Problems from the Mark? How does he get it off? Who can it be trusted with? I'm assuming Cain could have destroyed it if he'd wanted.

I didn't see the episode with Cain, but if they're keeping with the Biblical story of God putting the mark on him as an example/warning to others, I doubt anyone else would be able to do away with it. Heck, it might have only been transferable because the Winchesters seem to be His favorite entertainment.

I still don't get what made Abaddon so unkillable as to require the big MacGuffin hunt. A really old, powerful demon tough enough to shrug off Ruby's knife, sure, but it seems to me that the now-ubiquitous angelic weapons and the other offensive powers of their wielders should have been able to do the trick. For that matter, I doubt she's one of the 5 beings Lucifer referred to as being able to survive the Colt - which probably wouldn't have been any harder to find than the First Blade and comes without the creepy bloodlust bonus.

Is there a new prophet somewhere or does Kevin's ghostliness confuse that?

Metatron had the prophet switch turned off earlier in the season.

Thanks, Marcia. I totally didn't catch that.

If the guys had any idea where the Colt was wouldn't they have pursued it by now? It's kind of the equivalent of powered up Castiel--you have to keep it offscreen or their job becomes too easy plus the fight scenes disappear. It has no downside anymore. But the First Blade does, so either they can't keep it around, or there's a plot device about learning to handle the Mark.

Storywise, it makes sense to me.

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Since it was clear that Bloodlines wasn't made to align with core SPN values, do you think there was any chance it would get picked up? They're airing during the show they're trying to make it not so much like, and I know people who are dedicated con-goers who skipped it on principle.

If we're there for blue collar rock and roll and platonic relationships, a show closer to CW core values is precisely wrong to test during us. Maybe the TVD folks would have liked it better?

And for the triple (I guess I'm really back now, when I'm monopolising the thread so completely), I just got a lengthy defense of John Winchester (masked as a question about "what bothers you in your fandom") in whose comments I go to a lengthy defense of female representation on the show posted to the front page of IO9.

I hope I don't have to go into hiding.

Since it was clear that Bloodlines wasn't made to align with core SPN values, do you think there was any chance it would get picked up?

I assume they thought it would, or at least thought it would appeal to a certain portion of either the CW audience or the SPN audience. Maybe they assumed we're more loyal than we are?

I'm also not sure what the backdoor pilot method is all about--is it cheaper and easier to roll a pilot for a new show into the budget for an existing one? Meaning, I'm sure there's some logic to doing it that way, I just don't know what it is if they're not trying to appeal to the exact same audience. (See the CSI spinoffs, which I assume they think will mean more CSI for the people who already watch it.)

Sam and Dean are the heart of SPN, and the showrunners themselves have said it for years. So without a beloved secondary character that the fandom would love to see more of, I don't know what the hell they were thinking with this pilot.

They could have spun off Ellen and Jo or Bobby and Rufus into their own shows years ago and I'd have eagerly followed, but that ship has sailed.

I don't know what the hell they were thinking with this pilot.

Not us, and I don't feel the least bit schaudenfreudy about it. It's not like the things they added are what we've been clamouring for.

I'd still take a "back in the day a bit" Rufus + Bobby.

Or, hey, work out a reason to spin off Jody and Cas. Talk about odd couples.

WRT Bloodlines, I found myself not particularly excited by the prospect of a spinoff anyway but wanted to keep an open mind. I was breathtakingly underwhelmed. I don't know why they thought it had a chance - it didn't seem anyone's heart was in it (except maybe the new cast).

Too bad for Dabb.