The Top 101 Supernatural Episodes, Ranked

Publish date: 2024-08-15

“Supernatural’s” series finale may have been delayed due to the production shutdown as the coronavirus pandemic swept the globe, but that just means there is more time to reminisce about the road so far.

The CW demon-hunting drama will now be signing off in the fall of 2020, and what better way to honor the Winchesters’ work of saving people and hunting things than to go back through their fights, kills and “bm” (boy melodrama) moments?

Read on for the Top 101 episodes of “Supernatural” and click here for the Worst 100 episodes.

LARP and the Real Girl
Season 8, Episode 11
Written by Robbie Thompson; Directed by Jeannot Szwarc
Whenever “Supernatural” checks in on Charlie (Felicia Day) on her own turf — in this case in the fantasy world of LARPing — it’s a reminder that the show is severely lacking in the female point of view. She consistently provides both a similar sensibility to Dean (Jensen Ackles) at times while also being unabashed about calling him on his crap in a way he finds charming. Watching Dean get swept up in her world is a delight, but the episode doesn’t quite stick the landing because as he’s turned from skeptic to fan, the reveal of who summoned a faerie to do his increasingly violent bidding (and why) feels like the show’s way of still making fun of such a community.
American Nightmare
Season 12, Episode 4
Written by Davy Perez; Directed by John F. Showalter
It’s rare that both Winchesters would be wrong about the thing they’re hunting, but they often underestimate people’s abilities to deceive because they’re always looking for the supernatural. It turns out to be a mix: A horrible mother has her psychic daughter locked away, and the daughter is unknowingly killing people when she’s trying to get inside their minds for help, which is the perfect blend of trauma and evil for this show. The mysterious motorcycle rider who seems to be following Dean and Sam (Jared Padalecki), only to end up killing the psychic in the end, also adds to the intrigue quite well.
Heaven Can’t Wait
Season 9, Episode 6
Written by Robert Berens; Directed by Rob Spera
An angel who takes flippant comments about wanting to die literally, killing the person who said it and making it look like a suicide is dark. But it’s the best kind of dark that this show dives into like no other. In this particular case, it speaks to the larger problems the visitors from above are providing this season, which elevates an “of the week” story to something much more important. Plus, the Winchesters deal with a role-reversal from their usual friends and allies when Castiel (Misha Collins) is living like a normal man named Steve and Crowley (Mark Sheppard) is actually being helpful with tablets and purified blood injections. Things are picking up!
Form and Void
Season 11, Episode 2
Written by Andrew Dabb; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
It’s a little confusing why Dean would see the Darkness as a grown woman when it was first unleashed, yet she actually starts as a baby who gobbles souls to grow. Letting that oddity go, learning more about the Darkness’ power sets the season up for a powerful, but long-away showdown already. The stage is set with Crowley’s involvement with the Darkness, Sam’s new visions (another oddity) and Castiel being tortured for picking the Winchester brothers over his actual angel brothers. Even more exciting is the revelation that reapers still exist, even with Death gone, and they’ve had it with Dean and Sam, and if they die again it’s lights out for good. Finally, true stakes are restored!
Everybody Loves a Clown
Season 2, Episode 2
Written by John Shiban; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
Clowns are not particularly scary; sorry, Sam. Little kids who let strangers dressed like clowns into their houses are, though. What would lead them to do that is what this episode should have unpacked (loneliness, abuse in the home — all scarier than clowns!). The show never does that, but it does introduce Ellen (Samantha Ferris), her daughter Jo (Alona Tal), and their buddy Ash Chad Lindberg), who offer a new family dynamic just when the Winchesters had theirs cut in half. The women are forces to be reckoned with and nice counterpoints to the “of the week” females the boys usually encounter. The expansion of Dean and Sam’s world post-John’s (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) death might have been a standard Season 2 network note, but it is something from which the show does greatly benefit.
Point of No Return
Season 5, Episode 18
Written by Jeremy Carver; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
The 100th episode does something surprising when it brings back Adam (Jake Abel) and shifts so much of the endgame plan for the apocalypse onto him. Offering him as an alternative for Michael’s vessel feels like a cop-out and unfortunately weakens this overall important milestone. However, there is some saving grace in the way Dean takes down Zachariah (Kurt Fuller), taunting him with his expendable nature in this game before he literally stabs him through his face, paying off a promise he set up episodes earlier.
Fresh Blood
Season 3, Episode 7
Written by Sera Gamble; Directed by Kim Manners
Gordon (Sterling K. Brown) gets turned into a vampire — a thing he hates — at just the right time. Although his anger at the Winchesters is justified, they are the heroes of this story, so Gordon’s narrow mission against them was turning him into a one-note villain. Here, though, some of his ranting about Sam seems to be confirmed when Sam first has no empathy for the woman who unknowingly took vampire blood and is now turning, and then later kills Gordon the coldest blood seen yet on the show. Also, this episode expands the ways a vampire can create more vampires, which is just the right kind of twisted to further this increasingly dark series.
There’s No Place Like Home
Season 10, Episode 11
Written by Robbie Thompson; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
What happens when the thing Dean and Sam is hunting is also the thing they want to save? That’s the existential conundrum at the center of this Season 10 episode in which Charlie returns from Oz as two distinct people: Dark Charlie and Regular Charlie. Her escapades in Oz left a mark, and now Dark Charlie is out for revenge against the man that tore apart her family. In many ways, her story is a more literal version of the splitting of self Dean is experiencing due to his own mark, which may not be necessary but is, at least, a concept that on its own is more than deserving of exploration.
Wayward Sisters
Season 13, Episode 10
Written by Robert Berens & Andrew Dabb; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
The girl gang of Jody (Kim Rhodes), Donna (Briana Buckmaster), Claire (Kathryn Newton) and Alex (Katherine Ramdeen) is joined by Patience (Clark Backo) and Kaia (Yadira Guevara-Prip) for a backdoor pilot of a second potential spinoff. It succeeds by utilizing characters the audience already knows and cares about, in creating a humor-filled tone that shows off different shades to its female characters, and in allowing the ensemble to truly work together (despite the title seeming like it will land heavier on the younger women’s shoulders). Plus, watching the women rescue Dean and Sam from a monster-filled alt-world and ending on one of those alt-world characters crossing over into their world breathes new fresh air into the show. The spinoff never went forward, but the episode stands on its own within the “Supernatural” story quite well for further fleshing out these females.
Weekend at Bobby’s
Season 6, Episode 4
Written by Andrew Dabb & Daniel Loflin; Directed by Jensen Ackles
In wanting to set Ackles up for success behind the camera with his directorial debut, “Supernatural” needed an episode that didn’t spend so much screen-time with Dean. Hence the idea of seeing how Bobby Singer (Jim Beaver) is living these days came to be. Following him as he tries to re-deal with Crowley and clean up other hunters’ messes expands the point of view of the show and fleshes a tertiary character out nicely. A complicated logistical challenge becomes a really clever change of pace for a show getting on in years.
Phantom Traveler
Season 1, Episode 4
Written by Richard Hatem; Directed by Robert Singer
Although technically the first glimpse of a demon’s work was given in the pilot when a flashback revealed how Mary Winchester (Samantha Smith) died, this was the first episode to feature possession and the infamous wispy black smoke that was used to denote a demon’s presence in the early years. It also proved just how far the Winchesters would go to help literal strangers when they boarded a plane they knew was destined to crash in order to perform an exorcism.
The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo
Season 7, Episode 20
Written by Robbie Thompson; Directed by John MacCarthy
A hacker named Charlie loses her innocence when learning Leviathans are not only real but the owner of her company is in charge of the pack. It’s been awhile since there has been a woman hunting with the Winchesters so bringing her in is a welcome addition, especially because she’s one of the most specifically-drawn characters the show has introduced, constantly surprising both the brothers and the audience. That’s enough for a well-done episode, but this one also adds the element of Bobby, still hanging on as a spirit to help the boys, who turns vengeful (to help Charlie, but still). On one hand, it’s nice to see him doing what he does best, but on the other it kind of ruins his original goodbye because if he turns into a thing the boys usually hunt, they’ll have to stop him. Knocking this down a few spots is too much Dick Roman (James Patrick Stewart) who is already grating, rather than menacing.
Do You Believe in Miracles
Season 9, Episode 23
Written by Jeremy Carver; Directed by Thomas J. Wright
Metatron (Curtis Armstrong) showing off his powers is ho-hum because Metatron himself is ho-hum. Nothing about him says he should be strong enough to kill Dean. And yet, here we are, simply to set up Demon Dean. In fact, most of this ninth season finale episode feels like just going through the motions to finally push the show past him and into that much more complex cliffhanger. Even though it’s obvious he won’t be a demon for long next season, that psychological twist for one of these beloved heroes is more exciting than most of this entire season.
Houses of the Holy
Season 2, Episode 13
Written by Sera Gamble; Directed by Kim Manners
A recently-deceased priest starts using his townspeople to kill people who he deemed “evil.” On the one hand, those people really were doing bad things so they did need to be stopped, but on the other, he is tricking his flock by telling them they are doing an angel’s bidding. He’s not an angel; he’s just a man playing God. Once again having just a man be the Big Bad of the episode is an intriguing look for the show. But it also seeds the idea that Dean and Sam will someday (hopefully soon) actually encounter angels. And here they prove they certainly are not ready. It seems impossible, but also very important.
Just My Imagination
Season 11, Episode 8
Written by Jenny Klein; Directed by Richard Speight Jr.
A goofy concept (Sam’s childhood imaginary friend enlists the Winchesters’ help when other imaginary friends are being stabbed to death) comes with a surprising amount of heart. Sure, there is fun to be had with the visuals of sparkly blood after a manicorn is knifed, but things get very serious, very fast, both with flashbacks to Sam’s lonely childhood and his friend Sully’s (Nate Torrence) own shortcomings. It may not move the mythology forward, and admittedly it is questionable that a kid like Sam who knows monsters are real would not realize Sully was, too, but as far as standalones go, it’s solid.
Bad Day at Black Rock
Season 3, Episode 3
Written by Ben Edlund; Directed by Robert Singer
This may just be the first truly funny episode of “Supernatural,” as the Winchesters get ahold of a rabbit’s foot that grants a lucky streak to whoever touched it last, but when someone new comes into contact with it, the previous person gets cursed. This provides a brief respite from the Winchesters’ greater woes, including the fact that Gordon is back and Dean and Sam also have some new challengers in Ruby (Katie Cassidy) and Bela (Lauren Cohan).
Stuck in the Middle (With You)
Season 12, Episode 12
Written by Davy Perez; Directed by Richard Speight Jr.
A break in linear storytelling comes with a multi-perspective episode as well, but for all the artistry involved in trying such a feat, there is also a lot of repetition, as there are really only a couple of scenes of plot in play here, just told from different angles to fill the whole episode. The flash of the style and the pops of new information about Mary working with the British Men of Letters or Crowley’s previous dealings with a new kind of baddie of the week may not be enough to keep one on the edge of their seat the whole time, but it’s still nice to watch a long-running show take chances.
The Things We Left Behind
Season 10, Episode 9
Written by Andrew Dabb; Directed by Guy Norman Bee
Last Claire was seen she said yes to Castiel to save her dad but he took Jimmy in the end anyway. Now, she is saying yes to robbing a convenience store to help her surrogate dad (Roark Critchlow). The way that guy manipulates the wayward kids he takes in is too reminiscent of “Freaks & Geeks,” but seeing returning to someone who was sort-of saved in the past, only to learn her life has been totally upended; a sentimental side to Castiel; and seeing Crowley spin out about Rowena makes this episode enjoyable.
Yellow Fever
Season 4, Episode 6
Written by Andrew Dabb & Daniel Loflin; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
Dean has been to hell and back, so him picking up a ghost sickness feels like unfortunately low stakes. The episode flips back and forth between moments of sheer comic pleasure and intense internal angst as Dean experiences his fears, be they snakes or his brother giving into his demonic side. It’s not always logical (if Dean is living in fear, he shouldn’t be so quick to fight the local cop) and a bit redundant (of course the audience knows he is afraid of Sam’s abilities; he has been since the start), but for the Dean die-hards it offers a complete 180 from his usual persona and so is still fun in the way of standalones.
Crossroad Blues
Season 2, Episode 8
Written by Sera Gamble; Directed by Steve Boyum
On its own this episode’s strength is in the way it introduces the mythology of the Crossroads Demon, who will make a deal with a human to give them something their heart desires, in exchange for taking their soul a decade down the line. It comfortably weaves together the roots of such lore with the modern-day case the Winchesters are exploring. But it also reminds the audience of the deal John made, albeit with a very different demon, and by more fully exploring the idea of such deals and what they mean, it sets up something very complicated to come.
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Dean Winchester
Season 4, Episode 2
Written by Sera Gamble; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
The Winchesters’ greatest foe is guilt, and in this episode the guilt over those they could not save comes back to haunt them — in some surprise forms. (It’s obvious they just couldn’t get Adrianne Palicki back for this episode but no one is buying Meg and/or Hendrickson over Jess as Sam’s greatest failure.) Disappointing “of the week” elements aside, this episode works well in setting up the new trio dynamic of Dean, Sam and Bobby, as well as with slowly integrating the idea of breaking 66 seals to set Lucifer free into the story. It will take many, many episodes before the show fully answers that bigger picture, but it is a key expansion to the overall mythology of the show.
Appointment in Samarra
Season 6, Episode 11
Written by Sera Gamble & Robert Singer; Directed by Mike Rohl
Making Dean Death for a day in order to get Sam’s soul back is really an excuse to force Mr. Team Free Will to come around to the idea of fate. (Tessa can call it the “natural order” all she wants, it amounts to the same thing.) That alone is a fascinating character turn, but while he is doing a new kind of killing, Sam is trying to kill Bobby to finish a spell that will keep his soul from fusing back in his body. Playing with some true horror movie imagery, the show is at its scariest with a soulless Sam stalking his father figure.
Shadow
Season 1, Episode 16
Written by Eric Kripke; Directed by Kim Manners
The moment audiences had been waiting for since the pilot arrives when Dean, Sam and their father John are finally reunited — but only because Sam’s road friend Meg (Nicki Aycox), who is secretly a demon, lures them into a trap. The trap is a bit easy, but the reunion is anything but. It pays off the trio’s long-teased and much-discussed relationship dynamic perfectly and then leaves the audience wanting so much more when father once again splits off from his sons to continue hunting the thing that killed his wife and their mother in earnest.
Keep Calm and Carry On
Season 12, Episode 1
Written by Andrew Dabb; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
It’s been said for a while that some of the worst beings on “Supernatural” are just people: They summon demons; they get involved with spells they don’t understand; and now, they torture Sam because they don’t like his hunting methods. The (British) Men of Letters may be studious, but that doesn’t keep them from getting their hands dirty, as proven when a couple of them kidnap Sam. Playing with perspective makes some interesting “hero vs. villain” points, and it adds some urgency to Dean and Mary tracking down the third member of their now-family trio. And speaking of Mary, easing her back into hunter life, let alone life in general, may be an adjustment, but it’s great to see Smith again!
A Very Supernatural Christmas
Season 3, Episode 8
Written by Jeremy Carver; Directed by J. Miller Tobin
Personal attachment to this episode aside, there is nothing more heart-wrenching than watching people who know they don’t have much time together attempt to make the most of the “lasts.” In the show’s only holiday episode, flashbacks show a particularly poignant Christmas for Dean and Sam as children and reveal the origins of the Samulet. The juxtaposition of their dynamic as kids with the one they have developed now is extremely bittersweet, as in the present-day the Winchesters are spending what is marked to be Dean’s last winter together.
Out of the Darkness, Into the Fire
Season 11, Episode 1
Written by Jeremy Carver; Directed by Robert Singer
The 11th season premiere brings The Darkness into the fold as the new Big Bad, but because it/she thanked Dean, once again he is tied tightly to the overarching mythology. Whether that means he is saved or doomed remains to be seen, but at least Sam isn’t left too far too the side this time: He has been infected by the Darkness, which is leading to violent outbursts and eventual death for others. Once again, the brothers are keeping the serious details of these things secret from each other, which may be a tired pattern but admittedly does set the tension high right out of the gate of the new year.
Let It Bleed
Season 6, Episode 21
Written by Sera Gamble; Directed by John F. Showalter
In the penultimate episode of the sixth season, Lisa (Cindy Sampson) and Ben (Nicholas Elia) finally become bait for Dean. But how this goes down puts temporary allies Castiel and Crowley on the outs with each other again. There’s still a lot of talking for a season that claims there is a war going; keeping it off-screen makes it forgettable, even when the show rewrites what you think you know about H.P. Lovecraft. But the biggest issue here is how the episode ends: Just because Lisa and Ben don’t remember Dean doesn’t mean he doesn’t remember them — and as long as he still loves them, demons can still use them to get to him; this really doesn’t keep them physically safe, just helps them heal emotionally.
A Little Slice of Kevin
Season 8, Episode 7
Written by Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming; Directed by Charles Robert Carner
There’s a lot packed into this episode — from the returns of Castiel from Purgatory and Kevin (Osric Chau) and Mrs. Tran (Lauren Tom) in general to their new respective assignments from heaven and Crowley. So much of the mythology of the season gets unpacked here, as Kevin translates a tablet for the King of Hell and everyone learns that if a prophet dies, there are others with dormant powers that will be activated. The more integral heaven’s players become, the more complex the story, which is a welcome challenge for the audience, as well as Dean and Sam.
Road Trip
Season 9, Episode 10
Written by Andrew Dabb; Directed by Robert Singer
Another season, another Sam torture moment. This time it’s to get Gadreel out of him, and it’s more than necessary, but it never gets any easier to watch. This time what keeps it fresh is that Dean opts to trust Crowley with his brother’s mind, and Crowley actually proves himself trustworthy — twice. Also, Abaddon (Alaina Huffman) is back and slowly starting to spin out of control, which keeps things bloody and interesting, too.
Lost and Found
Season 13, Episode 1
Written by Andrew Dabb; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
Thirteen may just prove lucky for “Supernatural,” if this season premiere is any indication of things to come. After all it, slams the audience back into the action by revealing just how powerful, if not born innately evil, Jack (Alexander Calvert) is and how Dean and Sam, predictably want to handle him differently. But with Sam winning out, there’s a new member of Team Free Will whose abilities literally change the game. He is stronger than anything (other than God) encountered before — or at least less killable. The alternate, apocalypse world is also a game-changer, because Mary is stuck there with Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino), leaving Dean and Sam again on the opposite ends of the argument about what they think became of her.
Advanced Thanatology
Season 13, Episode 5
Written by Steve Yockey; Directed by John F. Showalter
There’s a new Death in town, and it’s former reaper Billie (Lisa Berry) — and with this new gig comes new perspective. On one hand, there is some interesting visual perspective to differentiate what Dean is going through when he steps into the veil. On the other, she’s no longer out to see the Winchesters die and stay that way: When she encounters Dean, she acknowledges there is more they need to do. That’s growth of which such characters are often not capable, but it’s a good color on her because it might make her more of an ally going forward. And with Jack learning how to use his powers (although on the backburner for a run-of-the-mill hunt here instead), things will likely (hopefully) get more complicated very soon.
Bloodlust
Season 2, Episode 3
Written by Sera Gamble; Directed by Robert Singer
The Winchesters encounter Gordon, a vampire hunter played by Sterling K. Brown in days long before “This Is Us,” which, in hindsight, makes this episode more special. But the episode also stands out for showcasing a being that isn’t sinister (these vampires don’t kill; they drink animal blood to survive) but a person who is. The title refers to Gordon’s insatiable need to take down vampires, not the other way around. The episode begins tingeing the show’s previous black and white world with shades of gray, challenging Dean’s usual methods and laying integral groundwork for how all future cases and partnerships should be viewed.
Exile on Main St.
Season 6, Episode 1
Written by Sera Gamble; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
The sixth episode premiere has the unenviable task of having to reset the show, but it does so beautifully in the way it flip-flops the brothers’ lives. Now Dean is the one living a “normal” life, while Sam, returned from Hell, has been hunting. The show’s return to the monster of the week format is even poetic because the thing that needs hunting is a djinn, which last time offered Dean a fake normal life but this time shows him how he could lose it. Plus, there is the setup of an intriguing bigger mythology mystery in how the hell the Winchesters’ dead relatives are back and why they are kidnapping monsters.
My Bloody Valentine
Season 5, Episode 14
Written by Ben Edlund; Directed by Mike Rohl
Even Dean and Sam think their mission of the week is ridiculous when they have to stop Cupid from killing — but thankfully the episode does end up digging deeper and reveals another horseman. It’s not Cupid who’s the culprit after all but Famine. The hunger with which he infects people is literal at times and more like obsession at others. Either way it’s another key piece in the apocalypse puzzle that the show puts together with more humor than most.
Salvation
Season 1, Episode 21
Written by Sera Gamble & Raelle Tucker; Directed by Robert Singer
In the penultimate episode of the first season, all three Winchester men are finally working together, so they fill each other in on important details they have learned about independently, such as Sam’s visions and the signs that lead to another mother burning on a ceiling over her baby in a crib. As they work to save a young woman from Mary’s fate, Meg returns and systematically kills John’s allies in an attempt to get him to hand over the Colt. As the bigger mythology creeps in, the show hits a turning point and begins to show its true colors as something so much more than just a monster-of-the-week procedural.
Home
Season 1, Episode 9
Written by Eric Kripke; Directed by Ken Girotti
Sam finally confides in his brother about his nightmares that are really glimpses into terrible futures, and it leads the boys to head back to their childhood home to save a young mother (Kristin Richardson) with two little boys of her own. The episode offers more insight into what happened to Mary Winchester, but that isn’t nearly as important as the emotion the episode delivers in seeing these two young men, who had already proven to be more than capable at kicking the ass of some very scary things, express vulnerability. Bonus points for casting Loretta Devine as psychic Missouri, even if it will take more than a decade (literally) to see her on the show again.
Into the Mystic
Season 11, Episode 11
Written by Robbie Thompson; Directed by John Badham
Dean and Sam seem like the absolute only two people on the planet with their specific set of circumstances, so kudos to the team for finding a way to make Eileen (Shoshannah Stern) compare, both in similar backstory — down to the Men of Letters legacy — and skill. And a few extra kudos for finding an organic way to tie the banshee lore of the week to Dean’s connection to Amara so this can be more than just a one-off. The banshee hunt is straightforward, with the only twist being that the woman who seems to always be around is just a red herring, but it’s a good distraction — even for Dean, who doesn’t notice something is amiss with Castiel.
Reading is Fundamental
Season 7, Episode 21
Written by Ben Edlund; Directed by Ben Edlund
At almost the 11th hour of the seventh season, things are getting real on the quest to stop the Leviathans. The mythology absolutely explodes in the best ways here, introducing the idea of a new archangel (named Metatron), meeting the reluctant prophet Kevin and getting Castiel back to full power with a little help from Meg. It sets up so many interesting new elements about heaven that it’s a shame it comes so close to the end of the season but, as they say, better late than never!
The Real Ghostbusters
Season 5, Episode 9
Written by Eric Kripke; Directed by James L. Conway
A convention for Chuck’s books takes a turn when the real-life Winchesters show up — and so do some real ghosts. It goes a bit over the top with how it pokes fun at fans, rather than laugh with them, but it offers the Winchesters some new, very poignant perspective on their lives and delivers a ghost story with a twist.
Heart
Season 2, Episode 17
Written by Sera Gamble; Directed by Kim Manners
Although there is something beautifully tragic in watching Sam struggle with seeing himself in a werewolf named Madison (Emmanuelle Vaugier), who couldn’t be saved so she had to be killed, there is also something very repetitive about this episode. At this point, it’s already been made clear that both brothers are afraid of what Sam may become and that Dean won’t be able to harm him if Sam does turn evil. So it is a rare instance where the case of the week is more interesting than the overall emotional arc — because it does not further the latter, but it does introduce new lore.
The Rapture
Season 4, Episode 20
Written by Jeremy Carver; Directed by Charles Beeson
Castiel, or at least the vessel he inhabits, gets an origin story. It’s a chance for Collins to really show off what he can do as an actor, since until now he’s been relegated to a few lines at a time, often in almost-monotone delivery since angels aren’t supposed to have emotions. It’s also a chance to get more insight into angels, such as needing permission before taking a vessel, and it delivers a beautifully tragic family tale as Castiel takes over a family man named Jimmy. The episode also finally catches Dean up to what the audience has known about Sam and the demon blood, which honestly just feels like the show tacked it on before it ran out of time, this close to the end of the season.
All Along the Watchtower
Season 12, Episode 23
Written by Andrew Dabb; Directed by Robert Singer
The 12th season finale finally returns to the issue of Lucifer’s offspring. Admittedly it is odd that we’ve met other creatures who give birth to powerful beings overnight (remember the Amazon?), yet the spawn of the devil actually needs months to gestate — and then he ages up to adult immediately after birth. Given the power he proves he has simply from coming into this world, maybe it’s best to let logic slide a bit here, though. Few things are sadder than a mother who believes so much in her son, only for her to have to sacrifice herself for him, and that can be said of both Kelly (Courtney Ford) and Mary here. It takes a minute for the action to really pick up, but when it does it is world-changing — literally, as the show introduces an alternate world where Dean and Sam were never born, let alone stopped the apocalypse. This opens the door for a ton of possibilities, already teased with the introduction of a new Bobby, although it doesn’t instill confidence that the deaths this finale delivered will be permanent.
It’s a Terrible Life
Season 4, Episode 17
Written by Sera Gamble; Directed by James L. Conway
Dean has dabbled in wanting an “apple pie life” before, but it’s not who he’s supposed to be, and in order to teach him a lesson about that, the archangel Zachariah wipes his and Sam’s memories and drops them in a situation in which they aren’t brothers, they work office jobs and they have to learn to hunt ghosts when coworkers start committing suicide. There are some plot holes, but since this is a one-off episode, they are chalked up to not having time to dive too deeply. Overall, it is the episode’s cheeky fun with callbacks and fish-out-of-water elements that sets it apart.
Death Takes a Holiday
Season 4, Episode 15
Written by Jeremy Carver; Directed by Steve Boyum
After everything the Winchesters have done to try to stave off death, they willingly reach for it to stop demons from killing a local town’s reaper. While it means a lot of innocent, good people who had been saved from death would be resigned to that fatal fate, the greater good of keeping Lilith (Katherine Boecher) from breaking another seal is at stake. As the boys astrally-project, they also have a very sweet encounter with a local boy who was the last of the townspeople to die (played by Alexander Gould), which drives home just how hard their jobs can be sometimes — because in order to save the world, a few select souls often have to be lost. And in this case that also includes Pamela.
Frontierland
Season 6, Episode 18
Written by Andrew Dabb & Daniel Loflin; Directed by Guy Norman Bee
This episode almost perfectly balances furthering the all-important mytharc of Eve (Julia Maxwell) but still lets its characters (and audience) have fun along the way when Dean and Sam travel back to the Old West. Samuel Colt’s (Sam Hennings) journal tells them about killing a phoenix, and they need the ashes of one to stop Eve, so where better to find a phoenix than back in time? Stylistically, the episode leans all the way into Western shots, themes and color schemes, with breathes fresh air into an often formulaic series.
First Blood
Season 12, Episode 9
Written by Andrew Dabb; Directed by Robert Singer
Watching the Winchesters get imprisoned in a secret facility after the president’s security detail thinks they tried to assassinate him makes for a tense 40-odd minutes that includes some of their greatest hits, including ill-advised deals (from them, as well as from Castiel who calls upon the British Men of Letters), agreeing to sacrifice one of them so the other can go on and proving they are the good guys by not killing their former captors. Watching Mary step in as the Winchester Billie is promised she can reap hits all of the right emotional beats, as does Castiel killing Billie so the world can keep as many Winchesters as possible. The episode does suffer a bit from Mick’s (Adam Fergus) bookended narration, but by letting the audience be ahead of the Winchesters in knowing how violent the British Men of Letters can be, it makes Mary’s willingness to work with them going forward all the more ominous.
Croatoan
Season 2, Episode 9
Written by John Shiban; Directed by Robert Singer
Dean and Sam are trapped in a small-town clinic with a doctor and some other townspeople as a demonic virus breaks out. There is a lot of back and forth about who might actually be infected and what to do with the ones who are, with Dean, of course, coming down on the side of murdering them, even when they’re contained — until (again, of course) Sam gets infected. Dean has been put in situations before where he’s had to consider what he’d do if his brother became evil, but never so overtly. Everyone knows what he would do by now — and everyone knows they can’t actually kill off one of the two leads — so while this episode is extremely tense and very strong for a standalone, overall it still feels like filler. Especially when the brothers don’t question how the virus just dissipates.
Goodbye Stranger
Season 8, Episode 17
Written by Robbie Thompson; Directed by Thomas J. Wright
After many episodes away, Castiel returns, but not as the angel Dean and Sam once knew. Naomi’s (Amanda Tapping) brainwashing has been so thorough, now he’s acting against the Winchesters when it comes to the angel tablet (which they finally find). Getting inside Castiel’s now-damaged head offers more of his interactions with Naomi, who manipulates the things he says and almost has him beat Dean to death. There’s a big fight ahead and Team Winchester could be permanently crippled by this double agent — in addition to the hit they are taking from the physical toll the trials are already taking on Sam.
Who We Are
Season 12, Episode 22
Written by Robert Berens; Directed by John F. Showalter
Mary’s brainwashing resembles demonic possession, right down to her Crowley-esque, “Hello, boys.” But fixing her is much more psychologically complicated and creative, allowing Dean to wade around in her memories. There are sweet parallels to Dean’s memories in “Dark Side of the Moon” here, but the episode does not lack in action either, with Sam and Jody teaming up to take on the British Men of Letters and, eventually, Mary killing Ketch (David Haydn-Jones). The penultimate episode of the 12th season does not disappoint!
Blood Brother
Season 8, Episode 5
Written by Ben Edlund; Directed by Guy Norman Bee
Nothing depicts the distance between the brothers like Dean dropping everything to go help the titular Benny (Ty Olsson). The lengths to which he will go to help his new vampire friend take revenge on the man who made him that way are perfectly positioned in present-day with flashbacks to their time in the trenches of purgatory, when Dean displayed just as much loyalty to Castiel. And miraculously, the episode also manages to balance Dean’s time away with Sam’s, by flashing back to more of his lost year, bonding with Amelia (Liane Balaban) and working as a handyman in a motel.
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Season 4, Episode 9
Written by Sera Gamble; Directed by Charles Beeson
Sam finally gets his time in the spotlight as the show flashes back to what he went through while his brother was in hell. He struggles to make demon deals and gets taken advantage of by Ruby (Genevieve Padalecki) — things already known as plot points but which are given new weight by the emotional toll the audience is allowed to see taken on Sam. Also, the guys encounter a Alastair (Mark Rolston), a demon immune to every trick the guys know thus far and who Dean first encountered in hell, as well as woman who can hear angels (who will come to be known as the fallen angel Anna, played by Julie McNiven), which is a welcome addition to the team, considering what wildcards angels have thus far turned out to be.
Repo Man
Season 7, Episode 15
Written by Ben Edlund; Directed by Thomas J. Wright
There is nothing better than digging into the psychology of “Supernatural,” and this is the perfect example, both with the case of the week and with Sam himself. In the former, a man who was once possessed but exorcised by Dean and Sam turns out to still be killing. Now a run of the mill serial killer, he’s blaming the demon for opening his eyes to what he could be and actually wants to summon him again to justify his actions. Meanwhile, Lucifer inside Sam’s mind is not just making him see twisted things but also helping him figure out the case, which is a nice advancement that implies how connected the two are becoming within Sam’s psyche. It may have taken too long to get back to that subplot about Sam, but at least it returns with a bang.
Nightmare
Season 1, Episode 14
Written by Sera Gamble & Raelle Tucker; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
This is where the mythology of “Supernatural” begins to come into play in earnest. One of Sam’s nightmares leads the Winchesters on the road to meet another young man whose mother died burning on the ceiling above his crib when he was a baby. That man’s life went off the rails in a different way than Dean and Sam’s did, and they enter his life too late to really help him. Aside from finally offering a glimpse at failure, it also sets up that there is so much more to the Winchesters’ origin story, and Sam’s special skill, than it first seemed.
The Executioner’s Song
Season 10, Episode 14
Written by Robert Berens; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
The return of Cain (Timothy Omundson) offers a really grim look into Dean’s future if he doesn’t find a way to remove the mark. Separated from the First Blade, Cain still has a bloodlust that leads him to go after even children. Returning to the character is a welcome surprise, thanks in large part to Omundson’s chilling portrayal, but also due to Ackles’ own emotional performance as Dean faces what may be his own fate. Their showdown is one of the more exciting things to happen on this show in a while!
Let the Good Times Roll
Season 13, Episode 23
Written by Andrew Dabb; Directed by Robert Singer
The 13th season finale starts like any old case of the week episode, which is a risk given the need to wrap up so much mythology in so little time, but since it serves to show the smooth new trio Dean, Sam and Jack have become, it actually feels quite clever. Because really, it’s just a distraction. Alt-world Michael (Christian Keyes) is able to slip into their world, and Jack isn’t as in control as he thinks or as anyone would like him to be. And even better, the show’s original mytharc concept — that Dean is Michael’s true vessel and Sam is Lucifer’s — is resurrected, as the former men make a new deal. Unfortunately that deal is extremely ill-advised, and as in “The Thing” earlier in the season, he should have known better than to trust the being in front of him, but at least it allows him to finally kill Lucifer once and for all (and it doesn’t mean harming Sam in the process).
Meet the New Boss
Season 7, Episode 1
Written by Sera Gamble; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
The groundwork for Castiel as Big Bad was laid in the sixth season finale, but the seventh season premiere doesn’t want to pay that off how an audience might assume. So while there is much drama to be had with the fact that he walks around thinking he’s God while Dean, Sam and Bobby look for ways to stop their former ally, in the end there is a new evil unleashed in the Leviathans that promise to be challenging for episodes to come. Plus, Sam’s tortured mind is playing worse tricks on him by the minute, finally watering seeds planted the previous season.
The Magnificent Seven
Season 3, Episode 1
Written by Eric Kripke; Directed by Kim Manners
Right from the jump of the third season premiere, the stakes are higher than ever before. With the gates of Hell open, demons are flooding the entire country, leading to multiple potential cases for the Winchesters at the same time. The first that they encounter are the 7 Deadly Sins come to life in the form of possessed humans, which pushes the show into the biblical lore that will soon be essential to its DNA. The stakes are equally high for the Winchesters personally, as Dean embarks on a victory tour, having as much fun as he can on the job and off, before the hellhounds come for him.
Hollywood Babylon
Season 2, Episode 18
Written by Ben Edlund; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
This is “Supernatural’s” first foray into meta material, albeit just dipping a toe into such rich waters, by having the Winchesters go undercover as production assistants on a movie set that is experiencing multiple hauntings. The episode has fun with the world of Hollywood through portrayals of studio executives and a quick jab at Padalecki’s former gig (“Gilmore Girls”) and certainly lays the groundwork for the show to more fully embrace poking fun at itself and its industry.
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Season 11, Episode 9
Written by Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming; Directed by Robert Singer
The double baddies in this episode give the audience a real run for their money. All season long thus far, Amara (Emily Swallow) was being set up to be the force of evil, sucking souls and wanting to cover the world in her Darkness, but here she makes a few good points that tip the scales toward her brother being the problematic one. Between the mixed feelings over if one can root against God and the return of Lucifer, who has been toying with Sam’s mind once again, this episode is a psychological tour-de-force. Sure, there is the lingering question of why Michael isn’t in the cage with Lucifer, when that’s where everyone has been led to believe he is, but he wouldn’t have been helpful here, so it’s OK to just gloss over his absence.
Moriah
Season 14, Episode 20
Written by Andrew Dabb; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
The return of Chuck/God (Rob Benedict) sets up the true endgame, really only being begun in this 14th season finale. Chuck is cleaner and more kempt than usual, which implies he’s in control and ready to prove it — and that he does by manipulating his favorite story one more time. He plants the seeds of needing to kill Jack and even magically produces a gun that can kill him. It’s unfortunate to watch Dean and Sam, such proponents of free will, be toyed with this way, and it speaks volumes about how free their will actually has been this whole time. The action of the episode doesn’t really ramp up until there’s just about a dozen minutes left, which leaves the pacing wanting. The final moments make up for the slow start, though, as every bad thing Dean and Sam has ever killed comes roaring back, surrounding them and Castiel in a literal circle of death.
On the Head of a Pin
Season 4, Episode 16
Written by Ben Edlund; Directed by Mike Rohl
The time comes for Dean’s experience in hell to rear its ugly head. With Alastair (now played by Christopher Heyerdahl) captured, Dean is forced to use some of his infamous torture devices on the demon. It is extremely uncomfortable watching Dean struggle with what he has done — the demon on his rack now deserves the torture, but he learned his tricks on human souls in hell — and that is exactly what makes the episode so compelling. But it wasn’t just a one-brother wonder of an episode, either, as the source of Sam’s powers is revealed to be that he’s been drinking demon blood — and he’s strong enough to kill demons, but seems to have gotten himself addicted to the blood. These two are whole new kinds of forces with which to be reckoned now.
Nightshifter
Season 2, Episode 12
Written by Ben Edlund; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
In some ways, this episode feels like a second stab at “Croatoan,” but with a very different cast of characters and a strictly standalone monster of the week (a shapeshifter). But it’s another chance to do a partial bottle episode, in which the boys are trapped in a central location (a bank) when a townsperson named Ronald (Chris Gauthier) thinks he understands the surreal thing going on and tries to help in his own misguided way by taking everyone inside hostage. The tension is built in from the jump with this episode, as the bank lockdown looks like a robbery from the outside, which brings the FBI. Ronald gets taken down two-thirds of the way in, leaving Dean and Sam to find the shapeshifter, stop it, and escape the FBI’s clutches.
Abandon All Hope
Season 5, Episode 10
Written by Ben Edlund; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
Just as the Winchesters actually go for Lucifer, they lose some pivotal members of their team. For a season that is setting them up to go brother-versus-brother in the Cain and Abel, Michael and Lucifer way, it makes a certain kind of sense. Jo and Ellen’s sacrifice is emotional (with a nod to Kim Manners, to boot) but somewhat undercut by the fact that it is too obvious from the jump of the mission that this special little family would not all survive the episode. However, this episode also first introduces Crowley, who displays a distinct charm that proves he will be a valuable player, no matter how much screen time he has.
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Season 8, Episode 1
Written by Jeremy Carver; Directed by Robert Singer
By now it is a pattern that a season premiere episode will push the boys, previously separated by a crazy cliffhanger, back together. But what keeps this one from feeling anything but stale are the flashbacks to Dean and Sam’s year apart, promising to fill in more gaps as the season goes on. Also, Dean returns from purgatory with a bad case of PTSD, implying purgatory is way worse than hell. He also comes back with a vampire friend he keeps secret from his brother. Meanwhile, Sam didn’t even look for Dean while he was gone and settled into an apple pie life with a woman and a dog and his hunter phones turned off and shoved in a box. The tension is real, and it ups the ante on what this show can do with its characters psychologically. Plus, returning to the titular prophet pushes the show right into the new mythology. Yes, please!
Good God, Y’All
Season 5, Episode 2
Written by Sera Gamble; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
It takes way too long to reunite Dean and Sam with Rufus (Steven Williams), Ellen and Jo. Just think how many seals may not have been broken if they had enlisted their help in Season 4. But at least it’s worth the wait. This time, they’re up against War (Titus Welliver), who messes with people by making them see each other as demons so they will take each other out. It’s a clever twist on an “of the week” case and certainly befitting an agent of chaos such as one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.
Jus in Bello
Season 3, Episode 12
Written by Sera Gamble; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
It is both somewhat too easy and also ingenious to get an FBI agent on the Winchesters’ side by having him experience possession first-hand to become a believer. And to make that person Henriksen (Charles Malik Whitfield) is even better, since he had been previously established to be almost as one-note against the Winchesters as Gordon. Countering his perspective with a religious, innocent, young secretary adds nice layers to this complicated tale, too, especially when it is floated that one way to stop the demons would be to sacrifice her. Obviously the Winchesters would never do that (they only sacrifice themselves over and over — and for each other), but it speaks nicely to the title theme of what is considered fair in war.
Lebanon
Season 14, Episode 13
Written by Andrew Dabb & Meredith Glynn; Directed by Robert Singer
The last major landmark episode before the final season, “Supernatural” hits 300 episodes with a return to the man who started it all — John Winchester. A spell to give Dean what he wants most is an attempt to get rid of Michael, but it turns out his daddy issues prevail. John is inexplicably plucked from his timeline in the early aughts, rather than Heaven — a way for the show to explain why he absolutely has to go back (since Morgan isn’t rejoining the cast on a permanent basis). Seeing the Winchester family all together again is a treat any way one slices it, though, allowing for closure for all four of them. If you’re going to do a standalone, the emotional stakes better be this high!
ScoobyNatural
Season 13, Episode 16
Written by Jeremy Adams & Jim Krieg; Directed by Robert Singer
It’s hard not to admire the amount of effort that went into this episode, both on a business level of working within departments at Warner Bros. to pull off a collaboration between two high-profile brands such as “Supernatural” and “Scooby-Doo,” and on the creative side of storytelling that fits both brands and utilizing completely original animation. The feat is aided by the fact that the story is strong, combining the staples of ghost stories from both shows after Dean, Sam and later Castiel get transported into an episode of “Scooby Doo” due to a haunted television set from a pawn shop. Sure, the episode is the definition of a one-off, but it’s the kind of thing that only a confident, long-running, successful series could pull off and makes a strong case for why, 13 seasons in, “Supernatural” is at the top of its game.
Changing Channels
Season 5, Episode 8
Written by Jeremy Carver; Directed by Charles Beeson
The Trickster (Richard Speight Jr.) traps the Winchesters in different television genres — from sitcom to soapy hospital drama. It’s a chance for the show to poke fun at formulaic programming while proving its dexterity in adapting to different styles. But more importantly, it’s revealed that the Trickster is really the archangel Gabriel, thus continuing the complicated relationships with angels that these guys, and this show, has.
Faith
Season 1, Episode 12
Written by Sera Gamble & Raelle Tucker; Directed by Allan Kroeker
Dean gets his first real brush with death after a job goes wrong and he gets electrocuted. Sam, desperate to save his big brother, takes him to a faith healer, where they experience what appears to be an actual miracle but what has more sinister roots in a deal with a reaper. Although their mission is usually to save people and hunt things, this time the hunting ends up hurting a person — Layla (Julie Benson), a young woman dying of a brain tumor. This episode sets up a lot of existential quandaries that will continue to plague the Winchesters as time goes on, notably the question of literally sacrificing themselves for an innocent life, if they can and should stop at hunting the supernatural (not the people who sometimes call the supernatural to do their bidding) and of course, the idea of how far one brother would go for the other.
Pilot
Season 1, Episode 1
Written by Eric Kripke; Directed by David Nutter
It is impossible not to put the episode that started it all at the top of this ranking. Sure, as time has gone on the limitations of the then-fledging WB network’s budget, as well as the technology of the time, become more obvious. But the heart of the show was so perfectly set up from the jump: a family that would stop at nothing to save each other, and countless others along the way. Monsters of the week can provide cool scares and interesting visuals, but the bond between Dean and Sam was the reason the audience kept coming back, right from the jump.
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Season 6, Episode 22
Written by Eric Kripke; Directed by Robert Singer
Series creator Kripke returned to clean up all of the loose threads from the season. It’s a Herculean task with a long shot of seeing satisfaction for most pieces (it takes until right now for Sam’s damaged soul to wreak havoc on his mind!?), but it succeeds by compartmentalizing, which allows the characters and audience to focus on one thing at a time, providing a greater sense of clarity. Traveling into Sam’s fractured mind is a fascinating trip, and watching Castiel gradually grow more corrupt with power raises the intensity level even higher. The episode actually excites for what will come next, a rarity in this season.
The Song Remains the Same
Season 5, Episode 13
Written by Sera Gamble & Nancy Weiner; Directed by Steve Boyum
When Anna goes back in time to kill Mary, both Winchester brothers travel back, too, to save their mother. But “save” may be a bit relative because it is in this episode that Dean truly has to come to terms with the ideas of fate and destiny. Although Anna does not succeed in killing Mary (because John lets the archangel Michael use him as a vessel, and he burns Anna with the touch of a hand), neither Mary nor John get to keep their memories of this event. Their lives don’t end up changing course at all, but back in the present Dean is more determined than ever to fight for free will.
Holy Terror
Season 9, Episode 9
Written by Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming; Directed by Thomas J. Wright
The big issue with an angel inhabiting Sam is finally revealed when Ezekiel (Tahmoh Penikett) turns out to actually be Gadreel, who once was God’s most trusted but who failed at guarding Eden. So it turns out you can’t trust demons, but you really can’t trust angels, either. A further case in point is Metatron wanting to recruit Gadreel for his angel army, while Bartholomew (Adam Harrington) and Malachi (Stephen Monroe Taylor) are further lining up new meatsuits, too. As if that isn’t enough, this ninth midseason finale adds an extra wallop of emotion by killing off Kevin, who had become a beloved member of the team, not to mention incredibly helpful in deciphering what the angels want.
The Man Who Would Be King
Season 6, Episode 20
Written by Ben Edlund; Directed by Ben Edlund
After Castiel was revealed to be villainous in the prior episode, this one goes about trying to humanize him — by diving into what he’s been up to all year and why. And it works, primarily because it gives Collins something to do other than look confused by a piece of technology or forlorn by a secret the characters and the audience aren’t in on yet. But it also works because it makes the alliance, and Castiel himself, seem so much more tragic, especially as the guys work to get answers about Crowley on their own, no longer trusting their angel friend.
First Born
Season 9, Episode 11
Written by Robbie Thompson; Directed by John Badham
Mixing things up a bit, it is the middle of the ninth season that sees Dean and Sam temporarily split up, and paired with the unlikely respective allies of Crowley and Castiel. The switch in partnership style should keep things interesting, but unfortunately it requires a lot of suspension of disbelief that Dean would continue to trust Crowley. What saves the episode, though, is the introduction of Cain — and his mark. This tips the scales of the importance of the angels, as does the grace Gadreel left behind in Sam. It promises so many big things to come, it renews excitement in the season.
Fan Fiction
Season 10, Episode 5
Written by Robbie Thompson; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
The 200th is true fan service in its most enjoyable, calling back to beloved moments in the series’ history, including a back-to-basics hunt, but in musical form. Dean and Sam visit a high school that is putting on a stage production of the “Supernatural” books, giving the boys a chance to see their own story in a new light. And the kicker is, God returns to give his approval to the fans’ version of his favorite story, which, in a way, is the show nodding at its actual audience and all of their own creations inspired by the show.
In The Beginning
Season 4, Episode 3
Written by Jeremy Carver; Directed by Steve Boyum
John and Mary Winchester, this is your origin story. Dean is sent back in time and not only gets to meet his parents and grandfather in their younger years (here they are played by Amy Gumenick, Matt Cohen and Mitch Pileggi, respectively), but he is actually the one who influences some of their key decisions (such as John buying the Impala). The show also finally answers how Mary knew Yellow Eyes (Fredric Lehne) when he stood over Sam’s crib, breaking audiences’ hearts not only at her culpability and just how far she’d go for her loved ones, but also at how some things just may be fated after all. Because Dean tries to tell her not to go into Sam’s room that night — to not even get out of bed that day — but she does it anyway.
Dark Side of the Moon
Season 5, Episode 16
Written by Andrew Dabb & Daniel Loflin; Directed by Jeff Woolnough
Death comes calling for the Winchesters again, but this time it’s by hunters who are mad they started the apocalypse. What follows is a beautifully poetic trip through heaven, where long-lost characters reveal what their individual afterlives look like, and Dean and Sam’s memories reveal their own ideas of it. The reveal that fallen characters do have happy endings is nice — and so is meeting Joshua (Roger Aaron Brown), even if that meeting comes with a lot of exposition.
King of the Damned
Season 9, Episode 21
Written by Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming; Directed by PJ Pesce
Dean and Sam make great strides (emphasis on the great) in taking care of some of the biggest problems of the ninth season here — namely finally bringing down Abaddon in what is one of the coolest, most satisfying deaths of a moderate baddie in a long time. The power the Mark of Cain has over Dean (and the power it gives him) takes care of her but sets him up for a lot of other complications to come. Plus, there’s a bit of surprising and charming backstory for Crowley when his son is ripped from his timeline and brought to the present. Crowley’s new, genuine emotion for his lad, as well as the Winchester boys, gives new reason to keep him around just a bit longer, which is nice because Sheppard is always a treat.
Born Under a Bad Sign
Season 2, Episode 14
Written by Cathryn Humphris; Directed by J. Miller Tobin
This is the episode Dean has been fearing but most of the audience has been waiting for: after being missing for more than a week, Sam appears, covered in blood, and answers about just how susceptible he will be to Yellow Eyes come forth. It turns out: extremely. Even though the psychic tricks of the other kids like him don’t work on him, he can still be possessed. And that is exactly what happens here: the Sam who returns to Dean in the first part of the episode is not really Sam at all, but rather the demon Meg in Sam’s meatsuit. Padalecki gives a killer (no pun intended) performance as this evil version of Sam, switching back and forth between goading and placating and downright evil, depending on who is in front of him. A return from Bobby seals this as an early classic.
The French Mistake
Season 6, Episode 15
Written by Ben Edlund; Directed by Charles Beeson
In the grand scheme of ways Balthazar (Sebastian Roche) has messed with the Winchesters, this ranks highest on the enjoyable end of the spectrum. In fact, it’s just damn enjoyable across the board. Using them as a decoy so he can move the weapons of Heaven, Balthazar throws the boys into a world where they are actors in a show called “Supernatural.” It’s ridiculous, yes, and just a distraction — for both the boys and the audience — but it is the deepest meta dive perhaps any show has taken and the commitment levels from everyone involved creates a comedy like no other.
What Is and What Should Never Be
Season 2, Episode 20
Written by Raelle Tucker; Directed by Eric Kripke
After almost two full seasons of Dean deeply committed to the hunter life (admittedly with a few lines thrown in here and there about throwing it away), “Supernatural” dives into how, deep down, he’d give it all up in a heartbeat to have his mother back and a sense of normalcy. When a djinn gets ahold of Dean, it slips him into a dream state that allows Dean to live in such a fantasy. In it, John is still dead, but Mary is not. He and Sam are somewhat estranged, but both have loving girlfriends. It’s not perfect — and it’s certainly not real — but it’s enough to make Dean consider wanting to stay anyway. In the end, though, he puts his duty to save others ahead of his own happiness. Any way you slice it, it’s a heartbreaking episode.
The Monster at the End of This Book
Season 4, Episode 18
Written by Julie Siege & Nancy Weiner; Directed by Mike Rohl
When Dean and Sam discover their life story has been turned into some cult classic pulp novels, the show takes its first opportunities to wink hard at the audience with some meta references to the real-life fandom. But more importantly, it introduces Chuck, who thinks he is a God but is said to be a prophet. The former ends up being true but not explicitly revealed for years, which makes this intro to the character feel disingenuous in hindsight. But without knowing that, this episode solidly sets up the all-important fate versus free will debate in a humor-filled and heady way.
All Hell Breaks Loose: Part 1
Season 2, Episode 21
Written by Sera Gamble; Directed by Robert Singer
There is a lot of exposition in this first-half of the second season finale episode, but it is all necessary since so much of the time previously spent in the season was on individual cases of the week. Here, the mythology of the Yellow Eyes demon and what he wants with Sam (and the other kids like him) finally gets explained. In addition to answering two-year-old questions, the episode also introduces a formidable foe for Sam in Jake (Aldis Hodge), who is determined to be the last of the psychic kids standing by any means necessary. A lesser show would have found a way to make Sam the last man standing, even though he never showed himself to be stronger or more devious than the others with abilities, but this one was smart enough to do something much more complicated.
The Benders
Season 1, Episode 15
Written by John Shiban; Directed by Peter Ellis
There had been hints at people being problematic before, as recently as the prior episode when a young man used his telekinetic power to kill his abusive family. But this was the first episode that makes regular people the Big Bad. A family captures, cages and then literally hunts people. The way that catches the Winchesters by surprise and tests their mission — and what the audience thinks it has figured out about this show — is what sets this episode apart.
Mystery Spot
Season 3, Episode 11
Written by Jeremy Carver & Emily McLaughlin; Directed by Kim Manners
At this point in the third season, it didn’t seem like anything would be more heartbreaking than spending the Winchesters’ last Christmas together, but this episode ups the ante when the Trickster returns to force Sam to relive Dean’s death over and over again. Each death becomes more comical, but the underlying message of his inability to save his brother still hits harder every time. It is the trickiest of tones to balance, and the episode does so perfectly.
Death’s Door
Season 7, Episode 10
Written by Sera Gamble; Directed by Robert Singer
This may be the first episode that truly broke hearts — because it not only kills off beloved “uncle” Bobby but also it spends time traveling through his memories first. It is obvious that death is looming, but that doesn’t lessen the emotional impact of spending these last moments with him, learning more about what shaped him and being reminded just how important the relationship with Dean and Sam is. It is a beautiful send-off that hurts most because Dean and Sam’s duo never reached full potential at turning into a trio with Bobby, and now any hope has been cut down. Unfortunately, the emotional impact is lessened by the number of times the show brings Bobby back in later seasons — but that isn’t the fault of this episode.
Sympathy for the Devil
Season 5, Episode 1
Written by Eric Kripke; Directed by Robert Singer
A new era in the life of “Supernatural” begins in the fifth season premiere when Dean learns he is the archangel Michael’s vessel, needed to stop Lucifer from “roasting the planet alive” just as Lucifer is taking his vessel. The episode also welcomes a new era in the show’s stunts, as hand-to-hand combat becomes the preferred method of taking down angels and demons, resulting in the casualty of Bobby’s use of his legs. While there are a lot of new external challenges set up for a season that was written to close a five-year arc, the biggest one it sets up is the Winchesters learning to work alongside each other again with the weight of Sam setting Lucifer free hanging over both of them.
The End
Season 5, Episode 4
Written by Ben Edlund; Directed by Steve Boyum
Zachariah throws Dean five years into the future — post-apocalypse, of course — where he meets a version of himself who has regressed to the ruthlessness he embodied in hell, while Sam has said yes to Lucifer. Meanwhile, Castiel is on the other end of the spectrum as a orgy-throwing hippie. That tonal juxtaposition only works in the deft hands of Ben Edlund, but the story succeeds in every other area, too — from Dean not taking Zachariah’s bait this time around, to the Winchesters’ actually confiding in each other.
All Hell Breaks Loose: Part 2
Season 2, Episode 22
Written by Eric Kripke & Michael T. Moore; Directed by Kim Manners
Oh Dean. Sweet, hypocritical Dean. Just weeks before, he was so angry over the idea of someone trading their soul for another’s life without that other person having a say and yet, of course that’s exactly what he does for Sam. This second season finale officially starts the pattern of one Winchester sacrificing themselves for another (proving John doing so for Dean in the season premiere was not a one-off). But resurrecting Sam doesn’t truly make him the last psychic kid standing, nor does it maybe even make him fully him anymore. This episode not only wraps up the Yellow Eyes mythology but also sets the show on a new path by putting a ticking clock on Dean’s life and literally opening the gates of hell.
When The Levee Breaks
Season 4, Episode 21
Written by Sera Gamble; Directed by Robert Singer
Everything comes to a grinding halt when Sam has to detox from demon’s blood. If that sounds like a complaint, it is far from it. Few episodes deliver a more emotional gut-punch — first with Sam as he hallucinates, and then with Dean as he listens, helpless, to the torment his brother is experiencing. This episode is full of conversations rather than action, but it proves that words can cause even more heart-pumping anxiety as even the most choreographed fight sequence.
In My Time of Dying
Season 2, Episode 1
Written by Eric Kripke; Directed by Kim Manners
Death had come for Dean before, but never quite like this. Story-wise, this episode gives the audience the first (but certainly not the last) time to see things from a supernatural being’s perspective, as Dean is now one. After the car crash cliffhanger of Season 1, Dean’s soul wanders a hospital as his body is hooked up to machines in bed. John eventually trades himself for his son, being the first link in the chain of such sacrifices. From a production standpoint it also plays with perspective, though, which raises the bar substantially. And of course, it is also the first episode in which Yellow Eyes, the demon that killed Mary is seen in more than just a glimpse in a dark bedroom. And Lehne’s controlled, sinister but still oddly charming performance certainly makes it worth the wait.
Two Minutes to Midnight
Season 5, Episode 21
Written by Sera Gamble; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
After spending way too much of the season on filler episodes, the penultimate delivers not one but two horsemen. First Dean and Sam go after Pestilence (Matt Frewer), and end up getting saved by a power-less Castiel, and then Dean has the tensest deep-dish dinner with Death. It’s not easy to balance so many crucial things in a tight 42 minutes, but everything is on point in the episode, from the guest casting of Frewer and Julian Richings as the two horsemen, to the return of the Croatoan virus, to Bobby’s season-long self-destructive psyche paying off in a deal with Crowley.
Sacrifice
Season 8, Episode 23
Written by Jeremy Carver; Directed by Phil Sgriccia
So many twists, so little time in this stellar eighth season finale. It’s so rare to see a show ramp up its intensity this far into its run, and it’s more than welcome when the results are seeing Dean and Sam use Crowley as the third trial, Metatron cross his new allies, and Castiel lose his grace. It’s even more rare for a show this long in the tooth to surprise the audience, but that’s exactly what it does when Dean and Sam stop that third trial before it kills Sam, ending on a cliffhanger not only of what will happen to him but also the world as angels fall from heaven.
Lazarus Rising
Season 4, Episode 1
Written by Eric Kripke; Directed by Kim Manners
This episode changed the course of the show forever in its introduction not only of angels but one key angel, Castiel, who “gripped [Dean] tight and raised [him] from perdition.” Yet, there is a beautiful simplicity about this episode, from the early moments of Dean salting the rim of a window to ward of the spirit, never wondering if it is he, returned from the dead, that is causing the static. It is business as usual in his return, even with time taken to have elongated emotional reunions with Sam and Bobby. And that business also includes new secrets between the brothers, as Sam can now will demons out of human hosts, and Dean did unspeakable things in hell.
Baby
Season 11, Episode 4
Written by Robbie Thompson; Directed by Thomas J. Wright
An out-of-the-box stylized episode told from the point of view of the Impala is a novel idea and beautifully shot. It is a feat in what this show can accomplish when it allows itself to break formula and get creative — and it embraces some of the most beloved moments by spending most of the episode with the brothers, talking in the car. It is a rare instance where “tell” works just as well as “show,” as they contemplate how they can take down the Darkness, as well as work a case of the week.
No Rest for the Wicked
Season 3, Episode 16
Written by Eric Kripke; Directed by Kim Manners
All the kudos for this show actually killing off Dean. Not that anyone wanted to lose the character, nor did anyone think he would actually be gone long-term. But the lazy thing is to weasel out of something complicated, rather than see it through and have to fight out of that story corner. The third season finale does the latter, with Dean and Sam both in anguish as the hellhounds finally come for the elder brother after he sold his soul to a demon in return for Sam’s life at the end of the previous season. The final, parting shot of Dean strapped to a rack in hell, screaming for his brother, is the epitome of a great cliffhanger.
Devil’s Trap
Season 1, Episode 22
Written by Eric Kripke; Directed by Kim Manners
Unlike future seasons, the first season finale does not attempt to cram a resolution for the Big Bad into its short 44 minutes. Instead, it brings the Winchesters a step closer to being able to take down the demon that killed their mom, but proves the writers had a much more complicated plan in play when Sam is unable to pull the trigger if it means killing his dad (who was possessed by the demon) in the process. It also introduces the beloved Bobby Singer in all of his gruff glory, one of the most iconic symbols of the show in the titular devil’s trap, and a killer cliffhanger when the not-yet-renewed series ends its freshman year with a demon driving a truck straight into the Impala.
Swan Song
Season 5, Episode 22
Written by Eric Kripke; Directed by Steve Boyum
This fifth season finale sees Sam saying yes to Lucifer and then throwing himself into the pit alongside Adam, who said yes to Michael. Relying on the weakest of the Winchester bloodline for such a pivotal moment lessens much of the impact, but there is something much more poignant about watching Dean refuse to leave his brother-turned-devil, rather than fighting him as a being other than himself. On its own, the episode is strong, but admittedly so much of what has come after it has exposed more of the holes Chuck warns about. For example, his opening about this being how the story ends imply anything that comes after is not his doing, but years later he revealed that is not true at all: Dean and Sam have been his puppets all along. It’s unfortunate that this episode gets muddied by what comes years later, but it does. The devil’s in the details.

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The Top 101 Supernatural Episodes, Ranked

LARP and the Real Girl

American Nightmare

Heaven Can’t Wait

Form and Void

Everybody Loves a Clown

Point of No Return

Fresh Blood

There’s No Place Like Home

Wayward Sisters

Weekend at Bobby’s

Phantom Traveler

The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo

Do You Believe in Miracles

Houses of the Holy

Just My Imagination

Bad Day at Black Rock

Stuck in the Middle (With You)

The Things We Left Behind

Yellow Fever

Crossroad Blues

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Dean Winchester

Appointment in Samarra

Shadow

Keep Calm and Carry On

A Very Supernatural Christmas

Out of the Darkness, Into the Fire

Let It Bleed

A Little Slice of Kevin

Road Trip

Lost and Found

Advanced Thanatology

Bloodlust

Exile on Main St.

My Bloody Valentine

Salvation

Home

Into the Mystic

Reading is Fundamental

The Real Ghostbusters

Heart

The Rapture

All Along the Watchtower

It’s a Terrible Life

Death Takes a Holiday

Frontierland

First Blood

Croatoan

Goodbye Stranger

Who We Are

Blood Brother

I Know What You Did Last Summer

Repo Man

Nightmare

The Executioner’s Song

Let the Good Times Roll

Meet the New Boss

The Magnificent Seven

Hollywood Babylon

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Moriah

On the Head of a Pin

Nightshifter

Abandon All Hope

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Good God, Y’All

Jus in Bello

Lebanon

ScoobyNatural

Changing Channels

Faith

Pilot

The Man Who Knew Too Much

The Song Remains the Same

Holy Terror

The Man Who Would Be King

First Born

Fan Fiction

In The Beginning