Like I said, I wasn't sold on her when she was introduced, and I don't think they've done a fabulous job with her since. I'm just cranky with fandom, and with TPTB for going all least-common-denominatory with their storytelling.

I miss Ellen, damnit.

I am definitely in the not-liking Bela camp. I've seen the character way too many times (and Gwen for one was a lot more interesting), plus I don't like how she's being used as part of the whole "Dean is Dumb" undertone that's been there this season.

I think that after Bad Day at Black Rock they should not have had Bela again until Dream a Little Dream. . . if then.

I like Bela! Because she's pretty and has an accent.

Also, she's deviously fun.

plus I don't like how she's being used as part of the whole "Dean is Dumb" undertone that's been there this season.

That's one of issues raised by several of the commenters after that interview -- that every time she appears, the IQ level of the Winchesters drops. Not just in an "oh look, a pretty woman" kind of way, but because she's stolen items from them, what, four times now?

Personally, I don't buy her repeatedly getting the drop on them. Frankly, they were raised to be con men, to whatever degree. They're pros too, at their own level. Especially after the rabbit's foot incident, they'd be on guard around her. It wouldn't happen a second time. Much less a third.

I like Bela! Because she's pretty and has an accent.

Okay, but does she have to walk and talk? Can we just have a little picture of her up in the corner of the screen?

...okay, totally ripped off Poundstone about Darryl Hannah, but it does apply in this case.

I've pinned down what bugs me about Cassidy--it's her body language. She moves like she's wearing one of those old fashioned back supporters, or a truss. Or very extremely high heels she's afraid she's going to fall off of. It has nothing to do with her acting skills, or how attractive a person she may be. It's taken me a while to pin down what put me off about her, and that's it.

As for the character, Ruby has always fallen in the "hate to hate" category. She's sparked a tiny flicker of empathy once or twice, but I've never believed she was on the side of humanity in this fight, and I don't think her advice is good for Sam to follow. Of course that just makes it delightfully tangled.

I miss Ellen, too. Hell, I miss Jo. And Hailey, and Officer Kathleen.

Personally, I don't buy her repeatedly getting the drop on them. Frankly, they were raised to be con men, to whatever degree. They're pros too, at their own level. Especially after the rabbit's foot incident, they'd be on guard around her. It wouldn't happen a second time. Much less a third.

At the level of storytelling I agree with you. But the nitpicker in me can't help mentioning that nobody is easier to con than a con-man.

Honestly, Dean and Sam should just spread word to all the hunters via Bobby and Ellen that Bela has the Colt. They might not get it back themselves, but that would virtually assure that someone would be out there killing demons with it in short order.

Ruby doesn't do much for me. I think I would have bought the centuries-old demon a little better if the character had been played by an older woman, with a little more range. Cassidy plays it, in my opinion, as strictly snarky-sexy, with a side of trying-to-be-hip, and it's just sort of one-note.

I think Bela's character is fascinating. Sam and Dean have only ever encountered other *hunters* till now, and even in the case of someone like Gordon, who turned out to be dangerously single-minded, they all had the same bond Bobby mentions, the loss of someone close to them. And even when Gordon's methods and philosophy turned out to be too brutal for them to tolerate, he was, like every other hunter, at least trying to save innocent people.

Bela, on the other hand, knows as much or more about the supernatural as they do, and for the first time she has no interest in using that knowledge for the good of humanity. I think there has to be (should be?) a reason for how she got into the business, and it could be interesting to find out what it was, especially if it involves loss. As a foil to Sam and Dean and Bobby, she works pretty well for me because they really have to stop and *remember* that she's not going to do *anything* out of the goodness of her heart, and that's simply incredibly foreign to them. Dean may be tired, may have been for a while, but he can't stop and leave innocent people to die, even if he'd like a break.

I had a thought at the end of Jus in Bello, based off her comment to Dean that he "didn't know anything about her" and her uncomfortable expression when she hung up and glanced at the Colt on the seat beside her. What if the little girl Lilith's inhabiting is her daugher?

N.B. I'm on major painkillers, which are making me fuzzy and still not knocking back all the HOLY SHIT OW, and it's 4:45 a.m. EST. So take the above with a liberal application of salt.

Ruby doesn't do much for me. I think I would have bought the centuries-old demon a little better if the character had been played by an older woman, with a little more range.

Amy and are share a brain on this.

With Bela, I like the idea of the character (again, Amy and I share a brain as to why), but there's something off in the execution that makes a delicious idea not as delicious as it should be. It's like having a lasagna that's made with home-made noodles, fresh herbs, and tomato sauce from tomatoes grown in your own garden - but overcooked and using supermarket-brand rubberized shredded mozzerella for the chees.