Ranking the Supernatural Season 3 episodes from worst to best

Supernatural Season 3 had a good mixture of episodes. There was the classic horror, the connections back to urban legends, and the humor that always makes the series fun. Here are all 16 episodes ranked.

Supernatural Season 3 may have been a short season, but it is one of the best when it comes to mixture of genres in episodes. We get the horror of “Time Is On My Side” mixed with the classic comedy of “Bad Day at Black Rock.”

This was a season that pulled out all the stops. We had characters from the second season show up again, new hunters added into the mix, and plenty of urban legends and lore to make us giddy.

Some episodes were excellent and others were okay. That’s the case for any TV show. Not all the episodes are going to be as exciting as others. With all that in mind, it shouldn’t be surprising that there are certain episodes I will skip over because I’m just not that interested in them. Others are far more important.

Now that I’m done with the recaps for each of the episodes, it’s time to round up all the episodes. This is a chance to rank each one from worst to best. Are you ready to compare your Supernatural Season 3 ranking with mine?

Episode 14: Long Distance Call

My least favorite episode of them all is Supernatural Season 3, Episode 14, titled “Long Distance Call.” Every time I get to this in a rewatch, I start to wonder whether it’s going to be worth watching it. Do I really want to spend 40 minutes on an episode that I’m just not that interested in?

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The problem is that it’s an important episode. And there are some fun lines. The end scene is a beautiful one, as Dean admits all his fears and he makes it clear that he’s been holding out for that last-minute miracle that just isn’t going to happen. And don’t get me started on the very typical storyline for the Freddy Krueger-like villain.

Episode 6: Red Sky at Morning

As much as I love Bela, this episode wasn’t the strongest of the season. It’s a monster of the week episode that helps to continue this idea that Bela is just looking out for herself because she’s an awful person. We don’t really get to see what’s going on.

There are some excellent connections to urban legends and real history, but overall the episode is quite forgettable. This did help to save the episode in a way, but it just wasn’t good enough compared to the rest of the season.

Episode 10: Dream a Little Dream of Me

Another episode that is one that I consider skipping each time. Then I remember the Dean vs. Dream!Dean moment at the very end of the episode and that pulls me in every time. That’s why this episode doesn’t sit lower than it already is (and there’s no far for it to go).

There are a few elements of this episode that just don’t stack up for me. Why does Dean dream of Lisa and Ben? Is it just because they’re fresh in his mind? Would Bobby really have feared where he was in his dreams? Surely, he’s one of the smartest hunters around and wouldn’t have hidden in the closet!

Episode 7: Fresh Blood

While I enjoy Gordon’s character development and poetic ending, the episode just doesn’t quite hold up against the other Supernatural Season 3 episodes. There were a lot of cliche moments, such as the hunter-turned-monster asking for just one kill and then he’ll kill himself. When he doesn’t get that, he attacks and kills the other hunter. This just makes it clear that Gordon wouldn’t have ended his life.

What I do love is that we see Sam as a hunter on his own for a few moments. There’s a chance to see how he copes as the prey instead of the hunter, and he still manages to get one up on Gordon.

Episode 1: The Magnificent Seven

There are certainly some fun moments in this episode. I love premieres because the show feels fresh and we have no idea where the season is going to go at this point. When watching back, that feeling dips a little but the episode is usually a strong one. That’s not quite the case for Supernatural Season 3, but it’s still a fun episode.

Ruby’s entrance is certainly my favorite part. This was the first time I saw Katie Cassidy on screen and I adored her. Then there was the use of the Seven Deadly Sins as the villains and that sold me. I just wish we’d got to see the Sins for a little longer than just the one episode.

Episode 2: The Kids Are Alright

I know this episode is ranked a little higher for some, but I just didn’t find the monster all that scary. I’ve seen creepier changeling storylines, with many of them taking on the form of the original child way too much.

The whole is-he-isn’t-he storyline with Ben was also a little cliche. Why would Lisa even bother getting angry that Dean questioned whether he was the father? All Dean wanted to do was know if he was responsible for this child. It was an honorable question and made me dislike Lisa a little because of it.

Episode 5: Bedtime Stories

This is one of those episodes when you want more humor than creepiness. The use of fairy tales was done well. Much better than Charmed‘s way of using them in the past. I also adored that Sam knew about the fairy tales. In a way, it was perfect for his character, especially as he shared the Grimm brothers rather than the actual Disney stories.

The way the spirit was manipulating and using the tales was interesting. I liked that this was a spirit looking for attention to share what had really happened to her. Despite the victim now being an adult, she was still a child in her mind and it certainly brought a sense of humanity to the vengeful spirit storyline.

Episode 11: Mystery Spot

I know that this is a favorite episode for many people, but it just doesn’t quite make the top half of my Supernatural Season 3 ranking. While there are certainly moments that stand out and I love the use of Groundhog Day and using the music as that constant reminder of the loop, the overall storyline irks me.

Maybe I’m looking at this now with Supernatural Season 13 in mind. However, I’ve never really enjoyed the episode as much as many others. I never really liked the Trickster. He was a jerk. But then that’s the case with all his kind, right?

Episode 9: Malleus Maleficarum

Yes, I did prefer the witches storyline over the Trickster storyline. Supernatural Season 3, Episode 9 was an interesting look into demons and where witches came from. This was our first introduction to traditional witches and it didn’t disappoint.

There were some creepy moments throughout, including how many could be killed without the witches being anywhere nearby. Anger a witch and there’s no hope unless you keep checking and re-checking for hex bags. Plus, more Ruby was always going to be a selling point for me.

Episode 4: Sin City

The fourth episode of the season brought out some interesting plot points. Dean finally brought up the worry that Sam wasn’t quite human and we got to see that sometimes demons don’t cause the problems. In this case, the two demons were just around for the fun.

“Sin City” also helps to bring more sense to Azazel’s big plan. He was never supposed to die and now the demons are a little lost without him. This foreshadows the need for Lilith to bring the demons together. We also get a sense of how individualized the demons are in their wants and needs, which wasn’t really shown up to this point in the show.

Episode 13: Ghostfacers

When I want a standalone episode to make me laugh, Supernatural Season 3, Episode 13 is one of the ones that I always put on. The Ghostfacers quickly became a favorite for me. I wanted to see more of them and it shouldn’t surprise you that I watched the web series when it was released.

However, when it comes to the whole of Season 3, it doesn’t quite make it into the top five. There are certainly some better episodes overall. This was just good as a monster of the week focus, bringing violent spirits back into the tale while giving us a clear pointer of where we’re at in the timeline.

It was also a good way to bring the show back after the extended hiatus.

Episode 3: Bad Day at Black Rock

Another favorite for standalone episodes is this hilarious one. I’m not sure what I love the most about it either. The music is on point, acting is brilliant from both Jared and Jensen, and Bela’s introduction is perfect. We get clear foreshadowing of things to come.

So, why doesn’t it get to go higher? Well, it stays in fifth place in the season because it is a monster of the week episode. All the rest on my list have something extremely important for the overall season storyline; of saving Dean, of developing Sam, or of Lilith’s story arc. When it comes to ranking Supernatural Season 3, those are things to consider.

Episode 15: Time Is on My Side

I’ll admit that I was instantly hooked hearing that Billy Drago was going to be in an episode. I’d said for a long time that he would make an excellent demon. We actually got a very creepy villain and, once again, the idea that humans were more dangerous than demons shone through.

However, this episode was also brilliant for the character development. As the penultimate episode of the season, we saw how far the brothers would go for each other. Well, how far Sam would want his brother to go to save himself. Sam clearly wasn’t thinking when he suggested Dean take some pointers from Doc Benton, but it was easy to understand how desperate he was by this point.

Episode 8: A Very Supernatural Christmas

This is certainly my favorite seasonal episode of all, but it’s also my third favorite of the whole third season of the series. “A Very Supernatural Christmas” finally gave us a holiday-themed episode and it was absolutely beautiful. We got the past and present throughout the story and saw just why that amulet was so important to Dean.

Most importantly, we got the beautiful brotherly bonding moment. Their personalities shone through with Dean wanting to celebrate and Sam not wanting it. Plus, the use of a Pagan deity for a Christmas themed episode was the icing on the cake for this series that was based on urban legends and religious lore.

Episode 16: No Rest for the Wicked

More often than not, the season finales end up close to the top of the list. It shouldn’t be surprising that Supernatural Season 3, Episode 16 is my second favorite episode. Why not my favorite? Well, you’ll realize when I break down the top episode.

This is a powerful episode in terms of showing you shouldn’t always expect the good guy to be saved. We went into the third season wondering whether Dean could be saved; whether Sam would succeed. As we got closer to the wire, we wondered how it was going to be possible. And then we’re delivered the final blow that it was never possible.

Episode 12: Jus in Bello

Victor Henriksen is one of my all-time favorite guest stars, so it really shouldn’t be surprising that “Jus In Bello” is one of my favorite episodes of the third season. This is one of those episodes that I can happily watch over and over again, despite knowing how it all ends.

The writers got Henriksen’s character development down perfect. I would have loved to see him as a hunter though and do think there was a disservice in his death. However, the death was shocking, especially with Lilith just being a little girl. Supernatural wasn’t afraid to really go there in terms of storyline and we got an excellent ending for a long hiatus.

What were your favorite episodes of Supernatural Season 3? Which ones do you watch over and over again? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Supernatural airs Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW. Follow SPN Hunters on Twitter for more Supernatural Season 3 (and onto Season 4) to get through Hellatus.