‘Dexter: New Blood’ Boss Breaks Down the Finale: ‘We Knew This Had to Happen’
Dexter: New Blood closed out on Jan. 9, with a stunning finale. The show followed Dexter Morgan to Upstate New York, where he’d built a life as Jim Lindsay, after having faked his death and fleeing Florida in the original series finale. But a series of events brought his true identity to the light. It all culminated in an episode that generated mixed reactions. But for showrunner Clyde Phillips, the finale of Dexter: New Blood had to be that way.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Dexter: New Blood Episode 10, “Sins of the Father.”]
What happened in the ‘Dexter: New Blood’ finale
In “Sins of the Father,” the tenth episode of Dexter: New Blood, Dexter was arrested for the murder of Matt Caldwell and was likely to face more charges in Miami.
Knowing he’d get the death penalty, Dexter violated his code and killed Officer Logan hoping to escape. He rushed to Harrison with a plan to get out of Iron Lake but was instead shot and killed by his son, who had become close to Logan. As police swarmed the area, Harrison fled town, aided by Angela Bishop.
Phillips on the finale of ‘Dexter: New Blood’
Phillips said that when the idea of a revival came up, he knew Dexter would have to die.
“We knew this had to happen, and I think it had to happen for the audience as much as for the character,” he told Deadline. “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. And I think there’s a certain truth in this storytelling, in authenticity in the storytelling.”
“So early on when I went to go and speak with Michael [C. Hall, who plays Dexter], it was about two and a half years ago in early July 2019, I told him my ideas,” he continued. “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.”
Hall agreed that he was pleased with the finale in an interview with The Los Angeles Times.
“The way the season concludes is one that resonates with me,” he said. “It feels justifiable. As upsetting as it may be, I hope audiences will appreciate the resonance of Dexter dying this way at the hands of his son.”
He continued: “People moaned about an ending that was admittedly open-ended and without any sense of closure. I guess you have to be careful what you wish for,” he added, smiling.
Will there be another season?
Although the finale concludes Dexter’s story, Phillips is open to the idea of more episodes focusing on Harrison.
“This show is a huge asset,” he explained to Deadline. “When people start bingeing this after the finale, I’m confident the numbers will continue to go up. It’s up to Showtime to make the call to me if they want more. If they ask me if I’d like to make a continuation of this, I would say yes. I have a lot of things going on but I would drop everything for this and say yes in one second.”
We’ll see what happens. In the meantime, check out Dexter: New Blood on Showtime now.
