Dexter Mor….I mean Jim Lindsay is back! It’s been over 8 years since we last saw our favorite serial killer grace our television screens with his cunning killer ways after having sparked an outrage amongst critics and fans alike regarding the shows series finale. Showtime looks to right the wrongs for Dexter’s fans and to the shows legacy. The original showrunner Clyde Phillips has been brought back for this continuation of the character, with Michael C. Hall reprising his role along with Jennifer Carpenter who plays Dexter’s sister; Deborah Morgan. As a huge fan of the original show ‘Dexter’, I was let down by the series ending, so when I heard news of this new show, I was very hopeful that they’d give us a better conclusion of the story this time around. The first episode of Dexter New Blood starts off showing much promise. Spoilers from here on out.
I want to just get this out of the way. I don’t think this show will lure in new viewers if they haven’t seen the original series. I feel like this show requires you to have watched everything up until this point in order for you to fully grasp everything as far as the character goes. Now, speaking of a fan of the original, I really really enjoyed this first episode of the show, and I appreciate that they are catering directly to the fans that have already watched everything up until this point. A large part of the enjoyment is seeing this character again because we’ve all been through his journey that’s led him up to where he is when this show picks up. Anyone new tuning in would probably be a bit confused by ghost Deb, and all the little callbacks they throw our way. I feel like there are lots of things that will go over new viewers heads in that regard.
So the first episode starts off pretty seamless. Dexter is now called Jim Lindsay, and he’s living in a small town somewhere off in upstate New York. There is a time jump of 10 years and it does feel like life has moved on from where we last saw him. He has a girlfriend who also happens to be a cop. He seems pretty well known in his small community, and he also works in a gun shop. He seems to blend in extra well in this community and it does feel like he’s become an integral part of it. Everyone knows everyone. He’s clearly had lots of time to get to know the townspeople and it’s been a long time since he’s last killed someone, but can a killer truly change his old ways? This first episode looks to tempt the predator lurking within Dexter, and something major happens that brings about his “Dark Passenger.” He is haunted by Deborah since he sees her ghost always lurking around. We know that he ended up killing her in the original show because she finds out that he is indeed a killer. He is trapped by his own guilt it seems, and sees temptation everywhere. Then, out of no where, his biological son Harrison shows up at his house asking for him. He knows he is his father and at first turns Harrison away because he feels like it would be no good for him to get close to him because of his killer past. He sends him away and gives him money to catch a bus back to wherever he came from. Dexter ultimately denies to Harrison that that he is Dexter Morgan and that he must be mistaken.
By the end of the episode, the killer instinct is brought out once again as he kills someone who he feels deserved it. Someone who had slipped through the justice system. Dexter promptly asks Harrison to stay with him and confirms that he is Dexter Morgan(not Jim Lindsay) and the episode ends. Dexter ultimately sheds the identity he’s been carrying the past 10 years and is now back to his true form and I for one am excited to see what happens next! I’m very hopeful that this series will be better than the last season of Dexter. Michael C. Hall is working his magic and plays the part wonderfully, it’s almost as if there was never a gap in which he plays the character. He makes sure the feeling of this character is familiar for the fans while also giving us light on the growth he’s made all these past years off screen. The music was great,(they used Blondie I mean come on!) the acting is good, I also like the new characters introduced and look forward to where this season goes!
Dexter: New Blood has a new episode out every Sunday at 9 PM Et on Showtime.
Fandom Lair 