Every weekday through September 12 BuddyTV is counting down the 10 best Supernatural episodes of all time.  Come back every day as we unveil the list, and see if your favorite episode made the cut!

Part 1 Original Air Date:  May 10, 2007
Part 2 Original Air Date:  May 17, 2007

Part 1 Written By:  Sera Gamble
Part 2 Written By:  Eric Kripke

Summary:  In the second season finale, Sam wakes up in a ghost town with others who have special abilities, only to discover that the Yellow-Eyed Demon expects them to fight to the death.  After Sam is killed by Jake, Dean makes a pact with the Crossroads Demon to resurrect him.  The brothers then team up with Bobby and Ellen to stop Jake from opening a portal to Hell.

Why It's On The List:  We've finally reached the end of our Supernatural all-time top 10 list, and yes, I'm totally cheating with this last entry.  "All Hell Breaks Loose" consists of two different episodes from two different writers that aired on two different nights.  Shoving them both into the number one slot is technically against the rules, but since I invented the rules I'm allowed to bend them as I please.  Even if they are separate episodes, I find the two halves of "All Hell Breaks Loose" to be inexorably linked together.  This is the only two-parter in Supernatural history, and in my opinion it contains everything that makes the show one of the best things on television.

The thing I like about "All Hell Breaks Loose" is the way it closes the door on the first two seasons of Supernatural and paves the way for the future.  There are a lot of big changes to the show's universe in these two episodes.  A few of the big events include the Yellow-Eyed Demon being vanquished, the special kids being killed off, John Winchester clawing his way out of Hell, and the Roadhouse burning to the ground with Ash inside.  Of course, it also leaves us with some very important questions, including how Mary knew Azazel, what will come of Dean's deal, and what it means that Sam has demon blood inside him.  The season 2 finale takes Supernatural in a new direction, but it also leaves us with a few questions about what happened on the fateful night Mary died.

In my write up of "In My Time of Dying," I mentioned that I chose it over "Devil's Trap" because the former was more emotional and the latter was more like an action movie.  "All Hell Breaks Loose" is a great mixture of both, and it even has a good dose of horror to boot.  The entire setup of Sam waking up in a ghost town where people are getting picked off one by one would work in any horror movie, and the emotion kicks in the instant Sam is stabbed in the back by Jake.  As Sam slowly dies in Dean's arms while Dean promises him everything will be okay, it's impossible not to feel punched in the gut.  Sure, you know the show isn't going to kill Sam off, but Jensen Ackles makes Dean's grief seem entirely real.

The action-packed portion of "All Hell Breaks Loose" is the second half, which kicks off with a recap set to "Carry On My Wayward Son" and doesn't let up from there.  The final confrontation with Azazel in the graveyard is stunning, and it's easily one of the biggest set-pieces Supernatural has ever done.  We get to see hundreds of demons escaping Hell, a silent Ghost John helping out the boys, Sam turning to the dark side by killing Jake, and Dean putting a Colt bullet right in ol' yellow eyes.  "That was for our mom, you son of a bitch," he spits out afterwards.  It's a cheer-worthy moment that was a long time coming, though I'll forever miss Fredric Lehne's awesome performance as Azazel.

"All Hell Breaks Loose" also contains a nice balance between fantastic Sam moments and great Dean moments, which means that fans of both Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles have plenty to enjoy.  The first part of the finale is almost entirely devoted to Sam, and it's a treat to watch him step into a leadership role in the ghost town.  Part two is Dean's chance to shine, and perhaps his best scene is the speech he gives to Dead Sam about how he feels he's failed him as a brother.  "I had one job, and I screwed it up," Dean tells him.  The character's self-loathing really comes into play in part two, and Jensen completely sells it.

It's easy to heap praise on Jensen and Jared, but let's not forget how wonderful Jim Beaver is in these episodes.  The look on his face when he sees that Sam has come back to life is perfect, but his emotional chastising of Dean in the junkyard is even better.  Bobby makes a good point about the Winchesters always rushing to sacrifice themselves, and it's tempting to root for him to give Dean a good slap.

The best part about counting down these episodes has been reading all the comments from the Supernatural fans.  No one has agreed with everything I've put on this list.  Some people think the episodes should be rearranged, others think the list is missing some of the show's greatest installments, and some people think there are unworthy episodes on here.  The fact that this list is so debatable is a testament to how many great Supernatural episodes there are.  In the end, this all-time top 10 list is just my opinion, and I urge you to comment below with your own top 10 lists.

This marks the end of our countdown of the 10 greatest Supernatural episodes of all time, and I'm already afraid the list will seem dated within a week.  You see, I've been lucky enough to screen this Thursday's season 4 premiere, "Lazarus Rising," in advance.  I'll write more about my reaction to the episode on Monday, but trust me, it's worthy of a spot on this list.

<< EPISODE #2      |      EPISODE #10 >>


- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of the CW)