"Shadow"—Meg shows up with daevas, forcing a confrontation with John and the boys. Since any excuse for a rewatch is a good excuse, I figured I’d not only invite my Supernatural "Team Free Will North Carolina" (TFWNC) Facebook group to join me, but I’d also recap my thoughts on which episodes Entertainment Weekly (EW) chose, which ones they skipped, and what was left out of their selection process. Already, their chemistry together is believable. You can compare what played in the two places. What important things were in the episodes that got left out? Music also plays such a big role in Supernatural, so I noted which iconic songs were included and which were missed in the skipped episodes. As I was looking for a way to pass the quarantine summer doldrums, I saw Entertainment Weekly’s list of what it considered to be the 75 most ‘essential’ episodes of Supernatural, leading up to Season 15.

The blood red hotel room walls intrigued me.

And some foreshadowing—“I’m gonna be the one to bury you.” Ouch! Reporting on all that turned into quite the project, and The WFB was kind enough to let me share it here! Some quotes to ponder: “I have a Yorkie upstairs and he pees when he’s nervous.” What is it with Dean and Yorkies? As I was looking for a way to pass the quarantine summer doldrums, I saw Entertainment Weekly’s list of what it considered to be the 75 most ‘essential’ episodes of Supernatural, leading up to Season 15.. Genius! "Dean Man’s Blood" and "Salvation"— starts to build the Colt story arc and play into the season finale. (My snarky opinions are my own and don’t reflect those of The WFB.). Where did they get them? I agree that what was included gives us the strong bond between the boys, the complicated relationship with John, the basics about Yellow Eyes and the ‘special children’, enough to worry about what John made Dean promise and Sam’s future/abilities, and the core personality traits of the brothers.

Supernatural has done scary episodes, gross-out episodes, funny episodes, tragic episodes, tragically funny episodes and episodes set on its own soundstage.

Here are 20 of the very best. I love how even this early, Jared and Jensen move around each other, touch each other, inhabit each other’s personal space just like brothers, like people who have lived/worked in tight quarters.

Want to read more about the ‘essential’ episodes? “Never do that again—go missing like that. Breaking down the big WTF moments from Supernatural Season 15, Episode 18.

In "Fan Fiction", the boys stumble upon a high school where they're putting on a musical about their lives, based on the book series written by Chuck, of course.

On the other hand, there’s no bad excuse for a recap/rewatch, so come on the journey with me and let’s have a look at the road so far! As I was looking for a way to pass the quarantine summer doldrums, I saw, Entertainment Weekly's Supernatural Binge Guide, The Top 100 Favorite Supernatural Episodes.

I would have loved for Sam and Dean to have run into that same sheriff at the sheriffs’ convention in "Hibbing 911"! This episode took place in Hibbing, MN. Now, as “Supernatural” prepares to release its final seven episodes, Variety has ranked the best traditional horror episodes of the show.

It was a major episode … "Skin"—The first time we see a shape shifter, and Dean ends up wanted for murder, plus an insight into Sam’s old college friendships.

Also, the altar with the bones reminded me a lot of the supposedly real Voudoo altars I’ve seen in New Orleans. For me, this is pretty much a perfect episode.

Some interesting quotes, “You can’t kill death” and “You can’t play God.” Oh, those words will come back to haunt them! "Route 666"–Okay, we can skip the racist truck, but we also miss Cassie, and interesting insight into Dean’s years without Sam.

This episode is one of the best examples of that as the series celebrates the massive milestone of reaching 200 episodes. I loved Dean bonding with the boy who heard the ‘monster’ over Godzilla! When Dean smacks Sam up the back of the head on the bridge? Plus, “If you’re going to have faith, you can’t just have it when the miracles happen—you have to have it when they don’t.” Wow—what a set up for the future!

Supernatural is at its best when it goes meta. The WFB’s Episode Guide links to our reviews and discussions of each episode!

"Dead in the Water" and "Bloody Mary" — Monster of the Week episodes. A note about music: Season 1 is the only season where the music on Netflix differs from what was broadcast and what is on the DVDs due to rights negotiation. So....what are your thoughts on the episodes that EW chose? In this episode, we get an early glimpse of Bobby and Rumsfield (his dog), plus different traps and an alternate start to the usual exorcism litany. "Phantom Traveler"—Dean on a plane with a demon, and a clue that their father might still be alive.

Do you agree or disagree that they were the most ‘essential’ to convey the plot? There was no way we could pick the best moments from Supernatural Season 15, Episode 18. If you have a choice, watch the DVDs!

I find the choice of ‘essential’ episodes to be as much about what wasn’t picked (and maybe why) as what was.

I love the gritty, industrial backgrounds and blond Meg. Plenty of the ‘brothers’ theme’ music in this one. So much of the emotion and backstory got left out in this list in favor of tracing the ‘plot’, that while it’s a nice reminder for those who know the show well, it lacks the depth and resonance of what makes Supernatural so heartrendingly special.

Castiel's 11 best moments on Supernatural For 12 seasons, Misha Collins played Castiel, the angel by Sam and Dean Winchester's side. The EW article suggests that the ‘Essential 75’ is a good ‘refresher’ for fans, and a primer for those who haven’t watched the show but want to see what the fuss is about. "Home"—The boys return to the house in Lawrence, and we get important back story, meet Missouri Mosley, see Mary’s ghost, and realize John is actively dodging Sam and Dean. "Hook Man"—MOTW with a spooky urban legend. "Wendigo"—a MOTW that helps establish that the boys hunt real monsters. thewinchesterfamilybusiness.com - Supernatural TV Show.

"Hell House"—The first Ghostfacers episode. Because of that difference, the music on the Netflix version is underwhelming—it lacks the pop culture associations that come with famous songs, and frankly, the less famous music just isn’t as good. Both statements are true. I’m not looking for you.” Oh, Dean—if you only knew! Share your thoughts in the comments below, then keep going with season 2!Written by Gail Z. MarinFormatted and Illustrated by NightskyA version of this recap was originally posted in Supernatural TFWNC Facebook group. "Asylum" and "Scarecrow"—skipping these means we don’t get the complicated push-pull of Sam and Dean’s relationship. Did we ever see Sam and Dean in full State Police uniforms again?

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"Something Wicked" — Important insight into Sam and Dean’s childhood. "Nightmare" — Max Miller and the beginning of the ‘psychic kids’ arc, and Sam’s one use of telekinesis. Article contents have been edited for clarity and to better fit with The WFB. "Provenance"—The haunted painting is MOTW but we also see Sam caring about someone new. "Bugs"—MOTW in a cheesy horror movie way. I cringe when I think about anyone who isn’t already very familiar with Supernatural watching this selection of episodes and thinking they’ve got the essence of the show. Then there was, “It’s hard to believe in something so much and have it disappoint you like that.” Ouch! Some of those were Monster of the Week (MOTW) episodes that didn’t have a big arc contribution, while others did help us better understand Sam, Dean and their relationship. What would you have done differently? Read through "The Top 100 Favorite Supernatural Episodes", as ranked by The WFB and several other Supernatural fan sites, for a different overall view of Supernatural as series! There is so much in each episode that builds the history/relationship between the boys that skipping these episodes feels wrong. Original Concept: Entertainment Weekly's Supernatural Binge Guide. Even EW admits that ‘essential’ to the main plot isn’t the same as ‘best’.