5. Season 4, episode 21 -- "When the Levee Breaks"
Another moment appears in the episode, as well, which makes my list. Though the two brothers had parted ways in the past, their quarrel this time has deeper meaning. Dean tracks Sam down in a swanky hotel honeymoon suite with Ruby, and they end up in a dramatic physical and emotional confrontation.
DEAN: ....it's not something that you're doing, it's what you are! It means—
SAM: What? No. Say it.
DEAN: It means you're a monster.
SAM: You don't know me. You never did. And you never will.
DEAN: You walk out that door, don't you ever come back.
Of course for us, the viewers, it was an "oh-no" moment. Those last ten words were spoken years ago by the boys' father, John Winchester - and here Dean is repeating history. The brothers look into each others' eyes, and you can practically hear their hearts breaking. Mine is, too. Then Sam turns and walks away.
4. Season 5, episode 16 -- "Dark Side of the Moon"
In this episode, Sam and Dean are murdered by fellow hunters that are upset the boys opened the portal to Hell. They are informed by Castiel that they are in heaven, and experience multiple flashbacks that reveal some of the happiest moments in the Winchesters' lives. One of the first flashbacks transports Dean to a jubilant moment when a young Sam is dancing and jumping in the light of fireworks they have set off. Whew. I'm getting choked up just writing about this, folks.
3. Season 5, episode 16 -- "Dark Side of the Moon"
Another Top Ten moment for me also appears in this episode. At the very end, Castiel give Dean back his amulet, the same amulet that Sam gave to him one Christmas very long ago. Castiel informs Dean that “its worthless,” and leaves. Disgusted, Dean tosses it into the trash in front of Sam.
Now, I know viewers have gone on and on about the significance and the symbolism of the amulet, and I don't have any major theories to add to the debate here. However, I will say this: to me, the amulet was a part of Sam that Dean carried around, right near his heart. And here, Dean lets it go. Sam sees it go. Its a big step forward for the brothers, emotionally.
2. Season 5, episode 22 -- "Swan Song"
The opening of the episode features Chuck narrating parts of his latest book. He discusses the Impala, one of the “most important objects – in pretty much the whole universe.” There are several flashbacks featuring the Impala, along with the present-day prediciment of dealing with Satan. Sam and Dean agree that Sam should allow Satan to use him as a vessel. Now armed with this plan, the boys move forward with Bobby and Castiel at their sides. Chuck interjects to narrate once again:
In between jobs, Sam and Dean would sometimes get a day -- sometimes a week, if they were lucky. They'd pass the time lining their pockets. Sam used to insist on honest work, but now he hustles pool, like his brother. They could go anywhere and do anything. They drove 1,000 miles for an Ozzy show, two days for a Jayhawks game. And when it was clear, they park her in the middle of nowhere, sit on the hood, and watch the stars... for hours...without saying a word. It never occurred to them that, sure, maybe they never really had a roof and four walls, but they were never, in fact, homeless. "
I think I can pretty much see what is in everyone's head right now. The boys, beers in hand, serenely gazing at the stars overhead. Yeah, poignant. That clip should be next to the word in a virtual dictionary somewhere.
1. Season 6, episode 21 -- "Let It Bleed"
For those that haven't seen the end of season six I will end it here. But once you watch the last few moments of this episode, and you see the anger in Sam's eyes, and the despondency in Dean's, you will understand.
So that's my list! This was actually a pretty tough article to write. I came up with the list pretty quickly, but writing about each moment became a difficult task. Getting to know these characters means not only knowing that Dean likes pie but knowing what they are feeling in those especially emotional instances. With a show this wonderfully written and performed, it's no wonder we feel these moments, too.
Comments
Not to mention Dean's profound grief after Sam jumped into hell to save the world... certainly ranked far and away better than Dean's first reunion with Lisa.
And Sam in 6.22 talking to HellSam
Then there is the phone conversation between Sam and Dean in 'Scarecrow'. Dean tells Sam, that he is proud of him and that he should do what Sam thinks is best. Sam knows that Dean is saying goodbye.
In 'the Benders', Dean tells the psychos, what we all know is the 'gospel of Dean': thou shalt not touch Sam, or thou shalt feel the wrath of Dean.
'Mystery Spot', the scene of Sam begging the Trickster to bring back Dean. We knew how dependent Dean was on Sam, this season and particularly this episode showed us that Sam was just as dependent on Dean.
I guess it is hard to pick ten moments out of 100 plus episodes.
But Mainegirlwrites , I loved nine of your choices (I hate Lisa).
Nice job.
I also agree with everyone else's suggestions. I would add the scene in "Like A Virgin" where the brothers really hug for the first time in Season 6; heck, I would include almost any brotherly hug (excepting with Soulless Sam).
These actors totally make you believe in the characters and convey so much with their eyes and facial expressions. It's awesome.
I was rewatching the original Indiana Jones movie awhile back and in the scene where Indy is mourning Marion's death, a thought popped into my head. Jensen Ackles can sooooo "outgrief" Harrison Ford.
In season 3 when Dean tells Sam he knows that he is afraid that he admires him as a boy!
In season 5 when Dean to say Yes and it does not desepcionar Sam !!!!.
Well there are many more !!!!!
of course the last episode Sam and the best quote: "I ??can not leave my brother there." handkerchiefs and a new heart!
1. The boys listening to their father's voicemail message at the end of "Phantom Traveler"
2. Dean's call to his father in "Home"
3. Dean talking about wanting them to be a family again in "Shadow"
4. Sam's talk with Bobby about saving the Impala, the Quija game, and the whole last scene with John and the boys in "In My Time of Dying"
5. Dean railing on Sam about what he's doing being "too little, too late" and then railing on the Impala at the end of "Everyone Loves a Clown"
6. Dean telling Sam that it's his fault his father sold his soul at the end of "Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things"
7. Dean's speech about his Mom and "angels watching over us" and Sam's speech at the end of "Houses of the Holy"
8. Sam's speech to Dean about knowing him "better than anyone else in the entire world" (man, when his lip quivers at the end of that line . . .) and the car repair scene ("it's my job, right, to show my little brother the ropes?") in "Fresh Blood"
9. Sam and Dean's fight/argument at the beginning of "Metamorphosis" (oh, Kim, we miss you!)
10. Dean's talk with young Mary about her loving John, getting out of the life, her not wanting her kids to grow up like she did in "In the Beginning"
11. Sam's talk with young John about forgiving his Dad and that he loves and understands him in "The Song Remains the Same"
I'll stop now. I think we could feasibly do a list of the 100 most poignant moments in Supernatural and still miss some of them. These boys break my heart, over and over again. Man, I love this show!
Thanks again.
I'd have to say my moments, I'll keep it to ten, run like this. These are in no particular order:
1. Sam dying the first time in Dean's arms in All Hell Breaks Loose. I cry every time. Every. Time. The sheer agony in Dean's voice, the stunned look on Sam's face as he dies, the trust between the two as life expires. It was beautifully written, but what brought it home was both Jared and Jensen's wonderful work in interpreting this scene to the screen. My heart bleeds every time I see it.
2. The look on Sam's face when he realizes that Dean has been returned to him, for real, at the beginning of season 4. Even more than the hug, which is poignant and beautiful, the glimpse of relief that big brother has returned is a sight to behold.
3. Metafictionally speaking (I have an article on it in the works), Yellow Fever being the retelling of No Rest for the Wicked. It just makes me giddy to see how they pulled that one off. I can't really explain why besides that I'm a meta head and geek.
4. When young Dean has to tell young Sam the truth about their life. It's like the first layer of both brother's innocence is stripped raw, tattered on the floor, and stomped on for good measure. Sam breaking down and crying himself to sleep as he realizes he lives in a world where they fight monsters and that this might be all there is for him and Dean is so heartbreaking.
5. The entire episode of Faith. Much is made of Dean's utter devotion to Sam and his sacrifices for his younger sibling, but here we see it in reverse. Sam will NOT stop and his stubbornness rules the day in his drive to save Dean from death. He succeeds, even if the price is a high one. Sam and Dean love each other very very much, and as brothers in arms, they'll give everything time and time again for each other. It is most certainly a two way street.
6. When Sam makes Dean stand down against Gordon. His soft utterance of "just cause" gets me every time. He knows Dean is going to get hurt or worse if he goes after Gordon alone. I think he also knows Dean has sacrificed himself enough and does not want to see him do it again. The fact that Dean does as Sam asks belies his love for his brother in reverse.
7. The entire sequence where Sam puts himself back together in The Man Who Knew Too Much. It was beautiful and moving in more ways than I can explain here.
8. The scenes in The End and Swan Song where we meet Lucifer in Sam's body, otherwise known as Samifer. Probably some of my very favorite scenes for their artistry and dark beauty, I often rewatch just them. Rather we want to admit it or not, Lucifer and Sam do mirror each other in more than just the obvious ways, and seeing them square off in Swan Song full front and center proves why Sam won. Lucifer didn't have Sam's compassion or sense of integrity. He only had the stubbornness and anger.
9. Dean putting the gun next to Sam in The Man Who Knew Too Much. This single gesture is the one moment that I hope makes the brothers true equals as they've never been before. The trust in that one action is profound and moving. Let's see it move on into the future of the story!
10. Finally, when Dean realizes it was his mother and not his father that put him on the hunter path. It was probably one of the best twists, and when you go back and rewatch seasons 1 and 2, you can see the hints and crumbs dropped so delicately. Dad might have been the one shoving them into the Impala and hauling them all over America, but it was their mother that started it all in the first place. What a huge bomb to drop!
Those are my moments at the moment. I do hope season 7 will give us more and I am thankfully staying spoiler free.
Allison, I love each and every one of your choices above, as much as I love the ones listed in my post above. This is why I love this show so much, because we can go on and on about the things we love about it and never reach the end of the list. I especially love the one I quoted here, as it gives me such hope for the future.
Thanks for posting this. You made my day. I'm pulling the DVDs out again tonight (because I so agree with your mention above about Sam/Lucifer in "The End" - I've watched that scene so many times and it gives me chills every time; and the entire episode of Faith; and TMWKTM; and the Christmas episode; and . . . .).
I'm glad I could make your day. Getting caught up---while staying as FAR away from that Sera Gamble interview, thank you very much---has been fun.
I have a lot of hope for season 7, and while I do not have the spoilers that seem to be lighting things up, I'm not worried. The story can't be summed up in the small teasers they're providing in that article anyways.
As for "The End." Damn. I am so lucky that I got to tell Jared personally that those scenes are some of my all time favorites. He seemed rather shocked by that, but it's just the truth. I get such chills, as you do, when I watch them.
You're right. There's so much to love in this show, and that's why I think so much of us are so devoted to it.