The Strike May Be Over

[TravelingBandsman]

It's not official yet but the writers' strike could be coming to an end. This means we'll get to see the last episodes of this season scheduled when they should be.

[galathea]

Not quite sure what you mean by that. Episode 3x11 and 3x12 are scheduled for the 14th and 21st of February respectively and after that Supernatural is on hiatus and re-runs of Reaper will air in Supernaturals time slot.

Even if the team will resume shooting, Kripke stated that they will realistically manage to get another 3 episodes done, which I guess would be airing around May.

[TravelingBandsman]

well, they need to end Season 3 somehow, they've got obligations already.

[slaycandy]

well, they need to end Season 3 somehow, they've got obligations already.

I'm not sure who these obligations are to. They had to fire their crew for the strike and so they aren't on contracts to be working on the episodes, they are re-hiring for these 3-5 episodes only. Similarly the actors aren't obligated to film a set amount of episodes. They can really only produce the amount of episodes that time and schedules permit. So there really aren't any obligations to anyone working on the show. I'm sure they will find a way to effectively end season three, no doubt with some form of a cliffhanger, after only 15 episodes, but as far as I am aware there won't be any more filmed than that.

And if you mean obligations to the fans to get the series finished... well... there really aren't any real obligations, or set rules saying how many episodes a series must be. They could end it now with episode 12 as they may have had to do had the strike contiued and called that the finale of season three.

I'm just hoping that we get a few more eps to tide me over later on and hopefully tie up one or two of our season three loose ends, leaving the major story arcs for a (*fingers crossed*) season four.

SJ
xox

[Jenni Lou]

Well, Ausiello has reported that SN is "expected to shoot 4 or 5 additional episodes to air in April/May."

So, that seems to be good news. The CW seems to want to shoot additional eps for all of their series.most

[Cori]

According to this site http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20080215cw01 there will be 4 more episodes of SN as of April 24!

It sucks that we have to wait more than 2 months for new episodes but at least we still get more new eps and don't have to wait until fall.

[TravelingBandsman]

Do you know if one of those 4 is going to be the real Season finale. Like, what they planned to happen at the end of the season.

[galathea]

The S3 finale will not end like they planned it to happen with their full 22 episodes run, no matter if they film another 3 or 4 episodes or not. Kripke said that the arc he planned needs to be told in 10 episodes at least and he is not willing to cut it down to 4 or 5 episodes. So the season will most likely end with most of the ongoing storylines open.

[Ehlwyen]

The S3 finale will not end like they planned it to happen with their full 22 episodes run, no matter if they film another 3 or 4 episodes or not. Kripke said that the arc he planned needs to be told in 10 episodes at least and he is not willing to cut it down to 4 or 5 episodes. So the season will most likely end with most of the ongoing storylines open.

Seriously? *sigh* The only storyline that matters to me this year is Dean's deal. So is Kripke saying Dean's essentially going to get more than a year and we won't find out how he escapes until next season?

I'll be rather annoyed that they went to the trouble to place a 365 day time limit on Dean and that can't be met. I had seriously hoped the show wouldn't wait until the most predictable moment to break the deal in the 11th hour. I wanted to see resolution in the middle of the season and not dragged out.

So I am put out by the possibility that Dean's deal may not be resolved until next fall.

[galathea]

Seriously? *sigh* The only storyline that matters to me this year is Dean's deal. So is Kripke saying Dean's essentially going to get more than a year and we won't find out how he escapes until next season?

I'll be rather annoyed that they went to the trouble to place a 365 day time limit on Dean and that can't be met. I had seriously hoped the show wouldn't wait until the most predictable moment to break the deal in the 11th hour. I wanted to see resolution in the middle of the season and not dragged out.

So I am put out by the possibility that Dean's deal may not be resolved until next fall.

Huh? How is Dean getting more than a year if the S3 finale doesn't resolve the deal question? Not every season is exactly covering a one year year timeframe. And even if S3 was covering exactly a year, with 5 episodes short for the season I think we can't expect Kripke to rush the plotlines and cramp everything that's left in 4 episodes. I seriously wouldn't want that. There's no reason to believe that the 365 days time limit isn't met, since we rarely get any dates on the show, they can declare the year being over or not in any given episode in S3 or 4.

Apart from that: Kripke didn't say when the deal will be broken. If it is interwoven with the demon war mytharc, I doubt that it will be resolved before S4. If the solution to that plotline is separated from the mytharc there's still a chance that we get to see it in the next 5 episode, but honestly, I wouldn't count on it.

[Ehlwyen]

Huh? How is Dean getting more than a year if the S3 finale doesn't resolve the deal question? Not every season is exactly covering a one year year timeframe.

Sure "technically" the show can bend the time to whatever. But it wears upon a viewer who will naturally tend to believe time passes in a similar fashion to real time.

And even if S3 was covering exactly a year, with 5 episodes short for the season I think we can't expect Kripke to rush the plotlines and cramp everything that's left in 4 episodes.

That's the heart of my bitchin'. They knew the strike would probably happen and still wanted to string out Dean's death and push not having it be completed in one real year.

I seriously wouldn't want that. There's no reason to believe that the 365 days time limit isn't met, since we rarely get any dates on the show, they can declare the year being over or not in any given episode in S3 or 4.

No I definitely do not want it rushed. I just want to shout "I told you so" for them drawing the deal out so long and have it predictably wrapped up at the real 1 year mark and instead it being strung out until season 4...if we are so lucky to get a S4. This is me being petty.

Apart from that: Kripke didn't say when the deal will be broken. If it is interwoven with the demon war mytharc, I doubt that it will be resolved before S4. If the solution to that plotline is separated from the mytharc there's still a chance that we get to see it in the next 5 episode, but honestly, I wouldn't count on it.

I don't see a reason that Dean's deal and the demon war are inexplicably tied together so I do hold hope that we will still see Dean's deal resolved. But it is quite taxing for me for this inevitable death and soul condemning weigh upon the boys for so long. I like dynamic emotions rather than continually getting the same one. This is me being torn apart.

[BlasterBoy]

Wait, but does that mean we WILL get a Season 4? Is it confirmed, or is it just probably gonna happen? Or might happen?

[Jenni Lou]

I think it is a safe bet, Ben. For the CW, SN is one of their highest rated shows with a devoted fanbase. I know there was some worry as to whether it would be picked up last year but I am not feeling this this time around.

[galathea]

Wait, but does that mean we WILL get a Season 4? Is it confirmed, or is it just probably gonna happen? Or might happen?

Well, there is nothing officially confirmed, but in interviews Kripke talks unhesitatingly about a S4, which he never did with S2 or S3, always emphasiszing that the show is on the verge of getting cancelled and that they don't know if they come back. He doesn't do that this year, it gives the impression that he is pretty convinced to be back.

That's the heart of my bitchin'. They knew the strike would probably happen and still wanted to string out Dean's death and push not having it be completed in one real year.

Well, I doubt they knew that the strike was going to happen over the summer, when they mapped out the course of the season. Obviously the resolution to Dean's deal was always planned to be happening in the 2nd half of the season, if not outright at the end of it and by the time they knew the strike was going to happen it was probably too late to change that, because certain events have to happen before.

I don't see a reason that Dean's deal and the demon war are inexplicably tied together so I do hold hope that we will still see Dean's deal resolved.

Well, I can easily see the demon war and Dean's deal connected if part of the resolution of the deal does revolve around Sam's role as army leader. Let's say he needs the demons rooting for him to defeat the demon who holds Dean's contract, that would need some heavy plot build up in the episodes before and I can imagine that that's not achieved within 3-4 episodes. Also, the way every bad guy tries to convince Sam that he needs to let Dean go, that he is stronger alone etc during this season, makes me think that the mytharc and Dean's deal might be connected. That's pure speculation though.

But it is quite taxing for me for this inevitable death and soul condemning weigh upon the boys for so long. I like dynamic emotions rather than continually getting the same one.

I guess unlike you I just expected the deal storyline to run pretty much over the course of the whole season. There is just no way that they let the opportunity for getting every drop of angst out of that storyline slide, by resolving it fastly. As I said in the MS discussion, I think the emotions are dynamic, in the way how they progress to different coping mechanisms, we see the boys go through different stages of dealing.

I would agree though that I think that certain cornerstone turns in those dealing processes were drawn out too long. For example, I think that the brothers reconciliation in Fresh Blood should have happened earlier in the season, around episode 4 or 5, the progress that lead them there could have easily been achieved in 4-5 episodes. The pacing was a bit slow this year, but I never expected Dean's deal to be over before the S3 finale.

[Cori]

That's the heart of my bitchin'. They knew the strike would probably happen and still wanted to string out Dean's death and push not having it be completed in one real year.

No I definitely do not want it rushed. I just want to shout "I told you so" for them drawing the deal out so long and have it predictably wrapped up at the real 1 year mark and instead it being strung out until season 4...if we are so lucky to get a S4. This is me being petty.

I couldn't agree more. This is exactly what is bugging me as well, ever since I heard that Dean's deal storyline will probably only get resolved in s4. And I don't even want to think of the worst possible scenario (i.e. SN not being renewed for a 4th season) because then Dean's deal storyline would not get resolved at all and that would seriously drive me crazy. I don't like that they drag this deal storyline out that much anyway. I'm with you, Lyn, it would have been neat if they had resolved it mid s3 and then focused on other storylines, such as the demon war and Sam's role in it all. Sure the strike messed up Kripke's plans for s3 but like you said, they knew that it would probably happen. So I find the thought of the demon deal hanging over Dean like a black cloud until the fall (or even later) quite depressing. I hope that when they will finally wrap this particular storyline up, it will at least completely blow our minds.

[TravelingBandsman]

You never know with those executives. Everyone was hyped to see Season 6 of Angel. Then the network was like, "even though you're the highest rated show on this network, we're gonna pull the plug." I'm glad their rookie shows bombed.

[Thomas]

Good news for Supernatural fans:

The chances of Supernatural seeing a fourth season just got a little brighter. Last night's zombie-themed episode scared up some serious ratings, with the show matching its best performance of the season in adults 18-34 and women 18-34, and scored a season high with men 18-34. It also attracted its largest audience of the season (3.22 million). And get this: It did so on a night when Smallville wasn't even on. A Supernatural rerun aired at 8 pm. Crazy, right?

It got it's highest ratings this season without Smallville. If The CW manages to squeeze out some new shows for next season, maybe Supernatural will be used to help a new show, something that's even more similar to it than Smallville, and it's something The CW really needs considering the don't have much to offer.

[galathea]

Well, it's still the fact that the CW will now stop airing SN alltogether and shows Reaper in their timeslot instead. They should use the high ratings to try and win over more new viewers during the hiatus and stabilize the ratings. Yesterday they showed 'Nightshifter' before the new episode instead of Smallville and even that re-run had very good ratings. I think they make a stupid move to take SN from the air for 6-8 weeks. Personally I think S4 is probably the most secure one in the show's history! Well, as secure as one can be with a bubble show like that.

.... and dear Mr. Ausiello, I don't know what show you were watching yesterday, but SN had no zombies at all!

[galathea]

So, Sera Gamble gave a new interview and talked about what we have to expect for the rest of the S3 episodes. It's spoilery, obviously, so don't read if you don't want to know any specifics about upcoming episodes or about when the open plotlines will be resolved, yes, she talks about Dean's deal, but not about how it will be dealt with, only when.

Spoiler:

What's it like getting back to work? Are people charged up? Is it a smooth process picking up where you left off?
SG: By three o'clock on the first afternoon, we were all half-joking that it felt like we never left. I was afraid it would be complete chaos, because we only had three weeks to get up and running before production resumed. But everyone came in focused and ready to make it work. It's actually gone much more smoothly than I anticipated. One funny thing that happened: the first script in the hopper was almost complete before we left work, and it's kind of hilarious in its new context.

It's a light, high-concept episode ? shot entirely in documentary style by these bumbling would-be ghost hunters we introduced in Season One. The whole hour is the "pilot" of a cable show called "Ghostfacers!" So it's quite a departure from our usual structure. And it's completely self-enclosed and breezes right past all the mythology we set up in "Jus In Bello", which was great when we had lots of time before we had to close in on the end of that arc.

In fact, it was necessary breathing room for our audience before we pounded them with Dean's deal coming due. But being part of the final run of this shortened season, being the first episode when we come back, gives it a sort of importance that it's definitely not engineered for. We all laugh about it -- it's just one of those out-of-our-control things that happened because of the strike, and we rolled with it. I think our audience will too -- they're savvy, and they'll get it. And it's a wildly entertaining episode, so for my part, I'm glad we get to do it. I would have been so sad if the strike went longer and it didn't get shot.

How will the foreshortened season three affect the stories we'll get in the next four episodes?
SG: Some story threads were condensed, and some were set aside for next season. We had to be creative with the storytelling, but these weren't difficult decisions to make. It was obvious which story had to be serviced: Dean's demon deal. His time's running out; he's going to hell. They've got a very short time to try to save him. The Season Finale takes place on Dean's last day.

You can read the full interview HERE

[slaycandy]

Spoiler:

It's a light, high-concept episode ? shot entirely in documentary style by these bumbling would-be ghost hunters we introduced in Season One. The whole hour is the "pilot" of a cable show called "Ghostfacers!" So it's quite a departure from our usual structure. And it's completely self-enclosed and breezes right past all the mythology we set up in "Jus In Bello", which was great when we had lots of time before we had to close in on the end of that arc.

Heh, omg, is it wrong that I am just totall looking forward to this now?

Spoiler:

I have to admit I always wondered what happened to those guys, and it'll be awesome to see them back again - I wonder how they're going to wind up bumping into Sam & Dean and if they recognise them right off or not, heh. Sorry, I'm all giddy at the fact that there's new SPN coming sooooon, but clearly not soon enough, lol.

SJ
xox