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).

Yeah, and I don't disagree with how it's playing out...I just would like some deeper hints at Sam's turmoil about John. It's like they had him vocalize it and thought that was enough. Or maybe it's because of his part in the larger arc? U'd rather they don't draw such hard lines. It shouldn't be one arc for Dean, one arc for Sam. It all bleeds together.

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.

I agree. As much as I loved John and wanted to see more of him (I retain pipe dreams about this), it would have really, truly destroyed the family. It's tenuous right now, but I hope Dean will realize one day that he's the one who needs to realize he's still got Sam, to find a way to work around his grief. Maybe that'll happen once that secret is off his chest. I think whatever it is could also be preventing him from turning to Sam as much as he should.

I couldn't tell if the previews were supposed to imply all that action was to take place in one episode. I don't think so.