Exec producer Clyde Phillips bares Dexter details to fans

It was past my bedtime last night when Showtime aired this video chat with Dexter executive producer Clyde Phillips, so it was with much relief that I discovered Showtime has made the chat available to the rest of us. If you caught it live on Ustream, you are stronger men and women than I.

The hourlong chat contains some dynamite info, but not the spoilers some of you may have hoped for. Phillips and the rest of the show’s creators, crew and cast were sworn to secrecy on the Season 4 finale, which Phillips promised will “blow the top of your head off.” He went on to say that the episode, which airs Sunday, is the most exciting the writers have ever produced.

Here are a few of the highlights he did reveal, in answer to fan questions:

• Adversaries to Dexter such as Jimmy Smits’ Miguel Prado and John Lithgow’s Trinity Killer are called “Big Bads” because they’re so much more evil than your average villain.
• It’s tempting to compare Dexter and Trinity since they both kill in a ritualized fashion. But Dexter is driven by Harry’s moral code. Trinity has no code; he only has mythology.
• Jennifer Carpenter is less foul-mouthed than her character, Debra Morgan, but she enjoys delivering the colorful lines the writers give her. Phillips said she’s an actress at the top of her game and she should win an Emmy for this season.
• The writers don’t know yet where LaGuerta and Batista’s marriage will take them, but they’ll explore the relationship next season.
• Quinn, who’s becoming more and more suspicious of Dexter’s behavior, is there to recreate some of the tension that was lost after Doakes was killed.

There’s lots more in the full chat, my friends. Take a look for yourself, on your own schedule:

Dexter’s Season 4 finale is next Sunday, Dec. 13.