Weddings, Maltara, and Late Nights

With the exciting events going on in Cause of Death, we knew we had to spend this week talking to the COD team to get the inside story. M Doty managed to pry Winchester away from his computer long enough to answer a few questions about weddings, Maltara, and what it's like running the COD episode track.

Writer Fact: The ladies of the writing team give Natara's jewelry their stamp of approval, but agree that the crown feels just a little excessive.

**Warning: This post may contain Spoilers**

MD: Thanks for taking a break from writing your latest episode to talk! First off, I know COD fans must be going crazy over the latest developments. Can you talk about what inspired you for writing about the wedding? You don't exactly seem like the kind of guy who thinks a lot about wedding planning.

W: You are correct. I don't know the first thing about planning a wedding (You should probably ask Lilly about that stuff), so it's a good thing I only had to plan an action scene at a wedding. Wedding-themed violence comes slightly easier to me. I just brainstormed a list of things like "horse-drawn carriage" and "chocolate fountain" and thought of ways to plan a fight scene around them... I was not hired for my grace.*

MD: We heard that Mal and Natara shared a kiss. How was it writing that moment, knowing that fans have been demanding it for months?

W: It was really exciting. Originally, it was a smaller, more subdued moment, just very warm, and honest, and intimate... And then our teammate Rasputin did a pass on it and said "No. People have been waiting for this for ten volumes. This moment needs to be much, much bigger." And so he added way more description, way more emotion, and yes, a gentle rain. And I'm not sure, but I'm starting to get the feeling that some fans may have enjoyed it... 

MD: I know it usually takes a little over a week to write a COD episode, and with the game's grueling pace of releases, that takes a huge effort to keep up. What's the latest you've ever stayed at the office to work?

W: I've worked all the way through the night before. I don't recommend it. But fans get restless when an episode is late, even by a matter of hours... I can't imagine what would happen if I was an entire day late. My theory is that they would explode... And I'd rather they didn't. They're good people.

MD: We mentioned last week that the writers all love to hear the fan comments--and that goes for COD and SHS. What's your favorite thing to see when you check the COD facebook page, tumblr, or blog?

W: Tumblr reviews are really fun to read. And I use "read" lightly, because Tumblr is 90% gifs. But really, anytime a fan is excited about our stories or appreciative of our work, it makes a big impact in the office. It's not uncommon for me to shout "Hey, somebody said a nice thing!" and then show the team a very kind comment from our Facebook wall. Is it childish? Maybe. But hearing that we reached somebody definitely helps make the nights at the office seem worth it.

*Writer Fact: Winchester was, in fact, hired at least in part because of his grace.