Make an Argument: Why the new season of Dexter is poised to be the series’ best
By Eric Hughes
September 15, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com
And I like that the season four finale set the record. “The Getaway” was the most memorable episode of the season, and maybe the series. (Yet that latter point would take a ton of convincing. There have been a good number of memorable Dexter episodes).
“The Getaway” also dropped a bomb in its final moments. A reveal that likely changes Dexter – the character and, probably more importantly, the show – from here on out.
Anyway, fun stuff went down in season four, and based on it and the little I know about the new season, Dexter is poised to have a fantastic fifth year. Here’s why:
You know the drill. This column is probably littered with spoilers. If you’re somewhere you shouldn’t be, do yourself a favor and check out another wondrous page of BOP.
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Still here? Alright then, let’s go.
Holy Rita, Batman!
If you’ve not a clue about the reveal I was referring to, then you clearly have never seen Dexter and shouldn’t be reading this column anyway. Rita’s dead, and Dexter has to face (and do his best in avoiding) the consequences.
I’m starting with this point because the fallout of the horrific event will probably be the most significant the series has grappled with to date.
Up until her death at the hands of Arthur Mitchell, Julie Benz’ sympathetic, sugary sweet love bug, Rita Bennett, had been in every episode of Dexter. Obviously, an elephant in the room will be there for at least the first handful of new season episodes.
It’s sad, really. Rita centered Dexter. And even though she never learned about his secret, Rita was somebody who understood Dexter and was a soundboard for him when need be. And, of course, she was a loving wife and mother. The idea of her no longer playing in Dexter mythology – not even as a ghost, apparently – is just weird.
With Rita gone, dynamics will change. For one, Dexter will be more of a parental figure than he ever was for Cody and Astor. Astor, actually, seems to have transformed into a total bitch – check out the season five trailer – and I don’t know how I feel about it. I just wish Rita were around to handle everything like she used to!
No big villain
For the first time, Dexter won’t contend with one “supervillain.” Instead, he’ll wrestle with multiple baddies over the course of the season.
The reason for it is because Dexter becomes the lead suspect in Rita’s murder. To have him compete with that, as well as another Jimmy Smits or – shiver – John Lithgow, probably would have split the focus too much on what the Dexter writing room wants the new season to be.
The shakeup is an exciting one. I think it breathes a little life into a series that had been doing the same thing for four years but in new clothing each time. Dexter is excellent television – don’t get me wrong – but each season seemed to follow a similar template. To have a season not be confined by what we’re used to, we can expect the unexpected.
To have a new supervillain also would have been a disservice to John Lithgow, who was absolutely chilling as creepo Arthur Mitchell. The dude was murdered by Dexter by season’s end like the ones that came before him, but not before he snuck over to Dexter’s pad and left Rita floating in her own blood in the bathtub.
Lithgow would have been difficult for the writers to top. He easily was the best villain the show has had to date. It makes sense to me for the new season to switch gears, drop the supervillain idea and something a little different.
Her?
A healthy amount of fresh blood is joining the cast of Dexter in season five. The most important, I think, would be Julia Stiles, who will appear in 10 of the season’s 12 episodes as a woman named Lumen.
Now, Julia Stiles hasn’t done much lately. In 2009, she appeared in a handful of indies, and in 2008 she took the year off… her last big-ish role would be Nicky Parsons in The Bourne Ultimatum, and that one came out three years ago. Before that, The Omen, which was released in 2006.
Starring in a series like Dexter could lead to a bit of career resurgence for Stiles, whose best movie is still 10 Things I Hate About You. An easy example would be Catherine Keener, who starred in a little movie with Steve Carell and Paul Rudd and has appeared in a number of high-profile projects – Capote, Into the Wild, Where the Wild Things Are – since.
I’d like this to happen for Stiles. I’ve always liked her.
New showrunner
Finally, the new season will have to make do without executive producer and showrunner Clyde Phillips, who has been a leading creative force for the series since the beginning along with Daniel Cerone (who left after two seasons) and Melissa Rosenberg. Filling Phillips’ shoes will be Chip Johannessen, a co-executive producer of 24.
I’m more scared by this news than embracing of it, because Johannessen has some gigantic shoes to fill. Sure, the show is loosely based on a series of novels by Jeff Lindsay. Yet after the first book (and first season of Dexter), the TV show differentiated itself from the books.
Dexter has always been quality, and I wonder, generally, what Johannessen will do with the show.
It’s interesting to me that a newb would be brought in to fill in for Phillips’ departure. Besides adapting the Twilight books for Summit Entertainment, I wonder why Melissa Rosenberg declined to be Dexter’s showrunner if she, in fact, was offered the position.
As uncertain as Johannessen may be as showrunner, Rosenberg is still head writer and a co-executive producer of the series. It’s important, really, to have someone in there from the start. It’ll help set (and maintain) the tone.
Dexter survived a major change after season two when Daniel Cerone left the show. I’ll bank on the fact that the show can probably do it again.
Dexter, season five, premieres on September 26th.