Maybe, though the damage is certainly done. I know I'm damaged. The time to lock was probably sixty pages ago, but better late than never. PM Canadian_Watcher and see if she's amenable, though my feeling is that the thing will receive less and less attention from now on.
Sorry for the confusing set of viewpoints here. I'm obviously of two minds on this one.

I do think the absence of the thread will help prevent brekin from kicking it to the top when he comes back.
I also suspect the women will view it as an attack on their hard-won territory.
However, at the moment, Maddy's thread has already become the defacto substitute. Usually once meta-threads begin springing up like daffodils it's prolly safe to abandon the seed-bearing original.
In other words, I DON'T KNOW.
The most dangerous traps are the ones you set for yourself. - Phillip Marlowe