Epitaph For Ellen and Jo
Death’s pale flag is not advanced there – An Epitaph for Ellen And Jo
“Hang her an epitaph upon her tomb
and sing it to her bones”
Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing
This week our favourite tv-show suffered a great loss. A mother died protecting her daughter. A daughter died protecting a pair of brothers, and thus trying to alter the course of a potentially horrific fate at least a little. Two ordinary women did something extraordinary. They saved lives. And, perhaps more importantly, they defended what they deemed necessary at that point in their short lives.
There was hardly anything else to do, was there? They were trapped by Evil forcing them into a decisive moment that made them act selflessly. I was amazed at how those women grew in that seemingly forlorn instant. Strangely, though they knew they would die, in a terrible manner, they still managed to create a moment of hope born out of the undying love for each other. And that, probably, touched me more than I expected possible.
Ellen was the incredible woman we’ve encountered in season two, gutsy and tender, a kind of mother to Sam and Dean – she seemed more vulnerable, but still the kind of woman to inspire respect, trust and affection.
Jo had really grown up. Her life as a huntress allowed her to become a more mature, brave woman who was able to muster up the strength to turn down a tempting last-night-on-earth offer from Dean, rather holding on to her self-respect. Possessed Sam had shoved in her face that she carried a torch for him, and we don’t really know whether her feelings towards Dean had changed. If she did love him, then not giving in to him makes her an even stronger character. The former freak with a knife collection had become a lovely, tough, yet sweet young woman capable of looking death in the eye.
“Finish, good lady. The bright day is done
And we are for the dark.”
Shakespeare, Anthony and Cleopatra
How do we react when we know we’re going to die? Some people panic. Some are paralyzed with fear. Sometimes a certain calmness kicks in when we begin to understand what it means to accept the inevitable. That is a moment dignity is able to raise its head and help us do what perhaps needs to be done – sometimes maybe even lay down our lives to save others.
It is the kind of heroism that doesn’t require celebration. But it zooms in on what is right with human nature – that there is someone, in this case a young woman and her mother, capable of facing evil, resisting it with an act of courage many men (and women, of course) will fail to achieve.
Don’t misunderstand me – the kind of sacrifice Jo and Ellen committed themselves to often comes (in movies or tv-shows) with the male soldier, the male police officer, etc. I love to find a moment like that fuelled by a woman’s devotion, because I firmly believe that such an act of desperate courage doesn’t depend on gender, but on a person’s character, male or female.
The Harvelle women chose to accompany their friends, Sam, Dean, Castiel to hunt Lucifer, aware of the dangers awaiting them, but still hopeful to at least get a shot at the arch-enemy, thereby doing the dirty work no demon would even dare to try.
All they carried with them were a handful of guns (pretty much useless against a dozen hellhounds), their knowledge of the paranormal and their most important asset: integrity. If you need to go into battle, then with friends like that.
There was no hesitation when Dean was thrown down by a hellhound, Jo was there, not minding her own life, trying to save the life of the man she (maybe) loved.
In the panic and despair ensuing, Jo was the voice of reason, quickly assessing the situation and coming up with the only plan that carried at least a glimpse of hope – saving the Winchester brothers so they could try to kill the devil.
Looking at Jo, torn up and in torment, pulled painfully at my heart, this sweet woman became a powerhouse, albeit lethally wounded and terrified. “Mom, this might literally be your last chance to treat me like an adult. Might wanna take it?”
Although she must have known that nothing she said, no smile she forced could have lessened her mother’s agony, she did try to make it easier for Ellen – this is what we do, right?, try to protect the ones we love, whenever, however we can – even if there is nothing we can do to actually save them.
“If you have tears, prepare to shed them now.”
Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
Ellen had to face the worst possible scenario any mother dreads – realizing she is going to lose her child. It’s not natural. Parents go before their children. That’s how it should be. But life rarely keeps to rules.
“You got me, Jo. And you’re right: this is important. But I will not leave you here alone.” She stayed to help Jo go through the last and worst moments of her young life, but, I think, in part to not have to live with the pain that already imprisoned her.
For a moment, as Jo’s head sank to her shoulder, her daughter’s death caught up with her, and she needed all the strength she had left to push the button and blow the hellhounds back to hell.
I will miss Ellen and Jo. These characters moved me from my first tv-screen-encounter. Thanks to Samantha Ferris’ and Alona Tal’s wonderful performances I grew to love these women. Ellen rocked! A wounded, yet strong, loving, witty lady who practically adopted the Winchesters without question. Jo grew so much and became a true huntress, able to face her worst fears.
They died not as victims, but as tough rebels, their heads unbowed. They saved the brothers’ lives. And this selfless act will hopefully save them from eternity in hell. “The other side” has to be heaven. You hear me, Cas? Make sure of it.
As Shakespeare has been popping up in my head all day (which you have undoubtedly noticed), allow me to close with another quote, saying goodbye to two interesting, lovely women:
“Good night, ladies, good night. Sweet ladies,
good night, good night.”
Shakespeare, Hamlet
This moved me. Jo was my favorite woman on Supernatural and so killing them off really hurt. This article really sums up both Jo and Ellen and is really well written, even enough to affect me.
*sniffles*
The scene totally blew me away…as did this epitaph. Those two women might not have gotten much airtime, but when they did, they made an impact on the boys and on the viewers. I grew up around similarly strong women who would sacrifice so much for their loved ones, so watching Jo and Ellen go out like that touched me.
Thanks for sharing this Jasminka, it was beautiful..as beautiful as the women it celebrates.
A lovely homage to two exceptional women. The way self-sacrifice is often portrayed in TV and film, even when you know it should be moving, doesn’t always reach the stratospheric level the creators wished for. Here, it certainly did. We cared about these characters, and their willingness to give themselves to something greater was powerful stuff. It *means* something.
What a lovely tribute to two wonderful women!
I am feeling such a loss. These two were so beautifully created and developed by the writers and the two exceptional actresses that portrayed them that I am actually grieving for them.
I was looking forward to seeing more of them after they showed up this season so it was a real blow when they left us so bravely.
I believe Jo did love Dean and that Dean realized what might have been in different circumstances between him and Jo. I’m sure the boys loved Ellen like a substitute mother figure. This was very hard on them and Bobby too. I only wish we could have seen more of them in the past two seasons.
Such a lovely epitaph 🙂 I loved both Ellen and Jo and I’m really gonna miss them in the show 🙁 What a way to go though! They were really brave dying for the lads and it just shows the characteristics that they have had since we first saw them in season 2.
I wish we had of seen more of them too though. Samantha and Alona are really great actresses and I think that they will be missed be a lot of people who watch the show.
R.I.P Ellen and Jo, you will be missed.
Carey, Narcissus, Randal, Bevie and Jodie – thank you so much for your most kind comments.
Ellen and Jo were indeed remarkable characters, fantastic women. They embodied everything a woman perhaps needs to be today – we need to be tough, sharp, practical, but we must not lose our tenderness and emotionality. I think it’s important to embrace this world, our lives and the tragedies we face. Being vulnerable does not exclude being strong. On the contrary. To accept our sore points means to be strong. It means to look our fears in the eye.
Ellen and Jo wonderfully showed all that. It’s a pity they had so little screen time – but whenever they appeared, they were crucial elements and hugely important to the brothers. I can hardly think of any other woman being allowed to slap Dean and be accepted as a figure of respect and trust. Gosh Ellen, what a woman…
Thanks again, best always, Jas
Jas,
Thank you for writing (and inserting all the Shakespeare) this. Hard to believe but it’s already been a full week since Abandon All Hope and yet, I know if I watched that ep again, it would hit me just as hard.
I wish Ellen and Jo didn’t die because especially know with Jo they’ve made the character so much more intriguing but, given the Supernatural track record and frankly the need to give the Apocalypse the appropriate sense of direness, I’m glad that these excellent characters went out as true hunters and faithful, courageous women.
Well written, thank you.
Hi Jasminka
What wonderful epitaph to Ellen and Jo. They will definitely be missed.
Usually I re-watch each episode a couple of times, maybe 2 or 3…100 times. You know to catch things I might of missed or didn’t quite understand or just because…hey do I really need a reason.
But this one, OMG! I have not been able to bring myself to watch a second time. This one really hit me hard. I’m hoping once a few weeks pass I’ll get hold of my senses and be able to watch it again, because it was a great episode.
Thank you for your article.
Wonderful Jas!!! This is such a nice memorial to two very special people. I always felt Ellen was a mother to the boys as well. He and Bobby seemed to pick up the where Mary and John left off. I always hoped these two would figure in to the defeat of Lucifer, and for all intents a purposes, they did. Whenever I see a loss such as this, I just keep thinking this is Supernatural…this is where ghosts and spirits hang out…this is where humans are brought back from the dead. In this world, any thing can happen! Maybe Kripke will surprise us.
Elle2, Clarice, Karen and Sablegreen – thanks so much for your comments.
Elle2, I agree, in terms of direness this episode could not have been more horrific. And sometimes courage is born within the strangest situations. Loved that, just as you.
P.S.: I just love Shakespeare.
Clarice, I’ll try to insert some Kleenex next time… 😉
Karen, I haven’t been able to watch it again, neither. I’ll have a friend over on Sunday who hasn’t been able to watch in online, so I’ll see how I’ll react to it this time.
Sablegreen, I do hope for some nice surprises from the master of the supernatural universe…
Thanks, y’all, Jas
Yeah, I had to grab a kleenex. This was beautifully written.
What a great epitaph Jas!
I’m crying all over again, this was such a strong/hard epi that I still wasn’t able to see it again (maybe a couple more weeks) bc I get tears in my eyes just by thinking about it.
This show is so good on making us care about it’s characters that I fell like I’ve lost two good friends. I will miss them.
Jas, thanks for your lovely words. There really is a sense of loss here… never felt that way about television before. Heard Bob Dylan’s Knockin On Heaven’s Door and thought of this ep, “Mama put my guns in the ground” and all that…