'Dexter' cast reflects on series, teases 'appropriate' finale

There was more reflection than scoop during Dexter‘s farewell panel Thursday night at PaleyFest. But with two episodes left in the show’s run, the cast and producers worked hard to guard the remaining secrets.

So what did we learn during the hour-long conversation? The highlights are below:

On the finale: “There is a storm coming,” said executive producer Sara Colleton, declining to give many more details. Meanwhile, Jennifer Carpenter said she was “absolutely” satisfied with the ending, and “the only reason I’m OK walking away is because the finale felt appropriate.”

Michael C. Hall also boasted about the series ender, comparing it to the end of “a really good book.” “It was that, times a hundred….It was beyond anything we could articulate [while filming] — or now, apparently,” he joked.

On the rumors of a Deb spin-off: Carpenter was quick to shoot down rumors of a Deb spin-off, telling the crowd “I think I have played Deb from start to finish.” But while Colleton said the cast and crew are currently enjoying a “feeling of completion,” she was ultimately more hesitant to take the idea off the table for good. “Anything is possible,” she said.

On how Masuka’s story ends: Masuka (C.S. Lee ) and Deb’s wedding “it went off without a hitch,” Lee reported. He was joking…we hope.

On finishing eight seasons: They may have each walked away with a piece of the set — Hall admits to taking Dexter’s lanyard, watch and a piece of the banister from Dexter’s apartment building — but above all, the cast said they walk away with gratitude. “I wanted to be there every day I was there, whether I was in one scene or three scenes,” said David Zayas, who plays Sgt. Batista. “It was always an exciting thing for me.”

On Deb’s best one-liners: Carpenter said “Christ on a crutch” was among her many favorites, while Hall said his remains, “I’d rather put out a campfire with my face.”

Quote of the night: The cast was asked to play Kiss, Marry, Kill — a PG version of FMK — and when it came time for Hall to make his choices using the options Deb, Hannah (Yvonne Strahovski) and Rita (Julie Benz), ex-wife Carpenter, who declined to play the game, summed up the moment. “You understand why this is loaded, right?” she quipped to the moderator. Later, Carpenter handled an awkward question about working with her former husband with similar frankness. “I’ve said it before — and we’ve said [it] — just because the marriage ended ended doesn’t meant the love did,” she said, choking up. “There’s nothing but love and respect.”