Ranking the Supernatural Season 4 episodes from worst to best

Every season of Supernatural has some less than stellar episodes. Then there are always the amazing ones. Where to the Supernatural Season 4 episodes rank?

As with every season, Supernatural Season 4 had a mixture of good and okay episodes. The season overall was certainly one of the strongest, but there were certainly times you just wanted the story to move forward.

It’s time to look back over the season. Now that I’m done recapping it and looking at the worst episodes and best lines, it’s time to look at which episodes stood out for all the right reasons and which ones just didn’t quite hit the mark.

I’d love to hear about your ranking. Don’t forget to drop it in the comments or tweet me at SPN Hunters. We can discuss what was good and bad about the episodes, the season, and the overall storyline.

I will admit that this ranking was extremely hard. Quite honestly, there are so many that I love rewatching over and over again. Sometimes it can depend on mood when it comes to rewatching as to what I’d like from the episode.

For this ranking, I’ve thought about the ones I most looked forward to rewatching while recapping them. Then I’ve thought about their importance in the overall story and which episodes I’d choose to skip if I didn’t have time for every single episode of the season.

Here are the 22 episodes of Supernatural Season 4 from worst to best.

22. Episode 4: Metamorphosis

I’ll start with one of the episodes that made my list of episodes to skip if you need time. “Metamorphosis” does have moments that connect to the overall storyline and helps with some character development for Sam, but it’s not the most exciting of episodes.

The monster-of-the-week format usually works well. In this case, it brought a monster that had only been mentioned up to this point. The big problem was that the monster wasn’t overall that interesting.

Overall, the episode just didn’t quite work out.

21. Episode 8: Wishful Thinking

There are certain moments of this episode that I love. Who couldn’t? “Wishful Thinking” is the episode that introduces the Winchesters as Teddy Bear Doctors. Yet, it’s not an episode you need to rewatch all the time.

Again, the monster-of-the-week format didn’t quite work out in this case. I blame that on the underlying storyline, the reason for the wishes coming true. Supernatural Season 4, Episode 8 steps into the lack-of-consent zone for the first time.

Fortunately, this one isn’t as bad as the wedding episode in Season 7. It’s not done for laughs and the Winchesters do call the guy out. However, it doesn’t stop the icky feeling.

20. Episode 14: Sex & Violence

The third of the three episodes to skip on your next rewatch of the series, “Sex & Violence” does offer an interesting twist to some age-old lore. This is what stops the episode from dropping all the way to being the worst of Supernatural Season 4.

There is a focus on the brotherly relationship, too, which is another saving grace. However, the downside is that it shows the fracture between the two. I had hoped we’d see the brotherly bond being so strong that nothing could get between them, something we do later see in the series.

Overall, though, the episode is a little forgetful. And it doesn’t offer too much in the way of the overall storyline.

19. Episode 12: Criss Angel is a Douchbag

Whether you love magic or not, it’s time for Supernatural Season 4, Episode 12. “Criss Angels is a Douchbag” brings us a monster-of-the-week episode with some character development for Sam Winchester. He realizes the path he’s on and what he doesn’t want out of life.

One thing I love is that it’s not that he wants to delve straight back into having a normal life. As much as I dislike the demon blood junkie storyline, I enjoyed seeing Sam wanting to have a normal life at some point in the future. He wants to get rid of the demons and monsters first.

In this moment, Sam is more like Mary than we’d ever realized. He and Mary both want out of the game and to create a safe place at some point.

18. Episode 7: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester

I really wanted the Halloween episode to be one of the greats, but it didn’t quite hit the mark. While it did pull the storyline to the origins of Samhain and included a seal to bring in the overall episode, the episode didn’t quite bring the fear and intensity other episodes like this had done.

Ashley Benson did an excellent job of playing the victim that turned out to be the villain. However, the format had been used before that made it not as surprising as it could have been. Remember the Season 3 episode with the bartender?

One thing that saves this episode is the ending between Dean and Castiel. Cass admits his thoughts about his orders, while also sharing that he’d hoped Dean would make the choice he did to save the town.

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17. Episode 2: Are You There God? It’s Me, Dean Winchester

There are certainly parts of this episode that I love. We’re actually getting into the hardest part of ranking this season, as each of the episodes have their strong points. They all have their importance in the overall storyline.

“Are You There God? It’s Me, Dean Winchester” was a brilliant episode the first time. I enjoyed seeing the spirits come to taunt and hurt the hunters, seeing their anger and their honesty. It made me wish that some of the characters could have been saved, long before killing off liked characters became a thing.

So, why does it hit so low on the list? There are just some better episodes in the season.

16. Episode 15: Death Takes a Holiday

After two seasons, we finally got to see Dean remember his time with Tessa in the hospital. That pit in his stomach was finally explained. The hole in his mind made sense.

“Death Takes a Holiday” was also a plot-heavy episode without too much within it. It was easy to follow and there was plenty of intensity throughout. We got to delve into more lore, such as astral projection, while understanding more about reapers.

Plus, Christopher Heyerdahl slayed it as Alastair and instantly became one of my favorite villains of all time. He made it clear why he was Hell’s grandest torturer.

15. Episode 9: I Know What You Did Last Summer

Getting to the midpoint of the season, we got an episode that introduced more to the angel lore, bringing us Anna. This all started with a question of who Anna was and developed into an intriguing storyline. It wasn’t easy to tell where the writers were going with this storyline and there was plenty of potential for the future.

This episode also introduced Alastair for the first time. We saw Ruby’s fear and Dean’s hatred and shock at seeing this demon. Plus, this was the first time since Lilith we saw a demon with white eyes.

In a two-parter, we were left with plenty of questions. While it was good, it’s not one of those episodes you can put on without following up with the next episode. Speaking of that…

14. Episode 10: Heaven and Hell

Yes, the follow-up episode is the next on the list. “Heaven and Hell” wouldn’t be worth watching without “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” In fact, the two wouldn’t make sense without each other, so it does have to follow on, right?

This episode gave us more from Anna. We learned even more about fallen angels and a little more of what angels wanted. More importantly, there was a chance to get more development from Dean and see the way he could think and plan ahead without powerful beings realizing.

Overall, it was a strong episode. Yet, there were plenty of plot-driven episodes that offered us more answers instead of questions.

13. Episode 21: When the Levee Breaks

The penultimate episode of the season certainly gave us some good Sam moments. We had the chance to see inside his head, as he went through his withdrawals. Between young Sam and Mary Winchester, we got some excellent insight into his thoughts and feelings. Then there was the hallucination of Alastair taunting him.

“When the Levee Breaks” was a good episode and did have standout moments, but I really disliked the ending. Making Dean into John just didn’t make that much sense. I guessed it showed Dean’s breaking point, but it felt like this happened a little too sudden. I would have preferred a bigger buildup between Dean finding out about Sam giving into the demon blood again and turning into John.

12. Episode 20: The Rapture

We’re at the halfway mark of the list and it’s all about the end of the season right now. Supernatural Season 4, Episode 20 delivered an episode with plenty of drama and questions. After Castiel appeared to Dean in a dream, suddenly, we were given Jimmy Novak.

Finally, this episode touched on Castiel’s vessel and the life that Jimmy had. It’s easy to forget that Castiel was possessing a person. We didn’t necessarily want to remember it at times. Yet, here we were, with Jimmy and his sad tale.

This episode should be higher up on the list. The thing that makes me cringe is the way angels would possess anyone who would allow them to. While I loved the sacrifice Jimmy made for his daughter, I despised the idea of angels possessing children and putting parents in this awful situation.

11. Episode 19: Jump the Shark

Following up from Episode 20, it’s all about the episode that came before it. “Jump the Shark” was a fun episode that introduced the idea of a younger brother. I adored seeing how Sam and Dean both processed this information, both reacting exactly the way I’d always pictured up to this point.

Unfortunately, the episode didn’t quite deliver in a way that I’d hoped. We got some interesting lore on ghouls and a good storyline of revenge from a monster’s point of view, but I was disappointed to find out that Adam was actually dead. Part of me hoped that we’d learn the real Adam was still alive somewhere.

10. Episode 5: Monster Movie

I know that this isn’t an episode that everyone loves, but it’s an episode with a special place in my heart. Because of that, it starts my Top 10 of Supernatural Season 4 episodes. “Monster Movie” was a standard monster-of-the-week episode, focusing purely on the Winchester brothers.

Delivering fun and nostalgia, the episode parodied all the classic monster movies. Seeing Dracula on a moped was hilarious. Opting for the black and white setting was perfect. Using names from the Dracula story was just the icing on the cake.

This is one of those episodes you can just put on when you need a good laugh. It’s also a good episode for Halloween.

9. Episode 13: After School Special

Supernatural Season 4 finally gave us an episode on the past lives of the Winchesters with “After School Special.” We got to see the Winchesters in high school and how they dealt with moving from school to school. It was mostly as you’d expect, although there were certainly some head-scratching questions.

The monster-of-the-week episode delivered a standard vengeful spirit but with a twist. We got to see what bullying could do to people. There was a chance to see more sides to a story, something that is easy to overlook at first.

At the same time, we got Sam’s regrets in life. This offered some excellent development for Sam, as he realized that he wasn’t happy and things weren’t working out the way he’d hoped.

8. Episode 17: It’s a Terrible Life

Whether you like Zachariah or not, this was an excellent way to introduce him. Kurt Fuller is an excellent actor, and you just knew using him as a guest star in “It’s a Terrible Life” meant something bigger. And we got it at the end.

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But this episode was great for many other reasons. We got to see Dean and Sam in roles we’d never witnessed before. They switched personalities, as Sam loved hunting and Dean was the level-headed one. Then there were the additions of the Ghostfacers and poking fun at the hunting lifestyle.

I would love to revisit this world. What could have happened had Dean Smith continued this life and started hunting with Sam Wesson?

7. Episode 18: Monster at the End of This Book

And we’re moving from one good introduction to another. Supernatural Season 4, Episode 18 delivered us Chuck and what an introduction it was. This was a chance for the show to poke fun at itself, delivering a way to break the fourth wall spectacularly.

I love the hint that Chuck was God, but I’ll be honest and say I never believed it. I actually preferred him just being a prophet, but never mind; this was the direction the show decided to take the character.

What I did love was seeing the development of the story. Starting with the bookstore owner thinking Dean and Sam were pretending to be characters from a book, we got a chance to see them delve into the truth and see someone else’s image of themselves.

6. Episode 6: Yellow Fever

Just before we get into the Top 5, it’s all about a hilarious monster-of-the-week episode. With a vengeful spirit, we got a storyline that added a twist. This ghost wasn’t going after just anyone, but people who fit a certain personality and Dean was one of those.

This episode also delivered the idea of ghost sickness. We got to see inside Dean’s mind, looking at his fears and thoughts. He tried his hardest not to believe Lilith was back, but sure enough, the sickness was taking over.

Plus, who doesn’t love the ending to the episode? Supernatural gave us a blooper that remains to be one of the best parts of the series.

5. Episode 3: In the Beginning

I’m always hit and miss with where to put this episode when it comes to ranking. Personally, I enjoyed it. I love Mitch Pileggi as an actor, so really enjoyed seeing his portrayal of Samuel Campbell. The connections to Back to the Future were also perfect.

But this isn’t really an episode of Supernatural. It’s all focused on Dean. As a Dean!Girl that didn’t used to bother me but as I’ve started to look at Sam more, I realize how much he was missed out of Season 4, despite this being a season about his demon blood addiction and his connection to Lilith and Lucifer.

In the end, we got an episode that gave us more about Mary and the Campbell family. It’s one that you shouldn’t miss.

4. Episode 11: Family Remains

We go from some of the funniest episodes on the show to one of the scariest. Episode 11 is that episode that I’ll put on at Halloween or when I want a really good scare. Out of all the villains of the series, it’s always the human ones that creep me out (along with the violent spirits).

This episode gave us the Winchesters thinking they were dealing with a routine spirit. What they found was that people do awful things and abused children like to get revenge. But the episode also pulled the show back to what it was about in the beginning: two brothers saving innocent people from the creature of the week.

3. Episode 16: On the Head of a Pin

We’re getting to one of the most emotional episodes of the whole season. Supernatural Season 4, Episode 16 put Dean in one of the most impossible positions. He needed to torture his torturer.

Dean knew that if he went into total torturer mode he’d never come back. You could see that he wanted to hold back and things ended up going terribly wrong. Sammy did manage to save the day and in a way, we hoped that him controlling his powers would be a good thing.

It’s the ending that truly puts this episode at the top. Not only do we find out about how to kill angels, but Castiel realizes he’s more like Anna than he’d like to admit. And Dean completely breaks, making it one of the most heartbreaking moments of the series ever.

2. Episode 22: Lucifer Rising

The final episode of the season is certainly one for the records. As the last episode of the series Eric Krikpe directed (and last TV show he directed in nine years), this episode will always remain special.

But more importantly, it fully wrapped up the season and launched us into the next one. Everything that we’d heard about the seals and the rising of Lucifer came true. We watched as the angels and demons pitted the Winchesters against each other. By the time they realized the truth, it was all too late.

Who didn’t get to the end and just think “whaaaaat!”

1. Episode 1: Lazarus Rising

There is never going to be an episode that tops Supernatural Season 4 other than the premiere episode. “Lazarus Rising” was one of those episodes I couldn’t wait. I remember sitting online throughout the summer of 2008 just waiting for any news or filming spoilers. And this was long before Twitter had almost everything!

I remember catching the first couple of minutes of the SDCC panel that year and seeing Dean Winchester back from the dead. The emotions, the shock, and the excitement. I couldn’t contain them. And because of this, the episode will always have a special place in my heart.

Plus, it had my all-time favorite introduction to the show. While Supernatural has tried, it’s never quite beaten Castiel’s intro.

What’s your favorite episode from Supernatural Season 4? Which ones do you skip? Share your thoughts in the comment sbelow.

Supernatural Season 14 returns on Jan. 17 with all new episodes.