Top Brother Moments in Season 7

[ash48]

I am totally wearing my heart on my sleeve here, but stuff it! I love the SamnDean bromance in the Show and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I've been thinking about the broments in S7 and thought I'd share.



Ok, so - we didn't get any hugs during the season but we did get some delicious brother moments nonetheless. AND we got one of the best bromance episodes in the whole series (imho).

Top Bro Moments in Season Seven (in chronological order)

I'm glad to be able to start with the episode that had the MOST broments in it. It was CHOCK FULL! This may well be up there with the A Very Supernatural Christmas as my all time favourite bromance episode. (Not quite...but close).

1. Stone Number One
(7.02 Hello Cruel World)



Dean: Hey. I am your flesh-and-blood brother, okay? I’m the only one who can legitimately kick your ass in real time. You got away. We got you out, Sammy. Believe in that! Believe me, okay? You gotta believe me. You gotta make it stone number one and build on it.

*happy, happy sigh* Such fabulous dialogue - Dean not only pulls Sam off the ledge but asks him to believe and trust in him. Probably my favourite scene of the whole season.

I also love the acknowledgement that pain in hell feels different to the pain of real life. Dean's own experience helped Sam through his - and I rather love that.

2. Nurse Dean



Dean checking Sam's stitches fills my heart with glee. We don't get much h/c on the Show so I need to wallow in the moments we do get (not that there's much comfort here, but there is caring and er...::koff:: hand holding). We ALSO had Dean giving Sam food and drink...*happy swoon*

3. You Got to Carry Me



Dean: Come on, I’m the one with the broken leg, you got to carry me. Sam!

Not only do we have Dean desperate for Sam to be ok (*hearts*) but we have the acknowledgement that they use each other to support themselves. And yay....unconscious!Sam, broken legged!Dean. I remember thinking that's all we'd get in this ep, but then they had AN AMBULANCE SCENE!!! \o/

4. Stay With Me



Dean: Sam, stay with me, you hear?

I thought I'd only get this in fanfic. But....Yay show! THANK YOU! Desperate!Dean, Seizing!Sam, "Stay with me"! *happy fangirl*

5. Sam defends Dean
(7.04 Defending Your Life)



Sam: But he -- he has the right to an attorney. Doesn't he?
Osiris: Huh.
Sam: Let me defend him.

Be still my heart. Just Sam saying "Let me defend him" makes me weak at the knees (or maybe that's chained!Dean...). These boys and what they do for each other...<33 (though I expect nothing less!).

6. I Don't Like Lying to You
(7.07 The Mentalists)



Looking back, this episode had lots of bro moments. They were having a lovers brothers quarrel and so many elements in the episode were comments on their relationship - right down to the sibling museum. There was that lovely moment when the guy in the museum talked to Dean about the Fox sisters...Sometimes, one's true gift is taking care of others. There were some nice parallels between Sam and Dean during this scene. My favourites are Sam trying not to smile at Dean's antics in the cafe and the speech at the end.

Dean: Maybe it's 'cause I don't like lying to you. You know, it doesn't feel right.

I know many felt that Sam shouldn't have given in so easily but I think that is part of their dynamic and Sam did call Dean on his drinking and sleepless nights. Dean's confession that it was him lying to Sam that caused him all the grief was a good broment. It ended in smiles all round and it was nice to see them back on even footing.


7. Did We Get Licorice?
(7.10 Death's Door)



Dean: All right, scoot, jerkface. Show your elders some respect.
Sam: You scoot, asshat.
Dean: Did we get licorice?
Sam: No, we did not get licorice. We got good snacks. Licorice is disgusting.
Dean: I'm sorry, I didn't quite understand that, uh, Mr. "Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich."
Sam: I stand by that sandwich. Nobody likes licorice. It's--it's made of dirt.
Dean: It is a classic movie food. It's right up there with popcorn.
Sam: Popcorn?
Dean: Yeah.
Sam: You're out of your mind.
Dean: What, it's like little chewy pieces of heaven.

This little exchange is a little chewy piece of heaven that's for sure. I love outsider POV and it's great that we get to see how Bobby sees the boys. I love the "did WE get..." they are such a married couple. (and that's not even a reference to wincest - it's just how they are. They've been together THAT long!)

8. Communicating Through Time
(7.12 Time after Time)



Oh man... just the act of Dean carving "Sam" into the skirting makes my heart skip a beat. It reminds me of them carving their initials into the Impala in Swan Song. <333 And him lying down in the exact same spot as Sam...? \o/ *dolphin noises*



Sam's face when he finds Dean's letter is priceless. For all Sam's badass-ness he's just a little bro needing his big bro. SO sweet.

9. Don't get killed.
(7.13 The Slice Girls)



Sam: Look... Dean, the thing is, tonight... It almost got you killed. Now, I don't care how you deal. I really, really don't. But just don't – don't get killed.

That's it. Right there. Neither of them want the other do die. It would be far too much to bear (I still can't believe they decided to leave "don't die" out of the finale. It would have tied in so beautifully to this moment. Let us know that it was written and therefore the sentiment was there.) A quiet moment of desperation.

10. Sam gets Dean a slinky
(7.14 Plucky Pennywhistle's Magic Menagarie)



Sam: By the way, to celebrate...
Dean: What?
Dean: No!
Sam: Yes.

AWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!! Sam actually TOOK TIME to get Dean a slinky. HE KNEW \o/ And HA!...Dean got Sam a clown. :D He's such an awesome big brother. *g* (yay Dean's face!)

While I'm on this episode there's this little moment that is just toooo adorable to not mention...

11. Saammy...?



It's the way Dean says "Sammy". He's having a little moment with Sam about clowns and the love, familiarity and fondness in that one word makes my heart swell. In fact their whole conversation here is adorable - "Don't have one of your episodes.." (and how gorgeous is Dean in this cap! *swoon*)


12. Big Brother's Probably Dead.
(7.16 Repo Man)



Hallucifer: Oh, no. That's every cellphone Dean's got. One of them should've picked up, right? Big brother's probably dead.
Sam: Shut up.
Hallucifer: He said "shut up" to me.

This may seem like a strange choice but if anyone EVER doubts how much Dean means to Sam it's right here. He breaks his resolve to ignore Lucifer when Dean is in peril. Lucifer hit a nerve - Dean.

13. Oh, You Guys are Having a Moment.
(7.17 Born Again identity)




I admit that I would have liked a few more "moments", but the moments that did exist were nice. Dean's quiet desperation throughout the whole episode was evident - him bursting into the doctor's office, promising Sam he'd find an answer, multitude of phone calls trying to find an answer. Looking at this cap make me realise that Dean was fighting his feeling of failure. Seeing Sam fall apart, knowing that he risked that when he returned his soul. :(

There were also a couple of other little moments in the episode: When Sam was about to be electroshocked he muttered "my brother..." and there was that little moment when Dean ran around the bed to Sam after Cas took away the hallucination and yelled "Sam". AND Dean's declaration at the end of the episode that they have no friends. (they only have each other...)

14. We're just THAT comfortable with each other...
(7.19 Of Grave Importance)



Confirmation that the bathroom door stays open during showers so they can discuss cases. Just saying! (and yeah...any excuse to use a cap of wet haired!Dean)

15. Shut up Sam
(7.20 The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragon Tattoo)



This episode was the height of the two of them working together so fabulously. Sam laughing at Dean when he was seducing the guard, Dean teasing Sam about knowing Harry Potter and them both agreeing that they'd go in if there was any trouble.

I maintain that this season was about rebuilding their relationship. It needs to be back on solid ground just so they can mess with it once again. ;) (I hope! It's weird - when we had all the angst all I wanted was for them to be good again and now that they're good again I want the angst back....)


A mixed season. Perhaps not as brave (soulless!Sam) or as angsty (every season so far!) as some seasons but it had some quality moments. My fav eps would have to be "Slash Fiction" (homage to Pulp Fiction and Natural Born Killers FTW! Levi!Sam and Levi!Dean were as hot as hell and the writing was spot on...) and "Girl with the Dungeons and Dragon Tattoo" (entertaining with fun new OC, brothers in a van, split frames and leverage style story telling...). Both written by Robbie Thompson. He also wrote Time After Time, which I also loved. He's definitely a keeper! (PLEASE MORE!) Some other favs were Hello Cruel World, The Mentalists, Death's Door and Sam's moments in Born Again Identity. In fact, there weren't many I didn't like.



We may not have had the heart wrenching angst or overt bro!moments in S7 but the overall feeling of them working as a unit, figuring out their trust issues and demonstrating their CONSTANT LOVE FOR EACH OTHER made this season enjoyable for me.

I may have missed some moments (or yours might be different) so feel free to let me know!

Screencaps from homeofthenutty. Colouring and cropping by me. Thanks to el1ie for the twice over and suggestions. (though I've tinkered a lot since the last look /o\) <3

Comments

[maenad.livejournal.com]

That is an excellent list. :)

The warehouse scene in Hello Cruel World is pretty high on the list of 'things I could watch all day', and most of the season is just adorable. As for the missing bit from the finale - that had better show up as a deleted scene on the DVD so I can just quietly pretend it was always in there.

when we had all the angst all I wanted was for them to be good again and now that they're good again I want the angst back...

It's funny - I don't really mind them being on good terms because I think it's perfectly possible to bring in drama from other angles. They've just got to do it. For a lot of the season, Sam's fragile psyche and Dean's suicidal tendencies served that purpose perfectly well. But that sort of petered out, and they really dropped the ball on providing proper emotional foreshadowing for the ending.

If your story is that they can cope with anything except losing each other, then you've really got to make that the focus of your final episodes, and not just by showing that they're comfortable together, charming though that was.

[counteragent.livejournal.com]

Yes, what you said.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Oh you... Yes.

If your story is that they can cope with anything except losing each other, then you've really got to make that the focus of your final episodes,

Which is why I can't fathom why they cut out that "don't die" line. It would have added that extra level and hark back to that previous line in 7.13. Especially when they ended it the way they did. Ok, so it's not exactly death but separation is about the same. (though um...I wonder if one has to be dead to be in Purgatory. I can't even get my head around how bodies and souls work in terms of Hell, Heaven and now Purgatory).

I seriously hope they pick up the ball on this next season. That their relationship remains strong but they have to face some other things about what makes them brothers.

[maenad.livejournal.com]

Which is why I can't fathom why they cut out that "don't die" line. It would have added that extra level and hark back to that previous line in 7.13. Especially when they ended it the way they did. Ok, so it's not exactly death but separation is about the same.

That's the oddity of it. It looks like a finale with the meat of it cut out. The challenge of getting Dick is necessarily misdirection - fun misdirection, sure, but no more than that. We all know they can take down the leviathans. They can take down anybody if they have to. It was always the price of that victory that was going to hurt, because that's how it is for them.

So it feels as though a few key scenes are missing, where they establish that their resources aren't what they might like - Castiel is crazy, Bobby's gone - but they can go on regardless because they're together. There's a hint of it there when Castiel remarks that the worst case scenario is that Sam and Dean die heroically, and Dean's pretty nonchalant about that; their slate is clean and they wouldn't be separated. The 'don't get killed' line is another, since it highlights that their plan requires splitting up, which invalidates Castiel's worst case scenario - now one could die and the other walk away.

It is the thematic thread of the whole season - the terror that one of them might be snatched away - and it's just ... odd that it dwindled away toward the end, when their ending clearly required that theme to be front and centre. I don't know, but I feel as though they could glue in another five minutes of footage or so and give the story a lot more oomph. :)

I wonder if one has to be dead to be in Purgatory. I can't even get my head around how bodies and souls work in terms of Hell, Heaven and now Purgatory

Schrödinger's Winchester? :) I'd bet on 'alive', since people have been telling stories about the living wandering down to the underworld as long as they've been telling stories about the underworld itself. But I also think the point is pretty much moot if you're stuck in the afterlife and can't find the exit. :)

I seriously hope they pick up the ball on this next season. That their relationship remains strong but they have to face some other things about what makes them brothers.

Yeah, I think season seven's setup showed that there's a whole lot they can explore about who they are now and what their lives have shaped them to be, and how they relate to each other now as free men unburdened by destiny - I'm just hoping they bring it to a better conclusion next time.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

It was always the price of that victory that was going to hurt

God yes. It's always been about the price and the episode did end with the price they paid, but, as you say there was no lead up to it. No little reminder that this is what it's ALL ABOUT! Maybe they didn't think they needed to hammer that home ;/ There had to be a reason for them taking out a scene that they used in a promo. Just the fact that they used it in the promo meant it was a selling point - a moment they knew fans would want. An IMPORTANT moment.

Ack!! I DO NOT GET IT! Man...I hope someone gets a chance to ask TPTB about why that was removed. (though I think I read something where they felt it slowed down the scene or something stupid like that...)

Schrödinger's Winchester? :)

Ha! Oh God...if SPN started exploring quantum dynamics I think my brain would explode (and my husband might actually start watching!). But yeah...I figure it's never about how it works. I always imaged Sam's soul to actually be him...not some bright light as it looked when it was returned to his body.

Knowing that there's stuff still to explore excites me. I just hope it excites Carver and Co as well.

Thanks as always for your thinky. <33

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

They've just got to do it. For a lot of the season, Sam's fragile psyche and Dean's suicidal tendencies served that purpose perfectly well.

Yeah I always wondered why they didn't build off that moment in Hello Cruel World and have Dean needing to keep a mentally unbalanced Sam focused as a centrepiece of the season. Or at least for a few more episodes. Instead they seemed to drop the consequences of the wall breaking really fast, and when it came back for a couple of episodes there still weren't a ton of brotherly moments :/ Seems like an odd choice to me after how much fandom raved over 702 and would obviously have loved a few more moments like that

I think the problem with the second half of the season was that they resolved both Sam and Dean's emotional arcs, and so that took away a lot of the urgency. I mean Dean's drinking and despair didn't even get the rather pat resolution that Sam's wall-breaking did, and I'd been so sure it was leading up to some kind of emotional breakthrough for Dean after all the emphasis it got early on. Even without angst with each other they could still have had their own emotional arcs, but instead the story was more being driven by ghost Bobby and Castiel in the end, and the brothers became like supporting characters almost

[maenad.livejournal.com]

Instead they seemed to drop the consequences of the wall breaking really fast, and when it came back for a couple of episodes there still weren't a ton of brotherly moments :/ Seems like an odd choice to me after how much fandom raved over 702 and would obviously have loved a few more moments like that.

Sometimes I think they appreciate the idea that what you don't show is scarier than what you do ... and then take it too far. So, yes, we're all aware that Sam is suffering and not knowing exactly how bad it is probably is scarier than being subjected to a season's worth of Lucifer's patter, but still ... more focus than that, please. The leviathans matter in that they are the thing that means Sam and Dean just can't take the year off to resolve their problems, but they're not the source of their angst. I was rather disappointed with the way The Born-Again Identity played out, because much of it felt like it happened at high speed with the focus in the wrong places.

I mean Dean's drinking and despair didn't even get the rather pat resolution that Sam's wall-breaking did, and I'd been so sure it was leading up to some kind of emotional breakthrough for Dean after all the emphasis it got early on.

I don't know that I was expecting a breakthrough, because those seem to come over the course of several seasons. What I did expect was that the story would lead them toward the coping mechanisms the early episodes suggested - Dean can't drink himself to death because Sam will go mad without him; Sam can't go mad because Dean will drink himself to death without him. In the short term that keeps them moving, and it forces them to openly acknowledge that these are problems they have to find a way to deal with so next season or the season after (should such a thing exist), they can be brought to more definite conclusions. And of course their enforced separation at the end of the season breaks the fragile peace they've found and leaves them in a worse mess than they started in - except for that hard-won awareness, and the tenacity that always makes them try something else when their first plan fails.