Sam: in the meantime, I’m driving
Dean: *wordlessly tosses him the keys*
This is episode TWO. (And earlier in the ep dean offered if Sam wanted to drive). And Sam is seen driving at other points throughout the early seasons (until irl jared becomes a menace behind the wheel and they stop letting him drive)
And yet there are still people who act like dean “never lets Sam drive” and is “so controlling” and that Sam not driving is a “metaphor” for his lack of autonomy. Well. The text very clearly contradicts those claims. So that interpretation is not valid. Next.
Also, the car is the closest thing to a home Dean has. So he lets Sam drive as a way of saying "it's gonna be alright, you're home now". Sam just lost Jess, and there's nothing that Dean can do to fix that for him. The car is a comfort to Dean, so that's the best he can offer in that moment.
And he respects Sam's choices. Even in the pilot when he comes to get Sam to go search for their dad, Sam says he has to go back to college. And Dean drives him back, even though he doesn't want to, even though he's scared that something might have happened to their dad and Sam is now the only family he has.
I mean, yeah, he is the one who is trying to convince Sam to go hunting again, but ultimately he respects his decisions. Wanting to not be alone is not a capital sin.




















