Dexter Morgan is back in Showtime’s Dexter: New Blood, but should he have remained “dead”?

WHAT IS DEXTER?

Dexter: New Blood revival of the hit Showtime series Dexter. Based on the novel by Jeff Lindsay, Dexter follows the life of Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall). Who, by day, seems like an average human being. He works at Miami Metro Police Department as a blood-spatter analyst. By night, Dexter hunts and kills murderers, rapists, pedophiles, etc who have escaped the justice system. Sometimes at his hand. 

Dexter is one of my all-time favorite shows, and season 3 will live in infamy as one the best seasons of television ever written. So, with the announcement that Showtime is bringing back my favorite, lovable serial killer, Dexter Morgan, hesitation is putting it lightly. The series ended a decade ago and not on a high note. Seriously, the series finale of Dexter is one of the WORST endings to a show ever made. Sending off Harrison, Deb dying, and Dexter disappearing into a hurricane only to become the Brawny Man? Give me a break.

Going into Dexter: New Blood my expectations are low and my questions are plenty. Will they be able to fix the atrocity of the series finale? Will the series follow storylines from the books that weren’t touched in the original series? Can it live up to the original? The answer, possibly.

DEXTER: NEW BLOOD – COLD SNAP

In Episode 1, we find Dexter living in the small town of Iron Lake, New York. Population: 2,760. Going by the name Jim Lindsay (a nod to the author), dating the Sheriff of the town, and living among the town, Dexter has somehow figured out how to have a normal, friendly relationship with people in town. Which is something he has struggled with in the past. 

It has been 10 years since Dexter’s last kill, and with actor William James Remar not returning as Harry Morgan, I was curious how Dexter will keep his “dark passenger” at bay. Assuming the role of Dexter’s ghost conscious, his sister Debrah Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter). After Deb was shot and killed in the series finale, Dexter unplugged his sister and took her with him into the eye of the hurricane. It makes sense for her to take over such an important role in his life. 

HARRISON RETURNS

An interesting twist in Dexter: New Blood is the possible double entendre of its name. “New Blood”, on the surface, means new kills. However, with the return of Dexter’s son, Harrison (Jack Alcott), it’s possible that the new series will explore something the original never does. Dexter’s children are also killers. At the end of the first episode, we have no idea how or why Harrison found Dexter. Only that he, along with 1% douchebag, is the catalyst to Dexter’s dark passenger’s return. Personally, I will be so excited if New Blood goes down that road and we get to see Dexter be the mentor his father was to him.

THE KILL ROOM RETURNS

With the return of Dexter Morgan, also comes the return of the kill room. I have honestly never been more excited to see that kill room. I had no idea how much I missed this world of rooting for an antihero who kills bad people! Well, this dude isn’t as bad as some of the people Dexter’s killed in the past, but he’s close enough. Will Dexter return to his Analyst roots and help his Sheriff girlfriend find whoever is killing the missing people? I can’t wait to find out.

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