Supernatural knows that it has the best fans of any show on TV. And reaching 200 episodes is a big deal, which is why this entire hour is a love letter to the fans. Heck, it’s even about a super fan who writes her own musical based on Supernatural.
Sam, Dean and Marie may hate the meta episodes, but I love them, and this is one of the best. As if a singing Castiel wasn’t good enough, we also get old school callbacks to Dean’s amulet, Chuck Shurley and a brilliant way to connect the 200th episode to the 100th episode.
The Intro
Before getting into the meat of this episode, there are two brilliant moments at the start. First, the “Then” segment consists entirely of a computer screen of Eric Kripke writing the cover page for the pilot episode. And the opening title sequence is a mash-up of every different sequence the show has ever done, even the exploding birthday cake and the X-Files parody.
Supernatural: The Musical
A student named Marie at an all-girls school has written and is producing a stage musical based on Supernatural, and it is AWESOME. But the drama teacher goes missing and the real Sam and Dean arrive to investigate, stunned by what they discover.
In the musical, “Dean” sings about John and Mary bringing Sam home and the Yellow-Eyed Demon killing their mom in a song appropriately called “The Road So Far.” Sam is a huge fan, since he did theater tech in high school, but Dean is mortified.
The investigation is just an excuse to see all of the facets of the musical. “Sam” and “Dean” are a little too close and, since it’s fan fiction, there are robots and spaceships. Since Chuck Shurley’s book series ended after season 5, Dean tells Marie everything that happened since (Soulless Sam, Leviathans, Purgatory, the Trials, Demon Dean) and Marie just laughs about how bad it all is.
Oh, and as if that’s not good enough, the actresses who play Dean and Cas are dating, prompting a debate about Destiel vs. CasDean, and Sam wondering why he and Cas aren’t being ‘shipped.
At first the boys think there’s no real case, but then the actress playing Sam goes missing as well, and Marie saw a scarecrow take her away.
The Show Must Go On
The investigation leads them to Calliope, the muse of epic poetry who helps protect a work of art’s author, which is why everyone who tries to stop Marie’s musical from going on is taken. Since Calliope only arrives when the author’s vision becomes a reality, the show must go on.
Dean now supports the musical, even quoting Rent to psych up the cast. There are a million brilliant jokes, including the revelation that Marie (who will now play Sam) once did a one-woman show based on Orphan Black and that she didn’t include Chuck Shurley because she hates when Supernatural gets meta. Also, she’s a Sam fan.
The Greatest Show Ever
The musical begins, and during the opening song, “The Road So Far,” the scarecrow arrives to take Sam. Sam goes to the basement with the other missing people to face Calliope, who gives a stirring speech about why this piece of artwork is so special because Supernatural has everything, but above all, it’s about family.
Back on stage, “Cas” sings a love song about “Dean” and “Sam” sings an emotional ballad about how strong his brother is behind the mask of masculinity. It’s a beautiful song, but during it, the scarecrow attacks the real Dean on stage. It’s a crazy scene of singing as Dean fights a scarecrow and Sam fights Calliope. It culminates when Sam kills Calliope and “Sam” (aka Marie on stage) kills the scarecrow. They both erupt into a purple goo and the audience cheers. It’s fitting that, since this musical was written by a Sam fan, two Sams save the day.
Carry On
Sam and Dean stick around to say goodbye and catch the last musical number, a haunting version of “Carry On Wayward Son” that clearly hits the brothers like an emotional ton of bricks. As an added bonus, Marie gives Dean the fake amulet prop (since Dean threw it away even though it was supposed to be a symbol of brotherly love) and Dean hangs it on the rearview mirror of the Impala. Also, the big closing number even includes Adam, John Winchester’s third bastard son who is still locked in the cage with Lucifer.
In the end, Sam and Dean drive off, happy to have a nice B.M. scene (boy melodrama, not bowel movement). And as an added gift, Marie gets a special visitor in the audience of her musical…Chuck Shurley! Wow, Chuck’s return and dealing with the amulet, this episode really was for the fans.
But now I have more questions. Does Chuck’s return mean something, or is it just a one-off for the 200th episode? Because Kevin allegedly became a prophet when Chuck died, but if Chuck is back, is he the prophet again? Or is he God as many fans have speculated? And does the completely random reference to Adam mean that the show is going to bring him back? Or is it just a clever way to tie together the 200th episode with the show’s 100th episode, which is when Adam first appeared?
Whatever happens, this was an episode for the fans and about the fans, and it was amazing.
Next week on Supernatural: It’s basically Clue, complete with a butler who probably did I, whatever “it” is.
(Image courtesy of the CW)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
