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2.18 – Hollywood Babylon

Details

2.18 – Hollywood Babylon

DETAILS

Writers: Ben Edlund
Director: Philip Sgriccia
First aired: Thursday April 19, 2007.

Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) make a trip to Hollywood to investigate the death of one of the actors on a horror film set after rumors begin that he was killed by a ghost.

They discover the death was a publicity hoax but when the executive producer and a studio executive are killed, Sam and Dean realize they are dealing with a haunted set.

Gary Cole guest stars as Brad Redding, one of the stars of the horror film. Ben Edlund wrote the episode directed by Phil Sgriccia.

 

Recap

RECAP

A woman emerges from a cabin in the woods and calls out for her friends. They don’t respond until her friend Brody comes up and announces everyone else is dead. He runs off, something comes out of the woods, she screams, and… the director calls cut. He tries to get her to scream better for the camera. The actress Tara Benchley sits down and hears a stagehand talking about a ghost haunting the set. Later as she practices her screaming alone, she hears someone in the fake woods. She sees a ghostly figure up in the rafters and screams as she spots the dead crewman, Frank.

Sam and Dean abandon the tour and sneak into the studio to check out the dead man. They get mistaken for PAs and blend in with the crew, and Dean goes up into the rafters to check for emissions but doesn’t find anything. Sam has discovered other people have died violent deaths but Dean is more interested with making time with Tara. He talks to her about Frank, whom no one seems to know, but she has a photo of him. Dean recognizes the photo and him and Sam go to confront the man, who is still alive. He reveals he was hired to fake a death to set up a rumor of a haunted set for PR.

Back on the set, one of the techs hears odd noises on the sound equipment as they film a scene. The executive, Brad Redding, goes off to take a call and spots a ghostly black-and-white woman with a neck wound. She silently disrobes and goes up into the rafters, and Brad follows. Minutes later his corpse drops down on a noose into the set as they’re filming.

The movie continues and they figure Brad killed himself. Tara is upset and one of the PAs, Walter, is irritated no one is taking it seriously. Dean has the technician play the scrambled sound then they check out Brad’s trailer and review a DVD of the dailies. Sam spots a ghostly figure in the background and recognizes her. She was a starlet who killed herself in the 30s who was fired by an executive and hung herself the same way as Brad. That night they go out to the cemetery and dig her up while wondering why she’s still active. Meanwhile, another producer, Jay, is on the set when the lights go out. Sam and Dean salt and burn the bones while Jay spots a person on the set’s cabin. The man turns around to reveal his head is split open. The wind fans kick on and suck Jay in, killing him.

The next day, Sam and Dean suspect something odd is going on and the crew is informed that the filming is shutting down. They go over the dailies but don’t spot any spirits, but Sam recognizes the “fake” invocation as the real thing. They talk to the writer, Mark, who reveals that Walter Dixon the PA wrote the invocation as part of the original script, that they “adapted. Mark goes to see Walter on the set and he’s unhappy they changed his script. He uses a talisman to invoke a spirit and have it pull him into the fan. Dean and Sam arrive and disperse the ghost, then confront Walter. He tells them to leave but when they don’t he summons more ghosts who advance then disappear to attack them invisibly. They take shelter in the set’s cabin and Sam uses his camera to spot the invisible ghost, which Dean shoots. Sam gives the camera to Mark and confronts Walter, who destroys the talisman. The ghosts, now freed, attack Walter and rip him open.

The movie goes ahead with a few additions by Mark based on his recent experience. Dean ends up in bed with Tara and the brothers head off into the (fake) sunset.

Guest Stars

GUEST STARS

Elizabeth Whitmere (Tara Benchley)

Alycia Purrott (Kendra)

Don Stark (Jay Wiley)

Regan Burns (McG)

Benjamin Ratner (Walter)

Graeme Duffy (Dave)

Michael B. Silver (Martin)

Gary Cole (Brad Redding)

Gallery

IMAGE GALLERY

Episode Stills

Episode Screen Captures

Videos

TRAILER/CLIPS

Promo

Music

MUSIC

There is no song in this episode.

Quotes

QUOTES

Dean: Oh, like Poltergeist?
Sam: It could be a poltergeist.
Dean: No, no, no. Like the movie, Poltergeist. (Sam looks confused) You know nothing of your cultural heritage, do you?

Brad: Uh, excuse me, green-shirt guy? Yeah, yeah, you, come here. Could you get me a smoothie from craft?
Dean: You want a what from who?

Sam: So what do you think?
Dean: Well, I think being a PA sucks, but the food these people get? Are you kidding me? I mean, look at these things, they’re like miniature philly cheese steak sandwiches, they’re delicious! (offers one to Sam, who looks grossed out)
Sam: Maybe later.

Sam: How’s it going in here?
Dean: It’s going really good, man. Tara has really stepped up her performance. I think it’s probably from all the sense memory stuff she’s drawing on.
Sam: Sense memory?
Dean: Yeah.
Sam: Dean, you know when I ask how it’s going here I’m talking about the case, right? We don’t really work here.

Tara: Why would a ghost be afraid of salt?
McG: Marty, what do you think?
Marty: I’m not married to salt. Are we still sticking with condiments?
McG: Mmm, it just sounds different, not better. What else would a ghost be scared of?
Marty: Maybe shotguns.
McG: That makes even less sense than salt.

Trivia

TRIVIA

  • Trivia: When the trailer for Hell Hazers 2 begins, the movie rating screen says Hell Hazers has been approved by the “American Association for Motion Pictures.” In reality it is the “Motion Picture Association of America.” Also, it says that the film has not been rated and underneath, in small print, it says “Not Yet Written, Cast, Shot, Edited or Scored.”
  • Injoke: The main actress likes to take Polaroids of the cast to “kill time.” This is a reference to Jensen Ackles’ pastime on set, taking photos of the cast and crew in between takes.
  • In-Joke: Brad Redding, the studio guy who keeps trying to make strange changes to the show, is played by Gary Cole. Gary Cole starred in the series Crusade which had poor ratings that many blamed on strange changes forced on the show by the studio.
  • In-Joke: When Sam and Dean go to confront McG about the summoning rituals contained in the script, we catch a glimpse of three movie posters on the wall of the office where McG is found on the phone. The middle poster, is for a movie Called “Monster Truck” and features the truck from the 13th episode of Season 1, “Route 666.”
  • In-Joke: While eating the mini philly steak and cheeses, Dean comments on how wonderful the food is that these people get to eat. This is a joke referencing the fact that during the entire first season of shooting this show, the cast and crew constantly complained about how bad the Craft Services was. It improved for the second season when a new company was brought in to provide that service.

 

ALLUSIONS

  • Sam: Well, Matt Damon just picked up a broom and started sweeping.
    A reference to the 1997 movie Good Will Hunting, featuring Matt Damon in the title role as Will Hunting, who is a janitor at MIT.
  • Dean: What, you mean like Poltergeist?
    This line is a direct reference to the movie Poltergeist, in which a ghost frequently haunts a house with a little girl.
  • Dean: You know this is where they filmed Creepshow?
    Referencing the 1982 movie Creepshow, directed by George Romero and starring Stephen King, Ted Danson, Leslie Nielsen, and E.G. Marshall.
  • Dean: It’s like 3 Men and a Baby all over again.
    3 Men and a Baby is a 1987 movie starring Tom Selleck, Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg. A rumor has persisted for many years that the figure of a ghostly spirit of a dead boy and the gun that he killed himself with appears in the movie.
  • Dean: Hey, we gotta go check out Johnny Ramone’s grave when we’re done here.
    Johnny Ramone (real name John Cummings) was a founding member and the guitarist of the punk band The Ramones. He died of cancer at the age 55 on September 15th, 2004 at his home in Los Angeles.
Forum

Forum

Episode Schedule

Thu, Oct 10 15.01 - Back and to the Future - Season Premiere
Thu, Oc 17 15.02 - Raising Hell
Thu, Oct 24 15.03 - The Rupture
Thu, Nov 7 15.04 - Atomic Monsters
Thu, Nov 14 15.05 - Proverbs 17:3
Thu, Nov 21 15.06 - Golden Time
Thu, Dec 05 15.07 - Last Call
Thu, Dec 12 15.08 - Our Father, Who Aren’t In Heaven
Thu, Jan 16 2020 15.09 - The Trap
Thu, Jan 23 2020 15.10 - The Heroes' Journey
Thu, Jan 30 2020 15.11 - The Gamblers
Mon, March 16 2020 15.12 - Galaxy Brain
Mon, March 23 2020 15.13 - Destiny's Child
Thu, Oct 08 2020 15.14 - Last Holiday
Thu, Oct 15 2020 15.15 - Gimme Shelter
Thu, Oct 22 2020 15.16 - Drag Me Away (From You)
Thu, Oct 29 2020 15.17 - Unity
Thu, Nov 05 2020 15.18 - Despair
Thu, Nov 12 2020 15.19 - Inherit the Earth
Thu, Nov 19 2020 15.20 - Carry On - Series Finale

* This Schedule might change as new info come.

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