The wait is over and "Supernatural" returns on TV on Wednesday, Oct. 3. The series, about two brothers set out to battle the forces of evil, starts a full year after the events of Season 7 when Dean disappeared. On Oct. 3, the Huffington Post spoke to the show's executive producers about the new season.
The producers said that, in the year between the Season 7 finale and Season 8 premiere, Sam has lived a normal life and never attempted to find out what happened to his brother.
"I think one of the things we really like about particularly the first 13 is the way we're playing with perception because right now, Dean is piling on Sam somewhat for this," producer Jeremy Carver said, "and so what happens is these brothers start to discover more about what they've done in their past year and might those tables turn in terms of who has to answer for what?"
Once the brothers finally get to working together properly again, the plot turns to them attempting the close the gates of Hell. This apparently will have Season 8 similar to earlier seasons, where the boys are on a road mission, a nice change from the melodramatic approach to the last couple of seasons.
"Closing the Hell gate is meant to be a season arc, but the questions that come up in this quest and the series of reveals and the series of discoveries are meant to start giving us underpinnings for questions and secrets and things that will be explored in future seasons," Carver said. "I think in the "Supernatural" universe you're thinking, "Well I've eliminated a big chunk," but certainly not all."
They also talked about the characters fans will see this season, including a much larger role for Kevin.
"We'll be seeing a healthy dose of Kevin. Of course Crowley is set up now to be somewhat of the boys' main antagonist this season," Carver said. "I think by virtue of seeing Kevin more, we'll learn more about how he personally feels about being a prophet, being involved on this mission that the brothers are part of, the personal cost it has for him."
The season premiere of "Supernatural" Season 8 debuts Oct. 3 at 9 p.m. EST on The CW.
The "Supernatural" Season 8 premiere is fast approaching (Wed., Oct. 3 at 9 p.m. ET -- mark your calendars!) and though much remains a mystery, The CW has offered a few tantalizing glimpses of what we can expect when the cult favorite debuts on its new night in less than a month.
After the intense -- if all too brief -- teaser (which we've included below for your replaying pleasure), the network released 10 new stills from the first episode of the Season 8, which is titled "We Need To Talk About Kevin."
We know that the recently discovered prophet Kevin (Osric Chau) will play a greater role this year, so it's no surprise to see him in the photos, but we're more intrigued by our first direct look at Benny (Ty Olsson) the vampire who supposedly helps Dean (Jensen Ackles) escape from Purgatory. Intriguingly, he's standing out in the daylight -- though we know "Supernatural's" fanged foes don't turn to dust or sparkle when they're in direct light, they're still not too fond of the harsh rays, so it'll be interesting to see how he'll interact with Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean in the present day.
Showrunner Jeremy Carver previously described Benny as a "strange bedfellow" for Dean and Castiel (Misha Collins) in Purgatory, noting, "I feel like it's a very challenging storyline and the actor that we cast in the role is wonderful." Collins also hinted that Castiel might not be too pleased about Benny's appearance, describing the vampire's relationship with Dean as "budding ... I think Cas is a bit jealous of it, as a matter of fact."
There's no sign of Collins in the episode stills, though, since he won't be returning until the second episode of the new season. Collins recently told HuffPost TV's Mo Ryan that his first appearance would be a flashback: "We're picking up a year later, and it's a flashback of Dean's memory of Purgatory ... Purgatory really sucks for Cas. He's loathed, hunted and hated by everyone."
No matter what happens in the season premiere, we're just relieved to see Sam and Dean back together, and even better, back in the Impala once more. Click through the gallery below to see the new stills.
Edited by mahi0809 - 11 years ago
Image Credit: Ed Araquel
Supernatural has a new showrunner, Jeremy Carver, returning to the show after some time away helming Syfy's Being Human, and it looks like he is working to strike a balance between giving fans something fresh and staying close to the show's roots. Supernatural wouldn't be the same without classic rock, and tonight's season 8 opener delivered on that musical note straight away with Styx's "Man In The Wilderness." Tommy Shaw croons in the 1977 song, "Another year has passed me by / … What kind of man have I become?"
Indeed, that's the question Sam and Dean will be asking themselves – and each other – this season as they grapple with all that's happened during a year spent apart.
Carver and fellow executive producer Robert Singer were on hand to answer reporters' questions about the new season following a screening of the premiere. BEWARE OF SPOILERS if you haven't watched tonight's premiere (Supernatural's 150th episode!), titled "We Need to Talk About Kevin," but read on if you want to learn about Carver and Singer's take on the premiere and what's in store for the season ahead.
Dealing with the death and return back to life of a brother is nothing new for Sam and Dean Winchester, but this time something's different: Sam has quit hunting and didn't go looking for Dean when he was zapped down to home of all dead monsters, Purgatory. Even though the brothers have always asked each other to promise to do just that should either one of them kick the bucket, Dean's pretty pissed to learn that Sam has spent a year with a new lady friend and not saving people, hunting things.
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Things are different this time around because Sam is, as Crowley said in the season 7 finale, "well and truly alone." No Dean. No Bobby. Not even a supposedly trustworthy, blood-supplying demon.
"I don't think [Sam] knew what he wanted to do, then he hit a dog, and that started something new for him," Singer explained. "He got a taste of something he had never had before, and it had a really profound effect on him, one that he doesn't really expect Dean to understand."
That goes both ways: Dean doesn't expect Sam to understand what he went through in Purgatory, to the point that he's keeping his new buddy Benny a secret from his brother and he's being vague about whatever happened to Castiel. But as soon as Sam opens up, Dean reprimands him about his decision to put hunting aside.
"The fact that he's judgmental is probably not all that fair to Sam given what Dean's not saying," Singer teased.
"Might those tables turn in terms of who has to answer for what?" Carver said cryptically. Beyond that, the two showrunners weren't eager to reveal anything about how Dean spent his past year and how that will impact the brothers relationship, but they did divulge plenty more about what fans can expect this season. Here are some other things reporters learned from Carver and Singer about tonight's episode and what's to come in season 8:
The flashbacks will not be in every episode.?
Singer said they use flashbacks "where appropriate" this season, and
Carver added that the writers are planning to have these jumps back to
the Winchesters' past year "play heaviest in the first 13" episodes of
the season. Carver assured reporters that the story of how Dean and his
new vampire companion, Benny, got so close will be revealed in the
flashbacks.
The quest to close the gates of Hell will be a major season arc.
Carver confirmed that Sam, Dean and Kevin's mission to trap all demons
in Hell forever (yes, forever!) will be a major arc for season 8, but he
also plans to have this quest influence Supernatural beyond
season 8. "The questions that come up in this quest and the series of
discoveries are meant to start giving us those underpinnings for
questions and secrets and things that will be explored in future
seasons," Carver said.
As for just what closing the gates of Hell really means, fans watching this episode undoubtedly want a peek at that hidden tablet themselves, any clues to clarify whether this means Hell will also be closed off to human souls. On that subject, Carver only said, "That's something that will be clarified later on, clarified or dealt with."
Will we see Meg again and what she thinks of this demon-banishing plan? The showrunners wouldn't say, though Carver acknowledged, "That would be an interesting conversation."
Castiel's fate in Purgatory will be revealed gradually.
Cas was nowhere to be seen in the season premiere, and his whereabouts
since he disappeared from Dean's side upon their arrival in Purgatory
are unknown. But Carver promised that the show will start revealing what
happened to the trench coat-donning angel soon. "We'll be telling that
story of Purgatory pretty steadily through the first seven or eight
episodes," he said. "By episode seven or eight you'll start to get a
really good understanding of what happened in Purgatory to Cas."
The Supernatural team was very intentional with the contrasting looks of Sam's and Dean's flashbacks.
Singer, who also directed the premiere episode – his 24th time directing
for the show – explained the thinking behind the looks of Purgatory and
of Sam's year topside: "[Purgatory has] a real lack of color and high
contrast, a desaturated look to help [convey] the harshness of the
place," Singer said. "We wanted to contrast that with Sam's flashbacks,
which are diffused and have filters and are a little more dreamy, so you
get a sense that Sam's past year was kind of nice and warm and Dean's
was cold and stark."
Episode 4 of the season will be a found footage episode.?
The showrunners told reporters a bit more about the upcoming found
footage episode, "Bitten." Carver promised that it will be "pretty
unlike any episode that this show has ever done before," with a group of
college students played by guest stars Brandon Jones (CSI) and
relative newcomers Britni Sheridan and Leigh Parker carrying the
episode. He explained that it differs from season 3 episode
"Ghostfacers" in that "it ain't for laughs." Singer added, "Tonally,
it's 180 degrees away from 'Ghostfacers.'"
There's no need to worry that the dog Sam saves is another monster in disguise.
"Yes, it's really a dog," Singer said, adding that the canine will soon be known as Riot.
Why wouldn't you take a joint from a guy named Don??
No dogs in the Impala, and never take a joint from a guy named Don –
those are the rules, as we learn from Dean in this episode. Singer told
reporters eager to hear more about the Winchesterian advice, "Just so
you know that you're not alone, when we were on the set shooting [that
scene], I had at least 50 percent of the crew come up to me and go,
'Who's Don?'" Carver, who wrote the episode, wasn't forthcoming with any
story behind the line. He simply said, "That's just one of those
lifeisms that I think we can all agree to."
To learn what Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles and, yes, even Misha Collins had to say about the new season, check out the scoop EW's Sandra Gonzalez got on the Supernatural set last week. And stay tuned for the next edition of The Spoiler Room for more teases of what's in store for the Winchester brothers.
by Tierney BrickerWed., Oct. 3, 2012 7:00 PM PDT
It's good to have the Winchester brothers back.
Supernatural returned for its eighth season tonight with "We Need to Talk About Kevin," which picked up a year after Dean (Jensen Ackles) landed in purgatory and Sam (Jared Padalecki) was left all lone.
Cue 365 days later, a hardened Dean is out of purgatory, and he didn't escape alone, and Sam has given up hunting and found himself a nice girlfriend. But when Kevin (Osric Chau) the prophet needs help, they hit the road and pick up their new season-long mission in the process.
Here, executive producers Jeremy Carver and Bob Singer spill what's next for Sam and Dean and what to expect from the rest of the season.
While it seems like Dean was piling on Sam in the premiere for not looking for him and giving up the life, don't expect it to stay that way. "What happens is that these brothers start to discover more about what they've done in their past year and might those tables turn in terms of who has to answer for what," Carver teases. "I think everybody will get their licks in. No one is going to be a beaten dog for too long."
Of course, Sam spent the last year with his new girlfriend Amelia (Liane Balaban), someone he doesn't share too much information about with his brother. "It represents something to him, it represents essentially another way, another life, and that's very much where he is coming into this season right now," Singer says. "So, it's something he'd rather to keep to himself than share."
While we saw how they met (she was the vet who saved the dog Sam hit, which he later takes home with him), expect flashbacks to share more about the relationship. While Singer says there won't be flashbacks in every episode, Carver says they will factor heavily into the first 13 episodes of the season.
As for Benny (Ty Olsson), Dean's vampire buddy he left purgatory and seems to have developed a close friendship with, expect him to eventually cause a rift between the brothers.
"I think you'll see Benny playing a pretty important part in his physical presence and I guess his psychological presence. The idea of Benny I think hangs over our brothers pretty heavily, certainly as the year goes along," Carver explains. "So he's a guy who has a tremendous bearing and he's really working out wonderfully. A really complex character and…has a really interesting wrinkle into our brothers' relationship this year and how we deal with something like this."
Of course, the premiere didn't show us how Dean and Benny went from reluctant allies to friends who call each other "brother," but Carver promises that the flashbacks will fill in the blanks. "I think the intriguing question hopefully the premiere asks you see this warmness, but when they meet, you see this reserve and general distrust. How did they get from that to that embrace? And that's what the flashbacks are telling us. So everything you're saying is all part of the stew of purgatory.
One of the most intriguing part of the premiere for us was Dean describing his time in purgatory as "pure."
"I think that one of the last things that you might expect going to a place that's so horrible [is] that someone might have actually considered it something of a happy experience," Carver says. "I think you have to ask yourself why you think it's happening and what is this thing inside of himself that he connected to, this primal side of himself. I think a lot of that is that we use Benny as sort of that thing that is represented of Dean in purgatory."
Finally, the brothers' new mission was revealed by Kevin to be a way to close the gates of hell forever, banishing all demons from Earth. Carver says this will be a "season-long arc," but hints that it could extend beyond season eight. "The questions that come up in this quest and the series of reveals and the series of discoveries are meant be under-paintings for questions, secrets and things that will be explored in future seasons." Singer adds, "Jeremy's hell-bent on multiple seasons." To this we say: Hell yeah.
