It was a day filled with Dexter deliciousness at Comic-Con, as the cast took the stage to give us all the goods on a killer season. (Sorry, it's after hours, and we couldn't resist the pun.)
When we last saw our favorite Dark Defender, Dex and Rita had just walked down the aisle and were headed for wedded bliss, so all is well in suburbia, right?
Not so, said the man himself, Michael C. Hall: "In the first episode, we see Dexter dealing with the fact that he doesn't have as much time as he'd like to have. He's a bit sleep-deprived, which creates a frantic energy that we haven't seen characterized in his kills before."
Wait a minute, let's get this straight: The newly dubbed hubby, stepfather and baby daddy is still in murder mode? Sounds like it.
"The theory of being a father appealed to Dexter...but he didn't appreciate how trapped it might make him feel and how difficult it would be to exercise his compulsions," explained Michael.
Click on the video above to see the gorgeous cast talk about it themselves, and keep reading for more on Daddio Dexter and everything else season four has to offer...
Isn't there anything Dex likes about fatherhood? By the looks of it, it's definitely taking its toll, but hey, at least he has someone to share the tales of his nightly excursions with.
"Dexter feels a connection with the child that he doesn't feel with anyone else," he said. "His blood is in the baby's veins. He can say anything to that baby he wants, and we might see some of that."
Might? Showtime gave us an exclusive first look at the new season (yes, we have it for you, too!) and within the first few seconds, Dex is chatting away his ridiculously adorable baby boy—who is named Harrison as an homage to the one and only, Harry Morgan.
The always lovely Julie Benz was exactly that and more than happy to dish on Rita's vastly different outlook on things.
"Rita finally has it all—the husband that she always dreamed of she has a beautiful home, healthy kids. She's in a grounded, earth-mother place—her life is exactly what she wants," said Julie.
Speaking of that other dad, everyone was beyond thrilled that James Remar is back as the omniscient Harry Morgan. Gushed Michael, "Dexter and his father will continue to have scenes together. They represent an internalized version of Dexter's father [and also his] relationship with himself, but it's developed in a great way to dig deeper into what makes Dexter tick."
Don't worry, we didn't forget about darling Detective Deborah. Jennifer Carpenter is on a mission with her character this season (we'll have much more of that in the next few weeks), but all we really want to know is if Deb will finally find some happiness.
"You'll see her move out of the shadow of Harry and unplug certain cords that don't fit with Dexter, and every move she makes will be about herself," Jennifer said. So is that a yay or nay on the happiness? "I don't know if she will be happy in the end, but it will be the most authentic she's been." Oh well, we're still keeping our fingers crossed.
Last, but certainly not least, as the Comic-Con crowd went absolutely bananas for newcomer—and clear fan fave—John Lithgow. (We have lots of goodies from him on his Trinity Killer, but check out a peek of his eerily creeptastic killer in the trailer).
John fessed up to knowing each and every detail about his baddie, but spilled nothing. Not. One. Thing. Fret not because his charm won us all over when he informed everyone that his "first victim is High Commander Dick Soloman. I think we need to rest my zany television persona from 3rd Rock From the Sun." The moment he spoke those words, we were sold.
He may not have revealed a thing, but based on his praise of the scripts it sounds fantastic: "They have everybody on the edge of their seats, including the crew. The revelations are astonishing; they're so thrilling—complete surprises."
One reveal? John has yet to work with any castmembers and they are about to start filming the sixth episode, so we're expecting lots of "lurking" and "stalking," as he so eloquently put it, for the first half of the season.
And while we're on the topic of new characters, this season of Dexter will be filled with a few other familiar faces, too. Desmond Harrington is back as a series regular playing Detective Quinn, and there will finally be some resolution on that whole I.A. storyline that was sort of left dangling. Keith Carradine's Frank Lundy comes into town to help with the Trinity Killer case, so Deb will definitely feel the affect of that. And her boyfriend Anton (David Ramsay) is still around, with that relationship going to "very interesting places."
Hall will also provide the voiceover for a 12-episode animated Sho.com-exclusive series called Dexter: Early Cuts, about how the young butcher honed his craft and developed his signature killing style. Fans at the Con got to see some early art from the series: a younger-looking and very sinister Dexter holding up a knife dripping blood.
So, there you have it. Season four of Dexter in a nutshell. We have so much more scoop on what's ahead, so be sure and check back in for Monday's Spoiler Chat.
—Additional reporting by Natalie Abrams
Are you as crazy excited as we are to see Dexter on daddy duty? Let us know!