Interview with Pat Shand - Charmed Season 10 #14 (SPOILERS)

Under the cut you can read my interview with Pat Shand talking about the events of #14!

The interview contains spoilers.

Click "Read More" below to continue.

CharmedComicFan10: In this issue we see the biggest gathering of major magical creatures in the Charmedverse. Most of them are familiar faces the Charmed Ones have encountered through the years but there are a couple of new characters. What can you share about the role of the space/nightsky woman and the snake in-universe and your creative thought behind them?

Pat Shand: I’ll leave that be in case I want to develop it more. What I’ll say is this. The very basics is that the snake is often seen as a devil figure in mythology, and he’s often demonized for his cunning. A cunning, brilliant thinker interpreted as evil. I thought that would be interesting to throw in there. The woman with skin like the night sky is a Mother figure – but I wanted to go beyond the idea of Mother Nature.

 

CCF: Death is also amongst them. His fate was unsure after he got stabbed by Valen. In your initial plans was he always “alive and well” or did you debate his fate?

Pat: No, he was always alive. I would’ve had to do a big “Death is dead!” arc, which would’ve taken the season in a radically different direction and would maybe overshadow the first arc. It’s actually a good idea, but just didn’t fit the season or really the mythology of the Athame.

CCF: What exactly are the Encantadas and what was your inspiration creating them?

Pat: Encanados are from Brazilian mythology – Elisa suggested changing it to “Encantada” though because they’re all women in our mythology. I wanted to draw on mythology that Charmed hadn’t touched yet. The Encantadas in our story don’t resemble the legends very much, but I think they added something fun and new to the story. I liked the idea of Kyra having connections in the magical world that the Charmed Ones didn’t – she might have been a demon, but even then she was super likeable.

 

CCF: Kyra says Ben owns her a big one helping him but she didn’t get to reply on why she is willing to help. Has Kyra started having feelings for Ben?

Pat: Is that the feeling you’re getting from the scene? Interesting.

CCF: One of the most surprising moments in the issue is when Neena returns. What was your reaction to her reading S9 and how did you decide to bring her back?

Pat: I think Season Nine is probably the overall strongest season of the show. That might be controversial to say, but I don’t care. Paul is just a terrific writer, so it’s true. I decided to bring Neena back while writing this issue. She wasn’t even in the outline. I felt like Prue had nothing to do visually – she was originally seeking information elsewhere, and it was just boring. I had to pause and put myself in Prue’s shoes, and when I started thinking like her, I realized that Prue’s actions this season have been very radical, thinking outside the box. Bringing in Neena made sense when thinking like that.

CCF: Zankou also returns through Heremus!Tyler. On Twitter you mentioned you weren’t a big fan of his as a villain at first. What changed your mind?

Pat: A few rewatches. His calm, cool demeanor first came off as too removed to be a real, scary threat like some of the previous villains… but then, the more I watched, the more sinister his disinterest seemed to me. Evil is mundane to him, as much a part of him as breathing is to us. Honestly, though, as far as Charmed villains, no one has shit on Gideon. No one even comes close except Cole, but he never really got to be a Big Bad. Even at his worst, he was too sympathetic to be a true villain.


CCF: Kind of an out there question but what would happen if hypothetically Prue went to the Wasteland and stabbed it with the Ancient Athame. Is someone like Heremus susceptible to its powers?

Pat: Right now, nothing would happen. The Wasteland is a corpse – Heremus’ essence is in Tyler. If Prue had stabbed the Wasteland in a specific spot before Tyler went down there and got possessed, Heremus would have died for good.

CCF: The Power of 4 is a concept that fans have talked about through the years and Paul Ruditis touched upon in Season 9. Some would love for it to happen and others wouldn’t. You have shown that you are not afraid to write controversial plots. While nothing is said and done yet, is it something you can see dividing the fans?

Pat: No matter what I do, fans will be divided. A cursory glance at my Tumblr will show you that. By the end of the season, especially by #21, they’re going to be more divided than maybe ever. I don’t see that as a bad thing, though. What fandom is unified in their thought? Certainly not this one or any one I’ve ever been part of. I mean, Coop/Cole – is there a bigger divider than that? Disagreements are interesting. Not everyone likes the same things, and I can’t please everyone. I don’t even want to. Telling the best story that I can is the only thing I care about when writing Charmed.

CCF: While an ally and friend to Piper, Phoebe and Paige, we haven’t really seen Tyler and Prue interact. Will we see a conflict between The Charmed Ones and Prue on if they have to maybe kill Tyler?

Pat: Yeah, that’s a big conversation in the next issue. The last moment of this issue definitely sets that up.


CCF: This is the first issue in a two-part story with the same title. This happens for the first time in the comics. In the past there have been issues that start immediately after the events of the previous. What is the difference with this one?

Pat: Yeah, I mean, #14 – 16 are definitely all part of a single story. The only reason #16 isn’t “Part Three” is that, halfway through, the story takes a different direction.

CCF: In a small preview you’ve shared of the next issue we see Ben and Kyra completing the spell/ritual that Zankou interrupted. We see them appearing at the San Francisco National Cemetery. Are they physically time-travelling to the day Valen killed Cole or is it more of a spiritual journey?

Pat: KANYE SHRUG.


CCF: As always, thank you very much for your answers, Pat!

Pat: <3