Provenance - Recap

The Telescas have bought a portrait of a turn-of-the-century family at a charity ball and hang it up in their living room. Mrs. Telesca admits that she finds it finds it kind of creepy. As she goes upstairs, Mr. Telesca goes to lock up. In the portrait, the picture of the family patriarch starts to move. As Mr. Telesca passes the portrait, he fails to notice that a straight razor is now missing from the portrait. He goes into the bedroom and gets into bed, and discovers blood on his hand. His wife’s throat has been cut. He backs away in horror, as a figure looms over him.

At a bar, Dean is collecting a woman's phone number while Sam reads an article about the Telescas' deaths. He finally calls Dean over, and Dean suggests that he cut loose a little and look up the new girl's friend. Sam would rather focus on the case, and notes that the Telescas are the fourth in a string of similar murders going back nearly a century, that John had noted in his journal. Dean agrees to check it out, but wants to wait until morning. He goes back to the woman and continues his charade that he's a talent producer.



The next morning, Sam wakes up Dean, who is dozing in the Impala, and informs him that he's checked out the Telesca house, and it's been stripped clean. They discover that it's been put up for auction and go to the auction house handling the sale. The owner, Daniel Blake, checks out their appearance and asks what they want. Sam claims that their art buyers, but Blake notes that they're not on the list. They bluff their way past and examine the Telesca items, and find the painting. A woman, the owner's daughter Sarah Blake, comes down and tests Sam's knowledge of art. Once he proves himself, she admits that the painting has a grisly history. Before Sam can convince her to see the provenances, Daniel comes over and says that he's confirmed they're not on the guest list, and it's time for them to leave. Sam agrees to leave rather than raise a commotion.



Back at their motel, Sam explains that the provenance is a history of ownership, and they can use it to track the painting's history. Dean figures that Sarah is into Sam and tells his brother to call her to get more information. They meet at an elegant restaurant and they both admit they haven’t dated in a while. Sam starts to order wine, but Sarah asks for a beer. They discuss their college choices, and Sam ducks the question of why he didn't complete law school. Sarah figures that he's not an art buyer, and then admits she hasn't dated because her mother died unexpectedly a year ago. She retreated into a shell until recently, but decided that wasn't what her mother was. Sarah then asks why Sam hasn't been dating, and he avoids the question.

Later, Sam returns to the motel with the provenances, and Dean wonders why Sarah just handed them over. He suggests that they stick around after the case because it's clear that Sam is into Sarah. Before he can answer the question, Sam confirms that the portrait is a painting of the Isaiah's Merchant's family from 1910. The owners are all the people who have died under the same mysterious circumstances. The painting was stored in 1970 until it was donated to a charity auction, which is where the Telescas purchased it. They figure it's cursed and break into the auction house warehouse that night to cut the painting out of its frame, take it out, and burn it



Back at the gallery, the painting reappears in its frame, undamaged.

As they prepare to go, Dean realizes that he dropped his wallet at the warehouse. they go back and start searching, and Sarah notices them. Sam claims that they were leaving town and stopped to say goodbye, but Dean leaps in and says that they're staying for another couple of days. He takes out his wallet, which he's found, and leaves Sam and Sarah alone. Sarah suggests they go out again, but Sam says that Dean was screwing around and they're leaving. As they talk, someone goes by with the painting and Sam exclaims in surprise. He asks Sarah about the painting, and she explains that she isn't letting her father sell it because she believes it would be in bad taste. Sam hastily leaves and says that he'll call her later, and admits that he won't be leaving as planned.

Outside, the brothers figure that something more is going on. They check with a librarian to find out more about the Merchant family, and he turns up the fact that the entire family was killed when Isaiah, a barber, slit the throats of his children, then his wife, then himself. According to rumor, his wife planned to take the children and leave because of his strict ways, so Isaiah killed them. The bodies were all cremated. The librarian finds a photo of the family and agrees to make them a copy.



Sarah learns that her father is selling the Merchant painting to a woman, Evelyn.

Back at the motel, Sam checks the photo against the painting and realizes that Isaiah has moved. Dean figures they need to go back to the warehouse to check the painting for clues, and says it'll give Sam more time to be with Sarah. When Sam wonders why Dean is trying to set him up when they'll be leaving, Dean figures he wouldn't be so cranky all the time, and suggests that Jessica would want Sam to be happy once in a while. Sam admits that she would, but the main part is something else. Dean understands, but says that he still has to call Sarah so they can see the painting. He makes the call and learns that the painting has been sold.

Evelyn is at home reading, unaware that Isaiah is watching her from the portrait. When she looks up from her tea, she screams in horror.



Sarah meets Sam and Dean as they arrive at Evelyn's house. They get inside and find Evelyn dead, her head all but severed and Isaiah back in the painting, shifting and looking out at them.

Back at the motel, Sarah comes to see the Winchesters and tells them that she lied to the cops and said that she went to Evelyn's alone. She demands to know what's going on, and Sam tells her that the painting is haunted. She refuses to believe him at first, but then insists on going with them. Sam refuses, saying that he doesn't want her to get hurt. However, Sarah says that she feels partly responsible since her and her father sold the painting, and insists on going.

At the house, the trio breaks in and Sam examines the painting. he figures they're okay in the daylight. Dean notices the straight razor in the painting, and realizes it's closed in the photo but open in the painting. In the background of the painting is a painting of a crypt, with the name Merchant on it. They check out the local cemeteries and finally find the proper crypt. breaking in, they find the children’s' favorite toys preserved behind glass. Dean realizes that Isaiah's urn is missing. They go to the courthouse and Dean checks the county records for the location of Isaiah's body. Outside, Sarah asks Sam if there's something between them or not, and he admits that there is. However, he warns her that them getting together wouldn't be a good idea, and that his mother and girlfriend both died as if he were cursed. Sarah tells him that he can't shut out pain without shutting everything else out as well, but Sam doesn't want to go through that again. Before Sarah can respond, Dean comes out and tells them that the surviving members handed Isaiah over to the county, and they gave him a pauper's burial rather than cremation. There are bones to burn, and Dean knows where.



That night, Sam, Dean, and Sarah go to Isaiah's grave and the brothers start digging. They break open the coffin, salt the bones, and set them on fire. The trio then returns to Evelyn's house to get the painting and bury it, and Sarah insists on going inside with Sam. They discover that the little girl is missing from the painting... along with the razor. They hear childish laughter and the front door closes on its own. As Dean runs to the door, Sam calls and tells him that they figure Isaiah was trying to warn them. They search for salt and pure iron without success, The girl, Melanie, comes out, trailing her doll and carrying a razor. Sam finds an iron poker and temporarily drives it away,



The brothers try to figure out how to destroy the ghost when her body was cremated. Sarah explains that in the early 20th century, they made dolls in the owner's image, and used the kid's real hair. Sam passes the information onto Dean, who heads for the mausoleum. Inside the house, the lights go out and a wind blows up. A bureau slams into Sam, slamming him into the wall. Sarah tries to free him, and comes face-to-face with Melanie.

Dean drives to the mausoleum and tries to break open the glass case holding Melanie's doll. He finally shoots it open and tries to light it on fire.

At the house, Melanie closes in on Sarah while Sam tries to free himself.

Dean finally lights the doll on fire.

Sam pulls himself free just in time and throws himself in the way. Melanie goes up in smoke and reappears in the painting. Dean calls and confirms that they're okay.



Later, the painting is returned to the auction house and sealed up. Dean confirms that Melanie was adopted after her real family was murdered in her beds. She killed Isaiah and his family, and the father took the blame. Sarah tells the workers to burn the painting. Dean says it's time to move on, says goodbye to Sarah, and goes out to wait in the car. Sarah points out that she got through it okay, and maybe Sam isn't cursed. She hopes that Sam will come back and see her someday, and Sam says that he will. He starts to go out to the Impala, then comes back and kisses Sarah. Dean, watching, smiles in satisfaction.



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