The 10 best Supernatural episodes of the Eric Kripke era

Eric Kripke rose to prominence for creating the fantasy series Supernaturalfor which he served as showrunner. However, one of the biggest changes Supernatural happened when Eric Kripke left the show after season 5, leading to Sera Gamble, Jeremy Carver, Robert Singer and Andrew Dabb taking over until Supernatural ended in 2020 – although Kripke served as an executive consultant on season 7. Kripke originally envisioned Supernatural to conclude after three seasons, but later expanded to five, Still, the show's positive reception helped develop the series further, and Supernatural it eventually ended with a total of 15 seasons.

The Kripke era covers seasons 1 through 5 of Supernaturaland it has a distinctly different feel than the other seasons. From establishing the show's lore, emotional exposition of Winchester's backstory, or building up to the Biblical Apocalypse, there are a lot of really good episodes in Supernatural first seasons for several reasons. This makes choosing the best ones a difficult task. However, the main one was Kripke Supernatural The episodes that really stand out are those with stronger stories and visuals and those with deeper meaning for the show as a whole.

10

Night shifter

Season 2, Episode 12

After Season 1 established the show with Supernatural Plan horror movie a week, season two delivered an even better season as it showed Sam and Dean outside of their comfort zone, navigating a world without their father. Notably, “Nightshifter” season 2 featured like others in the Supernatural universe may see the Winchesters as criminalsespecially after Dean's run-in with the law in the first season of “Skin.”

While investigating a shapeshifter, Sam and Dean find themselves in the middle of a hostage situation inside a bank when their hunt is suddenly disturbed by a conspiracy theorist named Ron. “Nightshifter” packs a lot of thrills into its bank robbery premise, especially as the Winchesters try to convince civilians that they’re not the bad guys while also holding them at gunpoint. However, The real reason “Nightshifter” is one of the best episodes of the Kripke era is because it showcases Sam and Dean’s impressive abilities as they manage to outwit the FBI and SWAT teams in their escape.

9

Mysterious Location

Season 3, Episode 11

There are many episodes in Supernatural that prove the show is strongest in its comedy, and “Mystery Spot” is one of them. The episode is highly memorable for the strange time loop premise that has Dean dying in strange ways while Sam repeats the same Tuesday and his iconic image of the black and green revolving door inside the tourist site known as the Mystery Spot. “Mystery Spot” is a fan favorite for many as it has a little bit of everything from comedy to drama to action, and its change of tone makes it memorable.

As you progress, The tone of “Mystery Spot” begins to shift from laugh-out-loud moments when Dean is crushed by a piano, to downright tragic moments.. Sam becomes more and more exhausted with each turn as he constantly fails to save Dean, who remains blissfully unaware of the dangers. However, when the cycle stops and Dean remains dead, Sam takes a dark path as he obsessively pursues the Trickster for 6 months to bring Dean back. “Mystery Spot” is a mini-masterpiece for cramming so much into its episode, making it stick with fans years later, and setting up Gabriel’s return.

8

The Resurrection of Lazarus

Season 4, Episode 1

“Lazarus Rising” has one of the best character introductions ever. Supernaturalalongside Death's mesmerizing introduction to “Two Minutes to Midnight”, and was written by Eric Kripke himself. The first episode of Season 4 is full of brilliant visuals as Dean emerges from his own grave and Castiel dramatically enters a barn as sparks fly around them.but it also marks an important milestone in the show. Following Dean's brutal death at the end of Season 3, “Lazarus Rising” introduces the most powerful creatures seen in Supernatural so far: Angels.

The Kripke Era Supernatural was centered around the Apocalypse and its constructionSo the introduction of Castiel and Angels as a whole in “Lazarus Rising” was extremely important; Dean's resurrection, as viewers later discovered, marked the beginning of the Apocalypse when he broke the first Seal in Hell completely unknowingly. It's one of the best episodes of the Kripke era due to its immense overall story progression, which brought the Winchesters one step closer to Michael and Lucifer's fight.

7

In the beginning

Season 4, Episode 3

Although the Supernatural The Season 1 episode “Home” featured an emotional reunion with Mary Winchester, “In the Beginning” explores her character in much more depth. Urging him to “stop it”, Castiel transports Dean Winchester back in time to 1973, where he meets young Mary Campbell and John Winchester. Dean quickly realizes that the Campbells are hunters and are about to unknowingly encounter the Yellow-Eyed Demon. who Dean will kill in the future, so he futilely tries to help them stop him.

“In the Beginning” establishes Mary's story and her history with Azazel, the Yellow-Eyed Demon, for the first time, finally explaining the answers to Season 1's questions. The revelations made in this episode not only recontextualize the events of the pilot, but also Amara's future resurrection of Mariawhen Sam and Dean realize that Mary is not who they thought she was. Well thought out Season 4 Episode 3 demonstrates a solid Kripke era Supernatural episode, earning its place as one of the best for its clever plot and time-bending concept.

6

On the head of a pin

Season 4, Episode 16

When Sam and Dean return to a motel after Pamela's funeral, Castiel and Uriel are already waiting to give Dean another task. Dean attacks the Angels, citing his friend's death, to which Castiel offers his sympathy. “On The Head of a Pin” features one of the first of many moments in Supernatural where Castiel expresses doubts about his orders from Heavenforeshadowing his future alliance with the Winchesters. Misha Collins' Supernatural character eventually becomes part of “Free Will Team” in later seasons, after rejecting his role in Heaven due to the events of episodes like this one.

“On The Head of a Pin” is one of the highlights of the Kripke era in Supernatural because it suggests that all is not as it seems in Heaven, with Uriel helping Allistair escape. This is an important plot point in the overall linear story, as it lays the seeds for the Angels to disagree about the Apocalypse and who should win. Furthermore, The episode also contains a truly moving moment where Dean discovers he started the Apocalypse when he succumbed to Allistair's 40-year torture.revealing what is probably the heaviest burden to ever fall on the Winchesters.

5

The Rapture

Season 4, Episode 20

“The Rapture” provided crucial information about the nature of the Angel’s possession of humans, and the episode established an important and emotional backstory for Castiel's ship. When Castiel tells Dean to meet him in secret, the Winchesters quickly arrive at the selected location only to discover that there is evidence of angel-on-angel violence, and Castiel's ship, a devout man named Jimmy Novak, has been left behind. Free for the first time in a year, Jimmy Novak wants to return home to his wife and daughter, but his experiences on the ship put him in danger.

Misha Collins gives a magnificent performance as Jimmy Novak, differentiating his character from Castiel with a completely different accent and mannerisms. However, it’s the brutal effects of Castiel possessing Jimmy on the Novak family that make “The Rapture” such a compelling episode. For example, with no knowledge of supernatural phenomena, Amelia and Claire Novak are traumatized when Jimmy violently beats their possessed neighbor, complaining about using salt to keep them safe. Kripke's episode emphasizes the cruel nature of the Angels and their effects on people, especially when Claire Novak returns to Supernatural as Kathryn Newton in later seasons.

4

The end

Season 5, Episode 4

While it's not the first time Dean Winchester's reality has been manipulated by Angels to get their point across (and strangely not the first time Zachariah has done so), “The End” offered a completely different reality than anything seen in Supernatural until here. After refusing to reunite with Sam citing their status as ships as the reason for remaining apart, Dean wakes up five years in the future in a post-apocalyptic world. “The End” is certainly a standout Eric Kripke episode because it doesn’t feel Supernatural, and establishes an important theme of tempting fate.

The post-apocalyptic world features an abandoned city ravaged by the Croatoan Demon virus and the military. However, it’s not just the interesting visuals that make “The End” so memorable; the future versions and Castiel and Dean are very far from their current characterizationsemphasizing the effects of the Apocalypse on them. The most disturbing manifestation of this occurs when Future Dean sacrifices his friends, including Castiel, to face Lucifer. Zachariah's vision serves as the motivation for the Winchesters' reunion, with Dean hoping to stop Lucifer's possession of Sam, and the decision likely helped Sam win at the end of Season 5.

3

Changing channels

Season 5, Episode 8

Season 5, Episode 8, “Changing Channels,” marks the third time Archangel Gabriel appears in Supernaturalbut this is the first time the Winchesters discover their true identity. Having disguised himself as the Trickster, Loki, Gabriel has been hiding from his heavenly family to avoid all the fighting while begging Sam and Dean to “play their roles”like ships. Gabriel evidently has a complicated history with his family and hates the fated Apocalypse, but Dean points out that the Archangel is simply too afraid to face them, prompting a major turning point in Gabriel's character.

Despite its heavy message, “Changing Channels” is full of wacky humor, which makes it a fan favorite. The episode sees Sam and Dean thrown into different TV shows and advertisements, such as the fictional medical show “Sexy MD” And a Japanese gameshow of The Trickster, for no apparent reason, leaving them perplexed. The bizarre situations are hilariously out of character for the show. Still, Castiel's interruptive scenes slowly fall apart Supernatural funnier moments in a clever way, leading up to Gabriel's big reveal and the explanation of his underlying message.

2

Abandon all hope…

Season 5, Episode 10

The mid-season finale of Supernatural season 5 had some of the series' saddest deaths, showing the power of good writing. As Sam, Dean and Castiel track the Colt and search for Lucifer, they are reunited with Bobby, Ellen and Jo.. After finally retrieving Crowley's cooperative Colt, they take a group photo with the hunters in remembrance of possibly their last night on Earth. The next day, they go to Lucifer's supposed location, and Jo is viciously attacked by a Hellhound.

While sheltering in a hardware store, Jo realizes she will not survive her injuries and begs the group to leave her behind with a pipe bomb.hoping to buy time and defeat the Hellhounds. In a touching show of solidarity, Ellen also chooses to stay behind with her daughter, and Supernatural viewers are subjected to his last emotional moments before death. Additionally, the episode brings together elements established in previous episodes, such as Castiel escaping using Uriel's trick to free Allistair, Crowley's prediction about Lucifer coming true, and Meg's devotion to Lucifer wavering and Castiel's powers failing.

1

Swan Song

Season 5, Episode 22

The end of season 5 surpasses Supernatural previous endings by far, and it's the last episode of the Eric Kripke era. Originally intended to be the end of the show “Swan Song” brings an emotional and dramatic ending to the Apocalypseconfirming that Chuck is God, seeing Sam defeat Lucifer, Castiel resurrected with new powers and Dean reuniting with Lisa. The episode ties together the five-season arc in a final showdown between good and evil, concluding Kripke's era on a high note.

However, the descent into Lucifer's cage and the Impala being labeled as “the most important object in the universe”These are still surprisingly relevant events fifteen years after the episode aired. Not only did the Impala prophecy in Supernatural predict its appearance in The Winchesters spinoff, but “Swan Song” also provides possible additional story paths after the conclusion of the Apocalypse arc, with (soulless) Sam returning at the end and Adam and Michael's time in the well affecting their decisions in season 15. So, “Swan Song” marks itself as one of Kripke’s best episodes in Supernatural due to its longevity and large-scale impact.