The Character Exit That Hurt Supernatural The Most
Saving people and hunting things may have been the family business in "Supernatural," but the people involved in Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean's (Jensen Ackles) work went far beyond blood relatives. In Season 7 Episode 20: "The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo," the Winchesters meet their ally-turned-eventual-little-sister Charlie Bradbury (Felicia Day). Her formal introduction is a scene of her dancing to "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and The Waves. It perfectly embodies what she goes on to add to the show — and what it loses when she dies.
Charlie is fun, whimsical, and an unapologetic nerd. She enjoys live-action role-playing, wears pop culture graphic tees, and has "Star Wars" collectibles. While Sam and Dean have their playful moments, like playing pranks and singing in the '67 Chevy Impala affectionately nicknamed Baby, their lifestyle, upbringing, and trauma naturally make them less lighthearted. Charlie helps bring out that side of them, and that contrast makes her refreshing. But that's just the surface level of her character and the start of why her death hurt the show.
Later on in her first episode, Dick Roman tells Charlie, "But people like you...are impossible to copy." The line may have happened years before her death, but it also encompasses why Charlie's exit hurt "Supernatural" differently than the countless others.
Charlie added much-needed representation as a lesbian woman on 'Supernatural'
"Supernatural" struggled with diversity and representation during its 15 seasons. The main cast has always consisted of only white actors, and only two women were ever main characters. For supporting roles, vital characters were usually men. Portrayed by Felicia Day – who famously also played a nerd on her breakthrough project, "The Guild" — Charlie doesn't fix these issues by herself, but she's valuable because of what she adds.
As a lesbian, Charlie provides LGBTQ+ representation, and the show embraces it. In Season 8, Episode 11: "LARP and the Real Girl," Charlie kisses a fairy woman named Gilda (Tiffany Dupont). Sans an alternate Charlie, the only other queer woman on the show is Claire Novak, but her sexuality isn't as well established.
Charlie's a way to acknowledge an underrepresented group, but her significance made her more important for representation. She wasn't a random one-off character: She was Sam and Dean's family.
The little-sister role Charlie filled added a dynamic the show never had — and never got back after her death. Most of the key women on "Supernatural" were love interests or foes. Some have been frenemies. Others have been allies. Charlie, however, was the lone woman who was a sister to the Winchesters. Dean even says, "She's kind of like the little sister I never wanted" in Charlie's first episode. In a show where family is important, establishing that fondness early is meaningful. So there's an extra element of disappointment knowing Sam and Dean lose that when Charlie is killed by Eldon Styne.
Charlie's hacking skills made her an asset — and the hunter Sam and Dean could never be
In TV shows like "Supernatural," characters often fill specific roles, like the computer genius. Charlie wasn't the only hacker/computer expert on the show, but she became the most prominent one and was the only woman. When she's introduced, Sam and Dean no longer have an ally who specializes in such an area. The Winchesters have some knowledge in that field, but they're far from experts, so Charlie becomes their go-to for all things hacking and computers.
She first works with the Winchesters to use her skills in a practical, familiar manner: breaking into a hard drive and hacking an email account. But, in later appearances, Charlie uses her expertise in stranger ways. She hacks an ancient computer and decodes a witch's codex. When "Supernatural" kills off Charlie, the show loses its means to use hacking in such creative ways. Sam and Dean not only lose their little sister but also a fellow hunter with a valuable skillset they didn't possess themselves.
The show seemingly tries to make up for Charlie's death with an alternate Charlie in the Apocalypse World, but that iteration was different from the original character. Season 15, episode 10: "The Heroes' Journey" also featured a "limitless" credit card that Charlie hacked for Sam and Dean to use, ensuring money would never be an issue for them again. So, even postmortem, Charlie remained valuable to the Winchesters and the story "Supernatural" was telling.