Supernatural 'Fan Fiction' Review: 200th Episode Delivers Love Letter to Fans

Supernatural celebrated a milestone tonight (as if Season 10 weren't enough of a milestone itself) when it aired its 200^th episode, entitled "Fan Fiction." The installment was an hour-long love letter to the fans, complete with more references and inside jokes than you could fit in the trunk of the Impala.

This was an episode that could have easily fallen completely flat, especially given the musical nature of the show. Even Jensen Ackles himself said he openly questioned what the hell showrunner Jeremy Carver was thinking with this idea. But when he heard the plan, he hopped on board. Admittedly, this episode caused me some trepidation when I first heard about it but after sitting through the hour, I realize we had no reason to worry.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I had a smile on my face throughout the entire hour. The songs in the musical were catchy and captured the spirit of what Supernatural has been about for 10 seasons. The reactions of the brothers to the songs, the props and the costumes were priceless. The writers took every fan-made joke and reference they could and crammed it into the episode as if to say "thanks for caring so much."

If you're a fan of Supernatural who even casually browses message boards or other online locations dedicated to the show, then you surely smiled to yourself at least once during the episode. Let's just take a run through some of the numerous references and callouts throughout the hour:

-       The opener featured all 10 title cards from the show's run.

-       Sam and Dean stayed in Room 200 in their motel.

-       Dean dropped the "We've got work to do" line from the Season 1 premiere and Season 2 finale. The director even filmed the shot the same way.

-       The disturbing concept of "Wincest" popped up once again, much to Dean's frustration.

-       To take it a step further, Dean finally learned about "Destiel," about which Sam hilariously prodded him by questioning the pronunciation of the word. He also wondered why there's no "Samstiel."

-       John, Mary, Bobby, and even Adam all got parts in the play.

I'm sure there are multiple others I missed, so feel free to drop them in the comments.

The episode didn't do much to advance the plot of the season, which is not only completely fine, but actually welcome. This one was about us, the fans. There's plenty of time to get to the main villain of Season 10, the Mark of Cain, Castiel's grace and all that noise. This was a pit stop on the Road So Far, a moment for us all to enjoy the fact that this little show that could made it to 200 freakin' episodes. The conversation between Dean and Marie really drove this point home. The fans have their own interpretations of the show, while the writer and producers have the path they have chosen for these characters. One is canon, the other is born out of love and enthusiasm for that canon. Both are worthwhile in their own way.

We did get a bit of development for the brothers, who used the play as a way to realize that having each other is truly all that matters. It was a familiar emotional beat for these two, but it felt right given the nature of the episode. We got back to basics, back to the roots of the show: two brothers saving people and hunting things.

Notes from Dad's Journal:

-       Chuck returned! Many fans had guessed this would happen because Ackles said in an interview that he and Jared Padalecki were the only two men on the show aside from one other person. Chuck only had two words in the episode, but his "not bad" to Marie carried a whole lot of weight, especially if you're of the opinion that Chuck is God.

-       Dean got his Samulet back! It may not be the original, but it's good enough.

-       Both Dean and Sam thought "BM" meant "bowel movement."

-       The episode really tackled head on the fans' perception of the subtext on the show, from Sam and Dean to Dean and Cas.

-       To be fair, Marie did warn the people in the front row that they could get wet.

What did you think of "Fan Fiction"? Let us know in the comments section.