Sheriff Jody Mills is Supernatural‘s resident no-nonsense public servant gets the job done. Played by Kim Rhodes, she has been a recurring character on the show since 2010. Mills learned about monsters and things that go bump in the night because of a connection to Bobby Singer, and she’s become an ally and friend of the Winchesters as a result of her work. In a show where friends of Sam and Dean all too often end up dead, Jody has survived and helped others who have had their eyes opened to the darker side of the world.

In season nine, Jody took in a surrogate daughter. Alex wasn’t your average troubled kid; she was being used by vampires to lure in humans. Of course. Jody gained another charge in season ten—this time it was the daughter of Castiel’s human vessel, Claire Novak, who had no doubt also seen hard and strange times. And as we’re about to see in the next episode of Supernatural, “Don’t You Forget About Me,” Claire’s not ready to leave the weird behind. She calls the Winchesters for assistance with what she believes is their kind of case. I talked with Rhodes about Jody’s relationship with Alex, how Claire fits into the family, and about working with Briana Buckmaster in “Hibbing 911.”

Nerdist: This will be the first time we’ve seen Jody and Alex together since Jody took her in. What’s their dynamic like?

Kim Rhodes: Katherine [Ramdeen] and I talked about this to make sure we were on the same page, because so much time had passed. And we agreed there’s maternal love, but at the same time there’s an awareness I’m not her mom, so it’s like a mentor-mentee relationship. I have a great deal of pride for her. She’s really blossomed in her environment. When I talked to her in the episode with Briana, I was like, “She’s smoking weed underneath the bleachers,” but now she’s really blossomed into, by all accounts, a very successful normal girl and I take a great deal of pride in that. I’m proud of her. I love watching her, but because she didn’t spring from my womb I don’t have the attachment to it you would if you’re a mother. So there’s no judgment in it, there’s just delight.

N: Claire was dropped off with Jody last season until she got back on her feet, but has she become part of the family?

KR: Yeah, not so much. You’d think. The thing is, Jody and Alex bonded. They had an experience. You can have all the good intentions in the world, but until you have an experience that brings you together, you’re still [just] roommates. Now, that said, Jody does love Claire. Loves her. But I think Claire is a much harder person for her to understand because Jody sees the right thing to do and she does it. Like, this is clearly the logical and correct thing to do, so I’m going to do it. That isn’t always how Claire rolls. Claire’s like, “Nah, I got passion and I got an angel sword and I’m going to use them both.” There is a little bit of frustration going on in that they each see Claire’s past so differently.

N: Given that Claire is so gung-ho, is she a bad influence on Alex?

KR: I don’t think they’re influencing each other, but certainly at the top of the show—again because they haven’t had experience with each other—they’re oil and water. One person wants to leave the monsters behind and the other one wants to dive into them. That, I think—and I’m only speaking as an observer—is where their relationship starts. They’re diametrically opposed to each other about the world they live in and have been part of. However, through the course of the episode things shift pretty dramatically.

N: Jody’s rolled with learning about the monsters in the world, but if she could, do you think she’d rather put it to the side and live a normal, so to speak, life?

KR: Oh yeah, she doesn’t touch it unless she has to. It’s cool and fun because I feel like Jody is one of the only characters that isn’t like, “I want to be a hunter and fight evil.” She’s like, “No, I have paperwork to fill out. There were too many traffic tickets yesterday, and I have somebody on sick leave.” I think she’s very practical, which [makes her say,] “Can I do anything about it right now? No? Then don’t bother me with it.” When she can do something about it or when it’s obvious something needs to be done that she’s not equipped to do, she’ll step on that because it’s the right thing to do. But she’s definitely not the, “Let’s go out there and meet some monsters.” She has enough assholes she has to deal with.

N: How does Jody react when the Winchesters show up on her doorstep again?

KR: Well, you know, once a body shows up, then she’s involved. That’s actually how it works. When it’s just fears and concerns and stories and ideas, Jody’s really practical. But they show up, and, coincidentally, so does a body, and now we’ve got to look at it. So, it’s a beautiful coincidence they happen to be there to help because there’s a body that can’t be explained from a normal breaking and entering.

N: I want to jump back to “Hibbing 911.” You and Briana were hilarious together. What was it like working with her?

KR: I’ll tell you. There are some people that you just love immediately—and I have a bit of an inner grumpy cat. First of all, I’m used to being the only girl. Secondly, I’m old and past my prime. So, occasionally when someone who’s younger and cuter and blonder shows up, I’m not immediately like, “Oh good. I’m so glad you’re here.” Everything about me was predisposed to be like, “Oh, you’re the prom queen now.” But she’s so fucking awesome. My bitter, sarcastic self didn’t stand a chance. It just withered in the light of her sunshine, and I was like, “Okay, great. Not only are you prom queen, I’ll stuff the ballot box.”

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“Don’t You Forget About Me” airs on Wednesday, February 3, at 9p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

IMAGES: The CW