Supernatural: The Best Episode From Each Season
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Season 1: "Home"
The Winchesters' return to their childhood house marked a turning point for the series, which initially had mostly trafficked in standalone episodes. While "Home" did have a monster-of-the-week, it also gave us the delightful psychic Missouri (can we please resurrect her?), a ghostly appearance from mom Mary and the revelation that John was secretly in town. Plus, that clapping monkey was creepy!
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Season 2: "In My Time of Dying"
This wasn't the first time Dean got close to death — nor would it be the last — but his battle with a reaper on the other side was a real nail-biter. Suspenseful, emotional, funny ("I full-on Swayze'd that mother!" Ghost Dean declared) and packing a killer twist (John sacrificed himself to save his son!), "In My Time of Dying" set a high bar for future season premieres.
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Season 3: "Mystery Spot"
In this Groundhog Day-esque installment, Dean died... and died... and died. From the increasingly creative death scenes ("Do these tacos taste funny to you?") to Sam's growing madness over having to helplessly watch his brother's demise over and over again, the Trickster's evil handiwork was a delight.
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Season 4: "Lazarus Rising"
Before "The Monster at the End of This Book" introduced meta into Dean and Sam's lives, before "In the Beginning" revealed that Mary was a hunter, this season opener set the tone for what would be a game-changing year for the Winchesters. In one of the show's most iconic scenes — and one of TV's best character entrances — Dean met the angel who raised him from Perdition: Castiel. Just like that, Supernatural would never be the same again.
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Season 5: "Changing Channels"
A parody of everything from Grey's Anatomy ("So this show has ghosts?") to CSI: Miami to retro sitcoms, "Changing Channels" could have rested on just its brilliant hilarity and still ended up on every fan's Top 10 list. But then the episode went from clever to important with a major mythology reveal: The Trickster is actually the archangel Gabriel.
The French Mistake
Season 6: "The French Mistake"
Could there have been any doubt that this insta-classic, which didn't just break the fourth wall but completely demolished it, would be our Season 6 pick? Dean and Sam's trip to an alternate universe in which they were Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, the stars of a TV show called Supernatural, could have been a disaster. Instead, it was meta at its best.
Death's Door
Season 7: "Death's Door"
The demise of the Winchesters' only surviving father figure, Bobby, was going to be heartbreaking no matter how it went down. But after getting a look at his troubled, abusive past and his lifelong devotion to Dean and Sam, the loss of the beloved character felt even greater.
As Time Goes By
Season 8: "As Time Goes By"
More than a half-dozen seasons in, the show proved it still had some tricks up its sleeve. After encountering their paternal grandfather during a time trip, Dean and Sam discovered that they come from a long line of historian-like Men of Letters. Just when it felt like we knew all there was to know about the Winchesters, the surprise twist deepened the family mythology, gave the boys a home base and provided a wealth of story potential.
Bad Boys
Season 9: "Bad Boys"
It took a while, but the show finally found the perfect incarnation of Young Dean in Dylan Everett's portrayal of the teen during his time in a boys' home. The new insight into the hunter's upbringing had us wishing for a spinoff about wee Winchesters.
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Season 10: "Fan Fiction"
The milestone 200th installment was as much about honoring the series' longtime fans as it was about celebrating the show's own success. And never has there been a sweeter, more embracing love letter to an audience than this musical tale about putting "as much 'sub' into that text as you possibly can."
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Season 11: "Just My Imagination"
Yes, "Baby" was a great tribute to the show's third character, the Impala. But this episode about imaginary friends being murdered had all the hallmarks of an old-school case-of-the-week. It was funny in a bizarre way (so much glittery manicorn blood!), yet it still tugged at the heartstrings with its personal connection to Sam's childhood. Bonus: The Winchesters wear cardigans!
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Season 12: "Who We Are"
The season's penultimate episode gave us a thrilling end to the dastardly British Men of Letters, as well as one of the show's most cathartic scenes when Dean released all his pent-up emotions about mom Mary.
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Season 13: "ScoobyNatural"
Thirteen years in, the show once again proved it still has some clever ideas up its sleeve during a delightful, inventive animated crossover with Scooby-Doo. Can we please make this an annual treat?
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Season 14: "Lebanon"
Before the 300th episode even aired, the promise of Dean and Sam's long-awaited reunion with their deceased dad (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) was poised to make the hour a tearjerker. But actually witnessing the emotional wallop of the face-to-face, not to mention John and Mary's heart-wrenching kiss, was a beautiful reminder that family is the beating heart that keeps the show alive.
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Season 15: "Inherit the Earth"
Some fans argue that the show's penultimate episode could have — and should have — been the series finale, and it's easy to understand why: the climactic hour brought the Winchesters' battle with Chuck to an end, transformed Jack into the new God, and concluded with a nostalgic montage of the past 15 seasons as Dean and Sam were, at long last, free to write their own story.