Q: After the wild roller coaster ride that was Season Four of Dexter, how will you continue the high level of sustained intensity through Season Five?
A: SARA COLLETON – Season Five will deal with the blowback on Dexter for his culpability in Rita's death. Dexter will seek atonement but his method of expiation will, of course, take a singularly Dexter-unique form and that is the arc for this season.
Q: Over the course of last season, we saw the disastrous consequences when Dexter veered too far from Harry’s Code, which led to the death of his wife Rita. Will we see a more dark and predatory Dexter in Season Five, similar to the introduction of the character from Season One?
A: JOHN GOLDWYN – The code is an essential element of the show because it is essential to Dexter's character; he cannot survive if he doesn't adhere to it. That said, the code is an evolving thing and Dexter has to adapt it to the changes in his life and his environment, just as Dexter himself has evolved from the man we met at the outset of Season One. Dexter has always embraced "dark" and "predatory" characteristics, so I don't anticipate many changes in that regard. There has been no discussion about these qualities, or his urge to kill generally, growing in intensity.
Q: Coming onto a hit show in the fifth season can be a daunting task. What do you feel are the biggest challenges and what is the most exciting aspect of your new job ..?
A: CHIP JOHANNESSEN – Coming off of 24, the most exciting aspect is to be able to write CUT TO: and then have it be later. Or earlier. Or whenever you want it to be. We're not locked into real time. We can use slow motion, or speed things up. If you haven't been able to do that for a while it's like that first bite of food after a long fast. Sublime.
The biggest challenge is to continue the great storytelling of the past. The stakes for me are high: I have a 15-year-old daughter who loves this show and will be extremely upset if we do anything to screw it up. In fact, it has been interesting watching it through her eyes. Her favorite parts of Dexter and mine are not the same, but that fact makes me very aware that Dexter is made up of a variety of tones, and story types, and that it's important to keep that variety happening.
Q: With the demise of the Trinity Killer, Dexter is left without a foil. Are there plans to introduce any new characters that will take on that role?
A: SARA COLLETON – We felt that this was the year to take a break from having one season-long adversary. So as Dexter's grief goes through different stages, different characters will play their part and yet eventually these characters interlock to form a worthy adversary for Dexter.
Q: The character of Rita represented the solid family life that Dexter seemed to yearn for – real human interaction as well as a good cover for his dark side. Now that she’s gone, how will Dexter fill that void?
A: JOHN GOLDWYN –-- Dexter will always have Deb. In many ways she's the person he’s closest to. As he remarked in the pilot for Season One, "If I could love anyone, it would be my foul-mouthed sister, Deb." This season, he also has Harrison and a nanny, Sonya (Maria Doyle Kennedy). Nothing will ever replace Rita, but Dexter does make the effort to "fill that void."
Q: How has your past experience writing and developing anti-hero characters on such shows as 24 translated to working on Dexter?
A: CHIP JOHANNESSEN – I don't really see Jack Bauer as an anti-hero. I know he tortured people – that was the main controversy – but it wasn't out of some kind of anti-heroic character flaw, it was due to the corruption around him that made his actions necessary. He was willing to go the distance, for the greater good, and was also willing to face the consequences for his acts. He never asked anyone to sanction what he did.
Dexter comes from the opposite end of the spectrum. He kills people, out of personal need, but has developed a code that makes it palatable for us. The weird thing is that Dexter is much easier to relate to than “Jack Bauer.” He is perplexed by other human beings, but nonetheless feels drawn to them. He feels alienated. His flaws make life dangerous for those around him. He makes a mess of balancing the various aspects of his life. And when everything melts down, as it does at the end of Season Four, he's in a mess of his own creation. In a certain way he's like all of us.
Q: What made the casting of Julia Stiles so appealing for the role of Lumen?
A: SARA COLLETON – The Lumen character becomes an avenging angel who helps Dexter in his quest for atonement. Julia Stiles is that rare combination of strength and vulnerability needed for this role.
Q: Also, can you talk about some of the other major castings – Peter Weller, Jonny Lee Miller, Maria Doyle Kennedy and Shawn Hatosy?
A: JOHN GOLDWYN – Weller plays a tainted cop who digs into Dexter's life in ways that cause complications for our lovable serial killer. Jonny Lee Miller plays Paul Jordan, a charismatic public figure with a sinister life that Dexter investigates. Maria Doyle Kennedy is Harrison's nanny and, in many ways, his lifesaver. Her involvement in Harrison's life makes it possible for Dexter to carry on with the hidden side of his life. And Shawn Hatosy is Dexter's first encounter with pure evil this season.
Q: Det. Quinn has started to pick up where Sgt. Doakes left off in Season Two. Are Dexter and Quinn on a similar collision course?
A: CHIP JOHANNESSEN – Similar in some ways. But also different. There wasn't really anything standing between Doakes and Dexter – he could come on like a freight train. But Quinn has the relationship he's developed with Deb over a couple of seasons. And that relationship might just become more important to him than ever in Season Five. He doesn't want to damage that, so he needs to be more circumspect. Or sneaky, depending on how you look at it.
Q: How has Dexter evolved from the first season and what will be his character arc for Season Five?
A: SARA COLLETON – Dexter has evolved like a patchwork doll: one tiny human emotion at a time. As he says in an upcoming episode, "I wasn't even human when I met Rita!!"
Q: At the end of last season, many revelations regarding the Morgan family history and Dexter were discovered by Deb. Will she learn more about Dexter’s dark side this season?
A: CHIP JOHANNESSEN – At this point, Deb has a lot of facts about her brother's past and it's odd she hasn't connected the dots better. She seems to think that they're cursed, without considering the role her brother might be playing in all the bad stuff that happens. Because she has this blind spot called Dexter, she might need someone else to kind of push her towards the truth.
Source: Showtime
Dexter - Season 5 - Q & A with Executive Producers John Goldwyn, Sara Colleton and Chip Hohannessen
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