With 15 seasons under its belt, Supernatural has certainly given many thrilling season finales that fans will always remember. From "Swan Song" to "Moriah", these episodes are some of the best episodes in TV history. However, it's the season premiere that can really set the tone of what's to come.
The beginning of any Supernatural season sets the tone for the entire season and so, the season premiere plays a huge part in the overarching plot of the season. Not every season premiere stands up to the expectations set by the previous season finale but there are some that end up filling the fans with excitement for what's to come. Sometimes, there are key character introductions in these episodes or sometimes fans lose a character.
"We Need To Talk About Kevin" — Season 8
The season 8 premiere, "We Need To Talk About Kevin," starts with a one-year leap. In the season 7 finale, Dean and Cas were teleported to Purgatory, and Sam was left on earth. The Reddit user, AllWhiteInk, names the first episode of season 8 as their favorite season premiere of the show, and their reasoning behind it is "Dean back from Purgatory." After coming back from Purgatory one year later, Dean hitchhikes to find Sam.
However, before reaching Sam, Dean performs a spell to free his vampire buddy, Benny. This introduction to season 8 raised a lot of questions in the minds of viewers (like how Dean is friends with a vampire, how did he get out of Purgatory, and what happened to Cas?) All of these questions are not exactly answered in this episode, which made fans even more excited to watch the rest of the season. To complicate things further, fans learn that Sam spent the entire last year with a woman instead of trying to get Dean back.
"In My Time Of Dying" — Season 2 Premiere
After the big cliffhanger of the season 1 finale, fans were dying to see what the future holds for the Winchesters. The season 2 premiere didn't let them down. Many fans on Reddit called "In My Time Of Dying" the best season premiere in the entire show. In the words of the Redditor, AshleyBrooke681, "It tugged on my heartstrings like crazy on my first watch, one of my top episodes." The episode starts with Dean on the brink of death and a reaper called Tessa coming to take his soul and ends with John Winchester making a deal to save Dean.
This was the first time that the concept of reapers was introduced to the show, which became an integral part of the rest of the Winchesters' journey. It was also a great introduction to Tessa's character. With John's sacrifice for Dean, many fans feel that he kind of redeemed himself as a father but others may point out that before dying he essentially told Dean to kill Sam if he ever turns into something akin to a monster.
"Pilot"
The "Pilot" of Supernatural is a great episode in its own right and the way it introduces the viewers to the protagonists of the show, Sam and Dean Winchester, is excellent. The relationship of the Winchester brothers is the highlight of the episode and it is what compels the audience to give a shot to this new supernatural drama. In the end, the viewers are left wanting to know more about their past, their childhood, and their father. There are some amazing scenes like the one where the Impala chases Dean and Sam on the bridge.
The Redditor, kavalejava heaps high praises on the episode, calling it the best season premiere of Supernatural. They point out, "We have the brothers. Already the chemistry is there, especially the bridge [scene]. Jensen and Jared just started working together and they played the hell out of their roles. Especially when Dean smacked Sam on the head."
"Out Of The Darkness, Into The Fire" — Season 11 Premiere
Many in the fandom believe that the later seasons became a little lackluster when compared to the first half of the show. However, the season 11 premiere introduced one of the biggest villains of the series and that is why it is one of the best season premieres according to the SPN fans. The season 11 premiere picks right after the season 10 finale, with Dean killing Death and unleashing the Darkness on earth.
The user, Mortalfalloutman77, ranks this episode as their episode as one of their favorite season premieres of the show after season 4 and season 2 premieres, "In the third place, I'd have to say 11." The Darkness is a villain that lives up to its name as she infects the people with a sort of darkness, after which these people start killing and infecting other people. This zombie-apocalypse-type scenario was extremely entertaining to watch and it felt a lot like an episode of The Walking Dead.
"Meet The New Boss" — Season 7 Premiere
The first episode of season 7, "Meet The New Boss" is beloved among the fans, even though the rest of the season falls short. The Reddit user, imagine-a-cool-meme, comments "I also thought the premiere of season 7 wasn't bad either. That's third place to me. Unfortunately, the season didn't keep the pace after the first two episodes." Another Redditor, Zilla1689 names the episode as the second-best season premiere of Supernatural.
The episode showcases a different version of Castiel that is known as 'the Godstiel' (when Castiel is powered enough to become a God). The episode sees him as acting as the new God and righting the "wrongs" in the world. This version of Cas is not only immensely powerful but immensely captivating and he brilliantly commands every scene he is in. The episode also follows Sam's trauma from Hell as his wall gets broken down.
"Lazarus Rising" — Season 4 Premiere
The episode that is named as the best season premiere of Supernatural by most of the fans is "Lazarus Rising". The season 4 premiere turned the entire direction of the show. The user W3ndigoGames calls the episode their favorite premiere and they continue to say, "My favorite scene is the introduction of Cas and the music when he says "because God commanded it" is so badass."
Another user loves the episode but for different reasons, BackOnTheHuntPod, a self-proclaimed 'Dean-lover' comments, "Really love the visuals of his [Dean] hand coming out of the dirt, followed by his breaking into a gas station for water." Therefore, this episode is one of the most beloved episodes in the fandom along with being the favorite season premiere. Castiel's introduction was a major turning point of the show because it not only introduced everyone's favorite angel, but also original biblical concepts of Heaven, angels, archangels, God, and more in the show.