Hi Alice,
I was looking for this for a couple of days and really wanted to read your picks before going on my holiday...
So about your list, it kinda match mine with some exceptions, of course. I knew from the start that number 1 episode will be Mystery Spot, just like everybody who read your reviews:)(it's not the first time you talk about MS so yes it was easy to figure out you'll pick that one as the best ever)
I love Nightshifter and the ending is the best ever seen in television so it stays on my favorite list. I enjoyed very much What it is and what should never be or A very Supernatural Christmas but even if I liked Born under a bad sign I can't put it on on my 7 favorite episode 's list.
I don't know, I'm very subjective about this and I can't select episodes like you did, and your arguments are great; I choose the list just by thinking about the way they make me feel. Supernatural has the power to make me feel very different and complexe things, and put me throught some strong emotions...
So my list will have on top my favorite episode of the series- In My time of dying, first ep of the second season. It was wanderful to see the Winchesters together again, even if Dean was more like a spirit. The fight between Sam and John and Dean's intervention, the way Sam looked at his dying brother(that moment make me love Same the same way I love Dean- the way he looks at his brother when the Reaper comes from him, you can see the despair in his eyes, it's the first time Sammy realises that he can loose Dean and what his life could be without his brother), the sacrifice John does for his beloved son, the YED, all this make this episode my favorite of all times.
The second one in the list must be Jus in Bello- i just liked it so much... Dean and Sam treated like criminals, Hendriksen finally realising that the boys are innocents and his wish to become a hunter too;I know that this episode wasn't perfect but I enjoyed it so much...
3- Then is the finale No rest for the wicked- for all the reasons you already said and because it did to me what no show ever did: let me thinking all summer about Dean's faith, making me feel so sad and worried about the faith of a character... I mean I usually think one day, max 2 about a show's finale but with Spn I just can't stop thinking about it, witch it's lame considering I'm old enought to have my part of problems and responsabilities but still I am so impressed about the faith of a fictional character:)))
Number 4 has to be Mystery Spot, we all know why, Number 5 - Devil's Trap, 6- Nightshifter- for the same reasons you do, and finally on 7 place I'll put A very Supernatural Christmas.
But I loved the funny episodes so much so I can extend my list and put on that list some episodes like Bad day at Hard rock, Tall Tales, Holywood Babylon, The kidz are alright(not quite comedy but still funny) and Folson Prison Blues- those are the episodes I always watch when I'm having a bad day:)
Thanks for your review and all of you have a great week:)

OMG, I totally agree with you on everything. You named all my all time favorite episodes and also I agree with the order you put them in. As you said All Hell Breaks Loose was uneven but if part 1 had been season's 2 finale, it would have been in that list too for me. What a season finale that would have been, just as shocking as the season 1 finale. Too bad they had to sort of wrap that story line up because they didn't know if they would return for a third season at the time. All seven episodes you named are ones I can watch over and over again and never get tired of. I'm trying to think what other episodes I would put in that list and I can't really find any that could replace any of those outstanding episodes. Of course, I love all the Supernatural episodes and even the ones that ended up not being my favorites, like Bugs, Route 666, Road Kill and Red Sky At Morning had their moments that still made them worth watching more than once. Supernatural is the best show on tv by far. All the emotions that we go through during these episodes, I mean, who didn't totally cringe when Sam's finger nail was pulled off in A Very Supernatural Christmas? Who didn't laugh and feel bad about it at the same time when Dean died over and over again in Mystery Spot? Talk about conflicting emotions there and as you said, how Sam was in the end, so broken and in fear that it might happen all over again right now and knowing that it will happen when Dean's deal comes due, was definitely heart wrenching and Jared showed that in his facial expression right there in the end of that episode so brilliantly it didn't leave anyone indifferent. Now I can't wait to see what season 4 has in store for us and if some episodes of that season will manage to be better than the ones you listed and change that list of yours. Ok enough babbling on my part, I'll just sit tight and patiently wait for September 18th to be here.

Your first choice is the same as mine. Mystery Spot is my favorite episode to date and I found out that the end scene which you described in your standout moment was an ad-lib which totally blows me away.

Everything about that episode is brilliant from the premise forward. So far, the Trickster is my favorite villain and it's because of this episode.

Can't wait for Season 4!

Great picks, Alice, and good persuasive reasons for why they are your favorites too. It's harder in some ways for me to come up with my SN favorites list than with my least liked list because the quality of the series is so high, that there has been only a few episodes I really didn't like.

As good as most of the episodes are, I agree with you, the best single episode so far for the series is "Mystery Spot," for all the reasons you stated. It was just brilliantly written, acted, and directed.

My other choices for the top seven episodes are similar to yours, with a little variation: 2) No Rest for the Wicked--Season 3's finale was so exciting and tense; 3) Born Under a Bad Sign--ditto on your reasons; 4) What is and What Can Never Be--again, you explained why; 5) Tall Tales--the best comedic episode, and I love the Trickster; 6) A Very Supernatural Christmas--I agree with your take on this episode.

I don't really have a strong 7th choice; it would probably be a tie between "Nightshifter," with Ronald, Hendrikson, and the Styx music; and "Scarecrow" from Season 1, because of the conflict between the brothers, the introduction of Meg, and the "frigging apple pie."

Nice top 7 choice!!! I am really impressed to see that your list looks waaaaaay too much like mine!!! The only two things that are different from mine are the following:

1- Your #1 and #2 are acutually my #2 and #1... That scene in What Is And What Should Never Be with Dean at his father's grave has to be one of the greatest acted scene ever! And it's pretty awesome when you listen to the commentary on that episode and hear Eric Kripke explained that all that scene was done at the 3rd or 4th shot, and Jensen did all the miracle work (because he is a miracle worker!) As for Mystery Spot, all those way of dying that I couldn't have imagined before watching the episode, and especially that mimicking scene at the restaurant gives this episode no lower that 2nd place for sure! (And yes, it was one of Jared's greatest performance... yet!)

2- As for Devil's trap, I really enjoyed it, but In My Time of Dying has to be on my list so I have to change that one. Jensen is more than great (once more) in this episode, and the way he make it seem so easy not to respond to the other characters is unbelievable. But that Ouija board scene has taken my heart away as one of the sweetest moments of season 2!

So that's about it from me. Thank you for this blog and I cannot wait until we get to this point next year and rate some of the season 4 episodes!

Hi Alice,
It's always a pleasure to read your long reviews. After the "worst episode list" I was really looking forward to your favorites. I agree with most episodes but I was little bit suprised that you didn't include "All Hell Breaks Loose". You're definitely right that ranking is difficult. You can pick your favorite episodes without a second thought but at some point it's gets impossible to rank them. That's why I have two second places(Hell will freeze before I can decide between AVSC and MS):

1. All Hell Breaks Loose
2. A Very Supernatural Christmas
2. Mystery Spot
4. No rest for the wicked
5. Devil's Trap
6. Skin
7. Pilot

A sure-fire way to find a great SPN episode is to focus on the season finale. So far, every finale has delivered a fantastic performance by the actors, surprising or shocking events and a cliffhanger that leaves you in an emotional uproar. So I have to include AHBL, NRFTW and DT. The next two, AVSC and MS, aren't normal or great, theyre "epic". A true classic that fascinates you even if it would be your first SPN episode, you can watch it a 1000-times and it never gets boring. The rest are awesome episodes with one fascinating moment more than the average great SPN episode. WIANSB and BUABS are great and I can totally understand why your decision but with "Nightshifter", "Heart" and "Roadkill" I have the same problem, the episodes don't work. I know everyone loves Nightshifter but it alienates me, except for the great end scene, the whole episodes is weird.

AHBL: the most heart-wrenching monlog I've ever seen on TV (Dean talking to dead Sam), an amazing Frederic Lehne, a terrific two-part finale, the death of a main character, a funny pie-dialogue, Bobby's emotional conversations with Dean (I want you to come with me!, I could throttle you), Dean selling his soul, Dean mirroring the end of season 1 (We got work to do), Dean's desperate hug after Sam's resurrection, Jack turning evil, YED mocking Dean, the death of the main villain (YED), Andy freaking out and Ava turning evil, YED showing Sam's past, Jake and Sam's fight, Dean calling for Sam etc.

AVSP: the most funny and dark Christmas episode, the fantastic flashbacks to Dean and Sam's childhood, the hilarious anti-clause idea, Sam giving Dean the necklace, Sam and Dean singing Silent Night, the funny and evil Pagan Gods, Sam and Dean having the same reason for celebrating and not celebrating christmas, the hilarious small-talk during torture, the aweful fingernail scene, Sam giving Dean his last Christmas etc.

MS: a 40-min Ground-hog-day movie but as a cooler, funnier and more emotional Supernatural remake. the most amazing performance by Jared, even better than his evil Sam acting. Sam being annoyed, confused, in the middle of a nervous-breakdown, desperate, sad, angry, frustrated and grumpy. What's worse than a re-occuring Tuesday with Dean dying = Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays without Dean!!! An impressive "terminator" Sam, the Sam hug etc.

NRFTW:a perfect episode finale which had everything, funny jokes, emotions, great special effects, an amazing opening with Dean's dream hellhound chase ( I love Kim for the way he shot that sequence), the emotional close-ups, a great Bon Jovi performance by Sam and Dean, an emotional Bobby, an enjoyable annoying Ruby, a great Lilith possessing Ruby, Dean fighting Ruby, Sam desparately trying to save Dean, Sam using the same ritual as John, Sam finally showing some hint of his powers, the same mistake-speech, the tension rising between Lilith and the dad, released by the hilarious "That's ok, silly"-line, the hell-scene shot (I love the chains and the idea with the eye) etc.

DT:the most heart-breaking car accident (The only car on TV I really wanted to hug, I'm sorry K.I.T.T)

Skin:the opening scene showing an evil Dean with the amazing In-a-Gadda-da-Vidda, the most amazing and perfect Supernatural music moment.

Pilot:the shadow fight between the brothers (I sometimes hate Jess for turning on the light)

Sorry for the long post!!!

Overall I thought your list was great, and your reasoning was very well written and thought out. I was a little surprised not to see Scarecrow on this list only because it really turned the show into what we love today and for the first time showed us that above and beyond John, Sam and Dean needed each other. But I honestly have no idea what episode I'd kick out of your list to make room, so I still applaud your effort!

I have to add my praise to everyone else's for this list, and to say that I too think Mystery Spot is the best episode of the series, and that's saying a lot. I personally can always list Mystery Spot as my fave, but I have a hard time actually coming up with a list beyond that because there are so many.

It's already been said, but I really do think In My Time of Dying belonged on this list...but I'm not sure what I'd remove to make room for it. Also, Skin was, to me, the first really outstanding ep of the show, so I'd put that one on as well. Not to mention that Skin had repurcussions all the way up to Jus in Bello--which also seems like it should belong on this list as the best all-action with angst ep of the series. I also thought Time is On My Side was a great set-up for No Rest For the Wicked. It had one of the freakiest monsters of the series, that eyeball gore, the death of Bela, and the exorcism in the beginning with the demon promising torment for Dean and the burying of Doc Benton at the end with Sam just looking broken and Dean scared but determined, not to mention the long overdue death of Bela that gave me chills because we knew Dean was soon facing the same thing...

Man. I could go on for hours. I look forward to your next post!

I agree with some of the episodes on your list and not others, and my order would be different. :-)

"Mystery Spot" does not make my Top 10 list, I thought the writing was too uneven and the episode was badly edited, it was like watching two episodes crammed into one. I enjoyed the first part of the episode much more than the second part of the episode.

For me, "What Is Or What Should Never Be" is the best episode of the entire series. The script was tight, and Raelle Tucker did a fabulous job with it. In fact, this episode just won a Constellation Award for best script. I thought Kripke did an excellent job with the direction, and not enough praise can be said of the acting, especially Jensen, when Dean saw his mother for the first time, my heart broke, when he saw Sam *with* Jessica, my heart broke, when he was at John's grave, my heart broke, and when he "killed" himself and gave up the dream, my heart broke.

My other episodes would be "In My Time of Dying", "Devil's Trap", "Faith", and "No Rest for the Wicked" and "Nighshifter".

I don't find Mystery Spot the best nor the brightest of episodes. Yes, the first part was good, and entertaining, but the second half was just a jumble of nothing and really, not much to compliment about it. The episode was disjointed and it seemed they tried to force the connection between what was happening and Sam's destiny, and that was a big mistake. They should have left the Trickster as he was, a neutral party doing what he does naturally, cause havoc.

I would say the What is and What Should Never Be, was a masterpiece in SN verse. It had it all, great acting, concept, directing, plot, writing, dialogue. It was just so well put together. So, my list

1) What is and What Should Never Be
2) In My Time of Dying
3) Devil's Trap
4) Nightshifter
5) Jus in Bello
6) Skin
7) Faith

Thanks everyone for the comments! I'm surprised to see many of you in agreement. As Vichi pointed out, anyone that read my reviews knew "Mystery Spot" would be number one. I'm pleased to see there are others out there that agree with me. I'm an aficionado of television writing, so I probably give more weight to a script than other critics and the fans.

I did have an "honorable mention" episode, but this list was already long enough, so it went on my personal blog posting. That episode was the often mentioned in these comments "In My Time of Dying". Why didn't it make the list? I thought the momentum fell flat after the not!ouija board scene (which was fantastic) and before Dean woke up. Yes, I had to be that nitpicky on this list. Otherwise, yes, that episode was stellar, and definitely worthy of a top ten list.

Ranking "All Hell Breaks Loose" would be impossible for this list since it was a two parter. I didn't have two slots for it, and felt like cheating listing it as one. Part one was decent, but what blew us away there was the last five minutes (Sammy!). The whole episode didn't. As for Part II, Dean's scenes with dead Sam were some of the best of the series, as was the scene by the Impala when Sam figured out Dean's deal, but some parts of the graveyard scene were choppy and forced, and if you see the "Making of All Hell Breaks Loose Part II" on the season two DVD extras, we know why. Scheduling, budget, and location nightmares forced a lot of compromises. I could tell, but I enjoyed the end result anyway.

My next review (and only season three one left) is "Jus In Bello". I better get cracking on coming up with an idea for the next two weeks until that airs.

Great reviews. I don't agree with most of the choices but you still write great reviews. :)

In no particular order, I think I would have included Nightshifter, What Is and What Should Never, Devil's Trap, In My Time of Dying, No Rest for the Wicked, Faith and the Pilot(yes it was only setting things up, but it did a brilliant job of it, better than most pilots I think in that Dean and Sam's relationship was right there from the start, I believed they were brothers and it made me believe in the "universe" Kripke seemed to want me to buy into).

Mystery Spot wouldn't be on my list. I thought it was uneven, to me the Trickster's motivation made almost no sense, that the two parts of it didn't mesh very well and I didn't think it was Jared's best performance. The whole part where Sam turns OCD I found over the top and unconvincingly performed, which I don't blame on Jared. I think that was completely a directing decision and I think it was a bad one. I thought he was better in Born Under a Bad Sign.

I also wouldn't have included A Very Supernatural Christmas because I thought that was also very unevenly written. Interestingly they are both written by the same writer, Jeremy Carver, whom I don't believe has a good understanding of either character and whom I also don't think really thinks very deeply about the plotholes in his episodes.

Em - Your list had plenty of merits and I appreciate you sharing! Faith didn't make my list only because I hated Sue-Ann LeGrange. You raised a great point about the writing that I hear all the time, and this is where I often run into philosophical differences with some fans. So, and this goes to everyone, I'm going to take a few paragraphs of all out defense in Jeremy Carver.

I think Jeremy Carver's writing is brilliant, but yes, he's an acquired taste and it's hard for someone with such a unique writing style to work his way into an established show. Fans have these preconceived notions about how their favorite characters should be written (I know, I'm guilty of it too), so when a new writer comes along showing a different side of the characters, it can be polarizing. In Jeremy Carver's case, fans are either loving or hating him. I'm obviously in the loving category.

Jeremy Carver wrote four scripts this season, two of which were uneven, "Sin City" and "Long Distance Call". The other two, "A Very Supernatural Christmas" and "Mystery Spot" were masterpieces, but yes, they present Sam and Dean and the Supernatural universe in a different light. His style relies on rapid fire, clever dialogue with scenes that move from funny to emotional at a snap of a finger, all while keeping a clever and unique plot moving forward. Chances are he's taken classes at the Aaron Sorkin school of script writing, whose style I love. That tends to take away from the nonverbal moments that the other show writers love to use. When forced to rely on wild pacing and loads of great lines, Jensen and Jared enter a different universe, and while many like the changes, many don't want to see the old formula messed with.

Critical fans especially hate the way Mr. Carver writes Dean, but I really think he did him some justice. This season was all about Dean taking stock of his life, and these scripts pushed that envelope farther than others. Dean got a rude awakening about dying and demons from Casey, he decided he wanted to have one last decent Christmas with his brother even though he knew how Sam felt, and we saw his vulnerable side as the clock wound down on his deal and he had hope his dad would be there to save him. These are all great character growth moments, but many post on the boards it's making Dean look dumb.

"Mystery Spot", lets face it, was all about Sam. There wasn't hardly any Dean to expose there. He was pushed to supporting character and the results I think were fun, but it was a different formula. When tearing apart Sam's inner layers, something that has not been done on this show before because Sam's always written mysterious, something shocking was revealed that wasn't expected by many of us, so yes, I'm sure there were those that didn't like the results.

Anyway, I could go on for hours, and maybe analyzing the way Dean is written in season three would make a good topic for the blog next week (and Sam the next week).

Hi Alice,
I'm looking forward to your Jus in Bello-review, love your idea of analyzing Dean and Sam.

I hope you do AHBL and Nightshifter sometime in the near future, comments are just too short to understand why you don't like AHBL (in comparison to the other mentioned episodes) and why exactly Nightshifter is SO great.
By the way I saw the "Making of All Hell Breaks Loose Part II" before writing this post and I only loved the episode more.I think the compromises were better than the original ideas. If I had to choose between the two parts, AHBL II would always win. The only "uneven" episodes which I remember are Long distance call and Malleus Maleficarum.
I'm a fan of Jeremy's writing but he crashed with Long-distance call. I wouldn't agree on Sin City being written uneven. I have to check if you wrote a review for Sin City!!

Cassi -

Hmm, that is an idea, going back and reviewing the landmark episodes of season one and two. I have been harsh on "All Hell Breaks Loose" in terms of critical review, but that doesn't mean I didn't love it. AHBL Part II, the last five minutes anyway, was solely responsible for sparking my interest in this show and getting me to start watching the season one DVDs. Those episodes had so many wonderful moments, and yes, part II was the stronger of the two, but the flow just was a little off compared to these others. I think if Part II had been the proper season three premiere instead of a finale (all being the fault of the CW), then my critical viewpoint might be slightly different. It wasn't a great way to end a season. As a fan though, its all love.

I didn't give Long Distance Call a favorable review, so I agree with you there. I do have a review for Sin City ripping only the first half of the episode, and loving the second half. The dialogue was fantastic, the story was weak. Of course, that was a co-written piece with Robert Singer, so I cut him some slack with that one.

"These are all great character growth moments, but many post on the boards it's making Dean look dumb."

Hey! I wanted to clarify... I've been one who's talked about Carver's writing of Dean, and dumbing him down. It's not because of the things you mentioned, though, but the smaller moments. Dean not knowing that Christmas is anything other than Jesus' birthday, for example, and not being able to recognize the plants' supernatural use even though he's done that sort of thing at least a couple of times in the past. It's the blatant "Sam's the brains of the operation" stuff in Sin City, and the fact that, even though Dean was investigating the calls in LDC fairly reasonably, Carver's attitude seemed to be that Dean was an idiot for doing so, and Sam was right to totally ignore the possibility that it might be real, necessitating an apology at the end for... investigating a case in the usual way. Okay, Mr. Carver.

It's the small moments, the small digs at his hunting competence, that can turn me off a writer in a heartbeat. Hunting is Dean's job... it's his calling, and his life's work. To portray him as less than adept at it strips the character of his only area of expertise... and then he can bring to the table only his emo and his jokes.

I'm not saying the guy needs to be perfect... he definitely isn't, and I love him for his flaws. I enjoy it when he misjudges and makes mistakes as well, like in Bad Day at Black Rock, when he tries his "I can read people" shtick on Bela and gets burned. But that's not a dig against his overall hunting ability, like the things Carver writes in. Dean's the comic of the pair, as well as the one who isn't deeply tied to the plot, and so I think he needs his competence to avoid sliding into dreaded side-character hell.

Ha, that was really long! :) But I hope that clears up a bit of why someone might think Carver's dumbing Dean down. For what it's worth, I think he's probably a good writer, if I could just get past my dislike of those moments. I did really like the first half of Mystery Spot.

Ali - Thanks for the clarification, and you made some very valid points.

I'll admit, Jeremy Carver doesn't bring out the classic Dean, like what we got in "Jus In Bello", but he doesn't bring out the classic Sam either. He offers something different, and approaches Dean more carefree and Sam more damaged. Yes, at times, it goes in extremes, but usually that is with Sam more than Dean.

He gave Dean some really great lines that'll last with us forever ("If you fudging touch me again, I'll fudging kill you"). I love the humorous edge he gave Dean, and thought the dialogue between Dean and Casey in "Sin City" was perfect. Sure, there was that one moment where he couldn't do the exorcism from memory, plus his concern for Richie was very forced, but Dean getting that uneasy glimpse of Sam and how he fit in the demon mythology, I loved how he wrestled with that.

A new writer to a show must follow continuity, and "Sam is the brains of the outfit" was something started as early as season one. Again, maybe Mr. Carver took it a little too far at times, but he didn't invent something new there. Long Distance Call was poorly written, but I think he did Sam far more an injustice than Dean in that one. Sam was completely out of character.

I so agree, I love both Sam and Dean for their flaws. They're great to watch. I loved Dean in the finale taking responsibility for his flawed reaction to Sam's death and facing his fate. He did us proud!

Don't worry about the length! I enjoyed reading your take on things. Debate is fun!