Supernatural's "Stuck In The Middle (With You)" finds the Winchesters battling a powerful demon, and the episode is loaded with Quentin Tarantino homages. Supernatural debuted in 2005 and followed two demon-hunting brothers as they searched for their missing father. One of the earliest concepts for the show made it sound between The X-Files and Scooby-Doo, as a team of reporters traveled around the country looking into various urban legends. When Supernatural began, it's doubtful anyone involved expected it to become such a long-running success either.
Supernatural ran for 15 seasons in total, and given its popularity, it conceivably could have kept going. The show also built up an extensive lore of demonic, angelic and supernatural foes, with Dean and Sam Winchester facing off with all manner of creatures over the series' run. Curious, Supernatural was never able to spawn a spinoff. Outside of a short-lived Supernatural: The Animation anime that also followed the Winchester brothers, spinoff attempts like Wayward Sisters or Supernatural: Bloodlines never managed to move forward.
However, that may change with the upcoming prequel series The Winchesters, which had a pilot ordered by The CW in February 2022. The prequel will focus on the early years of John and Mary Winchester, the latter of whom played a big role in Supernatural season 12 after being resurrected by Amara. Supernatural's "Stuck In The Middle (With You)" sees Mary, the brothers and Castiel attempt to take down a Prince of Hell, with the episode being peppered with Quentin Tarantino homages.
Supernatural's "Stuck In The Middle (With You)" Quentin Tarantino's homages start with the episode title, which comes from the Stealers Wheel song of the same name. This was used in Reservoir Dogs' infamous torture scene, where Mr. Blonde cuts the ear off a policeman. The episode opens on a very Reservoir Dogs-aping scene in a diner, where the main characters order food and talk about some trivial, non-plot-related matters. The episode also recreates the famous slow-motion walk from Reservoir Dogs' opening credits. Other nods include Dean's "Ok, ramblers, let's get rambling" which is taken from Lawrence Tierney's boss Joe - and later George Clooney's Seth Gecko from From Dusk Till Dawn - while Castiel receives a stomach wound and is bleeding out through much of the episode, which mirrors Mr. Orange's gunshot wound.
Supernatural's "Stuck In The Middle (With You)" other Quentin Tarantino homages include a non-linear narrative, where it jumps back and forth in time and repeats scenes from other characters' perspectives, like Pulp Fiction. "Stuck In The Middle (With You)" makes use of title cards to establish scenes like much of Tarantino's work, while the villain Ramiel's eerie whistling calls back to Elle Driver in Kill Bill. During the finale of Supernatural's "Stuck In The Middle (With You)" he's also introduced coming into the barn with a spaghetti western theme, another genre Tarantino has referenced heavily.
One of Supernatural's "Stuck In The Middle (With You)" most obvious Quentin Tarantino homages is to Pulp Fiction's glowing briefcase. In the latter film, hitmen Vince and Jules are sent to retrieve an object that is never seen or described, but casts a bright glow whenever the briefcase is opened. Supernatural's "Stuck In The Middle (With You)" features Mary recovering a mystery item from Ramiel's house that also glows, though the ending reveals it to be Samuel Colt's legendary revolver.