Dexter

In the days following the Dexter season four finale, we've heard from show producers and show stars such as John Lithgow and Michael C. Hall.

Everyone had a lot to say about Rita's shocking death, but fans have been waiting all week to hear from Julie Benz herself. How did she react when told of her character's demise? Will Rita turn into a ghost?

E! News asked these questions, and many more, of the actress. Her candid replies are below...

On any kind of return: "There has been no talk of me coming back to the series in any way. A lot of people have been begging me to tell them that I'm going to come back, and I'm like, 'Rita's dead!' Rita is dead and Trinity killed her... I don't think it could get any more obvious that Trinity killed Rita. Rita is dead."

On reaction to her death scene: "The death was such a graphic image... When they first told me I was dying, they didn't tell me how I was dying... I did feel anger about them taking this innocent, sweet woman in such a violent and terrifying way - which we know from the woman in the bathtub in the first episode.

"We know we're making a TV show, but you see a little baby and fake blood, and it was still a very disturbing image. But it's a poetic way to go because it's a direct reflection of Dexter as a child and there's poetry in that if you can get past that, which I think is what they were going for."

On joining another show: "I love FlashForward, Grey's Anatomy, Mad Man, 30 Rock. I'd love to be a part of a show where they don't think it's cool to kill me!"

On what's ahead on Dexter: "I assume Astor and Cody will go with their grandparents, but what about Harrison? I know that one option is to have them jump ahead in time. They have the option of taking the story creatively wherever they want.

"But of course I worry about Harrison. The first thing I said when they told me about Rita's death was, 'What about the children?!' I felt like a real mother, and I will be tuning in to make sure that Harrison is taken care of."

So will we. We also wish Benz the best of luck in her next career step. She should have no trouble finding work, that's for sure.

On season four of Dexter, John Lithgow's Arthur Mitchell was a man of many, creepy words.

But in an interview with TV Guide this week, when asked about the stunning turn of events that concluded the season, Lithgow only needed one adjective to describe the finale: wow.

The actor, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for his portrayal of the Trinity Killer and is a lock for an Emmy, expounded on that a bit as the Q&A continued. Excerpts are below...

On Arthur's death: [The writers] changed things based on how the first several episodes went. I know they had long discussions: "Should we let Arthur get away, disappear for a season and then come back again?" That's what they did with Keith Carradine and it was incredibly effective. I think Arthur was so bad that they knew blood had to be spilled, especially when they came up with the final image of the episode. What an appalling, unforgivable thing to do. There had to be retribution.

On returning as a ghost next season: Nobody has said anything. I think it's best because you couldn't possibly top this season and this character.

On his favorite scenes: They all involve Michael C. Hall. Michael is a marvelous acting partner. The scene that begins the final episode, where I speak to him in that huge crowd and I know I have him exactly where I want him. I loved that scene. He was so great at working out the rhythms and finding the real meaning when the scene shifted.

I loved my death scene with him and that appalling moment where I learn my own daughter committed suicide. It's very unusual for a character that despicable to have a moment like that, a moment of such pain.

On Arthur's death: The character himself knew he needed to go. He was almost begging Dexter to do it. Look, he tried to commit suicide three episodes before. He knew this had to stop. If nobody else is going to stop me, I have to stop it myself. It's fascinating.

It truly was. Now it's your turn to speak out, readers: were you happy to see Rita get killed?

Following a startling season finale, we've heard from a pair of Dexter producers.

But fans have been waiting to read what star Michael C. Hall thought of the episode-concluding twist that has left the Internet buzzing since Sunday night. The award-winning actor spoke with Entertainment Weekly about it today and, as you'd expect, he had A LOT to say...

On killing off Rita: I thought it was brilliant. I was really proud of the writers, and the network, for not backing away from so bold a step. It really propels us forward in a way that we wouldn’t have enjoyed otherwise.

On the blood-filled bathroom scene: It was tough... the actual shooting of it was much more frantic and to the point. Coming in, seeing this baby in the blood, turning my head, seeing Rita there, realizing what’s happened, picking up the baby, leaving the room — it happened much more quickly than [how] the scene plays. But it was horrifying.

It’s the kind of thing that only in its aftermath can you begin to deal with. In one way or another, Dexter will be reeling from it for a long time to come. But Julie in that tub was just heartbreaking — and the baby on the floor. It was very somber.

On Dexter's evolution: Had this season not ended the way it ended, there’s almost a sense that Dexter is entertaining the thought that maybe he’s going to get this out of his system. That if he kills Trinity, who’s left to kill? I think he’s entertaining the notion that maybe he’s done.

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Following the most shocking season finale in series history, Dexter has left fans wondering:

• Will Dexter be a suspect in Rita's death?
• Will his connection to Trinity be discovered?
• What happens to Cody and Astor?

Producer Sara Colleton spoke with TV Guide this week and tried to answer a few pressing questions, including whether or not season five will pick up immediately following Rita's gruesome murder...

On why Arthur killed Rita: We left it that way so everyone, based on their own life and their own experiences, would interpret it so it made sense for them. One way to interpret it is that in some bizarre way, Dexter gave Trinity a finality in his situation, that he does this in a bizarre way to trigger Dexter to deal with who he really is. You can only fake it for so long.

On Dexter's relationship with Trinity: Dexter can't say that he knows Trinity killed Rita and that he just killed Trinity. There are a lot of possibilities and they will all be thrown out in the room to be discussed.

On Dexter's season five reaction: [He may go on a killing spree], he may not. Hopefully it will be in what we call the "Dexterous response," which is based in human behavior, but uniquely put through the prism of Dexter's special needs. The fact is that he has children now that he is the sole parent of, and how that affects what he does and the choices he makes.

On Dexter as a suspect: If you know anything about crimes, usually a spouse is involved. We may jump ahead six months and it could be all handled. What we wanted to do is give ourselves something that gave us the widest range of possibilities.

A major character wasn't the only death the season finale of Dexter was responsible for last night.

The shocking episode also annihilated the competition, shattering a Showtime ratings record and becoming the most-watched episode of an original series in network history.

For the original 9 p.m. viewing, 2.575 million viewers tuned in; that figure increased to 3.078 million when the 11 p.m. replace was factored in. This marks the first time a Showtime drama has brought in three million viewers on a single evening.

If you still don't know who died at the conclusion of the episode, find out NOW!

Warning: Don't read any further unless you are caught up on last night's stunning Dexter season finale.

Once you've caught your breath from the shocking conclusion to the episode, check out the must-read interview below. Michael Ausiello spoke with Dexter producer Clyde Phillips about the decision to kill off a series regular...

On Rita's demise: The story evolved and it kind of became inevitable. We knew that we had to do more than kill Trinity. It’s a little bit of a corner that we paint ourselves into. Last year we tried to avoid that and actually I think we didn’t do as well as we could have. We killed off Jimmy Smits’ character [in the 11th episode] of 12 episodes and then we had to figure out what we were going to do in the 12th episode.

This season, we knew that we were going to take Trinity out in the 12th episode and we think that the audience knew that, too. We had to raise the bar to as high as possible and then figure out what to do next year.

Dexter's happy family life took the biggest hit possible at the conclusion to season four. How will the dark passenger respond?

On Rita's possible, Harry-like return as a ghost: The answer, at the moment, is no. However, had you asked me two years ago if Lundy was coming back I would’ve said no. We didn’t know he was coming back until this year. It just seemed expedient to the story — to Dexter’s story and to Deb’s story.

On season five storylines: He is a single father. But, beyond that, we don’t know. We don’t know if there’s going to be what we call “a Big Bad,” like Jimmy Smiths and John Lithgow, or if it’s going to be more individual, stand-alone stories.

Were you happy the show killed off Rita? Where can the show go from here? Where will it go?

So many questions, (unfortunately) so much time to ponder them. Weigh in with a comment today!

This episode of Dexter had been publicized all week with phrases typically reserved for season finales. It would be shocking, it would leave viewers breathless, it would be a game-changer.

Only this time, unlike other shows that fail to deliver on their hype, there was no hyperbole involved. It was all true; and viewers were left with only a Deb-like response to the conclusion:

Holy $hit.

Read our recap of "The Getaway" before moving on - because the rest of this review goes into the stunning events in detail!

While many fans guessed that Rita might not make it out of the season alive, no one could have been prepared for the final scene of her body... lifeless... in a pool of her own blood... with Harrison bawling on the floor.

More than any season prior to it, this year's set of episodes dealt with Dexter's past and, specifically, its affect on his future.

The enthralling entanglement with Arthur Mitchell served as an ideal platform on which to consider Dexter's dichotomous dilemma: will his dark passenger inevitably ruin his family? Or, as Deb and Rita have both made it clear, is his presence in their lives a positive thing?

Just when it seemed as if Dexter could have it all, as if the love of those around him could defeat his darkness in the end, everything changed. Rita's death leaves fans with a series of purely practical questions heading into next season:

• Will her murder be connected to Trinity?
• If so, how does Dexter explain why his family would be targeted?
• Who will Dexter become?

The final issue, we'd have to imagine, will be the main focus of season five. Does Dexter go on a killing spree? Flee Miami? Raise the kids alone? There's truly no way to predict how someone with Dexter's demons - and secrets - responds to this kind of heinous act.

There's little to say at this point about Michael C. Hall's performance, but the brilliance lies in how viewers can never truly understand the man he portrays. That's the idea, of course. Dexter doesn't know who he is, so how can anyone else? When he cried into Rita's lap this week, the emotions seemed to flow naturally out of Dexter. After all, his wife was (somewhat) recognizing his dark passenger and still saying it would be okay.

But there's no way of knowing for certain what Dexter was thinking. The actor has become so skilled at emoting when it seems like a typical human being would do so, that viewers are left to wonder whether anything is sincere. Except in his killing room, that is. Hall has mastered the delight Dexter takes in the one act that brings him true joy.

It's an exquisite performance and a tremendous show.

We'll leave readers with a few Dexter quotes from the episode and let the discussion flow about how this season ended and how next season might possibly begin...

Arthur: You think you're better than I am?
Dexter: No. But I want to be. | permalink

Deb: I love you.
Dexter: I'm so thankful. | permalink

Dexter: How is it I can kill people and feel no regret, but disappointing Rita makes me feel like the scum of the earth? | permalink

Dexter: My dark passenger is ruining my life.
Harry: It is your life. | permalink

Typically, when we post clips from various shows, we watch the videos before publishing them on our site.

But not this time.

We're so excited and intrigued by the fourth season finale of Dexter - airing this Sunday on Showtime! - that we can't bring ourselves to watch a single second from it. We wanna go into it completely fresh.

Will the episode live up to Jennifer Carpenter's hype? We'll all find out soon. For those that simply can't wait, follow this article's jump for a clip from "The Getaway."

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Attention all other supporting actors in a drama: don't bother submitting your name for the Emmy Awards next year. John Lithgow has the category locked up.

The actor has mesmerized and frightened Dexter viewers throughout season four, culminating in the closing scene of this week's episode, where Arthur confronted Dexter at work and confirmed the latter's worst fears:

The Trinity Killer knows his identity.

Lithgow spoke with CBS' Harry Smith this week, explaining how he got the role on Dexter and offering up the tiniest clue about Sunday's season finale. (Warning: the video begins with a clip from it.)

For a full clip from the season four finale, follow this article's jump - and remember to return to TV Fanatic soon after it concludes for a detailed recap and review of the shocking events!

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Anyone that saw the preview for this week's Dexter - in which Arthur questions the main character's identity - and then saw the title for the episode, could easily have figured it out:

Trinity would discover just had actually befriended him and he would utter the words (likely to close the episode): "Hello, Dexter Morgan."

That's exactly what happened, though it's to the show's credit that the scene in which Arthur entered the Miami police station was still so fraught with suspense. Dexter has encountered many enemies and obstacles over the years, but none has approached him on his home turf.

Read our full recap of "Hello, Dexter Morgan" now.

This week's other major development, Christine's suicide, was also predictable. We thought she'd be lying dead as soon as Deb entered her apartment.

As for Angel and LaGuerta's marriage? Snooze! We understand Michael C. Hall can't be in every scene, but this isn't exactly Jim and Pam. It's not an office romance that's funny, original or particularly interesting.

Overall, it was a disappointing installment, especially considering its status as the penultimate episode of season four. Still, we have fith Showtime was simply moving the pieces into place for a finale that Jennifer Carpenter can't stop hyping.

Will a major character die? Will Deb discover the story behind Dexter's mother? Will Arthur end up on Dexter's killing table? Those questions will be answered on Sunday, as you can watch a season finale preview now.

Until that episode airs, write in and let us know your favorite part of this week's installment. Did anything truly shock you?