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- Supernatural lives on in the prequel series The Winchesters on The CW. The new series follows the lives of Sam and Dean Winchester's parents, John and Mary. The two hunters who would later sire the men who would help defeat God and save the world had their own amazing adventures before their sons ever started killing demons and defeating ghosts. However, as with Supernatural, the new series is likely to have a few stumbles along the way. These are episodes that are either bad enough that fans never want to think about them again, much less see them, or so devastating that they strike fear into the souls of the viewers, knowing that something bad is about to happen to their favorite characters.
Jensen Ackles will soon be seen in The Boys, while Jared Padalecki can be found in action in Walker. However, the pair also portrayed Sam and Dean Winchester’s adventures for 327 episodes spread across 15 years in Supernatural. In addition to the overarching story, there were plenty of filler episodes along the way. Some also carry such heavy-handed moments that it’s difficult to rewatch them knowing what’s going to happen.
Since there are so many episodes, fans can simply skip the episodes that they find are anything from too heartbreaking, boring, or just bad. Whether it’s something like Sam dealing with Dean’s death to the failed backdoor pilot of Supernatural: Bloodlines, it’s worth looking into the episodes that very few have ever watched back again.
UPDATE: 2023/01/20 14:00 EST BY SHAWN S. LEALOS
Supernatural lives on in the prequel series The Winchesters on The CW. The new series follows the lives of Sam and Dean Winchester's parents, John and Mary. The two hunters who would later sire the men who would help defeat God and save the world had their own amazing adventures before their sons ever started killing demons and defeating ghosts. However, as with Supernatural, the new series is likely to have a few stumbles along the way. These are episodes that are either bad enough that fans never want to think about them again, much less see them, or so devastating that they strike fear into the souls of the viewers, knowing that something bad is about to happen to their favorite characters.
Season 1, Episode 13 - "Route 666"
The first season of Supernatural was hit-and-miss. While there was a lot to love about the season, as it was one of the few that consisted almost exclusively of Monster of the Week stories with little mythology along the way. However, that also meant that when the monsters weren't interesting, the episodes fell flat. That included the episode with a racist truck.
In "Route 666," Sam and Dean found a town where a truck chased down Black men and killed them before disappearing into the night. What resulted was a ridiculous premise with a villain that was a truck kept mostly in the distance. With bad writing, lackluster acting, and mostly forgettable stakes, this was one episode that fans could skip and never miss anything.
Season 7, Episode 3 - "The Girl Next Door"
After a disappointing season 6, Supernatural picked up the pace again in season 7 with the introduction of the very powerful Supernatural creatures, the Leviathans. This created a new big bad that was interesting and fresh, and Sam and Dean looked like they could get into some interesting battles once again. However, after two great episodes to start the season, things screeched to a halt with the third episode, "The Girl Next Door."
While the episode looked fun at the start, with Bobby helping Dean escape from the hospital, things went off the rails with the story. The worst sin a television episode can commit is being boring. The episode has flashbacks to Sam from years past and a monster he had a relationship with. However, when Dean shows up and kills her in front of her son, it puts the two brothers at odds again. Between Dean's moral code never seeming consistent and the brothers' constant trust issues, this episode brings out the worst aspects of the show.
Season 6, Episode 14 - "Mannequin 3: The Reckoning"
Are inanimate mannequins really that scary? There is the idea that a lot of mannequins in one place could be a bit creepy, but with the disappointing Supernatural season 6 episode, "Mannequin 3: The Reckoning," things were a little ridiculous. Clearly, that was the point based on the name of the episode bringing back memories of cheap horror sequels of the 80s, but this episode was just one that most people watched once and never felt the need to turn on again.
The idea was interesting, with a haunted kidney. This meant burning the bones didn't end the threat as long as someone had that organ donated to them. Outside the twist there, the entire mystery was by the book and delivered nothing new. However, between Dean going back to the family that he left behind, a terrible conversation with Ben, and his constant back and forth with Sam going nowhere, things dragged their feet here. The lackluster Monster of the Week just didn't help matters.
Season 9, Episode 8 - "Rock and a Hard Place"
There are a lot of contenders for lackluster Supernatural episodes. However, when it comes to the worst ones ever, "Rock and a Hard Place" is right there for fans wanting to forget it ever existed. What really hurts this episode was that it was just a bare-bones skeleton of a plot, with Sheriff Mills calling in Dean and Sam and then the two just stumbling from one clue to the next.
Between them not needing to even try to solve the case and the fact it was just boring and offered nothing new made this an episode that was forgettable, the worst sin for the series. It also hurts that Dean Winchester is more than creepy in this episode, and it is a portrayal that really destroys the character development he had enjoyed to this point. Sam and Dean can often save bad episodes, but when they come across as badly as Dean here, nothing can redeem it - not even Jody, one of Supernatural's best characters.
Season 1, Episode 8 - "Bugs"
There are some things from Season 1 of Supernatural that haven’t aged well, with this episode often remembered as a misfire. Viewers didn’t like the idea that bugs could be the villains of a story, which is what the premise was supposed to be here.
It’s generally seen by people watching Supernatural for the first time because they don’t know what to expect. The bizarre outline of the heroes fighting insects and running away from them isn’t endearing the second time around, as fans usually mention the episode just to point out weaker episodes in Supernatural’s history.
Season 3, Episode 13 - "Ghostfacers"
There aren’t that many unpopular opinions about Supernatural, but certain directional techniques haven’t been met with praise. In “Ghostfacers,” Sam and Dean come across the titular team while the latter are filming their show, which places the framing device through a documentary style.
It’s not a very comfortable experience, especially since the wonky camera work makes it difficult to follow the action. Viewers won’t be inclined to check out this episode again because of how gimmicky it feels. There’s also the fact that “Ghostfacers” is placed right by the end of the season when the other episodes are laden with action, so skipping it is a natural impulse.
Season 3, Episode 16 - "No Rest For The Wicked"
While this season finale carries one of the most compelling cliffhangers in Supernatural, fans usually can’t bear to watch Dean bite it in such a gruesome fashion. The episode sees the brothers ambushing Lilith to prevent Dean from being sent to Hell, only for Lilith to outsmart them,
Dean is brutally slain by a Hellhound, which is a sight that Supernatural fans always want to avoid. Since the entire struggle to get to Lilith is for naught, re-watching the episode just to watch the hero get killed isn’t something that fans are itching to experience.
Season 6, Episode 1 - "Exile On Main Street"
Season premieres of Supernatural are usually fast-paced in order to capture viewers’ interest straightaway - “Exile on Main Street” doesn’t conform to this practice. The premiere drags along showing Dean’s mundane retired life until he’s saved by Sam, but the remainder of the episode’s events are equally slow.
There’s very little action and a lot of Dean and Sam walking around talking about uninteresting things like Lisa and Ben or the Campbell family - fans don’t really care about either. The fallout from the previous season is the only reason viewers watched this the first time around and very few re-watch it after that.
Season 6, Episode 8 - "All Dogs Go To Heaven"
Some storylines just make people uncomfortable more than anything else and watching a grown man pretend to be a family’s dog certainly qualifies. Here, Dean and Sam learn a skinwalker has become a family’s pet before uncovering several other skinwalkers that look to eliminate them.
The episode attempted to make viewers feel bad for the dog skinwalker, but it didn’t take. Viewers aren’t exactly motivated to watch this rather creepy story again, even more so due to Sam and Dean’s relatively sedate involvement in the plot.
Season 9, Episode 15 - "#THINMAN"
The Ghostfacers were moderately entertaining because they were a comedic act, which this episode completely eliminated. It’s about the brothers coming across the pair once again, with the reveal that one of the Ghostfacers brought the monster alive to try and get the other to restart their partnership.
The episode doesn’t have any bearing on the overall story and is about two characters that most don’t even care about. There are plenty of other filler episodes with much more appealing monsters as well, so there’s no reason to watch this one again after the first time.
Season 9, Episode 20 - "Bloodlines"
Among the most notorious storylines that Supernatural dropped was its attempt to launch a spin-off. “Bloodlines” barely has Sam and Dean at all, with the focus on monsters around Chicago and designated protagonist Ennis, who has little to no personality for fans to connect with.
Since nothing came out of this intended backdoor pilot, the episode is a jarring inclusion in the series. With almost no Sam and Dean onscreen either, “Bloodlines” is a creative misfire that both the show and its fans are very content with trying to forget instead of reliving all over again.
Season 10, Episode 1 - "Black"
Fans don’t generally like episodes where Sam and Dean are separated, much less when one of them straight-up doesn’t care about the other. In “Black,” Demon Dean’s newfound evil attitude makes him give up the love he had for his brother and engage in mischievous antics while Sam searched for him.
The episode’s premise is already frustrating in its first viewing, which leaves little room for a rewatch. The character of Cole Trenton wasn’t met with positive reception and his debut here isn’t an aspect that anyone remembers fondly or would want to check out once again.
Season 10, Episode 21 - "Dark Dynasty"
Charlie grew to become a fan favorite and the Supernatural fandom is still saddened by her demise. This episode is where she meets her doom, with the final shot of Charlie’s bloodied corpse still a sight that’s difficult to stomach. While it carries a tense and intriguing pace, Charlie’s death is too sad to qualify for repeated viewing.
It has another heartbreaking element in retrospect, in that fans know that this version of Charlie never came back to life or was ever reunited with the brothers. Knowing that the episode is the last time viewers ever saw Charlie might just make it difficult to feel the impact once more.
Season 15, Episode 20 - "Carry On"
The series finale broke millions of hearts worldwide when Dean was killed off for good. Many expected a happy ending for the brothers, which only arrived at the closing moments when Sam and Dean were reunited in Heaven after decades; most of the episode is about Sam’s grief.
There’s either the death of Dean to watch here or Sam’s intense mourning period - neither is appealing to Supernatural fans. Even the viewers who found it to be a good series finale have difficulties watching the protagonists in such grief, making the finale a one-and-done affair.