Creator Clyde Phillips Explains Dexter Being Alive

SPOILER ALERT: This publish incorporates spoilers from the sequence premiere of Showtime’s “Dexter: Authentic Sin” now streaming on Paramount+.

“Issues have been a bit messy to start with…”

That’s how Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Corridor) described his first kill when audiences noticed it 18 years in the past in Season 1 of Showtime’s serial killer sequence “Dexter.” And that’s placing it mildly. The formative second for the killer with a code unfurled quite swiftly in Episode 3 of the primary season, when a shaggy haired Dexter struggles to subdue however finally kills the nurse making an attempt to poison his hospitalized father. 

Nevertheless, it wasn’t the entire story. Those that tuned into the premiere of the brand new prequel sequence “Dexter: Authentic Sin” have been handled to the scene once more, however from a complete new perspective. Within the new sequence, Michael C. Corridor, who performed Dexter for eight seasons and 2019’s “Dexter: New Blood” continuation, cedes the display screen to Patrick Gibson, who performs a younger Dexter as he graduates from medical faculty on the ripe age of 20 years outdated and joins the Miami Metro Police Division as a forensic intern.

This younger Dexter (whose internal monologue is narrated by Corridor) is much from polished in satiating his bloodlust, and he’s barely holding onto his adoptive father Harry’s (Christian Slater) mandate that he not kill anybody. However he will get the greenlight when Harry is hospitalized for a coronary heart assault, one prompted by Dexter’s admission that he practically killed a frat boy who tried to rape his sister, Deb (Molly Brown). Within the hospital, Dexter deduces that Harry’s worsening situation is as a result of lethal care of Nurse Mary, whom his father then instructs Dexter to kill.

This results in the acquainted scene of Mary coming house to her lounge lined in plastic wrap, the place a flailing Dexter pounces on her and finally restrains her to his signature desk. There, she pleads that she was simply making an attempt to alleviate her victims’ ache, after which Dexter relieves hers with a knife to the chest — and the remainder is historical past. However showrunner Clyde Phillips, who served in the identical function for Seasons 1-4 of the unique sequence and “New Blood,” tells Selection the context of younger Dexter’s mind-set was key in deepening the scene from what audiences already knew.

“A part of it was that we perceive Dexter greater than we did in Season 1 of the unique present, and we perceive his relationship along with his father and his unstoppable urge to kill.,” Phillips says. “We wanted to remain in his head and see him face temptations just like the battle on the fraternity. We have to see how the urge is simply too massive.”

Phillips talked to Selection about attending to know a youthful Dexter in spite of everything these years, the thought he couldn’t shake about how one can movie a brand new tackle that first kill — and why the prequel sequence opens by undoing the cliffhanger from the sequel sequence, “New Blood.”

Proper out of the gate, viewers get solutions to the ending of “New Blood.” Dexter really survived what was seemingly a deadly gunshot from his son Harrison (Jack Alcott). Did you at all times see this as a continuation of that sequence?

Effectively, it isn’t a sequel to “New Blood,” it’s its personal present. What we’re doing within the first couple of minutes, which was really [Paramount Co-CEO] Chris McCarthy’s concept, is exhibiting that the character of Dexter remains to be alive in order that we are able to use Michael’s narration and provides the viewers some hope as a result of we begin taking pictures “Dexter: Resurrection” in January, which is a sequel to “New Blood.”

Very deliberately in these first few moments although, the present plunges proper into Dexter’s psyche whereas they’re making an attempt to save lots of his life. As a lot as the unique present tried to place you in Dexter’s thoughts, this actually looks as if we live in one among Dexter’s flashbacks.

That is Dexter trying again at his origin story. And as “Authentic Sin” goes on, we’ll see that it strikes from an origin story to an evolution story. In truth, in subsequent episodes, we shoot in two time intervals –– the time interval we’re in, which is 1991 when Dexter is 20; and in 1973, when Harry met Dexter’s mom Laura and the whole lot that ensued from that. It’s actually quite a lot of enjoyable as a result of anytime you progress forwards and backwards between them, it’s invigorating.

With the return of Dexter in “New Blood,” and with “Resurrection” coming quickly, this world has been extra sprawling. Was it an enlightening train to reacquaint your self with what made Dexter who he’s as you begin trying towards his future?

It has been a blast. I had been a part of the OG “Dexter” present, and I get to return and take a look at it from a pair totally different standpoints. A household standpoint, a father-and-son standpoint. You see within the premiere, the drowning of Harry’s first child, and the way that actually explains the whole lot that he does. We get to discover the Dexter and Deb relationship, how fraught and finally loving it’s. After which Dexter exhibiting up at work at Miami Metro on the finish of the premiere.

We shot this present in California and we constructed the very same Miami Metro set on a soundstage in Studio Metropolis, based mostly on the precise paper blueprints of the unique set that my man someway discovered. Nothing is on paper anymore, however he discovered them. So it’s precisely the identical. It was superb when Michael got here to set and noticed it. All of us time traveled a bit in making this present, whereas time stood nonetheless.

The premiere debuts the youthful iterations of Batista (James Martinez) and Masuka (Alex Shimizu), who’re dressed and act nearly equivalent to their counterparts from the unique sequence. It’s uncanny, as in the event that they hadn’t modified in 15 years. Why deliver again these characters on this approach?

We at all times went for the most effective actor. I used to be so fortunate to get all of my first decisions, and that by no means occurs. James Martinez, who performs Batista, had a full beard when he began. However we trimmed it down, put a hat on him and he simply instantly grew to become Batista. Similar with Alex Shimizu, who performs Masuka. He’s an actor and a dancer, and appears sufficient like C.S. Lee that we might make it work, after which he received that snicker down completely. He really went to fulfill C.S. and so they practiced the snicker collectively. Patrick Gibson, he’s Irish so we name him Paddy, was our first selection for Dexter. He received along with Michael C. Corridor and simply studied and studied and studied, and now I believe Paddy’s gestures have gotten Michael’s. However we don’t say they’re the identical as a result of he has to evolve into it.

And we’ve received Patrick Dempsey and Sarah Michelle Gellar. I imply, what a get. After I advised my daughter that we received Buffy the Vampire Slayer, she advised me, “Dad, now my technology goes to look at this present too.” That’s actually what we’re searching for. We’ve received an excellent built-in viewers that we don’t take as a right by any means. However we wish to develop the viewers in each instructions as a lot as we are able to. This solid of early ‘90s TV stars simply works for us.

Talking of the diehard followers that know Dexter’s mythology so properly, they’ll know that his father Harry will not be lengthy for this world. He has a coronary heart assault within the premiere, and he recovers. However canonically, he dies fairly quickly after Dexter joins Miami Metro. How are you going to play with expectations to maintain even these followers guessing?

We talked with Christian about this so much. While you see the entire season, all 10 episodes, it’ll have solely taken place over two or three weeks. We will maintain doing that till it’s time to say goodbye to Harry, however we plan on preserving Christian and Harry round for a very long time. It was the identical factor with “New Blood.” It passed off from simply earlier than Christmas to simply after Christmas.

An enormous touchstone of Dexter’s story was at all times his first kill, however you already did it within the unique sequence. How did you method it once more for this episode?

It was an attention-grabbing factor. We sat with white boards within the writers’ room, and we talked and talked about the whole lot. The way in which we realized we wanted to have a look at it was from a distinct perspective from the primary season. A part of it was that we perceive Dexter greater than we did in Season 1 of the unique present, and we perceive his relationship along with his father and his unstoppable urge to kill. We wanted to remain in his head and see him face temptations just like the battle on the fraternity. We have to see how the urge is simply too massive. And in addition, this nurse is killing his father and that simply ain’t going to occur.

Within the unique sequence, that second is merely a flashback. However “Authentic Sin” provides you the context of the whole lot round that kill.

Visually and viscerally.

What struck you most about redoing Dexter’s first kill practically 20 years later?

There’s humor constructed into this present, and I had the picture of Deb taking part in volleyball and Dexter doing his first kill on the identical second. Which implies that they every let one another down as a result of they weren’t there for one another. However I additionally wished to go for the humor of Deb spiking the ball on the identical second Dexter stabs the nurse and also you hear the announcer say, “And it’s Morgan for the kill!” I simply had that picture. Now we have a saying in our writers’ room: “If you happen to can consider it, you are able to do it.” We put that picture on the board, and it caught. That turns into the fulcrum scene, and it’s a must to earn it and it’s a must to pay it off.

With the whole lot that’s to come back this season, was it simpler or tougher than you anticipated to seek out who Dexter was as a younger man?

“More durable” isn’t the correct phrase. It wasn’t simpler, but it surely was more difficult as a result of we’ve such a fan base. We’re Showtime’s No.1 present ever. Now we have this nice fan base, and we’ve to honor them. We at all times wish to write as much as the viewers, quite than down or at them, which makes my job more difficult and, thank God, extra attention-grabbing. We had an incredible writers’ room, and we simply understood the mission for this present. We’re engaged on a number of relationships: Harry and Dexter, Harry and Deb, Deb and Dexter. All of that provides humanity to the present.

Audiences may choose up on a lighter, kookier tone to “Authentic Sin” versus the unique sequence. Was that intentional as you observe a youthful, messier Dexter?

There’s a tonal shift as a result of we aren’t seeing somebody who’s totally shaped. And in addition, the early ‘90s in Miami have been a extremely sizzling place to be. Not solely was it the homicide capital of the nation, however the music and the scene was nice as properly. We’ve received songs like George Michael’s “Freedom” and Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Child.” We took benefit of what was there in Miami.

What does the evolution of Dexter seem like over this primary season of “Authentic Sin?”

After we began “Dexter,” he was totally shaped. Our Dexter right here, as a substitute of being within the comparatively protected environment of medical faculty, he’s now out in the true world and he has to discover ways to navigate that. He has to discover ways to date. Tips on how to not get in fights. Mainly, the phrase is “mix in.” And in addition evolve his killing technique and physique disposal technique. He can’t at all times depend on Alligator Alley, and that can turn out to be a problem for him afterward within the season. Every thing is in movement right here for Dexter, particularly the depth of his relationship along with his father and the vibrancy of the connection along with his sister. And he’ll be courting! He by no means dated earlier than.

So that is the Dexter folks know and love, solely on the mercy of his hormones and his unrefined urges –– all of that are simply stuff you cope with in your 20s. 

Humorous you say that, as a result of when he makes a mistake, it isn’t like, “Oh gee, I simply kissed a lady who didn’t need it and I received the indicators unsuitable.” For him, it’s, “Oh gee, did I screw up what I simply did with this killing?” The stakes are brutal right here. No 20-year-old goes by means of what Dexter is about to undergo.

This interview has been edited and condensed.