I missed out on this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, but I did witness the big presence made by Showtime’s Dexter in 2008 and remember feeling it felt sort of out of place in a convention that’s usually just about science fiction, fantasy and general geekery. Apparently it made enough splash then to have the show return to SDCC’09, as it was there again in full force, this time promoting this upcoming season and, in particular, the role played by guest star John Lithgow.
We got a chance to take a look at the first handful of episodes of Dexter‘s fourth season, and let me tell you, the first episode (hell, the first scene) alone is enough to tell you that Lithgow’s Walter Simmons carries a much different sort of dark passenger than Dexter does.
For anyone who’s teetered on the edge of the creepiness factor of Dexter, let me warn you that what Dexter does and how he carries it out is going to seem tame to what Simmons — the “Trinity Killer” — does, how he does it and how he later reacts to it, if that’s even possible to imagine. Simmons is a long-time serial killer, evading capture (and identity) for over 30 years, though his motivation for doing so appears to be much different than Dexter’s. By motivation I don’t mean how Dexter kills bad guys and Simmons kills innocents. I mean how Dexter does what he does to squelch his personal “dark passenger” and, after he kills, he feels better about it. Simmons seems awfully bothered by what he’s doing and has a ritual that’s more sick and twisted than methodical.
It’s not clear yet how Simmons and Dexter will clash this season, though Dexter does have a very active role in tracking him down. It remains to be seen, though, whether Dexter will have an appreciation for Simmons’s work like he did with his late brother — the “Ice Truck Killer” — or if this sort of monster is someone even Dexter can’t relate to.
Some other points from the season premiere, without getting too spoilery:
Dexter‘s fourth season premieres September 27 on Showtime.
Saw the first episode, and I think the show’s had better premiers from a single episode standpoint. That said, I think it did a great job of laying the groundwork for the season