Fans of Supernatural know that the show is amazing and one of the best shows on TV. It has been around for 13 years now and fans still love it as much as they ever did! Yet, over the course of the show, there have been some seriously questionable moments in the series that leave us thinking W!T!F! Like the time Paris Hilton appeared on the show to kidnap teenagers, for example. That was a weird one.
The series will celebrate their 300th episode in the next year, which means they have had a lot to try and cover. With SO many episodes, can we really blame them for the occassional super weird episodes and plotlines? If every episode was amazing, no episode would be amazing. You know? Even if these episodes and storylines are super weird, we still can’t help but love every single one of them. Which of these Supernatural episodes did you think was the strangest when you first watched it?
20. The Time Dean Wouldn’T Stop Dying To Teach Sam A Lesson
Season 3, Episode 11 – “Mystery Spot”
That headline makes it sound like Dean was dying on purpose, but that was not the case. In order to teach Sam a lesson, Gabriel (A.K.A. the Trickster) trapped Sam in the same day. Over and over again, Sam had to watch his brother die and each time, he couldn’t save him. Dean died hundreds of times on that weird, whacky episode. At the time, it really wasn’t funny – even when Sam gave his Tuesday speech. It was upsetting to watch a beloved character die that many times. But according to Gabriel, Sam needed to learn that he couldn’t rely on Dean always being there. He thought the brothers were too attached. If only Gabriel could see them now!
19. When Lucifer Decided To Inhabit A Rockstar
Season 12, Episode 2 – “Mamma Mia”
No offense to Rick Springfield, but no one should play Lucifer except for Mark Pellegrino. The man made us love the devil, so, why would we ever want anyone else? Even Misha Collins has played Lucifer and it wasn’t the same. So, things got super weird when Lucifer was changing up his meat suits and decided he wanted to live the rockstar lifestyle. Rick Springfield played Vince Vincente, a former rockstar who was on the downturn, but his time possessed by Lucifer actually helped his career. Things got even weirder/more complicated when Lucifer jumped ship and went to possess the President and knocked up the President’s mistress. Like… what? This isn’t Scandal! This is Supernatural!
18. That Time The Darkness Brought Sam And Dean’S Mom Back To Life 30 Years After She Died
Season 11, Episode 23 – “Alpha and Omega”
This was a plot twist we did not see coming. After all the madness that was defeating the Darkness, never could we have predicted she’d walk off into the sun with her brother (God) and then give Dean a gift. It wound up being a gift for Sam, too, even if Amara really could care less how Sam’s life would be impacted by it. She decided to revive Mary Winchester some 30 years after her death. In theory, it was a really nice thing to do, given how much Dean missed his mother and how Sam wished he’d gotten to know her. But Mary had been at peace with death – it had been three decades already. Not to mention it was really hard for Sam and Dean to grapple with suddenly having their mother back again.
17. When A Total Stranger Was Writing A Series About Sam And Dean’S Lives
Season 4, Episode 18 – “The Monster at the End of this Book”
The writers and creators of Supernatural love to get meta. One of the most meta parts of the show is when they had the series inside the series, in the form of a set of books written by Carver Edlund, who turned out to be a robe-clad Chuck Shurley. Can you imagine being Dean and Sam, finding out that your entire life thus far was available for a bunch of fangirls to read? If that isn’t weird enough, we later found out that Chuck wasn’t just a writer but instead a prophet of God. And then fast forward even farther, because we then learn Chuck isn’t a prophet, he is God. WHHHAAA-?
16. When Paris Hilton Was Kidnapping Teenagers
Season 5, Episode 5 – “Fallen Idols”
This episode had some weird elements that weren’t just about Paris Hilton (though technically they all came back to the character she was playing). Abraham Lincoln killed a guy. James Dean’s beloved car was involved in an accident. Then two teenagers complain that their friend was kidnapped… by Paris Hilton. It is then that Dean and Sam realized that they weren’t dealing with a ghost, but Leshi, a pagan god that could take on many forms, was behind all the madness. The show creators probably brought Paris onto the show because she’d previously worked with Jared Padalecki on the horror movie House of Wax.
15. The Time Dean And Sam Hunted An Evil Santa
Season 3, Episode 8 – “A Very Supernatural Christmas”
Every show needs to celebrate Christmas and it was super weird when Supernatural did it. Seeing as Dean was dying, he wanted to celebrate Christmas like a “normal family” for once. Of course, Sam had to remind him that they weren’t a normal family – they’d never been a normal family. So it only makes sense that they have to hunt a monster that is pulling people up through their chimneys. Because is it really the holidays if there isn’t an evil Santa?
14. When Sam And Dean Worked At A Spa
Season 9, Episode 13 – “The Purge”
We could picture Sam working at a day spa in a heartbeat. He is super fit and very health conscious. But Dean? No way. The man hasn’t eaten a vegetable (on purpose) for years! He lives off of cheeseburgers, pie, and booze. Good thing their job at the spa was a front to hunt a monster. But even that monster was weird as hell. They were hunting a pishtaco, A.K.A. a fat sucker. What better place to work than a resort/spa where people are trying to lose weight? It was the perfect place to hide in plain sight until the pishtaco’s brother lost his cool and started sucking the fat out of people until it killed them.
13. When Dean Was Afraid Of Dogs
Season 4, Episode 6 – “Yellow Fever”
It is funny to think that there ever could be a time Dean was afraid of anything. Sure, he is afraid of commitment when it comes to women, but considering his profession that’s pretty understandable. He is also terrified of losing his brother, which again, is understandable. But being afraid of a dog? That is hard to believe! When he is hit with a bout of ghost sickness that causes irrational fear, Dean becomes so terrified of everything that he tries to quit hunting. When he and Sam are investigating and they hear a noise, Dean actually screams out loud – sees it is a tiny puppy – and proceeds to shriek even louder than he was before. Classic.
12. Then When Dean Became A Dog
Season 9, Episode 5 – “Dog Dean Afternoon”
When a dog is the only witness that Sam and Dean know of, they decide to get a little creative with how they extract information. Using a bit of magic, the brothers link Dean’s mind to the mind of a German Shepherd. Yes, that is a real moment that happened on Supernatural. Obviously, it came with some side effects the brothers hadn’t expected. Meaning, Dean himself starts to act like a dog. There is even a scene where Dean has a heart-to-heart with a dog, the Colonel, who confesses that dogs aren’t man’s best friend, but have a specific purpose. Of course, the spells wore off right before he can tell Dean what that is.
11. When Dean And Sam Go To A Supernatural Convention
Season 5, Episode 9 – “The Real Ghostbusters”
Now, as if the Supernatural book series wasn’t weird enough for the guys, there was a whole fandom storyline added. Not to knock Supernatural conventions IRL, but having one on the show was wacky. In fact, the convention Dean and Sam attend was like a parody of real ones. Things started off on the wrong foot when a superfan tricked Sam and Dean into coming by stealing Chuck’s phone. Then, Sam and Dean have to witness fans role-playing their lives. Talk about awkward!
10. When Dean And Sam Are Transported Onto A Sexy Doctor Tv Show
Season 5, Episode 8 – “Changing Channels”
Was this one weird? Obviously, but it is still hilarious to this day. Another trick masterminded by the Trickster himself, Gabriel, Dean and Sam get the Grey’s Anatomy treatment. As a way to entertain himself, Gabriel plops the Winchester brothers into an alternate universe, where they’re on various different shows. They wind up on Dr. Sexy, MD, along with a sitcom and a Japanese game show. In order to get out, they realize that they need to play along. But their BFF Castiel shows up to warn them not to get too comfortable, or else they’ll get stuck in this sexy doctor world forever. Not gonna lie, we’d watch that show.
9. That Time People Started Dying Cartoonish Deaths
Season 8, Episode 8 – “Hunteri Heroici”
This is probably how the Supernatural creative team got to pretend the show was a cartoon, without cracking into the animated world completely. (But they were ahead of themselves, seeing as Supernatural is getting the animation treatment with a Scooby-Doo crossover soon.) In “Hunteri Heroici,” Sam, Castiel, and Dean have to investigate a series of deaths that are very cartoonish in nature, like an anvil smashing a person for example. The weirdest part of this storyline was probably the fact that Cass is the one who found the case because he decided he wanted to become a hunter. Uncharacteristic.
8. When Sam And Dean Meet The Ghost Hunters
Season 1, Episode 17 – “Hell House”
The Ghostfacers are a running joke on Supernatural. We’re just not really sure who is actually still laughing at them (no offense guys, you’re great). It was pretty hilarious at first to watch Sam and Dean come face to face with “ghost hunters,” because they obviously had no idea what they were actually talking about. How did these guys manage to make it into season one, three, four, five, and nine? Obviously, the Ghostfacers ended pretty epically. They managed to tie Slender Man into this storyline and for that, we are thankful and hateful at the same time.
7. That Time The Boys Learned That Fairies Were Real
Season 6, Episode 9 – “Clap Your Hands if You Believe…”
Should we even be surprised that fairies exist? If there are angels, demons, leviathans, werewolves, and vampires, why wouldn’t there be fairies? When the episode started, it seems the boys might be dealing with aliens and abductions. But instead, Dean is kidnapped by fairies! To make things even weirder, Dean is the only one who can see the fairy that is attacking him. At the end of it all, fairies are real, and the brothers also discover there are elves, gnomes, and leprechauns, too.
6. When Dean Larped
Season 8, Episode 11 – “LARP and the Real Girl”
When the pair of brothers learns about two LARPers who were murdered, Dean decides to go undercover as a LARPer – which is kind of ridiculous by itself. Sam was always the one who was more inclined to things of this nature, so Dean’s decision seemed a bit out of left field. Maybe the writers just did this so we could see Jensen Ackles with face paint and in costume, though. Lucky for Dean and Sam, while investigating, they run into their buddy, Charlie, who turns out to be the Queen of the game they’re playing.
5. When Dean And Sam Are Sent To An Alternate Universe Where They Both Play Actors
Season 6, Episode 15 – “The French Mistake”
This episode might be weird, but it is hands down one of the best episodes of Supernatural in all thirteen seasons. To make things super meta, Sam and Dean are sent by Balthazar to an alternate universe. There, Sam and Dean are just characters on a TV show, played by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. IRL – or in an alternate reality – Jensen and Jared actually don’t get along and their on-set relationship is quite tense. Castiel is really Misha Collins, who does not have a deep, gravely voice. Jared is married to Ruby and basically everything is flipped on its head.
4. When Someone Went Around Killing Imaginary Friends
Season 11, Episode 8 – “Just My Imagination”
Just when we’d seen everything on Supernatural (or so we thought), imaginary friends come into play. Sam apparently had an imaginary friend growing up, which makes sense, given how isolated he was at times. But then Sam’s imaginary friend Sully randomly appears after a glittery, unicorn horn-wearing fellow imaginary friend is murdered. Yup, someone was going around murdering imaginary friends. The plot of the murders is really just as out there as they possibly can get for Supernatural, but the flashbacks of young Sam playing with Sully will actually make you want to cry. They’re so sweet and a touch heartbreaking.
3. The Black And White Monster Trip To Oktoberfest
Season 4, Episode 5 – “Monster Movie”
It basically comes in writing that every show needs a “black and white” episode. They’re typically noir style, which this would fall into if it weren’t for Dean’s blasé attitude the entire episode. It all starts when Dean and Sam start investigating murders at Oktoberfest. It’s obvious various monsters are attacking the patrons at the festival, but it turns out it is just one monster, who is impersonating old school monsters from Hollywood movies. So, yeah, there is a scene where a guy dressed as Dracula tries to bite Dean.
2. That Time Evil Clowns Exploded Into Glitter
Season 7, Episode 14 – “Plucky Pennywhistle’s Magical Menagerie”
Any time clowns are involved, we all lose, right? Poor Sam is forced to confront his very real and very understandable fear of clowns. Sure, he kills monsters for a living, but clowns are just something else. And he has to go into a pizza joint that is run by a clown. It turns out there is a monster forcing kids to draw their deepest darkest fears and then those fears are killing their parents. As Dean solves the case, Sam is literally surrounded by clowns and has to fight them all off. If you hate clowns, it’s an episode you just had to skip.
1. That Time Dean And Sam Worked In Corporate
Season 4, Episode 17 – “It’s A Terrible Life”
Any episode where Sam and Dean are not on good terms is weird. But to watch Sam and Dean living completely separate lives… that is just wrong. Dean is a health nut, too – shocker. They are living completely corporate lives and working at the same company, but not even in the same departments. When their co-workers start committing suicide, they have to team up and work together to figure out what is going on. Turns out, Zachariah created the whole thing in Dean’s head to teach him a lesson, that Dean Winchester is a hunter, no matter the circumstances.