SUPERNATURAL writer Brad Buckner talks bring back old favorites including WAYWARD SISTERS characters and the new vibe of Season 14!
For writer and executive producer Brad Buckner, Season 14 of Supernatural has been an interesting one as new worlds have given him a chance to really open up his toolbox. At San Diego Comic-Con, we chatted with Buckner about the odd experience of killing off characters only to bring them back, like Charlie.
“I think from the moment Charlie died, there was a little hole in the show. Everyone felt it. We felt it,” Buckner said. “I think once we opened up the possibility of an alternate world, everybody kind of said ‘Gee, if this is a world of doppelgängers, she’s a natural, go-to doppelgänger because we were missing that voice.”
Things are a bit awkward with Charlie and the others right now, because this new version of the character doesn’t know the Winchesters as charming big brothers. Thankfully, she’s not returning to her world anytime soon. “She’s gonna be here for the duration and they’ve got a relationship to build… It not only adds back a wonderful character, but it’s a cool way to open up the storytelling.”
Of course, Charlie isn’t the only one things have changed for. Dean Winchester is currently possessed by Michael, but to what degree?
“We’re not going to go too long in the season without Dean being Dean… but once Dean is Dean, he may or may not stay Dean. You never know,” said Buckner, who hinted at more hard times for the character as he deals with Michael’s actions within his body.
The show’s 14th season has been cut down slightly to 20 episodes, but for Buckner, the change has some big upsides.
“I think you’re actually going to see a stronger sense of the storytelling, that it’s going to seem more cohesive this year than in past years, I hope,” he said. “The myth arc is going to be represented in the standalones. The standalones aren’t going to be pure standalones anymore. Because there’s so many things going on at that outset of the season that those things have to be kept alive, even if there is a monster.”
The one episode that will stand out is Episode 13, which is the show’s 300th episode.
“I know it’s going to be one of those really interesting episodes that we attempt now and then, and so far, I think they’ve come off really well. So this could be either great or a horrible disaster and we’ll go into hiding,” the writer joked.
Despite all the good guys on Team Free Will, Buckner has always been a bit partial to writing one of the show’s more notorious characters: “Lucifer is one of my favorites because I think he’s so complicated and interesting. I don’t think this is someone who gets up in the morning and thinks ‘How can I do evil today?’ I think he actually has a point-of-view. If you sat him down, he would explain to you why he was misunderstood and that he’s really trying to accomplish a good thing.”
The writer also addressed the Wayward Sisters spinoff characters and if there’s still a place for them on Supernatural now that the spinoff wasn’t picked up.
“Fairly early on in the first run of episodes, Jody is back and maybe a little piece of Claire. I know there’s plans for another character from the show that comes up pretty quickly. You’re gonna see pieces of that throughout the season.”
Watch the full interview at the top of the post (Sorry for the angle, Brad!)
Supernatural returns to The CW for Season 14 on Thursday, October 11, 2018.