These 10 easy-to-miss details from Supernatural really stand out when rewatching the show, and some of them are truly heartbreaking. Despite ending five years ago, and having an incredible 15-year run before that, Supernatural continues to be a very popular show.
Because of that, audiences are still identifying new details from the show’s more than 300 episodes even now. Certain details reveal hints about what is to come later in the show, while others exemplify just how intricate the character development was. These 10 details in particular are so much easier to spot when rewatching Supernatural, and some are absolutely devastating.
10
Sam Winchester Has Watched The Clone Wars
There Were Many Star Wars References In Supernatural, But This Is A Surprising One
Star Wars references were a frequent occurrence in Supernatural, but one mention of the galaxy far, far away was particularly surprising. In season 13, Sam walks into Jack’s room and finds him watching the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Not only does Sam recognize it, but he seems well aware of the details of the show.
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It’s easy to miss this Star Wars: The Clone Wars Easter egg in Supernatural, and it’s likely going to make you pretty annoyed once you watch it.
Sam even makes an apt and hilarious joke about the show, saying that it’s “probably for the best” that Jack dislikes Anakin, as he eventually falls to the dark side and becomes one of Star Wars’ most powerful Sith. This is especially fitting given Jack is Satan’s son and has his own battle with inner darkness.
9
Dean Never Learned The Real Reason Bela Killed Her Parents
Bela’s Story Was Genuinely Tragic
Bela was a compelling character in Supernatural because she didn’t fit into a neat box in terms of what ‘side’ she was on in the way many other characters did early on in the show. She was frequently only out for herself, which made her feel like an adversary to Sam and Dean.
Yet, she had a tragic past that made her much more complicated than that. Bela made a deal with a demon to kill her parents because her father was abusing her and her mother did nothing to stop it. All Dean knew, however, was that Bela had her parents killed, and he assumed it was just to get their money.
In what was a fairly shocking death even for Supernatural, Bela sadly died before she was able to reveal the truth to Dean, as her time was up and the hell hounds came to get her. This guttingly means Dean never learned the real reason she had her parents killed—and he absolutely would have understood and helped her.
8
Dean Is Obsessed With Food Because It Was So Scarce As Kids
Dean Always Wanting To Eat Is A Running Joke On The Show, But It Goes Much Deeper
Dean constantly being hungry, eating food, and/or wanting to get food is a running joke throughout Supernatural’s 15 seasons, particularly when it comes to burgers and pie. Yet, rewatching Supernatural reveals that there’s a much darker reason Dean is always eating.
Flashbacks to Dean and Sam’s childhood showed that John often left them alone when he went on hunts, which meant the brothers fending for themselves. At times, this led to the boys having very little food, to the point that Dean got caught stealing food because they were so hungry at one point, and he was punished for it.
This revelation takes Dean’s obsession with eating from a funny gag on the show to a reflection of how their difficult, unstable childhood actually affected Dean long-term, which is an easy detail to miss when first watching the show but so much more meaningful the second (or more) time around.
7
Sam Never Found Out Dean’s Cruel Voicemail Was Fake
Sam May Never Have Known That Dean Didn’t Call Him A Monster
Season 4 of Supernatural sees Sam and Dean at perhaps their lowest in the entire show in terms of their relationship, and that’s in large part because they are so divided on the proper steps to take to stop the Apocalypse. This becomes particularly heated when Dean learns that Sam is drinking demon blood to become more powerful.
The brothers have some vicious fights, but one of the most brutal moments was actually fabricated. To keep Sam dedicated to their plan to kill Lilith (which turns out to be a complete trick), Ruby manipulates a voicemail Dean left for Sam to make it seem as though Dean called Sam a monster and implied he was irredeemable.
Sam and Dean ultimately make up, but we never see Sam and Dean discuss the voicemail, which presumably means Sam believes it was real. It seems like the kind of thing Sam wouldn’t want to discuss because it was painful, but it’s so sad to think Sam went on believing Dean had said those horrible things.
6
Sam Never Dated Another Blonde Woman After He Lost Jessica
As Sam Later Confessed, He Still Thought About Jessica, More Than A Decade Later
One detail only revealed at the end of Supernatural (and so much more obvious upon rewatch) is that Sam never had another serious romantic relationship with a blonde woman after Jess. In the pilot, Sam’s girlfriend, whom he had planned to propose to, died in the same way his mother did, at the hands of the yellow-eyed demon, Azazel.
Even after 15 seasons, though, Sam clearly had never truly recovered from Jess’s death, and he admitted that he still thought about her, all that time later, which is reflected in this dating pattern. It may even have been an entirely subconscious choice he was making, but Sam only dating brunettes after Jess reveals how crushing this loss was.
5
Dean Straightened Up Like A Soldier As Soon As He Saw John
Dean Really Didn’t Get To Be John’s Child
Dean actually went back in time and met younger versions of his parents, Mary and John Winchester, on more than one occasion, but in Supernatural season 5, episode 13, Sam and Dean both encounter their parents in the past and must try to save their lives.
This episode contained an unexpected moment of heartbreak, though, when Dean visibly straightened and stood at attention when John came to the door. His reaction is easy to miss upon first watch, but rewatching this episode made it clear that Dean’s reaction to seeing his father reflects the way he had become a soldier, not a son, to his father.
Dean’s reaction to seeing his father reflects the way he had become a soldier, not a son, to his father.
4
Sam Learned Sign Language Just For Eileen
Sam Had Some Ability To Sign Before, But It’s Clear He Worked To Become More Fluent
Of all Sam’s love interests in Supernatural, Eileen continues to be one of the most prominently discussed because many speculate that she was the blurry wife in the Supernatural finale. That remains a major mystery even after the show’s conclusion, but whether Sam married Eileen or not, it’s obvious that he truly cared for and loved her.
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One detail that really sticks out upon rewatching Supernatural, however, is that Sam learned sign language just so he could better communicate with Eileen. Sam did have some limited knowledge of sign language before he met Eileen, but by the final season, he was clearly much more fluent in the language, which just proves how much Eileen meant to him.
3
Dean’s Heaven Was Being With Sam, But Sam’s Was Being On His Own
This Detail Speaks Volumes About Their Dynamic In Such A Painful Way
In Supernatural season 5, episode 16, Dean and Sam are sent to Heaven, and together they experience what each of their respective Heavens would entail. Unfortunately, this ends up being a devastating revelation for Dean because while Dean’s Heaven comprises his best memories with Sam, Sam’s Heaven consists of the times he was away from Dean and John.
For example, whereas Dean has cherished memories of him spending time with young Sam and Sam thanking him for a great day, Sam’s Heaven includes events like having a true Thanksgiving dinner with another family and striking off on his own and finding a dog.
Although this is apparent from the first time viewers see this episode, upon rewatch, the meaning behind this scene becomes so much more poignant and meaningful. Sadly, this would prove to be a pattern for Sam and Dean, even when the two of them were much older than they were in some of these memories.
2
Sam Likely Lived Longer Without Dean Than He Lived With Him
The Supernatural Finale Was Gutting Because Of Dean’s Death
The very controversial ending of Supernatural revealed that, not too long after Sam and Dean defeated God (a few years, in Jensen Ackles’ estimation), Dean died on a hunt after he was impaled on rebar. The way in which Dean died was controversial in and of itself, but viewers were also simply devastated to learn Dean died decades before Sam.
Although Sam’s age at the end of the show is not explicitly stated—neither when Dean died nor when, much later on, Sam himself dies—it’s clear that several decades pass between these two events. Because of that, it’s likely that Sam spent more time without Dean than he spent with him.
This is complicated to a certain degree because the Supernatural timeline is so difficult to pin down, especially due to episodes like “Mystery Spot,” in which Sam relives the same day about 100 times. Even with that taken into account, though, Sam clearly lives a full life after Dean’s death, perhaps even longer than the life he had with Dean.
Sam clearly lives a full life after Dean’s death, perhaps even longer than the life he had with Dean.
1
Dean Winchester Died With A Job Application On His Desk
Many Suspect Dean Was Applying To Become A Firefighter
In the Supernatural finale, after Dean’s death, Sam is sitting in Dean’s room when he begins going through the objects in Dean’s desk drawers. In that scene, atop Dean’s desk, is a job application. Many believe this was an application for Dean to become a firefighter, as he had mentioned that being a dream of his when he was young.
While the exact position for which Dean was applying is actually ambiguous, it does seem to be a job application, as the page is labeled “Application Portion” and lists minimum requirements. The text is a bit too small to perfectly make out, but those requirements do mention equipment, uniforms, and other verbiage that would suggest a firefighting position.
No matter what the role was, it is tragic to know that Dean was thinking about life beyond hunting when he died. Ultimately, it’s unknown whether he really ever could have walked away, but even him considering it hurts. This is therefore the most devastating detail that becomes clear when rewatching Supernatural.
Supernatural
8/10
- Release Date
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2005 – 2020
- Showrunner
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Eric Kripke
