Michael Ausiello at TV Guide got a first look at two new recurring characters joining Supernatural. (Season 3 spoilers ahoy!) As many fans of the CW TV series have already heard, in the upcoming season, Sam and Dean will encounter two female hunters. TV Guide has the first pictures of the two new girls in costume, in character. Ruby, played by Katie Cassidy (daughter of pop star David Cassidy), is "ruthless and a little crazy," to quote show creator Eric Kripke. Bela, played by Lauren Cohan, is a mercenary with an eye to the financial opportunities of the hunting world.

The introduction of Ruby and Bela has been controversial in Supernatural fandom. Some fans are concerned the additions will throw off the show's focus on the two brothers.

Some object to the casting, alleging that it's typical of the CW's inclination towards overly skinny supermodel types. Others welcome the idea of more strong female characters on the show (and some fans are taking a "wait and see" approach). Prior attempts to introduce recurring female characters have met with mixed success. In season two, viewers did not embrace Jo Harvelle, an aspiring young hunter (Veronica Mars' Alona Tal) while her mother, Ellen (portrayed by Samantha Ferris), the sharp-tongued but vulnerable owner of a bar frequented by hunters, fared better.

In an interview with Ausiello back in July, Eric Kripke reassured fans the focus of the show won't change, and that the new characters will be brought in "as their own fleshed-out characters in their own right, who are raging pains in the ass, and trouble, and dangerous, and then [we'll] sort of see what happens."