Jensen Ackles Tap Dancing In the Latest Supernatural Is…Everything

There’s no tapdancing around this black and white issue: Jensen Ackles is insanely talented.

On Dean Winchester’s birthday, it’s extremely fitting that the good thing in this crazy world we’re relishing today is Dean getting stoned, stepping into some taps and doing his best old Hollywood hoofer impression on Supernatural. It was all a dream of course but what a dream it was.

This isn’t the weirdest thing the show has done (I think that was transporting the leads into a Scooby Doo episode … or maybe killing “Eric Kripke” on screen) but it’s pretty close. The scene happened thanks to a series of events that could only happen on Supernatural.

In “The Heroes’ Journey” Sam and Dean have personally pissed off God (like, literally), so God has apparently demoted them from lead characters in his story to normal humans who catch colds and get tickets and are lactose intolerant. Also Sam’s puppy dog eyes don’t work anymore and Dean has a mouth full of cavities.

Luckily, the Winchesters’ case of the week brings them into the home of werewolf and hunter Garth (DJ Qualls) who also happens to be a dentist. He puts Dean under to do some work and in true Glee fashion, Dean dreams a black and white tap dance number while he’s out. A Garth is there too!

Observe. Enjoy. Be amazed.

Let’s just take a moment to appreciate this entire thing. These two actors are not trained tap dancers, or even dancers, but they brought it for this episode. I can’t imagine getting the script, or the warning that this would happen and just … going with it an doing it so well. But it was perfect. From the black and white, to the music, to the fact that Ackles literally had chemistry with a lamp. All perfect.

DJ Qualls spoke to TV Guide about the episode and teased the dance number:

Our characters have a deeper relationship, and that was really reflected in this episode in a personal way, because Jensen and I are asked to do something that neither one of us can do. It’s a really specific skill that we had to learn, so it’s a big surprise in the middle of the episode for the audience. It’s a great surprise and it’s beautifully shot and so fun, but we’re both crapping ourselves because it’s a really, really hard thing they’ve asked us to do. I had a sneaking suspicion that Jensen would sort of muddle through the learning of this thing when I was with him and then show up and be amazing — and he was. So I was so glad that I spent so much time in my hotel room knocking over things and doing whatever I had to do to learn this skill. We showed up and we both killed it, and it’s a really funny, sweet moment in the show.

That Ackles was able to do learn a tap dance number, own it completely, and make it look effortless is … ridiculous. This is on top of being the lead in a show and delivering emotionally devastating scenes—like last week’s tearful prayer of forgiveness to Castiel—and also managing to be hysterically funny.

It’s so sad that Supernatural is ending, but it’s Ackles whose career after the show I’m probably the most excited about seeing. His co-star Jared Padalecki already has a gig lined up, but we don’t know what Ackles will do after he’s done with Dean Winchester. But it could literally be anything: action, comedy, drama or even a musical (don’t forget, he can also sing!) and he’d be amazing.

We can’t wait to watch whatever Ackles does in the future, but for now, we’re just going to keep this little number on a loop for a while.

(image: The CW)

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Jessica Mason

Jessica Mason (she/her) is a writer based in Portland, Oregon with a focus on fandom, queer representation, and amazing women in film and television. She's a trained lawyer and opera singer as well as a mom and author.

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