Supernatural season 2 featured an in-joke referencing another series: Gilmore Girls. Supernatural officially became The CW’s longest-running series, airing for 15 seasons before finally coming to a close in the fall of 2020. Prior to landing the leading role of Sam Winchester, however, Jared Padalecki appeared in several seasons as Rory Gilmore’s boyfriend — and Supernatural season 2 acknowledges Padalecki’s previous role in a fun moment.
In the episode “Hollywood Babylon,” Sam and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) drive down to Los Angeles to investigate a string of murders on the set of a horror film. To get insider information, the brothers pose as personal assistants during the day. At night, they search the set for evidence regarding what’s going on. However, before they begin their hunting jobs, Sam and Dean are just regular movie-loving tourists — or, at least Dean is. He is more of a film enthusiast than Sam and is thrilled to be on a studio lot where some of his favorite movies were filmed. As they take the Warner Bros. studio tour — which is behind the productions of both series — the guide makes note of the Stars Hollow set from Gilmore Girls. She also says that they could even spot one of the stars of the show if they’re lucky.
All of this is happening with the camera trained firmly on Padalecki’s Sam, which is hilarious because he is one of the stars of the mother-daughter drama. It’s a fun, tongue-in-cheek moment that works for fans who know of the actor’s role on Gilmore Girls. Supernatural doesn’t even mention the other series by name, but the reference to Stars Hollow, the town where Gilmore Girls is set, is evidence enough of what the writers were getting at. What makes the moment even better is that Padalecki played a character named Dean Forester. In Supernatural, Sam works alongside his brother, whose name is Dean; the overlap is surely not intentional, but it’s still noteworthy.
What’s more, the scene from the episode is simultaneously silly and memorable — it’s an in-joke that works on a number of levels, especially when Padalecki’s reaction to the tour guide’s note is taken into account. Based on his expression alone, it would seem Sam isn’t much of a fan of Gilmore Girls or the studio tour, and would much rather get the job over and done with. Ultimately, “Hollywood Babylon” isn’t the only Supernatural episode to mock Hollywood or make in-jokes. Season 6’s “The French Mistake” breaks the fourth wall by having Dean and Sam enter a world where Supernatural is a show that stars exaggerated versions of the real-life Ackles and Padalecki.
Supernatural’s “Hollywood Babylon” episode pokes fun at Hollywood in general. There are the disgruntled producers who are unhappy with the budget costs, an actress who gets tired of screaming on cue, a writer who’s mad that most of his script is changed, and the personal assistants Dean is pretty sure are mistreated. “Hollywood Babylon” is everything viewers may love and hate about the film and TV industries, and it’s always intriguing when a series like Supernatural mocks the very business it is also a part of. After all, Supernatural was nothing if not willing to take a jab at its own stars occasionally, and the Gilmore Girls reference is an example of that.
