*Warning: Spoilers ahead*
We are living in the age of the reboot, the age of the revival.
We’ve got Gossip Girl, And Just Like That…, How I Met Your Father, Queer as Folk. The list really goes on and on. And since reboots and revivals are no longer even remotely novel, it begs the question: Did we really need to bring these shows back to life?
In the case of Dexter: New Blood, the answer is a resounding, “HELL YES.”
Fans of the OG series are fully aware that things ended on a sour and confusing note. Like, hold on…he’s still alive? He faked his own death and is living out his days as…a lumberjack?!
Well, thank god Showtime decided to give Michael C. Hall another shot to right the wrongs of the original ending. And now in 2022, nearly a decade later, we got the ending we (and Dexter) deserve, courtesy of the season (maybe series?) finale of Dexter: New Blood.
As the episode unfolds, it becomes clear that Dexter Morgan’s days are numbered. He’s in police custody, the evidence is stacked against him and Batista is en route. Guess Dexter is about to spend out his days in prison or potentially get the death penalty. But wait. He murders Officer Logan and escapes from jail with only minutes left in the finale episode! Is he actually going to escape once again, this time with his son Harrison by his side?
Sorry, Dexter. Not again.
In a poignant scene—and fitting finish—Dexter asks his son to pull the trigger, ending his tale (and his “dark passenger”) for good.
This is clearly what needed to happen all along: Dexter Morgan pays for his sins. And let’s remember, they are sins. Even if you could somehow forgive the majority of his murders because they followed “the code” and involved ridding the world of evil doers, this new ending reminds us that not all of the victims were evil. Dexter was responsible for the deaths of so many innocents: Rita. Deb. LaGuerta. Doakes. And finally, in an act of desperation, Logan. So, after years of narrowly getting away with it, Dexter Morgan gets his due.
And beyond this being a much more satisfying and fitting ending, the show also opens up doors for a potential new chapter. Harrison drives away, presumably being freed to live a normal life. But could there be a second season with Harrison in the lead role?
Executive producer Clyde Phillips exclusively told Entertainment Weekly, “I am open to the possibility. I've been with Showtime forever. I did the first four seasons of Dexter and the last three seasons of Nurse Jackie. Showtime is family. I'm open to the possibility if they wanna pursue it but there are no plans at the moment for that. Jack Alcott is a great actor.”
So, fans can keep hope alive that a new chapter may emerge in the Dexter saga. But they can also rest easy now that this incredible story has its proper ending. We’ll miss you, Dex.
