Sam Winchester and Ellen Harvelle have a working relationship and also a friendship. Ellen is very protective, loyal and motherly towards Sam and his brother, Dean.

Background[]

"John was like family once"- Ellen

Ellen and her husband were once very close friends with Sam's father, John. However, once her husband was killed because of a mistake John made on a hunt together, John couldn't bring himself to look Ellen in the eye anymore. Ellen says that she forgave John for what happened to Bill, but she didn't know if he ever forgave himself. They had not spoken for a very long time before his death, but she did leave a message on his cell phone offering to help with the Demon, which is how Sam found her.

Season 2[]

"So look, if you can help, we could use all the help we can get"-Sam to Ellen In "Everybody Loves a Clown",

after hearing the message she left on John's phone, Sam and Dean decide to track now Ellen. They break in to the Roadhouse, only to be held at gunpoint by Ellen and her daughter, Jo. Ellen immediately lowers her gun when she realizes who they are, introduces herself, and explains how she knew their father. She is very sad to hear that John has died. Sam is more friendly and trusting towards Ellen than Dean, and tells her that they need all the help they can get.. She has Ash set up a Demon- tracking system for the boys and gives them a case that she was saving for a friend. After the case, she tells Sam and Dean that their dad would be proud, and offers them to stay at the Roadhouse, to which Dean declines, because he still has to finish the Impala.

In "Bloodlust", Sam phones Ellen about Gordon Walker. She says that it is good to hear from him and that he shouldn't trust Gordon. Unlike Dean, Sam takes Ellen's word over Gordons .

Sam and Dean go to the Roadhouse again in "Simon Said" to have Ash help them track down one of the Special Children. After the case, Dean gets a call from Ellen telling them to return to the Roadhouse. She asks them to tell her about their last case. Although Sam seems to think it is alright to trust her with it, Dean initially does not want her to know but she convinces him saying "...the best we got is us, together. No secrets or half-truths here." It is Sam who tells Ellen the truth about his abilities and the other Special Children.

Ellen and Sam's relationship is strained in "No Exit". Sam and Dean walk into the Roadhouse to witness a fight between Ellen and Jo about Jo hunting. Jo shows them the research she has done and Ellen tells them they should take the case, which they do. Against Ellen's wishes, Jo sneaks away and follows them. When Ellen finds out, she is angry at both the boys, but mainly at Dean as he is the one who lied to her. After Sam and Dean save Jo, they all ride back in the Impala together. Ellen doesn't say a word and turns off the radio when Dean turns it on. When they get back to the Roadhouse, she tells Sam and Dean she needs to talk to her daughter alone, and they leave.

When Sam leaves Dean in "Hunted", he goes to the Roadhouse and talks to Ellen. She knew he would come because his brother had been phoning, worried sick. She informs him that Jo has left to continue on hunting, and Sam apologizes but she tells him she doesn't blame him and that she had forgiven John a long time ago for what happened to her husband. Sam and Ellen have Ash do a search for the other special children. As Sam is leaving, Ellen tells him that she has got to tell Dean where he is, but he makes her promise not to. However, when Dean phones back, she breaks her promise to Sam and tells Dean anyway, because she knows it is for the best.

In "All Hell Breaks Loose - Part 2" Ellen joins Sam, Dean and Bobby at Bobby's house.

She reveals that when demons burned down the Roadhouse she was out buying pretzels, but Ash and everyone else inside had died. She tells them that she got Ash's research out of the safe, and they all discover the Devil's Gate in Wyoming. At the gate, Jake Talley has Ellen put her gun to her head, but Dean and Bobby pull it up before she shoots, while Sam kills Jake. Ellen and Bobby are the ones who close the Devil's Gate. Afterwards, she tells Sam and Dean that although the Yellow-Eyed-Demon was dead, a lot more demons got out threw the gate. 

In Between[]

"...You can't pick up a phone? What are you, allergic to giving me peace of mind?" -Ellen

After closing the Devil's Gate, Sam and Dean seam to lose touch with Ellen, which greatly upsets her.

Season 5[]

"It's real good to see you boys again"-Ellen to Sam and Dean

Sam and Dean reunite with Ellen in "Good God, Y'all", when Rufus calls them both to a town to help him with the demon problem. When Sam and Dean arrive, Rufus and Jo have been separated from Ellen. Ellen surprisingly shows very little emotion towards Sam opposed to Dean who she splashes with holy water, hugs, and slaps. Ellen explains the situation and Sam and Ellen go out to look for Jo. Ellen asks Sam about what happened between him and Dean, as it is clear things are not the same between them anymore. He avoids the question and asks about her hunting with Jo, as he thought she was against it. She explains that Jo was going to hunt regardless, and that joining her is the only way to protect her. Sam and Ellen find the "demons" base but are attacked. Ellen gets away, but Sam is captured. Later, Ellen and Dean break into the base, break the spell over Rufus and Jo, and free Sam.

In "Abandon All Hope...", Ellen and Jo help the brothers again in their mission to kill the devil. The night before, they take a group picture at Bobby's house. Once at the town, Dean tells Ellen, Jo and Castiel to look around while he and Sam check out the police department. After Castiel goes of by himself and is kidnapped by Lucifer, Ellen, Jo, Sam and Dean regroup. They are confronted by Meg and several Hellhounds who tells them

her father wants to see them and that they can make it easy or really really hard. Dean shoots a Hellhound and the group starts running. Dean is knocked down, but is saved by Jo, who is then attacked and fatally injured by the Hellhound. They go into a store and block all the entrances so the hounds can't get in. Jo tells them that they need to be realistic and that she isn't moving, but she can still do something: she wants to build a bomb to kill the Hellhounds and stay behind to blow it up. The group doesn't like it, but they know it is the only option, so they do it. Once the bomb is made, Ellen announces she is staying behind with Jo. Sam and Dean are upset, but they respect her wishes. They then leave the building sadly. Ellen let's in the dogs and then sits next to Jo and blows up the building, killing herself and the Hellhounds.

Ellen has been mentioned many times since her death by Sam, as it affected him greatly.

Alternate Reality[]

In an alternate reality created by Balthazar un-sinking the Titanic, Ellen is still alive and is married to Bobby. She co-ordinates between Dean and Sam and Jo's group of Hunters, although she is not seen talking to Sam in the episode. However, when the timeline is reverted, Ellen is gone again.