Supernatural Writer Profile: Jeremy Carver
In the last writer’s profile, we looked at the back half of “Carver Edlund.” Let’s examine the front half of that duo. On the writing team for only three seasons, Jeremy Carver’s impact can still be felt now. He is the writer for beloved episodes such as “Mystery Spot,” “A Very Supernatural Christmas,” and “Changing Channels,” and his episodes have a distinctive tone. His ability to mix the quirky, heartbreaking, and fun comes through his writing.
Before we examine his time on Supernatural, let’s get to know more about his career.
Jeremy Carver began his professional writing career in 2004. He was a part of the writing team that produced the Fearless television movie. The movie is based off a novel series by Francine Pascal. In them, her protagonist Gaia Moore has an unusual genetic trait: she has no fear. Only a teenager trying to make it through high school, she is also trained in combat in order to protect herself from terrorist organizations out to exploit her odd quirk. Gaia solves mysteries and stays with her anti-terrorist father’s trusted friend George. At over twenty novels, it would seem there is an awful lot of material to turn into movies, but only one has made it to television.
After Fearless, Carver joined the writing team for the failed show Waterfront. It revolved around an ethically challenged mayor in Providence, Rhode Island. Carver penned only one episode, titled “Sting Like a Butterfly,”which, like the entire series, unfortunately never aired.
Post Supernatural, he has found success with his current project, an American reboot of the UK series Being Human. He is both writer and showrunner with his wife Anne Fricke, famous for writing on Dawson’s Creek and Everwood. The supernatural drama centers on three house guests—three unusual house guests—a werewolf, a vampire, and a ghost. They are trying to hide this fact from the world, and have banded together to try and live as normally as possible. The show airs on SyFy, and has been picked up for a third season. Carver is not the only Supernatural alumnus to be connected to the show. Mark Pellegrino, known as Lucifer, plays Bishop, a vampire masquerading as a police officer. He is vicious and is trying to lure the vampire housemate, Aidan, to his ranks. Cindy Sampson, portrayer of Lisa Braeden, also guests as Cindy Lanham.
During his three season tenure on Supernatural, Carver wrote twelve episodes. His debut, in season 3, was “Sin City.” Co-wrote with Robert Singer, the episode is full of mythology. Set two months after the Devil’s Gate is opened, it centers on a town corrupted by sin and vice. It opens with a nun tidying up the church when a man sneaks up behind her. It is only the priest handing her another Bible, but the subtle move foreshadows his true identity. The red herring put in this episode emerges at the pulpit, announcing, “God is no longer with us, Father. Not anymore.” He blows his brains out and the nurse proceeds to scream. It is the second death in town like this—and the brothers bored and in need of a hunt go off to investigate.
Carver makes certain to keep enough light moments in an episode that would otherwise be heavy and dark in nature. He does this through several techniques in his debut episode””dialogue and physical comedy. The brothers enter the bar and approach the bartender. Dean quips that “You could fit that ass on a nickel. “ and the priest from earlier tells the bartender “I better see your ass in church—nickel or no nickel.” Richie, Dean’s friend from other hunts while Sam was in school, has also come on the scene. He is bumbling, foolish, but charming and endearing. It’s a wonderment that he’s made it this far. His New York bravado is peppered with “Forget about it’s.” Unfortunately, he doesn’t last long, as sweet as he is. Carver also shows his skill at employing comedy through setting Sam up. Sam, investigating the town’s red light district owner, finds no evidence of anything demonic. Before he can extract himself, his target arrives and holds a gun on him. Sam, well trained as he is, easily disarms the man. He has to be sure, though, that they aren’t demons. So, he splashes holy water in their faces before fleeing in embarrassment.
“Sin City,” without the viewer realizing it, sets up the Lucifer plotline in a simple conversation between Dean and Casey. It is the crux of Carver’s debut, and it is a testament to his skill in dialogue and subtle story telling. We, for the first time, truly get a bead on just what the demons are truly after. Azazel wanted special children for a demonic army, and yet he never really revealed why he wanted that. Here, we get that answer. The demons are loyal to their own higher power, much the same way humans are to God. Dean is stunned when Casey says, “I have faith.” She also foreshadows, two seasons in advance, Lucifer’s speech to Dean when she says, “Your word, not ours. Lucifer actually means “light bringer.” Look it up. Once he was the most beautiful of all God’s angels. But God demanded that he bow down before man, and when he refused, God banished him. Tell me, Dean. How do you like bowing before lesser creatures?”
Dean mutters, “Lucifer’s really real?” He is disbelieving and tries to shake it off. His references to God—pointed out by Casey—also are a distinct red flag to Dean’s future in seasons 4 and 5 as the “Righteous Man.”
In “Sin City,” we see Ruby lead Sam by the nose for the first time. She dangles finding a way out of Dean’s deal like a carrot, and Sam has no other choice but to chase, even if he does threaten to shoot her. Subtly, the machinations that would end in her death in “Lucifer Rising,” has been laid here. She congratulates him on killing two demons, and Sam replies that he also killed two humans. This will also reflect Sam’s actions in “Lucifer Rising.”
Everything that is to come in the following seasons has a neat tie to this episode in some way—the Apocalypse, Dean’s time downstairs, Sam being Lucifer’s vessel and subsequent hallucinations upon return from the Cage—all these issues are rooted in such a simple conversation that took place in a caved in basement. Carver knows just how to wield the pen to bring it to vivid life, yet hold back enough cards that it keeps the viewer guessing.
I would be hard pressed to pick my favorite one of his. Mystery Spot, Supernatural Christmas, Free To be You and Me, Point of No Return. Rank as some of my favorites for the entire SERIES. When I first saw Mystery Spot I was afraid it going be cliche reuse of Groundhog Day. But it took was should have been a tired idea and blew it up. I never get tired of watching it. The same goes for the rest of these. Great profile and SO TIMELY.
Thanks, I’m glad you liked it.
I chose Carver for my second profile before the news blew up. He’s my second fave to Edlund. It just happened to be timely. I had it written almost two weeks prior.
I really love his episodes because of his ability to make old new again.
If anything, we’ll at least get to see what he does in new episodes!
I agree with most of your choices except for ITB . Mystery Spot ranks as one of my favourites because Sam was actually treated with sympathy.Pity there was never a genuine follow up to that and the impact to Sam.
I’m glad you liked my take.
Mystery Spot is certainly one of my favorites, too. I think the reason I like it so much is, while it is Sam-centric, it also focuses on the brothers and their relationship.
As for In the Beginning, I think it’s a nice mythological episode that fills in some gaps and gives us the chance to see how they arrived at where they were in that point and time in the story. It is Dean-centric, but much like Mystery Spot, what I love about Carver is he seems to be capable of dividing his attentions between each and not laser focusing in on one or the other.
What I like best about Carver is his efficient use of dialogue while keeping Sam and Dean completely in character. I hope as showrunner, he insists on that (or edits scripts to reflect that) from the other writers.
Not much is said about Sin City, but I loved that episode and thinks it stands right up there with the best of them. The Dean and Casey scenes were terrific and, unlike Garth, I liked quirky Richie and Dean’s concern for the challenged hunter.
You really captured what makes Carver so good at what he does, and I think as showrunner over at Being Human, he kept the story moving forward with each episode. I can’t wait to see him ‘make the old new again’ in S8.
I’m glad you liked my take on Carver.
I think he will bring his smart writing back to the show, and I am looking forward to what direction he’ll take it in once he gets going on it.
I was struck, after rewatching Sin City, how much of that episode is still having impact all these seasons later. He wrote such a snappy and efficient script that we were told what was to come right there—and yet it was cloaked well enough to keep us guessing. I love that.
I do think he’ll be an excellent show runner. I haven’t watched Being Human, but I do hear good things about it.
Sin City! Smart and competent Sam and Dean! Dean knew Casey was a demon before he impregnated her, and Sam wasn’t going to let a little thing like a gun slow him down. Bobby was there to lend an assist, but he wasn’t running the show. And the guest hunter was semi-competent and funny, even if he was outmatched.
Maybe Jeremy Carver will bring back Dean’s amulet..one can hope!!! :))
I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Yes it was a great article! Thanks for putting this up! I’m on all it for everything! But I think you missed “The Rapture” , it’s one of my favorites, the part that Jimmy talks about his experience as a vessel of an angel is just heart breaking and I really like the script!
I didn’t k ow so much about carver ans which episodes he wrote, but I’ve got to say he is a genius! Like you said he can mix dark comedy with drama very well , like in changing channels , the first 30 minutes is just fun but at the ending everything just gets damn serious! And about thus episode I really liked the scene where Sam was trapped into impala! That was just funny when he said ” should I honk!?”
I hope be writes more episodes like these in upcoming future because we really need some great and strong scripts.
Thanks. I’m glad you enjoyed my take on our new Show Runner.
I wanted to touch on each season. He did write the Rapture, so he has skill with each character on the show, which is great. I think it’s a fantastic episode, too.
I look forward to anything he might write for the show and the direction he’ll take it in as show runner especially. I think he is so snappy and writes such strong scripts.
I just hope people are enjoying learning about the writers as much as I am.
Well, I don’t keep a close watch on who wrote what episodes, but Jeremy’s hand is in most of my favs so I guess that makes him a fav too. (I can’t watch Mystery Spot, Changing Channels or the Christmas ep too many times.) I had no problem with Sera, but I am really excited to have him taking over for the new season just for the possible change of pace. I suspect it will be a monumental job to turn this steamship in the direction it should go to get to a satisfactory conclusion for at least most people, if not all.
Maybe I should have myself a little viewing party of every ep he ever did then finally run on over to check out Being Human, which I’ve always wanted to watch – but who has time for all these shows, even with Netflix and HuluPlus! 😀
I’m glad you liked my look at Carver.
I’m excited to see just what direction he’ll take the show into, too. I think he’s bright and will have a fresh look after stepping away for a bit.
I also wanna watch Being Human, too. Learning about these writers makes me want to delve into their non SPN work, too. So much stuff, so little time!
I thoughroughly enjoyed that. It just brought back to me all the reasons I love Jeremy Carver. It’s amazing that he was only around for three seasons, considering he wrote some of my favourite episodes. Let’s hope he writes some when he becomes showrunner next season.
Here is my all time favourite quip of his (and yes it’s juvenile, but I always enjoyed a good scatological joke!) : Last time you zapped me someplace, I didn’t poop for a week. We’re driving. I’m laughing even now as I read it!