The CW’s Supernatural has a lot of fans. It also has a lot of episodes, because the show ran for 15 seasons. But picking your 10 favorite episodes might be easier than you think—or maybe it’s an impossible task I am embarking on. Who really knows what lies ahead?
Embarking on a journey with Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles), we have learned to love this family of hunters, so let’s talk the best episodes of the CW series!
1. “Pilot”
Without the pilot of this series, we would not know what these boys are up to and their damage. Throwing us right into the Winchester boys and their need to save people, hunt things, we knew exactly what we were getting out of this series right from the pilot episode. We learn about the Impala, the music, and the brotherly love that these two have for each other, and it really is just a fantastic pilot episode.
2. “Heart”
The Supernatural episode “Heart” is one that I haven’t ever stopped thinking about. The song “Silent Lucidity” by Queensrÿche is forever heartbreaking to me because of this episode. What happens when Sam Winchester falls in love with a werewolf? Sadness, that’s what happens. This episode truly has one of the most heartbreaking moments in the entire show, and it has stayed with me ever since.
3. “All Hell Breaks Loose”
Remember the Yellow-eyed Demon and how he was collecting “special” children? It all comes to a head in “All Hell Breaks Loose,” when Sam is one of those special children that he is collecting. Taking place in a ghost town, the season 2 finale really brings the battle to the boys and sticks with you.
4. “In My Time of Dying”
Season 2 kicked off with a sad note with “In My Time of Dying.” Sam and Dean’s relationship with their father, John Winchester (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), is a complicated one. He turned his boys into hunters because of what happened to his wife, and it left their relationship strained. So, we end up with Sam fighting his father, Dean still having hope with John, and an episode where John is there to say goodbye to his son before he dies, and it makes “In My Time of Dying” a heartbreaking one.
5. “Mystery Spot”
Can you listen to “Heat of the Moment” by Asia without thinking about the Supernatural episode “Mystery Spot”? If so, that’s a skill. Sam has to live in a Groundhog Day situation where Dean just keeps dying over and over again, and he wakes every day to “Heat of the Moment,” and the minute you watch it, you won’t be able to not think about it when you hear this song.
6. “No Rest for the Wicked”
All of season 3 of Supernatural, the thought of Dean dying was looming over us. Then came “No Rest For the Wicked,” and we learned that Dean Winchester was, in fact, dying. (Don’t worry, he ends up fine, but it was jarring for fans at the time.) Do you want to see Dean being mauled to death by hell hounds? Well, here is your chance!
7. “Faith”
Airing in season 1, “Faith” brings in Julie Benz as Layla Rourke, a woman who wants to believe that an evangelical preacher can help to save her. It is, after all, Supernatural, so instead, it turns out to be an evil spirit that Dean and Sam have to take on. Like many of those earlier episodes, I think back to this a lot because I watched that first season on a loop when it came out, and it just really stuck with me.
8. “Dark Side of the Moon”
We’re back in the “Sam and Dean end up dead and then are brought back” era of Supernatural, and while it happens a lot, “Dark Side of the Moon” is a great episode that does it. Sam and Dean are shot and killed by fellow hunters who are angry at them, and it turns into the boys in heaven with Castiel (Misha Collins) trying to help them.
9. “Lazarus Rising”
How can we forget Misha Collins’ introduction into Supernatural?! The season 4 opener brought Dean back to life with a new scar on his shoulder that was from the angel who pulled him out of hell. That angel was Castiel, and the rest quite literally history.
10. “Tall Tales”
The Trickster (Richard Speight Jr.) is an important character in the grand scheme of things with Supernatural. Whenever things are a little too weird, we assume he is involved, which is exactly what happens in “Tall Tales,” his first episode of Supernatural. It is historic because fans love when the Trickster appears, and “Tall Tales” kicked that off.
(featured image: The CW)
