# Supernatural TV show episodes that have no supernatural things in them **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 12, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-tv-show-episodes-that-have-no-supernatural-things-in-them/588693 "2011-07-12T00:33:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-tv-show-episodes-that-have-no-supernatural-things-in-them/588693/21 "2011-07-13T16:22:38Z")
> [@hermette](#): > > Buffy _nearly_ did it with The Body in Season 5, but they did a brief vamp attack that added nothing to the plot, possibly just for the sake of not having an unsupernatural episode. That was there to show that vampires don’t take a holiday just because the vampire slayer is dealing with a personal tragedy. Kind of a grim “life goes on” deal. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-tv-show-episodes-that-have-no-supernatural-things-in-them/588693/22 "2011-07-13T16:47:54Z")
This predates TV, but the stories by William Hope Hodgson about [Carnacki the Ghost-Finder](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnacki) are set in a world in which the supernatural (specifically, ghosts) exists, but in some of the episodes, the supposed hauntings he investigates turn out to have non-supernatural origins. ---
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-tv-show-episodes-that-have-no-supernatural-things-in-them/588693/23 "2011-07-14T16:24:18Z")
_Fringe_ walks close to the line between natural and supernatural. In-universe, there’s a natural explanation for everything, but some make the suspension of disbelief stretch pretty far. There are some episodes that are somewhat plausible extensions of current technology, though. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-tv-show-episodes-that-have-no-supernatural-things-in-them/588693/24 "2011-07-14T21:32:01Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > An episode of The Twilight Zone called “The Silence” about a bet at a Gentleman’s Club plays more like an Alfred Hitchcock Presents. It has a twist but not a supernatural one. Which makes sense, seeing as it’s [adapted from](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silence_(The_Twilight_Zone)) [“The Bet” by Chekov.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bet_(short_story)) ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-tv-show-episodes-that-have-no-supernatural-things-in-them/588693/25 "2011-07-15T01:35:35Z")
> [@hermette](#): > > Buffy _nearly_ did it with The Body in Season 5, but they did a brief vamp attack that added nothing to the plot, possibly just for the sake of not having an unsupernatural episode. As I took it, the point of the vamp attack at the end was that no matter what else happened in her life, even at her lowest points, she was still the Slayer and still had a job to do. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-tv-show-episodes-that-have-no-supernatural-things-in-them/588693/26 "2011-07-15T02:26:16Z")
> [@Lord\_Ashtar](#): > > As I took it, the point of the vamp attack at the end was that no matter what else happened in her life, even at her lowest points, she was still the Slayer and still had a job to do. I don’t think there was any supernatural or magic in the Buffy episode “Ted”, was there? The John Ritter look alike was evil, but not supernaturally evil. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-tv-show-episodes-that-have-no-supernatural-things-in-them/588693/27 "2011-07-15T02:40:45Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > This isn’t exclusively about the TV show Supernatural, but it is one that counts. > > I’m watching “The Benders”, which is an episode of Supernatural…where the boys fight people. Messed up people, but no ghosts or demons. > > Then there is the X-files episode “Home”, where it turns out that inbred humans are what Mulder and Scully are up against. > > What other episodes of supernatural-theme shows can you think of where the heroes end up not fighting anything supernatural? If you will recall the breeding mother was a mutant in the sense that she felt no pain, and was IIRC in her 70’s or so while still breeding, and produced these mutant throwback (literally) children with impossible DNA where multiple DNA from several sperm donors, (her mutant sons) was mixed together in a single person. That was strange enough IMO to be “supernatural”. Home wiki > **[Home (The X-Files)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_(The_X-Files))** > > "Home" is the second episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files, which originally aired on the Fox network on October 11, 1996. Directed by Kim Manners, it was written by Glen Morgan and James Wong. "Home" is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the overarching mythology of The X-Files. Watched by 18.85 million viewers, the initial broadcast had a Nielsen rating of 11.9. "Home" was the first episode of The X-Files to carry a viewer dis... ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-tv-show-episodes-that-have-no-supernatural-things-in-them/588693/28 "2011-07-15T03:32:59Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Which makes sense, seeing as it’s [adapted from](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silence_(The_Twilight_Zone)) [“The Bet” by Chekov.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bet_(short_story)) How do you say, “Rut-row!” in Russian? ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-tv-show-episodes-that-have-no-supernatural-things-in-them/588693/29 "2011-07-15T03:54:03Z")
> [@Lord\_Ashtar](#): > > As I took it, the point of the vamp attack at the end was that no matter what else happened in her life, even at her lowest points, she was still the Slayer and still had a job to do. [Points up.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14017441&postcount=21) > [@zamboniracer](#): > > I don’t think there was any supernatural or magic in the Buffy episode “Ted”, was there? The John Ritter look alike was evil, but not supernaturally evil. Well, he was a robot. With emotions. Who killed 4 women trying to find the perfect wife. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-tv-show-episodes-that-have-no-supernatural-things-in-them/588693/30 "2011-07-15T04:06:26Z")
> [@zamboniracer](#): > > I don’t think there was any supernatural or magic in the Buffy episode “Ted”, was there? The John Ritter look alike was evil, but not supernaturally evil. Yeah, but it’s pushing it into 'terminator" world where robots exist, which is close. Same with Warren’s robot girlfriend episode. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-tv-show-episodes-that-have-no-supernatural-things-in-them/588693/31 "2011-07-15T13:29:56Z")
Another Supernatural episode, “Family Remains,” lacked supernatual elements, to the surprise of our heroes. It may have actually been a rip off of the “Home” episode of X-Files referenced in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-tv-show-episodes-that-have-no-supernatural-things-in-them/588693/32 "2011-07-15T13:53:22Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > An episode of The Twilight Zone called “The Silence” about a bet at a Gentleman’s Club plays more like an Alfred Hitchcock Presents. It has a twist but not a supernatural one. > > Which makes sense, seeing as it’s [adapted from](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silence_(The_Twilight_Zone)) [“The Bet” by Chekov.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bet_(short_story)) Heck, the _ **first episode** _ of the Twilight Zone revealed that all the wacky stuff was simply hallucinated by the subject in a mundane psychology experiment. And don’t forget the episode where a doctor’s birthday party transitions to everyone suddenly wanting in at their neighbor’s bomb shelter… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-tv-show-episodes-that-have-no-supernatural-things-in-them/588693.md?page=1)