When a show is on as long asSupernatural, it’s inevitable that some episodes are not going to connect with the overall storyline of each season. Certain episodes are meant to tell a story that has nothing to do with the main plot of the season. These episodes are meant to take up space between the main story beats that propel the narrative forward. The types of episodes are typically called “filler” episodes, and despite the fact that they have little or nothing to do with the main plot, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
With 15 seasons and 327 episodes, many of those are bound to be filler. Many of those filler episodes, however, have provided us with some of the most memorable moments from the show. The overarching storylines in each season ofSupernaturalranged from apocalypses to an all-out war with God himself, but the filler and monster-of-the-week episodes were what made the show enjoyable for many. Here are 11 of the best filler episodes ofSupernatural.
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11"Monster Movie" - Season 4, Episode 5
Season four really honored the show’s original monster-of-the-week format with its fifth episode “Monster Movie”. The episode takes place during Oktoberfest and finds Sam and Dean investigating strange happenings that lead them to a shapeshifter with a penchant for taking on the forms of characters from classic monster movies. He takes the form of characters such as the Wolfman or the Mummy, but the form he spends the most time in is Dracula.
Why It’s Great
Not only is this episode a textbook monster-of-the-week story, but it is also an ode to all the iconic monsters from old movies. The creative decision to have the episode air in black and white gave it a genuine monster movie feel and the mannerisms of the shapeshifter portraying Dracula were exactly what you would expect from an old monster movie. It had nothing to do with the season’s storyline, but it was certainly a fun episode to watch.
10"Ghostfacers" - Season 3, Episode 13
Perhapstwo of the funniest recurring charactersin theSupernaturaluniverse were without a doubt Harry (Travis Wester) and Ed (A.J. Buckley), a.k.a the Ghostfacers. The episode sees Sam and Dean investigate a supposedly haunted house from a case that John (Jeffery Dean Morgan) never cracked where they run into Hell Hounds. The brothers also find themselves in the pilot episode of a paranormal reality show hosted by an amateur group called the Ghostfacers.
The Ghostfacers crew is undeniably hilarious, especially because they truly think they are expert ghost hunters. The way that Harry and Ed get on Sam and Dean’s nerves throughout the episode is hysterical, and their reactions to the tomfoolery of the young team of aspiring paranormal investigators make the episode one of the most memorable in the entire show, even though it didn’t relate to season three’s plot line.
9"LARP and the Real Girl" - Season 8, Episode 11
There were many great friendships onSupernatural, but perhaps none quite as wholesome and genuine as the strong bond between Dean and Charlie (Felicia Day). In season eight, Sam and Dean are reunited with their favorite computer wiz once again when they investigate the fictional world of Moondoor when two LARP-ers (live-action role players) turned up dead.
The episode has no relation to season eight’s overall story of translating the angel and demon tablets to close the gates to Heaven and Hell, but it is one of the season’s best episodes. Dean and Charlie spend most of the episode together being their usual goofy selves, and it was always nice to see Charlie bring out the naturally nerdy side of Dean. It was also fun to see Sam and Dean dressed up with painted faces and getting completely into the world of LARP.
8"Fan Fiction" - Season 10, Episode 5
The writers decided to dedicate the show’s 200th episode completely to the fans inthe most meta way possible. Since it is canon within theSupernaturaluniverse that a series of books about the Winchester brothers exists, the writers were able to create an episode that involved “Supernatural” being turned into a high school, fan-made musical that covered essentially everything up until the events that caused Dean to bare the Mark of Cain.
The episode exists purely to let the fans know how appreciated they are and that the cast and crew notice the dedication put into making art that represents their love for the show. The episode gave us original songs such as “The Road So Far” and “A Single Man Tear” in addition to a rather moving rendition of Kansas' “Carry on Wayward Son”. Sam and Dean were both skeptical and uncomfortable with the ordeal at first, but even they grew to love what was created by the end of the episode.
7"The French Mistake" - Season 6, Episode 15
An episode that is universally adored by allSupernaturalfans is none other than season six’s “The French Mistake”. The show became meta fairly early on, but it didn’t stop filler episodes like this from being some of the best creative work the series ever put out. The self-referential episode follows the boys being transported to an alternate universe by Balthazar to protect them from an attack by Raphael. The universe they land in is one whereSupernaturalis just a show, and Sam and Dean are just fictional characters played by actors.
Everything about this episode is pure joy and entertainment. Not only is the episode directly referencing the fact thatSupernaturalis indeed just a show, but Sam and Dean have to pretend to be their real-life actors, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. Misha Collins still plays Castiel in this universe, so he has to play both his character and himself in the episode. Plus, there are references to Jensen’s previous work in soap operas and Jared being married to the actress who played Ruby in season four, Genevieve Padalecki.
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6"Mystery Spot" - Season 3, Episode 11
A songSupernaturalfans will immediately associate with the showis Asia’s “Heat of the Moment”. In the season three episode “Mystery Spot”, Sam is forced to relive the same day over again only to watch Dean die hundreds of different ways. Every morning begins with “Heat of the Moment” playing on the motel’s radio alarm clock as Dean yells out to him “Rise and shine, Sammy!”
Dean’s wake-up call to Sam has been a fan-favorite moment ever since the episode aired back in 2008, as has the scene in the diner when Sam anticipates everything Dean is about to say to him. It is a hilarious episode, plus it introduced us to the Trickster, a.k.a. archangel Gabriel (Richard Speight Jr.) undercover for the first time.
5"Mint Condition" - Season 14, Episode 4
Dean would often hide the fact that he was secretly a nerd with his charm and good looks, but there is no denying that the man was a huge pop culture nerd. He would especially geek out over horror movies, and that was never more apparent than in season 14’s episode “Mint Condition”. The episode saw the Winchesters investigate a comic book shop where action figures start coming to life and Dean finds himself going up against his favorite slasher movie villain, Hatchet Man.
The episode pays homage to cheesy ’80s slasher movies in a fun and unique way. It truly does feel like you are stepping back in time to watch a new slasher movie unfold, and part of that is because of Dean’s evident obsession with them. Hatchet Man even has a corny catchphrase, “Time to slice and dice!”, that makes Dean laugh every time. Of course, getting to witness Dean gush over the movies he loves was always a wholesome treat.
4"Yellow Fever" - Season 4, Episode 6
Another filler episode that is collectively considered to be one of the best episodes of the series is season four’s “Yellow Fever.” In the episode, Dean is stricken with a mysterious disease that frightens its sufferers to death, causing the brothers to scramble to find a cure before Dean is literally scared to death.
This episode isfilled with countless entertainingmoments that still induce laughter after all these years. From running away from a little dog to screaming as loud as possible when a cat jumped out of a locker, there simply isn’t a shortage of hilarious Dean moments here. Even his driving becomes uncharacteristically cautious, as he tells Sam he won’t make a left-hand turn because he isn’t suicidal. Dean also infamously tells Sam that what they do is insane and that they’re crazy for hunting the things that everyone else is afraid of. It’s simply a fun episode.
3"Regarding Dean" - Season 12, Episode 11
Season 12 may be one of the weaker seasons ofSupernatural, but its episode “Regarding Dean” is anything but. Dean rapidly starts losing his memory after a powerful witch hexes him, to the point where he cannot even remember his own name. Sam asks Rowena (Ruth McConnell) for her help in reversing the spell and saving his older brother’s memory.
There are certainly funny moments in this episode, such as Dean forgetting the word “lamp” and instead saying “light stick”. Still, it is actually a rather emotional episode as we watch Dean lose his sense of self as his memory quickly deteriorates before he can comprehend what’s happening. There was a touching moment between Rowena and Dean while Sam was out looking for the witch that hexed his brother, and Jensen’s acting is exceptional in this. It has absolutely nothing to do with the season’s storyline, but it is most definitely one of the season’s best.
2"ScoobyNatural" - Season 13, Episode 16
The Winchesters have found themselves in all kinds of bizarre situations over the years. From being put into various types of television shows to acting like a dog, Sam and Dean have seen pretty much everything. Therefore, putting them into an animated cartoon wasn’t even the weirdest situation they were ever in. Season 13 did exactly that when one of the greatest television crossovers happened in “ScoobyNatural”, where the brothers and Castiel are transported into the world of animation to help the Scooby gang solve their first supernatural mystery.
Supernaturalwas already extremely self-aware by this point in the show, so to have the three main characters team up with one of the most famous cartoon teams of all time was a delightful break from the season’s main storyline. Between Dean stuffing his face with Shaggy and Scoob or trying to win over Daphne, the episode is an absolute laugh riot. Cas also somehow fits in perfectly for an angel from Heaven, perhaps because of his natural awkwardness that comes across as deadpan humor. Even Sam ends up fitting in when Velma develops a crush on him. The episode concept is completely absurd and that’s why it worked so well.
