Dexter: New Blood came to an end on January 9th, with a finale that all but eradicated the memory of how the show originally ended in one of the most criticized series endings in TV history. With praise from critics and audiences, the revival of Dexter proved to be one that was needed to heal a few old wounds, and according to showrunner Clyde Phillips, the outcome of the extended epilogue to Dexter’s story is one that Michael C. Hall knew about before he agreed to reprise his role as the unique killer.
Dexter originally ran from 2006 to 2013, lasting eight seasons and gaining a lot of critical acclaim before the series finale undid much of that and became a polarizing episode for legions of Dexter fans. Bringing the character back for Dexter: New Blood was always going to be a gamble, but thankfully for those involved in the show and fans of the series it turned out to be one worth taking as the limited run of ten episodes brought the story to a more justified close and became Showtime’s most-watched show ever. Spoilers await below for episodes 9 and 10 of Dexter: New Blood.
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Phillips acted as showrunner on the first four seasons of Dexter, during which time the show picked up 18 Emmy nominations as well as earning Hall a Golden Globe for his portrayal of the title character. When Dexter: New Blood was announced back in October 2020, having Phillips and Hall both back on board prepared fans for one last trip into the mind and actions of the serial killer. While speaking to TV Line, Phillips revealed that the death of Dexter in the final episode was something that was always going to happen to stop the series from becoming a “superhero show.” The 63-year-old said:
Dexter Was Always Destined to Die
Many long-running TV series have suffered from finales that have led to heated debate among fans, where it was the cut to black ending of The Sopranos, King Bran in Game of Thrones or the conclusion of Lost, so with Dexter having run for eight seasons, ending the show was going to pose some quandary over how it should actually end. As it was, the ending of the series was less than satisfactory for, well, everyone and Phillips himself confessed that the ending didn’t satisfy him either. Having the chance to rectify a few wrongs in Dexter: New Blood, the original showrunner was handed the perfect opportunity to return and give it the send-off it deserved.
“This all happened about two and a half years ago, so I’m not sure if it was the first or second meeting, but he knew early on that Dexter was going to die. He understood that that was the right decision. If Dexter keeps getting out of a jam every single time then we’re doing a superhero show. We wanted to bring as much humanity as we could to the ending of the show, and to say goodbye to the character with dignity and integrity.”
As with many long-running shows, the death of a main character is the only way to ensure the series does come to an end, and when it comes to a character like Dexter, it also sets a few things right in the world. According to Phillips, Dexter: New Blood ended as the series was always destined to end, and it is probably an outcome that will be much more favorable to fans than the one they have lived with for just under a decade.
