Timing of Sam and Dean hugs by @spndeangirl

Sam: Sorry, I’m worried, you know? Ever since we locked Michael up, Dean’s been acting strange, and he just packed up and left, and then...

Mary: What?

Sam: He hugged me.

Mary: That’s sweet.

Sam: Mom, we don’t hug. I mean, we do, but only if it’s literally the end of the world, you know?

– Sam and Mary Winchester, 14.11 Damaged Goods

The Winchesters are not really a huggy bunch – or so you might have thought back in season one. But careful analysis of the hug statistics reveals an increasing propensity for hugging not only other people, but also each other, culminating in the veritable hug orgy of season 8. However Castiel is perpetually overdue a hug or two.

In 14.11 Damaged Goods, the Winchester tendency not to hug is commented upon after Dean hugs Sam, Donna Hanscum, and Mary Winchester all in a short period of time. The fact that Dean did so is considered a sign that something is really wrong; Sam tells Mary that they usually don't hug unless it's literally the end of the world. Sam later hugs Rowena in 15.03 The Rupture as he kills her at her request.

See also Sexual Encounters

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John has a tearful goodbye with his boys.



