Does ‘Dexter: New Blood’ Improve on the Original Ending

It was a refreshingly new series when Showtime aired Dexter on October 1, 2006. The show centered around Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a blood splatter analyst for the Miami-Metro Police, who hides a dark secret. Dexter Morgan is a serial killer. But what made Dexter a standout was the real premise of the show, our protagonist only kills those who have evaded arrest for heinous crimes. Taught to follow a code of ethics by his adoptive father, Harry (James Remar), Dexter follows “The Code” to near insanity to prove his victims are worthy of punishment. Throughout this eight-season journey, the ghost of Harry haunts Dexter to never break the code and most importantly, never get caught.  

Spoilers ahead

Although hailed as a great show, Dexter had one of the worst series endings in television history. As we remember, the series closes with Dexter planning to move to Brazil with Hannah (Yvonne Strahovski) and his son, Harrison. Instead, Dexter takes the body of Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) out to sea during a hurricane, leaving the audience to assume that Dexter has taken his own life. We quickly learn that Dexter somehow survived and is now living in Oregon under a new identity, alone. Fans were left utterly disappointed and frustrated by this unjustified ending. For the audience, it did not make sense that Dexter would leave his son, especially after the tragic death of his wife, Rita (Julie Benz). It also felt that Dexter chose Deb over Hannah and Harrison, although not shocking to the character, it just felt wrong and unsatisfying. Fans of the show felt let down by the writing choices after the series’ buildup.

​​Hope Found In The Spin-Off

The audience was not alone in their lament as the show’s star also felt the ending was unsatisfying. Although, he found the silver lining in the new spin-off series, Dexter: New Blood. The first season, set 10 years after the close of Dexter, shows our anti-hero return under the new identity, Jim Lindsay. We also see the return of Dexter’s sister, Deb, replacing Harry as his “Dark Passenger.”

When the premier opens, we quickly learn that Dexter has given up his old ways and now lives a quiet life in the mountains of upstate New York. Why no longer Oregon? That question is never answered. Of course for Dexter, old habits die hard, and he relapses, killing a man that had evaded prosecution. After Dexter rids himself of the evidence he is faced with a dilemma: the arrival of his son, Harrison (Jack Alcott). With this audience instantly had a new question: what happened to Hannah? We find out that Harrison lived in a series of foster homes after Hannah died of ovarian cancer and has now finally found his father. Although slightly cliché, this did make sense to the story and it gave us a reason for Harrison, after all these years, to finally find Dexter. 

Endless Possibilities With a Familiar Formula 

Audiences were excited to finally see how the serial killer would raise a child and if the apple would fall far from the tree. The answer comes a few episodes later when we discover that Harrison has his own “Dark Passenger” and, similar to Dexter, struggles with this demon. Dexter decides to teach Harrison “The Code,” and thinks this will be the perfect bonding experience. But as we all learn, things do not always go to plan.

As the season progresses, we fall back into the familiar Dexter formula. There’s a new serial killer that is searching for his identity, someone close to him is discovering who he truly is, and nothing is going the way Dexter had hoped. The one problem this season had with the comfortable formula was that it felt rushed. A lot of pieces were moving without giving us time to fully understand what was happening.

Angela (Julia Jones), the chief of police and Dexter’s girlfriend, with the help of returning favorite, Angel Batista (David Zayas), discover Dexter’s real identity and piece together that he is the Bay Harbor Butcher. Our antagonist Kurt (Clancy Brown) has found where Dexter lives, and Harrison is a typical teenager much to the frustration of Dexter. Eventually, Dexter is arrested while planning an escape with Harrison. Dexter escapes jail by whatever means necessary, which causes Harrison to finally see his father for what he truly is, a monster. They are not the same, much to Dexter's relief. The season ends with Harrison shooting Dexter and fleeing with the help of Angela, who takes the blame. 

The Ending Dexter Needed

A big problem with this season is the fact that we see Dexter break his sacred code twice. Now he had done this in previous seasons but it was used sparingly. We can explain this away with the fact that a parent will do anything for their child but it felt out of character for the meticulous protagonist. Angela, although necessary, felt flat and underdeveloped by the writers. The character had the material for more depth but she felt more like a replacement for Deb. While Deb was too aggressive as the replacement Harry. It made complete sense for her to be Dexter’s new “Dark Passenger,” but she was more of an annoyance to the plot than a character that progresses it. The last major problem was with the decision that “The Code” is flawed. The audience was aware from the first season that Dexter’s process was flawed. But what was built in eight seasons was torn down in 10 episodes. Perhaps if there was some piece of Dexter’s thoughts over the past 10 years, fans would have been left with better feelings. As some questions left by the original series’s end were answered we were still left unfulfilled. 

A hope we can hold on to is the possibility of another season. With Harrison killing Dexter and fleeing town it leaves us with the chance for a new story. Harrison’s murder of his father could leave him with his own “Dark Passenger” and a battle with “The Code.” Only time will tell if Showtime will green-light a new season but for now, we are left with the ending Dexter always deserved.

The original article was posted on June 14, 2022, and can be found on Movieweb.com.