Jen Harding

Jen Harding is a main character in all three seasons of Dead to Me. She is portrayed by Christina Applegate.

Background[]

While not much is revealed about Jens early life, it is mentioned many times that Jens mom died when she was 19 of breast cancer. As she didn't want her boys to suffer the same pain she did, she got a double mastectomy, which ultimately lead to their argument.

Personality[]

Jen is a hot-headed, abrasive widow and mother who works in real estate. She is seen to have many anger problems, as well.

Storyline[]

Season One[]

Jen Harding, a hot headed abrasive widow is a struggling mom of two boys Charlie and Henry, When her husband Ted dies in a hit and run, performed by Judy Hale, her whole life is ripped apart. While before she took took on the role of the breadwinner, and Ted took on the role as caretaker, Jen is now faced with having to be both Breadwinner, and caretaker. Still grieving the death of her husband, Jen is failing at both breadwinner and caretaker.

Jen, constantly drowning in a pool of her own emotion meets Kind hearted, optimistic, free spirited, Judy Hale, in a grief support group “Friends of Heaven” Judy and Jen both bond over the loss of their husbands, and Judy allows Jen to experience, and work through her grief, rather than rushing it. However at the end of episode one, Jen finds out the Judys Fiancé, Steve Wood, is still alive. Hurt and betrayed, Jen confronts Judy at the grief support group the next day, where Judy then admits she lied, and never lost her Fiancé, but instead he left her after she experienced 5 miscarriages.

When Jen realises Judy lied only because it felt easier to say her fiancé died than to talk about the miscarriages, Jen forgives her and invites Judy (who is currently living in a bedroom at the nursing home she volunteers at) to move into her guesthouse (Teds former music room) she agrees, and the two live together. At the end of the episode however, it is shockingly revealed that Judy was the one driving the car that killed Ted.

Season Two[]

Immediately set after the events of season one finale, Jen calls Judy to help her get rid of Steve's body. They move him away from the outside to a freezer in the garage. However once the house gains rats, they talk of moving his dead body away. They ended up burying the body, with Judy believing that Steve attacked Jen.

After Judy helps her remove Lorna from the house's mortgage, they go and buy a car for Charlie. As they drove home, they learned that her stop sign had been built. After driving away from the stop sign, a car hit them. While Judy was conscious, Jen was not.

Season Three[]

Jen wakes up after the crash at the hospital as Judy walks with the stretcher. While waiting for a scan, Jen grows annoyed at how she can't unlock her phone. Later when her phone rings, she tries to get up out of bed, resulting in her knocking the water jug down onto the bed. That was when the nurse came with a wheelchair to take her to get her scan where she is told to be calm. While in the scan, she remembers Steve's words and everything with Ben, causing her to break down. Upon returning to her room, she climbs into Judy's empty bed. When the doctor comes to give her the results, she isn't thrilled to learn that she needed more tests, until she realizes that the doctor thought she was Judy. She then proceeds to spend the day trying to tell Judy about her results and later goes with her to tests. Unfortunately she had to rush away before the scan.

Later that same day, she learned that Henry gave Ben the bird that she used to kill Steve, she headed to talk to Ben, finding his mother instead.