Jo Harvelle
Jo Harvelle | |
---|---|
Defending Your Life" (2011) | |
Portrayed by | Alona Tal |
In-universe information | |
Gender | Female |
Occupation | Hunter Bartender |
Family | Ellen Harvelle (mother, deceased) William Anthony Harvelle (father, deceased) |
Nationality | American |
Joanna Beth Harvelle is a fictional character on
Plot
Jo first meets
demon that once possessed Meg Masters possesses Sam in "Born Under a Bad Sign", it finds and captures Jo, planning to threaten her life to force Dean to kill his brother. While holding Jo hostage, the demon plays cruel mind games with her by first telling her that Dean doesn't return her feelings for him and then by telling her that John actually killed Bill to "put him out of his misery" after he incurred fatal wounds, despite Bill's pleas to see his wife and daughter one more time.[6] Dean rescues Jo without harming Sam, but when Jo attempts to join him in capturing the demon, he refuses to allow her to come; he tells Jo he will call her, but as he leaves, she mutters, "No, you won't."[6]
In the
Jo is mentioned but not seen in the
Characterization
Series creator
The actress noted that Jo matures during her hiatus between the second and fifth season. Having found out the hard way that "banter doesn't always work", she becomes quieter and "not as mouthy".[15] The character "called the shots" in her final appearance, and was the "bigger person" by forcing everyone to accept the reality of the situation. After years of hunting together, the relationship between Jo and Ellen also develops; Tal came to view them more as equals rather than daughter and mother. Although Jo's feelings for Dean remain the same, Tal liked the fact that she does not easily give in to Dean's advances in "Abandon All Hope...". She believed that Jo resists her urge to "go crazy [with him]" due to the dire circumstances, which "gave it a little more meaning".[16] When asked about the kiss that Dean gives to Jo when she is dying, Tal explained that she interpreted the kiss as Dean "really seeing [Jo] and thanking [her] and appreciating [her]. For him, at that particular moment, there was no other way to express it but with a kiss."[17]
With the character now a spirit in her seventh season appearance, Tal felt that Jo's death brought her "clarity" and "a different level of comfortability". Noting that the afterlife is a "completely different world", the actress described Jo as "just relaxed and not angry".[17] She confirmed that Jo doesn't hold Dean accountable for her death, pointing out that Jo had chosen to become a hunter because of her father, not because of Dean.[11] However, series writer and co-executive producer Adam Glass felt that Dean still has "some real guilt" over Jo's death because the character feels that he "could have pushed [her] away from this life, not pulled [her] more into it."[11]
Development
Due to the father-son dynamics of the hunting world depicted in the series'
The work you do up there is unlike on any other show. And it was a lot of fun, but it's not over. You never know what might happen [on Supernatural], and you have to stay open-minded. I got what I wanted for Jo, which was respect.
— Tal discussing her work on the series following her character's death.[16]
Kripke felt that she came across as more of a "
During the 2009
Tal's return for the seventh season was announced at the 2011 Comic-Con.[23] On the choice to bring Jo back for "Defending Your Life", writer and co-executive producer Adam Glass explained, "Knowing the history there, knowing the emotion that Dean would feel for her, we knew it'd be great. Jo's a favorite, too, so we wanted to see her back on the show."[11] Tal was happy to return to the show, saying, "I didn't care that it took me over a season to come back. Just to be back at all was a blessing."[24] Feeling that she herself had grown as a person since her appearance in the fifth season, Tal tried to mirror that in her performance. She noted, however, "Obviously, [Jo] died. So there’s been some issues."[17] Singer called her work in the episode "terrific."[11]
On the possibility of another return to the series in the future, Tal said, "Whenever it works out and they do want me back, I’m always game, and I’m always excited to go back there. It’s a fun place to go back to."[17]
Reception
Critical reception to Jo has been generally positive. Diana Steenbergen of IGN favored Jo from the beginning, deeming her "tough and direct, and also female, something the boys don't have a lot of in their lives right now". reappearance in the fifth season. However, Steenbergen was confused by Jo's anger at Sam and Dean over John Winchester's involvement in her father's death, feeling that the show's producers may have added it to the story as an excuse for Jo's removal from the series.[25] While Tina Charles of TV Guide was at first unsure about the character, she wrote that by the episode "No Exit," "Tal did step things up and kinda won me over." She believed that while Jo did not make a good lascivious interest for Dean, she was good in a "sisterly or friendly fellow-ghostbuster way," deeming her as "someone they can count on in a pinch." Overall, Charles felt that Jo "fit into that world, whether she was a little overzealous or not."[26]
On the other hand, Sean Elliott of
References
Bibliography
- Knight, Nicholas (2008). Supernatural: The Official Companion Season 2. Titan Books. ISBN 978-1-84576-657-3.
Footnotes
- ^ a b Writer: John Shiban, Director: Phil Sgriccia (October 5, 2006). "Everybody Loves a Clown". Supernatural. Season 2. Episode 2. CW.
- ^ Knight, p.26
- ^ Knight, p.44
- The CW.
- ^ Writer: Raelle Tucker, Director: Rachel Talalay (January 11, 2007). "Hunted". Supernatural. Season 2. Episode 10. CW.
- ^ a b Writer: Cathryn Humphris, Director: J. Miller Tobin (February 8, 2007). "Born Under a Bad Sign". Supernatural. Season 2. Episode 14. CW.
- ^ "Good God, Yааа'All!". Supernatural. Season 5. Episode 2. September 17, 2009. CW.
- ^ "Abandon All Hope...". Supernatural. Season 5. Episode 10. November 19, 2009. CW.
- ^ "My Heart Will Go On". Supernatural. Season 6. Episode 17. April 15, 2011. CW.
- ^ "Defending Your Life". Supernatural. Season 7. Episode 4. October 14, 2011. CW.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-78116-108-1.
- ^ a b c d e Knight, p.15
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84856-103-8.
- ^ a b c Knight, p.138
- ^ Titan Magazines. p. 60.
- ^ Titan Magazines. pp. 28–29.
- ^ a b c d Vlada Gelman (14 October 2011). "Supernatural Season 7 Episode 4 Preview: Alona Tal on Jo's Return - TVLine". TVLine.
- ^ a b c d "Alona Tal". BuddyTV. September 9, 2007. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
- Titan Magazines. p. 28.
- ^ a b c Don Williams (January 30, 2008). "'Supernatural' Creator Talks about Going Up Against 'Lost'". BuddyTV. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
- ^ Christi Kassity (July 27, 2009). "Comic-Con 2009: The Apocalypse of 'Supernatural' Season 5". BuddyTV. Retrieved April 15, 2009.
- ^ "'Supernatural': How John Winchester almost returned in tonight's episode". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com.
- ^ Vlada Gelman (July 24, 2011). "Supernatural @ Comic-Con: Sam's Flashbacks, Castiel's Future, and… Ninjas from Space?". TVLine. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- ISBN 978-1-78116-108-1.
- ^ Diana Steenbergen (June 23, 2009). "Supernatural Flashback: "No Exit" Review". IGN. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
- ^ Tina Charles (November 3, 2006). "November 2, 2006: No Exit". TV Guide. Archived from the original on August 18, 2009. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
- ^ Sean Elliott (February 12, 2007). "TV Review: Supernatural: Season Two- "Born Under a Bad Sign"". IFMagazine. Archived from the original on October 3, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
- ^ a b Ileane Rudolph (October 26, 2007). "Up Close with Supernatural's Jensen Ackles: Part 2". TV Guide. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
- ^ Michael Ausiello (July 21, 2007). "Supernatural Exec: "We Won't Be One Tree Hill with Monsters!"". TV Guide. Retrieved October 10, 2009.