14 DAY TRIAL // We were telling you just hours ago that the season 4 finale of Showtime’s killer series “Dexter” managed to surpass even the rosiest of predictions, setting a new record in terms of ratings for the network. Of course, this would not have been possible without the twisted and, for many, shocking ending that sees one of the regular cast members come to a very sudden death.
Speaking with Michael Ausiello of The Ausiello Files, executive producer Clyde Phillips says the twist at the end was the logical step in the evolution of the show. By going forward with it, in favor of an alternate, less thrilling and clearly less interesting ending the writers had prepared, producers made sure they set the standards as high as possible. What comes up next is deciding what to do in season 5.
*Fans who have not seen the season finale yet are encouraged not to read any further than this – plenty of major spoilers ahead. When asked where the decision to kill off Rita, Dexter’s wife, came from, Phillips says it was the only way possible to end the season. “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.” the executive producer says of killing Rita.
Julie Benz, the actress who plays Rita (or played, more likely) on the show, was none too pleased about the decision. However, Phillips says, she took it like a pro because she knew from the start that it might, one day, come to this, especially given the way in which Dexter was portrayed in the series. Working on “Dexter” was a wonderful experience for her, and an equally enjoyable period for everyone else involved in the show – but things are what they are, Phillips adds.
Fans can also say goodbye to any idea they might have had of seeing her again. “The answer, at the moment, is no [Rita will not return as a ghost]. 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. […] 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 Smits and John Lithgow, or if it’s going to be more individual, stand-alone stories.” Phillips explains.