Supernatural: 10 Things That Make No Sense About Dean and Sam’s Relationship

The core relationship in Supernatural is Dean and Sam, the Winchester brothers. While these two consider others like family, it’s clear that the two share a profound bond that they share with no other character in the show. The two would die for each other and have, many times. Their connection runs deep, as they grew up in a challenging childhood full of monsters and a loving but largely absent father.

Now in Season 15, the final season, there have been some fractures in their seemingly solid brotherhood, fractures that echo problems in earlier seasons. So, in looking back at all of the seasons, these are the obvious things that don’t make sense about their relationship.

10 Why Does Sam Not Know Much About Dean’s Upbringing?

Sam was protected more than Dean was when they were children. Dean was often given the adult task of protecting his brother against the things that go bump in the night. In many ways, Dean functioned as more like a father than an older brother to Sam; he raised Sam. Yet even though these two grew up together, Sam doesn’t know much about Dean’s upbringing.

Sam doesn’t know that Dean was put in a home for troubled teens when he got caught stealing food for him. Sam also doesn’t know the full extent to how hard John was on Dean. All of these things that Sam learns surprises him, which is kind of odd.

9 Why Do the Two Not Acknowledge All Family Equally?

Family is really important to Sam and Dean. They would both die for their family members, and they have offered their lives to save their family. On top of this, they both see several friends as family. These friends are honorary Winchesters. Still, their track record with family is a little bit murky.

For instance, Dean had a daughter whom Sam killed. While this daughter was a fast-growing Amazon meant to kill Dean and Dean didn’t know anything about her, she was still his daughter. The two never really acknowledge this death, treating it merely as another monster. Also, Adam (their half-brother) was stuck in the cage for seasons, and the two didn’t try to get him out–something that seemed very out of character. Then, there were the deaths of their cousins. They weren’t as affected by these deaths either, although these cousins were hunters and family.

8 Why Was Dean Not In Sam’s Heaven?

In Season 5, Dean and Sam are shot by hunters who fear Sam. Once in heaven, they are in their most pleasant memories. For Dean, his first memory is of a special time that he spent with young Sam, a time when they could be children and have fun. However, when he finds Sam, none of Sam’s memories have Dean in them. Sam’s memories are of times he escaped his family or felt normal.

It’s a hurtful moment, and hopefully, this has changed. However, it seems to suggest that Sam didn’t associate Dean with pleasant memories in his heaven of remembrance.

7 Why Have the Two Stopped Pranking Each Other?

A key and fun part of their siblingship was the fact that the two liked to prank each other. They were able to joke around. This lightness is something that fans miss. What happened to their humor? This activity made their bond shine.

True, it’s the end of the world, but that hasn’t stopped them from messing with each other before.

6 Why Do The Two Have Fewer Heart-to-Hearts?

In this final chapter of their siblingship, the two brothers have fewer of their famous heart-to-hearts where the two would have a beer and reflect. Their famous heart-to-hearts were parodied in the Season 10 Fanfiction moment when Marie (the student director) explains to Dean, “the boy melodrama scene.” Marie explains that it’s when the two of them are driving or leaning against Baby, drinking a beer and sharing their feelings.

In Season 15, there have been fewer. It could be because Dean is putting up more walls or that the two are in deep stress. But just as fans love their pranks, they also love their heart-to-hearts. Seeing the last episode with Dean sobbing and refusing to put up Sam’s call shows that Dean may continue putting up his walls.

5 Why Is Sam Seen as the Hopeful and Ethical One?

Sam is largely hopeful and ethical in how he sees things. He challenges Dean to see what they can do even when the odds are stacked against them, as they definitely are in Season 15. In this season, Sam is also seen as the more ethical one, the one who wants to help others and to save Jack. Dean keeps things from Sam due to Sam’s ethical approach.

In many ways, it makes sense that Sam is acknowledged to be the more hopeful and ethical one. However, Sam also killed Dean’s daughter without a thought. He only went to help Donna save her niece because Dean told him that they needed to do it. In an earlier season, he only helped a friend of John’s with the killer ghost in the jail because Dean made him do it. So, although Dean calls and acknowledges Sam as the ethical one, it doesn’t completely make sense based on past episodes when Dean was in that role.

4 Why Do They Give Up Relationships For Each Other?

Any relationship that seems to threaten the core-importance of their siblingship and their mission is sacrificed. For instance, Dean is friends with Benny, a reformed vampire, in Season 8, and Sam doesn’t care for Benny or their friendship.

Dean decides that he needs to put space between him and Benny for Sam. He chooses Sam over Benny, but why does he need to choose one over the other? Couldn’t Sam warm to his friendship with Benny, allowing Dean to maintain both?

3 Why Do The Two Constantly Underestimate Each Other?

Sam is known as the smart one (i.e. Men of Letters), and Dean is known as the fighter (i.e. Hunter). The two perfectly are divided to emphasize their family origins, yet the two have attributes of both. Still, Sam is always surprised to learn that Dean is smart, knows lore, invents new weapons, and researches. Sam underestimates Dean’s intelligence.

On the other hand, Dean still sees Sam as someone who is more delicate than he is. Even in this last season, he has said that Sam was weak and couldn’t handle the truth. Dean seems to forget that Sam was strong enough to house Lucifer and avert the end of the world.

2 Why Does Dean Still Hide Things from Sam?

Dean and Sam occasionally revert back to their old roles, roles that didn’t work well for either of them. Dean, playing the big brother, chooses to hide important information from Sam. He tells Sam it’s because Sam is weak. However, it’s because he knows that Sam will have a problem with less ethical choices. In a sense, Sam is Dean’s conscience, and Dean wants to act without thinking things through.

Still, hiding things from Sam never worked well in the past. It seemed a trait that was left behind in a previous season, but Season 15 shows Dean doing it again.

1 Why Does Dean Still Act as the Main Leader?

Sam once told Dean that he had been susceptible to Ruby’s influence due to how Dean treated him. This was Sam’s way of saying that their dynamic needed to change. In some ways, the two did. Dean does respect Sam more than he once did, although he won’t stop trying to protect his little brother.

One thing that hasn’t really changed is that Dean is often the brother that calls the shots and directs the plan. Sam may step in and redirect; however, he often goes with Dean’s initial idea and accepts being directed.

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