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'''[[Recap/{{Supernatural}} Recap]] of ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'''''\\
'''Season 8, Episode 11'''

!LARP And The Real Girl
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/see_yo--supernatural--_5564.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: "Smell you later, bitches." --Charlie]]

->"Now ''you're'' here, and if you guys are here, monsters are here. Why do I have such bad luck? What am I, some kind of [[http://www.skooldays.com/categories/toys/ty1140.htm monster magnet]]? ''[{{beat}}]'' Is there such a thing as a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_Magnet monster magnet]]?"
-->-- '''Charlie''' ''[to [[DoomMagnet Dean and Sam]]]''

Written by Robbie Thompson.

Directed by Jeannot Szwarc.

Air Date: January 23, 2013.

Garth sends the brothers to Farmington Hills, Michigan, to investigate the death of Ed Nelson, who was ripped limb from limb in his locked bedroom. They discover that Ed was a {{LARP}}er in a game called ''Moondoor''. Ed's friend and fellow [=LARPer=], Lance Jacobson, dies in police interrogation after a tree-shaped mark appears on his arm. Dean and Sam research the ''Moondoor'' website, and find that the Queen of Moondoor is none other than [[Recap/SupernaturalS07E20TheGirlWithTheDungeonsAndDragonsTattoo Charlie Bradbury]].

Dean and Sam find Charlie, and she agrees to canvass the other [=LARPers=] with Dean, once he changes into a more appropriate costume. Sam goes to the tech tent to research other accidents that happened to Moondoor [=LARPers=], including one player being hobbled and another beaten up by his own mace.

!!Body Count:

For this episode = 2 humans.

For the series so far = At least 855 humans (of which 6 were witches), 121 demons, 59 angels, 48 ghosts, 43 vampires, 36 Jefferson Starships, 19 zombies, 19 gods, 9 hellhounds, 7 skinwalkers, 6 changelings, 5 shapeshifters, 5 werewolves, 4 ghouls, 4 Leviathan, 3 djinn, 3 dogs, 2 Amazons, 2 arachnes, 2 kitsunes, 2 rugarus, 2 vetalas, 1 crocotta, 1 dragon, 1 fairy, 1 Khan worm, 1 lamia, the Mother of All, 1 okami, 1 phoenix, 1 Purgatory creature, 1 rakshasa, 1 rawhead, 1 reaper, 1 shojo, 1 shtriga, 1 siren, 1 wendigo, 1 whore of Babylon, and 1 wraith.

!!Tropes

* ActorAllusion: Some of the guys in the technical tent are playing ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII''--specifically, [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/3b8f0c22e29621f59a1bbf2f07e15667/tumblr_mh3zaqsaZf1qjw6llo1_1280.jpg Mark of the Assassin]]. We can see Creator/FeliciaDay, who plays Charlie Bradbury, as an InkSuitActor portraying Tallis.
* AllGaysArePromiscuous: Charlie makes eyes at quite a few maidens.
-->'''Dean:''' I'm noticing a lot of these maidens checking you out.
-->'''Charlie:''' What? [[ChickMagnet I can't shut this down.]]
* AllWorkVsAllPlay:
** All play is Dean:
--->'''Dean:''' Maybe we should take the night off. Go see a flick. Hit a bar or two. Have some fun. You remember fun, don't you, Sammy?
** All work is Sam:
--->'''Sam:''' Working a case. As long as we're waiting on Kevin, that will be our fun.
* AnachronismStew: The medieval clothing and weapons in the modern world.
** The sign on the tech tent reads "Beware: this is a gateway to the future."
** When Gerry sees Dean using a cell phone, he says, "Has this oaf attempted to harm you with his blasphemous metalworks?"
** But defied when the LARPers tell Dean that he can't just roleplay an FBI agent in the middle of a medieval setting. They have a rule that limits this kind of "genre mash-up" to happening only every third month, so that it can't interfere with the time designated for Moondoor.
* AppropriatedAppellation: The Winchesters keep calling Charlie by that name, even though she's changed it and it was never her real name in the first place. Charlie just goes along with it.
* ArtisticLicenseMedicine: Poisoning by belladonna causes dilated pupils, blurred vision, flushing, dry mouth, confusion, hallucination, and convulsions. Lance did not exhibit any of this and went from being fine if a [[LargeHam bit emotive]] to having [[HighPressureBlood blood squirt]] from his mouth and eyes and then [[{{Fainting}} collapsing]].
* AskAStupidQuestion: "Do you mean ''magic'' wands?"
* BadassLongcoat: Sam and Dean wear them while impersonating FBI agents.
* BaitAndSwitch: Charlie is [[NotSoDire ambushed by an orc]] before encountering a real magical menace.
* BecomingTheMask
* TheBigBoard[=/=]ModelPlanning: Charlie's map with the red, blue, green, and black figurines representing the different armies participating in the tournament.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Dean gets seriously pissed when Charlie goes missing, at one point threatening the [=LARPers=] with a gun which he makes sure to let them know is real.
* BigDamnKiss[=/=]SmoochOfVictory: Between Charlie and Gilda.
* BlackCloak[=/=][[MalevolentMaskedMen Malevolent Mask]]: The initial appearance of the fairy.
* BlackMage: Grayfox the Mystic, aka Lance Jacobson.
-->'''Sheriff:''' ''[reading text]'' I am a mage. I will destroy you.
* BloodFromTheMouth[=/=]TearsOfBlood: Lance.
* BreatherEpisode: No one is [[Recap/SupernaturalS08E10TornAndFrayed murdering angels or forsaking someone they love forever]].
* TheBusCameBack: Charlie Bradbury (Creator/FeliciaDay), who first appeared in [[Recap/SupernaturalS07E20TheGirlWithTheDungeonsAndDragonsTattoo "The Girl With The Dungeons And Dragons Tattoo" (S07, E20)]], returns.
* ButNowIMustGo: Much to Charlie's disappointment.
-->"...call me...maybe?"
* CallBack: Dean fills in Charlie on past events, notably "Citizen Fang". His willingness to discuss his own less-than-stellar behavior in that episode shows how much Dean regards Charlie as "family".
* CallingYourBathroomBreaks: Gerry told Monty to stomp thrice if he needs to use the chamber pot.
* ClosedCircle: When Charlie tries to leave the tent through the door, she finds herself right back in the tent.
* ClosetGeek: Dean. Despite being frustrated by the hardcore {{LARP}}ers, not only does he comment that it looks fun but, when Charlie shows him the map of the upcoming Battle of Moondoor:
-->'''Dean:''' You know, if you move the archers back and your broadswordsmen to the west...
-->'''Charlie:''' Flank the warriors...
-->'''Dean:''' Yep.
-->'''Charlie:''' Hey, good call.
-->'''Dean:''' Thanks.
-->'''Charlie:''' What about the southern wall?
-->'''Sam:''' Guys!
-->'''Dean:''' Yeah? Right! Sorry... ''[moves a trebuchet and nods to Charlie]''
* CoverIdentityAnomaly: Gerry realizes Sam and Dean have fake [=IDs=]. He assumes they're FBI [=LARPers=] trying to do a genre crossover.
-->'''Sam:''' These aren't fake badges.
-->'''Gerry:''' Uh, yeah, they are, and they're very good, but, um, well, the I.D. number shifted to 10 digits with, uh, two letters mixed in at the end of the year, and, uh, the seal's from last month. Really good work.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Drawn and quartered.
* {{Dedication}}: Spoofed.
* DistractedByTheSexy: Charlie while talking to the FairySexy Gilda.
* DontGoInTheWoods: Charlie is abducted while going back to the camp through the woods.
* DamselInDistress: Done to Charlie, lampshaded by Charlie, and eventually averted by Charlie when she rescues the other damsel in distress, Gilda.
-->"I'm the one who rescues the damsel in distress!"
* DramaticThunder sounds when Charlie is informed of the murders by Sam and Dean.
* DressUpEpisode
* DudeShesALesbian: "[[YoureNotMyType I don't think you're her type]]."
* DuelsDecideEverything:
-->'''Lance:''' I though he broke protocol, so I called Ed after game hours and accused him of cheating. And then I challenged him to a duel.
-->'''Sam:''' A duel?
-->'''Lance:''' Wands and swords at dawn.
* TheDungAges: AvertedTrope, as we see a sign pointing to the "privies" in the opposite direction of the dungeon.
* EnhanceButton: Sam is able to zoom in on the surveillance video so that they can see the tattoo on Lance's forearm clearly.
* TheFairFolk: The fairy injures and kills people, even if she does so against her will. The {{Disneyfication}} of fairies is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]].
-->'''Maria:''' Wait. Fairy magic can be bad?
* FairySexy
* FalseTeethTomfoolery: Monty with his [[FangThpeak slurred speech]], who loses his fangs while in the stocks.
* FantasyCharacterClasses: Ed/Thargrim the Difficult was of the Fighter Class and Lance/Grayfox the Mystic is of the Magician Classes.
-->'''Lance:''' ''[about Ed]'' He was [[KnightErrant Lancelot]] to my Myth/{{Merlin}}.
* FauxSymbolism: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] InUniverse by Charlie.
-->'''Charlie:''' Wait, I've seen this before. It's a Celtic magic symbol. At least, it was in my favorite video game.
* FictionalGenevaConventions: Moondoor involves playing by the rules, just ask Gerry, but Dean does not fully appreciate this.
-->'''Dean:''' Well, there's no laptops in Moondoor. There's no Geneva Convention, either.
* FictionalMedia: The Moondoor universe.
* FriendshipMoment: Sam isn't interested in having fun, knowing it's not going to make him feel any better over leaving Amelia. However he does dress up in cosplay for the final battle of Moondoor, more to help Dean and Charlie than himself.
%%* GeekyTurnOn
* GenreMashup: Gerry assumes Dean and Sam are dressed as FBI agents as part of a genre mash-up (HighFantasy + CopShow).
* GirlOnGirlIsHot: Averted; Dean seems rather bemused by all the action Charlie's getting.
* GirlOfTheWeek: Sam turns down an obvious invitation to a comely maiden's tent, because he's still in mourning over his lost love Amelia. Instead it's Charlie who gets a girl!
* GoryDiscretionShot: The blood splatter on the bedroom wall when Ed is pulled apart in the teaser.
* GreenRocks: Silentium in the Moondoor universe, which is represented with bean bags.
* TheHighQueen: The Queen of Moondoor.
%%* HeterosexualLifePartners:
%%-->"He was Lancelot to my Merlin."
%% * IJustWantToBeSpecial
* InsaneTrollLogic: Using real money is cheating, but using real magic isn't.
* InsistentTerminology: Gerry, who prefers "interactive literaturist" to "[=LARPer=]".
* InterruptedIntimacy: Charlie gets a BigDamnKiss with a captive fairy, only for Sam, Dean, and Boltar walk in.
-->'''Charlie:''' Dudes! If the tent is a rockin' don't come a knockin'!
* IUhYouToo: This is a CallBack to Charlie's conversation with her co-worker in [[Recap/SupernaturalS07E20TheGirlWithTheDungeonsAndDragonsTattoo "The Girl With The Dungeons And Dragons Tattoo" (S07, E20)]] and a Shout-Out to the dialogue between Princess Leia and Han Solo in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' and ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''.
-->'''[=LARPer=]:''' I love you.
-->'''Charlie:''' I know.
* IWillTearYourArmsOff: Lance's "YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS" text may have been unrelated, but Ed still has his limbs ripped off.
* KnightInShiningArmor: Charlie Bradbury.
* LadyAndKnight: DefiedTrope, with Charlie calling Dean her "handmaiden" and proving she is a knight as well as the queen.
%% * LandOfFaerie
%% * {{LARP}}: Moondoor.
* LettingTheAirOutOfTheBand:
** Dean's RousingSpeech is interrupted by someone throwing a frizzbee between the opposing armies. Cue this trope. There's also a MusicalInterruptus when Gerry cuts short Sam and Dean's ImpersonatingAnOfficer routine.
** In the GagReel, this is used when Creator/JensenAckles has a PratFall during the charge.
* LetsSplitUpGang: First Sam goes to do research, and then Dean and Charlie split up.
* LoveIsAWeakness: Dean tells Charlie about Sam losing Amelia and reveals he is still upset about not being there for Benny.
-->'''Dean:''' Yeah, well, now he's more committed than ever, so there's that. But, trust me, this life--you can't afford attachments. You just got to...let go.
* MagicWand:
-->'''Dean:''' Now, when you say wands, do you mean magic wands?
-->'''Lance:''' No, unmagic wands, agent. Because what I really want in a duel is an unmagic wand. Yes, fake wands! It’s a game.
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: JustifiedTrope, as they are only imaginary injuries delivered during a mock duel.
-->'''Charlie:''' ''[to the defeated [=LARPer=]]'' Take your leave to my medical tent and attend to your...[[AnArmAndALeg severed limbs]].
* ManChild: Dean takes boyish glee in making mock battle plans, dressing up, and giving a rousing battle speech.
* MarkedToDie: The tree of pain, a dark symbol of a leafless tree with roots that appears on the forearm.
* MedievalEuropeanFantasy: The setting for Moondoor.
* MissionControl: Garth assigns hunts based on cell phone GPS location.
* MomentKiller: "Dudes! If the tent is rockin', DontComeAKnockin!"
%% * NerdGlasses: Ed Nelson.
* NerdsAreVirgins: The Sheriff has this viewpoint.
-->'''Sheriff:''' He lived alone, which is a real shocker, considering this place is full of [[KitschCollection toys]].
* TheNewRockAndRoll: Texting.
-->'''Sheriff:''' These kids today with their texting [[BreadEggsMilkSquick and murder]].
%% * NobodyHereButUsBirds: When meeting the Shadow Orcs.
* OhMyGods:
-->'''Lance:''' Oh, ye gods, Thargrim the Difficult has fallen! ''[sobs]''
%% * OtakuSurrogate: Charlie Bradbury.
* OurFairiesAreDifferent: This one is the wing-less human-sized humanoid, but ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' has given us a variety of [[Recap/SupernaturalS06E09ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve different types of fairies]].
* PopCulturePunEpisodeTitle: A play on ''Film/LarsAndTheRealGirl''.
* PowerIsSexy: Both male and [[EvenTheGirlsWantHer female players]] are smitten with the Queen of Moons.
%% * ProudToBeAGeek
* RedHerring: The Orcs are obvious suspects due to their bad guy role, but the Orc King is just another victim, who adopted the symbol that appeared on his arm because he thought it was cool.
* RefusalOfTheCall: Charlie at first plans to take off when she sees the Winchesters, but stays to help them when she realizes fellow [=LARPers=] are being hurt and killed.
%% * RescueRomance: {{Invoked}}, though it doesn't work.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Like save damsels in distress.
* RoyalWe:
-->'''Charlie:''' The Queen needs some royal we time.
%% * RustproofBlood: The blood covering Ed's bed and walls.
* SamusIsAGirl: The armor-covered knight is victorious in a sword battle, and the helmet is removed to reveal Charlie ShakingHerHairLoose. It happens again with Gilda's DramaticUnmask.
* SeenItAll: Surprisingly, the Sheriff seems less fazed by a guy getting drawn and quartered than Sam and Dean are.
* SeriousBusiness: Subverted with most of the {{LARP}}ers, who are willing to break role or acknowledge it's a game. Played straight with Gerry, whose seriousness borders on psychopathology.
* ShoutOut:
** A poster for ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' is on the wall in the teaser.
** When Charlie takes off her helmet (see SamusIsAGirl), it's ''very'' much reminiscent of [[http://castielyre.tumblr.com/post/41361509124/references-in-8x11 Éowyn doing the same]] in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing''.
** Dean introduces Sam and himself as Special Agents Rosewood and Taggart, as in Detective Billy Rosewood and Sergeant John Taggart of ''Film/BeverlyHillsCop''.
** Sam asks Dean if he believes "TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons", referring to Lance. Dean replies, "He didn't put a whammy on us."
** Dean seems to think Lance's {{Cosplay}} is related to UsefulNotes/{{BDSM}}.
--->'''Dean:''' You saw the chainmail. This could be ''[[Literature/FiftyShadesOfGrey Fifty Shades Of Greyfox]]'' for all we know.
** Dean suggests he might recognize the mark on the victims' arms from a Creator/TimBurton movie.
** When Charlie sees Dean and Sam, she says, "[[Series/ThirtyRock Oh, blerg]]."
** When Charlie plans to leave she tells Sam and Dean to "[[Film/ThePrincessBride have fun storming the castle]]."
** Charlie is a fan of TabletopGames.
--->'''Charlie:''' For role-play, I prefer a tabletop. ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D]]'', ''TabletopGame/GammaWorld'', ''TabletopGame/CarWars''...
** "That's why [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Cthulhu]] invented multi-sided dice, right?"
** Charlie says, "[[Film/HistoryOfTheWorldPartI It's good to be the queen]]."
** Dean and Charlie both seem to be fans of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belladonna_%28actress%29 Belladonna]].
--->'''Sam:''' But the medical examiner said his body showed clear signs that he was killed by belladonna.
--->'''Charlie and Dean:''' The porn star?
--->'''Sam:''' ''[long pause]'' The poison.
** Charlie wants the Shadow Orc to tell her "what the [[Series/BattlestarGalactica2003 frak]]" the symbol is.
** Charlie's "I'm just an IT girl standing in front of a monster" speech is a parody of a famous quote from ''Film/NottingHill''.
** We know that Charlie is a fan of the ''Literature/HarryPotter'', and stabbing the spell book is very reminiscent of the scene where Harry stabs Tom Riddle's diary in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets''.
** The speech Dean gives at the end is from ''Film/{{Braveheart}}''. According to Sam, it's the only one he knows.
** Two references to ''Franchise/DragonAge'': the aforementioned ActorAllusion to ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', as well as one of the banners at the festival depicting the heraldry of the Grey Wardens.
* StrangeMindsThinkAlike:
-->'''Sam:''' The medical examiner said his body showed clear signs that he was killed by belladonna.
-->'''Dean and Charlie:''' The porn star?
-->'''Sam:''' ''[long pause]'' The poison.
* SuddenlyShouting:
-->"My name is BOLTAR '''THE FURIOUS!'''"
* TakingUpTheMantle: Dean seems to have changed [[Recap/SupernaturalS08E06SouthernComfort his attitude]] about Garth stepping into Bobby's role.
* ThemedAliases: Creator/StephenKing Character + ScienceFiction Writer. "[[Literature/{{Firestarter}} Charlie]] [[Creator/RayBradbury Bradbury]]" has become "Literature/{{Carrie}} [[Creator/RobertAHeinlein Heinlein]]".
* ThisIsForEmphasisBitch:
-->'''Charlie:''' I'm dropping my sword and walking off the stage, bitches.
* TrackingDevice: The Winchesters are "Garthed" when he hacks into their cell phones' GPS to determine their location.
%% * TwoScenesOneDialogue: Sam and Dean/Charlie investigating the case.
* UnluckyEveryDude:
** Ed Nelson, a 31-year-old insurance claims adjuster who lives alone.
** Lance Jacobson, an accountant also in his 30s who also lives alone.
* UnusualEuphemism: The Sheriff tells Sam that the "twig and berries" on Ed Nelson's body is still intact.
* WeirdnessMagnet: Charlie, the "monster magnet". This is the [[Recap/SupernaturalS07E20TheGirlWithTheDungeonsAndDragonsTattoo second time]] a case has involved her.
* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: Dean does this for Charlie.
-->'''Charlie:''' It's not just that, though. It's an escape. I mean, here, I'm queen, a hero. Out there in the real world, I'm just hacking out code and chugging coffee all day long.
-->'''Dean:''' Now, wait a second. If it wasn't for you, we would have never been able to [[Recap/SupernaturalS07E20TheGirlWithTheDungeonsAndDragonsTattoo take down Dick Roman]]. Out there in the real world, you ''are'' a hero.
----