25 Days of Dean-mas Day 16: Top Dean-centric episodes on Supernatural ever

There have been some excellent Dean-centric episodes of Supernatural over the years. Which five stand out as the best? Here’s my ranking.

Supernatural has brought an excellent mix of episodes. Some of them will focus on individual characters, offering growth, humor, and more. There have been many excellent Dean-centric episodes over the years, but which ones stand out as the best?

That’s something I’m looking at for Day 16 of the 25 Days of Dean-mas. Here are my five favorite Dean-centric episodes. I’ll give you a hint. Most of my favorites are in the earlier seasons.

5. Regarding Dean

There’s an episode in the later seasons that certainly does stand out for me. Supernatural Season 12’s “Regarding Dean” is one of the most heartbreaking episodes that shows us just why Jensen Ackles is an excellent actor.

When Dean is attacked by a witch, he starts to lose his memories. This isn’t just funny memories of the witch attack. he starts to forget everything about his life. He forgets about his parents, his brother, and his best friend.

One moment from this episode stands out the most. Dean looks in the mirror, desperate to remember everything. And there’s this fear in his eyes as he can’t remember it, no matter how much he tells himself. We know how devastating Alzheimer’s is for the family members, but this reminds us of how devastating it is for the sufferers.

4. What Is and What Should Never Be

“What Is and What Should Never Be” is one of my all-time favorite Supernatural episodes. it was the first episode I ever watched, which possibly explains why I fell in love with Dean right away. After all, this is a Dean-centric episode.

In a Djinn wish world, Dean sees what could have been. Mary is alive, and he sees what life without hunting could have been like. Of course, this is based on his memory of Mary, so it doesn’t factor in that she came from a family of hunters.

However, throughout the episode, Dean realizes that those people he and Sam have saved over the years are actually dead. He goes to his father’s grave, realizing that he has to head back to the real world. If he doesn’t sacrifice his happiness and the happiness of everyone around him in this world, who will save the innocent people?

This was the episode that made it clear Dean would never be able to get out of the game.

3. In the Beginning

In Supernatural Season 4, Episode 3, Dean heads to the past. “In the Beginning” starts with Cass telling Dean to stop “it” but not what “it” is. And so, throughout the episode, Dean tries to figure out what’s going to happen.

He meets his grandparents, sees his parents when they were younger, and gets a chance to live through a Back to the Future world. More importantly, he learns more about the Yellow-Eyed Demon and the deal that Mary Winchester made to save her husband.

This retelling of the past tells Dean everything he needs to know about his family’s part in the entire world he and Sam have grown up in. He learns more than he could ever expect, and while he doesn’t stop anything, he gains a renewed need to stop everything that’s happening around him.

2. Yellow Fever

Sometimes you just need a funny episode, which is where this Dean-centric episode comes into play. Supernatural Season 4’s “Yellow Fever” saw Dean infected by a ghost sickness, linked to his personality. As Sam pointed out, sometimes Dean could be a “d**k.”

This ghost sickness made Dean terrified of everything. We opened with us thinking that Dean was being chased by a Hellhound, only to learn that it was a Yorkshire Terrier. Then we saw him scared of a cat jumping out of a locker.

Everything that happened had us in stitches. This episode was a reminder that Jensen Ackles has great comedic timing. More often than not, he’s the one used as the comedic relief, and in some episodes, it really is necessary.

1. Faith

When you want a heartfelt Dean-centric episode, there’s one to turn to. The first season brought us an episode where Dean is almost killed. His heart is damaged badly, to the point where it looks like we’re going to say goodbye to the elder Winchester brother already.

Naturally, that can’t happen. Sam finds a way to save his brother, but it means unknowingly trading Dean’s life for someone else. When someone turns up suffering a heart attack, the Winchester brothers know that something is wrong.

Throughout the episode, Dean makes a connection with a woman who has a terminal brain tumor. Dean needs to find a way to help her, even though it isn’t possible through the faith healer they think they’ve found. In the end, Dean shares that he doesn’t think much of faith but he will pray for Layla.

What were your favorite Dean-centric episodes of Supernatural? Share them in the comments below.

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