<P> Critical reception to Ellen has been positive . In their initial appearance, Bryan Enk of UGO felt that the new hunters of the Roadhouse had potential to be the Supernatural equivalent of Buffy the Vampire Slayers's Scooby Gang, comparing Ellen to Buffy's Giles, as she is "the elder who can help guide the boys from a home base and serve as an emotional link to their father, a parental figure without all the melodramatic baggage of the actual father from the first season ." Maureen Ryan of Chicago Tribune was "annoyed" at the destruction of the Roadhouse in the second season finale, as she "really loved Ellen ." Diana Steenbergen of IGN also favored Ellen from the beginning, believing her to be "a great addition to the show ." She deemed Ellen "tough and direct, and also female, something the boys don't have a lot of in their lives right now ." </P> <P> Steenbergen was happy to see the character return in the fifth season, noting that the show has been missing "smart, tough women who are not evil in general ." Tina Charles of TV Guide also welcomed the character back, and enjoyed how Ellen's initial reaction to Dean Winchester in "Good God, Y'all!"--hugging and then slapping him--was "very much in character ." Regarding the character's death, Charles noted that "when (Ellen) went down in' Abandon All Hope (...)' like (she) did, I felt it . (Her death) meant something ." Though also happy to see Ellen reappear in the fifth season, Ryan was disappointed at the lack of screentime the character received in "Good God, Y'All!" Commenting on the character's farewells in the fifth season, Ryan noted that Ferris "brought (her) A-game to' Abandon All Hope ..."' She added that "(Ferris fits) perfectly into the' Supernatural' world because (she understands) that on this show, restraint is everything . It's not necessarily just about what the characters say or do, it's about what they don't say--what they can't find the words for ." </P> <P> Having missed Ellen's "maternal influence," Charles was happy to see her return in the sixth season episode "My Heart Will Go On," while Ryan called Ellen's scenes with Bobby in the episode "probably the strongest part of the show ." Ellen's reappearance gladdened Steenbergen, who called the character a "force to be reckoned with on the show" and added that "she is still missed ." </P> <P> In a poll conducted by SFX for the Top 200 Sexiest Characters In Sci - Fi, Ellen was voted the 77th sexiest female character in fantasy and science fiction film and television . </P>

When did ellen get back in season 6 of supernatural