Interview with director is a must read before tonight’s Dexter

As Dexter has grown as a character and a series over the last four seasons, director Kevin Gordon has been along for the ride. He’s helmed episodes in each season, including tonight’s jaw-dropping installment.

Before the show airs, get a load of the knowledge Gordon dropped in an interview with Shock Till You Drop. We’ve excerpted some of the best stuff below, but if you’re a die-hard fan, you’ll want to read the full Q&A here.

On how the show handles Dexter’s voiceovers: When we film it on set, there’s no narration. Michael often does it on his own. While I’m working on one episode, he goes into his trailer with a high end recorder and does the narration. He does it so well and nails it. He’ll often do it out loud during rehearsals just to time it in his head and so I know if we need to move the camera, where I should be ending. He’s such a technically precise actor, if he does the narration and it’s going to be about eight seconds, you can be sure he’s going to act out the scene and have it be eight seconds.

On how he gets the most out of a phenomenal cast: It’s so easy when you’re shooting a TV show this fast to fall into a rhythm. I find the best scenes are when you get out of the rhythm. I was really proud of Jennifer in “Dirty Harry”, episode five of season four where she had the breakdown in the parking lot while talking to Dexter. She just completely falls apart. It was a scene she’d been nervous about and it was about saying let go of all your previous ideas and let it happen. Those scenes, again two people, great actors that could do that. When you get someone like Michael and John Lithgow in a room, anything can happen.

On changes to come: One of the other things that’ll be interesting next year is that Clyde Phillips is leaving the show. He was the showrunner since the beginning and that’s obviously going to affect the show. He just wants to get back to living with his family at this point because they live on the East Coast (note: Dexter is mainly filmed in Long Beach, Calif., with establishing shots taken in Miami)

On his favorite seasons: I don’t think anybody would kill me if I said personally season three, while I think it’s great, to me was not up to the level in terms of impact and emotion and intensity as season’s one, two and now four. Three was a little bit of a dip, but that’s still a pretty good batting average. I think what they’re getting back to in season four is the complexity of Dexter’s psychology. Three shared a similar theme to two in that in season two he never had a friend and then there was Lila, and in three he never had a friend and there was Jimmy Smits. Now I think he’s questioning things on a whole level. The idea of can I be a normal person and a killer? Where does that leave me? What are my moral standards? Does Harry’s code apply to me anymore?

Don’t forget to watch Gordon’s episode, “Lost Boys” at 9 p.m. Eastern, tonight on Showtime.

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