Supernatural has a long and unfortunate history of killing off its female characters. The show's poor treatment of women is one of the show's worst-kept secrets. It's been acknowledged by fans, actors, and writers alike. The extent to which the show avoids investing time in its minor characters has gone so far that certain fans have come to the conclusion that the show physically couldn't work if characters outside of Sam and Dean.

Yet, somehow, the same show recently opened the door for a new series led solely by its female minor characters. Supernatural's 13th season (yes, 13th) just premiered a backdoor pilot for Wayward Sisters, a spin-off series focusing on a makeshift family of women, some hunters, some not, whose blood families were taken from them by supernatural circumstances. Every one of these women has appeared in the show as a minor character, the earliest being Claire Novak, the daughter of Cas' human vessel from season 4, and somehow made it through Supernatural without dying.

Last week's backdoor pilot inserts itself into the current Supernatural plotline through joining the girls for a search and rescue mission after the Winchesters took an accidental trip to the wrong dimension last episode, but none of the episode's drive or tension actually rides on the Winchesters at all. Sure, they were in danger, but the episode cared far more about focusing on its main characters and their relationships and used the Winchesters as more of a convenient plot device. You know, the way every one of these women has been used in service to the Winchester's storylines. It was refreshing, to say the least.

Even more refreshing was getting to see characters existing outside of the Winchester's point of view for longer than a single scene per season. It was a full episode invested in these women's lives and in introducing new, exciting aspects of their personalities. It was years of character development and exploration that the show never took the time to give us, all finally getting the time these characters deserve.

In just 42 minutes, the world made small by the constant push to keep the brothers the only important characters expanded to form six living, breathing female characters.

In giving the reins to these six incredible women, Supernatural proved that its heart does not lie solely with the Winchesters anymore. For years, this is all purist fans of the show have argued: "It's about the brothers." It's not. Not anymore, at least. It's about family, especially the family you find for yourself. Jody's house for orphaned girls is as much the heart of the show as the boys are, and they're a new and welcome one at that.

If Wayward Sisters lives on as it should, you can count me as one of its first fans.