Let's Talk Spoilers

[gwaevalarin]

From Bob Singer's TV Guide interview:

- Will season 8 hinge on Sam trying to save Dean from Purgartory? "No," Singer answers. An amount of time passes before Dean finds his way back from Purgatory (not specified how long). They're planning on doing various flashbacks through the season showing what happened and what Sam did in that time while Dean was away.

I'm not super happy with that one. It would have been interesting to see the brothers apart for at least a few episode. See Sam fight on his own, maybe find new allies - which also means allies who have a closer relationship with Sam than Dean for a change - see Dean and Cas in Purgatory, working through stuff while learning to fight together again because they have to.
I do see why the show doesn't want to take that risk even though I personally think they should.
Then again, there will be flashbacks, and the important part is that the brothers DO spend time apart. So as long as there is some development, and this development will be suficiently explained by the flashbacks, this may actually be a good way to do this storyline. We will see.

- Why use flashbacks? Because fans usually hate it when the brothers are separated, so that's why they're being reunited quickly.

There is fanservice on all sides, so can everyone please shut up about that, thank you.

- What about Castiel? They're still framing that out, but Cas will be back a number of times.

I like the sound of "framing that out" because it sounds like they are actually thinking about where they want to go with his character. I don't like that they don't seem to know YET but reading the rest of the spoilers below I'm confident that there will be a storyline for him and I'm glad to hear that they are planinng on having him on the show. Not because I want to keep him there at all costs - I would have been content if he never returned after season 5. I would have been happy if he had returned to Heaven for good at pretty much any point after that - but RIGHT NOW he isn't at any point in his development where he could just leave the show with a satisifying solution to his arc.

- Will Kevin the Prophet be back? "Kevin is an integral part of the year."
- What does Crowley want with Kevin? The King of Hell needs someone to read the word of God. "Every year we start with a theme -- this is our "Raiders of The Lost Ark" year. This season-long story will be a quest. It's about Kevin and the tablets and the Word of God."

One storyline, a clear theme, lots of potential, expanding the existing mythology further with the "word of God". Sounds perfect.

- They would like guest characters like Sheriff Mills, Charlie and Garth back, but nothing is concrete yet. "And there's one new character that we're talking about. It's a monster that Dean meets in Purgatory."

I'm always all for bringing beloved characters back. So yay for that as well.
What confuses me a bit is that they always talk about 'Dean in Purgatory', never 'Dean and Cas in Purgatory'. So I guess Cas was yanked out of there by some force? Maybe? I hope not because Cas and Dean desperately need the Purgatory storyline if we ever hope to have Team Free Will back.

- Who will be the big bad this season? It's another angels and demons year. "It's not apocalyptic but about who can gain control and keep demons in Hell or angels in Heaven."

I love, love, love this! I know it is very vague, but more Heaven and Hell, more angels. Maybe we'll get some of our favourite angels back. Crowley obviously will have a big part to play, trying to take over Earth possibly, maybe even Heaven. Maybe it's something completely different. The important part is that it does all sound like they are planning to build on existing mythology and have all the major players united in one big storyline.

Former producer Jeremy Carver, who exec produced the U.S verison of Being Human, is returning to Supernatural as your new co-showrunner. Will fans notice anything different?
"No. Jeremy gave us a couple of years on the show, so I do think this season will be a little less earnest and a little more the kind of stuff we did in Seasons 2 and 3, before the weight of all the mythology got us."

I'd be happier if it said 'before season 6' instead of 'season 2 and 3' but I do agree that the show needs to get a little lighter again, have a little more hope. Season 2 was brilliant in the way it balanced stand alone episodes, mythological arc, dark themes and humour. If that's what they mean by 'the kind of stuff' I'm all for it.

Overall, I'm going into season 8 a lot more optimistic than I did season 6 and 7. It's still all very vague, but there is definitely potential here, and I can't wait to hear from Jeremy Carver himself where he plans to take the show.

Comments

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Then again, there will be flashbacks, and the important part is that the brothers DO spend time apart. So as long as there is some development, and this development will be suficiently explained by the flashbacks, this may actually be a good way to do this storyline. We will see.

I like the idea of flashbacks as a vital part of storytelling. It's happened in other shows, Lost in particular was huge on flashbacks, and even BSG had an entire episode dedicated to having flashbacks showing what happened between characters during a year that we never saw. So if done right, the flashbacks aspect will provide something new and interesting and we might get that growth and development after all.

However, I don't like their reasoning for it. From the interview they're implying that it's not for creative purposes of the storytelling, but because certain fans would be "upset" if the brothers were separated for too long. Fuck. That. Bullshit.

Season 2 was brilliant in the way it balanced stand alone episodes, mythological arc, dark themes and humour. If that's what they mean by 'the kind of stuff' I'm all for it.

Same here.

But I think I would have preferred them saying it would be like S4, because based on what is said in the interview it is essentially going through that layer of what S4 was about; the angels and demons arc, Heaven and Hell, Sam and Dean having their own things going on after being separated for a long time. I mean, S2 had a nice balance as well, but I don't like the show dismissing the entire mythology just to have things be more lighthearted. Wasn't S7 more fillers with that kind of lighthearted stuff, anyway? I don't want S8 to be like S7 with all the fillers, and less with the actual plot stuff, y'know?

For all the other stuff, it's all pretty vague. And to be honest I don't really trust what Robert Singer has to say that much. I want to hear from Jeremy Carver as to what he is planning for the season, and with him and Ben Edlund attending SDCC in about a week I'm hoping we get more information, and something to reassure us of these things. Or give a better layout of what the season is going to consist of.

So, as of right now I'm being cautious with my optimism.

[gwaevalarin.livejournal.com]

I don't like the reasoning for the flashbacks either but IF they make them work I don't really care why they decided to choose that path in the first place.

I certainly hope that 'more lighthearted' won't be a synonym for 'mostly fillers'. You can easily have more lighthearted episodes that are still important for the mythology. That's the exact type of episode Jeremy is good at. You can also have "stand alone" episodes that still have some importance for the mythology and drive the story forward, which is what season 2 was good at.

I think my optimism stems from the combination of two thoughts:
1) What I read in this interview has tons of potential if done right.
2) Jeremy Carver is the person responsible for doing it right.

But yes, I agree with wanting to hear it all from Jeremy (and Ben) next week so we really know what he is planning and where he wants to take the show.

[cassiopeia7.livejournal.com]

Hey, you! Your name popping up on my flist always means interesting things! How've you been? :)

"And there's one new character that we're talking about. It's a monster that Dean meets in Purgatory."

Oh, there are SO many directions they can go with this. I am, so far, supremely disappointed by the "flashback" and time-shifting aspects, but oh, the creatures Dean could meet down there. Dr. Visyak, John, Lenore, or even something entirely new . . . the possibilities are endless and this idea excites me more than anything. I can't wait to see where they go with this.

Season 2 was brilliant in the way it balanced stand alone episodes, mythological arc, dark themes and humour.

Hear, hear! S2 remains my overall favorite season for exactly that reason. If they manage to pull off the same feel for S8, I am SO there. (And since Carver had a lot to do with the overall feeling of S2, perhaps they will manage to do exactly that.)

Overall, I'm going into season 8 a lot more optimistic than I did season 6 and 7.

I was super optimistic about S6 (less so for S7, and ultimately disappointed with both), but for some reason, it feels as if Show may finally be regaining its balance. While I don't believe that Gamble's reign was quite the horror show that some described it as, yes, some things did go a bit off-kilter -- so I'm looking forward to a fresh start with Carver.

. . . on the other hand, the whole "another angels and demons year" business doesn't exactly sound like a fresh start, but who knows? Maybe they'll come at it from a fresh direction. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing what they do.

ETA: Thanks so much for the link -- I hadn't seen that article yet! :)

[gwaevalarin.livejournal.com]

but oh, the creatures Dean could meet down there. Dr. Visyak, John, Lenore, or even something entirely new . . . the possibilities are endless and this idea excites me more than anything. I can't wait to see where they go with this.

It says one NEW character, so I doubt it is anyone we have met before. But that's great too. As much as I hated that they killed off beloved characters just to bring in new ones (and kill those off again as well) I think the show needs a healthy balance of familiar and new characters. And Dean meeting a Puragtory monster, maybe even becoming something like friends or at least allies with them sounds like a very good thing.
(Doesn't mean Dean won't meet any of the characters you mentioned as well, of course.)

. . . on the other hand, the whole "another angels and demons year" business doesn't exactly sound like a fresh start, but who knows? Maybe they'll come at it from a fresh direction. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing what they do.

I love the angels more than anything else on the show so I'm very, very happy that it seems like they plan on keeping them around. I don't think the show needs a fresh start as in a different sort of mythology. There is a lot of potential left in what they have with Heaven, Hell, Earth, and Purgatory. There are tons of unanswered questions. They just - like you say - need to approach it from a new angle to keep it fresh.

[cassiopeia7.livejournal.com]

Dean meeting a Puragtory monster, maybe even becoming something like friends or at least allies with them sounds like a very good thing.

Dean, allied with a Purgatory monster? Dean, coming back around to the idea that not all "monsters" are evil, that not all of them deserve to die, the same thing he was starting to contemplate at the end of "Bloodlust"? Oh, we can only hope it shakes out like this. (Yeah, I know. I kind of intentionally ignored the word "new" in favor of what I'd like to see. Bad me.) ;)