Kicking off WonderCon was a panel of the new WGN series Salem. Premiering this Sunday, the creators and star Shane West stopped by to give us a taste of the new series, and in general I liked what I saw and heard.
Attendees were lucky enough to see the the first 25 minutes of the pilot with some scenes blacked out, due to the fact they were too graphic. How graphic you might ask? Well I can tell you that what we did see: someone being whipped and branded, people hung from trees, and a naked woman who burps a frog out of someone only to let said frog lap at an open wound on her thy to then shove the frog back down the man’s throat. If THAT stuff didn’t get censored I have no idea how crazy what we weren’t able to witness. I came away from the 25 minutes slightly grossed out but overall intrigued by the period trappings and the twists the show managed to take in the first part of an episode.
The Q&A following the clip was a lively affair that ran the gamut of topics. Here’s a basic run down:
-Creators Adam Simon and Brandon Baga talked about the joys in working on WGN’s first scripted show. The footage they screened was pretty graphic and they mentioned that they had a nervous censor but that they were being allowed a lot of creative freedom.
-Everyone in the town is aware of the dark magic by the end of episode 1. Star Shane West talked about how his character comes in as a nonbeliever and then evolves to be more aggressive in his reactions.
-Also worth noting that though the show is based on historical figures, the characters are grounded in a fictional reality.
-Right now the show will focus on the Essex witches but there are plenty more witches/accused witches from other parts of the country and world that might show up.