Television: Supernatural Behind the Scenes – We Q&A With Writer Jeremy Carver about In The Beginning

Since Joining the writing team for the hit CW/Warner Brothers television show Supernatural, Jeremy Carver has written some of the most pivotal episodes of the series. Episodes like season three’s Mystery Spot and A Very Supernatural Christmas which have delved into the deep connections that Sam and Dean Winchester have with each other as brothers and with their destinies as ‘hunters’ in the world of monsters, urban legends and demons.

Season four of Supernatural has taken off like high speed roller coaster. It has been a twisting, turning ride that has seen Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) pulled from hell by the Angel Castiel (newcomer Misha Collins) and has sent Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) with the aid of the demon Ruby (Genevive Cortese) down a possible path of darkness as he explores and begins using his own possibly demonic given powers. Season four has also expanded the myth arc and history of the Winchester family and given Jeremy Carver the opportunity to write one of this season’s most pivotal episodes titled In The Beginning.

Eclipse Magazine.com caught up with Carver to ask him some ‘behind the scenes’ questions about the creation of this highly revealing episode.

MRR: Was In the Beginning and episode that you pitched in the writer’s room or was it something that Eric Kripke came to you and said he would like you to write?

JC: It was a little of both. Eric definitely had always wanted to do a time travel episode in which we learn the origins of the Supernatural story–Mary being a hunter, the courtship of Mary and John, etc.–and I was given the task of fleshing it out.

MRR: Having now been handed the task of writing such a huge story line in the myth arc of the Winchester brothers, what were your feelings as a writer about being given an opportunity to write such a pivotal episode for the series?

JC: Sheer terror. Glee. Suspicion. Was I being set up to fail?

MRR: With John and Mary Winchester both already being established characters in the canon of the series, what was the biggest challenge you felt you faced as writer in creating these younger versions of them? Which one was more difficult for you to connect with as a writer in regards to their storyline?

JC: Originally, this episode was going to be much more of a John/Dean story than a Mary/Dean one. The problem was, with John being a happy-go-lucky, clueless civilian…there was literally nothing for him and Dean to talk about!

That said, writing Mary was far more difficult,if only because so much was riding on getting her right. I give all the credit in the world to Amy Gumenick, the actress who played Young Mary,for bringing her to life so vividly and compassionately.

MRR: In The Beginning had some very well presented guest characters who became very instrumental in the process of creating background history for Sam and Dean Winchester. Of all the ‘guest characters’ in this story, which one was the most fun for you as a writer to create and bring to life? Which one was the most difficult?

JC: Writing the Campbell clan was the favorite part of the episode for me.

Samuel Campbell was particularly fun…and difficult. Especially after he became Yellow Eyes and went on to Dean about his plans for Mary and the psychic kids. Getting all that mythology straight was brutal. And then Eric told me Mitch Pileggi was playing the role and I suddenly forgot about the pain, much in the way a woman conveniently forgets the pain of childbirth. I think. And, then, I watched Mitch’s performance…and I can’t quite find the right pregnancy metaphor here,so…let’s just say he blew me away.

MRR: There is debate among some sections of Supernatural fandom that all of what happened to Dean in this episode was just a dream. So did Dean really meet his parents and have some affect on the past or was he just an observer in a dream? Is he really named after his grandmother or after the mysterious Dean Van Halen?

MAJOR SPOILER ALERT

JC: The answer to this question is going to be horrendous. Sorry.

Okay, first, not a dream. It all really happened. Yes, Dean affected the past, but he couldn’t change it. This makes sense if you think of this from the perspective of the Campbells. In the history of the Campbells, there ALWAYS was going to be a stranger named Dean Van Halen who dropped into their lives and affected things. It’s not like the Campbells lived one life, then Dean went back in time and caused them to live another. Future Dean was ALWAYS in their story…the current Sam and Dean just never knew it.

Dean was named after his grandmother, not himself.

If I’ve made sense to anyone out there, God bless you.

MRR: Will we be seeing any repercussions from events in this episode coming to light in other episodes of season 4?

JC: Yes. Most definitely, yes.

Well that sounds like things are going to continue to get very interesting for Sam and Dean Winchester and it sounds like something that I as a fan and viewer of Supernatural is certainly going to be looking forward to when new episodes of season 4 begin airing once more on the CW Network on Thursday nights at 9PM EST starting on January 15th.

A big EclipseMagazine.com Thank You to Jeremy Carver for taking the time to share these insights and ‘behind the scenes’ information with all of us. 

So while we wait for season 4 to come back in January, please come and share you thoughts with us here at Eclipse Magazine on what you think the repercussions might be and which upcoming new episode you think they might show up in.