As time passed, Kripke felt that the terrorist-cell format was not working out as planned, partly because he prefers writing based on old legends rather than current topics.[1] In his opinion, the season did not hit its stride until the seventh episode because the first six were bogged down by budget problems and an ambiguous mythology.[33] To stabilize the demon storyline, the writers introduced a new lead villain, with Kripke finding it "refreshing to get back on firm ground where you knew there was a bad guy and you knew there was a plan".[34] They were uncertain for a while as to who the new demon leader would be, and gave the character the working title of Zarqawi during the planning stages.[15] Gamble insisted that the demon be female, and suggested that she be the mythological Lilith.