Creator Clyde Phillips Explains Dexter Being Alive

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

“Things had been just a little messy at first…”

That’s how Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) 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 reasonably rapidly 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. 

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to Patrick Gibson, who performs a younger Dexter as he graduates from medical faculty on the ripe age of 20 years outdated and joins the Miami Metro Police Department as a forensic intern.

This younger Dexter (whose inside monologue is narrated by Hall) 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. But he will get the greenlight when Harry is hospitalized for a coronary heart assault, one prompted by Dexter’s admission that he almost killed a frat boy who tried to rape his sister, Deb (Molly Brown). In 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 residence 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 remaining is historical past. But showrunner Clyde Phillips, who served in the identical position for Seasons 1-4 of the unique sequence and “New Blood,” tells Variety the context of younger Dexter’s mind-set was key in deepening the scene from what audiences already knew.

“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 must see how the urge is just too large.”

Phillips talked to Variety about attending to know a youthful Dexter in spite of everything these years, the concept he couldn’t shake about how you 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.”

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

Well, it’s not a sequel to “New Blood,” it’s its personal present. What we’re doing within the first couple of minutes, which was truly [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 like we live in certainly one of Dexter’s flashbacks.

This is Dexter wanting again at his origin story. And as “Original 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 durations –– the time interval we’re in, which is 1991 when Dexter is 20; and in 1973, when Harry met Dexter’s mom Laura and every thing that ensued from that. It is basically a number of enjoyable as a result of anytime you progress backwards and forwards 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 wanting towards his future?

It has been a blast. I had been a part of the OG “Dexter” present, and I get to return and have a look at it from a pair completely 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 basically explains every thing that he does. We get to discover the Dexter and Deb relationship, how fraught and in the end loving it’s. And then 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 City, based mostly on the precise paper blueprints of the unique set that my man one way or the other discovered. Nothing is on paper anymore, however he discovered them. So it’s precisely the identical. It was wonderful when Michael got here to set and noticed it. We all 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 virtually an identical 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 means?

We all the time went for the very best actor. I used to be so fortunate to get all of my first selections, and that by no means occurs. James Martinez, who performs Batista, had a full beard when he began. But we trimmed it down, put a hat on him and he simply instantly grew to become Batista. Same with Alex Shimizu, who performs Masuka. He is an actor and a dancer, and appears sufficient like C.S. Lee that we may make it work, after which he received that snort down completely. He truly went to satisfy C.S. they usually practiced the snort collectively. Patrick Gibson, he’s Irish so we name him Paddy, was our first selection for Dexter. He received along with Michael C. Hall and simply studied and studied and studied, and now I feel Paddy’s gestures have gotten Michael’s. But 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. When I advised my daughter that we received Buffy the Vampire Slayer, she advised me, “Dad, now my technology goes to observe this present too.” That’s actually what we’re on the lookout for. We’ve received an excellent built-in viewers that we don’t take as a right by any means. But we wish to develop the viewers in each instructions as a lot as we are able to. This forged of early ‘90s TV stars simply works for us.

Speaking of the diehard followers that know Dexter’s mythology so nicely, they’ll know that his father Harry is just not lengthy for this world. He has a coronary heart assault within the premiere, and he recovers. But 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 quite a bit. When you see the entire season, all 10 episodes, it would have solely taken place over two or three weeks. We can maintain doing that till it’s time to say goodbye to Harry, however we plan on maintaining Christian and Harry round for a very long time. It was the identical factor with “New Blood.” It came about from simply earlier than Christmas to simply after Christmas.

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

It was an fascinating factor. We sat with white boards within the writers’ room, and we talked and talked about every thing. The means we realized we wanted to have a look at it was from a special viewpoint from the primary season. 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 must see how the urge is just too large. And additionally, this nurse is killing his father and that simply ain’t going to occur.

In the unique sequence, that second is merely a flashback. But “Original Sin” offers you the context of every thing round that kill.

Visually and viscerally.

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

There is humor constructed into this present, and I had the picture of Deb enjoying volleyball and Dexter doing his first kill on the similar second. Which signifies that they every let one another down as a result of they weren’t there for one another. But I additionally wished to go for the humor of Deb spiking the ball on the similar second Dexter stabs the nurse and also you hear the announcer say, “And it’s Morgan for the kill!” I simply had that picture. We have a saying in our writers’ room: “If you’ll be able to 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 you need to earn it and you need to pay it off.

With every thing that’s to come back this season, was it simpler or more durable than you anticipated to search out who Dexter was as a younger man?

“Harder” isn’t the suitable phrase. It wasn’t simpler, however it was tougher as a result of we’ve got such a fan base. We are Showtime’s No.1 present ever. We have this nice fan base, and we’ve got to honor them. We all the time wish to write as much as the viewers, reasonably than down or at them, which makes my job tougher and, thank God, extra fascinating. We had an incredible writers’ room, and we simply understood the mission for this present. We are engaged on a number of relationships: Harry and Dexter, Harry and Deb, Deb and Dexter. All of that provides humanity to the present.

Audiences would possibly decide up on a lighter, kookier tone to “Original Sin” versus the unique sequence. Was that intentional as you observe a youthful, messier Dexter?

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

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

When we began “Dexter,” he was totally fashioned. Our Dexter right here, as an alternative of being within the comparatively protected environment of medical faculty, he’s now out in the true world and he has to learn to navigate that. He has to learn to date. How to not get in fights. Basically, the phrase is “mix in.” And additionally evolve his killing methodology and physique disposal methodology. He can’t all the time depend on Alligator Alley, and that can turn out to be a problem for him in a while within the season. Everything 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 relationship! He by no means dated earlier than.

So that is the Dexter individuals 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. 

Funny you say that, as a result of when he makes a mistake, it’s not like, “Oh gee, I simply kissed a lady who didn’t need it and I received the indicators flawed.” 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 way of what Dexter is about to undergo.

This interview has been edited and condensed.