Supernatural Teleconference Notes
It was cut short. Kripke was really nice and chatty, likes the nickname 'Metallicar.'
Totally paraphrased. All mistakes are mine, not Kripke's.
Q: I heard that there is a new recurring character joining the show, Jo, as a love interest. Some fans are concerned this will negatively change the show and the dynamic of the brothers' relationship. Can you say something to alleviate these fears and tell us how many episodes she will be in?
A: I read the boards, and I am well aware of the concerns. I just ask that you keep an open mind. Alona Tal is a great actress, did great work on Veronica Mars. The storyline goes very slowly. As of the 13th ep, she is in 3 episodes so far. We aren't rushing into anything, have no interest in Dean settling down, not even a kiss so far. It is about opening their world up. Trust me. But we want to keep the show evolving and growing. We'll keep something if it works and get rid of something if it doesn't. I am a bigger fan than anyone and am very protective of the show.
Q. John, is he really gone? Is there any hope?
A. I can't give too much hope, John is definitely dead. He didn't fake his death or trick anyone. You'll see in the first act of this next episode. But it's not the last of John or Jeffrey Dean Morgan on the show. No one dies forever on this show. We're still trying to figure out how he makes a reappearance. There is a huge amount of emotional material about losing their father, especially Dean. We want to wring out as much emotionalness [I don't think Kripke actually said that word] from Dean and the storyline.
Q: In Bloodymary, both guys' eyes were bleeding. Are we going to learn why?
A: Eventually we'll explain it. I know the reason why Dean's eyes were bleeding, but haven't decided when to tell audience.
Q: In the season premiere, what did John say to Dean?
A: Haha, you expect me to answer that now? We'll answer that in the middle of the season. We have the answer and the answer's great.
Q: What was John going to say to Sam when Dean yelled over him and threw the glass?
A: Let me think... I think John said everything he wanted to. I think it was just that John regretted ever getting the boys involved with hunting the demon.
Q: You want the show to be about two normal guys, fighting demons, but then you made Sam special and gave him powers. Why? And how hard was it to refrain from Sam using his powers again, especially in the finale when he was trying to get the colt?
A: Sam can't control them, the incident in Nightmare was a one-time-only deal. [I missed part of his answer. He probably said that Sam has powers so the demon would be interested in the family, thus creating the basis for the show. I am not sure.] He saw Dean die and the power flared up. Sam doesn't understand what is going on or what his powers are about. We want to keep Sam and Dean outmatched and overwhelmed. We don't want 'Superboy.' Sam will develop his abilities slowly. I know the final episode, whenever that is. We want to keep the show grounded in reality and humanity with Sam feeling like a freak and having his brother look at him like a freak [he might have said something more like "feeling like his brother looks at him like he is a freak"].
Q: When will we know about Dean's amulet?
A: You gotta keep watching! haha. The answer about the amulet is known, just waiting for the right time.
Q: Question about the folklore. [Didn't actually hear the question. But I heard the answer!]
A: In the writers' room, nobody can makeup anything up. It has to be based on real folklore or a myth somewhere. Every single detail had to be researched and vetted. I will read something and say, "Is this real?" And they'll say, "No, we made it up." And I tell them to redo it. I am really strict about this. We have a girl who works her butt off doing research for us, finding unique ways to kill the monster.
Q: How did the no credits thing come about?
A: We made a title sequence that we really liked. It is an easter egg on the DVDs. The network rejected it. This was the WB, God rest its soul. They wanted us to do what we did in the pilot. In the pilot we did just a title card and then intended to use the credit sequence for the rest of the episodes. The producers ended up getting used to no sequence and loving it. It;s a great way to end the first bit, which is usually someone dying in a pretty gruesome way. This season, we did the title card the way we always wanted to do it, with the fireball effect.
Q: Will we see more flashbacks?
A: I'm not saying no, but as of the 13th epsiode, there aren't any flashbacks. We've been so busy with the mythology and excited about the episodes [he might have said monsters] we wanted to do, we haven't gotten to flashbacks yet. Some point we will probably want to get into it. Hey, here is breaking news for you guys, we are in conversations to do a comic book, with the intent of having year one with John Winchester and it being all about John Winchester, with Sam and Dean as children. This way, we can tell the backstory and mythology that we don't have the opportunity to do on show. The lil Winchesters are probably adolescents by now, with peach fuzz. I guess we could bring in new lil guys.
Q: What is this I hear about the CW having you guys have a theme song?
A: I don't know what you are talking about? Oh, the Myspace contest? [questioner says yes]. It is a way to spread the word, get more viewers. We need more viewers if we want to have a long 6-7 year lifespan. This contest is a way to do that without hurting the creative process. Myspace get tons of traffic. We've let it be known that we are looking for an AC/DC or Led Zepelin-type band. Whoever wins, the music producer and I choose the best [and there might be a vote on Myspace, I don't know about this part], if it is a song we really like, then the band will play in a scene set in a bar with Sam and Dean. This isn't going to be like The Peach Pit or that place on The OC. There will not be a montage with Death Cab For Cutie. That is not my style.
Q: I heard there were going to be zombies. Is this like Night of the Dead or Shawn of the Dead?
Actually, more like Pet Cemetary. That is coming up in episode 4. And then is episode 9, we have a Night of the Living Dead, maybe more like 28 Days Later, crossed with Body Snatchers, The Thing. You're not sure who is a zombie and who isn't until they attack you.
Q: Did you guys start writing the gay jokes into the show before or after you saw how much Jared and Jensen can't keep their hands off of each other?
A: Hahaha, no it wasn't because they were all over each other. Basically, it came from from the organic situation of it being about two guys, on the road together all of the time, sharing a motel room. It's inevitable that certain people wouldn't think they were brothers. Dean has a macho shell that I felt like could be mined for some humor about this [misconception].
Q: Have you made any adjustments to the show to specifically shorten Jared and Jensen's hours?
A: No, we are still kicking their ass. [questioner interupts and says, "Good."] We sometimes try to split them up [the questioner says, "We don't like that, haha".] Jared and Jensen are like Sammy Davis Jr, the hardest working actors in show business [or maybe he said Hollywood, you get the drift.]
The end!