Supernatural Timeline
Supernatural Timeline
October 31st – November 2nd 2005 – 1.01 Pilot
The first present day scene shows us Sam and Jessica on their way to a Halloween party. Dean and Sam then spend the weekend working the Woman in White case, and Sam returns to his apartment just in time to witness Jessica's fiery death. Her headstone seen in Wendigo gives her date of death as November 2nd.
By the time Dean goes to fetch Sam from Stanford it is already three weeks since his last contact from John.
November 2005 – 1.02 Wendigo
We are told in this episode that Dean and Sam have hung around Stanford for a week after the events of the Pilot in search of clues as to Jessica's killer, before heading for Colorado to follow up on the coordinates John left for Dean in his journal.
December 5th 2005 – 1.04 Phantom Traveler?
It is suggested (newspaper date seen on a TV screen) in What Is And What Should Never Be that the plane crash averted by Dean and Sam in Phantom Traveler took place on December 5th, which was also apparently Mary's birthday.
However, this information comes from Dean's fantasy, and it is known that numerous other details therein are distorted, so this date can't be relied on.
7th March 2006 – 1.06 Skin
We learn in The Benders that Dean's shapeshifter double was killed on March 7th, thus giving us a date for the final scenes of this episode.
20th-26th March 2006 – 1.08 Bugs
We are told that the death in the teaser of this episode happened on 20th March, and that the big bug infestation at the end of the episode is the 6th night after that.
April 2006 – 1.11 Scarecrow
"This is the second week of April," Sam tells us on-screen in this episode, which places the events of this episode anywhere between 7-14 April. Stacey later says that it is the last night of 'the cycle', and the evidence is that this cycle covers that second week in April very specifically, which suggests that the climax of the episode takes place on the night of April 14th.
June 2006 – 1.17 Hell House
Sam checks the Hell Hounds website during this episode and notes a new post, which we can see, in a close up of the laptop, is dated June 10.
18-19th July 2006 – 2.01 In My Time Of Dying
19th July is the date on John's heart monitor at the end of the episode. RIP.
August 2006 – 2.04 Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things
In the teaser, when soon-to-be-zombie Angela crashes her car, a close up of her mobile phone gives the date as 22nd August. Dean and Sam arrive in town two days after her funeral, which places the events of the episode at the end of August.
This means that the events of the last third of season one and the early stages of season two take place within a very compact space of time, complicated by the fact that John in Salvation said it was "about a year" since he'd noticed signs of the Demon coming out of hibernation and took off to pursue it. Presumably he was rounding up by a couple of months, because for CSPWDT to take place in late August, the events of the finale couldn't have happened any later than July, only 9 months after John's disappearance in October 2005.
September 2006 – 2.06 No Exit
The second victim in this episode, Theresa, receives mail inviting her to a lingerie party on 28th September, which means that the events of the episode take place sometime before that date.
November 2006 – 2.08 Crossroad Blues
Dean finds a picture of Doctor Pearlman dated November 1996, which was apparently when she made her deal with the crossroads demon. Since her bill came due ten years later, it is reasonable to assume that the episode takes place in November 2006.
January 2007 – 2.13 Houses of the Holy
When Dean and Sam explore the first victim's house, Dean comments on the Christmas Angel decoration still adorning his porch, noting that it is after New Year.
However, dating for this episode is complicated by the fact that Father Gregory's headstone gives his death date as 2007, and he is supposed to have died two months ago.
February 20th 2007 – 2.16 Road Kill
We are told onscreen that the events of this episode take place on the night of February 20th and early the following morning.
April/May 2007 – 2.21-22 All Hell Breaks Loose
In Part One Sam refers to himself as being 23 years old. Since we know from The Benders that his birthday is May 2nd, this episode cannot take place any later than the end of April or very beginning of May.
The Season Two Companion confirms that Sam is brought back to life on his 24th birthday, 2nd May 2007
May 2007 – 3.01 The Magnificent Seven
We are told that this episode takes place one week after the devil's gate was opened in All Hell Breaks Loose.
June 2007 – 3.03 Bad Day At Black Rock
Kubrick says that his last information places the Winchester brothers in Nebraska 'three weeks ago'. Since the Magnificent Seven was set in Nebraska, it is likely that he is referring to this case.
July 2007 – 3.04 Sin City
Sam says that it is now two months since the devil's gate was opened. If that was the beginning of May, it is now the beginning of July.
October 2007 – 3.05 Bedtime Stories
Sam says that it is close to Halloween, placing this episode toward the end of October. This means that there has been rather a large leap forward in time between this episode and the last, something the show has never really done before.
December 2007 – 3.08 A Very Supernatural Christmas
It's Christmas. Therefore: late December.
29th February 2008 – 3.13 Ghostfacters
We are told that the events of this episode take place on 29th February. After that three-month jump forward in time earlier in the season, which appears to have taken place purely to accommodate the Halloween reference for broadcast at Halloween, the events of successive episodes are now being crammed into a very short space of time, with six episodes taking place over a period of just two months.
March/April 2008 – 3.14 Long Distance Call
There is a production error in this episode, as a computer print-out lists a series of telephone calls made in April, the most recent on April 26th, which should be just days before Dean's deal comes due. However, subsequent episodes prove that there are still several weeks to go at this stage.
April 2008 – 3.15 Time Is On My Side
Dean tells us that there are now three weeks left until his crossroads deal comes due.
However, there is another production flaw in this episode, as we see a receipt dated 11th June, which should be a full month after the deal comes due, whichever way you slice it!
2nd May 2008 – 3.16 No Rest For The Wicked
The Season Two Companion tells us that Sam was brought back to life on his 24th birthday, 2nd May. Dean's crossroads deal comes due exactly one year later. Therefore, this episode must take place on 2nd May, Sam's 25th birthday.
