How To Win Friends And Influence Monsters - Recap

Two older “glampers,” Mitchell and Leann Rayburn, are enjoying the comforts of home at the Wharton State Forest at the Pine Barrens in New Jersey. They turn in for the night and something attacks them. When Mitchell wakes up, he discovers that their attacker has strung him upside down in his sleeping bag. As he looks on in horror, something charges out of the wood and attacks him.



In Hammonton, New Jersey, Dean, Sam, and Bobby take refuge in an abandoned house. Once they get the power working, Dean complains that they’ve been living on the run since the Leviathans started hunting them. As the power goes out, Dean wonders if there’s a point in trying to save the planet yet again. He wonders if the world wants to end and it’s worth trying to stop it. Bobby tells him not to try and wrestle with the big picture, and Sam brings up a story on Mitchell’s death and Leann’s disappearance in the Pine Barrens. The writers suggest it might be the famous Jersey Devil while the rangers think it’s a rogue bear. Bobby decides that they should go wilderness hunting and the brothers.

The trio goes to New Jersey and the Winchesters pose as FBI agents to meet with the local ranger, Rick Evans. They meet him at a Biggerson’s Restaurant and the ranger rambles on about how he and his assistant found Mitchell, and that there have been a lot of eaten animals in the woods going back several weeks. Rick, who appears half-stoned, remembers that Phil has gone missing in the last couple of days. Bobby comes in from the morgue and tells the brothers that the bite patterns don’t match any known monster. Dean asks for a booth from a waiter, Brandon, but he snaps at Dean and storms off. He eventually brings their food, and Sam points out that Rick seemed stoned. Dean agrees and digs into his Turducken Slammer. They notice Brandon storming off after fighting with his manager and Dean figures they need to focus on the case.



The brothers and Bobby head off into the woods and Bobby shows off his wilderness expertise. The Winchesters remember how Bobby used to take them hunting when John would drop them off with him. They find Phil, hanging upside down dead from a tree. They call in Rick, who takes Phil’s death pretty calmly. He starts to call it in but something comes out of the woods and hauls him up a tree. Bobby takes a single careful shot and brings down the creature, a humanoid being wearing clothing.

The trio leaves Rick’s corpse for the authorities and take the creature’s corpse back to their house. As they examine it, it comes back to life and they quickly put it down with a few more rounds. Dean vaguely checks it for ID and confirms that the “creature” is Gerald Browder, a local man who has apparently lost at least 50 lbs. based on the info from his driver’s license. Bobby digs into the body and discovers that it’s filled with a greyish goo. Sam and Bobby cut the corpse open and discover that it’s been eating anything and everything, and that its organs are swimming with the goo. The adrenal gland is swollen to several times its normal size, giving it superhuman strength. Dean is busy eating and suggests that they should go get dinner.



Back at Biggerson’s, Sam determines that Gerald was one of the missing people and disappeared right when the others started going missing. Dean stuffs his face with a TDK Slammer and chuckles at Gerald’s death, and Sam and Bobby look around and discover that everyone else is eating TDK Slammer’s with the same enthusiasm. They take the sandwich back to the house and examine it, while Dean insists that he doesn’t care anymore about all of their issues. The sandwich starts leaking grey ooze and they figure that whatever caused Gerald to transform is in the meat.

Bobby and Sam drive to the Biggerson’s distribution center and watch the back while Dean dozes off. Sam wonders if Dean is the same as he’s always been, and Bobby points off that all the brothers do is worry about each other. However, Sam says that at least he knows where he stands because he only has one hallucination to deal with and he has it under control. A truck arrives at the distribution center and drops off more turducken, and then drives away.

A woman is going out to her car when a transformed Brandon attacks her. However, a car pulls up and Edgar the Leviathan gets out and knocks him unconscious.



The truck arrives at a low-budget wholesale warehouse. Edgar and his men arrive with a captive Brandon and take him inside. Dr. Gaines has his assistants lock Brandon up and then explains to Edgar that he’s refining his formula. Edgar points out that they’re still having the occasional adverse reaction. He tells Gaines to destroy all of the transformed humans, warning that Dick is coming. As soon as he hears that, Gaines tells his people to destroy the test subjects.

The next morning, Sam checks out the distribution center while Bobby asks Dean about his new philosophy of how they can’t save the world. He tells Dean that he’s a hunter, not a normal person, and he needs to find a reason to get back into hunting before he gets himself killed and Bobby has to bury another friend. Sam returns as two expensive SUVs arrive and Dick Roman gets out. Bobby recognizes him as a billionaire CEO, motivational speaker, and potential Republican Presidential candidate. They figure that the Leviathans are playing on a much bigger board and Bobby grabs a parabolic mike he got from Frank and sneaks to a nearby building to listen in on Dick’s conversations.

Gaines shows Dick a room full of addicted turducken eaters who are unaware that their grandmother is dead. The doctor explains that the addiction turns the eaters into overweight complacent TV watchers. Dick is happy with the overall success rate but wants to know about the failures. Gaines is forced to admit that they’ve had a few problems with cannibalism. Dick doesn’t want their forays making the papers and asks Gaines to help him turn the failure into a teachable moment, and Gaines readily agrees.



Bobby listens in at Dick’s office as Dick, his assistant Susan, and Edgar bring Gaines in. Dick tells Gaines that he plans to send a message and tells Susan to put a bib on Gaines. Gaines reluctantly sits and Dick tells him to start eating himself. As a shocked Bobby looks on, Gaines does exactly that, starting with his hand. As Bobby reports in to the Winchesters, one of Gaines’ assistants finds him and knocks him out. By the time the brothers get there, Bobby has been taken away. They try to come up with a plan and Dean spots a cleaning truck.

Susan gives Dick a pair of revolvers that he won at auction and then leaves with what’s left of Gaines. Bobby is there and Dick says that there’s no point in tying him up because there’s nothing he can do. Dick loads the revolvers and admits that humanity has its moments, but they’ll soon be wiped out. The CEO figures that Sam and Dean are on their way to rescue their friend, but Bobby tells Dick that they’re too smart to try and that he’s had a good run.



Dean and Sam run in and start spraying Edgar and Dick’s bodyguards with cleaning solution. Dick hears the screams and goes to investigate, and Bobby grabs the second revolver and all of Dick’s files. As he heads for the door, Susan attacks him and Bobby shoots her, delaying her long enough with healing for him to escape.

Sam sprays down Dick, slowing him down, and Bobby arrives to shoot him in the back. Dean hits the CEO with more chemicals and they get out of the distribution center.



As they drive away in their truck, Dick steps out and fires at them with the revolver. The brothers check on Bobby and realize that he’s been shot in the head.



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