7 Times the Winchester brothers from Supernatural went through a very emotional phase

Across its 15 seasons, Supernatural has introduced us to many aspects of the Winchester brothers. From their teasing each other, being scared of the otherworldly creatures they hunt, to some heavy and emotional moments of loss and failure, Dean and Sam, from the beginning, have experienced hardships.

They began their adventurous quest to hunt supernatural beings to find their father, John Winchester. While they are at it, the reluctant partnership between the brothers turns into a heartwarming alliance. They make jokes together, have each other's backs in dangerous situations, and have lost each other and people around them multiple times.

These emotional phases may have resulted in a stronger bond between the two brothers, but it was hard to see the fan favorite duo go through struggles so menacing and risky.

Here’s a list of 7 such moments where the Winchester brothers had to go through an intense emotional phase in Supernatural.

Disclaimer: The article is based on the writer's opinion. Reader discretion is advised.

7 Times the Winchester brothers from Supernatural went through a very emotional phase

7) Sam attacks Dean as Lucifer (Season 5, Episode 22)

Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki in Supernatural | Image via Warner Bros. Television

In the finale of Supernatural season 5, titled Swan Song, Sam attacking his own brother was one of the most heartbreaking scenes of the show, where we have mostly seen the brothers saving each other from danger. After Lucifer takes control of Sam’s body, Dean tries to bring back Sam as he asks him not to let Lucifer control him.

However, it doesn’t help Sam as he begins beating Dean, nearly killing him, until he notices the toy soldier in their Impala, which brings back his fond memories with his brother, resulting in Sam overpowering Lucifer. But the emotional moment doesn’t end here as Sam decides to sacrifice himself by taking Lucifer back to his cage before the portal closes, leaving a heartbroken Dean alone.

6) Jessica’s death (Season 1, Episode 1)

Jared Padalecki in Supernatural | Image via Warner Bros. Television

Jessica’s death in the pilot episode was horrifying, and Sam witnessing it and blaming himself for it was one of the emotional arcs of Sam. Jessica died in the same way their mother, Mary, had died years ago. There were many episodes where we saw Sam still reeling from the grief and guilt of Jessica’s death.

For instance, in episode 5, titled Bloody Mary, Sam decides to be the bait to summon the ghost of Mary Worthington, as she only targets people who keep a death secret. Dean tries to make him understand that he was not the one to be blamed for Jessica’s death, and he should not feel guilty about it. But Sam still ends up summoning the ghost with his guilt.

5) Dean loses his memory (Season 12, Episode 11)

Jensen Ackles in Supernatural | Image via Warner Bros. Television

This was another of the emotional episodes involving the Winchester brothers as Dean begins losing his memory after being hexed. In the Supernatural episode titled Regarding Dean, Dean gets hexed by a witch he tries to kill and slowly begins forgetting everything.

As Sam sees his brother slowly forgetting his family and friends, and even about what they do, he feels worse than the time he saw him die. According to him, seeing Dean lose himself is much more painful than losing his life. In a heartbreaking scene, Dean tries to remember important things by repeating them in front of the mirror. He reiterates:

"My name is Dean Winchester. Sam is my brother. Mary Winchester is my mom. And Cass is my best friend."

However, this doesn’t help as he forgets everything while repeating it.

4) Dean discovers he is the reason Lucifer can now walk the earth (Season 4, Episode 16)

Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins in Supernatural | Image via Warner Bros. Television

Episodes in which details about Dean’s time in Hell are explained are always emotional. In this episode, titled On the Head of a Pin, Uriel and Castiel order Dean to torture Alastair and get information about the angel-killer from him.

Dean begins torturing him by putting holy water into him with a syringe while Alastair taunts him about how he tried to break his father in hell, and then him. He talks about his torturing techniques and slyly informs him about Dean being the one who broke one of the seals, making it easier for Lucifer to walk on earth and bring the Apocalypse.

He informs him that when a righteous man is broken and begins torturing other souls, a seal is broken, and in this case, the righteous man was Dean, who was broken by Alastair in hell. This information catches Dean off guard as he remembers the efforts he and his brother have put in to stop Lucifer from destroying everything, but he is the one who ultimately became the reason behind the impending doom of the Earth.

3) Dean witnesses Sam’s death (Season 2, Episode 21)

In Supernatural, the Winchester brothers have seen each other die several times, and every time the tragedy strikes, it leaves the other one in a worse condition. In the penultimate episode of Season 2, titled All hell Breaks Loose- Part I, Sam gets kidnapped by the yellow-eyed demon who wants to begin his fight and destroy every human being.

Dean tries his best to look out for and find Sam, but he arrives a little late. As Dean reaches Sam, he sees him being stabbed in the back by Jake. Sam ultimately dies in his arms.

2) Dean stops Sam from sacrificing himself (Season 8, Episode 23)

This Supernatural episode, titled Sacrifice, has one of the most emotional moments as they try to close hell’s gates. Sam has gone through a lot in the season as he rescued a soul from hell, bathed in hellhound blood, and lastly, his task is to cure a demon, to close the gates.

For this, they bind the king of hell, Crowley, and Sam begins the process until Dean comes and stops him by informing that the completion of the ritual will kill him. Sam thinks completing the ritual is more important than his life, but Dean disagrees. But Sam insists on completing the trial.

He tells Dean that the greatest sin that he confessed to purify his blood was letting his brother down. Dean tries to talk to his brother and make him understand that that was not at all true, and he can give it all up for Sam anytime. He states:

"Don't you dare think that there is anything, past or present, that I would put in front of you! It has never been like that, ever. I need you to see that. I'm begging you."

1) Dean’s death (Season 15, Episode 20)

The final episode of the Supernatural series, titled Carry On, was one of the most emotional episodes, not just because of Dean’s death but also because of the ending of the epic ride with the Winchester brothers.

In the episode, Dean and Sam encounter Vampires and fight with them to rescue the children that they had captured. While fighting, Dean is stabbed by a vampire, and as Sam tries to go and bring the first aid, Dean asks him to stop and be with him. He confesses his love for his little brother and asks him to carry on and keep fighting, and lastly urges him not to bring him back, as it always ends badly for him.