Dexter: New Blood is an American crime drama mystery miniseries developed for Showtime as a continuation of the series Dexter, developed by original series showrunner Clyde Phillips and directed by Marcos Siega. The original run of Dexter ended with the disappointing Season 8, with a series finale that mystified diehard fans.
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Set a decade after the events of the ‘final season’ – then considered the final season – Dexter: New Blood finds Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) now relocated to the fictional small town of Iron Lake, New York, hiding his identity under the name of Jim Lindsay, a clerk at a local wilderness sporting gear store. He has a romantic relationship with the town’s chief of police Angela Bishop (Julia Jones), and has been successfully suppressing his vigilante serial killing urges. Dexter’s deceased sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) has replaced their father Harry as an imaginary presence he often speaks to.
However, two story events occur in the first episode that (naturally) upsets Dexter’s idyllic new life viz. Dexter inadvertently kills again and out of the blue his son Harrison (Jack Alcott) appears looking for “Dexter Morgan”. How Dexter deals with these two inciting incidents will occupy his thoughts and action for the rest of the miniseries.
The writing on most of Dexter: New Blood is top-notch and recalls the early seasons of Dexter – taut, gripping, disturbing with a tinge of black humour. The sight of Dexter taking out the scum of society was a guilty pleasure that we did not expect to experience once again after the series concluded.
Three key relationships define Dexter’s motivations here. With Harrison, he is determined to right previous wrongs, re-connect and also mentor his son in the ways of the ‘dark passenger’ – the name Dexter has given to his murderous impulses. With series villain Kurt Caldwell (Clancy Brown) – also a serial killer – whom he needs to design a scheme to outwit and ultimately kill. With Chief Bishop, whom he keeps close so that he can stay a step ahead of law enforcement.
However, by the end of Dexter: New Blood, Dexter gets his just desserts and the satisfying conclusion that the limp series finale did not provide. That said, the manner in which this all plays out in the final episode is rather shocking and unexpected. In fact, one could imagine Dexter and Harrison in their “Batman and Robin” roles into a new season but in hindsight Dexter had to die, and even he knew that at the very end.
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Dexter’s second finale raised one big question as well, regarding Harrison’s future – will he become a serial killer like Dexter? Perhaps there is a new series to consider but in the meantime, enjoy Dexter: New Blood – it’s not often a creative team gets a second chance to fix a botched landing.
Watch Dexter: New Blood on Amazon.
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