Supernatural Season 5 titles explained: The reason behind the titles

Supernatural titles from each of the seasons are taken from some form of pop culture in the majority of cases. Where did the Supernatural Season 5 titles come from?

Throughout the years, we’ve had some intriguing episode titles. After the first couple of seasons, the titles have mostly been taken from pop culture. Whether it’s a musical album or an old movie, the titles usually have some connection to the love of Dean or Sam Winchester. That’s certainly the case for the majority of titles from Supernatural Season 5.

Before the episodes air, the titles are often a chance to see what we can expect. It’s been almost 10 years since this season aired, so now it’s a chance to see where the inspiration came from and how the titles connect to the episode events.

Episodes 1-5:

Sympathy for the Devil: The title is directly from The Rolling Stones song of the same name. It’s a connection to the storyline, as we see Lucifer corrupt and manipulate Nick. We were given his side of the story in an attempt to offer him some sympathy.

Since we were now getting a face to Lucifer through Nick, the episode also gave us some sympathy for him. Nick had lost his wife and son to a murderer, which in Supernatural Season 14 we learn was done on the orders of Lucifer.

More from Supernatural

• Jensen Ackles and The Winchesters cast kick off #SaveTheWinchesters campaign
• Will The Winchesters be saved? (Can Supernatural fans save the prequel?)
• Did The Winchesters get renewed? (Is The Winchesters season 2 happening?)
• Is a new episode of The Winchesters on tonight? (March 14, 2023)
• The Winchesters Season1 finale explained: Did it connect to Supernatural?

Good God, Y’all: Edwin Star’s song “War” features the lyrics, which is where this episode title would have come from. The option for the title for this particular episode links to the Horseman of the Apocalypse. War was the Horseman in this episode, connecting directly to the song of choice.

It would also be a connection to “Y’all” being slang in the south, notably around Texas, which is where Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki are from. “Good God” is a saying when shocked or frustrated, and the “y’all” is added on when talking to a group of people.

Free to Be You and Me: “Free to Be You and Me” has been the title of songs and of a children’s entertainment program. Whichever was used as inspiration, the episode offered its own reasoning for the title.

Sam and Dean had gone their separate ways, allowing them both to be free to be themselves. It would take an episode for them to come back together.

Watch your favorite shows on fuboTV: Watch over 67 live sports and entertainment channels with a 7-day FREE trial!

The End: “The End” is used at the end of every book. It marks the ending to the storyline, which is the part that links to Episode 4. This was the episode that Dean found out what would happen in “the end” if he didn’t say yes to Michael.

Fallen Idols: There have been a few books and movies over the years with “Fallen Idol” or “Fallen Idols” in the title. The focus is that an idol falls.

This Supernatural Season 5 title links to the pagan god that had found a way to prevent its demise. By taking on the form of people’s idols, there would always be sacrifices.

Episodes 6-10

I Believe the Children Are Our Future: Tell me you didn’t read that title and immediately sing it. “I Believe the Children Are Our Future” is one of the most popular songs out there, even if you’re not a Whitney Houston fan.

Naturally, the title was linked to a child in the episode. This was the one the half-demon/half-human Jesse showed up.

The Curious Case of Dean Winchester: Most people knew immediately where this episode title comes from. It happened that the Brad Pitt movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button had come out a year earlier. However, the movie was based on the short story of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The episode title connected to Dean aging rapidly and then getting younger again, while the “He-Witch” would steal youth to remain young. The short story and movie is about a child that is born old and slowly becomes a baby.

Changing Channels: You’ve likely used the term “changing channels.” The idea is that you flick through the channels to find something on. Someone changes the channel to put on their favorite show. This is where the title came from, as Gabriel/The Trickster put the Winchesters into the world of TV and they were forced to play various parts.

The Real Ghostbusters: You’ve heard of Ghostbusters, right? Well, there was a spin-off animated series called The Real Ghostbusters, which is exactly where the title of the episode came from.

This episode saw the Winchesters attend their first Supernatural convention and they needed to prove they were the real deal.

Abandon All Hope: This pivotal Supernatural Season 5 episode was a shortened version of the saying “abandon all hope ye who enter here.” It was said to be the inscription to Hell, which connects to the episode directly.

The Winchesters and the Harvelles abandoned their hope of survival. They were going off to face the devil and they knew that it could be the last thing they ever did.

Episodes 11-15

Sam, Interrupted: You’ve likely heard of the movie Girl, Interrupted starring Winona Ryder and Angelia Jolie. There’s where this title came from, focusing on the Winchesters heading into a psychiatric hospital to take care of a wraith.

Swap Meat: This title likely comes from the term “swap meet,” which was used to describe when two people would come together to barter for secondhand objects. However, the “meet” was changed to “meat,” as the episode involved the body swap.

The Song Remains the Same: “The Song Remains the Same” is the title of Led Zeppelin’s album full of live performances. The title of the episode is a nod to the fact that Sam and Dean went back to the past to save their parents when Anna went back to kill John and prevent Sam’s birth. In the end, everything they’d tried to change didn’t work. Mary Winchester still died and the song remained the same.

My Bloody Valentine: The title for the Supernatural Valentine’s Day episode comes from the movie of the same name. While the title was a poke at the topic of the episode – it was Valentine’s Day and Castiel thought a cupid had gone rogue – it was actually a nod to the 2009 movie that Jensen Ackles had starred in.

When the show was forced on a break due to the Writer’s Strike in 2008, Ackles and Jared Padalecki did a horror movie each. Both movies were reboots that flopped.

Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid: Of course, the title is a connection to Bobby and the Winchesters and their love for plaid. However, it’s actually taken from the 1982 movie Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid.

Episodes 16-20

Dark Side of the Moon: This is one of the easiest titles to break down. It comes from the Pink Floyd album of the same name.

There’s also the saying “dark side of the moon,” which refers to the side of the moon that we don’t usually see. The saying is a misnomer as, although we don’t see it, the other side of the moon sees plenty of light. This was likely the inspiration for the title, as Sam and Dean found themselves in heaven, somewhere that could be considered the “dark side of the moon” but somewhere both had been plenty of times before.

99 Problems: Supernatural Season 5, Episode 17 was the 99th episode of the series, which is partially where the idea of the episode title came from. The actual title was from the Jay Z song “99 Problems” with the line continuing with “…but the b***h ain’t one.”

The line was a take on the storyline, with the Whore of Babylon being the problem in the situation.

Point of No Return: The Supernatural Season 5, Episode 18 title comes from the saying “the point of no return.” It signifies that someone has gone past the point where they can turn around without consequences. They may have cut ties with everyone they know or they know they’re walking into one of the most dangerous situations going.

The title connected to Dean’s storyline, as he made the decision to say yes to Michael. He then made the decision to kill Zachariah, angering the angels and reaching the “point of no return.”

Hammer of the Gods: While Hammer of the Gods is now a movie with Vikings’ Clive Standen, this title would have come from the book of the same name. Published in 1985, it was written by music journalist Stephen Davis and acted as an unauthorized biography of Led Zeppelin – one that the band never appreciated.

The line for the book came from one of Led Zeppelin’s songs. “Immigrant Song” was in the third album by the band.

The Devil You Know: The full saying this title comes from is “better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.” This was the point that Sam started to consider saying yes to Lucifer. Surely he would be the better devil than the devil himself.

It was also possibly a reference to working with Crowley. It would be better working with him than anyone else. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” and all that!

Episodes 21 and 22

Two Minutes to Midnight: The phrase “two minutes to midnight” is a reference to the Doomsday Clock. Midnight is supposed to be the end of times, which links to the Supernatural Season 5 storyline, as we counted down to the apocalypse. The smallest number of minutes to midnight possible on the Doomsday Clock is “two.”

It’s also the title of an Iron Maiden song.

Swan Song: This title is pretty self-explanatory. It comes from the term “swan song,” which means one final action before death. This episode was always supposed to be the last of the series but The CW renewed the show. Eric Kripke stepped down as showrunner after this season, although he did stick around to consult on the next two seasons.

What were your favorite episodes from Supernatural Season 5? Which titles did you love the most? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Follow SPN Hunters on Facebook for more Supernatural Season 5 throwbacks.