By ElaineB
For those of you who do not subscribe to Showtime Insider, which allows fans to see the “unedited” first episode of the new season, I will give no spoilers here. Instead, I’m posting some of the conversation I had recently with David Zayas, who plays Angel Batista on the series.
So what does this season hold for Angel? Any well-deserved romance on the horizon?
Zayas: This year you will find Batista having a lot more responsibility on the police department and there should be some interesting developments in his personal life.
I asked this question of Erik King last year about Doakes, and I want to do it again: Dexter has saved Angel’s life on one occasion, I believe, and Angel has been more aware than the rest of the force about the evil of his victims. So what if Angel knew the truth? How do you think he’d react?
I don’t know. Hopefully I won’t have to deal with that for awhile. I’m not one of the writers so how I would react is unimportant, but I would say that it would make for interesting drama, that’s for sure. But I don’t think that’s going to be a decision that would be easy to answer in just one sentence. It would be really complicated.
(Of course, Batista is a good guy. Doakes was way more conflicted. When I spoke with King, his answer about Doakes was more in line with his own character. He said, “I could relate. I could see him saying, ‘You go, Dex!'” Of course, now he’s gone. I think I will miss his glowering presence.)
Nice to see Jimmy Smits joining the cast. It speaks to the popularity of the series. How is he to work with?
He brings a lot of class to the show which is already a classy show. … He’s a professional and a committed actor and I’m looking forward to having some scenes with him, though I haven’t yet. He’s a wonderful addition to the show.
Did you expect this series to be as popular as it is? Why do you think that’s so?
I got the job and thought it was an interesting show, but I didn’t know how the audience was going to receive it. But they have in a way that has made it popular and it’s critically acclaimed. I’m very happy about it, but I honestly did not know.
What has been the creepiest moment for you on Dexter?
I would say the scene last year when we go into a hanger where there are all these bodies. Even though they were all prosthetics, it was a little weird to be with hundreds of bodies they had fished out of the bay. … It takes a toll on your imagination.
How does Dexter grow this year?
I can’t tell you all that, because if I tell you, I’ll be giving you specifics you don’t want to hear. But there is definitely growth in Dexter’s character – with his humanity. The wonderful thing about these writers, when you think you have exhausted almost everything, there’s a whole new pool of stories and emotions and circumstances that can really bring out interesting qualities in each character. And they see it and they find it.
So there’s a few comments, having seen the edited screener at this point, I can say that the first episode has him hit by two HUGE ones. I disagree with those who think the writers did a cop out. What happens is natural, possibly inevitable, and will really mess with our antihero’s head. The stakes are definitely rising.
