Dexter's Back and Still Bloody Amazing
Dexter's back, baby! And if you're a fan of this kickass series, that is good cause to celebrate. (Though we hope you'll do so in a more responsible way than Dex would.)
Even if you missed last season, you must tune in Sunday at 9 p.m., because the Showtime serial-killer series is genuinely one of the best hourlong dramas anywhere on television, and the season premiere is not to be missed.
Among other things, the second-to-last scene is a corker: Not only does Dexter brush past a couple of real emotions, there's a Rita-related twist and an underwater discovery that sets the stage for the next 12 episodes.
If you're not familiar with Dexter Morgan already, he is a serial killer who walks among the rest of us, masquerading as a run-of-the-mill emotionally stunted forensics expert. The twist? He only kills other serial killers.
"He's only killing for the good of society," Julie Benz (Dex's girlfriend, Rita) explained during a recent visit to the set. "He's sort of like a modern-day Robin Hood, who kills for the rich and kills for the poor." Run that by Michael C. Hall (Dexter), and you hear, "The Robin Hood of Grim Reapers? That's good!" It is! It's so good.
As for what is in store for the rest of the season, according to Hall himself, "He's taken unique responsibility for his instincts. Because of his father's outside-the-box parenting style, he's targeting people who arguably deserve it. He's somewhat sympathetic—he takes care of the people in his life, or at least he tries to. But he's coming off something pretty tramautic, having [first season spoiler alert!] done his brother in. So, we'll see him reeling a bit over the course of the second season, but he'll get his mojo back." Does he ever!
Come back Sunday night to sound off in the Comments section below on what you thought of Dexter's premiere episode (and the twist!)…and on Monday, our Spoiler Chat will have even more Dexter dish.
Dexter's Resurfacing Along with (What Remains of) His Victims!
Hey guys, Jen and Korbi here. We're proud to introduce a new voice in the section. Drusilla Moorhouse is one of our intrepid copy editors, and we love her to pieces (metaphorical pieces, not severed body-part pieces). Anyway, while we were off at Kristin's wedding the other weekend, Dru was kind enough to hit the Showtime TCA to do one-on-one interviews with the actors and producers of Dexter.
By the way, yes, her name really is Drusilla—and can you believe Julie Benz didn't bat an eyelash at that? I mean, how many Drusillas could the woman know? Anyway, here's Dru's very-much-better-than-we-deserve report on our favorite serial killer…
Spoiler Warning! Do not read this until you have seen the entire first season of Dexter!
The next two months are going to be exciting ones for Dexter fans: The first-season DVD is being released Aug. 21, and the second season premieres Sept. 30 (and the third Dexter book is being published Sept. 18).
The second season resumes 38 days after the conclusion of the first season, with Dexter feeling somewhat stifled by (a) Sgt. Doakes' constant surveillance and (b) having his sister as a roommate. It's no wonder he's having some trouble performing. As Dexter says, "Maybe I'm just a little rusty after killing my brother."
My Sister's Keeper: Poor Dex. Not only is he being stalked by Doakes, but since Deb's now-dead boyfriend turned out to be a serial killer, Deb has been calling Dexter's (very small) apartment home. That must mean she was oblivious while Dexter and Rudy debated slicing her up while she lay etherized upon a table, right? Not necessarily.
Michael C. Hall notes that Deb was "arguably unconscious…when Dexter had this crucial interaction with his brother." Says Jennifer Carpenter, "I believe Deb has some degree of posttraumatic stress disorder…Something is living in her, walking around and occupying space in her. I think triggers are going to come along this season [forcing her to remember more about what happened with Rudy]."
Sink or Swim: Deb's returning to work, with many questioning whether she's ready to be out in the field. Soon, however, everyone (except maybe Doakes) will be much too busy investigating the Bay Harbor Butcher to pay much mind to Deb's emotional problems.
You might recognize those neatly packaged parts found by divers in the deep waters off Miami, because, you see, the authorities have discovered Dexter Morgan's body dump.
Lt. Frank Lundy (the divine Keith Carradine) is the FBI specialist brought in to lead the task force investigating the grisly killings. The body count keeps climbing, and Debra can't hide her glee that a new mass murderer has come along, supplanting the Ice-Truck Killer circus in everyone's minds.
Will Lundy be a Rudy rebound for Deb? Probably not, thinks Jennifer Carpenter: They're about halfway through shooting for the second season, and, she reveals, there's been "no kissin' yet." However, Lundy does select Deb for his task force, so let's hope for Dexter's sake her brother manages to fool her again. Or is there a chance she becomes complicit in keeping him safe from suspicion? The show runners haven't ruled out this storyline, which is explored in the Dexter books. Meanwhile, Dexter must cope with another threat presented by—believe it or not—his girlfriend, Rita.
Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop: Fortunately, we don't have to wait long for the show runners to address the issue of Paul's shoe. Rita's newfound confidence enables her to stand up to Paul—with unpredictable consequences. As Julie Benz says, "We see a stronger Rita, a Rita who starts to clearly define what she really wants in her life [and] to take control." JoBeth Williams is joining the show as Rita's mother, Gail, who apparently doesn't approve of her daughter's new boyfriend (though how he can be anything but an improvement after a violent rapist is beyond me). Still, as Michael C. Hall says, "As far as Dexter goes, [Gail is] an unanticipated foil."
Addicted to Love: Another interesting consequence of Rita's assertiveness is that Dexter finds himself in an addiction recovery program. (For drug addicts, not serial killers—but hey, at least he's getting some kind of treatment, right?) Alas, it's in this support group that Dexter meets another woman…and finds himself in the middle of a love triangle. Executive producer Daniel Cerone says Lila (played by British actress Jaime Murray) is "someone Dexter can truly connect with—someone cut from the same cloth as him (in spirit—not necessarily a killer) and who understands his darkness. One thing we explored deeply last season was Dexter's search for connection, [and] Dexter's darkness connects to Lila's darkness."
Rita, by contrast, represents "the woman we want Dexter to be with—she's the light. Plus, her children are very important in Dexter's life." According to Clyde Phillips, "He has a great, deep affinity for the childhood he never had and finds that in other [children]." Jennifer Carpenter adds, "It must feel nice [for Dexter] to be a teacher and a rock and comedian [to Rita's children]. He knows what it is like to [be traumatized] as a small child. He wants to offer them comfort and security." In fact, as Clyde Phillips reveals, "When Deb finds out Rita had broken up with Dexter, she tells him, 'Go back there. You are like a father to those children.' And this really presents a profound dilemma to him."
Not by the Book: The actor playing Rita's son Cody was recast, but not because the producers intend to follow a storyline developed in the second Dexter book—in which Cody begins to exhibit signs that he, too, might want to be a serial killer when he grows up. Cerone says, "We talked about it, and it felt a little sensational and a little convenient. Cody didn't have the background that Dexter did…We always said that that's what turned Dexter into what he is. Next season, who knows?"
Nature vs. Nurture: So, if Dexter hadn't witnessed his mother's violent murder—and sat in her blood for three days in a shipping container—he wouldn't be a serial killer today? Michael C. Hall says, "I think Dexter's experience as a three-year-old has a great deal to do with what he ultimately becomes. But the sort of outside-the-box parenting style of his foster father did its part to solidify and specify [it]. I think it's crucial, and so ingrained, that even when he discovers it, or comes to conscious awareness of it, the compulsion remains."
Deconstructing Harry: We're going to be seeing more of Dexter's foster father and his unique parenting lessons this season. As Michael C. Hall points out, "Chinks in the code start[ed] to emerge" when Dexter learned that Harry lied about Dexter's birth father and brother.
In season two, says Hall, "the shadow side of Dexter's relationship with his father—and the shadow side of his father—is explored. [This is a] big part of [Dexter's] journey, [and he] has to rethink his relationship to the code as a result." The show runners say, "Last season Harry was an iconic, mythic father figure, [but] the arguably crazy person in all this is Harry. Harry could well have said, 'This boy is deeply troubled, and I'm going to get him help.' He chose another path. We'll learn why. We'll learn a little bit about [the choices he made involving Brian]." James Remar, who plays Harry Morgan, adds, "As Dexter comes to terms with his past, what the hell made him this way, more memories are being revealed to him."
"Stupid Chief" Syndrome: Even the most dearly devoted Dexter fans acknowledged that season one wasn't perfect. The station-house scenes, for example, were pretty frustrating, recalling what Homer Simpson shouts to his TV when the conventional bureaucrat on his favorite crime procedural tries once again to thwart renegade cop McGarnagle: "It means he gets results, you stupid chief!"
"One thing we discovered," admits show runner Clyde Phillips (below, with Daniel Cerone), is that when Dexter's onscreen, the power's there…The show's called Dexter, [so] what we tried to do this year, more so than last year, is have storylines intersect with Dexter's world. We have a wonderfully diverse—in every sense of the word—cast, [and] we're working this year [to have] their stories conflate with wherever Dexter is."
Serial Killer Rehab? So, will we ever see a rehabilitated Dexter? Both Michael C. Hall and the show runners say that's virtually impossible. (What a relief! Wait—is there something wrong with me that I want to see his vigilante killing continue?) Hall says, "There's inevitably a momentum with the character and the show with Dexter coming to a greater awareness of his own humanity. However, he can't totally get on board with that, or there'll be a resulting psychic break." And the show runners are adamant: "That's the tragedy of the character: If he ever becomes a full human being, it's over. He could never live with himself, or he'd have to turn himself in." This is a Shakespearean dilemma, and Hall, the veteran theater actor, masterfully portrays this character's conflict between his dark side and his emotional yearnings for human connections.
Keith Carradine adds, "Its moral ambiguity…reflects on our own daily conflicts. There are no easy answers, and that forces you to look at the nature of morality."
SAW V and VI Details Revealed
Lionsgate has revealed new details about the future of the SAW franchise. The fifth installment, follows Hoffman (Costas Mandylor), who has been carrying Jigsaw’s (Tobin Bell) legacy, goes on a man hunt after the secret is threatened.
“People escape one trap, just to get caught in another; it’s closer in feel to the original SAW as thematically it’s about teamwork. I am far and away convinced that these are the best traps we have ever had,” Producer Marc Berg told Bloody-Disgusting. “This film is far less confusing and more linear, and there are TWO great twists. Just when you thought you figured it out, we twist again.”
The film features six different traps and they shot three different endings, which will be included on the eventual DVD release. The full supporting announce was also announced, and includes: Scott Patterson, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Carlo Rota, Julie Benz, Greg Bryk, Laura Gordon and Meagan Good. David Hackl directed the fifth film but will not be returning for the sixth installment after all. I wonder if the studio replaced him or if this was his own choice. SAW series editor Kevin Greutert will be making his feature directorial debut on Saw VI. Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton are back to pen the screenplay.
Also announced is a SAW video game which was written by franchise creators Leigh Whannell and James Wan, featuring all of the original cast members, and will take place in the timeline of the original film. Saw V is scheduled to hit theaters on October 24th, 2008.
sources: Bloody-disgusting, ComingSoon
Monica Keena Biography
Monica Keena was born in New Jersey on May 25th, 1979 and was raised in Brooklyn. She’s about 5′1 and has an older sister named Samantha. Her mother, Mary is a nurse and her father, Bill, is a financial sales manager. As a child, she was always drawing, painting, dancing and signing.
Monica auditioned for acceptance into LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts at the age of thirteen. Although she chose the drama department as her preference, Monica was accepted in both the dramatic and the vocal arts departments. Soon after starting her classes at LaGuardia Monica played in her first role in a short film entitled “Burning Love,”. She also went on to portray the character Bertha in a stage reading of Strinburg’s “The Father,” with Al Pacino.
She’s had small roles in the Films “The Devil’s Advocate” and “While You Were Sleeping” and starred in the films “Strike, Ripe and Snow White : A Tale of Terror”
Monica has appreared in numerous television and movie projects inclding the TBS Superstation Original Movie “First Daughter” and “Crime and Punishment in Suburbia” which appeared in the 2000 Sundance Film Festival.Also awaiting release are the independent movie “The Simian Line” with Harry Connick Jr. and Lynn Redgrave, and “A Fate Totally Worse Than Death” with Julie Benz, and Jonathan Brandis.
She’s also no stranger to television having a recurring role as Abby Morgan on “Dawson’s Creek” and a starring role on the short-lived “Undeclared” as the college co-ed Rachel. Monica also had guest roles on series such as Law and Order, Homocide: Life on the Street, and Feds.
Before taking a break for new movies and tv, Monica attended New York University as an English major. When she has a bit of extra time on her hands she likes to take writing classes and likes yoga. Monica enjoys reading. One of her favorite authors is William Faulkner. She also likes the books the Bloody Chamger by Angela Carter, and Metamorphisis by Franz Kafka. She likes hanging out with friends and says: “I don’t do anything physical. I’m lazy.”, However Monica does enjoy roller skating with friends at Roller Rinks
Some other things Monica has said to have liked are Bob Dylan, the Police, and Tori Amos (a personal Fav !) The Movie, the Wizard of Oz, especially Judy Garland, of whom she says: “Judy Garland is my favourite. I probably know all her songs and have seen all her movies.” Her favorite T.V Shows include The Simpsons and Charmed.
Monica’s most recent project is the much anticipated summer movie “Freddy vs. Jason” in which she has a starring role. Look for that coming August 2003!. Monica lives in New York while not working on film or movie roles.