "meem" and Ed argues that it's spelled "meme". Harry gasps out that the second "e" is slient. Ed tries again telling Roger, "You're a me-me-uh...and I invented you." Suddenly, Harry falls to the ground after being cold-cocked from behind by Norwood.

Norwood and unmasked Roger are herding Ed and Harry into the room where they are holding Sam and Dean. Norwood says it's like a Frankenstein situation; the creator about to be killed by the monster he created. Norwood reasons that once Harry and Ed are dead, there will be no one to prove that Thinman was made up.

They enter the room to find Sam and Dean's chairs empty. Sam and Dean jump out and hand-to-hand combat ensues. Sam hits Norwood's head on the wall, knocking him out. Dean ends up behind Roger who still has the knife in his hand. He grabs Roger's knife hand and forces Roger to stab himself in the chest. Dean does this very coldly and with little expression.

Dean lays Roger down to bleed out. Sam looks at Dean with a bit of shock to see him kill a human, even a twisted one, in cold blood like that. Suddenly, Norwood sits up from the floor and points his pistol at Sam, about to shoot him. Ed steps in front of Sam, saying it's all his fault. Norwood says he has enough bullets to kill Ed AND Sam.

A shot rings out and Norwood falls over, shot by Harry who has a stricken look on his face.
Dean very gently takes Harry's gun away and he and Sam exchange extremely sympathetic looks, knowing that Harry isn't really one to kill someone. They know Harry has stepped over a line he really didn't want to cross.

Ed looks shocked that Harry actually pulled the trigger.

When it's all over, Sam and Dean are packing up their trunk. Sam asks if it's all taken care of. Dean says he staged the crime scene to look like Roger and Norwood killed each other. Sam is kind of in shock that they were just people...not monsters of demons. Dean justifies it all, telling Sam that people are sick.

Across the parking lot, Ed and Harry are talking. Ed asks if they're cool. Harry says he doesn't think they ever will be. Ed says they made it right, now they can go back to Ghostfacers. Harry says he came along to finish this thing with Thinman...but he wasn't doing it to just close a chapter. He's closing the whole book. Ed reminds Harry that he just saved Ed's life. Harry can't forget that what he did was kill a guy in the process. Ed tries to justify it; saying he was a bad guy. Harry says he was still a guy. Harry says too many people have died because of Ed's crap. Ed says he did all for the two of them and wishes Harry could see that.

Harry tells Ed that Ed did it all for himself.

Sam and Dean are watching like they can't turn away from watching a car crash.

Harry says he can forgive a lot, but not this. Ed asks what this means for them. Harry says it means it's complicated and he walks away leaving Ed alone next to their van. Harry asks if Sam and Dean can give him a ride. Dean says yes.

They leave Ed standing alone.

Ed looks stunned and cries.

From the backseat of the Impala, Harry is sitting in silence. Dean asks if he's okay. Harry says yeah, but not really. Harry says, "You roll with a guy for so many years, you start to think he's always going to be next to you. Like when you're old, on the porch, he'll be in that other rocking chair. Then something happens and you realize, that other chair is gone. Empty."

Sam looks like he wants to look at Dean but is forcing himself not to.

"You know what I mean?" asks Harry.

Dean looks side to side and seemingly everywhere but at Sam. Sam does the same thing, not looking at Dean.