I see fridging as a death inflicted on the protagonist rather than the victim--the point of the exercise (by the writer or the antagonist) is the effect on the protagonist.

Also? Almost overwhelmingly female. (Although the fiance's death in the pilot of Alias would count as a fridging, that is relatively rare.)

I think that kids get fridged regardless of their gender.

I'm arguing with someone that says that Ellen and Jo were fridged because Dean was sad and they were female. But the death wasn't done to him. It didn't change his narrative path in the least. He reacted appropriately, but went on with what he was doing in the first place. Also, they died doing something. Jess? Jess was a textbook fridging. Five minutes of perfect girlfriend, and then trauma to drive protagonist to make a 180 in his life.

The major deaths of either Sam or Dean were more like fridgings than Jo and Ellen.

But kids are kids, so their gender doesn't matter as much.

Ellen and Jo were NOT fridged. Not in any way. Jess, absolutely.

Yeah. I hated that they killed off Jo and Ellen--it was (for me), the last straw, and I stopped watching the show at that point.

And yet, I wouldn't call it a fridging, because Jo & Ellen had some agency there, and while it resulted in trauma for Dean & Sam, the point wasn't the grief but (I assume) the isolation and realization of futility.

I still hate it, but it's not equivalent to Jess.

So, I agree that Jess was fridged, but is it "ok" if it is to set up the entire series? Was Mary fridged? I'm mostly just curious because this isn't something I have thought a lot about.

I don't think Mary turned out to have been fridged, since she got herself killed, and revealed herself to be a protagonist, not an accessory to the big plot. But up until that, sure. And that agency makes it absolutely not a fridging for me.

I hated that they killed off Jo and Ellen--it was (for me), the last straw, and I stopped watching the show at that point.

I grieved -- I'd never cried that hard during the show before -- but it was war. Some people are not going to survive. I was very appreciative that a) we got to see them that season, and b) they were active participants, not just victims.

I know in the real world, it would be just as likely for Sam or Dean to have died a million times on the hunt, but the truth is, it's their show. And they've already died quite a few times for major protagonists, honestly.

That makes sense about Mary, ita. I think what I'm thinking of is this. Is fridging categorically bad? Because Jess' death seems critical to the story they wanted to tell. And they could have developed her more and given her some agency if she died in ep5 or something, but when she dies in the pilot, there's just not enough time to give her much of a story.

I think fridging is bad when it's typically how you treat your women and/or secondary characters.

That makes sense.