My 50 favorite moments from Supernatural’s eighth season.
#50 Deans Eats His First Cheeseburger in a Year
When Dean returned from Purgatory after a year, there was one thing he wanted more than anything: a cheeseburger. And the expression on his face while savoring it was classic Dean.
#49 Mrs. Tran Gets a Tattoo
Prophet Kevin Tran’s tiger mom proved to be one tough cookie in season 8, especially when she and her son got matching tattoos and she acted like it was no big deal.
#48 The Tablet Auction
Bidding for the Demon Tablet took an unexpected turn when wagers other than money started rolling in. Crowley opened with $3 billion, Samandriel countered with the Mona Lisa, Crowley came back with the real Mona Lisa (“where she’s topless”) and the angel offered Vatican City. Then Crowley went into overdrive, offering Alaska and the Moon, both properties of Hell.
#47 Thor’s Hammer
The single coolest mythological weapon of all-time, Sam got to wield the mighty hammer and looked awesome doing it.
#46 Crowley Possesses Mrs. Tran
It’s fun getting to see Crowley’s red smoke, as opposed to all other demons’ black smoke, especially when it came out of Kevin’s mom, who Dean was OK with killing.
#45 Riot the Dog
Fans never really cared about Sam’s lady friend, Amelia, but I adored the cute dog he took care of while Dean was in Purgatory. Plus, Riot is a kick-ass name for a dog.
#44 “Bitten” Guest Stars
An episode with almost no Sam and Dean turned into one of the best of the season as we got to see found footage of a trio dealing with werewolves. The performances by relative unknowns Brandon Jones, Leigh Parker and Brit Sheridan were all superb and made me care about their tragic tale.
#43 Vampire Beheadings
I love it when Dean gets to chop someone’s head off, which he did plenty of when faced with vampires this season.
#42 Dean Tries to Kill Sam
When Dean was possessed in “Southern Comfort,” his deep issues with his brother about feeling betrayed bubbled to the surface and almost led to a disastrous case of fratricide.
#41 Garth Is the New Bobby
The wacky Garth revealed a more serious side when he made a valid case that the death of Bobby didn’t just affect Sam and Dean, it was a loss felt throughout the entire Hunter community. His desire to take on Bobby’s role, complete with “idjits” and “balls,” was a nice homage.
#40 Crowley’s Alien Abductions
Crowley gathered all the potential prophets together to guarantee he’d have the next one, and the fact that he disguised it as an alien abduction was just plain fun.
#39 Delta Mendota: Rocker Witch
One of the best new characters with almost no screentime was this rock ‘n’ roll which who helped and then quickly betrayed the Trans.
#38 Cas Stays in Purgatory
Castiel’s dramatic decision to purposefully stay behind in Purgatory as penance for his many sins was a noble and heartbreaking gesture.
#37 Cas Meets Naomi
The sudden introduction of Naomi in a bright white room was surreal, the best kind of way to bring in a new character.
#36 The Talking Cat
In the weird cartoon episode, there was a talking cat, complete with moving lips. Talking animals are always funny.
#35 Dean’s Cartoon Fight
Using Wile E. Coyote logic, Dean’s big fight in “Hunteri Heroici” was simultaneously intense and hilarious.
#34 Benny Kills Martin
It was only a matter of time before Dean’s vampire friend did something bad. Killing a Hunter sort of qualified, though to be fair, Martin WAS trying to bait him.
#33 Cas Kills Samandriel
This poor fast food kid possessed by an angel got a raw deal when Naomi ordered Cas to kill him. Naomi’s power of control was quite scary.
#32 Charlie Hooks Up with a Fairy
It was nice that someone on this show managed to find a little love, even if it was geeky hacker Charlie and a magical fairy who then went back to her home world.
#31 Dean’s Braveheart
Jensen Ackles was born to put on the face paint and recreate the famous Braveheart speech. His total commitment to the bit made it so enjoyable.
#30 The Devil’s Trap Bullet
Perhaps the single coolest weapon ever devised on this show is a bullet with a Devil’s Trap etched into it, so when shot into a demon, they would become immobilized.
#29 The Death of Henry Winchester
Sometimes time travel sucks. Take Sam and Dean’s grandpa, a member of the Men of Letters who traveled to the future and then died. At least he got to meet his grandsons.
#28 The Men of Letters Headquarters
The best set in the history of the series, the grand scale and seemingly endless supply of new rooms (a shooting range, a dungeon) gives Sam and Dean someplace to call home.
#27 Dean Gets Cruised
The show gets a lot of mileage out of people confusing Sam and Dean for a gay couple. So when Dean confronted someone he thought was following him, the guy pretended to be interested in Dean, romantically. Dean’s slow realization of the situation was great.
#26 The Golem
Who wanted want a giant, indestructible bodyguard that kills Nazis?
#25 Dean in Glasses
Why doesn’t Dean always wear glasses? Sure, he’s good-looking, but there was something about the glasses that made him seem more desirable than usual.
#24 Sam Kills a Hellhound
The first trial was bloody and gruesome as Sam sliced open a Hellhound and just had an unimaginable amount of blood spill onto him.
#23 Killing Zeus
One of the many things I love about this show is its inclusion of many different religions and mythologies. Where else can you have Lucifer AND the Greek gods? I also appreciate the show’s audacity, because Zeus was killed off like it’s no big deal even though he’s freaking Zeus.
#22 Cas Kills a Thousand Deans
Was there a more horrifying sight all season than Cas murdering Dean and then panning back to see an entire warehouse filled with dead Deans?
#21 Megstiel
The sexual chemistry between a selfish demon and an aloof angel shouldn’t exist. But it does between Meg and Cas, in a strangely erotic and entertaining way.
#20 “Shut Up, Meg!”
I can only assume this was a shout-out to Family Guy as Sam and Dean simultaneously said “Shut up, Meg” to the demon. Even if it wasn’t, it was still a funny moment.
#19 Dean Breaks Naomi’s Spell on Cas
The power of Dean’s love can do just about anything. As Cas was beating him to a pulp, Dean managed to break through Naomi’s control and bring the real Cas back.
#18 Crowley Kills Meg
R.I.P. Meg. I’m sorry you never got to play Pizza Man with Cas again.
#17 Krissy’s Gang
Season 8 featured a lot of guest stars who could’ve made good spin-offs, but Krissy and her gang of vengeance seeking orphaned teens, complete with romantic tension, was probably the best. I would totally watch a show about Krissy and her buddies hunting vampires.
#16 Bobby’s Return
The moment I saw the hat my heart jumped. Oh how I missed Jim Beaver.
#15 Bobby Kills a Fake Sam
After being tortured in Hell for a long time, Bobby didn’t lose a step, even when he was faced with two Sams and had to choose which one to kill. His confession that he just picked one because he had a 50/50 shot was terrific.
#14 Dean Kills Benny
Not since Buffy stabbed Angel at the end of season 2 has the death of a vampire been so moving. Dean killed his best friend from Purgatory to send him back there to save his brother.
#13 Bobby’s Soul Goes to Heaven
When Bobby said his goodbye to Sam and Dean at the end of season 7, it was a fitting end to the character. But an even better ending was watching Bobby’s soul rise up to Heaven where it belongs.
#12 Charlie’s Fashion Montage
Charlie got her Pretty Woman moment when she tried on a bunch of hideous dresses when Dean took her under his wing to be his temporary partner.
#11 Crowley the Director
The elaborate sound stage set-up to trick Kevin into thinking he was still working for Sam and Dean was cool, but the best part was Crowley’s directing skills, ordering everyone around and giving the fake Sam and Dean notes on their characters.
#10 Kevin’s Video Message
Kevin’s automated video to Sam and Dean in the event of his probable death was the kind of heartbreaking thing we expect. Kevin was angry about dying and being sucked into this mess by the Winchesters, but he also kept moving forward, realizing that the mission is more important than his life. His combined anger and acceptance were spot-on. And luckily, he wasn’t really dead.
#9 The Angel-Killing Gun
The Devil’s Trap Bullet was the coolest invention of the season, but second-best was Crowley’s gun, which he crafted out of melted down Angel-Killing Daggers so the bullets can kill angels. Pretty sneaky.
#8 Cas Goes Grocery Shopping
The show gets a lot of comedic mileage out of Castiel doing ordinary, human things. He went shopping for Sam and Dean, and between purchasing Asian porn, cracking eggs open on the floor and demanding pie, it was a perfect scene.
#7 Abaddon’s Hand Saves Her
I love it when the show gets a little gross. That was the case when Abaddon’s severed hand came to life, crawled up her body, reached into her mouth and yanked out the Devil’s Trap bullet. I’m pretty sure The Addams Family never did that with Thing.
#6 The Death of Sarah Blake
The stakes were raised when Crowley’s vow to kill all the people Sam and Dean ever saved was proven true as Sam’s old flame from season 1 died right in front of them. Having Sam and Dean lose a battle, and a human life, suddenly made things very real.
#5 The Return of Sheriff Mills
Sheriff Mills has been MIA since the middle of season 7, but one of Sam and Dean’s closest allies (and Bobby’s old squeeze) was targeted by Crowley. It was nice seeing a different side of Jody.
#4 Crowley Channels Hannah from Girls
This is easily my favorite moment of the entire season. Crowley’s obsession with Lena Dunham’s HBO comedy was hilarious, comparing himself to Dunham’s character, Hannah, and Sam to Marnie, Hannah’s BFF. His loud proclamation about deserving and needing to be loved was funny because he was quoting Girls, but underneath the comedy was the important fact that this signaled Crowley’s change as the exorcism was starting to work and the King of Hell’s demon-ness was being cured.
#3 Cas Becomes Human
Metatron stole Castiel’s Grace, which means he’s now just another human. That’s a pretty big change for the end of the season.
#2 Dean Convinces Sam to Live
The final “broment” of season 8 was a good one with Sam tearing up about how his brother doesn’t trust him and he should just sacrifice himself to close the Gates of Hell while Dean vowed that nothing will ever be more important than his brother. Once again, the power of brotherly love saves the day.
#1 Falling Angels
The final images of season 8, with angels falling from the sky after being locked out of Heaven by Metatron, was stunning, beautiful and positively cinematic. I forgot I was watching a TV show for a second.
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.
