Supernatural star Jensen Ackles recently discussed Dean’s post-Purgatory mindset and the tense relationship with Sam that’s been building in season 8.

The core of Supernatural has always been the bond between Sam and Dean, but season 8 sees tension between them, particularly after it was revealed that while Dean spent a year in Purgatory, Sam quit hunting and is considering going back to school after dropping out of Stanford in season 1.

Ackles recently discussed the issues between the brothers with Zap2It, saying, “Obviously, Dean has issues with [Sam]. We’ve already seen that. I think that he is almost kind of sloughing it off as ‘I don’t know why you did that. You’re weird. You’ve always been weird to me; I’ve never fully understood you, but I’m back, so get your ass in gear. Let’s do this s***.’

“I think that he doesn’t necessarily want to validate what Sam did by acknowledging it,” Ackles says, going on to joke that, “Dean’s a very healthy guy when it comes to emotions. As of right now I think Dean is kind of sweeping it under the rug and not wanting to deal with the fact that his brother was a pansy for a year.”

In terms of Dean’s mindset in season 8, Ackles says, “You’ve also got to remember that Dean has just spent, basically, a year in the trenches. He was off at war.”

We’ve seen hints of Dean struggling to reorient himself, including a scene where he is overwhelmed by the number of choices in a vending machine, which Ackles compares to “the movie The Hurt Locker when Jeremy Renner’s character is back stateside and he’s like standing in a cereal aisle with a wall of choices of cereal, and he’s standing there going ‘This is not normal.’

“Because what was normal to him was mortar sounds and gunfire and being in the trenches and having to wake up every day wondering if you’re going to live to go to sleep that night,” Ackles says. “Dean has just basically come back from essentially, that. He was at war in Purgatory.”

Looking for more ‘Supernatural’?

Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins also recently discussed their characters in season 8, including Sam’s future and Castiel’s fate in Purgatory.

Our latest spoiler roundup details the return of a familiar face and an upcoming episode about LARPing.

We also have plot synopses and stills from episode 5, “Blood Brother,” and episode 6, “Southern Comfort.”