Nightmare Logic
Written by: Meredith Glynn
Directed by: Darren Grant
Air date: November 8th, 2018
A hunt gone wrong leaves Maggie’s whereabouts unknown. Sam, Dean, Mary, and Bobby race to find her, but they instead find their own worst nightmares.
Tropes
- The Baby of the Bunch: Maggie appears to be the youngest of the Apocalypse World hunters and the group is protective of her as such.
- Big Brother Mentor: Dean seems proud of the progress Sam has made as a leader and takes care not to let Sam defer the position now that Dean is back. Although he jokes about it, he helps keep Sam calm when he's worried about the hunters, listens to his concerns and makes suggestions, checks in to make sure Sam is okay, and encourages him when Bobby makes Sam question his own abilities as a leader.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Meekly friendly nurse Neil is really a grace-enhanced djinn with evil plans.
- Broken Masquerade: They have to give Sasha The Talk after she's chased by a monster.
- Can't Kill You, Still Need You: By proxy; Neil notes that he can't kill Dean, since Michael still needs Dean as his "monkey suit", but that doesn't mean he can't inflict some Mind Rape.
- The Chains of Commanding: Sam is burning the candles at both ends, barely sleeping, trying to create and maintain a safe and reliable hunting system for the Apocalypse World hunters. We see that he has created a briefing system, a check-in system, a training and review system, and is on-call pretty much 24/7 with Dean noting that Sam is getting about three hours of sleep a night (which Sam feels guilty about when he has hunters in the field). Sam also serves as point man for lore, weaponry, and tips the hunters need and back up when necessary. He takes it very hard when his hunters get hurt and personally goes to investigate when Maggie misses her check-in.
- Continuity Nod:
- Dean continues to poke fun at Sam about the Apocalypse World hunters seeing Sam as their leader.
- Dean suggests getting Sam a whistle bringing to mind Dean's love of whistles in "After School Special".
- As they try to figure out why the monster population isn't following normal rules, Dean mentions Fred Jones, a psychokenetic, who appeared in the episode "Hunter Heroici".
- The medical gear Neil has hooked up to Rawlins leads Dean to realize Neil is a Djinn, as it reminds him of his own experience in "What Is And What Should Never Be".
- Creepy Cemetery: The episode starts with Maggie investigating reports of a ghoul in a private family cemetery at night
- Creepy Housekeeper: Don, the Crusty Caretaker and Neil the nurse are both weird, one for good reason.
- Damsel in Distress: This is the second time Maggie's been the victim of the week since she was introduced last season.
- Distaff Counterpart: Sasha has a very similar story to Dean minus the supernatural element. She loved her emotionally distant father but could never get his approval. Sasha witnessed her mother's death at a young age and it scarred her. Her father was constantly on the road, losing himself in his work for the good of the family. She describes herself as worshipping her father despite his aloofness.
- Doppelgänger Gets Same Sentiment:
- Bobby was very critical of Sam in this episode. Normally, Dean doesn't allow anyone to so much as look cross at his younger brother, but Bobby seems to get more leeway because of the brothers' affection for his deceased alternate self.
- Bobby initially doesn't fight back against the manifestation of his dead son.
- Double Meaning: Sam says he wishes Mary and Bobby had checked in with the home office before going into the field, meaning they should have contacted Sam first. Bobby says they didn't need permission from the home office particularly because the home office is run by a couple of "idjits," meaning he doesn't need their permission and he doesn't think they're very good hunters. This is all said in front of Neil who presumably believes they're arguing about their bosses at the Historical Preservation Society.
- Evil Plan: Neil reveals that Michael has set lots of traps in place with the specific intention of targeting hunters which will then make it easier to Kill All Humans.Neil:You think I'm the only one? The only trap? He made dozens of us. Just out there waiting for you and your family.
- Eye Scream: The manifestation of Daniel Singer has burned out eyes from angel smiting.
- Face Your Fears: Bobby has to break through his fears about what happened to his son in order to save Mary's life.
- Glowing Eyes: Neil's Djinn form has glowing eyes.
- Horrifying the Horror: When the Neil attempts to Mind Rape Dean in order to find his deepest fear, he ends up pulling away in terror leaving the audience wondering what he saw that was so terrifying. Considering that Dean spent time in Hell and Purgatory in addition to time spent as a demon and serving as Michael's vessel, it could be one of many things or something that hasn't been revealed yet.
- I'm Okay!: In a switch this week, it's Sam insisting he's okay when Dean questions how hard he's working and how little sleep he seems to be running on.
- I Know What You Fear: The Neil's main motivation and power.
- Improvised Weapon: Dean doesn't have a blade dipped in lamb's blood so he uses a heavy paper weight to beat Neil to death then shoots him until he runs out of bullets.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: After finding out that monsters are real, Sasha pops a few anti-anxiety meds and takes a stiff drink.Sasha:Well, my father is dying and there's a strange man sharpening a machete to presumably kill monsters with in my living room. Thank God for benzos.
- In-Universe Camera: Sam has the hunters record their hunts for training purpose so we see Maggie talking to her camera. When she misses her check-in, Sam is able to pull her body cam footage from the Cloud.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Bobby points out that Maggie may have been in over her head. She was hunting alone and didn't have the proper information for what she was hunting. Across the series, the most prolific hunters tend to hunt in pairs after extensive research, which seems to increase longevity.
- The Leader: This episode continues to explore Sam's shift to leader of their hunter crew.
- Mind Rape: Neil searches people's minds for their deepest fears and then manifests those fears into physical manifestations of their worst nightmares that then kill them.
- Missing Mom: Sasha's mother committed suicide when she was twelve.
- Mistaken for Misogynist: When Dean realizes Neil is a djinn, he knows he needs to get Sasha out of the line of fire. He asks her to go make him a sandwich. She scoffs, looks him straight in the eyes, and repeats his question in a tone that implies "drop dead, you pig." However, he is then able to silently mouth a warning to her. The request initially makes Dean seem dense or insensitive but is actually very clever. "Make me a sandwich" is offensive enough to get Sasha's full attention. If he'd asked for a glass of water, she might have done it without question since he's a guest in her home and returned promptly, putting herself back in danger.
- My God, You Are Serious!: Sam's reaction when Mary implies that John Winchester was emotionally open and easy to talk to.Mary:Bobby's not open like your dad.Sam:(stops walking, blinks in confusion) Wait. My dad?Mary:Okay. At least he's not like your dad when I knew him.Sam: (chuckles in disbelief) Right...
- My Greatest Failure: Bobby's biggest regret is channeling his grief for his wife into hunting with his son, leading Daniel into a life of war which eventually got him killed. He hates that he outlived his family.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Bobby has been fairly reasonable and patient all season so it stands out when he starts sniping at Sam who is easily the most emotionally sensitive of the main universe characters. At the end, we find out that he's suffering from Survivor's Guilt and pushing everyone away for fear of getting them killed as well.
- Parents as People: All of the characters who have children are explored as both parents and people who make mistakes and have other aspects to their lives besides parenthood.
- Bobby is revealed to have had a wife and son who died. When Neil manifests Bobby's dead son, Daniel, Bobby is revealed to be guilt-ridden and suicidal.
- Mary gives parental advice but also talks about her concerns about her romantic life and her worries about Bobby's mental health.
- Rawlings was a workaholic and ignored his wife and child but the Neil revealed that his biggest fear was dying alone and unloved.
- Parental Sexuality Squick: Subverted. Although Sam gives an uncomfortable smile when Mary laughs and realizes that she's discussing her dating/sex life with her adult son, neither of them are overly squeamish. Sam and Dean had a much stronger reaction when they realized that the existence of Adam means their father had sex with someone other than their mother. The difference in attitude could possibly be attributed to Sam being a full ten years older between finding out about John and talking with Mary or to being much closer to John who was their parental figure during their formative years versus Mary being a virtual stranger to Sam.
- Parent with New Paramour: Sam and Mary briefly discuss her relationship with Bobby.
- Privacy by Distraction: Dean asks Sasha to make him a sandwich when he wants to corner Neil alone. When she balks he quietly lets her know what's up.
- Put on a Bus: Mary and Bobby take off for Donna's cabin for a few weeks to give Bobby time to heal from his injuries. Trailers for the following episode indicate Jack and Cas, who have been on a hunting trip for the past couple of weeks, and Charlie who has been on a road trip all season, will be back next episode.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: In a switch of roles, Dean is the one keeping Sam calm as Sam freaks out about someone he feels responsible for potentially be hurt or dead.
- Reduced to Dust: When the manifestations are stabbed they burst into dust, the first clue that they aren't what they appear to be.
- Rescue Arc: This episode centers around finding and saving Maggie.
- The Reveal: When Dean calls Neil out, Neil reveals his djinn tattoos.
- Shout-Out:
- Dean asks if the family that owns the cemetery they're investigating are some kind of Addams Family.
- Sam refers to The Walking Dead to explain a witness describing zombies as "Walkers."
- Sam and Dean's aliases, Harrison and Byrne, are members of the band Talking Heads
- So Proud of You: Both Mary and Dean specifically tell Sam that they believe he is a good leader and encourage him in his moments of doubt.
- Surveillance as the Plot Demands: Averted. Although we've never heard of hunters carrying body cams before, they don't pretend it's something they've always had access to and simply never mentioned before. Sam explains that it's a new system he's implementing in order to train the Apocalypse World hunters who are veterans at fighting against angels but few other types of monsters. The footage allows them learn from each others hunts and gives Sam a point to begin his investigation if a hunter goes missing or is killed.
- Survivor Guilt: Bobby feels guilty for leading his son into war, not being able to save him when he's captured and never managing to recover his body.
- Vader Breath: The first sign that Maggie is in trouble is the ghoul's ominous, heavy breathing behind her.
- Working the Same Case: Sam, Dean, Mary, and Bobby end up working the same case.
