The following contains spoilers for the finale of Dexter: New BloodNow that Dexter: New Blood has finished its limited run, many fans may be understandably curious about the future of the series. The Showtime continuation promised to take another crack at the rather infamous ending to the original Dexter, and possibly provide some closure for viewers who were left wanting. But did it succeed?
Showrunner Clyde Phillips, who had the helm for all of Dexter: New Blood and the first few seasons of the original Dexter series, seems to think that the show accomplished what it set out to do. The 10th and final episode saw Michael C. Hall's Dexter Morgan finally meet his demise at the hands of his own son, Harrison (Jack Alcott), after rather abruptly being forced to confront all the harm he'd done to good people over the years. But while this certainly seems like a definitive ending to the story, perhaps there's still room for more.
Speaking with Deadline about the finale, Phillips addressed several questions, including whether this conclusion was planned from the start (or at least the start of production on New Blood). "We knew this had to happen, and I think it had to happen for the audience as much as for the character," Phillips said. "To see him get caught time and time again and get out of it at a time and time again is a disservice to the audience." As divisive as this finale may be among fans, it's pretty clear that it wasn't just some spur-of-the-moment decision. Dexter was never going to get a happy ending, and Hall himself knew and appreciated that fact.
"So early on when I went to go and speak with Michael," Phillips continued, "it was about two and a half years ago in early July 2019, I told him my ideas. We met after I received a call from Showtime president Gary Levine who told me they were interested in revisiting this. Michael gave me a big hug and told me, 'I'm in.' He knew how this would end." Rather different from how Harrison Ford had wanted Han Solo to die for literal decades, Hall's enthusiasm for a proper ending to Dexter seemed to be less about burnout on the character and more about simply knowing how he thinks a story like this should end.
Phillips went on to definitively confirm Dexter's death, nipping any wild theories about his possible survival in the bud. "I have three words for you: Dexter is dead," he said, flat out. "I wouldn't do that to the audience. It would be dishonest. Here, there is no question that this is the finale of Dexter. Dexter is dead." But interestingly enough, that doesn't necessarily mean the overarching story will end here. When asked about how a possible continuation might look, Phillips seemed to already have some ideas. "Harrison brings a different perspective to the vigilantism of it all than Dexter did, which was kind of surprising to Dexter," he said, musing on how the morally conflicted Harrison might go on from here. "Think of every time we take out one of these bad guys how many lives we're saving, that this bad person is not going to kill. Dexter never thought of that. Dexter was only taking out bad guys because that was his code."
It may be a long shot, but there's definitely a distinct possibility that the Dexter lore could continue on with Harrison as the driving force. Fans have speculated on this idea since the beginning of Dexter: New Blood, but it's difficult to tell whether it would work as well as the original series. Looks like it's up to Phillips and Showtime to see whether fans will find out.
Dexter: New Blood is available to stream in full on the Showtime app.
Source: Deadline