Supernatural Cast @ SDCC
Going into season 13 and with no signs of slowing down, the longest-running Sci-Fi show on television has a simple premise: two brothers traveling across the country “hunting things.” With each passing season, brothers Winchester and friends somehow continue to engage and entertain their dedicated and still growing legion of fans. Making their annual appearance at the biggest fan convention, San Diego Comic Con (SDCC), Jensen Ackles (Dean Winchester), Jared Padalecki (Sam Winchester) and Misha Collins (Castiel), along with executive producer and showrunner Robert Singer and Andrew Dabb help explain why CW’s Supernatural continues to surprise and delight…and why we should all be tuning in next season.
1- Supernatural knows how to rock a Con!
Kansas @ SDCC
SDCC 2017 seemed lacking in the big, unexpected reveals-department this year. That is until Sunday morning in Hall H when the Supernatural panel opened with Kansas (the band) taking the stage to play “Carry On My Wayward Son.” The room took an exploratory beat of shock and awe before bursting into an enthusiastic sing-along to the classic rock anthem that has come to define the brothers’ journey on the show.
The gleeful enthusiasm extended beyond the audience to the cast including self-professed music lover, Jensen Ackeles (Dean) who may have gone a little overboard with the excitement when asked to join the rockers on stage. “Hell, no,” was his immediate reaction. As he explained in the Supernatural press room, “The lead singer was like, ‘Hey listen, come on out and sing with us if you want’ and I think urine just started seeping down my leg.” To avoid any untimely bladder fiascos, the guys snuck around to the back to watch in the crowd where one fan got a further surprise when she turned around to ask someone to take her picture before realizing it was Misha Collins. Speaking of Misha…
2- Castiel will be back next season…but that’s not all
Misha Collins @ SDCC
With Misha Collins (Castiel) still a season regular (yay!), we all knew that Castiel would be coming back in some form. However, Misha’s late entrance to the panel at SDCC may be indicative of his involvement in the upcoming season. Asked what he could say about his character next season, he teased, “Castiel is dead. Big deal. I can say a fair amount. I can tell you that Castile is dead. That we open on Castiel dead. And that he stays dead for a little while. Which is an acting challenge for sure. You have to hold your breath. You can’t move around a lot.”
Joking aside, Cas will be coming back at some point, but he isn’t the only character poised to make a return. As revealed on the panel, Mary Winchester might be trapped in another dimension but she isn’t gone. With this whole new apocalypse world to explore, executive producer Robert Singer hinted that we might see a few more familiar faces a la Bobby in the S12 finale. He warned, however, that they may be “different” from the version we know. While Singer couldn’t promise the return of Charlie (Felicia Day is a busy woman), it has been confirmed that we will see Missouri Moseley, the psychic friend of John Winchester who last appeared in season 1. It wouldn’t be a proper season of Supernatural if there weren’t some returning fan favorites so keep your eyes peeled throughout the season.
3- Next Season’s Theme: Two Men, A Nephilim, and Baby?
Robert Singer & Andrew Dabb @ SDCC
After averting an apocalypse, beating death, and finding God, it’s hard to imagine where the show might go next. Singer promises a more intimate, family affair in season 13 which will open the moment we left off with Mary, Cas, Kelly, and Crowley all presumably dead and what appears to be an older than expected half-angel child of Lucifer in the house. As the season progresses, Sam and Dean take on a new role: that of parents to the Nephilim, Jack. If you’re wondering how that might work, Singer summarized, “Dean is sort of taskmaster dad, Sam is more mom.”
Dean’s initial reaction, however, is far from parental, as Jensen explained, “Dean basically does the one thing he knows how to do and that is take care of the threat. And in his mind the treat is the Nephilim that is inside the house, Lucifer’s love child.” Sam, of course, seeing more of himself in the child, presents another option. Jared Padalecki (Sam) previewed, “Dean is going ‘He’s half Lucifer, let’s shoot him’ and Sam’s going ‘No, he’s half human, let’s nurture him.’”
Hinting at what’s to come, showrunner Andrew Dabb added, “Sam and Dean are great heroes and have a lot of very positive qualities, but they have qualities that aren’t so positive, too, and – like any parent – you hope your kid gets the best of you but we all have our little ticks and things like that and sometimes they get those things, too.”
But the remaining question: Will the brothers take Jack on the road in the Impala?
4- Apocalypse, schmepacalypse: it’s all about the boys
Supernatural @ SDCC
As Dabb put it, “I think what makes Supernatural a success from day one makes it a success at day 1,984 and that is these two characters and the bond that they share.” When creating season long arcs, Dabb explained his method is, “When you can take a very big thing, whether it’s the apocalypse or apocalypse number two or number three (I think we’re on number six) and boil it down to a question that we’re asking about our guys and our core characters, that being Sam, Dean, and Castiel”
Hinting at what one of those questions might be this season, Jared mused that as the boys get older, they might be tackling some of the same issues, but from a different perspective. In this vein, Jared revealed how his personal life has informed his thoughts on the show saying, “What I’ve learned from going to therapy is that things don’t go away, you know. They ebb and flow and you can learn how to deal with them. For instance, this season is the first time we really see Sam again at an advanced age, deal with his destiny.” We all remember the days of dark, demon-blood Sam. Jared pointed out how Sam’s destiny was to be evil, but he was able to get past that and become a good guy. He hopes Jack will do the same.
5- The Netflix Effect
Some Supernatural fans have been with the show from day one and others have been introduced by family and friends later on, but Dabb attributes much of the series’ continued success to streaming services like Netflix. He explains, “When I started Supernatural back in season 4 the only way to get into it was to go spend $150 on DVD sets and now with your Netflix subscription it’s all there…some people will binge the whole thing. They’ll watch a few live episodes. That’s completely fine. Everyone can do the show in their own way which, again, broadens the audience.”
So, what are you waiting for? Start your Supernatural Netflix watching today and get ready for Season 13 beginning October 13th!
*Season 13 Episodes to watch out for*
- Episode 4: Dabb won’t say what, but there is something he thinks fans will be very excited about in this episode.
- Episode 10: Backdoor pilot for a potential spinoff (Wayward Sisters) centered around Jody Mills. Singer: “It won’t be a road show like Supernatural is. It’ll be more focused on one spot, more of a Hellmouth opens-kind of thing.”
- Episode 16: A crossover with none other than Scooby Doo! Singer: “The boys will be animated and interacting with the Scooby gang”
