Top 10 Sam & Dean Bromance Moments on Supernatural
The Winchesters always have each other’s backs. Welcome to MsMojo and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Sam & Dean Moments on Supernatural.
For this list, we’ll be looking at some of the best moments between Sam and Dean Winchester on the TV show “Supernatural.” We’ll be choosing them based on emotional impact and plot importance. As much as we’d love to choose some of their funnier moments, we think those might deserve a list of their own.
#10: Drop the Act
“Fresh Blood”
When Dean makes a deal with a demon, it means the older Winchester has a ticking clock when it comes to when he is sent to Hell. Although Dean tries to conceal his mounting fear at the prospect, his brother knows him better than anyone else does. While they go after vampire hunter-turned vampire Gordon, Sam confronts him about it. He tells Dean that he can tell he’s scared, since he’s watched and admired him their whole lives and that Dean doesn’t have to hide his fear. And while he doesn’t say it outright, there’s also the unspoken implication that Sam wants Dean to spend what time he has left honestly.
#9: Dispelling Hal-Lucifer
“Hello, Cruel World”
Despite our previous entry, Sam also has trouble admitting to his brother when he has a problem. His time spent in Lucifer’s Cage has traumatized him to the point where he begins hallucinating, mostly seeing Lucifer himself. These waking dreams prove so confusing that Sam nearly kills Dean after he runs off. With Sam unsure if he really escaped the Cage or not, Dean uses the pain of an injury to Sam’s hand, as well as pleas that his brother trust him - if nothing else - in order to get through to his younger brother. The scene is a fine example of the trust between the two Winchesters.
#8: Dean Cries Over Dead Sam
“All Hell Breaks Loose - Part 2”
While death becomes a bit of a revolving door for the Winchesters in later seasons, it’s still a big deal early on. So when Sam is killed, Dean is distraught. While grieving over Sam’s body, Dean delivers a monologue recalling their youth, and his role as Sam’s protector. He goes on to lament that he failed in that job and in protecting their father. Dean’s raw emotion as he repeatedly asks what he’s supposed to do now is heartbreaking. Everything about the scene, from its simple, but effective camera work, to Jensen Ackles’ powerful acting makes this a very memorable moment.
#7: “I Believe in Us”
“Prophet and Loss”
After reviving their friend and prophet Donatello from a vegetative state, Sam confronts Dean about Dean’s own plans to trap himself, and the villainous angel Michael in a box forever. Sam berates Dean for apparently giving up on finding another way to defeat Michael, citing that fighting against the odds and saving the world are what they do; even punching Dean for apparently not believing in them anymore. After hugging it out, Dean retorts that he does believe in them, but that if the worst should happen, he wants Sam to lock him away if there is no better option. Calling on their long history and touching on their ethos, this is a great Sam and Dean moment.
#6: Dean’s Hell Confession
“Heaven and Hell”
After Alastair, a demon the Winchesters tortured, reveals he knew Dean during his time in hell, Dean realizes that Sam must be curious about their connection. Sam doesn’t pry, but during another of their Impala conversations, Dean ultimately confesses that Alastair tortured Dean decades in Hell’s faster moving time. Hell’s grand torturer also offered to stop torturing Dean if he would torture other damned souls. Although Dean held out for 30 years, he spent another 10 years doing just that. This moment is another acting tour de force from Jensen Ackles, and his raw, uncomfortable description of Dean’s experiences is utterly gripping.
#5: “Proud of Us”
“Do You Believe in Miracles?”
In order to defeat angel turned wannabe god Metatron, Dean uses the corrupting power of the Mark of Cain and the First Blade against the unassuming heavenly scribe. However, even their strength isn’t enough to give Dean the edge, giving Metatron time to stab Dean just as Sam arrives to help. While Metatron is whisked away and depowered by other forces, Sam is left trying to save his brother, despite his grievous wounds. Knowing his time is up, Dean tells Sam that he’d rather die; fearing the influence the Mark is having on him and telling Sam with his last breath that he’s proud of what they’ve done. While there are a lot of Winchester death scenes, this may be one of the most affecting.
#4: Sam Finding Out About Dean’s Deal
“All Hell Breaks Loose - Part 2”
Following Sam’s first death, which we discussed earlier, Dean makes a deal with a demon where he sellsl his soul in exchange for Sam’s resurrection. Once the excitement of the episode dies down, Sam confronts Dean about his deal, having worked out that he was really dead and not injured. Although Dean defends his choice, telling Sam that it’s his job to save his little brother, Sam replies that it’s his job to save Dean, and that he won’t stop until he’s found a way to prevent Dean from being sent to Hell. While Sam is ultimately unsuccessful, it’s still a wonderful moment between the two.
#3: “Dead or Alive”
“No Rest for the Wicked”
As Dean’s deal reaches its final day before collection, the Winchesters are beginning to run out of options to save his life. Although Sam tries to have a heart to heart with Dean while they’re driving, Dean rejects the idea, instead opting to put on Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive,” which the brothers then proceed to sing along with… even though they’re totally off-key. Besides being a fun bonding moment between Sam and Dean, it’s clear as it goes on that the lyrics begin to get to Dean. “Dead or Alive” indeed...
#2: Dean Chooses Sam Over Closing Hell’s Gates
“Sacrifice”
Season eight follows the brothers as they try to close the gates of Hell by completing a series of trials. Specifically, Sam is the one who completes them. However, after Dean learns that the person who’s doing them dies upon finishing them, he rushes to stop Sam from doing so. Sam is reluctant, believing that giving up the trial now would mean letting Dean down again; forcing him to turn to someone else instead of him. But because of their brotherly bond, Dean tells him he’s wrong and that Sam will always come first. It’s an incomparable moment that few can rival... except perhaps our #1.
Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
“What She Said”
“Fan Fiction”
Sam Gives Dean the Amulet
“A Very Supernatural Christmas”
Sam Dies (The First Time)
“All Hell Breaks Loose - Part 1”
Dean Nearly Kills Sam
“Brother’s Keeper”
Leaving Their Marks
“The Memory Remains”
#1: Dean Takes a Beating from Lucifer
“Swan Song”
During “Supernatural”’s Apocalypses, Lucifer and Michael, while possessing Sam and his and Dean’s half-brother Adam respectively, are fated to fight and bring about the end of the world. Dean, with characteristic bluster, arrives to talk to Sam; wanting to let his brother know that he’s still there for him, even at the end of the world. Although the Devil literally beats Dean using his own brother’s fists, Dean refuses to back down. It’s this devotion that allows Sam to reassert control of his body, imprison the archangels and save the world. If there’s one moment that epitomizes the bond between the Winchesters, this is it.
