Over fifteen seasons, Supernatural explored many themes. The show dove into monster myths, urban legends, religions, and more. Sam and Dean Winchester traveled across the country several times. They hunted all kinds of creatures that go bump in the night. Along with drama, scares, and sibling tension, the series often made fun of itself.
The show became famous for its meta episodes. The best of these is “The French Mistake.” This episode is not only the most meta in the series but also one of the funniest. It is Jared Padalecki’s favorite episode. The episode includes a hilarious real-life joke with tweets by Misha Collins.
“The French Mistake” Is Jared Padalecki’s Favorite Episode
The episode starts with Balthazar giving Sam and Dean a key. Then, he sends them to an alternate reality. Sam and Dean crash through a window at Bobby’s house. Instead of their usual world, they find themselves on a TV set. There, they discover they are actors named Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles starring in a show called Supernatural.
The episode playfully mocks the cast and crew. Characters based on director Robert Singer, creator Eric Kripke, and showrunner Sera Gamble appear. Sam and Dean live the lives of their actor doubles, who do not get along. They learn fun facts, like Jared owning an alpaca and having a giant portrait of himself on horseback. Jensen has an aquarium in his trailer and once acted in a soap opera. The brothers also find the actors’ wallets and use their credit cards to buy spell ingredients.
The episode contrasts the brothers’ gritty, dangerous world with the silly, strange alternate reality. Scenes include Sam and Dean struggling to act, the crew reacting to their attempts, and Eric Kripke walking into gunfire and getting shot. “The French Mistake” is one of Supernatural’s funniest and best episodes. It is loved not only by Jared Padalecki but also by Misha Collins and Eric Kripke.
Misha Collins’ Real Tweets Add to the Joke
A key part of “The French Mistake” is Misha Collins’ fictional character. This version of Misha is a bit foolish and rude. Sam and Dean first mistake him for Castiel. They ask about the key from Balthazar, and “Castiel” answers. But when Sam and Dean mention the TV show, Misha breaks character. The brothers take the key and leave, teasing Misha and Jensen by name. Misha thinks it’s a joke and calls after them. Then, he tweets about the encounter.
To make the episode even more meta, Misha Collins actually posted these fake tweets on Twitter the night the episode aired. When Sam and Dean struggle with acting, Misha’s character gets annoyed. He pushes a crew member and ignores another. Collins said at a convention he wanted to make the character as much of a “douche” as possible.
During a break, Misha tweeted again in character. One tweet read, “Ever get that feeling… Someone’s in the backseat? Frowny face.” This was a reference to an angel following Sam and Dean. However, before Misha could send this tweet, the character Virgil appeared and stopped him. Virgil held a knife to Misha’s throat and then killed him to make a call to Raphael.
