Your Favorite Supernatural Episode
Elle2’s favorite episode of Supernatural:
Uh – all of them!
Well, okay I could whittle down about ten that would not make that list, even some from Season 4, but choose a favorite? Whose sick idea was this? Oh, yeah, it was Bethany’s and frankly I love it, and almost think she stole my episode. [Yes, readers of The Winchester Family Business, I got a preview of Bethany’s favorite episode, lucky me, lucky me, lucky me, oh, sorry. That was kind of mean.] *coughs, blushes and tries to hide the smile*
Back to business. My favorite episode of Supernatural, the one that I go back to time and time again, the one that I frequently choose simply because it is, “Scarecrow,” darn, Bethany took that one! I’ll admit, I have a soft spot for “Scarecrow” but the episode I really choose is What is and What Should Never Be. Why?
I think WIAWSNB is the perfect example of what genre shows can do that other shows cannot do, at least not do really, really, really well. There’s a plausible explanation for Dean being in the alternate reality [plausible in the genre show kind of way of plausible] and in said alternate reality he grows as a character. I really enjoy both Jared’s and Jensen’s performance in this alternate reality. It’s fun to watch these actors take their characters to unknown places and yet retain some of which endeared me to them in the first place.
Sam is believable and sympathetic as the annoyed younger brother who can’t believe he and Dean are related. What I love the most, Sam is concerned for Dean’s welfare when Dean says he doesn’t know where he is or what happened. Sure, that concern turns to amused and patient annoyance when he assumes that Dean is drunk, however, the first thought…genuine concern.
The next interaction between the two I really enjoy is when Sam is confronting Dean for all the back slapping and calling him Sammy and friendliness. He calls Dean out, gently, for his less than charming ways but then tells him that he’s fine with Dean being who he is and he [Sam] doesn’t need or want Dean to change – that’s acceptance – the other part of acceptance comes when Sam tells him, we’re just not close.
Now, the above scene can break my Sam-and-Dean-are-the-best-brothers-ever-heart if not for the next bit, Sam is very aware that there’s more going on than what Dean has told him. Sam’s immediate awareness that Dean is in trouble, real trouble and then his willingness, nay, his determination to go with Dean despite his disbelief that they’re related; it’s because they’re related that Sam is going, I love that [bitch/jerk = tear].
As for Dean I enjoy watching his confusion, his realization, his joy, his amazement, his almost innocent appreciation of a homemade sandwich (they haven’t had too many of those) and the fun he has with mowing the lawn – and the fact that he can’t do it very well – ha! I enjoy watching Dean figuring his way through this new maze he’s in, seeing the professor at the college, his acceptance and non-concern about everyone thinking he’s a drunk and his awakening awareness that all is not as it appears.
It’s Sam that really changes things for Dean, sure there’s the girl that appears and disappears but it really gets going when Sam tells Dean that he doesn’t want Dean to change but they aren’t close and that’s just how it is, after that Dean starts piecing things together and the pace picks up quickly.
This is an episode that is all about characterization, the Sam we know appears at the beginning and the end but the one in the middle is just as interesting to watch and shows me that no matter their difference, brothers are brothers, or as Jeremy Carver said, family remains [not one of my favorite episodes but good in parts]. Dean really puts a fork into the issue he’d been reeling and dealing with all season, he’s a hunter and hunting is what he does and it is worth it.
He can’t quite bring himself to say the words, “It’s not fair” at Dad’s grave but Sam says it for him at the end and that gets me every time, it’s beautiful. From top to bottom I love this episode, in fact, I know what I’m watching tonight.
I typed out a whole long reply and it just dissapeared So am going to try again!!
My all time favorite episode is Ell2’s choice of What is and what should never be.
I am going to put my reasons in a seperate post in the hope that it does not all go into the deamons mouth and dissapear!
Diane
OK! Here goes with my reasons for this episode. It breaks my heart to watch this, it makes me laugh, and cry and just about every emotion is there. If I want to be cheered up I watch,if I want a good cry I watch it and if I have nothing else (!?)to watch this is the one I turn to.
I love to see Dean try to extend the touch of his mothers hand on his face ,he needs her love and touch soo much. I love the graveside scene!! If only John could hear him.
I grieve with Dean about his changed relationship with Sam, and I love the way he is soo pleased for him to be having a “life” and prospects.
I am soo sad that he does not think he deserve to be with the wonderful woman who has chosen to share his life.
I love the tatoos, I love the awful factory they are held in, I love the way Sam save Dean, I love the choices he is given and the one he makes…
OH I could just go on and on and on…… but I know others will want some space (!) so just to finish, if I only ever get to see ONE episode this is it
Thanks for asking
Diane
Mystery Spot, because I agree with every single word Alice said. Man, that episode is amazing.
In My Time Of Dying and When The Levee Breaks came pretty close, though.
Oh, sh*t this is hard 😎
I can’t, just simply can’t pick a favorite, even if a gun was pointed at my head. I love too many eps.
I could possibly pick a fave/ season but then again they change alot according to my mood and such so that would be a waste… But really I don’t want to pick 😀 I just kinda love the thought that I got 80+ eps to choose from and I love them all
I have to pick the pilot.
I have rewatched it so many times.
It draws me n from the beginning and I love to see Sam fresh faced. I love meeting them for the first time over and over again.
The impala is sparkling, the music is great,the story is well done,,and on and on.
Wow – this is almost cruel, making us choose.
Nevertheless, I too choose WIAWSNB. I have seen that episode more times than any other and love it more every time I view it. Why do I like it so much? WIAWSNB is a wonderfully acted, funny, emotional episode that reminds us of the heart of the show – family. Dean’s moments with his mother are beautifully heartbreaking and his monologue at the grave is equally as moving. The part where Dean “kills” himself is tragic – he’s willing to sacrifice his happiness for the greater good. I like that the brothers still come together, despite the massive differences and uncommonalities between them in the alternate universe – Sam, despite everything alternate!Dean has put him through (prom date stealing, ATM card stealing, etc) is still going to look out for him. Not to mention all the hilarious moments thorugh out: references to Dean being drunk, Sam discovering the pig’s blood and Dean subsequently tossing his phone out the window, the onesided and misunderstood bitch/jerk exchange. Ahh -too good!
Visually speaking, this episode is fantastic. The now classic lawn mowing scene with the over-bright, too cheery atmosphere, the industrial greys of the Djinn’s lair and the re-enactment of the sillouetted scene where Dean breaks in “looking for a beer” – all wonderful elements that make this episode one of my favourites.
(I also think this episode was the perfect set up to Dean trading his soul for Sam’s life.)
Mystery Spot all the way. There are more reasons for this than I can ever list, but most of all for Sam. It was the episode that confirmed that despite the puppy-dog eyes Sam is a very dark character who had more layers than anyone ever thought. My favorite scene though is when Dean is sitting with the owner while Sam is taking an ax to the Mystery Spot. I find it hilarious that Dean went along with that, and his reactions have me in stitches every time.
Pick a favourite of all of them? This is a strain to my brain that is entirely impossible.
Bethany’s “Scarecrow” has just got to be my favourite, but then elle2’s WIAWSNB – Geez! This has got to be my favourite too. And then Alice’s “Mystery Spot”comes next, and damned if that one isn’t my favourite.
Waaaaah! I can’t do this. I love watching all three of those episodes. Then there are different reasons for favourites when different moods are present. For instance, when feeling sad I love to watch the Pilot or Wendigo as they are a great antidote to the deep angst of Season 4 that I sometimes have to combat or go nuts.
When looking for great acting I’d pick BUABS or “Devil’s Trap” for the shocking bits and just about everything else about those two that are exceptional in the writing and directing and emotional impact. The two J’s outdid themselves in those two.
When looking for fun episodes, then “Tall Tales” jumps right to mind, along with “Hollywood Babylon” and “Folsom Prison Blues” and “Bad Day at Black Rock”.
The guys wrestling on the bed, “You are one hell of a PA”, “I like mine al dente”, and “I’m Batman!”.
For heart-warming I’d pick “Supernatural Christmas” for the final scene with Sam giving Dean his very last Christmas, with the “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” playing, the eggnog, the gifts and the love just permeating the whole scene you could feel it. The window, the Impala, the lights and the snow falling. Waaahhhh! There I go again with the waterworks. My favourite times are when the brothers are silently loving each other even though denying the chick flick moments. The hugs are few and far between and so are much appreciated by this viewer.
Much easier for me to pick my least favourites as there are so very few of those. And even in these, there are moments that I would never want to miss out on. Thank God for DVDs!
This was very, very hard and I traded back and forth many times and while Mystery Spot is the first episode I ever saw, I remember being entranced by WIAWSNB. Then again, I love The Pilot and can’t get enough of Devil’s Trap and IMTOD. Sheesh, it is hard, hard hard. While I know what book I’d take to a desert island if I could only take one, I hope and pray and pray and hope that I never have to choose just one episode of Supernatural to ever watch again.
So many good things in so many.
I love reading everyone’s comments…thanks for giving it a try.
Bethany, thank you so much for offering up the ‘challenge’ hee,
Haven,
Awesome comments about Simon Said — you’ve made me want to get back to my keyboard and get my Ben Edlund Episodes, A Deeper Look piece going again (everything SPN has been a bit stalled this past week 🙁
I’m so thrilled Bethany kicked this idea off, it’s so cool reading everyone’s thoughts — and I’m lining up a whole list of episodes to watch along the lines of ‘favorites’
Hee, anything to make Hellatus pass faster.
Definitely When the Levee Breaks.
I loved how all of Sam’s insecurities, fears, thoughts and hopes came out. I loved the intensity of the episode and how Dean went after Sam when he got out of the Panic Room. The fight scene was sad yet necessary and i thought it was a brilliant lead in to the finale.
Not to mention Jared’s brilliant acting….Jensen’s also – they were both fantastic…but all i saw in this episode was Sam – no Jared, just Sam.
I’m out for a couple of days and you girls end up chalanging everyone to pick a favourite episode?? Are you serious?? Humm, wait a minut…
…Cristo!
No one showing black eyes? Ok then! I’m going to believe that this was all a case of temporary insanity 😉
My favourite episode, let me think….. nop! It’s impossible to chose so I’m going to go with this, “glue” all the episodes from pilot to LR (cut some parts of Bugs – the parts with the bugs, bc I realy, realy don’t like bugs) and that’s my favourite episode 🙂
Thanks for all the great articles girls! Your making this hellatus very easy to go by this year.
Dany,
You are awesome! That’s fabulous ‘glue’ — tee, hee, that was kinda my thought too. All. There. Done. 😎
I am totally, completely with Dany on this. I think I’ve said before, that asking me to pick a favourite anything about SN
Dany, I’m gonna have to buy some of your glue hahah
is like asking a mother to pick her favourite child. Simply not possible. Besides, why stick to one when you can have aaaaalll
Btw guys, I just started a new semester so I’m going to be very busy and will quite likely pull my disappearing act again. I’ll still drop by when I can because I love this bloody place to bits.
This one goes back aways but the first one to pop into my head was “Heart”, and not for the sex scene. The end of that episode made me cry like a little girl who just lost her puppy.When Sam has to kill Madison and has those tears streamin down his face(awsome Jared), its like he’s about to end a chance at a moments real happiness and kinda being normal in that crazy dark world those boys live in. When he’s leavin the room after talking with Dean about it and he look’s back at his best friend, his brother, it’s like he’s askin for forgivness and he just sooo doesn’t want to do this but knows he has to.OMG!It was so good. But come on, they are all sooo good.
My favorite one is Mystery Spot. You have already said, why, I can only add “Yes! yes-yes-yes!”
But I’d say that picking among others, “Hunted” comes to be my second favorite. I love “White Rabbit”.
I like Scottie. A lot. I love Ava. She’s hot and funny and absolutely believable.
It’s great to see Sam and Dean saving each other, being Sam and Dean, caring _so much_ and still not making big deal out of it.
And Gordon is cool and calm and I have always thought he had a point. Sometimes it IS better to cut evil down before it starts flourishing. Too bad he had no real idea, what this evil is/was, and we STILL have no idea, where his information came from.
I mean, I’m very glad that Sam is alive. But for me there was no visible Great Evil in the episode and I enjoyed it trough and through.
=)
Wow some interesting thoughts….. yep i do love a challenge,the thought just came to me when i went to watch an episode and on automatic i just went for scarecrow as always though i have to admit lazarus rising, wishful thinking and the monster at the end of this book are catching up fast with bad day at black rock, mystery spot (never looked at a taco the same way since) and BUABS as the episodes to rival scarecrow. can’t wait for season 4 part 2 dvd to come out!!!!
I agree with you all that this is *THE* most impossible question. Sofie had an easier choice… I love, love all your picks (how could I not?) so I am going to interject one that I don’t think was mentioned but ranks up there on my list of eppies I could watch over and over (okay, it’s actually a really long list…) but my pick would be “A Very Supernatural Christmas.” There was so much that filled my heart with glee. We got some humor, some storyarc continuity as well as back story on our boys that reflected a heartbreaking, poignant childhood. From the caroling to their gift exchange to that sad Christmas tree decorated pine air fresheners – this one had it all – for me.
Bethany, you’re a very, very bad person …
I’ve mithered long and hard over this and although I love them all it’s got to be Jus In Bello that gets the nod.
I’m a total sucker for a good siege, and what with the tattoos and the bondage and Dean’s speechifying and the impossible odds and Hendriksen getting his head stuck down the loo this episode had me in a lather from start to depressingly downbeat finish … Which makes so much more sense in light of what we now know about Ruby’s hidden agenda to convince Sam that one can’t make an omelet without killing loads of people.
Panting in close second is Bad Day At Black Rock because it’s such a hoot and I love the whole slapstick sillyness of it with Gruesome Gordon and Mr Don’t Touch My Jesus and the whole sheebang, plus loads of others too numerous to mention.
They’re just too close to call, never do this again, you sadists! 😆
me…. i don’t know what you’re talking about…. i was just showing love the kripke way!
😆 😆 😆 😆 😆
I LOVE MISTERY SPOT and TALL TALES !!
and the episodes where the ghostfacers appear 😛