There's been a ton of coverage the last few weeks about
Supernatural's upcoming season, which is fantastic. I'm all for the show finally getting a little love. Season 4 definitely took the show in a different direction, but it was a hell of a ride, and I can't wait to see where Kripke and Co. take us this year.
Here's a round up of recent articles and links to keep you busy until Thursday's season premiere. Unless noted, assume they're spoilery in some fashion:
- Eric Kripke talks to EW about the possibility of a 6th season.
- Then he talks to the New York Post about tying up the Heaven and Hell storyline.
- I LURVE the 'O Death' promo, and immediately scoured the interwebs for info on the singer, Jen Titus. I came up dry, and now I know why. She's not a professional singer - she's a CW on-air promotions executive. That's right - she's a suit! This article explains how it all happened.
- Matt Roush at TV Guide drinks the kool-aid and jumps on board the Hell Wagon.
- For a complete round up of articles from various sources, check out Super-wiki's Season 5 interviews. They're helpfully broken down by spoilery and non.
From the EW interview:
"I did set out [to] tell a five-season storyline,” [Kripke] maintains. “Quite frankly, I never expected [the show] to make it to five years. But now that we’re in our fifth year, I have every intention of ending the story with a bang and not drawing it out or watering it down.”
"That having been said,” Kripke continues, “I’m looking at this season as the last chapter in this particular story. That doesn’t mean there can’t be a new story. Buffy did it. The X-Files did it. You close a chapter on a big mythology storyline and then you begin a new one."
I'm not going to lie - invoking
Buffy makes me a little nervous. Now, Buffy and the Scoobies did face a new apocalypse every year. I think by Season 3 they were even joking about it - didn't they
just save the world? They have to do it
again? The stories made sense though, because it was a new and different evil every time, serving as a back drop for what the characters were experiencing as individuals.
Supernatural could certainly do that; however, where do you go, and who do you fight after you've gone toe-to-toe with Heaven and Hell? I would worry that any other big bad would be a let down.
I feel like they would be forced to step far outside of Christian theology and mythology in order to make it work ... but where? The Mayans believed the world is going to end in 2012, but how does that fit with the whole midwestern/blue collar ethos of the show? I vote they take on the Norse gods and Ragnorok. They've already established the Trickster as a character. I could totally see Dean hanging out with Thor.
The biggest element for me - and what concerns me most about comparisons to
Buffy - is Kripke's continued direct involvement in the show. There's a wonderful, talented, seasoned core of writers, producers, and directors working on
Supernatural ... but it's Eric Kripke's baby. It's his vision. Seasons 6 and 7 of
Buffy completely went off the rails for me, and I think it's because Joss was no longer day to day. His attentions were focused on
Firefly, and I think
Buffy suffered for it.
The best case scenario for Season 6 is if they have stories that everyone involved - Kripke especially - is excited to tell. In that case, bring it on!
Exclusive: 'Supernatural' to 'end with a bang' in 2010 (but there's a catch) | Ausiello | EW.comNew York Post: Supernatural - A 'natural' death'Death' Becomes CW Promo Maven | The WrapTV Guide Magazine | The Daily Review | My Supernatural SummerInnsmouth Free Press: Supernatural WeekSeason 5 Interviews - Super-wiki
There's something for everyone, with member of both
I'm not going to lie - invoking Buffy makes me a little nervous. Now, Buffy and the Scoobies did face a new apocalypse every year. I think by Season 3 they were even joking about it - didn't they just save the world? They have to do it again? The stories made sense though, because it was a new and different evil every time, serving as a back drop for what the characters were experiencing as individuals. Supernatural could certainly do that; however, where do you go, and who do you fight after you've gone toe-to-toe with Heaven and Hell? I would worry that any other big bad would be a let down. 
