The Winchester brothers appear to be at an impasse on Supernatural.

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Dean's (Jensen Ackles) decision to save his younger brother via angel possession has reopened an old and ever-widening rift between the two hunters. While Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean have argued in the past, the brothers have seemingly forgone their familial relationship and are now simply hunting partners.

"It's definitely kind of charting new waters as far as the subject of the fights. Before it was this kind of like sibling bickering and now it's getting into really the sacrifice that these two are willing to make for each other," Ackles explained to Winchester Radio. "Obviously, Dean is willing to go all in and keep the family together and keep the brothers moving down the road, and it kind of seems more and more like Sam is willing to cash out and he's not willing to just throw his life on the line in the way that Dean is. That's a tough pill for Dean to swallow and I think that the only way he's dealing with it is by not dealing with it."

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With the Mark of Cain making it easier for Dean to block out many of the emotions he would normally face while hunting, it is also making it easier for him to keep him mind off of him problems with his brother.

"The Mark of Cain has given him a simplicity in his thoughts that's allowed him to kind of ignore the complexity of their relationship right now and focus on the prize, which is Abaddon at this point," Ackles told Winchester Radio. "Sam is obviously dealing with his issues and...I don't know where that going to lead. I don't know how they're going to make up."

The brothers will continue to work together and not deal with their own problems as they track down Crowley (Mark Sheppard) and the First Blade during "Blade Runners" (see preview below).

Supernatural airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.

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