#spn alum

[classycoffeecat]

Congrats Amanda!!

[ballsdeepinturbohell]

Cannot believe Sam just called the cops on a black man with a gun in Lafayette, Indiana 💀 Forget demons, the most unrealistic part of this show is that they didn’t immediately shoot him

[leounderthemoon]

A rant and theory

It’s really long, but I think I make some valid points.

Supernatural was on for 15 years. There have been interactions with the cast, some crew, some producers, directors, writers, etc. due to the ongoing conventions and the existence of social media. Writers will talk about changes to scripts, actors will talk about filming, directors will talk about why they chose a certain angle.

Given that most of the fans/stans do not personally know any of the people involved or personally know anything about the things that are/aren’t going on, it’s weird the way some fans/stans speak so confidently about what happened with SPN behind-the-scenes, production, writing, casting, you name it! 

Especially when it comes to PrequelGate. People will state with their whole chest, that their version of events is absolutely correct. One J is an asshole, and one J is an innocent baby. Which J is which depends on who is talking. It can be either or both. The only thing that all fans who have theories have in common is that there is a definite good guy and a bad guy.

But the Js are still friends. They say they got over it and forgave. Since no one has given any details, I thought I’d join the bandwagon and come up with a theory of my own. One where there is no good guy/bad guy. So here goes.

I fully believe that the story of The Winchesters was not meant to be an AU. It was supposed to take place between 15.19 and 15.20, with Dean and Sam finding out about their parents.  They had to switch it to the AU version because of the leak, a new timetable, and the fact that Jared was no longer available. There is also a recent podcast (I don't have a link) where a writer from The Winchesters said that Robbie Thompson, the writer and show runner for The Winchesters, kind of knew that they were only going to get 1 season because of all the mergers/sales of the networks and studios.

Robbie Thompson said in an interview (https://tvline.com/news/the-winchesters-recap-season-1-finale-dean-heaven-multiverse-jensen-ackles-1234942742/)  “There was the spot that takes place in between Episodes 19 and 20, when what happens to Dean happens to Dean… So there was an opportunity to tell stories there, but that just didn’t work for me because we wouldn’t have access to Sam in that way, in a way that we could easily explain or at least emotionally explain, and that just didn’t feel like it was a story that certainly I wanted to tell and none of us did.” (Underlining mine) They wouldn’t have access to Sam because Jared could not be involved. Not because no one wanted him, but because he just couldn’t.

The reason I believe this is because of the following.

It starts with Virtual Con (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADYwrZ787a0) held in March 2021. In the video, the question about Chaos Machine projects starts at around 23 minutes. Watch Jared’s face throughout Jensen’s whole answer. He’s nodding along, looking at his screen, and not even showing the slightest surprise in what Jensen is saying. He doesn’t because he already knows. To me, that is the face of someone who already knows what the other person is talking about. Jared already knows which projects Jensen is working on. He knows which alum he is talking about. So he just sits there and lets Jensen answer.  His quip at the end that he will also be acting in it is just that, a quip for the fans.  Because (supposedly) he is bound by a 5-year contract to CBS. He can not legally get involved in Jensen’s project with WB. He can acknowledge that he knows about it, but he has to show that he is absolutely not involved. 

Next is the announcement of The Winchesters in June 2021 by Deadline. There were tweets by Jared that said he was upset that he didn’t know about it and that he wasn’t involved. There was also a tweet directed at Robbie Thompson calling him a back stabber that was later deleted. And, silence from Jensen, because he was unable to come online and address anything because he was on set in Canada. 

Things were set in motion that were not meant to be put in motion for a while. I don’t think Chaos Machine was ready to start casting/filming yet. I think Jensen and Jared were trying to make it work with CBS so that Jared could be involved in the prequel. But those talks weren’t finished, or possibly even started yet. But the leak by Deadline, the WB/Discovery merger, and Mark Pedowitz leaving, combined to put pressure to do the show sooner, while Pedowitz was still in charge. If they waited, then nothing might come of Chaos Machine’s deal with WB once the new owners came in. Maybe they were waiting for Jensen to finish shooting The Boys to get together and talk about all this, but they still hadn't.

And this is what Jared was upset about. He thought there was time before the show would start, so was surprised that it was announced without him knowing. It also explains why he thought Robbie Thompson back-stabbed him. Because he was going to be a part of this show, and now he couldn’t. He couldn’t even say he had been part of the development from the beginning because it would be against his contract with CBS. He can’t even say wants to be a part of it now, because again, it would be against his contract with CBS. He’s upset, because he hasn’t had any communication from Jensen about this going through, and Jensen was also unreachable. So he vented online a little.

Once this narrative that Jared was never involved, and would not appear in it, spread, all of them had to run with it. Jensen apologized for not telling Jared. He said he was superstitious. He wanted to tell Jared, but he didn’t have his phone. That he was on set. That Jared couldn’t participate because he was busy. Etc. etc.

But, when Jared spoke with Jensen, and was (possibly) made aware that the news came out because it was leaked, and that they didn’t have time to clue Jared in, and (possibly) they were thinking of doing the show sooner because of WB, Pedowitz, Zaslav, etc., and that they were still in a holding phase, Jared forgave Jensen.

All of the above explains the inconsistencies and “lies” and “tantrums” and finally the forgiveness, and moving on. 

I choose to believe that neither Jared nor Jensen are entitled assholes. They do not owe the fans any BTS details.

I’m sure people can tear this apart, but their theories don’t hold up either. 

[dotthings]

Full on questioning the media literacy of some of the Jensen stan twitter accounts who are questioning the existence of the spn easter eggs, not just in that episode, but in context of Tracker. There's even an earlier episode involving ghosts and monsters (not real ones but as myths) and a very spooky very familiar major location. Did they miss that the Shaw family from day one was basically Winchesters AU without monsters and ghosts. Tracker is filmed in Vancouver, spn alum keep showing up, the locations I've recognized from spn are a lot and not every Vancouver show re-uses spn locations at that rate. Also it's the same producer as the producer on Big Sky who put a great big giant SPN nod into an ep of Big Sky during season one which was filmed in Vancouver. Same producer who custom wrote Beau Arlen for Jensen Ackles to play, and Beau, who is not Dean, like Russell Shaw, had some qualities that reminded fans of Dean and Jensen likes it like that and there are spn fans who work in the entertainment industry and some of them are writers and who are you to tell them they shouldn't homage a show they like.

What's next, you're going to issue a court summons for every creative who does parallels to other media they enjoy??

If you're doing this and you're an spn stan you're also a world class level hypocrite because spn was thick with awareness of other media and those kinds of homages, either tacitly or sometimes even in dialogue spelling out the parallels.

Media illiteracy has caused a lot of avoidable, completely pointless drama and even a lot of harm and hurt in spn fandom on some subjects so even if this is a minor, silly pointless drama thing, I'm not giving it a pass. It's symptomatic.

[deancasforcutie]

this was the year of Young Adult Led Series We Watched for SPN Alums and nothing else

[katherynefromphilly]

Hey Kathryn,

A little bit ago you posted something about Eoin Macken making a fanfic like what was done with SPN. Is this his mysterious Merlin project he’s been hinting about? Do you happen to know anything more about it? Theories? I’ve been dying to know anything.

All I know about Eoin Macken’s Merlin project is the teasing hints he drops on twitter, which eventually make their way here.

(I don’t directly interact with Twitter, or Facebook, or Instagram, or TikTok. One social media timesuck is enough).

But if we’re talking theories…

Well. Yes. I have those.

So we know that Eoin writes scripts, and we know that Tom and Eoin have created a film together in the past, and we know that Bradley and Tom and Eoin and Adetomiwa are still in contact, because they were on that fundraiser together and they had lunch in London etc.

We know Katie has been to Colin’s plays, and Colin has been in contact with Ms. Troughton. (I’m not certain about Angel’s interactions, and I complement her for being able to keep her private life so private. Well done, m’lady.)

We also know that all the Merlin actors are extremely aware of how much the Merlin fandom still supports them, and many of the performers have spoken frequently about how grateful they are for the support, and for having Merlin in their lives, to boost their careers. So they love the fandom and they love the show and they loved working together — mostly.

So my theory? Based on just that information?

I think that Eoin has an idea for a story, or maybe even a full script written, and he’s trying to get the band back together and Make The Thing, with financial backers to do it, involving the busy schedules of all the Merlin alums.

I’m not sure whether it’s a “Fix Gwaine Being Dead” canon-era thing with Bradley in voiceover (much more likely), or a “Bring Arthur Back” modern thing, as in season 6 (more difficult).

Even if it’s the easier route, there’s a lot of challenges. Doing any kind of Merlin project would mean Eoin can convince Colin to go back to a project he’s done before, which he has vocally said he doesn’t do as an actor, ever ever ever. I think Eoin could wear him down, though. But even with that handled, there’s still obtaining the financial backing…. And getting everyone’s very busy schedules to align…

So. It’s feasible, but there’s challenges.

If it were me? Honestly? As in Eoin-If-Youre-Reading-This-Seriously-Here’s-A-Suggestion?

I’d write a radio drama and get the cast together on a remote zoom call and perform it like a table read.

Just… get something out there. Show people there’s an audience. Then, once you have this Proof of Concept finished, and show there’s an audience, then go after the Full Monty.

Every single writer’s conference I watch talks about getting that shorter proof of concept out there. The Matrix folks made a graphic novel to sell the script. Lots of theatrical films are based on 5 minute short films. Product design works this way too. Proof of concept, baby. Git-r-done.

That’s what I think, anyway.

What do you all think? Theories, anyone?

[positivexcellence]

The Winchesters has more story to tell, and they're ready to fight for it

On Oct. 11, 2022, The Winchesters premiered, offering fans a welcome return to the Supernatural world. With Dean narrating, the series introduced a young John (Drake Rodger), home from Vietnam, as he met Mary (Meg Donnelly) and discovered the truth that would come to define their lives together: Monsters exist.

For 13 episodes, fans were back in the world they loved — this time around, though, things were a little different. As any good prequel does, The Winchesters expanded on the world and the lore of the flagship series, striking that crucial balance between the new and familiar. They'd cracked the code on how to keep this story alive without Sam and Dean, by shifting the focus from brothers to friends and, for the first time, telling a central Supernatural love story.

In its final episode, The Winchesters opened up the world by revealing that we weren't watching Sam and Dean's John and Mary, but rather the John and Mary of another universe. In other words, the multiverse is the limit when it comes to future stories. "I feel like episode 13 was us literally dropping the engine block in and being like, 'Okay fire it up,'" Ackles tells EW. "We blew the proverbial doors off. I think the potential is massive."

Yes, the potential is massive, even after the show's cancellation by The CW, because he and the cast have already launched a #SaveTheWinchesters campaign to find the story a new home. "There's a lot of story to tell here and there's a huge fan base that is very actively engaged and willing to support it," he says.

The power of the SPN Family has been documented many times (and cannot fully be explained). It's how the show landed its first EW cover back in 2016 — because the fans voted for it. It's a passion that Ackles saw the instant he tweeted out the news that the show had been canceled. "They are fired up," he says of the fans. "I love that about this fandom. I love that they are so passionate about this world and this universe and these characters that they are willing to go to the mat for a show like this. I think that speaks volumes, especially to those who are willing to listen and have the power to do something about it."

As for Ackles, he's feeling optimistic about a future for the show. After all, Dean Winchester's been knocked down more than a few times, and that's never stopped him from getting back up.

"I do feel hopeful and I don't know whether that's just the optimistic side of me, which I didn't know existed in this capacity," he says with a laugh. "I've been moving more toward a curmudgeon, more toward what we all thought Dean Winchester would dive into when he got older. That's just the Dean in me. But I do have this crazy optimism for this show and I think it largely resides in the energy that we found on set with this cast and this crew. That crazy optimism is one of the reasons why this show made it on air in the first place, and I think it's one of the several reasons why the show should continue somewhere."

For those wondering, Ackles says they've already started discussing ideas for what a new season could hold. "We were talking not only about story and where we wanted to take our cast, we were talking about who we were going to bring back from the mothership," he says, adding that he received text messages from a few Supernatural alums who were bummed they didn't make it on season 1. "We were putting together a lot of tricks to keep up our sleeve and keep it exciting, not just for the new fans but for the returning fans as well."

Much like creator Eric Kripke had at the start of Supernatural, Winchesters showrunner Robbie Thompson has a five-season plan for the story. "Hopefully we get to execute that," Ackles says. "I just think that there's a way to keep this alive and it would be a shame to let that go."

Looking even further into the future, Ackles adds, "And then we don't know what it would look like beyond that but there was certainly a way of tying this into like a possible return of Supernatural down the line, which Robbie and I had talked about. It's something that Jared and I have talked about, what that might look like."

For now, it looks like hope. And the cast has a lot of that. See the cast share their thoughts below:

Drake Rodgers

"Working on The Winchesters for the past year has been such an incredible honor. The fandom is so immense and passionate for this universe. They've been so accepting and supportive toward the show, it's made the entire process a dream. It would be a shame not to continue exploring the vast world we've built and grown to love so much. There's so much opportunity for new storylines and perspectives on the Supernatural universe."

Meg Donnelly

"I've learned so much about myself working on this show. The Winchesters is a beautiful story of stopping at nothing to help the people you love. There is so much more of this story that needs to be told and it would be honor to keep playing such an iconic character like Mary Campbell."

JoJo Fleites

"This story is worth fighting for because everyone can relate to these characters in some way, shape, or form. They are universal and timeless and they speak to so many people. I love that people see themselves in Mary, John, Carlos, Lata, Millie, Ada and all of these other characters. We want to keep telling the story and I specifically want to keep inspiring those that may not feel represented, such as people of color, the outcasts, the LGBTQIA+ community, and so on. It means a lot."

Nida Khurshid

"Continuing the legacy of the hugely successful show, Supernatural, has not only been humbling and thrilling but also a way for me to represent my heritage proudly through the character I get to play. Fighting for what you believe in whether it be saving the world from monsters or standing up for your friends, I believe our show can inspire that sense of courage and direction to fight for what's right in a world that needs it."

Demetria McKinney

"This show has been such an incredible bridge, not only in connecting the Supernatural origin dots, but bridging the gap between day-to-day and fantasy. Stepping away from life for a moment to recharge is something I don't take for granted. The added bonus of doing that in a space that is familiar (in its Supernatural nature) and mysterious (in its own right) isn't something you get to do often. The array of characters made everyone feel they had a place in this space. And I loved living out these stories with this cast and crew! Thanks for all the support you all gave us! We hope we get to play again one day."

Bianca Kajlich

"The Winchesters has been one of those 'lightning in a bottle' experiences. From the cast's very first dinner all the way through to the final few scenes of our season, we bonded over our shared desire to tell this story in our own way. We became a family within a family within a family! And from our family to yours, we believe in this story, this universe, and all the fans that light the way for us."

The series might have a fight ahead, but thankfully, if anyone knows how to put up a fight, it's a Winchester.

EW

[classycoffeecat]

(correction: yockey trying to kill spnblr I see. Oh [connects dots] is this revenge for half the fandom thinking u are dead!?)

HOW DARE they reference orpheus and eurydice while i already in my destiel confession flashbacks

neil trying to kill spnblr i see

[laf-outloud]

ou have to wonder what their supposed 5 year plan looks like. More stunt-casting?

Yes.Robbie and Jensen have both already talked about all the stunt casting og spn alum they want to bring back in season 2. They basically said it like baiting, too bad that only works with fans and not the network (who probably sees those castings as excess expenses)

Ah yes, the stunt casting that doesn't make any sense, especially now that we know it's an entirely AU universe and none of the people reprising their roles are actually reprising them. They're just playing AU versions of themselves that no one cares about.

[ltleflrt]

absolutely hilarious if we start seeing SPN gossip leakage through other shows' BTS stuff. There's a bunch of SPN alums involved with DBD, fingers crossed for this, really!

I wouldn't expect anything like that, at least not outside of conventions. BTS stuff that is shared is supposed to support the show they're working on at the time. We might hear them talk about representation, and treating their actors well, but I'd be hella surprised if they actually mention SPN directly.

Would be funny tho 😆

[dothwrites]

impossible to me that shut up dr phil is a buckleming episode. i don't understand them because sometimes they will come up with actual dogshit but then other times they will come up with pure GOLD like this episode. i love this episode!

it's always fun to see buffy alum on spn, and to see both james marsters AND charisma carpenter in the same episode? and the fact that they're MARRIED to each other in this episode? pure gold.

you ever notice that for how much dean proclaims that he loves pie, there's actually very little pie eating on the show? it's an interesting thought exercise.

[dotthings]

This interview goes deep into GK's approach on Harvey. So interesting and complex and rich.

Also Misha does know about the "preemptive hate" from DC fans who haven't even seen the show yet and acknowledges the differences between spn fandom where he gets a lot of love and stepping new into a lake as big as DC. He's right, I know it might sound odd, since we know Misha gets a lot of hate from antis from spn fandom but he does get a flood of love to balance. In DC, he's not known, and he's stepping into the shoes of an iconic character. He admitted he's nervous but eager for DC fans to see it because he believes the series is well written and he's proud of the work they've done.

I think the series will win people over on its own merits (and I think there's a lot of static and trolling on dc twitter dot com...cut through that, there's going to be plenty of dc fans willing to at least give it a shot in good faith).

[jtthompson]

The fact that they got JDM and Lauren Cohan (TWO SPN alums, who went onto TWD, and are now getting a spin off) and we saw them for SECONDS in the Batman movies- breaks my heart. Battinson with these two as Martha and Thomas!

Martha gets involved with some environmental groups and that's how Ivy gets introduced to the family!!

I AM HAVING THOUGHTS ABOUT THIIIIIS. LOVE IT.

AU where Thomas and Martha weren't shot.

Instead of Bruce becoming Batman, its Thomas. He's already a huge help to the city, so this nocturnal passion is for sport.

If it wasn't obvious enough, he's not the most stable guy. But he's a loving dad and exemplary husband, so it's mostly fine.

God forbid men have hobbies.

He specifically picked up a bat theme to hopefully cure Bruce of his fear! Just imagine that 6'5 error of nature cladded in black, claws with his costume cause he's sexy like that,

"See? I'm not scary at all!" But Bruce is already sobbing and hiding behind Alfred.

"Martha, you'll never guess who I saw on patrol tonight. Bruce's college roomate! The blonde one with the glasses and gay vibes. "

" Oliver?"

"Oliver who?"

" Queen?"

" Well! I think that fits you better, amore."

" Bruce's childhood friend? Known eachother since infancy? Came to you for tech?"

"Bruce had FRIENDS?"

Bruce, from the other room, " Her name is Harley! You paid her college tuition and killed her dad."

" I've never met her in my life, and i keep my kill list detailed.Anyway, I adopted her. Shes seeing that clown boy and I think his superpower is boring me to death."

The batkids still get taken in, of course. Bruce is already a full adult and outgrew his Robin costume. He just barges in with a feral Jason and Dick, " Look, Brucie! Papa's got brothers for you!"

But Bruce? Looks at these two snarling kids, kicking, thrashing, clawing, and takes them in his arms, " Babies. My babies."

" Uh... Come again,,-" But Thomas raised a spoiled BRAT, so Bruce definetly bites him and throws a tantrum until he agrees to pass full custody. Naturally, Alfred and Martha have no sympathy.

"But you're too young to be a dad!"

" I'm 27."

" Young. A fetus. Cousin Gomez's newborn is older than you." Bruce is already drawing the adoption papers. Fight him about it.

And also; the image of Batman not being a brooding, dark corner hiding, stoic vigilante, but instead an eccentric, italian Megamind makes me weep

[mercury-motif]

I'm not a linguist in any formal way but I think there's something so interesting about the use of acronyms on the internet. For example just saying iwtv, spn, tt, etc.

This even goes beyond pop culture/ media in other spaces. For example I've noticed this with hbcus. My Alma mater for example, is known by an acronyms by current students but older alums say the whole name or just the first part. I've heard similar from students and alums of other hbcus as well. Alums comment on this by saying " I hear yall say *acronym* now" or "why are yall saying *acronym* and not the whole name"

I just think this is so interesting!

[classycoffeecat]

YALL!!

Steve Yockey AND Jeremy Carver are a part of Dead Boy Detectives!!

PLUS Ruth Connell

AND Greg Berlanti (gotham knights)

[deancasforcutie]

#it was literally always good (via @charcubed)

#supernatural as a show is annoying af #the fandom is some next evolution of terrible and #spn paved the way for A LOT of queer media #its literally not my fault yall arent media literate #spn is good actually #the writing is dare i say top tier as we can witness #spn alum writers grabbing those accolades like beyonce does grammys #its annoying because its so damn thorough with its archetypes #its ~problematic because its media that spans nearly 20 years of very tumultuous social shifts (via @mbqnoyolo)

can we stop saying spn was a bad show as a whole