The "Dexter" panel was very popular at Comic-Con this year. In fact, the face of Dexter and his newborn son seemed to pop up everywhere you look. Showtime, home to the series, paid a pretty penny for a huge marketing campaign that has Dexter's newborn plastered on bags, banners, buses and pedicabs.
Despite all the hype and waiting in line, the crowd didn't seem the least bit weary and brought tons of enthusiasm. The writers, producers and multiple cast members were there, including Michael C. Hall, who plays Dexter, and John Lithgow, the new villain.
For those who've never seen "Dexter", it's about the life and struggles of a sympathetic serial killer. By day, Dexter is a blood splatter specialist in the Miami police department, has a girlfriend whom he recently married, and a newborn son. By night, he commits murder, though not wantonly. Dexter has a code, which involves only killing those who've committed heinous crimes and gotten away with it. However, the show doesn't shy away from the fact that Dexter may be hardwired to kill, and this vigilantism only gives him a structure. One of the narrative devices of Dexter is his voice-over, which allows the audience access to his inner life, his insecurities and his struggle to feel connected to others.
Some highlights from the panel:
John Lithgow! He plays a "bad" serial killer (ok, that's weird) known as the Trinity Killer. I've always liked him as an actor and he was a real charmer on the panel. He had lots of clever, interesting things to say and as he talked, he sounded like some British stage actor. You know, he said things like "magnificent." Not everyone can get away with saying "magnificent." Lithgow can.
You might remember the brilliant Michael C. Hall (Dexter) from his many years playing David Fisher on "Six Feet Under." The moderator of the panel was kinda funny (rare) and he cracked that, after watching David and his black, police officer boyfriend all those years on "SFU", he kept waiting for Dexter and Sgt. Doakes to kiss (Doakes is black, a cop, and hates Dexter). This was funny to anyone who watched both shows.
A fan asked the cast what other character from the show they would play if they had their choice. Dexter chose Masuka, "because he gets all the best lines and... don't you just wonder what his room is like?" Jennifer Carpenter, who plays sister Deb, (and is married to Michael C. Hall in real life) chose Dexter, and Julie Benz (Rita) chose Deb, "so she could swear all the time."
There will be a new iPhone app/game based on "Dexter." And, Showtime will be posting webisodes with the launch of Season 4 that feature Dexter when he was younger and new to the whole serial killer world.
A fan walked up to ask a question wearing a "Bowl Til You Bleed" shirt. Michael C. Hall asked about it and said it was awesome. Must have made that fan's day.
Season 4 of "Dexter" begins on September 27th on Showtime. If you are a fan of Masuka, C.S. Lee will be signing autographs on Saturday at the Entertainment Earth booth.
