Warning: Major Spoilers from the TV show, Supernatural.
I’m a huge fan of the television show Supernatural. I started watching when the pilot aired in 2005, and remained devoted throughout the entire 15 season run. It is one of my top 5 TV shows of all time, and I have rewatched it countless times. I also had the opportunity to attend a Supernatural convention years back, which was quite a wonderful experience.
The show’s acting, crackling/sharp writing, stories, themes, humor, and depth are just on another level, and top-notch. It’s difficult to articulate how deeply special the show is, and how one feels so very connected to the characters and its universe.
While I greatly prefer the “Monster of the Week” style of the show, rather than the larger mythology that developed regarding God/angels/demons, especially towards the end, I still love and appreciate all of it. Speaking of demons, Crowley is utterly awesome. Enough said.
There are certainly some standout episodes and story arcs in seasons 11 through 15. Some truly great stuff. (I really liked the British Men of Letters storyline). That being said, with no disrespect to all of the creatives who provided longevity and tremendous output, I much prefer, and tend to rewatch, seasons 1–10. Those seasons are “my Supernatural”.
Here are some of my favorite episodes, in no particular order:
What Is and What Should Never Be
(Heartbreaking)
Crossroad Blues
(Yowza. What a defining episode.)
In the Beginning
(Absolutely love young Mary and John.)
No Rest for the Wicked
(Lilith on shore leave. YES.)
Lazarus Rising
(Pamela rocks, and hello, Castiel!)
The End
(Tour de force acting from Jensen and Jared. Also, the scene with the white suit at the end is sublime.)
Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid
(More heartbreak)
The Song Remains the Same
(Tomato Rice Soup)
Hammer of the Gods
(The scene with Gabriel and Lucifer is UH-MAZING. — another contender for favorite)
Swap Meat
(I just unabashedly love it. And the Bob Seger needle drop at the end is pitch perfect.)
The Curious Case of Dean Winchester
(Final talk at the end is gut wrenching. In a good way.)
Frontierland
(The Star Trek 4 and Deep Space 9 references are pure gold.)
Time After Time
(The 1940s time period is spot-on and fabulous.)
The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo
(Felicia Day crushes this.)
LARP and the Real Girl
(Moondoor Forever!)
Everybody Hates Hitler
(The defeat of Eckhart is glorious.)
As Time Goes By
(Henry, Abbadon, and just an incredible story. Wow.)
Dog Dean Afternoon
(Ruh-Roh!)
About a Boy
(Shake It Off!)
Fan Fiction
(Theater geeks rule.)
Hibbing 911
(Sheriff Donna shines.)
Baby
(Incredible filmmaking.)
ScoobyNatural
(Genius and super fun!)
The Gamblers
(The Winchester Brothers are, indeed, heroes.)
I could go on and on. Honorable mentions for Changing Channels, Death and Dean in the pizza restaurant, RIP Ellen and Jo, and so on.
Let’s talk about “Fan Fiction”. This episode was the 200th episode of the series, and was clearly intended to be a love letter to the show. To say that they succeeded in that goal is a tremendous understatement. (Get ready for my gushing.) I love this episode with every fiber of my being. I’ve seen it numerous times, and there is literally no way to get through it without crying.
Tears. Every. Single. Time.
The episode is perfection from beginning to end. The meta story is fantastic. An all girls high school is performing a musical version/play of the Supernatural story. The songs are superb. The fact that the show’s creatives wrote this specific soundtrack, and found these tremendously talented young women to perform it, is just outstanding. And of course, simultaneously, there’s a case to work here. A deadly Goddess/Muse of Epic Poetry is wreaking havoc and needs to be dealt with pronto before she kills again.
The way that the brother’s relationship is seen and mirrored through the eyes of the high schoolers, and in their production, is extremely moving.
Which brings me to… my all-time favorite scene/sequence of the series. (And I have many, many favorite scenes in this large body of work!). It kicks off with the post- intermission part of the play through to the end of the episode — basically, the final four minutes.
The opening part with “Sam and Dean” talking, into the performing of the show’s de facto theme song “Carry On Wayward Son”, is stunningly beautiful. As the talking stops, and the first few notes of the piano begin, the tears start to flow for me.
What really puts it over the top is the way it is shot, acted, and directed. One of the performers in the song is representing Mary, the brothers’ deceased mother. Other characters very dear to the boys are singing as well. (Oh, how we miss you, Bobby!)
During the song, the camera does a few zoom-in and close-up shots on Dean’s, and then Sam’s, faces as they absorb what they are seeing and hearing. As you see the emotion on their faces, you can only imagine the wistful thoughts that are going through their minds, after everything they have been through. The poignancy is palpable. This gets me every time, and is a brilliant directing choice.
The YouTube video that I am posting at the end of this article does not include the remainder of the sequence. As the brothers depart and drive away, with the music playing, Dean hangs the prop replica of his amulet necklace on the rearview mirror. The brothers look at each other with unspoken heartfelt, knowing, and meaningful glances. And then of course we cut to the coda of Chuck saying, “Not bad”. This is simply the icing on the cake to a phenomenal episode.
As an aside, there is one thing that I do think about when I watch this episode:
I adore the actress Samantha Smith. She did excellent work on the show as Mary, and her resurrection was very interesting and layered. At the same time, with no disrespect, I strongly feel that the character should have remained deceased. Mary’s death was such a huge foundation of the boys’ motivations, feelings and development. It shaped them, and the story, in many ways. And while I’m happy that they were reunited, I feel that her initial death was an important aspect of the show’s underlying essence. When I watch this episode, and particularly the “Carry On” song with the girl playing Mary, that does cross my mind.
In my opinion, Fan Fiction is a masterpiece. It has it all. Humor, the signature clever Supernatural banter, pathos, a cool villain, high stakes, great music/singing, and strong emotions. It’s a powerful story that weaves together many different elements at one time into a perfect whole. This being the 10th season, it’s a wonderful payoff to the culmination of the Winchesters’ life experiences so far in which we, the fans, have been invested. Bring on the tissues! It’s time for a rewatch!
