I agree. They've both lost their dad. Sam has had to put his own grief on the back burner to be the support for Dean. He's grown up a lot, I think, and maybe in a way it's about time that he has had to take the more supportive role--after all, that's what Dean's been doing for him virtually all his life--but I honestly wanted to just grab Dean and shake him at the end of the episode, no matter how much I adore the guy (and I do).

Yes, Dean's hurting, and he does have a really heavy burden on him knowing his dad died to save him, but Sam's also hurting. Sam's lost his father, as well, and now he has to feel he's losing Dean a little at a time. The look on Sam's face at the end of the episode was so heartbreaking.

Honestly, I think John did what he did for *both* his boys, not just for Dean. He had to know that, whatever it is Sam will be facing from the Demon, Sam needs Dean more than he could ever need John. With John gone, Sam still has his brother--the one constant in his life from the time he was six months old. If Dean had died, Sam would be alone, even if John were still alive. Sam would have been vulnerable. He and his dad would never have been able to work together, not for very long. By saving Dean, John was saving both his boys.