Supernatural Fans' Guilty Pleasure Episodes Have One Key Thing In Common
For 15 seasons, The CW's cult phenomenon "Supernatural" made an impression, and it isn't hard to see why. The longest-running fantasy series to date (via Entertainment Weekly), "Supernatural" melds humor with mythic lore and powerful villains. For many fans of the series, however, the biggest draw of the show is the relationship between monster-fighting brothers Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki).
The emotional bond between the brothers is woven into the DNA from the very beginning and gives emotional weight to the show's action. Together these brothers live, die, and are resurrected multiple times, all because of the love they have for each other. But with over 300 episodes, there is bound to be some variation. There are also many episodes that do not have such incredibly high stakes.
In fact, many fans have found pleasure in episodes with more fun injected into them. For many fans of the series, the joy of "Supernatural" is not having to take everything seriously. Notably, many fans have realized that some of these guilty pleasure episodes have some distinct similarities.
Fans have a soft spot for the meta episodes
With such an abundance of content, there is bound to be some dissent on episode preferences. But shockingly, many viewers seem to agree on their favorite guilty pleasure episodes. In a thread on Reddit, many fans concluded that the best episodes were the ones that became meta.
"LARP and the real girl," Redditor u/pit_of_despair666 posted, referring to Season 8, Episode 11, an entry in the series in which Sam and Dean are pulled into an investigation in the LARPing community. "Love this episode. I don't LARP but love going to ren faires. I want a tent with a bed like Charlie's." Many agreed on this point, praising the show's attempt to throw the brothers out of their comfort zone and into medieval costumes.
"Watched that one today, gotta be one of my favorites," posted u/MrBeazly. "[I] love how Dean secretly wants to Larp, the ending kills me." Episodes that have a theme always seem to be a hit with fans. "ScoobyNatural," an episode that places Dean and Sam in the world of "Scooby Doo," has an impressive 9.6 out of 10 on IMDb. Fans also made note of "Fan Fiction," an episode that depicts a high school musical inspired by the brothers' exploits.
There are many more episodes of this kind, but one, in particular, has become a classic.
Some fans think Changing Channels is the best of the best
Many of the most popular "Supernatural" episodes truly made an impact by taking the metanarrative up a notch. One was so impactful that even showrunner Eric Kripke had something to say about it. "For those who asked, my all-time favorite #SPN episode: Changing Channels, written by #JeremyCarver, directed by @CharlesBeeson," Kripke posted on Twitter.
"Supernatural" Season 5, Episode 8 is memorable for the return of The Trickster (Richard Speight Jr.), a villain who throws Sam and Dean into TV Land. This villain forces the brothers to live out well-known tropes like a medical romance "Dr. Sexy M.D." and a show very much like "CSI: Miami." In another memorable iteration, Trickster even turns Sam into the car from "Knight Rider." All have hilarious implications, but the episode is ultimately about something bigger.
Eventually, the Trickster reveals that he is not a low-level creature, but actually the archangel known as Gabriel. And he isn't torturing Sam and Dean just for the fun of it. He needs to teach them an important lesson. Destiny has a plan for them, and they have to accept their circumstances as the vessels to bring about the end of the world. They need to accept their fate because nothing can stop it.
Since the airing of these episodes, many fans evidently consider them classics. In fact, "Changing Channels" is the second highest-rated episode of the season (via IMDb).