Someone tell me today is unofficially April Fool's or opposite day
Edlund leaving SPN.
What?!??!! Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.... *crumples to the floor*
Despite the fact you may or may not have liked Edlund's cracky episodes, I think everyone has to admit Edlund is a talented writer, and his contributions to SPN have been more than substantial for over 5 years. I know most everybody immediately thinks of his twisted, quirky, innovative episodes (BDaBR, Ghostfacers, TFM), but he also wrote some of the most dramatic and affecting episodes that have become emotional mileposts of the series (OtHoaP, The End, AaH). He gave us the episode that ended with the boys running from the law to the bars of "Renegade" (for many of us that was when we knew the soundtrack to the show was its own living, breathing thing, which has since been euthanized due to budget cuts *mourns*), he made Sam "lose his shoe", and gave us Dean in lederhosen, a suicidal teddy bear, handsy/huggy cherubs, fairies, and onscreen incarnations of Jared, Jensen, and Misha among other things.
I know even though the loss of one player isn't going to overhaul the entire production, writing matters. Who's flushing out the characters, brainstorming and pitching ideas in the writers' room, and putting the words on paper is important. Writers, at a fundamental level, are the show--they determine its trajectory, execute the narrative ideas, and put words directly into characters' mouths. Anyone who has written collaboratively knows that what ends up on the page isn't the work of one person, it's a result of the synergy and energy of everyone involved--one seemingly wacky throwaway idea can spawn a discussion that leads to an entire storyline. Writing is also about plotting, about taking an idea and running with it, twisting and turning it, dissecting it to its logical end, asking why, how, when, where, who and then going back and picking out the few good bits to extrapolate on and fashion into "the story". This is why finding a team of writers isn't only about finding talent, but it's about finding the best fit so the writers' room is a place where everyone comfortable to be creatively free (consequently, I recall reading a "True Blood" interview with Tucker who said that she, unlike Gamble, never got Kripke and the vibe on SPN, and I have to assume that may have been part of the reason why she left). So maybe Edlund only wrote less than a handful of episodes/season, but, just like every other writer's, his ideas and storytelling abilities were an integral part of the entire season and, I'm sure, the creative vibe. Good luck, Edlund, wherever you're going. *sniff* I'm sure I'll end up tuning in just to see some of your wacktastic drama.
Edlund's SPN writing credits:
2.05 Simon Said
2.12 Nightshifter
2.18 Hollywood Babylon
3.03 Bad Day at Black Rock
3.09 Malleus Maleficarum
3.13 Ghostfacers
4.05 Monster Movie
4.08 Wishful Thinking
4.16 On The Head Of A Pin
5.04 The End
5.10 Abandon All Hope
5.14 My Bloody Valentine
5.20 The Devil You Know
6.03 The Third Man
6.09 Clap Your Hands If You Believe
6.15 The French Mistake
6.20 The Man Who Would Be King
7.02 Hello, Cruel World
7.09 How to Win Friends And Influence Monsters
7.15 Repo Man
7.21 Reading Is Fundamental
BTW, yes, I'm all levels of fangirl excited that Carver is coming back! I'm looking forward to seeing where he and Singer are going to steer the show. However (there's always a however with me), a small part of me wishes that he were coming back as a writer rather than a showrunner bec. then he'd actually write more than 1 or 2 episodes per season. I guess this is when we'll see if Carver's storytelling ideas are as good as his writing.
What?!??!! Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.... *crumples to the floor*
Despite the fact you may or may not have liked Edlund's cracky episodes, I think everyone has to admit Edlund is a talented writer, and his contributions to SPN have been more than substantial for over 5 years. I know most everybody immediately thinks of his twisted, quirky, innovative episodes (BDaBR, Ghostfacers, TFM), but he also wrote some of the most dramatic and affecting episodes that have become emotional mileposts of the series (OtHoaP, The End, AaH). He gave us the episode that ended with the boys running from the law to the bars of "Renegade" (for many of us that was when we knew the soundtrack to the show was its own living, breathing thing, which has since been euthanized due to budget cuts *mourns*), he made Sam "lose his shoe", and gave us Dean in lederhosen, a suicidal teddy bear, handsy/huggy cherubs, fairies, and onscreen incarnations of Jared, Jensen, and Misha among other things.
I know even though the loss of one player isn't going to overhaul the entire production, writing matters. Who's flushing out the characters, brainstorming and pitching ideas in the writers' room, and putting the words on paper is important. Writers, at a fundamental level, are the show--they determine its trajectory, execute the narrative ideas, and put words directly into characters' mouths. Anyone who has written collaboratively knows that what ends up on the page isn't the work of one person, it's a result of the synergy and energy of everyone involved--one seemingly wacky throwaway idea can spawn a discussion that leads to an entire storyline. Writing is also about plotting, about taking an idea and running with it, twisting and turning it, dissecting it to its logical end, asking why, how, when, where, who and then going back and picking out the few good bits to extrapolate on and fashion into "the story". This is why finding a team of writers isn't only about finding talent, but it's about finding the best fit so the writers' room is a place where everyone comfortable to be creatively free (consequently, I recall reading a "True Blood" interview with Tucker who said that she, unlike Gamble, never got Kripke and the vibe on SPN, and I have to assume that may have been part of the reason why she left). So maybe Edlund only wrote less than a handful of episodes/season, but, just like every other writer's, his ideas and storytelling abilities were an integral part of the entire season and, I'm sure, the creative vibe. Good luck, Edlund, wherever you're going. *sniff* I'm sure I'll end up tuning in just to see some of your wacktastic drama.
Edlund's SPN writing credits:
2.05 Simon Said
2.12 Nightshifter
2.18 Hollywood Babylon
3.03 Bad Day at Black Rock
3.09 Malleus Maleficarum
3.13 Ghostfacers
4.05 Monster Movie
4.08 Wishful Thinking
4.16 On The Head Of A Pin
5.04 The End
5.10 Abandon All Hope
5.14 My Bloody Valentine
5.20 The Devil You Know
6.03 The Third Man
6.09 Clap Your Hands If You Believe
6.15 The French Mistake
6.20 The Man Who Would Be King
7.02 Hello, Cruel World
7.09 How to Win Friends And Influence Monsters
7.15 Repo Man
7.21 Reading Is Fundamental
BTW, yes, I'm all levels of fangirl excited that Carver is coming back! I'm looking forward to seeing where he and Singer are going to steer the show. However (there's always a however with me), a small part of me wishes that he were coming back as a writer rather than a showrunner bec. then he'd actually write more than 1 or 2 episodes per season. I guess this is when we'll see if Carver's storytelling ideas are as good as his writing.