
The 200th episode is over. I’m dying to find out what everyone thinks. I like most of it but I especially worship the last nine or ten minutes of “Fan Fiction.” To me it just brings everything back to the brothers. Not just for the fans. But for Sam and Dean, too.
Confession: I may have had something in my eye for much of these ten minutes. Don’t judge. This just proves how attached I still am to the story of the Winchester brothers. Apparently that connection is never going to quit. Maybe not even when the show is over for good. It’s season ten and I can still be moved by Supernatural. I’m okay with that.
There are tons of nods to earlier seasons and earlier characters. Most significantly, there are tons of nods to what goes on outside canon. In this episode we hear about things like the subtext between the brothers (Wincest); the subtext between Dean and Cas and even Sam and Cas (Destiel and Sastiel). I think my favorite of all is the fixing of an action that caused major upset in fandom: the throwing away of the Samulet. It’s back. Sort of. Now Sam and Dean are riding around in a Baby that features a fake Samulet. I appreciate what the show is trying to do for those of us upset at the amulet’s disappearance back in season five. I’m glad the symbol of the Winchester’s brotherly love is back in some capacity. I’ll take what I can get, I guess. I still wish Sam had saved it from the trash, though. And I still wish Dean were wearing it.
As amusing as a lot of these little moments are, there are different beats in those final few minutes that I’m a fan of. Big time.
 –There’s the portion of “Single Man Tear†(I’m assuming that’s the name of the song. I’ll change it once I find out) that Musical Sam sings about his brother, Dean:
Musical Sam: “A single man tear slips down his face. He shows emotion without a trace. He hides behind a mask so strong, worried that he could be wrong. I wish that he could see the way I see him: a perfect brother…a man without sin. Cause underneath, the manly sheen, is my brother, a boy named Dean. A single man tear, a single man tear, a single man tear…”
What do we in the fandom call Jensen’s uncanny ability to let loose a single man tear? I think we call it Dean Winchester’s One Perfect Tear, right? Or is it Single Perfect Tear? Either way, love that they incorporated this aspect of Dean in song.
-The Goddess Calliope sums up the show pretty well. I think all reporters, writers, bloggers and convention-going fans can cross the “What is Supernatural†question off their lists.
Calliope: “Supernatural has everything: life, death, resurrection, redemption…but above all, family.”
The MOTW goes on to say that it isn’t some “meandering piece of genre dreck. It’s epic.†Agreed.
–The two Sams get to save the day in synch – up on stage and in the basement. What’s great about Sam these days is that he no longer needs to be redeemed. At least not in my book. It’s simply nice to see him get to be a hero without all of that other baggage that weighed him down in previous seasons. Even for a minor MOTW like this one.
-The scarecrow going boom and splatting all over the audience and the audience loving it all so much it resulted in a cheesy slow clap moment? AWESOME.
Dean (to Musical Sam/Marie): “Take a bow, Sammy.â€

-Maeve the stage manager is wonderfully sassy. Love her interactions with Sam as much as I love Dean’s interactions with Marie. The two actresses (Joy Regullano and Katie Sarife) are really good. They fit right in and are able to deliver Supernatural’s witty dialogue with authority.
Maeve: “You know if you cut your hair a little, you’d make a pretty good Dean.â€
Sam: “Thanks.â€
HA! (And conversely, Dean had to hear Marie gush about Sam. Love that moment as well)
–Marie gives Dean the Samulet. Marie speaks for fans everywhere.
Marie: “You never should have thrown this away.â€
Dean: “It never really worked. I don’t need a symbol to remind me how I feel about my brother so…â€
Marie: “Just take it. Jerk.â€
Dean: “Bitch.â€
-The brothers agree that they need to get back on the road, doing what they do best. I guess for now, this might signal a time when it’s monsters of the week versus mythology episodes. But the mythology will be back.
–“Carry on Wayward Son†is my absolute favorite moment of the 200th episode. But before we get to that,  “Sam†and “Dean†are in the Impala.
Musical Dean: “You’re right, Sammy. Out on the road. Just the two of us.â€
Musical Sam: “The two of us against the world.â€
Real Sam (turns to Dean): “What she said.â€
Sam utters three words there, “What she said.†But those words once again trigger more than a few single perfect tears. And they would last to the credits. I just love that those words come from Sam. They mean so much. So much.
Then the girls in the production playing characters we’ve loved for years and years sing what is in essence the theme of this awesome show. And I become a bit of a mess. Have I mentioned this yet?
Carry on my wayward son
There’ll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don’t you cry no moreÂ
Once I rose above the noise and confusion
Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion
I was soaring ever higher, but I flew too high
I do so love the mention of Adam Winchester here. It lightens things up for a second. And then I go back to being a mess over this “Carry on Wayward Son†performance.
Masquerading as a man with a reason
My charade is the event of the season
And if I claim to be a wise man,
Well, it surely means that I don’t knowÂ
Carry on my wayward son
There’ll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don’t you cry no more no!
Carry on…
The action cuts from the singers to close ups of Sam and Dean and you can tell they are affected. Jensen and Jared sell this so well. You can see what the Winchesters have been through, what ordeals they’ve had to face. You can see the pain they’ve felt. But you can also see some hope. These two guys — the JJs — are gold.
-I like Sam and Dean driving off in the Impala. It’s the Winchesters against the universe, complete with fake Samulet and requisite turns to look at each other. The brothers are off on another adventure and I can’t wait to see what they’ll face next. After all, we once again hear these words in “Fan Fiction†just like we heard them in the pilot: “We have work to do.â€
-And the final beat of the ten minutes that close the episode: the appearance of Chuck. OMG. I screamed. I did. I don’t mind admitting that. I screamed even though I knew there was going to be some sort of Chuck thing happening. When I talked to Rob Benedict at last week’s Supernatural 200th Episode Fan Party, he told me he was still happy to be relevant in “Fan Fiction.†When I asked him what he meant by that, he said, “Chuck is still around. I just can’t totally talk about it yet.†And now my heart is happy at the fact that somehow, someway, Chuck has returned. Let’s hope and pray to Chuck that he pops up in another Supernatural sooner rather than later. I feel like I’m walking on air right now, I’m so happy over this development.
The only things that die in this episode are the MOTWs. There’s nothing scary about it. And it’s not meant to be. It’s supposed to be a light, fun hour of television that entertains and celebrates a program that once was this little show that could. Now it’s a character-driven, action-packed, (sometimes) scare-tastic (sometimes) meta-tastic series that inspires loyalty in its millions of fans.
And in “Fan Fiction,†the moments that resonate for me make this an episode worth watching (over and over again). Sam and Dean get to see a different perspective of their story. However, I’m super happy they didn’t get to see the second act that’s filled with robots and tentacles and spaceships and whatever else.
QUICK MOMENT OF HOTNESS
Photo Credit for below Images: Katie Yu/The CW
- Dean fixing Baby. Tight t-shirt. And then Sam sans sling joins him looking mighty spectacular. And the whole thing is set to Gordon Lightfoot’s “Sundown.†Hot guys. Classic Rock. Cool cars. Thank you, Show. So thankful this milestone hour of TV includes some classic rock.
A few more Random Thoughts:
-I liked how the Supernatural Pilot page typed out with Kripke’s name made up the “then†portion of the previously. Go, Kripke!
-I LOVED the retro recap of all the show’s title pages over the years. This episode definitely sends me into flashback mode.
-The recreation of the hilarious Dean/Cas scene from “The End” is pretty epic. There’s Dean trying to get some sleep in the hotel room and Cas standing and waiting at the side of the road somewhere. And the fact that it’s set to music and lyrics is even better. “I’ll just wait here, then. I’ll wait for you.†Classic.
-I wonder if we’re ever going to hear Dean do the “Jerk†“Bitch†routine with Sam this season. So far he’s done it with Crowley and now Marie, the writer, director and star who Barbra Streisand’d (sp?) this bitch known as the musical, Supernatural.
-I think Dean takes a small bow as the crowd roars at the intermission. I almost missed that. So great.
-The BM scene translation is so spot on. Both Sam and Dean think BM stands for bowel movement. This is why they are brothers. BM actually means, the boy melodrama scene.
Marie: “You know, the scene where the boys get together and they’re driving or they’re leaning against Baby. Drinking a beer, sharing their feelings. The two of them alone but together. Bonded. United.”
-There’s a Harvelle’s sign. I miss Ellen and Jo. So much.
-Writer Robbie Thompson had the risky job of trying to pay homage to the fans without being disrespectful. I think he hit the right notes. The songs are catchy and poignant. According to Robbie’s Twitter, he wrote them with Supernatural’s music men, Jay Gruska and Christopher Lennertz. Also according to Robbie’s Twitter, music from the 200th episode will be available on iTunes tomorrow.
FYI, the songs from #Supernatural: The Musical will be available on iTunes tomorrow! cc: my partners in crime… @jaygruska, @CLennertz
— Robbie Thompson (@rthompson1138) November 12, 2014
I know I missed a lot of little moments from the episode. But there are just too many to mention so I’ll just give them all a blanket shout out. Tell me your personal Moment of Goodness from “Fan Fiction†in the space below. Supernatural airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on the CW.
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The rendition of “Carry on My Wayward Son” brought a tear to my eye. The appearance of Chuck at the end was perfectly awesome! The rest of the episode was OK. Still prefer “The French Mistake” as my all-time favorite episode. Thanks for your thoughts, Tina, as always.
For me the 200th episode is all about the moments that gave me enjoyment. I am SO GLAD Chuck is back in action or whatever is going on there. Much of The French Mistake was so incredibly genius for me. So that episode holds a special place in my heart. I’m not sure what my all time favorite episode is. In the past it’s always been “What Is and What Should Never Be.” I might have to do a SPN rewatch and figure out if that has changed.
I loved the episode and the second time I watched I had tears for Wayward Son. I may be in the minority but I’m like Dean in that the amulet/samulet is no longer important. He doesn’t need it anymore since it was part of his childhood from which he has moved on. It was put in this episode because so many fans miss it, but the real one will probably never make an appearance. The show was moving throughout the hour but I do feel there was a point to the episode other than the love for the fans. They have done this countless times and will continue to do so and that is to remind the brothers what is really important: driving down crazy street, next to each other, doing the family business. I loved the whole show but I guess my favorite moment would be when Sam said, “What she said.” That sums it up nicely. Thanks for the fabulous recap Tina.
I will always want the real amulet back but you’re right we know how Dean feels about Sam. It’s abundant in almost everything he does. The only time it’s not is when he was Demon Dean. We know how Sam feels about Dean, too. It’s also nice when we get a vocal confirmation of his commitment to this hunter life. And fighting the good fight alongside his brother. The “What she said” was perfection. It was very Sam and Dean in that it wasn’t too chick flicky. It was succinct yet conveyed the message perfectly. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Just finished watching the 200th episode! Sooooo good! Great recap, you definitely hit the major high notes. I think about every 30 seconds I was saying “aww” or “I remember that and it was so funny in that *insert past episode*”. Can I just count the whole episode as my Moment of Goodness? Definitely keeping this episode on the DVR for a while.
To mention one of my favorites, Jensen looking into the camera. I thought of the part in the French Mistake when Dean/Jensen/Dean tells Sam/Jared/Sam to NOT look into the camera, and to look anywhere. That whole scene in French Mistake was hilarious for me.
I completely agree about the last few minutes/last segment. The Js can pull you in like no one else. All of the moments you mentioned, “What she said.”, Carry On, Chuck. I got a little something in my eye during Carry On… I might have more comments when I watch it again. There’s bound to be things I notice the second time around that I didn’t the first. Thanks for the great recap!
The rendition of COMWS was worth the price of admission. Not hard to understand why this show is in it’s 10th season. What a strange cool trip it’s been!
It’s “One Perfect Tear,” which Jensen Ackles says the crew refers to as OPT. I *LOVED* that song! How to wrap up Dean in a few lyrics. Wow. Also, Ackles said he improvised the look at the camera, that it wasn’t scripted. Funny moment. 😎
It was a stunning, hilarious, wonderful episode, and in some scenes very moving as the boys reknit their relationship. As always, JP and JA just nailed it. Two of the finest actors on TV.
Great recap!
Very nice recap.
This episode was awesome, it was simply breathtakingly perfect.
Until this moment my all time favorite episode were (The Mystery Spot and The french mistake)but i am afraid that this episode stole my heart and doesn’t seem to be returning it any time soon.
The best part about this episode is that it pays homage to it’s devoted fans, i felt like every scene was a nod to me or a thank you for sticking for the show for so long. Never mind that finally the relationship between Sam and Dean seem to be returning to how it was in the early seasons, for the first time in what seems like forever there aren’t any secrets between the boys, no undercurrents of fighting and more importantly no big boss to worry about – at least for this episode.
The return of the samulet – sort of – was a brilliant move, i think that finally a fire that has been burning inside me since watching “Dark side of the Moon” is extinguished.