Originally aired: 13/04/2006

Writer: David Ehrman
Director: Phil Sgriccia
Guest Stars: Taylor Cole as Sarah Blake, Keith Gordey, Jody Thompson, Jay Brazeau as Researcher, Jodelle Ferland as The Ghost Girl, Linden Banks



Official WB Description

A young couple is murdered in their home shortly after buying an antique painting of a family portrait circa 1910. Upon reviewing the painting's provenance, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) learn that everyone who has ever bought the painting has been murdered and race to discover how the portrait is causing the deaths before it can claim its next victim

Full Synopsis

The episode opens to a panning shot of an old and pretty creepy painting. In the painting we see what appears to be a family. As the camera pans back further we see a couple who have recently bought the picture at auction. The husband says he’s going to lock up, and agrees to meet his wife upstairs afterwards.

The wife goes up, and we see the father in the picture actually move- apparently watching! We sense something is moving up the stairs to where the wife is waiting and her bedside candle blows out. Moments later, the husband arrives to find his wife in a pool of blood- her throat slit. He’s horrified, but not for long, because the same entity kills him.

Cut to bar: Dean is putting a girl’s number in his cell phone when Sam calls him over. Sam has a new case for them, but Dean wants to take the night off and spend it with the girl. He’s told her he’s a talent scout for a new reality TV show and she has a friend for Sam too. Sam isn’t happy, and Dean tells him basically its time he got a date. Sam says he can find his own dates and goes on to tell Dean about the new case.

Sam shows Dean a newspaper article about a couple who just had their throats slit in NY. Their dad has an article about similar murders in his journal. Dean agrees its worth looking into in the morning and promptly goes back to his ‘date.’

The Telesca House, The Next Day: Dean is in the Impala snoozing after his late night when Sam returns and beeps the horn, waking him. Sam says he’s swept the house for spirit activity and checked out the history of the place- it’s clean. The problem could be a cursed object, but he can’t tell because the house contents have been removed.

Daniel Blake’s Antique Auction House: Sam and Dean gatecrash an invitation only auction to check out the Telescas’ possessions. Daniel Blake accuses them of having no invite and Dean is pretty cheeky to him. While Daniel goes to check their ID his daughter, Sarah questions them. Sam shocks Dean by actually having some art knowledge when he responds to a trick question with the right answer! Sam asks Sarah about the Telesca estate and she tells him it was a grisly affair. He then asks to see the provenances but Sarah’s dad returns and kicks them out.

Motel: Dean and Sam go to their hotel room and find its pretty retro. They discuss the ‘provenances’ and how they show the history of the auctioned articles. Dean suggests Sam talk to Sarah more- its obvious he likes her. Sam thinks that would just be using Sarah, but Dean convinces him anyway.

Restaurant: Sam feels a little awkward with Sarah, but we can see he likes her. They discuss how neither of them has been on a date in awhile, and when Sam struggles with the wine list, Sarah makes him feel better by ordering beer. They talk a little and Sam is evasive about his past.

Motel Room: Sam is back and has the provenances for the Telesca items. Dean can’t understand why Sarah just handed them over. Sam finds a connection with the Telescas and the earlier murders in dad’s journal. All the victims had owned the same painting! The brothers agree it must be cursed or haunted.

Daniel Blake’s Auction House: Dean and Sam break in and steal the painting. They take it to an unknown location and burn it. Inside the auction house, we see the painting miraculously regenerate into its frame!

Motel- Next Morning: Dean realizes he’s dropped his wallet the previous evening in the auction house. Now they have to go back and find it!

Daniel Blake’s Auction House: Dean and Sam are nosing around when Sarah appears. Sam makes an excuse that they’re leaving town and have come to say goodbye. Dean then makes it known to Sam he’s found the elusive wallet, and goes out, leaving Sam and Sarah alone. Sarah says she enjoyed their date, but Sam says he has to go. Then, Sam spots the painting, even though they supposedly destroyed it. He’s shocked, and asks Sarah’s more about the picture. He tells her not to tell it, but he’s got to leave. He’ll call back.

In the Impala: Sam tells Dean about the picture and they agree they have to find out about the family portrayed in it in order to destroy it.

Library: The brothers look up the Merchant family and find that the father supposedly killed his wife, children and adopted daughter with a razor back in 1912. All the family were cremated…They also find a picture of the painting, which they get a copy of.

Daniel Blake's Auction House: Sarah is angry with her father because he has sold the painting against her wishes. He says for that kind of money he doesn’t care.

Motel: Sam has noticed that the picture of the painting from the library is different to the real one. The father has moved! Sam thinks Isiah Merchant; the father is trapped in the painting and is coming out to continue killing people at night. If he was cremated, though, how do they stop him? Dean says they need to see the painting again to see if anything else has changed. He also confronts Sam about liking Sarah, and why he won’t take his feelings further. It turns out Sam still has feelings about Jess, but he does like Sarah. There’s more to it than just Jess, though. Sam calls Sarah about the painting, and tells her he and his brother might want to buy it. Sarah explains it’s already sold! Sam demands the new owners address.

New Owners House: We see a woman sitting by a fire. The painting is hanging close. It moves again. The woman sees a shadow and looks up, suddenly horrified.

Outside, moments later: Dean and Sam arrive in the Impala, just as Sarah arrives too. Sam is mad she ignored him and came along, but she doesn’t care. Dean breaks in and all three enter. They find Evelyn, the owner dead- her throat slit.

Motel, the next morning: Sarah arrives after making a statement to the police that she found Evelyn on her own. She’s mad she lied for the brothers and demands answers. Sam tells her the truth that they think the painting is haunted. At first she thinks they’re crazy, but Sam convinces her. Sarah says she is going with them on their quest because she helped sell the painting and feels responsible for its owners deaths. Dean likes her bravado and says, ‘Dude, marry that girl.’

Evelyn’s House: The trio go take another look at the painting and spot a mausoleum/crypt in the background. It says Merchant on it.

Cemetery: Dean says this is the ‘third bone yard’ they’ve checked and so far haven’t found the mystery crypt. Just then, they spot it and enter. Inside, there are jars containing the family’s ashes, as well as toys that belonged to the children. (Dolls etc) Dean also notices there is an urn missing. Isiah’s ashes aren’t in the crypt.

County Records: Sam and Sarah wait outside while Dean goes to find out what happened to Isiah’s remains. The pair discuss their feelings for one another, and Sam explains anyone he likes or loves dies. He doesn’t want to get close to Sarah in case she gets hurt or worse. Sarah says she’s willing to take the risk, but he’s not happy. Just then, Dean reappears. It seems Isiah’s family were so disgraced by his actions he was buried in a pauper’s grave, not cremated with his wife and kids. Dean also knows where the bones are so they can burn them.

Isiah’s Grave: Its night and the guys dig up Isiah. Sarah is surprised how used to it they both are. They burn the bones.

Evelyn’s House: The boys decide its best to bury the painting as well as burn Isiah’s bones, so they call at the house to pick it up. Sam and Sarah go inside to get the painting. Dean thinks this might be a good time for Sam to make his romantic ‘move.’

Sam and Sarah go inside and realize the little girl who was adopted is missing from the painting. Suddenly, the front door slams shut and they’re trapped inside. Dean rushed us, but can’t pick the lock to get inside. Sam calls him, explaining he thinks the little girl in the painting was the killer all along and she’s after them! Dean needs to hurry with the rescue!

Inside, Sam and Sarah look for salt or pure iron to repel the little girl’s spirit. We see the girl ghost coming for them with the razor in one hand and dragging her doll with the other. Sam and Sarah back up until Sam stumbles over the fire iron and whacks the girl with it- its was pure iron! She’s not gone, though, just warded off. How the heck do they kill her?

Sarah suggests that the little girl’s doll may have been made from her hair- just like human remains. Maybe if they burn the doll they saw in the mausoleum, the spirit will be banished. Dean rushes to the mausoleum while Sarah and Sam are left trapped in the house fighting.

Dean races the Impala into the graveyard at breakneck speed, but Sam is meanwhile pinned to a wall by a piece of furniture by the spirit. Sarah is now open game for the ghost because he can’t help her! Dean arrives at the crypt but can’t break the glass case holding the doll, eventually he shoots it out and just as the girl’s spirit is about to kill Sarah, he burns the doll and its ‘real’ hair.

Sam gets free and dives forward, knocking Sarah away as the girl’s spirit vanishes. Dean calls, asking if the two are okay. His brother replies ‘Not bad.’

Daniel Blake’s Auction House: The painting is being crated up when dean arrives with more records. It seems the little girl killed her first family as well as the Merchants. Who would have thought? Sarah tells the workmen crating the painting to go burn it.

Dean leaves Sam to speak with Sarah in private. Sarah knows he’s leaving, but at least she didn’t get hurt like he thought she would. Sam agrees and says yes, he’ll come back and see her some day. He leaves and Sarah is obviously sad. Then, there’s a knocking at the door. She opens it and Sam is waiting and kisses her.

Dean is watching and smiles, saying ‘that’s my boy, before getting in the car and leaving them together. Fade to black….

Synopsis by Kittsbud

Episode Music

Bad Time by Grand Funk Railroad
Night Life by Steve Carlson Band

Extras

Episode Trailer Episode Promos Episode Screencaps Inside The Legend Episode Review

Video Clips

Not Cool

Toast

Marry That Girl

The Doll

That's My Boy