I was doing a little perusing of old Paley Festival vids, and I found a clip wherein Kripke describes his original plan of "five or six seasons." Hm . . .
It's been said for ages that Kripke was only going to do 5 seasons. Going into S4, everyone thought that S4 was going to be the last season. Then they hit the highest ratings they've ever had, and it was back to S5. Now everyone is all in a tizzy that the Guys originally signed 6-year contracts. I personally think talking about S6 at this point is a little premature, because they haven't even started shooting S5.
But what I find interesting is that with all the "Kripke swears there's only going to be 5 season," if you go back the the Paley Festival panel, which was done during S1, Kripke refers to his plan as being "five or six seasons." Very nebulous, but still. Interesting in that it wasn't the "written in stone" (nothing is written in stone in TV, but that's beside the point) 5-year plan.
I think Kripke knows the ultimate ending to his story, but beyond that, nothing is written in stone. From his comments on the season arcs, I don't think he know the specifics. I'm sure it'll take a certain push to get to his ending, but the road is all bendy.
I think if the season starts off fairly well, the CW will announce a S6 pretty early on. Kripke's got the leverage. I want a S6, but I'd be extremely sad without Kripke. As not-perfect as he is, he's the ultimate fanboy of this show, and I want it to be his til the end.
Actually, in the same sentence/paragraph as the "five or six seasons" comment, he says he does know how it's going to end. It seems I've heard or read somewhere that he knows what the final scene is going to be. And he might have a loose framework to hang his writers' specifics on.
But I get a sense that a lot has been made up along the way, and that he's killed things off when he gets bored with them rather than find interesting ways to continue incorporating them. And I kind of think he decided to bring in angels because he'd written himself into a corner by sending Dean to Hell. So we shall see if they can sustain it through S5, let alone S6.
That's what I mean. All he know is the ending. I honestly don't mind that he's flexible. But yeah, he didn't have to kill off so many good characters.
It's a given that I'd love to sit down with Jensen, but Kripke is someone I'd do shots of Tequila with. He seems like he could tell a good story, and would be a blast to just hang with. I wanna dig in his brain and see whats inside.
Ya know? Sam and Dean Winchester might have been in Kripke's brain, but I'm not at all convinced that I'd like them as well if they were played by anyone other than Jensen and Jared. Sure, Kripke created them, but J&J give them life.
I can't say for certain, since I have nothing to compare it to, but I'm pretty sure it's J&J's Sam and Dean that I'm in love with, rather than Kripke's characters alone.
Sam and Dean is without a doubt a team effort, and Jensen and Jared are key to the creation of our beloved brothers as we know them. However, without The Magnificent Bastard, there would be no Sam and Dean. Period. His twisty brain inspired the likes of Singer and Manners and the J's to sometimes greatness.
I'm interested in hearing his original version of the boys. Yes, it would have been a totally different show, and maybe one I wouldn't have watched. But I'm still curious.
Carol should be able to point you in the right direction. Once upon a time, she posted a link to the first draft of the pilot. It was very . . . different. Completely lacking in the urban legend angle of the show. Dean was, iirc, harder. And, as I remember, a rather unpleasant character. I'd have to re-read, though, because I remember thinking, "Wow. I'm glad they made the changes they did. This would have been a completely different show."
I also remember scene that I thought was really cool. It took place at night, in a corn field.
Oh, I have that pilot. I mean his longer term version, beyond the pilot, of how it would have played out in his head. I know he's glad the brother dynamic blossomed into something new and shiny. Just a curiousity thing.
I guess the way I see Kripke is that he's an average guy with average ideas who got lucky. His original idea that I've read about (not the first draft pilot script thing) sounded like a rip-off of Nightstalker. And considering that I only know Nightstalker from catching pieces-parts on SciFi Channel, it's saying something that I made that connection. I don't know whose brain he picked or who told him to revamp the thing--or how many times it was revamped--but there are a lot of smart, sharp, fun properties out there that never see the light of day.
Kripke was extremely lucky to have David Nutter as the director of the pilot. And to get Jensen for the show. And Jared. And then later, for Kim Manners to come out of retirement and basically become the show's on-set, on-location patriarch.
And back when the show started (again, from the Paley panel), Kripke admitted that he was all about the blood and gore; it was Robert Singer that was all about the character development. That's what made them a good team. Now, that's not to say that Kripke hasn't grown since then, or that the brother dynamic wasn't important to him, but starting out, that dynamic, by his own admission, didn't seem to be what made him tick in regards to the show.
BUT . . . neither do I want to sound like I'm taking all credit away from him. He obviously recognized a good opportunity when he saw it, and he did put the effort in to pitch the show and sell it to those who would be willing to produce a pilot. That's sort of what I mean when I say that his "genius" (if we're going to use that term) is not so much in writing as in gathering around him those who can more capably bring his ideas to life than he can.
Some of my favorite eps are Kripke-written eps, but the eps that have bothered me the most this year and have almost put a couple friends off the show permanently are also his. It seems to me that he works better when the show stays with his original vision--road tripping across America fighting urban legends.
So while I agree that yes, it's Kripke's show and yes, he needs to stick with it until the end, neither am I inclined to see him as the be all and end all that makes the show what it is.
Oh, great catch! I still think for good S6 they need to nave Kripke on board and let him know about that possibility of S6 earlier that he could plan the whole thing better.
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But what I find interesting is that with all the "Kripke swears there's only going to be 5 season," if you go back the the Paley Festival panel, which was done during S1, Kripke refers to his plan as being "five or six seasons." Very nebulous, but still. Interesting in that it wasn't the "written in stone" (nothing is written in stone in TV, but that's beside the point) 5-year plan.
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I think if the season starts off fairly well, the CW will announce a S6 pretty early on. Kripke's got the leverage. I want a S6, but I'd be extremely sad without Kripke. As not-perfect as he is, he's the ultimate fanboy of this show, and I want it to be his til the end.
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But I get a sense that a lot has been made up along the way, and that he's killed things off when he gets bored with them rather than find interesting ways to continue incorporating them. And I kind of think he decided to bring in angels because he'd written himself into a corner by sending Dean to Hell. So we shall see if they can sustain it through S5, let alone S6.
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It's a given that I'd love to sit down with Jensen, but Kripke is someone I'd do shots of Tequila with. He seems like he could tell a good story, and would be a blast to just hang with. I wanna dig in his brain and see whats inside.
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I can't say for certain, since I have nothing to compare it to, but I'm pretty sure it's J&J's Sam and Dean that I'm in love with, rather than Kripke's characters alone.
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I'm interested in hearing his original version of the boys. Yes, it would have been a totally different show, and maybe one I wouldn't have watched. But I'm still curious.
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I also remember scene that I thought was really cool. It took place at night, in a corn field.
Carol? Might you post the link to your LJ again?
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Kripke was extremely lucky to have David Nutter as the director of the pilot. And to get Jensen for the show. And Jared. And then later, for Kim Manners to come out of retirement and basically become the show's on-set, on-location patriarch.
And back when the show started (again, from the Paley panel), Kripke admitted that he was all about the blood and gore; it was Robert Singer that was all about the character development. That's what made them a good team. Now, that's not to say that Kripke hasn't grown since then, or that the brother dynamic wasn't important to him, but starting out, that dynamic, by his own admission, didn't seem to be what made him tick in regards to the show.
BUT . . . neither do I want to sound like I'm taking all credit away from him. He obviously recognized a good opportunity when he saw it, and he did put the effort in to pitch the show and sell it to those who would be willing to produce a pilot. That's sort of what I mean when I say that his "genius" (if we're going to use that term) is not so much in writing as in gathering around him those who can more capably bring his ideas to life than he can.
Some of my favorite eps are Kripke-written eps, but the eps that have bothered me the most this year and have almost put a couple friends off the show permanently are also his. It seems to me that he works better when the show stays with his original vision--road tripping across America fighting urban legends.
So while I agree that yes, it's Kripke's show and yes, he needs to stick with it until the end, neither am I inclined to see him as the be all and end all that makes the show what it is.
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(I say do tequila shots with Sera Gamble and Ben Edlund. That'd be one *interesting* evening. *g*)
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The J's get all the love, which they deserve, but the behind the camera types need appreciation too. Whose got the shot glass!
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