SDCC Day 4: Famous Bros, Broken Toes and Last Day Woes...

This is a little belated since we're already home, broken and jet lagged...but while we're getting all of our interviews edited we still wanted to recap our final day of Comic Con!

After waking up early, we headed over to the Supernatural Hall H line (Thanks so much to Tommy for holding our spot!) So lucky because that line was bonkers, as usual. But little did we know what surprises were ahead!

Like for instance how when frantically running at the Hall H line, I got turned around, bumped into someone who then accidentally stepped on my foot and broke 2 of my toes!

After seeing stars, we finally got on the line at which point Misha Collins (aka Supernatural's Castiel) came out and hung out with thousands of screaming fans on the line...taking pics, signing stuff, etc. Then he brought out coffee for everyone for like 2 hours! When he finally got by us, he graced Buffyfest's Ryan a cup 'o joe. It was AWESOME! And behind him was a bunch of assistants wearing coffee aprons with different little compartments saying "more cream? Sugar? Stirrer? Napkin?" Good service! Heh.

Misha Collins in the Hall H crowd. So brave!

The Cas Coffee Cup!

SPN Cosplayers!

On to the panel, I've said this before, but the single best thing about procuring a press pass is the Hall H experience. You still have to wait on line like everyone else, but even if youre at the back of the line it's ok because when you DO get in you can walk allll the way to the front Press Box where you get this vantage point:

Our Amazing Press Box Angle!

The Supernatural Panel:

 

So, that panel was awesome. I swear all the SPN guys are cuter than ever. Panel included EP Jeremy Carver, hottie Jensen Ackles, cutie Jared Padalecki, coffee fairy Misha Collins and the hilarious Mark Sheppard aka Badger. They showed a clip from S.10 and a blooper reel. The actor that plays Kevin Tran even pranked them by showing up on the Q&A line!

SPN's Osric Chau in the audience!

After that, we planned on hitting the Nintendo Gaming Lounge at the Marriot (which was great) but we got sidetracked along the way by a fellow con-goer who expressed concern over my ever blackening toes. Guess they really were broken! Thought I was just being dramatic. Off to First Aid, who were helpful but their bedside manner could use a little work. Guess they had the SDCC Sunday blues. Either way, thanks for your help, Comic Con medic squad!

Proving I may be becoming a better geek than Joss Whedon himself, I power limped through the crowd determined to not let some broken appendages ruin my Comic Con. Turns out Joss had been injured in London and decided to stay back, canceling his Marvel panel appearance and his scheduled Sunday 1:30 signing in one fell swoop. But maybe I don't deserve too much credit because it was at this point we decided it was best to skip Buffy "Once More, With Feeling" sing-along. I didn't think standing on line anymore was a good idea. Wah! Heard it was a good time though!

After playing some games in the Nintendo Gaming Lounge, that was pretty much it! Took the trolley out of the crowds and headed back to the east coast. We're editing all of our videos now, so check back for our exclusive interviews with Nick Brendon, Scott Allie and more!

The Season Seven Showdown: Buffy vs. Supernatural

Today we're announcing a new blog series that will span the entirety of the 2011-12 TV season! Get ready Supernatural fans, this one's for you! We've been wanting to bring our love for Supernatural to Buffyfest for some time and after a recent internal disagreement, an idea was born. In a nutshell, we were discussing if Supernatural is going the way of Buffy in it's final seasons. The bad way. I say it won't, but Michelle thinks I'm setting myself up for heartbreak. So we plan on putting this all to the test by doing an episode comparison until next May. Yes, this will probably entail a S.7 Buffy re-watch.

That's a whole lotta hotness.

Let me explain: While we're clearly obsessed with Buffy, it's no secret that most of us here at Buffyfest believe it's final 2 TV seasons were it's weakest. Season 6 was what it was (and we don't really need to re-ignite that debate), but I remember like it was yesterday the hope that Buffy's Season 7 brought me. Week after week, I swore to the gods that Joss would turn it all around by the end. Sadly, it didn't really happen. Every week was a let-down (ugh, Buffy couldn't beat that one vampire for 5 episodes?? Really?). Potentials were everywhere and by the time "Chosen" came around, we were phoning it in as much as SMG was.

Fast forward to present-ish day. Supernatural is "Buffy with Boys" (Michelle's words) as there are so many obvious similarities between the shows. From crossover actors, to the demons, to the lore. Both lead characters have apocalyptic prophecies and every single character on both shows have some serious daddy/little sibling issues. Dean's deal with the crossroads demon is strikingly similar to Willow resurrecting Buffy. Not to mention, all both Sam and Buffy ever wanted was just want to be free of it all and have a normal life, dammit!

Nothing drives the comparison point home more than the Season 5 finales of both shows. Ah, the Season 5s. Buffy ended with a banger of an episode, "The Gift", and Supernatural's S.5 finale, "Swan Song", was basically the same exact fabulous episode. They both tell a tale of understanding that being hero often means making a sacrifice - not just to save not just the world, but for family. Both Sam's and Buffy's apocalypse-averting suicides are illustrated as a final, fatal tumble into a mystical hole of energy. Unfortunately, the biggest comparison might be that both "The Gift" and "Swan Song" should've been the series finales of both shows.

But they weren't the end...and that's where this particular idea began. After the series kept going - Buffy on a new network and largely without Joss and Supernatch without series creator Eric Kripke - the similarities kept on going too, both good and awful. From main characters coming back from the afterlife wrong (which got depressing fast) to Castiel's abuse of power mimicking Willow's descent into the "magic is a drug" abyss to some simply lame-ass villains. Point is, being familiar to Buffy S.6 isn't really a good thing around here so basically Supernatural got a little sucky. So now that the pattern's been explained you'll understand that some of the team over here think that trend will continue and that Supernatural is destined for a Buffy Season 7-type crash and burn.

Call me naive, but I still have hope just as I did way back then. So what we're going to do for the entire season is an episode-by-episode comparative study of Season 7. After a new Supernatural episode airs, we are going to recap it alongside the same numbered episode of Buffy Season 7. What will be similar? What will be different? And most importantly, will Supernatural survive the series ending curse that Buffy had on it? Or will it prove that "Swan Song" should've been it's...well...swan song. Sera Gamble, you better not let me down. Check in tomorrow for the Season Premieres and comparison #1!