Best Running Bits in Supernatural

Recently, I dug through my WIP archives and found several incompleted “lists” from the various seasons of Supernatural. You know, they were done in the vein of the David Letterman “Top Ten Lists” only SPN related. Most of them so far have been rambling garbage, but I found one at least that was a little fun, conceived sometime around season ten (with later updates made). Since we’re still starved for entertainment around here, I have nothing to lose by sharing it!

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Best Running Bits? You know, those little jokes/references that just won’t die, something started on a whim early in the series and has managed to somehow remain all these years later.  Yes, there are the obvious ones, like the rock star aliases for their fake FBI identities and Dean’s very well known love of pie.  These are the lesser used ones, but those that hold a special place in the fandom’s heart.  Here are ten of those such “running gags” in no particular order.  

Magic Fingers

The magic fingers have been more popular in earlier seasons, but the references have always been popular in the fandom.  Low and behold, Mary Winchester returns from the dead and mentioned “Magic Fingers’ as her current plans in the recent episode “Family Feud”

Casa Erotica

Casa Erotica also is more of an oldie and a goodie started in season two, but it was mentioned a couple of times in season nine, with Castiel nonetheless.  Yes, Casa Erotica was on the TV in the motel room in “Meta Fiction” when Castiel was visited by Gabriel.  

Sam’s fear of Clowns

This one just never died.  It was first introduced in season two’s “Everybody Loves a Clown.” Nothing like a deep seated and traumatic child phobia to be used for comic relief! After seemingly conquering his fear at the end of season seven’s “Plucky Pennywhistle’s Magical Menagerie,” Sam had to once again facing head on his intense childhood fear in season eleven’s “Plush”, except that was an actual homicidal clown! Dude just didn’t get a break.  

Busty Asian Beauties

There were sightings of these plump chested Asians in numerous seasons, starting with season two’s “Tall Tales.”   I’m stunned that Chuck didn’t check out the oriental lovelies after going through Dean’s porn collection in season eleven. Busty Asian Beauties was even part of the easter eggs found in Rocky’s Bar in season 14’s “Nihilism.”  I especially love that Men of Letters got into this as well, except they were a more discrete, Voluptuous Asian Lovelies. Call it what you want, a horndog is a horndog.

Sam’s strange eating habits

This is an early one, but still one of my favorites.  Sam wasn’t truly found digging into a meal until season four’s “Monster Movie.”  Ever since that point, his tastes in food were wimpy at best (shakeable salad?). I mean come on, he even turns down one of Dean’s favorite foods, bacon! EVERYBODY LOVES BACON SAM! Something was wrong with that boy.  

Clueless to pop culture Castiel

The appeal of Castiel has always been his “fish out of water” story, most especially his inability to grasp even the most common pop culture references.  That all changed in season nine’s “Meta Fiction” when Metatron downloaded the meaning of every reference to Castiel’s brain.  Did he suddenly learn from all this?  Not really, considering he adopted aliases like “Agent Beyonce.”   Score a great comeback from Crowley on that one…

“I guess that makes me Agent Jay-Z.”

Dean’s monster mashups

This has been more of a later season thing, starting in season six.  Still, I never tire of these and think they’re rather brilliant.  

Khan Worm (And Then There Were None, The Things They Carried)

Gorilla Wolves – “What’s Up Tiger Mommy?”

Octovamp/Vamptopus/Dractopus/Seabiscuit the impaler, Land Shark – “Plucky Pennywhistle’s Magical Menagerie”

Vampirates – “Blood Brother”

Were-pire and Ghoul-pire – “Baby”

Manicorn – “Just My Imagination”

And my all time favorite…

Jefferson Starships – “Mommy Dearest”

Sleep with Sam Winchester and die

This is another item that was debunked in later seasons, but Sam had a very bad track record there for a while.  A lot of his lovers did end up dead.

Rocky and Bullwinkle Nicknames

Let’s face it, the most endeared pet names for Sam and Dean came from Crowley.  The most commonly used was his pet name for Sam, “Moose.” It all started in season five’s “The Devil You Know,” when Crowley asked Dean “Where’s your moose?”  Jared didn’t help things when he joined Twitter at Salute to Supernatural in Nashville in 2011 calling himself “Moose.”  It wasn’t until the season 8’s “What’s Up, Tiger Mommy? that Crowley pulled out the “Squirrel” moniker for Dean.  However, starting in season nine, Dean’s name on Crowley’s phone is “Not Moose.”  That’s why I howled over Dean calling Crowley and Rowena “Boris and Natasha” in season ten after Crowley used the “Squirrel” name on him.  It’s Rocky and Bullwinkle full circle and I love it.

Single Perfect Tear

This was really meant for Dean, and lord knows he’s made a trademark of it, but Sam has been known to pull off a few single perfect tears as well.  There’s Dean dying in his arms in “Do You Believe in Miracles?” and after reading Bobby’s letter at the end of “Inside Man,” as well as being trapped in the cage with Lucifer in “O’Brother Where Art Thou?” (just to name a few). 

Heck, Dean’s Single Perfect Tear got its own song in season then’s “Fan Fiction”, the touching “Single Man Tear.”  The lyrics are right here, sung by fake Sam and fake Dean.

A Single Man Tear

Sam sings

A single man tear slips down his face

He shows emotion without a trace

He hides behind a mask so strong

Worried that he could be wrong

I wish that he could see the way I see him

The perfect brother, a man without sin

Cause underneath the manly sheen

It is my brother, a boy named Dean

A single man tear, a single man tear, a single man tear, that’s all we fear

Dean sings

A single man tear, that’s all I’ll spare

I bury feelings, don’t show I care

Even though I am haunted, must be the man daddy wanted

Wish I could be as strong as Sam

Blaze my own trail, be my own man

But underneath this broken mask

It is my father, with all his wrath

A single man tear, a single man tear, a single man tear, that’s all we fear

Wow, that’s…deep.

Like I said, this was a quick one off list done years ago, not conceived with a lot of science or thought. Did I miss anything? Feel free to share your choices, or totally debunk mine!