Showtime announced the season 6 premiere date at today's boisterous Comic-Con panel, where fans applauded the tantalizing new season preview video.
Why is the trailer's rocking to Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus"? Who made a surprise appearance at the panel? And what is Colin Hanks' role this season? We've got all the scoop from star Michael C. Hall and the rest of the Dexter gang, after the jump below...
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Reach Out and Touch Faith: "Dexter is motivated to give his son some kind of spiritual grounding" Michael C. Hall told us in the press room about the coming season's storyline. "[Baby Harrison] is growing into being a little boy—he is only going to get older and in need of guidance, and Dexter feels ill equipped to provide that...Because of that he's open to things he wouldn't otherwise be open to, cultivating spiritual life in a way. As things in Dexter's world often do, that becomes magnet that attracts a lot of stuff." Ruh-roh. Dexter's struggle is characterized, says executive producer Sara Colleton, by his "desire to define faith—which is by its nature undefinable."
Great Leap Forward: The show jumps ahead one year after the season-five finale, says Colleton: "Dexter finished his year of atonement [and the focus returns] to the Dark Passenger." Adds MCH: "The Lumen [Julia Stiles] character/story allowed Dexter to actively atone for the responsibility Dexter has for Rita's death. He's been through that, he's processed that, and Lumen recognized the impossibility of a healthy union with Dexter. He's completely unplugged from that experience and is back to his killing ways."
Luminaries Replacing Lumen: Guest stars this season include Colin Hanks, Edward James Olmos, Mos Def and Billy Brown. Hanks plays coy about his character, joking, "I can neither confirm nor deny any involvement on the Dexter program." Fortunately, new show runner Scott Buck was more forthcoming: Hanks' character, Travis Marshall, "works in a museum and cleans up ancient artifacts—and he gets pulled into Dexter's world." Battlestar Galactica's Olmos plays an "equally mysterious character, Professor Gellar; Billy Brown is playing a new detective in the office [and] Mos is a street creature who crosses Dexter's path." Mos crossed our path at today's Comic-Con panel, joining the line of fans asking questions of the panel; the ballroom erupted when he asked whether he could join them onstage. (The answer was yes: Everyone moved over and gave him a chair.)
Ripped From the Headlines: Hall denied that the Casey Anthony case will inspire a Dexter episode ("Dexter Morgan" trended on Twitter after the verdict was announced), saying, "People who have gotten away with it have always been inspiration for the show." Besides, Colin Hanks, added, "Law & Order does that very well."
D-I-V-O-R-C-E? When asked about the rocky state of Batista and LaGuerta's marriage, David Zayas hinted, "Some things work out, some things don't." Deb (Jennifer Carpenter), however, "is still in a relationship with Quinn" when the season begins, said Scott Buck, but he notes that her romance will not be a "primary storyline" this year: "We made a conscious decision to do something different with her."
The Kids Are Alright? We won't see much, if any, of Astor and Cody this season. "They are still living with their grandparents," said MCH. "Dexter's relationship with his natural born son will remain the big focus of his life." That includes "expanding his home base": "It was tough living in a one-bedroom with a baby," he says, adding, "Batista's sister's helping him out too."
- In the new season, Dexter has liquidated the house he had with Rita and used the money to expend his homebase. So now he has a little more room and Batistas’ sister is helping him out too.
- Colin Hanks’ character is somehow involved with Edward James Olmos’ character.
- “You will see things this season that you have not season in previous sessions and I may or may not be a part of that.” -Colin Hanks who plays the character of Travis Marshall this upcoming season.
- “Dexter knows what he doesn’t want to pass on to his son, but he doesn’t know what he does.” -Executive producer Sara Colleton
- “It’s very spicy.” -David Zayas on Batistas’ relationship with Maria this season.
- “He’s pretty much unplugged from that relationship [with Lumen].” -Michael C. Hall on the new season which takes place a year after the events of last season.
- Masuka has some interns coming this year, women and men and has some fun with them. Heroes‘ Brea Grant (see our interview) is one of them.
- C.S. Lee wants Masuka to get married.
- The actors don’t really do any improv on the show.
- “I don’t think the show is any kind of manual on how to kill people.” Michael C. Hall on whether he’s worried that some people watching the show might learn how to kill.
- “Deb is really smart, but Dexter’s smarter.” -Executive producer Scott Buck on whether Deb is getting closer to finding out about Dexter.
- “I want to thank my co-stars who take inorganically long pauses for Dexter to have his inner monologue.” -Michael C. Hall
- Mos Def plays the character of Brother Sam, but when asked to expend on it, he said “I could but Dexter would have to kill me.”
- “I didn’t know Dexter was in my future back when I was a funeral director.” Michael C. Hall on what he will be doing after Dexter.
- “In Dexter there always is a flip side desire to make a legitimate connection. If nothing else he connects with his victims. Which is tragic every time because it never lasts.” -Michael C. Hall
- “Everything.” C.S. Lee joking on what are your similar traits to Masuka. He then added “It’s all imagination really.”
- Colin Hanks hasn’t been able to work with Michael C. Hall that much, he’s been having a lot of fun working with Edward James Olmos. Colin Hanks explained some of the fun moments he had with Edward James Olmos:
Edward James Olmos: “You’re gonna win a Gabby.”
Colin Hanks: “What’s a Gabby?”
Edward James Olmos: “I don’t know but you’re gonna win it.”
- We will see Astor and Cody again.
- C.S. Lee thinks that if Masuka ever found out about Dexter, he would laugh and then pass out.
- Mos Def joked “I practice Voodoo” on how he got on the show. But the truth is the creators pitched him a character arc.
- “Stay out of bathtubs” joked Michael C. Hall when a person had a t-shirt with “The Future Mrs Dexter Morgan” printed on it.
Source: Daemon's TV