The Showtime drama starring Michael C. Hall as a serial killer who targets other serial killers has officially been renewed for a sixth season.
It's no surprise really considering the show is on pace to post its highest ratings ever with its upcoming finale. The Nov. 28 episode "In the Beginning" drew the second-highest number of viewers in the series' ratings history, just shy of the Season 4 finale. The steady growth could mean big things for the most recent episode, "Hop a Freighter," and the Dec. 12 finale.
"'Dexter' is the best suspense drama on television," says David Nevins, Showtime's President of Entertainment. "To grow its audience so significantly in its fifth season is an enormous accomplishment by this amazing cast and crew. This is the easiest decision I've made since I got to Showtime."
You're welcome. Anything to make your life easier, especially if it's watching "Dexter."
"Dexter" enjoyed a stellar fourth season, which rightfully earned John Lithgow a guest actor Emmy for playing that season's villain, the Trinity Killer. Many had doubts about how the subsequent season could top the Trinity storyline, but new executive producer/writer Chip Johannessen ("24") and the full writing crew approached storytelling from a different angle in Season 5 -- having Dexter hunt down and dispatch multiple killers.
Spoilers! If you're reading this and haven't watched the finale yet, then you must have the brain activity of a zombie.
Most of the finale was spent inside the CDC with all the adults pretty drunk off of Jenner's cache of wine. We're thinking that they sobered up and got over their hangovers in a hurry though when he told them the CDC would undergo decontamination that would rival a nuclear bomb. Although the episode wasn't action-packed until the end, enough went on and was revealed that it's worth breaking it down and tackling items one at a time:
1. Shane
The opening flashback scene may redeem Shane in some people's eyes. He only abandoned Rick after he tried saving him and thought he was dead from hospital equipment failure. There must have been some doubt in his mind though since he firmly shut the hospital room door and blocked it with a gurney. That doesn't really seem like a deterrent to a normal zombie though, so we're shocked that Rick was actually intact. Maybe being in a coma doesn't make you smell "fresh"?
So let's just say that even though Shane didn't risk his life to save Rick, he's off the hook because he thought his friend was dead. That doesn't forgive his current actions though. Sure, it sucks dude that your ready-made family went back to your best friend, but where's your honor? She's taken. Even if for some reason she loves both of you guys, Lori has made her decision. We don't care how drunk you are, Shane. Attempted rape is not ever cool. And that's not love.
2. Test Subject 19
So we were right that Jenner had feelings for this person. That she was his wife is no surprise, but that she was a more brilliant scientist is just such a tragedy. Hearing him describe the subject in such clinical detail was heartbreaking.
3. RIP Jacqui and Dr. Jenner
Dr. Edwin Jenner had looked defeated from the start, and after losing all the tissue samples from TS-19, it's no surprise after that he essentially gave up. He should have given the other survivors more of a heads up though about their limited time left. Suicide is your choice, doctor, not theirs.
We could see that Jacqui was tearful, but we were surprised about her choice to stay. We don't really know a lot about her (except that she had worked in the city zoning department). Perhaps she suffered many close losses, but she always seemed steady. Well, at least she and Jenner kept each other company in the end.
We'd like to say we'd choose life, but then again, we've never been through a zombie apocalypse. Do you agree with Jenner that humans will have an extinction event?
4. Andrea and Dale
We knew from all her doom and gloom talk and what happened with Amy that Andrea would choose to stay in the self-destructing CDC, but Dale's stance to stay with her if she wouldn't leave was gutsy. Would he have stayed for real or was it a ploy to get her to leave? Regardles, it does show that she does care about some things. She won't choose other people's deaths for them (like Jenner wanted to do) but Dale put her in that position.
Andrea puking was just from the effects off too much wine, right? We know from the blood test she's not infected, but we're hoping there's not another reason like another illness or pregnancy. It's been about 200 days since Wildfire was declared though, so unless someone's hooking up with her among the survivors, then that's not an issue. We don't even want to think about childbirth in a world full of hungry zombies. Hey, we've seen zombie kids but not zombie babies yet. Maybe they only die and don't "turn"?
5. Hooray for Daryl and Glenn
Glenn is always good for a laugh, and his best line was to Shane, "Dude, you are such a buzzkill, man" after Shane demanded answers about what happened at the CDC. Daryl, as crass as he is, is also good for a chuckle, like when he says he wants to see Glenn turn red like a lot of Asians do when they get drunk.
What we really like though is that they're full of life. No doom and gloom "I'm staying here to die a painless death" for them. They're scrappy fighters in their own ways, and while everyone's overthinking things, Daryl is always trying to act. Okay, sometimes it's not the best plan of action, but at least he's trying. We could see Glenn and Daryl playing off each other pretty well. Booyah, indeed.
6. Where's Merle?
Captain Hook didn't show up for the finale, so we guess we're waiting until Season 2. Grumble. Although we've gotten to like Daryl a little more than when we first met him, whenever Merle returns, we think he's going to be worse than before.
7. "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" - Bob Dylan
Perfect song for the ending, especially considering what Dale did for Andrea:
"If today was not an endless highway,
If tonight was not a crooked trail,
If tomorrow wasn't such a long time,
Then lonesome would mean nothing to you at all"
8. What did Jenner whisper to Rick?
We'd like to think Jenner was giving Rick some sort of help -- info about another place they could bunk safely, a source of good water, something. But then again, maybe he found out about Shane and Lori somehow and was warning Rick to watch his back. Shoot, maybe it's what was said at the end of "Lost in Translation."
Ugh, we can't wait till next season picks back up.
Michaela McManus makes her The Vampire Diaries debut on Thursday, Dec. 9, as Jules, a friend of Mason's who comes to Mystic Falls looking for him. Now, Stephen Amell has been confirmed as a guest star and what do you know? He has a connection to our dearly departed werewolf as well.
As first reported by E! Online, Amell will be playing Brady, who producers say is "an old friend of Mason Lockwood who blows into town with a vengeance. [He's a] loyal friend or your worst enemy depending on who you are. Did we mention he was hot?" A hot guy on "TVD"? What a nice change of pace for the show. No word yet on if Brady is a werewolf or not.
Amell will appear in two episodes, one of which he is filming now (episode 13). Clearly, he is going to be facing off against Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder), so we suggest he buy some metal chest armor before rolling into town. We all know how much enjoyment Damon gets out of ripping out a heart, human or werewolf. He's all for equal opportunity.
Fun fact: Amell was recently up for the lead role in "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" (which is being recast after Andy Whitfield had to quit the show due to his battle with cancer.)
P.S. Don't fret! Carina MacKenzie is still your go-to girl for all things "TVD", including Matt Donovan-centric tweets. She just (gasp!) took the day off, so please put down the vervain and wolfsbane.
Previously on "The Vampire Diaries": Klaus is looking to break the moonstone spell that prevents vampires from walking in the sun. In order to do it, he's going to need to sacrifice Elena... and almost everyone she cares about. To get to her, he'll stop at nothing.
There's a catch, though. That moonstone binds not only the vampires' spell - but also the one that forces werewolves to transform at every full moon. It's a bit of a race to the finish line, because once one spell is broken, the other will be eternal.
I needed a little bit of clarification on the whole spell situation, so I checked in with executive producer Julie Plec, and she confirmed that if the werewolf spell is broken, the wolves will be able to turn whenever they want to - or to never turn again, if that's their preference.
Now that that's all cleared up, let's cue up our DVRs. Spoiler alert: Nina Dobrev is awesome.
8:01 - Elena needs her own personal Whoopi Goldberg to tell her, You in danger, girl! every. single. day. After everything she's been through, I'm impressed that she doesn't build a cage around her bed. You know, the kind that they use to lower divers into shark-infested waters? Elena Gilbert is permanently in shark-infested waters.
Wait... has Elena's trouble-magnet been turned off? It appears that the only menace in the Gilbert house is a mostly-naked Alaric (which some might consider a welcome surprise) brandishing ice cream.
Nope. Manwitch Luka's creepy Witch Doctor Dad is up to no good in Elena's bedroom, collecting stuff from her shelves.
"Well, I'm naked, so I'm gonna go." Ha! It's a little weird to me that Alaric (Matt Davis) has been used so sparingly in the first half of the season, but I'm hearing that there will be lots happening for him and Jenna (Sara Canning) this spring.
8:02 - Let me get this straight. Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) have to do that whole one-two-three-heave-ho thing to move the rock slab in the tomb, but Caroline can lift it like it's styrofoam? Better start eating your wheaties, Salvatores. The tiny pretty blonde is out-awesoming you.
I have to confess, I'm not a fan of all this cutting back and forth between scenes. I'm getting whiplash. I am, however, a fan of Damon playing with an orange - I may not have read the "Vampire Diaries" books (I'll get around to it, I promise) but I can appreciate an homage when I see one.
This scene was released earlier, and I commented on it here, but I'll reiterate - I do think that it's significant that Elena pointedly includes Damon on her list of people she cares about. The last time she verbalized feelings for him she said she hated him. Progress is good - and whether or not you think Elena belongs with Stefan or Damon, it's in everyone's best interest for them to all get along.
8:06 - Whenever Bonnie (Katerina Graham) talks about her Grams I (1) really miss Grams from "Dawson's Creek" and (2) am sad that we lost Sheila Bennett so early. I would've liked to see drunk Grams rambling about Bonnie's witchy powers.
Bonnie and Manwitch Luka are bonding - emotionally and magically. I have to say, I'm so very Team Jeremy here (especially given Luka's creepster Dad), but with all the nosebleeds and passing out and doom and gloom lately, it's nice to see the light-hearted, happy, magical witchery that happens when Bonnie and Luka "channel" each other.
Graham's work in this scene is fantastic. Suddenly all the stress on Bonnie's shoulder's is gone, and she's just having fun with her powers. It's a lot like the scene with the feathers when she first told Elena her secret.
That said... the whole dog-tag/bracelet switch is a yawn. There's too much enchanted jewelry on this show. God forbid a dude move to Mystic Falls who isn't a fan of man-jewelry.
8:08 - Poor Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen). His hair looks spectactular, but he will never be able to make autumn leaves dance with the powers of his mind.
8:09 - "It's not nice to leave a girl naked so early in the morning," Rose says. She does realize that Stefan lives in that house too, right? Just wondering. It's good to know that Damon is still tapping that at night, while running around saving Elena is his day job.
Elena offers Bonnie's daylight savings ring services in exchange for something from Rose. In the last 500 years, has Rose really not been able to convince a witch to make her a ring? She's been slacking. It's not like those things are hard to come by these days.
8:10 - MATT! Tyler! Basketball! Their shirts are on, but I'll take it. "The Vampire Diaries" does friendships between guys really well, and even though Jeremy seems to have abandoned Tyler (Michael Trevino) in his time of need to make eyes at Bonnie, I'm glad that Matt (Zach Roerig) still has his back. (Even if Matt doesn't know about the lycanthropy issue.)
Poor Matt. He looks like he's going to cry, and he's being so honest. He's devastated by what happened at the maquerade - and unlike Tyler, he doesn't really have anyone to lean on, because he doesn't know anything about all the mind manipulation that led up to that tragic moment in the study. Somebody fix him, please!
(Awesome soundtrack junkie moment: "Only Happy When it Rains" by Kat Graham. That "pour your misery down on me" line in the background is aces.)
8:11 - Caroline (Candice Accola) and Matt or Caroline and Tyler?! I can't choose! They're all so wounded and moody-broody.
8:12 - Okay, I don't want you guys to think I'm drinking the Bonnie haterade, because I'm totally not. I think she's just as awesome as the rest of the girls on this show. But when she says she's "learned a few new things" since opening the tomb literally killed her grandmother, I had to roll my eyes. Her grandmother had decades to perfect her craft. Bonnie holds hands with a Manwitch at school and now she thinks she's got it under control? Girl, you in danger.
Stefan notes that unlike Katherine, he and Damon have been feeding. Are we to assume that Elena is still giving him her blood despite their break-up? Or has he been raiding the O-neg bags in the basement?
Damon's continued disdain for Jeremy's mere presence amuses me. Just so long as he keeps his hands away from the neck-area.
8:13 - Slater's apartment looks like Ben and Sean's loft from "Felicity," only without the cool deli fridge and the book of Smoothaise and fruit-selling ideas. Oh... and plus one dead vampire on the floor. They didn't have those at UNY.
8:17 - Hello, Alice. Who are you?
8:18 - Stefan is giving up that photo of Katherine without a care in the world, showing once again that he's over her. Though, I guess, technically, since she's back in the picture he could just snap a photo with his blackberry (or with whichever phone is sponsoring this week).
Damon didn't hold onto anything of hers? Interesting.
"I can turn the metal to ash, blow the ashes on her, incapacitate her," Bonnie says. Okay... but if your nose is bleeding just from that, do you really expect your brain not to hemorrhage when you try to take on the tomb?
8:19 - More Caroline and Tyler bonding! The more time these two spend together the more I like the idea of them together, but I'm still not totally convinced that she doesn't see him as her latest extracurricular activity. Tyler takes her to Mason's cellar, where they find chains and scratches in the stone from werewolves past.
I can't help but wonder - between the well, the cellar, and the tomb, there's a whole lot going on underground in this town. Are there hidden tunnels out of that tomb that no one knows about?
Caroline finds Mason's journal stashed in the cellar. It doesn't make a ton of sense that he'd leave it there - sure, he had to bail in a hurry the night he turned, but he had plenty of time after that to go back for it. I'd like to think he left it just in case, when he realized the Salvatores would be gunning for him, as a road map for Tyler. Uncle Mason pulls through again!
He chronicled everything... and even left a memory card tucked between the pages.
8:22 - When Jeremy asks Bonnie, "What are you doing?" I don't understand why she freaks out and shushes him so fast. Is she afraid Damon and Stefan will change their minds? Or is she just looking for an excuse to touch Jeremy's mouth? I wouldn't judge her or anything.
Bonnie tells Jeremy she's doing this to keep Elena safe. But has anyone filled her in on the fact that to break the spell, she'd be part of the sacrifice, too? Isn't it a package deal - the doppelganger, the witch, the vampire, and the werewolf? Elena's friends are constantly sacrificing themselves for her.
Oh, Jeremy. Stealing the ashes in true I-was-a-teenage-druggie fashion.
8:23 - Okay, so Alice is one of those girls who wants to be turned because she's read "Twilight" too many times, and Slater's computer password was "Kristen Stewart." I'm so disappointed. (Also... I've seen this before.)
8:25 - Uh-oh... Elena is on a suicide mission. With all the sacrifices her friends have been making on her behalf lately, it sort of seems like it's about time she make a sacrifice for them. Of course, I'm only saying this because I know she's never actually going to die, but seriously.
8:26 - Oh, Jeremy. You're so brave. And so, so dumb.
8:32 - So now Jeremy is vamp chow, and Damon has to bolt to Virginia to save Elena's life for the zillionth time. Jeremy can't die, so he's literally going to be Katherine's personal fountain of fresh blood in there - she'll drain him, and then he'll come back to life, and then she'll drain him.
"I'm just going to be in the back playing with my new little toy, and you guys just give me a holler when you've got the tomb open." Nina Dobrev is my hero. Also I'm a little bit afraid of her.
8:34 - I don't get it. Witch Doctor snuck into Elena's house... while she was home... to steal stuff from her... to do a spell to find out where she is. Why didn't he just snatch her, or call Elijah, right then? Logic fail.
8:37 - Hmm. Is Manwitch Luka on Bonnie's side? Does he not know what his dad is up to?
8:38 - Oh. My. God.
Bonus shirtless Taylor Kinney weeks after Uncle Mason's death? This is like finding an extra Christmas present under the couch a week after New Year's Eve.
Of course, it's not exactly shiny happy Pictionary Mason we get from the video footage Tyler and Caroline found. This is ugly, and painful, and downright hard to watch. I'm always impressed when actors really go there in scenes like this. Agony is awkward to play, and writhing on the floor in front of a bunch of camera guys can't be exactly comfortable. If this is any indication of what we'll see from Trevino next week, bring it on.
Speaking of Trevino... amazing in this scene, as usual. Tyler not only grapples with the struggle of seeing someone he loves in pain, but with his own inevitable future.
8:41 - "When have I ever made a decision?" Elena's little mission is misguided and perhaps stupid, but at least she's thinking for herself. I'm almost proud of her, even though it all backfired, as usual. She and her little brother have a lot in common.
8:42 - Surprise! Bonnie isn't actually more powerful than her wise, practiced grandmother.
8:47 - Stefan and Katherine stuck in the tomb. Oops?
8:48 - Okay, I know Tyler is a new member of the Badass Leather Jackets club, but he doesn't need to wear it inside. He looks like he's ready to bolt.
"There's a reason it's called a curse, Tyler." Now it's time to gush about Accola. How does she make her performance feel so real when her hair stays so perfect?!
And the doorbell rings. I woooonder who that could be... ... ...
8:50 - MATT! "I was driving home from work and I kind of found myself here. I miss you." I am dying right now. Their little smiles! The music! And--
Oh, come on, Tyler. I hate you. You couldn't have waited like one more minute to be a kiss-block!?
8:51 - Does ripping out a heart always work, no matter the monster? It's kind of messy, but it's effective.
8:54 - "I spared him. He'd die before he'd let anything happen to her. They both will. She'll be kept safe," Elijah drones. Ew. The Salvatores are like walking talking Elena incubators. Their entire purpose is to keep her safe and warm and like, fatten her up for the sacrifice. Gross.
8:55 - Jeremy and Bonnie, alone at last! Nevermind their friend stuck in the tomb with the psycho bitch! There's romantic music and dim lighting and Jeremy being all open and honest and talking about his feelings. "Don't act like this is one-sided," he says. "Like I'm some kid that has a crush on his sister's friend."
Bonnie's willpower is extraordinary.
Seriously. Extraordinary. The fact that she can walk away from that, but she can't break the tomb spell for a minute is mind-blowing.
8:57 - Why does Elena even waste her breath defending Rose? Maybe she actually likes the idea of Damon having someone to occupy him while she's busy still being in love with Stefan. If he's distracted by Rose, he might lay off the longing looks and close-talking.
"If I had a dollar for every time some evil vampire surprised me," Damon says... Elena could echo that sentiment.
Uh-oh. Here's Jeremy with the bad news.
Damon throws some of the blame for Stefan's precarious situation Elena's way. "I was too busy saving you from your crazy kamikaze mission," he hisses. I love Dobrev in this scene. Elena knows better than to go in after Stefan - she just needs Damon to be her punching bag for a minute before she comes to her senses. This is going to be tough.
8:58 - "You martyr yourself into a tomb and I get partnered with a semi-competent witch." Awww. Brotherly love.
That was one hell of an episode. There was a lot going on - and a lot of kissing not happening. I don't care who, but somebody better start making out on this show. All these almost-but-not-quite moments are really harshing my buzz.
In other news, Rose continues to be just shy of totally boring, and Luka is going to have to step up his game tenfold if I'm ever going to care about Bonnie giving him magic seizures.
The preview for next week looks absolutely bananas. If that hot scene between Stefan and Katherine is a dream sequence, I'm going to be so mad.
I want to give MVP to Trevino, but I'm saving that for next week. (I have a lot of faith in him.) So Kinney gets it. For the best surprise appearance ever.
Your turn, vamp fans! Tell me what you thought in the comments below. What are you most anticipating about next week's fall finale? More importantly, I'll be visiting the "Vampire Diaries" cast on set next week, so let me know if you've got any burning questions. I'll get as many answers as I can!
"I was really excited about the whole thing," said Freeman. "It it really gives her character more depth. Up to this point, Tess has sort of been an amalgamation of other characters. She's a little bit mysterious, so she's a reflection of what everyone thinks of her. This [reveal] gives her a place in the story."
Friday's (Dec. 3) episode, "Luthor," is sure to add more new twists to the family legacy. Tess finds a Kryptonian box that once belonged to Lionel (special guest star John Glover). But when Clark activates the box, he's transported to an alternate universe where the Kents never found him and he was raised instead by Lionel, as Clark Luthor.
While Clark tries to get home, he has to pretend to be his murderous alter-ego -- and as he encounters his friends in the alternate universe he realizes the impact one small change could have had on his life.
Throughout the episode, we'll also see Clark Luthor in the Smallville we know and love. "You'll see both worlds going at the same time," Cassidy says."It was a bit of dual personality that week for all of us. But [executive producer] Kelly Souders was directing, and she'd obviously been with the idea from the inception, so she was so versed in who these alternate characters were that it made the transitions easy."
Freeman says that with the writers and producers based in LA and the show's set in Vancouver, the cast's interactions with the writers and producers are usually via videoconference. "Kelly came in so ready to learn," she says. "But we really learned from her too. She was totally solid in terms of how she wanted things to look and the different atmosphere."
The CW has released some teaser clips from "Luthor," including scenes that display a whole new dynamic between Clark and Tess. "Our characters become textbook week-to-week, so any chance we have to take them and flip them and play something really different is great," Freeman says. "Especially with an actor you're so comfortable with, the way Tom and I are. We had a really great time exploring the different versions of Clark and Tess and how they'd react to each other."
Of course, the episode presented the opportunity for Freeman to work with actors she may not be as familiar with as well. Since she was added to the cast in 2008, she's had her fingers crossed to work with the actors who made the Luthors so appealingly devious.
"John Glover is awesome," she says enthusiastically of the returning star. "It's been a total dream of mine to work with him from the time I started the show. I've been wondering how they could bring him back in a way that would let me interact with him, and man, they did it so creatively. It was really fun. He's so talented and just brilliant to work with." She pauses. "I do still really want to work with Michael Rosenbaum, though. Just to throw that out there."
In the meantime, though, she has plenty of ground to explore with Tess. "Now that she knows she's a Luthor, some major questions are answered for her. She's got this sordid past that's now explained a bit, but it's also very upsetting in a way. It's like now, any evil thoughts or evil doings aren't just circumstantial. They might be ingrained in her; they might be in her blood."
Her connection with the Lex clone she's essentially nurtured may grow deeper as well. "Internally, knowing that she's a Luthor definitely changes that connection," Freeman says."It's not just a sort of mothering instinct, it's an actual biological connection to this person."
As powerful as the Luthor name is for Tess, it may have an even deeper resonance for Clark and Oliver, and though Tess is currently trying to keep her true identity a secret, Freeman confesses, "It's just like any secret in 'Smallville.' It's a secret until it can't be a secret anymore."
How will our trusty superheroes react when they hear that Tess, who they finally have accepted as part of their team, has Luthor blood in her veins?
"They'll have a choice -- if and when they find out," Freeman says coyly. "They can accept her for it and base their judgment on her actions, or they can totally not accept it and push her away. Knowing the characters, I'd imagine that Oliver will probably have a much harder time accepting it than Clark will. Clark always wants to see the good in people."
We haven't seen much of Tess's relationship with Lois this season, but Freeman assures us that the two will share more scenes moving forward. "Their relationship is more collaborative, now that everyone knows what's going on and Clark's secret is out," says Freeman. "They're all on the same team now, and they can really look at the bigger picture."
Chloe (Allison Mack) returns in Episode 12, but don't expect to see much interaction between her and Tess for her first few episodes back. "Allison is back, yes, but we haven't had any scenes together, to be honest," Freeman says. "She's got a lot of other storylines to take care of. In terms of Tess running the Watch Tower, I think that Chloe made this really strong decision to leave, and she understands the repercussions. She'd rather know things have been running smoothly than worry about having been replaced somehow. She's a strong character that way."
As this is the final season of "Smallville," Freeman admits that there's the occasional bittersweet feeling on set. "There are little moments of sadness," she says. "When we finished Episode 11, we all sort of looked at each other and thought, 'Well, we're halfway through.' But there's also a sense of excitement in terms of moving on and exploring new things next year."
Freeman's post-"Smallville" plans? "I have a plan to maybe sleep for a week," she laughs. "That's as far as my plans go right now."
When it comes to whether Tess will continue on the straight and narrow path or go with her Luthor heritage and take a dark turn, Freeman insists she doesn't know what the writers' plan is.
Now, though, she's changed her tune a bit. "The writers have two distinct avenues they can take now, with Tess," she says. "Yes, as an actor, it's fun to play dark and evil. But I've gotten to know Tess now, I've gotten to be close to the character, and honestly, I want her to do good and to be happy. I think there's a way to do that and still thrive creatively."
