Meta Essays

A meta essay, or meta (short for meta-analysis) refers to an essay that explores the text of a show in more detail than an episode review or recap. Broader themes, or deeper analysis are investigated, often with supporting evidence in the form of screencaps, pictures or charts.

See Picspams for links to graphics based meta, which use images from the Show, alongside, or instead of text.

Meta Communities

In the first two seasons of Supernatural, the Supernatural community spn_heavymeta on Livejournal followed a set regime, where members would submit essays for each episode on Dean, Sam and John. After Season Two this structure was abandoned, and the community simply provided a central place for people to link to their metas.

The forums on Television Without Pity (now closed) and supernatural.tv as well as blogs like The Winchester Family Business often contain meta discussion, as do the comments sections on many media sites.

• The sociology of Supernatural - A TWOP forum to discuss issues of sex, gender and race in Supernatural

Famous aca-fan Henry Jenkins has written about Supernatural.

In March 2010, the online journal "Transformative Works and Culture" published a special Supernatural issue.

Meta Books

• Some of us really do watch for the plot was published in 2007 through Cafe Press and was the first collection of meta on Supernatural
• In the Hunt: Unauthorized Essays on Supernatural
• The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons and Ghouls
• The Mythology Of Supernatural
• TV Goes To Hell
• Fandom At The Crossroads
• Television, Religion and Supernatural
• Supernatural and Philosophy: Metaphysics and Monsters... for Idjits
• Fan Phenomena: Supernatural
• Fangasm: Supernatural Fangirls
• Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over the World (contains a chapter on Supernatural fanfic)

Meta Essays

Dean

• Vivisecting Supernatural- The Odd Behaviour Of Demon Dean by Wren Collins
• Dean's Arrested Development by noelq
• Dean as Combat Commander by ladyraiden
• Good Dean Hunting by astri13
• Who's in Charge here: Dean in Wendigo by dotfic
• Still a long way to go: Dean in Home by karaadora
• If you love someone set them free: Dean in Shadows by marinarusalka
• Dean in Route 666 by anteka
• If that's what it takes: Dean in Dead Man's Blood by jewelgalantine
• Dean in Croatoan by blackcat333_99
• Holding out for a hero: Dean in NightShifter by slaysvamp
• Fear of irrelevance: Dean in In My Time of Dying by ataniell93
• Freudian analysis of Dean by sarahwilder
• Dean's relationship to food by ash48
• Mangelpain: a study on Dean Winchester by lizstiel
• "I'm not someone you want to aim to be: Dean in SPN season 6 by amonitrate
• The Art of Letting Go: A Take on Dean’s Mental State in 9x01 Ï think I'm going to like it here" by feandra
• It is Easier to Build Strong Children than to Repair Broken Men: Dean Winchester and Early Years Education by lookatthesefreakinghispters

Sam

• Vivisecting Supernatural- Stockholm Syndrome In Repo Man by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- Make Me A Real Boy by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- You Should Have Looked For Me While I Was In Purgatory by Wren Collins
• Sam in Season 1 by dunkle_feuer
• Is Sammy selfish or functional ? by dodger-winslow
• I had a crappy guidance counselor: Sam in Asylum by estel_willow
• The end of innocence: Sam in Home by morgan32
• Daaaad: Sam in dead Man's Blood by astri13
• Carry on my wayward son: Sam in Salvation by candygramme
• Allowance for us all: Sam in Everybody Loves a Clown by sargraf
• My turn to fall apart: Sam in Playthings by marinarusalka
• True Believer: Sam in Houses of the Holy by dodger_winslow
• The killer in me: Sam in Croatoan by missyjack
• Sam Winchester as Chewbacca by blackjedii
• Sam in Season 3 by girlwonder
• Sam in Season 4 by quarterwhore
• Why Sam is not going darkside but he may end up wearing spandex by missyjack
• Rockstars, hunters and addiction by fannishliss
• Cracking the Enigma which is Post-Hell!Sam (circa S6) by zimshan
• 'Not Normal. Safe.': Why S8!Sam Makes Sense in the Context of his History & in Relation to Dean by zimshan
• Sam and Death by magickstiel

John Winchester

• John in Season One by phantomas
• The John Winchester Parenting Handbook by ellipsisblack
• On the dangers of normal: John in the Pilot by deannie
• Choices and consequences: John in Something Wicked by sargraf
• John in Home by dotfic
• Fallen warrior: John in Everbody Loves a Clownby morgan32
• The vanishing act in reverse: John in Shadows by phantomas
• Cast a giant shadow: John in Asylum by astri13
• John's digression from champion to adversary by kinda_tempted

The Winchesters

• Vivisecting Supernatural- Their Souls Are Broken, Doc by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- Needles, Exsanguination, & The Hurt/Comfort Trope by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- This Essay Is Not About Selfcest by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- Spot The Monster by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- The Thing About Heroism by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- Is Wincest Really That Far-Fetched? by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- 'Don't Make Me Use My Mom Voice' by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- These Guys Are Psychopaths' by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- Jerk. Bitch by Wren Collins
• It's all about the Sam, the Dean, the Dad, the Demon by dodger-winslow
• Hugging & brotherly love: a comparison of the way brothers relate in Supernatural, Heroes & Prison Break by silver_spotted
• Alpha, beta & omega: Pack order in the Winchesters by technosage
• You're not my brother: Insights into the boys' relationship through Skin and Asylum by angstslashhope
• The blunt instrument and the sharp: Sam and Dean in Mystery Spot by spiderine
• Sam vs. Daddy by ahania
• Redemption narratives and kissing by missyjack
• Vessels, and shared responsibility by destina
• Sam and Dean's transformative love story by Catherine Tosenberger
• Tension, Conflict, Motivation, and Plot: Why the Story is About Dean & We Do Know Sam by bowtrunckle
• Dean's capability and Sam's morality by eilonwy
• Of Alphas, Betas, and omegas: of Winchesters and Alphabet soup by technosage
• Sam and Dean and Me: codependence in Supernatural by vichan
• The tragedy of Sam and Dean by affectingly
• Sam/Dean Ship manifesto by slytherinblack
• Why I write Sam/Dean even though I've never liked incestfic setissma
• Analysis of Sam's love/devotion for Dean by laurificus
• On Incest and wincest: the right and wrong way to write Sam/Dean] by hidingincanada
• A Wincest Manifesto
• Psychotically, irrationally, erotically co-dependent…the obsessive bromance of Supernatural by pinkwood
• To Keep Each Other Human: The Restoration of Balance (and other color interactions) in SPN 5.18 by zimshan
• Playing with perception: Sam and dean in Season 8 by metamorphic rocks

Castiel

• Vivisecting Supernatural- The Evolution Of Castiel, Or What The F*ck Happened There? by Wren Collins
• A boy and his angel by karenmiller
• Where Do Castiel's Loyalties Lie ? by darksilvercat
• Castiel: An Angel in the trenches by Amanda Spedding
• Castiel's character meta by sistermagpie
• Jimmy: The man behind the curtain by seahorse-4215
• The evolution of Castiel's humanity by missyjack
• The darkest hour by saucery
• On the nature of the profound bond by defilerwyrm
• An attempt at a neuroscientific examination of Castiel’s human experience and why it changed him by feandra
• On Castiel, Identity and Metrical Analysis by lifeinabox66
• The Route of Flowers : Symbolism and Castiel by thevioletcaptain
• Cas, Dean, Humanity, and Angeldom by attackofthekillermexisaurusex

Other Characters

• Vivisecting Supernatural- Torture And Trauma As According To Cole Trenton by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- Look, I Know She Killed Sam With A Drainpipe, But She Was Just Misunderstood by Wren Collins
• Then and Now by blackcat333_99
• Hunter and hunted: Jo in Born Under a Bad Sign by missyjack
• Long arm of the law: FBI Agent Hendrickson in Night Shifter by marinarusalka
• You can't choose your family: Bobby and Ellen as mentors by mahoni
• Why Gordon is more than just a killer: Gordon in Bloodlust by phantomas
• Sam and the Trickster in Mystery Spot by makishef
• Ruby & Castiel as avatars for aspects of Sam and Dean by missyjack
• Better the devil you know: illustrated meta on Ruby through seasons 3 & 4 by missyjack
• Illustrated meta on Anna by tirra-lyrra
• Anna Milton Meta: The Lioness, the Leader, the Sacrificial Lamb by arcadianambivalence
• An Anna Milton Meta by susurrantpetrichor - A multi-part analysis of Anna's character, including feminist and theological readings.
  • Part 1: Why Would an Angel Fall?
  • Part 1.1: Bonus Content! Too Off-Topic for the Main Post! Now with more theology and possibly a small feminist rant.
  • Part 2(A): Forgiveness and Love
  • Part 2(B): It’s Time to Think for Yourself
  • Part 2(C): Agency and Ambiguity in “The Song Remains the Same.”
  • Part 2.1: Blasphemy, Doubt, Agape, the Beloved Community, Etc., Etc. (more religious-y bonus content)
  • Part 3: The Madwoman in Heaven’s Attic, the Angel in the Impala
  • Part 3.1: “She Prophesied True Things”
  • Part 4: Useless Speculation
• "Long Live the King" - How Crowley Has Changed Over the Seasons and Where His Character Can Be Expected To Go Next by by neven-ebrez

Mytharc Meta

• Vivisecting Supernatural- The Endgame As Glimpsed In Season Ten by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- The Reverse Crypt Scene by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- The Many Hells Of Team Free Will by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- Parallels Between Brother's Keeper, Sacrifice, And Swan Song by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- Foretelling The Darkness by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- The End's 2014 Vs. Season Nine's 2014 by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- Why The Leviathan Didn't Work by Wren Collins
• Good and Evil in Supernatural (Supernatural panel held at Escapade 2006, a fan-run convention)
• Sam, John and the Demon by destina
• The possibilities of Sam Winchester by fuoror_scribiend
• The Winchester Guide to Demonology by hoovooloo_too
• Angels, spirits, spirits and planetary talismans by reasearchgrrl
• A Cowboy, a Hero, and a Chevy Impala: American Mythology in Supernatural by aislinamara
• Season 3 Episodes 15 & 16 - An analysis of Sam and Dean's contract by stare-at-walls
• Meta analysis on Season 3 by albydarned
• On the Head of a Pin: there's no going back by bardicvoice
• Questions on the angel hierarchy by schmevil
• Zeke 9000 - A 2014 Supernatural Odyssey: parallels between Sam/Zeke and Dave/Hall from 2001 by larinah
• Angels, Demons, Dean and Posession in Supernatural by dontturnitoff
• Demons, Devils, and Dicks: Supernatural and Post 9/11 Angst by bookdal
• 9x11 Parallels - Dean/Cain, Sam/Abel & Castiel/Colette by queernatural

The Impala

• The Impala as a mirror for Dean's emotional state by anteka
• Back in Black by missyjack

Supernatural & Its Visuals

• Vivisecting Supernatural- The Importance Of Kim Manners by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- Finally, A Director Using His Imagination by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- A Matter Of Life And Death (Part One) by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- A Matter Of Life And Death (Part Two) by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- A Matter Of Life And Death (Part Three) by Wren Collins
• Kripke and His Camera: Pastels, Flowers, and Symbolism in WIAWSNB by bowtrunckle
• Blue Velvety Smoothness: Visual references in WIAWSNB
• Red Demons and Yellow Psychics: Color Association and their Role in Supernatural's Visual Language Part 1 by bowtrunckle
• Red Demons and Yellow Psychics: Color Association and their Role in Supernatural's Visual Language Part 2 (This part focuses on Sam and his connection to demons) by bowtrunckle
• The Supernatural Color Wheel by hearseeno
• There's a Reason To Hope: The Cinematographic Use of Lighting & Shot Composition in SPN 5.04 by zimshan
• The Balance of Red & Blue: Color Symbolism in context of Fate & Free Will in Season 5 by zimshan
• Picspam tribute to Kim's directorial work on Supernatural by bellanut
• "...a storyteller who spoke with his camera..." Part One and Part Two. A picspam looking at Kim Manner's direction of Season One and Two episodes by coltshot1
• The Angel in the House: On the Presence of a Higher Power by sadelyrate
• Supernatural Title Cards and the 5 elements by blacklid
• Supernatural Title Cards and their meanings by meiou-set
• Visual Tropes and Call-Backs in Early Season 5 Episodes by hearseeno
• Statues in Supernatural by tirra-lyrra
• The Writing On The Wall: a study of the graffiti in The End by andreth47
• A Visual review of Two and a half Men by Ardeospina
• Visual review of Like a Virgin by Ardeospina
• Supernatural Noir: season six in review by Jules Wilkinson
• Comparison of Jensen's choice of shots in The Girl Next Door with Hitchcock's Stranger on a Train by bowtruckle
• Tracking the Visual Story: The Saga of Red & Blue Continues... by zimshan
• Comparative Directorial Styles: Edlund, Rohl, Singer, Scgricca, and Manners by bowtruckle
• Season 8: Dissecting Visual Drama by bowtruckle
• Symbolism of the Star Brite Drive-in in 10.03 Soul Survivor by larinah

Gender and Sexuality

• Vivisecting Supernatural- The Problem Of Destiel by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- The Subversion Of Sex by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- We've Done Extraordinary Things To Triplets by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- The Rise Of Sastiel by Wren Collins
• Manly man in TVLand: Gender in Supernatural by astri13
• Less Campy: comparisons of gender depictions in Buffy and Supernatural by monkeycrackmary
• A feminist take on Supernatural by fanishliss
• Masculinity in Supernatural by lefefuge
• Macho vs masculinity by sasha-davidovna
• Some Considerations (in defense) of Supernatural's Malleus Maleficarum from a Feminist by crossroads_lore
• Something about Mary by spg
• Hell hath no fury like a woman born by deadbeat_nymph
• Daddy, would you like some sausage ?: Oedipal narrative in Supernatural by angstslashhope
• Latchkey Hero: Masculinity, Class and the Gothic in Eric Kripke's Supernatural by Julia M. Wright
• The Story of My (non) Existence: Bisexuals and Genre Television by chasingtides
• The Women of Supernatural by Mike Elrod
• "Well, you are kind of butch": the bisexuality of Dean Winchester by waterofthemoon
• Commentary on the "Women's Work" Fanvid by fan-eunice
• Women's Art and "Women's Work" (Essay on the gendered nature of vidding and, in particular, examining "Women's Work", a fanvid by Luminosity and Sisabet & how it examines the portrayal of women in Supernatural)
• Tosenberger, Catherine: "The Epic Love Story of Sam and Dean".Supernatural, queer readings, and the romance of incestuous fan fiction, in "Journal of Transformative Works and Cultures", Volume I, 2008
• HOYAY! "Supernatural": Coded gays, slashfic bait and Wincest, oh my! on After Elton
• Supernatural recap on Facebook by Michael Jensen on After Elton
• Has Slash made the world better for gay men? on After Elton
• Looking at Dean Winchester: The Gaze In Supernatural by missyjack
• Demisexual and queer Sam by kimchesters
• Gender bias in Supernatural: the cold hard stats by ash48 and bythedamned
• Supernatural’s Dean Winchester Dismantled His Own Machismo—and That’s Why We Love Him at tor.com by Emily Asher-Perrin
• Pink and Satiny: An Exploration of Dean Winchester’s Bisexuality by sobrans
• Dean Winchester as a greyromantic by swagstiel
• Masculinity and the killing of Destiel by supernatural-meta
• Breaking Down the Schtick: Jensen Ackles, Physical Comedy, Objectification, Consent, and Other Supernatural Topics Inspired By Three Seconds of Footage by Sheila O'Malley
• Fan art meta on cake/pie and Dean's sexuality by consulting-cannibal
• An example of fannish cake/pie meta by oh-so-pleasant

Class

• Supernatural and economic instability by amonitrate
• Supernatural and the Underclass series: Intro, Dangers of the underclass, Music, War, Clothes, Cars Part One, Cars Part Two by laespada

Religion

• Supernatural: Paving the Way for The New World/Testament by cugami
• Judaism in Supernatural by hagar-972
• Pagan Symbolism in Supernatural - the pentagram by persephoneshadow

Ethnicity

• On Supposed 'Racialized Misogyny' In The S11 Trailer by Wren Collins
• Regional accents in Supernatural by ethrosdemon
• Race in Supernatural by The Angry Black Woman blogsite
• Winchester Accents: None of Them Sound Like They’re from Kansas by basiacat

Music

• Music (Original Score) (meta on themes and motifs in the music score by zimshan)
• Top fifteen music moments on Supernatural by quidditchkiss
• Chasing Rabbits: On the use of "White Rabbit" in the teaser to Hunted by gigglingkat
• Other music metas by gigglingkat
• Baby I’m Gonna Leave You: Dean and Led Zeppelin by feandra

Miscellaneous

• Vivisecting Supernatural- I'm Not Supposed To Laugh, Right? by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- Tiny Intricate Universes by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- Meta Madness by Wren Collins
• Somebody save me: the point of view of people in peril on the boys by astri13
• Free will & determinism in the Supernatural universe by technosage
• The long arm of the law by silver_spotted
• “Why do I hafta be some kind of hero ?": A Hero’s Journey Analysis of Supernatural by kentawolf
• Politics in Supernatural by Lyric Ron
• How the writers' strike affected Season 3 by percysowner
• The Viewers Guide to the Pilot by bowtrunckle & hugemind (with emphasis on cinematography)
• Repeated language by weesta
• Brains trumps legs: Disability in Supernatural by chasingtides
• Vampires as a metaphor for denial in Supernatural by redrikki
• Comparisons between Supernatural and Constantine by blackbetrayal
• Chakras in Supernatural by meret
• Bitten and Baudrillard - hyperealism and Supernatural by astarloa
• Season Nine themes as told through its episode titles (spoilers) by neven-ebrez
• Symbolism of the Numebr 17 in Supernatural by abbaddon
• Establishment Culture, or Why Supernatural is Just as ‘Good’ a Show as Mad Men by fangirlingthebook

Fandom & Fan Works

• Vivisecting Supernatural- On Slash by Wren Collins
• Vivisecting Supernatural- Lazy Writing by Wren Collins
• Season Infinity: A Defence by Wren Collins
• Move over alpha geeks, here come the fangrrls Portrayal of the many facets of fandom, particularly Supernatural
• Navigating The Supernatural Online Fandom: A Great Hiatus Time Killer by Alice Jester
• Infernal redemption: an analysis of the "The Fifth Circle" video by Luminosity by Babak Zarin
• Still Alive Fanvid meta on the Supernatural fandom by counteragent
• A box of mirrors, a unicorn, and a pony by missyjack
• What we write - an analysis of genres and pairings, and changing trends in Supernatural Fanfic from 2005-2009 by missyjack
• Misha’s Minons: A Case Study in Online Community formation and hierarchy
• The pros of cons by Emma Ryan
• A comprehensive guide to shipping Wincest by brothersintheimapala
• The nonnies made them do it! - A history of the Alpha/Beta/Omega trope in Supernatural fanfic by netweight
• Copyright law, the public domain & fanfiction-inspired thoughts on Supernatural's Slumber Party ep by heidi8
• This Content is Currently Unavailable: The Tyranny of Digital Distance, Updated by Mark Stewart
• I Used To Think Maybe You Loved Me (Now Baby I’m Sure): The Reconstruction of the Supernatural Fangirl by KT Torrey - @catchclaw and Shannon Cole - @cym2k
• Shipping as a meditation on love
• A linguist explains the grammar of ship names