Long-Distance Call - Recap

Milan, Ohio

Ben Waters is in his house with a thunderstorm outside, and is drinking heavily. He answers the phone and talks to the woman at the other end, Linda. She wants to know if he's thought about "it" and asks him to come to her. He says he's in love with his wife and refuses. The phone rings again and she begs him to come to her. He hangs up and rips out the cord and throws the phone to the floor. It rings yet again and doesn't stop. Ben takes a gun out of his desk and kills himself.

Sam and Dean are at a college and Sam is doing research on demon contracts. He returns to find that Dean has been talking to Bobby about Ben's death and the fact the his house was plagued with electrical problems in the days proceeding his suicide. Dean would rather deal with that case then pursue the matter with his contract. He finally admits that Ruby told him there was no way to get out of the contract: something Sam didn't know about. He's not happy that Dean has been keeping secrets from him but Dean notes that Sam has been keeping secrets too. At an impasse, they agree to go to Milan. There they talk to Ben's wife who says she overheard Ben talking to a woman, Linda. Sam does some checking and learns that Linda was Ben's high school sweetheart and died in a car accident that he survived. However, Linda's body was cremated so it couldn't be her ghost coming back.

When Sam was at the house he saw Linda's number on the caller ID. The phone number is over a hundred years ago so they go to the phone company and talk to Clark Adams, the head of the company. He takes them to Stewie Meyers, a technician who keeps track of the records and whose is office is filthy and filled with flies. The brothers pretend to be with the head office and convince Stewie to trace the phone number. He can't tell where the number originated, but the person using it has called at least ten different houses in Milan.

Sam goes to check one of the homes and talks to Mr. Greenfield, who isn't aware of any strange calls. However, his daughter Lanie watches Sam and talks to him as he leaves. She's figured he isn't with the phone company and finally admits that she's been receiving calls from her dead mother. Dean has tracked down other people who have received calls from dead loved ones. After he checks in with Sam, he gets a phone call: it's his dead father John. Later, Dean meets with Sam at their hotel and explains that their father hung up after saying Dean's name. Dean is clearly upset by the experience and Sam doesn't have any advice for him. Dean has grabbed a hotel brochure and realizes that Milan is the home of Thomas Edison. They go to his museum which has a Spirit Phone: Edison believed in the occult and tried to use the phone to contact the spirits of the dead. However, they don't detect any EMP readings and can't figure why the calls would start now.

That night Dean finally gets a call from John, and his father asks why he sold his soul. He then tells Dean that he knows a way to get out of the contract, and the demon holding it is in Milan.

Lanie is at home on the computer when she receives a text message from her dead mother. Her mother keeps saying "Come to me" and Lanie catches a brief glimpse of her in the monitor screen reflection but there's nothing there when she turns around. She turns off the computer but it comes back on and the message "Come to me" flashes across it over and over. She's unaware that her brother Simon is in his bedroom... and his toy phone is ringing. He picks up the receiver and starts talking with his dead mother.

In the morning, Dean insists to Sam that there have been lightning storms following them, indicating a demonic presence. He reveals that John gave him an exorcism ritual that will not only drive out the demon but kill it for good. Sam doesn't believe it and Dean is angry that he's skeptical after all they've seen. Sam goes to see Lanie and asks Dean to not do anything or leave until he gets back. Lanie tells Sam about what happened and when Sam hears the words "Come to me" he realizes what they're dealing with. He tells her to stay put but they notice that Simon is out in the street. Sam pulls him out of traffic just before he gets hit by a truck.

Dean has received another call from John and, ignoring Sam, goes to a house on his father's advice and starts setting up for an exorcism ritual, painting a demon's trap beneath the carpet.

Sam is driving and calls Dean, saying that they're dealing with a crocotta, a scavenger being that taps into electric equipment and then lures its victims to their deaths so it can feed on their souls. Dean remembers that as scavengers, crocottas live in filth, and that Stewie at the phone company was filthy. Sam goes to confront Stewie and sees him go out to the parking lot. Sam grabs him and pins him to the car, then prepares to kill him with a metal spike. Stewie claims to have no idea what Sam is talking about. Stewie's boss Clark manages to get the drop on Sam and knock him out. Stewie thanks him... and Clark knocks him out as well. He takes them into Stewie's office and ties them up. When they wake up, Clark kills Stewie and then feeds on his soul. Sam figures out the crocotta has been tying with them, impersonating Dean on the phone, calling Dean pretending to be John, and using them Edison's phone number to keep them going in circles. He then touches the phone circuits and says he's going to decide who to kill.

At the Milan police station, an officer gets a phone call from his dead daughter. She says the man who killed her is at their home and is going to kill her father too. He goes to his house: the house that Dean is at. The officer bursts in and opens fire, but Dean manages to duck for cover and then disarm the guy. The two of them struggle.

At the phone company, Sam manages to get free but the creature is clearly stronger.

At the house, Dean drags the officer above the hidden demon trap but the man simply walks out of it and Dean realizes he's been tricked. The police officer doesn't and the two of them struggle some more.

Sam manages to shove Clark back on the pegboard, impaling his head on a metal spike and killing him.

Dean gets the gun and manages to hold off the police officer, then apologizes for the misunderstanding. The officer still doesn't understand what's going on and Dean admits he doesn't either.

Sam and Dean regroup at the motel and Sam admits he's sorry that it wasn't really John. Dean apologizes and finally admits that he's scared because his year is almost up and there's no way out for him. Dean is all sentimental and ready for comforting... for about two seconds. Then he admits the moment is gone and grabs a beer and watches TV.

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