Alrighty then...
So as you already know, Dexter has been renewed for a sixth season. Unfortunately, nobody associated with the show had the slightest inclination that that would happen when we started work on Season Five. Consequently, some of you may have noticed that most of the last six or seven episodes seemed rather rushed, and that while the season finale ended peacefully enough (relatively speaking, of course), it really could have gone so much worse for everyone concerned,
especially for Dexter.
The reason for this is quite simple: we were all fairly certain that this was going to be the end, and had written the season accordingly. For example, was anyone else pretty sure that Quinn was going to take the fall for Liddy's murder? Or maybe that Deb was going to catch Dexter and Lumen in the act of cleaning up after killing Jordan? Well, that's precisely how we had written it almost a year ago, when it became clear that Showtime was going to throw a shitload of money at "The Borgias." We weren't angry at Showtime, or anything; that's the nature of the business, so we all pretty much accepted it.
However, we suspected that Showtime was going to make their final decision based largely upon how much carryover we'd have from Season Four which, as we all know, was probably the best work the show had done. If we could maintain that increase, then we'd have a shot at keeping the show on the air.
In other words, we wrote two sets of scripts for the latter part of the season, and did a lot of additional filming in case we were going to be shit-canned. One would be the doomsday scenario in which Jordan kills Lumen, Dexter kills Jordan, then gets caught and goes away for life as the most prolific serial killer in human history, and the other was the rush job you ended up seeing this season, where everybody gathers around Harrison's birthday party for a rousing rendition of "Kumbaya."
Fortunately, Showtime let us know privately just before the season premier that we were going to be picked up for a sixth season, but for some dumbass reason beyond my comprehension, we weren't permitted to divulge that until Showtime decided the time was right to do so.
Unfortunately, however, they didn't tell us a damn thing UNTIL then, forcing us to literally shoot an additional four or five episodes.
Of course, the end result was a season that I personally think could have been so much more than what we ended up producing. Lumen, for example, was
written specifically to piss people off (as is evidenced by her refusal to get on the f*cking plane and go away). We originally wrote her to become a serious love interest for Dexter, and to be the reason he ends up getting caught. We
wanted most people to hate her, out of concern for Dexter. However, the way everything turned out, we ended up having to make her break Dexter's heart and allowing her to walk away from him scot-free. Bullshit, I tell you!!!! Essentially, we shit all over him at the end of Season Four, and now we've gone and done the same damn thing, so he starts the next season basically where he started THIS one.
I will state that I respect Sara Colleton's assertion that in having things turn out the way they did, Dexter's finally paid the price for Rita's death. I also REALLY wish I could claim credit for his line when he tells Lumen, "I'll carry your darkness for you." Man, that was wicked romantic. I guess I just wish Showtime had had enough smarts to let us know last year whether or not they'd renew us. I really don't harbor any resentment toward them, though. The show has given me so much these past few years, and has opened doors I never imagined existed. I'm proud of the work we've all done, and even if this season didn't go exactly the way I wanted, I really can't wait for Season Six, when for the first time in the show's history, I'm going to be
absolutely clueless about what happens next!!!
It's gonna be a blast. Frustrating as all hell, but a real blast, all the same.
Addendum: It just occurred to me that this entire post could be construed to be representative of a disgruntled writer who wrote a marvelous ending to a great show, only to be royally pissed that he ended up having to do a re-write. I think that's actually fair and probably accurate, but in retrospect, I can honestly say I'm absolutely thrilled that Dexter is still free, and has earned the love and trust of his kids. But I'm also a bit melancholy at the notion that in a few weeks, the writing staff is going to start getting down to work on Season Six....and I won't be there.
So take all of this for what it's worth, ya dig?
