SUPERNATURAL: Sera Gamble Teases ‘The Born-Again Identity’ and Beyond
March 23, 2012 by Marisa Roffman
Need a few more teases about SUPERNATURAL to make the wait a little less painful? I talked with showrunner Sera Gamble to see what she could share about what’s ahead…
We know Sam winds up institutionalized in tonight’s episode, but how dark does he really get?
Sera Gamble: It’s hard for Sam, but fun for us to watch. Mental hospitals are just such a fun, juicy place for us to go on this show. Just chock full of classic horror movie tropes. I think that we find them to be terrifying places.
Given that you wrote the episode, was there anything you wanted to get in that for one reason or another you couldn’t?
SG: I have to say, I always watch the director’s cut of the episode and see things I would have done differently. I’ve written something like 20 episodes of this show and that never really changes. I think for me, that’s part of being a writer. [Laughs] Going, “Wait, if I just had a do-over, I would have done that thing totally differently.” I’m still waiting for the time where I write a script and I don’t want to change something about it. But this script is definitely chock-full of ideas. [Director] Bob [Singer] brought a lot to the table and the writers in the room were pretty excited about it, so we all worked together on this one.
Good to know. What can you say about Misha Collins’ return?
SG: We kind of want to say as little as possible because we know that fans are excited about it, and we want them to be as surprised as possible and to enjoy his return as much as possible. I can say that the way Misha returns and the way that we see him is kind of new and different. And we’ve taken him in a bit of a new direction.
I know you don’t want to say too much about the circumstances surrounding who Misha is playing, but with this new character, will there still be hints to the familiar dynamic Castiel had with both Dean and Sam for the fans to look forward to? Or will they be completely starting from scratch?
SG: Um, we had such a pile of good stuff to draw from…we wouldn’t just throw Misha into something random from scratch. There’s too much great history to draw from. And there’s just too much good stuff to throw at him and Dean. I think when you see the episode, it makes good emotional sense why we made the choices that we did for the character.
Misha is set for 3 episodes as of now. Is there a character arc resolution, or is there the possibility for him to return if the show was to get picked up for an eighth season?
SG: I hope it feels like a character arc, but it’s a little bit of both. There’s resolution and there’s also…we’ve left it enough open-ended that there will hopefully be the possibility of seeing Misha again in season 8.
Fair enough. Moving on to the season-long arc, what can you say about the Leviathans’ role in the rest of the season?
SG: Sam and Dean will be following some specific leads. And as they get closer and as the heat turns up, it becomes about — obviously the stakes are very high for them, and they’re continually dogged by this frustration by how alone they feel in this. They really have lost so much of their support system that they relied on, even more than they knew over the past few seasons — notably Castiel and Bobby. And so I think every time they make a little bit of an advance, it’s bittersweet for them. And every time they’re stuck, they’re extra frustrated because they would have called Bobby. Emotionally, I think that’s very much underneath the thrust of the upcoming episodes in terms of the Leviathans.
At this point, besides each other, what do they have left to lose? As you noted, they’ve lost Bobby, they’ve lost Castiel, they’ve lost their father and countless amounts of allies, so does that change the stakes of the writing?
SG: Oh, we manage to dig up other stuff for them to lose, don’t you worry! We always manage to find stuff to throw at them.
–
SUPERNATURAL airs Fridays at 9 PM on The CW.
Related:
SUPERNATURAL: 7 Teases About ‘The Born-Again Identity’
Follow @GiveMeMyRemote and @marisaroffman on Twitter for the latest TV news. Connect with other TV fans on GIVE ME MY REMOTE’s official Facebook page.
And to be the first to see our exclusive videos by subscribing to our YouTube channel at youtube.com/givememyremotetv
Related Posts
Filed under #1 featured, Supernatural, Supernatural Spoilers
Yeah, moving on because god forbid you discuss the two lead characters since this show is about them. Gee, we heard a lot about what Sam and Dean are going to be going through….not! Cas’s story should have ended long ago, but he keeps coming back and it ruins the quality of the show and what it really is about. Enough fan service to the fans, and stick to your guns writers!!!!
Sera Gamble talked more about the mental hospital than she did Sam. Sigh. 🙁 That’s what this whole season has been like. No Sam insight, even when he’s experiencing deep trauma. 🙁 He’s treated like he has no feelings and no suffering from one episode to the next. It’s like they put him into a bubble and then let him out for one or two episodes a season. 🙁
I agree. Cas should have been done and over with long ago. The only reason he’s brought back now is because of the never ending whinining fans of his
Cas isn’t a bad character. I just think it’s time to move on. Yeah, there’s plenty of whining fans out there, and Cas’ are some of the most vocal. Whatever. I’m just ready for his arc to finish so we can move on, and back to Sam and Dean.
“we want them(Cas fans) to be as surprised as possible and to enjoy his return as much as possible. ” … Please, I don’t give a **** to anything for surprise. I just want you Sera and writers to know the difference of canon and fanfiction.
There is a something would be fun, and something is fun. You are just looking for “surprise” and ignoring the flow of story. Now it’s “season 7”, and the story didn’t move as all you wanted. Now the story is long enough to lead you writers. You still don’t know why this collapse of viewer ratings happens? Because it’s not you just killing off Cas and Bobby, it’s your direction of arc has nothing of continuity with previous season. You twisted elements of story just for your satisfaction, not “surprise”, not logical.
You Sera Gamble still wants to ditch viwers and critics who reject your good works. That’s why “Death’s Door” is a well-made one but it sucks. No continuity with previous season, it just a clown show in TV shows ‘series’. Why I should say to you this you already learned in storytelling class? What did you that class? Why I should say this to the professional writers this commom sense?
You still. Did’t care about basic, continuity. Now all you have is a downfall of ratings. Wow. My loving show still has a fall, that’s all I got.
And I add one more thing. Is there someone who thinks Sam/Dean dynamic is interrupted by Cas? Then it means Sam/Dean dynamic has alredy weakness, or you don’t have enough believes to Sam and Dean or Jared and Jensen. They are good actors, so they do anything what happens and who is added. Don’t be paranoid.
next time u see Sera… could u please deliver this MSG…
i wish if cas’s fans would just shut the hell up already!!
i hope if there’s a s8 there will b no more Cas, ‘coz as much as i like Misha & his Character, the story arc is being overly dragged!
move on already & bring in new characters…new allies… new dynamics with Sam & Dean & for God’s sake… new ladies.. !!! The show feels female-less
at this point!
This show is so great there’s so much that can be told… Create fresh & different troubling situations for them without bringing same old same old characters & storylines!!!
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!
sorry… m just a lil pissst!
if there is a season 8 i seriously want cas in it misha is to god an actor to let go you can pass that onto sera too
I need Cas in the Show, permanently. 🙂
I admit I am pretty Cas-centric, but I have been watching the show since episode 1. I can never believe the whole argument that the show is just about Sam and Dean. If that were true, then the show would have been cancelled a long time ago. If we went back to the monster of the week format from S1, people would still.complain that the story was going no where. The last new episode was a big disappointment for me due to the fact they had a great set up for a classic Monster ep, and then came the stupid schticky Leviathans! Don’t blame Cas fans if you don’t like the quality of the show. There are other people with much more influence messing with your canon!
What I find irritating is that Gamble is more than happy to talk about Sam, Sam, and more Sam. Gives some lip service to Cas, and totally ignores that Dean is a character in the who also. It’s been 3 years and Dean still has nothing that even smells like a story of his own, while Sam keeps getting story after story and after story, most of them taken from Dean.
Now even Cas has a story and Gamble still keeps giving the Dean fans nothing. Yet, if it wasn’t for the Dean fans, Gamble wouldn’t even have a job. Nice thanks Gamble.
Correction. That would be Dean is a character in the show. Please take note Gamble, Dean has fans also, a lot of them. It would be great if both you and Singer would realize that and give Dean something more to do than angst over Sam’s neverending problems.
As for Cas, Dean rocks, Dean and Cas rock. Dean and Sam? Not so much anymore. Especially since I feel that Dean is being sacrificed in order to prop up Sam.
You people are so funny…
You keep saying that Cas’ fans are whining, but look at your comments. you’re the ones whining!
I’m sorry but bringing new characters again at this point seems quite stupid. If there’s a season 8 which I hope there is, there probably won’t be a season 9. so where the hell is the continuity if they killed off everyone else and there’s just Sam and dean left with totally new people around?… I don’t get where you find continuity in that!
The show grew with the seasons, it’s not only two brothers hunting ghosts anymore, so stop whining about it. there is so much more at stake now, they had to live through so much pain, they have to have a bigger goal than just hunt yet another ghost.
I think the show is losing its audience because they don’t know who to please anymore, there are just too many different kinds of fans. the nostalgics for the first seasons, the ones who miss Cas and Bobby, the ones who think there is not enough of Sam and Dean, the ones who wish there would be a new female character… I understand the writers get a little lost… And this season shows that, they didn’t use the Sam/Lucifer plot correctly, trying to please the hunting fans. I seriously just felt like the plain hunting episodes were a way to delay things until the finale. Yeah they can’t always have a lead on the Leviathan plot, but the internal turmoil in Sam’s head should have been exploited earlier to build the anticipation of the audience…
Yes I’m a Cas fan, but I’m first a fan of the show and I think it’s good to bring back characters the brothers actually cared about.
and mostly Cas character deserves to leave on a way better note then it has. So I’m really glad we get to see him again, and I do hope they keep him for season 8, probably not as a regular but as someone the boys could turn to if needed. Because seriously the show is just getting too masochistic at this point. Are we there to see the brothers suffer, suffer and suffer again, all the time? yeah Jared and Jensen do act pain extremely well and the show isn’t a romcom but come on, a little happiness from time to time wouldn’t hurt!
and if you feel Cas is getting in the way of the brotherhood… you just don’t get the relationship at all, because nothing can come between them.
I’m sorry some people don’t like Castiel for whatever reason. You have the right to your opinions, but it’s really rude to resort to name calling of your fellow SPN fans. If Sam and Dean were booted off the show, wouldn’t you raise an uproar too? I’m sorry you view that as permission to label Cas fans as ‘whiny’ and other such things.
I personally adore Castiel. He’s my favorite character.
I don’t see how he takes anything away from Sam and Dean, he only adds to the story. He’s an exceptionally interesting character and I adore the way Misha plays him.
So yeah, I’m definitely hoping for a lot more Castiel in season eight. 🙂 I’d be thrilled if he became the third brother and was in every episode, but I’ll take what I can get.
A fascinating character never runs out of stories.
Aaahhh…specific character bashing. Sera bashing. & every fan keeps on watching the show & some fans complains just every freakin time. What else is new?
who says that if they bring in new characters they MUST kill them!! Besides, a season contains 22/24 episodes… with great writing they can bring in new characters and new storylines and we have a thrill-full season where each episode is highly anticipated while maintaining continuity. Regardless whether there will be a S9 or not, they don’t have to stuff the season with filler episodes which some of us are sick of…
As for the fans, each are entitled for their own opinions and for favoring a character. But this show is about Sam & Dean and when i say that I don’t mean there should be no other characters because that’s just plain stupid to even suggest!
Anyways, each show has its strengths & weaknesses that doesn’t mean we’ll stop watching if Bla Bla Bla… ‘coz then we’ll stop being fans…wish the best for this amazing show and hope it ends big, like it’s supposed to
Thank you for a very informative site. Where else could I get that kind of info written in such a perfect manner? I have a project that I’m just now operating on, and I have been at the look out for such info.
This interview and all of Sera Gamble’s ideas of the characters’ futures seem very funny now. Surely at the time of this interview she knew that she was not the showrunner any more? The responses seem equally funny in retrospect. I wonder what they would be today, less than two weeks later?
Well I truly liked reading it. This post provided by you is very practical for accurate planning.
i would need to make much more christmas cards becuase next month is december already-
I am only writing to let you know what a amazing encounter our princess gained visiting the blog. She came to find such a lot of pieces, including what it’s like to possess an amazing coaching heart to get the mediocre ones without hassle thoroughly grasp chosen tortuous issues. You truly did more than our desires. I appreciate you for producing such warm and friendly, trusted, edifying and fun tips about this topic to Sandra.
Hello there, You might have done a fantastic job. I’ll definitely digg it and for my part recommend to my buddies. I am confident they will be benefited from this internet site.
This style is incredible! You undoubtedly know how to maintain a reader amused. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (properly, almost…HaHa!) Great job. I actually loved what you had to say, and a lot more than that, how you presented it. Too cool!
well is say just Whenever you arrived at our web site, the initial you should know is you are able to buy the highest quality and most expensive ipad case, moreover your favorite apple ipad cases as effectively as ipad add-ons. You’ll find hundreds types of ipad situation