Recommend episodes of Supernatural
May 7, 2022 4:19 AM Subscribe
So my mum and I love watching tv shows together, we recently watched S01E03 of Supernatural and liked it but 15 seasons is a lot. Can people recommend the best episodes, stand alone episodes or must watch episodes... especially from season 1-5.
So my mum and I often watch tv shows together(Call the midwife, Poirot, Death in Paradise, True blood, SATC, Elementary, Doctor Who, Firefly among others). We recently watched an episode of Supernatural and liked it (my mum says it was a bit clunky because of age but found it charming) we both liked the supernatural part. Then I found out there are 16 seasons. Can you recommend the best episodes of each season? We like, stand alone episodes, clever twists (but not ones that take a long list of episodes), fun, and a bit of romance (but not the on/off miscommunication type) and strong female roles (Yes, we know the show is about two brothers). Also if you think there is another show we might like feel free to recommend.
So my mum and I often watch tv shows together(Call the midwife, Poirot, Death in Paradise, True blood, SATC, Elementary, Doctor Who, Firefly among others). We recently watched an episode of Supernatural and liked it (my mum says it was a bit clunky because of age but found it charming) we both liked the supernatural part. Then I found out there are 16 seasons. Can you recommend the best episodes of each season? We like, stand alone episodes, clever twists (but not ones that take a long list of episodes), fun, and a bit of romance (but not the on/off miscommunication type) and strong female roles (Yes, we know the show is about two brothers). Also if you think there is another show we might like feel free to recommend.
S5E9 The Real Ghostbusters is really funny, they investigate a supernatural fan convention, so meta.
S8E11 LARP and the Real Girl, a medieval cosplay game in the woods, are fairies real?
posted by sammyo at 5:35 AM on May 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
S8E11 LARP and the Real Girl, a medieval cosplay game in the woods, are fairies real?
posted by sammyo at 5:35 AM on May 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
I always felt like the show could have, and maybe was originally envisioned to, end on the finale of season 5. So you could try watching it sequentially up to that point and then hop around to the specific highlights from other seasons that people are pointing out.
posted by space snail at 7:01 AM on May 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by space snail at 7:01 AM on May 7, 2022 [3 favorites]
Season 3, episode 3: "Bad day at Black Rock" where a rabbit's foot brings lots of (funny) bad luck + a strong female character.
Season 4, episode 5: "Monster movie" with classic black-and-white movie monsters.
Season 5, episode 8: "Changing channels" where the brothers are trapped inside various tv shows.
(How about "Buffy" for another show with strong female characters and fun stand-alone episodes, eg. season 6, episode 7: "Once more with feeling" where they sing all the time.)
posted by rawrberry at 7:47 AM on May 7, 2022
Season 4, episode 5: "Monster movie" with classic black-and-white movie monsters.
Season 5, episode 8: "Changing channels" where the brothers are trapped inside various tv shows.
(How about "Buffy" for another show with strong female characters and fun stand-alone episodes, eg. season 6, episode 7: "Once more with feeling" where they sing all the time.)
posted by rawrberry at 7:47 AM on May 7, 2022
My personal favorite is S4, Ep 6: "Yellow Fever". The scene where Dean goes into the abandoned warehouse and gets scared by a.....well, I won't spoil it for you!
S6 Ep15: "The French Mistake"- the show makes fun of itself in a refreshing way!
posted by Ochre,Hugh at 8:04 AM on May 7, 2022
S6 Ep15: "The French Mistake"- the show makes fun of itself in a refreshing way!
posted by Ochre,Hugh at 8:04 AM on May 7, 2022
Best answer: You can completely skip S1E08 (Native American "curse") and S1E13 (racist ghost truck). The combination of clunky because of age and clunky because the entire premise is inherently racist and weird renders them just absolutely unwatchable. And not fun to laugh at unwatchable, just...really unenjoyable hours of television.
The overall thing about Supernatural though...all the women characters die. Like. All of them. I'm Still Mad After All These Years. I don't know that I would recommend it to someone who isn't already invested in it, especially if you like "a bit of romance and strong female roles." That is just not Supernatural.
I think you would like The X-Files.
posted by Snarl Furillo at 12:13 PM on May 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
The overall thing about Supernatural though...all the women characters die. Like. All of them. I'm Still Mad After All These Years. I don't know that I would recommend it to someone who isn't already invested in it, especially if you like "a bit of romance and strong female roles." That is just not Supernatural.
I think you would like The X-Files.
posted by Snarl Furillo at 12:13 PM on May 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Other shows you might like:
Grimm
The Witcher
The Magicians
Lost Girl
The Umbrella Acadamy
Penny Dreadful
Dead Like Me
Sense8
posted by BoscosMom at 12:13 PM on May 7, 2022
Grimm
The Witcher
The Magicians
Lost Girl
The Umbrella Acadamy
Penny Dreadful
Dead Like Me
Sense8
posted by BoscosMom at 12:13 PM on May 7, 2022
Here's the approach I took to dipping my toe in the Supernatural waters. And for the record I'm currently just a handful of episodes away from finishing off the entire run of the show--something I would have never expected to say a couple of years ago.
posted by sardonyx at 12:21 PM on May 7, 2022
posted by sardonyx at 12:21 PM on May 7, 2022
My absolute favorite episodes are 4.06 Yellow Fever and 9.05 Dog Dean Afternoon. They both showcase Jensen Ackles' comedy chops.
posted by snakeling at 12:37 PM on May 7, 2022
posted by snakeling at 12:37 PM on May 7, 2022
Best answer: I think this similar ask had solid advice. If you don't mind some spoilers/reactions, the whole series is also now on Fanfare. All the caveats are true.
Fifteen seasons IS a lot, but if seasons 1-5 sound more manageable, you'll get a pretty complete story, season 6 if you’re up for a kind of postscript, and most of my favorites are somewhere in that range. But I’m gonna give you one solid stand-alone-ish ep from each season, or as close as I can get from memory. I think this is a broad enough sample that you'll get an idea if you like serious ones, funnier ones, earlier or later seasons, if you're at all interested in the overarching plot, if there are side characters you especially like, etc. that'll point you to more if you want them.
1x19: Provenance. A lot of people will give you Home or Faith or Shadow, and those are good feelings-heavy entries in the Great Winchester Psychodrama, but this one has a little romance (rare for Supernatural) and is a representative forty minutes of the Sam & Dean Fight A Ghost Show. Runner up: Hell House for being funny with a cool premise.
2x12: Nightshifter is a good mix of humor, tension, and character stuff. Runner up: Crossroad Blues, which is one-off but introduces stuff that the show will go back to for the rest of the series. But season 2 is at a nice point where the show has figured out some of the kinks but isn’t deep into the mytharc quite yet, you could throw a rock and hit an enjoyable episode.
3x3: Bad Day at Black Rock. Again, Supernatural doing what it does at mixing funny and spooky, this heavier on the funny side. Runner up: Mystery Spot, aka Groundhog Day in hell
4x3: In the Beginning. This one is a little deeper into the mytharc, but there’s a lot going on by season 4, and I think this one is both awesome and fairly self-contained. Runner up: The Monster at the End of This Book is arguably the show’s first hard left into meta weirdness, I love it, not everybody does.
5x14: My Bloody Valentine. Hard to get completely away from the mytharc stuff at this point but this is gory and fun. I think season 5’s standouts tend to be the ones that are bringing the main story in for a landing. Runner up: Changing Channels, trapped in a wacky TV dimension.
6x12: The French Mistake is a lot of people’s favorite episode, probably also mine. Don’t make it, like, one of the first couple episodes you watch, maybe? But if you’re into the show by this point, it is a weird and hugely enjoyable swing. Runner up: The Third Man, cool premise and at least one magnificent gross-out.
7x15: Repo Man. This is kind of a grim one with some effectively creepy moments. IMO season 7 is when the show tips over into a pretty rough run. Runner up: Hello Cruel World.
8x14: Trial and Error, if you’re into the crossroad demon stuff.
9: ...I think season 8 is probably technically worse but I’d really be reaching here.
10x9: The Things We Left Behind. Runner up: Fan Fiction, the all girls high school musical adaptation of Supernatural.
11x4: Baby, easy, and I think you could watch it knowing almost nothing about Supernatural and still enjoy it a lot. Runner up: Safe House, where an eleven year old show flexes by flashing back to itself. But IMO season 11 is one of the better late seasons by a fair margin.
12x12: Stuck in the Middle (With You), another one of the show’s slightly flaky stylistic experiments, though I know nothing about the source material and still like it. A major character comes back at the end of season 11 so you’ll see them here but might not know why. Runner up: Twigs and Twine and Tasha Banes, if you’re still up for awful things happening to nice people.
13: I do not remember this season. It’s the one with the animated Scooby Doo episode, which bounced off me but a lot of people love.
14x4: Mint Condition, fun and monstery, A+.
15x20: Carry On. I loved the finale, it is divisive, but a lot of season 15 is a mess or tied up in the plot or both, and this is (in my opinion) playing the hits.
Also, I agree Buffy might be up your street if you haven't seen it yet.
posted by jameaterblues at 5:09 PM on May 7, 2022
Fifteen seasons IS a lot, but if seasons 1-5 sound more manageable, you'll get a pretty complete story, season 6 if you’re up for a kind of postscript, and most of my favorites are somewhere in that range. But I’m gonna give you one solid stand-alone-ish ep from each season, or as close as I can get from memory. I think this is a broad enough sample that you'll get an idea if you like serious ones, funnier ones, earlier or later seasons, if you're at all interested in the overarching plot, if there are side characters you especially like, etc. that'll point you to more if you want them.
1x19: Provenance. A lot of people will give you Home or Faith or Shadow, and those are good feelings-heavy entries in the Great Winchester Psychodrama, but this one has a little romance (rare for Supernatural) and is a representative forty minutes of the Sam & Dean Fight A Ghost Show. Runner up: Hell House for being funny with a cool premise.
2x12: Nightshifter is a good mix of humor, tension, and character stuff. Runner up: Crossroad Blues, which is one-off but introduces stuff that the show will go back to for the rest of the series. But season 2 is at a nice point where the show has figured out some of the kinks but isn’t deep into the mytharc quite yet, you could throw a rock and hit an enjoyable episode.
3x3: Bad Day at Black Rock. Again, Supernatural doing what it does at mixing funny and spooky, this heavier on the funny side. Runner up: Mystery Spot, aka Groundhog Day in hell
4x3: In the Beginning. This one is a little deeper into the mytharc, but there’s a lot going on by season 4, and I think this one is both awesome and fairly self-contained. Runner up: The Monster at the End of This Book is arguably the show’s first hard left into meta weirdness, I love it, not everybody does.
5x14: My Bloody Valentine. Hard to get completely away from the mytharc stuff at this point but this is gory and fun. I think season 5’s standouts tend to be the ones that are bringing the main story in for a landing. Runner up: Changing Channels, trapped in a wacky TV dimension.
6x12: The French Mistake is a lot of people’s favorite episode, probably also mine. Don’t make it, like, one of the first couple episodes you watch, maybe? But if you’re into the show by this point, it is a weird and hugely enjoyable swing. Runner up: The Third Man, cool premise and at least one magnificent gross-out.
7x15: Repo Man. This is kind of a grim one with some effectively creepy moments. IMO season 7 is when the show tips over into a pretty rough run. Runner up: Hello Cruel World.
8x14: Trial and Error, if you’re into the crossroad demon stuff.
9: ...I think season 8 is probably technically worse but I’d really be reaching here.
10x9: The Things We Left Behind. Runner up: Fan Fiction, the all girls high school musical adaptation of Supernatural.
11x4: Baby, easy, and I think you could watch it knowing almost nothing about Supernatural and still enjoy it a lot. Runner up: Safe House, where an eleven year old show flexes by flashing back to itself. But IMO season 11 is one of the better late seasons by a fair margin.
12x12: Stuck in the Middle (With You), another one of the show’s slightly flaky stylistic experiments, though I know nothing about the source material and still like it. A major character comes back at the end of season 11 so you’ll see them here but might not know why. Runner up: Twigs and Twine and Tasha Banes, if you’re still up for awful things happening to nice people.
13: I do not remember this season. It’s the one with the animated Scooby Doo episode, which bounced off me but a lot of people love.
14x4: Mint Condition, fun and monstery, A+.
15x20: Carry On. I loved the finale, it is divisive, but a lot of season 15 is a mess or tied up in the plot or both, and this is (in my opinion) playing the hits.
Also, I agree Buffy might be up your street if you haven't seen it yet.
posted by jameaterblues at 5:09 PM on May 7, 2022
Also, I think you need to check out Legends of Tomorrow. It's got strong female leads, romance (both successful and unsuccessful) and loads of fun. Just skip season one--or at least watch it knowing that the show is going to take a hard 90-degree turn for the better and head off in a completely different and bonkers direction. Most of the show is also on FanFare.
posted by sardonyx at 6:43 PM on May 7, 2022
posted by sardonyx at 6:43 PM on May 7, 2022
Response by poster: Thanks for the help folks. Really great answers. We were/are huge Buffy and X-files Fans already but great suggestions.
posted by Lesium at 9:40 PM on May 7, 2022
posted by Lesium at 9:40 PM on May 7, 2022
Nthing Grimm. It's a much better crafted show than Supernatural imo and I say this as someone who has seen and enjoyed almost all of Supernatural. Grimm takes a bit to get started but the plot twists were especially great and the cast is way more diverse on the whole. Plus it's not too long, mostly feel good, and is very funny in parts. Also I've been to the B&B in the first few episodes, so I'm biased, haha.
That said, Supernatural is fun. Although it definitely has its sexist moments, Dean is gross a lot of the time and that's the biggest problem I have with the show. Although I disagree with the above poster-- it's not that all the females die but more that anyone that isn't Sam and Dean are expendable. Like it's literally the Sam and Dean show and that makes sense but it continues to be that for 15 years without any side character growth almost at all, except for one character, which admittedly is pretty great character. But yeah they are brutal to all their side characters. And after 15 seasons of course the drama stars to get contrived.
I think it's still worth watching though. The way my brother and I got through it is to watch only two episodes a week so we didn't get burnt out on it. When we felt like it we'd watch it more frequently but with so many episodes it was better to space them out. There are some hilarious episodes though. My faves are all the meta ones, especially the one where they go through a portal and become self aware that it's a set and they're actors. Some of the jokes are only funny if you've seen the show though. For example it had their real live wives in that ep, one of which has been on the show as a demon. Them reacting to her is only funny if you know that.
So if you like Buffyesque shows I presume you've seen Angel too. I think you'd like the Flash on CW The first 3-4 seasons are stellar, though the last few aren't great, it's still worth watching in my opinion. Yeah it's a superhero show but it's very funny and the camraderie with the cast reminds me of the Scooby gang. Legends of Tomorrow is also really good, though it's suffering from a similar issue in the latest season, and the first season is a bit of a dud.
I don't recommend the Witcher at all based on the shows you've mentioned you like. It's extremely confusing in my opinion and feels badly written and meandering to me. It's thinks it's much funnier than it actually is, too. This seems to be an unpopular opinion though so take it how you will. Instead of this I recommend Shadow and Bone, although we had to watch it with subtitles because the jargon was confusing at first. After we got a feel for the world, it really ramped up for us. Some of the characters are great. (Kit Young is a delight and a scene stealer).
If you like series like Call the Midwife, have you tried Downtown Abbey? I didn't understand the appeal until I watched it. It's not diverse but it has a certain charm and it's exceedingly funny in parts.
Doom Patrol is pretty amazing, the first season is really good and it's very clever. It's really underrated. It can be amazingly weird but it's also very funny. It hits a similar note to Umbrella Academy.
If you like sci fi I think the Expanse is amazingly written, even better than the first book. It really gets going by season 2. That said it's hard sci fi. If you want less hard sci fi with comedy you might like Killjoys or Dark Matter instead, both of which I found fun and with pretty satisfying story arcs. The latter is pretty dated in that Canadian sci fi way bit it's still fun show.
I'm like you in that we tend to watch shows with family, usually sci fi. Even though I've seen a LOT of sci fi and fantasy series, these are the ones I think stand out in that they are pretty light and tend to be funny.
posted by Dimes at 12:51 PM on May 19, 2022
That said, Supernatural is fun. Although it definitely has its sexist moments, Dean is gross a lot of the time and that's the biggest problem I have with the show. Although I disagree with the above poster-- it's not that all the females die but more that anyone that isn't Sam and Dean are expendable. Like it's literally the Sam and Dean show and that makes sense but it continues to be that for 15 years without any side character growth almost at all, except for one character, which admittedly is pretty great character. But yeah they are brutal to all their side characters. And after 15 seasons of course the drama stars to get contrived.
I think it's still worth watching though. The way my brother and I got through it is to watch only two episodes a week so we didn't get burnt out on it. When we felt like it we'd watch it more frequently but with so many episodes it was better to space them out. There are some hilarious episodes though. My faves are all the meta ones, especially the one where they go through a portal and become self aware that it's a set and they're actors. Some of the jokes are only funny if you've seen the show though. For example it had their real live wives in that ep, one of which has been on the show as a demon. Them reacting to her is only funny if you know that.
So if you like Buffyesque shows I presume you've seen Angel too. I think you'd like the Flash on CW The first 3-4 seasons are stellar, though the last few aren't great, it's still worth watching in my opinion. Yeah it's a superhero show but it's very funny and the camraderie with the cast reminds me of the Scooby gang. Legends of Tomorrow is also really good, though it's suffering from a similar issue in the latest season, and the first season is a bit of a dud.
I don't recommend the Witcher at all based on the shows you've mentioned you like. It's extremely confusing in my opinion and feels badly written and meandering to me. It's thinks it's much funnier than it actually is, too. This seems to be an unpopular opinion though so take it how you will. Instead of this I recommend Shadow and Bone, although we had to watch it with subtitles because the jargon was confusing at first. After we got a feel for the world, it really ramped up for us. Some of the characters are great. (Kit Young is a delight and a scene stealer).
If you like series like Call the Midwife, have you tried Downtown Abbey? I didn't understand the appeal until I watched it. It's not diverse but it has a certain charm and it's exceedingly funny in parts.
Doom Patrol is pretty amazing, the first season is really good and it's very clever. It's really underrated. It can be amazingly weird but it's also very funny. It hits a similar note to Umbrella Academy.
If you like sci fi I think the Expanse is amazingly written, even better than the first book. It really gets going by season 2. That said it's hard sci fi. If you want less hard sci fi with comedy you might like Killjoys or Dark Matter instead, both of which I found fun and with pretty satisfying story arcs. The latter is pretty dated in that Canadian sci fi way bit it's still fun show.
I'm like you in that we tend to watch shows with family, usually sci fi. Even though I've seen a LOT of sci fi and fantasy series, these are the ones I think stand out in that they are pretty light and tend to be funny.
posted by Dimes at 12:51 PM on May 19, 2022
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I worry that Season 4's The Monster at the End of this Book won't make a lot of sense without having seen the rest of the show, but that has a fun twist.
Season 5's Swap Meat is a Freaky Friday kind of episode that I think should be pretty standalone.
Season 6's French Mistake is probably one of the most-loved episodes (or at least I love it and think a lot of other people do to), and I think a lot of it will be amusing without having seen the whole show.
posted by snaw at 5:03 AM on May 7, 2022 [1 favorite]