Dean and Jo
Supernatural
‘Oh please let that be a rifle.’
‘No I’m just really pleased to see you’
That was it, that was the moment, right from the first lines, that I was hooked by Jo and Dean’s relationship. I know that Cassie, in season one had the verbal dexterity to suppress Dean, and answer him back, but this was the first time that we saw a woman who could handle Dean physically and verbally.
I had been waiting for a real connection between Dean and a woman he wasn’t related to, throughout the first season, and had almost given up any hope, until the Winchesters rocked up at the Roadhouse, and a certain blonde held her shotgun on him.
I didn’t see the same chemistry between the two actors during the episode featuring Cassie, as I did between Alona Tal and Jensen Ackles. I didn’t like the character, and still have no idea if it was more to do with the way that she was written, or something in the actress’s performance.
Dean had been the more interesting and engaging of the brothers, despite the fact that Sam clearly had the ‘demon’ thing going on. Dean’s lust for life, and snarky sense of humour is mirrored in Jo.
Jo might be a little naive when she first appears in the show, but she still is essentially the female version of Dean. She hustles people, she is capable of drinking a lot, she was raised by a single parent, after the death of the other at the hands of a supernatural creature, and has been trained to be a hunter from a early age.
She refuses to let Dean get away with making her feel small, and will fight him. It’s the sarcastic conversation in Jo’s second episode, which solidified the reasons why I had grown to care about them. She attempts to help, offering her services when the Winchesters are going to leave, and Dean betrays the fact that he wants to protect her, hiding it under a fear of her mother.
Jo’s fire and ability to think on her feet are both in clear view during the next episode where she appears. She is evidently very prepared, having created a thick information file, regarding the hunt that she wants to go on. It’s only Ellen’s apprehension, and informing Jo during their arguement, that she doesn’t want to lose her daughter as well as her husband to the business of hunting, that momentarily stops Jo from pursuing HH Holmes.
The way that the relationship ended in season two was upsetting, but understandable, given the way that Dean was developing a seriously well honed sense of martyrdom. He would sacrifice things in a bid to keep others safe, and leaves Jo behind, in order to face his demon possessed brother.
The next time that we see them together on screen, Dean accepts Jo as being far more of a equal than he has in previous episodes. He has tended to attempt to protect her, but this is the first time that he, and the audience in general has seen Jo as a fully fledged hunter. She evidently has won the respect of both her mother and Rufus. It’s also the first time that we see Jo as a adult woman. I’m not sure how old the character is supposed to be in season two, but I’ve always thought that she was not far off 22.
She’s capable of fighting off considerable threats, and the two share a intense look after the ‘evil of the week’ has been vanquished. Despite only exchanging a hello, I was given renewed hope that they might actually connect romantically on screen.
Hope that was both rewarded and dashed in the next episode where Jo appeared. She was a key component to getting the Winchesters into Crowley’s mansion, and then there was a moment in Bobby’s kitchen.
It was nice to see Jo being the one, self confident enough in order to take control of the situation. The line from Dean about it being their last night, wasn’t enough to sway her, and the almost kiss by the fridge was filled with sexual tension.
The flip side of that scene, was the one in the hardware store. Jo once again showed just how far she had come. She was selfless, unbelievably brave and heartbreakingly stoic, despite the terrible injuries that she had suffered in saving Dean’s life.
I was praying fervently that Castiel would somehow get out of the oil circle, and come to save her and Ellen in time. A foolish hope, and one that would have meant that Jo didn’t get to come full circle. She came from a ‘wannabe’ hunter, to someone who was strong enough in order to come up with plans, despite being on the verge of death.
I will always hold out hope that Jo will be able to come back, during one of the no doubt frequent deaths of the Winchester brothers, and that she will be the one that greets Dean on the occasion of his final death, if that is how the writers choose to end the series.
Some of my favourite musical tributes to the OTP
Every You and Every Me tribute video by KcuxaKot
My Guardian Angel tribute video by Silver Vintage Videos
Folie’s Dean and Jo Tribute video to Weak as I am by Skunk Anansie
Musings of a thirtysomething woman 