What Is and What Should Never Be - Recap

Dean is driving in the Impala when he gets a call from Sam, who is at their motel. Sam says that a police car has pulled off outside and figures the cops are after them. The police drive away and Sam checks to see if his brother has found anything about a recent batch of missing victims. His older brother says that he hasn't turned up anything, and Sam figures that they're after a Djinn, who is sucking out the victims' life force and is hiding in ruins. Dean goes to check out a likely site and hangs up before Sam can object.

Dean enters the ruined warehouse and gradually realizes that someone is behind him. He spins around but finds nothing, and the Djinn ambushes him. It puts its hand to Dean's head and he passes out.



Dean wakes up in bed with a naked woman, and no idea where he is. He gets up and dresses, and discovers that he's in a nicely furnished apartment. Dean calls Sam and tries to explain that the Djinn attacked him, When he says that he woke up next to a naked woman, Sam says that her name is Carmen Porter and figures that Dean is drunk, and tells him to get some sleep. He then hangs up and goes back to working on his law studies. Meanwhile, Den checks the mail and confirms that he's at Carmen's apartment in Lawrence, Kansas, and that he's living with her. Carmen comes out and Dean awkwardly pretends to know her. She invites him to come back to bed with him, and Dean tells her he'll be in shortly. Once she leaves, Dean finds photos of the two of them all over the apartment. He also finds another photo and drops it in shock, and then drives to the Winchester home. His mother Mary is alive and well, and surprised to see him in the middle of the night. She invites him in and explains that Carmen called to say that Dean left suddenly. He asks her what she told him as a child, and when she answers correctly he embraces her and says that he's happy to see her. Dean asks if there was ever a fire there, and she confirms there wasn't. Looking around, he finds photos of him and Dean growing up. Mary confirms that John died in his sleep of a stroke, and figures that he's been drinking. She starts to call Carmen to pick him up, but Dean insists on staying and says that he misses the place. Mary tells him that she loves him and goes to bed.



The next morning, Dean wakes up on the sofa and realizes that he isn't dreaming. He goes to see a professor at the local college and asks him about Djinns. The professor insists that they're mythic creatures but are rumored to have the power to alter reality. As Dean goes out to the Impala, confirming there are no weapons in the trunk, he sees a woman in white standing cross the street, watching him. He starts to approach her but is almost hit by a car, and when he turns back, the woman has disappeared.

Back at the family home, Dean is enjoying lunch and Mary says that Sam will be there soon. She wonders why he isn't at work at the garage, and Dean claims he has the day off. He's eager to mow the lawn and enjoy an ordinary life, waving to the neighbor and enjoying a beer. Sam pulls up with Jessica, and Dean hugs her. The couple can't understand why he's so thrilled to see them, and Dean notes that he's been drinking. Sam explains that it's Mary's birthday and they're here to celebrate. They all go out to a restaurant and Dean assures Carmen that everything is fine. Sam announces that he and Jessica are engaged, and is surprised when Dean says that he's glad he's happy. Dean notices the woman in white again standing in the restaurant, watching him. He approaches her but she disappears before he can get to her.



Back at the Winchester home, Sam asks what Dean was doing at the restaurant, and Dean passes it off. After Mary goes to bed, Sam and Jessica start to turn in, but Dean suggest that they go drinking. Sam talks to Dean privately and asks why he's acting so warmly toward him and calling him Sammy. He points out that they don't talk outside of holidays, and that Dean has been screwing him over for years ever since they were teenagers. Sam says that they have nothing in common and tries to walk away, but Dean says that they're hunters. His brother says that they've never hunted, and Dean suggests they go sometime.

Later, Dean is sitting on the sofa when Carmen brings him a beer and sits down with him. She points out that he doesn't spend a lot of time with Sam, and Dean figures that he can make it up to everyone. Carmen asks what has gotten into him, and Dean says that he's been given a second chance and he doesn't want to waste it. He starts to kiss her but Carmen says that she has to go to work as a nurse. Once she leaves, Dean settles down to watch TV and sees a newscast on the anniversary of the crash of United Brittania Flight 424, the flight that Sam and Dean saved. He checks the news and confirms that 108 people died, and that many other people that they saved all died. Dean sees a figure go into the bedroom and follows it, and discovers corpses hanging in the closet. The woman in white is standing behind him, flickers, and disappears as he looks on. When Dean turns back to the closet, the corpses have disappeared.



Dean goes to the cemetery and visits John's grave. He figures that he's in some alternately reality, the fulfillment of his wish, and wonders why he has to sacrifice his happiness, and that of Sam and Mary, just to save others. Crying, Dean turns and walks away.



Back at the Winchester home, Sam hears someone moving around downstairs. He grabs a baseball bat and goes to investigate, and finds Dean going through the china cabinet to get Mary's silverware. Dean claims that he's taking it to pay off a bookie's bet, and then says that people's lives depend on him and he has to go fix things. He tells Sam to tell Mary that he loves her and takes one of the silver knife, and then tells his brother that he'll see him around. Sam follows him and gets into the Impala, and ignores Dean's advice to stay out of it. When Dean asks why, Sam says that he's going with him because he's his brother.

As Dean drives to the warehouse, Sam discovers that he has a bottle of blood. His brother explains that he needs a silver knife covered in lamb's blood to kill a Djinn, and that there are bad things out there. When Sam starts to call the authorities, Dean throws his cell phone out the window and says he won't be locked up. They arrive at the abandoned warehouse and go inside, and Sam starts to panic. They find the corpses that Dean saw at the house, strapped up and fastened to IV feeds. The woman in white, still alive, is hooked up as well. She mutters about her father and doesn't see them. Dean grabs Sam and they hide as the Djinn returns to check on his surviving victim. He touches her and puts her to sleep, and then feeds on the blood he's extracting from her. Sam gasps in horror and the Djinn hears him. The monster goes to investigate but the brothers have hidden elsewhere. Once it leaves, Sam realizes that everything Dean has been saying is true. Dean figures that the Djinn just makes its victims believe that they're wishes have been granted, so that they don't resist and it can feed on them. As Dean looks up at the light, he gets flashes of himself, strung up like the Djinn's other victims. Sam begs him to leave, but Dean explains that he could be a prisoner and the whole thing is his hallucination.



As Dean tries to piece everything together, Sam insists that what he's suggesting can't be real. He grabs his brother and tries to pull him out, but Dean says that he's not real. He takes out his knife and explains that in the legends, if you die in a dream, you wake up. Sam insists that it's not a dream and that Dean is going to kill himself, but Dean insists that he's sure. Sam tells him to wait, and Jessica, Carmen, and Mary appear. "Sam" asks why he had to keep digging, and points out that he was happy. Mary asks Dean to put the knife down, and says that the fantasy is everything he wants. When Dean points out that he'll die in a few days, "Mary" says that it will feel like a lifetime of happiness to him. Carmen kisses him and Jessica assures him that he'll be able to watch Sam have a full and happy life. Sam echoes Dean's words about how it's not their job to save everyone, and that they've done enough. He asks for the knife, but Dean takes it, says that he's sorry, and stabs himself...



At the warehouse in reality, Sam finds Dean, tied up like the other victims. Dean wakes up and his brother starts to cut him loose. The Djinn attacks Sam, quickly subduing him. Dean breaks his ropes, grabs the knife, and kills the Djinn just in time. They free the woman, who is still alive.



Later at the motel, Dean is reading a magazine, which has a photo of "Carmen" as a model in a beer commercial, the same beer she offered Dean in his fantasy. Sam calls the hospital and confirms that the Djinn's victim will pull through. He asks Sam if he's all right, and Dean explains what happened. Sam congratulates him on having the strength of will to dig himself out and is glad that they hunt together, but Dean admits that he wanted to stay given how much the job has cost them. Sam admits that it hurts, but given all the lives that they've saved, it's worth it.



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