There were some bittersweet moments on Thursday afternoon as cast and crew of Showtime's "Dexter" assembled in Hall H at the San Diego Convention Center for their last Comic-Con appearance. The series is currently airing its eighth and final season, and the cast was ebulient in their appreciation of the many loyal fans who have supported them every step of the way. The panel kicked off with a video featuring regular and guest cast members from all eight seasons expressing their thanks. There was also a video highlighting Dexter's "greatest kills", which served as a reminder of how much ground this show has covered since its debut in 2006.
The very long press table on the stage at Hall H accommodated current and previous showrunners and producers, and cast members Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas, and James Remar. Julie Benz and Yvonne Strahovski also participated, as did Desmond Harrington, who seemed a bit overwhelmed in his first Comic-Con appearance. Surprise guests included former cast members Lauren Velez and fan favorite Erik King, who was greeted with shouts of "Surprise, motherf***er!", echoing his meme-worthy line from season one. John Lithgow, who played the villain in what was arguably the show's best story arc, the Trinity Killer saga, couldn't attend but provided a mischevious video greeting in which he noted that he has "become a 'Dexter' fan" since being on the show.
The cast couldn't provide many details about how the series will wrap up, though Yvonne Strahovski, who played Dexter's lover/nemesis from last season, let slip that her character will return, perhaps with revenge on her mind. And Julie Benz observed that the series is "ending on a high note, and that's what you want on television, but it's sad to see it go." Asked about how the actors are adjusting to "Dexter" being finished, Michael C. Hall replied that he didn't think it had quite sunk in yet. "I think there's probably some unconscious part of us that hasn't quite accepted it yet; five or six months there will be some wave of... something... that we'll all experience."
He also discussed the addition of Charlotte Rampling to season eight as a character who's something of a maternal stand-in for Dexter, and he noted that the focus on parenting in the final season is allowing Dexter to "recalibrate his inner Harry". When asked about any rituals he uses to get into character for "Dexter", Mr. Hall joked that these days he needs more rituals to get out of the Dexter character.
Fans who aren't ready to let "Dexter" go can savor the remainder of season eight as it airs Sundays on Showtime. In November the season will be released on Blu-ray and DVD, while the entire series will be available in Blu-ray and DVD editions with packaging paying homage to Dexter's blood slide box and blood splatter head model.
